Chapter 498: Breaking Through the Array Sea

“An immaculate formation?” Seeing his old friend so flustered, Pavilion Master Sai was utterly bewildered. He had heard of numerous formations: containment, illusion, maze, killing, spirit-gathering... but never an "immaculate formation."

“Just like calligraphy, painting, or pills, formations also have levels of artistic conception,” President Zheng said, suppressing his shock. “How could a five-star formation master and a two-star formation master create a formation of the same power?”

Pavilion Master Sai was taken aback. Everyone preferred formation plates inscribed by higher-level formation masters of the same grade, as they were more stable and powerful. Similarly, pills refined by higher-level alchemists of the same type were superior, sometimes even exhibiting pill patterns, which increased their efficacy. Since other professions had such distinctions, formations surely did too. A higher-level formation master would create a more powerful version of the same formation.

“The power of a formation depends on how well it integrates with its environment and whether it can harness the environment’s power!” Seeing his confusion, President Zheng explained, “Twenty percent integration with the environment is considered entry-level. At this point, the deployed formation can be successfully activated and exert its power. Only by achieving this can a formation function properly, allowing one to become an official formation master.

“Forty percent integration means you can use some of the environment’s power to enhance the formation, and your comprehension of formations reaches a medium level. For example, as a four-star formation master, I can easily achieve this level when deploying a two-star formation.

“Sixty percent integration means the environment and the formation can complement each other—what we call the advanced level. Even for me, deploying a first-level formation, this only happens occasionally…

“Eighty percent integration essentially means the environment controls the formation. Such a formation can harness the power of nature, like a spirit-infused artifact. It can even conjure storms and downpours, making it agonizingly difficult for anyone trapped inside to break free.”

At this point, President Zheng’s lips paled. “You can break a formation, but can you break the environment?”

Pavilion Master Sai froze. You can walk out of a formation, out of a room, out of a courtyard… but everything around you is the environment. How do you walk out of that? How do you break it? If a formation master grasped such a concept, and the formation was also high-level, it would be incredibly difficult to break, even for another formation master trapped within.

“Wait…” Realizing something, Pavilion Master Sai’s body trembled violently, his eyes wide as he looked over incredulously. “That’s only eighty percent integration… what about one hundred percent integration?”

“Precisely… that’s an immaculate formation!” President Zheng’s voice trembled. “Perfectly integrated with the environment, it causes no ripples when inactive. But once activated, the environment is completely affected, fully merged, indistinguishable. The environment *is* the formation, and the formation *is* the environment… Just imagine, how could cultivating in a spirit-gathering formation compare to the speed and efficiency of cultivating in a natural environment?”

It’s like an air-conditioned room: no matter how pleasant the temperature, it can’t compare to a place where it’s spring all year round.

“Such a formation uses banners to manipulate the environment. Legend has it, only a six-star formation master or higher can achieve this…” As he spoke, President Zheng himself could hardly believe it. The person before him didn’t even know about the absence of a spirit-gathering formation plate, yet he instantly deployed a perfectly integrated formation, something only a six-star formation master could accomplish… Was he mad, or was I? There had never been such a case in the guild’s history!

Lost in his doubts, he then heard the young man opposite speak: “Can you sell me the spirit-gathering formation flags and diagrams now?” The formation Zhang Xuan had just deployed was the simplest spirit-gathering formation, incapable of absorbing spiritual energy from spirit stones. To utilize spirit stones and accelerate cultivation, a formation of at least level four was required.

“You can…” His body stiffened, and President Zheng nodded. If someone capable of deploying a flawless formation wasn’t even qualified to buy formation flags, then he certainly wasn't.

“Might I ask… Master Zhang, what star-level formation master are you?” he couldn’t help but ask after agreeing. An immaculate formation of a two-star level could be achieved by a six-star master teacher, and legend said some exceptionally gifted formation masters could also do it. The young man before him, clearly not yet at the Ethereal Realm, wouldn't be too high-level. He wanted to know his exact rank to treat him appropriately.

“A formation master? I haven’t taken the assessment, so I’m not yet…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. He had only just learned about formations; he knew nothing about them before, so naturally, he hadn't been assessed.

“Not a formation master yet?” President Zheng’s mouth twitched, and his body swayed. Deploying formations so quickly, with such high artistic conception… and he hadn’t even passed the official formation master assessment yet… Where did this person come from? He was a four-star peak formation master, but in terms of speed, he was far inferior to the other party, let alone deploying a flawless formation.

“Might I ask… Master Zhang, would you be willing to take an assessment at our guild?” Thinking of something, President Zheng’s eyes lit up with eagerness. The Formation Master Guild’s headquarters had countless branch offices. If this talent from Honghai City took the assessment here, news would reach the headquarters, and he would undoubtedly receive a great reward.

“Sure!” Zhang Xuan nodded. It didn’t matter where he took the assessment. To qualify as a higher-level master teacher, he needed auxiliary professions, and being a formation master, one of the top nine professions, would be ideal.

“Excellent! I’ll go prepare right away…” Hearing his agreement, President Zheng smiled excitedly. “As for the spirit-gathering formation flags and diagrams, once you’ve completed your assessment and gained the necessary authority, there’s no need to buy them. I’ll personally give you a set, no problem!”

Similar to the Alchemist Guild, it was very difficult for lower-level members to purchase high-level formation diagrams without various authorizations. If one’s rank was high enough, they could even take them without paying.

“Great!” Hearing it was free, Zhang Xuan quickly nodded. Although he currently possessed a good number of spirit stones, his previous cultivation had shown that advancing required a colossal amount. Tens of thousands of spirit stones, a great fortune for other cultivators, might not even be enough for him to break through to Ethereal Realm Second Layer. Therefore, every spirit stone saved was like earning money.

“How is the formation master assessment conducted?” Zhang Xuan asked. He needed to understand these details before taking the assessment. Assessing a formation master, like assessing a master teacher, involved various methods, with different branches having different requirements. For instance, in Tianwu Kingdom, deploying a first-level formation was sufficient to become a one-star formation master. However, in Honghai City, a major city in the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, the method might be different.

“Our branch is indeed different from others, and frankly, more difficult. It involves… traversing the Sea of Formations!” President Zheng said.

“Traversing the Sea of Formations?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Yes, the Sea of Formations is an expanse of formations left by countless guild formation masters over the years. To pass, you’ll encounter a variety of formations across four stages, each filled with formations from level one to four, respectively. Passing the first stage qualifies you as a one-star formation master; the second stage, two-star… and so on!” President Zheng explained.

“I see, it’s indeed harder than deploying a formation!” Zhang Xuan nodded. Deploying and deciphering a formation were like climbing up a mountain and descending it. Climbing up was easy, but going down was difficult. Deploying a formation was simple enough if one found the right direction and set the correct positions. But deciphering one… required first being trapped within it. Like being on the mountain and not recognizing its true face, a misjudgment could easily lead to errors, making it exceedingly difficult to break free.

“It is somewhat difficult, but it becomes simpler if you have extensive knowledge of formations!” President Zheng chuckled.

“Oh?”

“In the Sea of Formations, countless formations are intertwined. If you can identify the type and name of a formation and find its 'life gate' in advance, passing through becomes easier than deploying one. However, whether deploying or traversing the Sea of Formations, you need a profound understanding of formations at that level; otherwise, passing will not be easy!” After explaining, President Zheng looked at the young man before him. “If Master Zhang has never been assessed, you can start with a first-level formation. Once you adapt, you can attempt higher levels, gaining valuable experience and avoiding fumbling.”

Zhang Xuan nodded, then hesitated. “However, before that, I’d like to visit the library!” The highest-level formation knowledge he currently possessed was only level two. To reach higher levels, he needed to read more books.

“Read books? That’s fine. Xiao Wu, please take Master Zhang to the library. No one has attempted the fourth level of the Sea of Formations in a long time, so it will also need some preparation time!” President Zheng chuckled. He didn’t think much of the request to read books. It was very common for formation masters to consult formation-related books to enhance their knowledge. He himself frequently visited the library to peruse ancient texts, research the deployment of special formations, expand his horizons, and improve his understanding.

“Yes!” The young man, Xiao Wu, nodded.

“Master Zhang…” Watching him leave under the young man’s guidance, Pavilion Master Sai stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide. Hadn’t he come to buy formation plates? How did buying turn into a formation master assessment? A profession among the top nine, one of the most esteemed on the entire continent—he was taking an assessment just like that, with no prior indication, similar to how he had navigated the Winding Stream Challenge before…

“Old Zheng, tell me… what star-level formation master do you think Master Zhang can become?” He couldn’t help but look at President Zheng beside him.

“I don’t know what star-level he can achieve,” President Zheng said with a grave expression, “but to deploy a two-star spirit-gathering formation so easily, and reach the immaculate realm… his comprehension of formations is no weaker than mine, possibly even stronger. That means, at the very least, he’s a four-star peak, or even… a five-star!”

“Four-star peak? Five-star?” Pavilion Master Sai clicked his tongue in amazement. When he first met Master Zhang, he thought his astounding appraisal skills were remarkable enough. He never imagined he would also possess such extensive knowledge of formations, even comparable to his old friend. To have such insight and ability at such a young age… how did he learn it?

“Indeed,” President Zheng nodded. “However, the Sea of Formations isn’t easy to traverse. It’s very difficult to pass without experience. I just hope he can clear a few more stages, allowing our branch to boast a true genius!”

“Clear a few more stages…” Pavilion Master Sai muttered in response, his mouth twitching as a sudden thought occurred to him. If this fellow truly began to challenge the Sea of Formations, he wouldn’t cause the entire Formation Master Guild to be thrown into chaos, just like he did with the Appraisal Hall, would he?