Chapter 37: Because I’m a Big Kid
Before Bai Feng could even open his mouth to decline, Chu Ning Yan reached out and cut him off early:
“Hold your horses, don’t rush to refuse. I’m not sending you to fight other disciples.”
“So… who am I supposed to fight?”
Bai Feng was instantly confused. The sect’s big contest doesn’t involve fighting other disciples, so who does that leave?
Could it be fighting a formation?
“Relax, if you want to go up and fight, I wouldn’t say no!” Chu Ning Yan grinned, showing a bit of mischief. “By the way, how’s your formation study going lately?”
“Quite alright. I’ve read nearly a tenth of the formation books in the Treasure Pavilion. With my current level, I could barely arrange a fifth-rank formation, but I’d need to swallow pills midway.”
Bai Feng slightly concealed his true abilities.
If he had someone assisting him, or a way to continuously replenish his spiritual power, he could even set up a seventh-rank formation.
Do you know what it means to be a master of formations? The value of that achievement?
Hearing Bai Feng’s answer, Chu Ning Yan fell into silence. A Foundation Establishment disciple arranging a five-rank formation? That would be pretty shocking if it got out.
Although formation ranks aren’t strictly determined by cultivator level, they generally correlate with power.
For example, the Hundred Sword Array was a three-rank formation, capable of trapping a successfully completed Foundation Establishment stage cultivator and even blocking early Nascent Soul stage practitioners for a while.
And a five-rank formation could deal with Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Even the simplest traps or killing formations of that rank would easily handle Golden Core stage cultivators.
It’s clear Bai Feng’s formation talent is truly terrifying, especially since he’s been working so hard.
Chu Ning Yan remembered that the Treasure Pavilion held many formation books, and most were difficult to understand. Normal disciples only managed to read two or three books a month—that’s considered diligent. And Bai Feng had read a tenth in just one month?
Even if that tenth included a lot of beginner-level formations, that speed was still astonishing.
“Take a rest more often, don’t tire yourself out,” Chu Ning Yan finally advised her disciple for the first time. She was genuinely a bit frightened. “Oh, and can you understand all those books?”
She knew Bai Feng wouldn’t talk nonsense, but such an incredible claim made her ask again.
Bai Feng nodded: “Yes, I’ve got about 80-90% of it down. If you don’t believe me, I can set up a formation here and now.”
“No need, I believe you,” Chu Ning Yan waved her hand, gaining full confidence in her earlier decision.
It was time to give her dear friend a little shock of genius.
Then she recounted her plan: “I want you to participate in the sect’s big contest to compete against another formation genius. She’s one of my friend’s disciples. If you beat her, my friend will teach you formation for a while.”
Bai Feng thought for a moment. So that’s what her trip out was for!
Although he had already achieved mastery in formations, he wasn’t arrogant enough to believe no one else could teach him.
He also needed a reason to slowly showcase his formation skills.
So he nodded in agreement: “Yes, I look forward to competing against other formation geniuses.”
“Good,” Chu Ning Yan nodded happily. “Rest well these days, prepare your spirit for the upcoming match, and don’t stay up all night reading.”
Bai Feng thought about how he’d been secretly drawing spicy pictures lately and felt a bit guilty as he answered, “I haven’t been staying up all night…”
But Chu Ning Yan didn’t seem to buy it. She looked at Yu Mo, who was deep in thought, and advised her: “Yu Mo, keep an eye on him. Make sure he rests well.”
“Yes, Master,” Yu Mo quickly nodded.
She also understood why her master had told her to hold off on rushing. If Bai Feng could beat another formation genius, the rumors outside would be thoroughly dispelled.
…
“Master, are we almost there?”
A young girl sat on the flying boat, looking bored as she watched the scenery rush past.
“Almost. If you’re bored, you might as well read some more books,” someone tall and graceful replied helplessly. If a Demon Path practitioner had been here, they’d immediately recognize her as the infamous ghost prince of decades ago—who single-handedly caused chaos in the Demon Path, wiped out her own sect, and destroyed many demonic clans, slaying countless demonic geniuses.
But now she just went by Liu Meng, an independent cultivator, good friends with the sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Chu Ning Yan.
“I’ve already read it several times, it’s so boring,” the girl suddenly thought of something. She leapt lightly onto Liu Meng’s lap, eyes sparkling. “Master, I want to see the books you bought before!”
Liu Meng looked confused: “Did I buy any books before?”
“Uh-huh, I saw you holding a book at night. It looked like something called Spring and Autumn,” the girl said eagerly.
Hearing that, Liu Meng’s face darkened instantly. She thought: Why didn’t I notice you were so enthusiastic when I read my formation books?
She reached out and lightly tapped her disciple’s head: “Kids shouldn’t read that kind of stuff.”
“But why can you read it?” the girl asked, innocent and unrepentant.
“Because I’m a grown-up,” Liu Meng replied with a sigh. She had bought the book thinking it was some proper reading material, planning to let her disciple look at it as well.
But inside… it was that kind of thing.
Luckily, she had flipped through it before giving it to her, so she didn’t actually give it to her disciple. Otherwise, her face as a master would be utterly lost.
Still, the drawings inside looked really good. Next time she passed by, she should buy a few more.
Seeing her master’s expression of helplessness, the girl gave up temporarily.
She flopped onto Liu Meng’s lap in revenge for all those times her master had smacked her head. “Master, do we really have to go to the Heavenly Sword Sect? I don’t want to go there—so many rules!”
“I already promised Ning Yan. How can I go back on my word?” Liu Meng lifted her disciple off her lap. “And I’m kinda curious about her so-called formation genius too.”
“I think Auntie Ning Yan is just bragging. How could anyone reconstruct a third-rank formation in mid-Building Foundation stage? I bet she’s cheating.”
Come to think of it, even someone with spiritual pupils like her couldn’t do that.
“Whether it’s true or not, we’ll find out when we get there.” Liu Meng wasn’t entirely convinced, but her friend Chu Ning Yan had said it herself—plus they made a bet. She figured it wasn’t losing anything by going.
And she could grab a few meals there, she heard the food at the Heavenly Sword Sect was pretty good.
“Hmph, I’ll expose that liar when I get there and make her hang her head in shame!”
The girl had already decided her future opponent was a cheat. She looked determined to arrive at the Heavenly Sword Sect and give that faker a good thrashing.
Liu Meng looked at her disciple’s spirited expression and shook her head amusedly.
This way, she’d probably end up regretting it later. Though she also kept a small doubt—after all, as a famed master of formations, she knew better than anyone the difficulty of reconstructing formations across levels. Especially against the odds.
