Whoosh~
Moving the small formation around on the table easily, Xuan Hao began implementing different changes to it. Changing its purpose from just acting as a heat source to having a more interesting use.
The first change that he made to the formation was increasing the temperature inside of it by several hundred degrees by channelling fire qi into it. Making sure to isolate the area around the formation with his domain, just to make sure he did not end up burning down the library by mistake…
He did not really feel like explaining how he had ended up burning down the Formation Halls library on his first visit to Elder Song coming to ask for an explanation after the deed… From what he knew about Elder Song, Xuan Hao did not want to end up being the person who destroyed a part of the sect…
Thinking this, Xuan Hao quickly changed the formation back before he began to slowly experiment with it. Trying to change and shape it into all sorts of different forms, just to try and see how freely the formation could be changed around.
"There is no restriction whatsoever…"
Muttering this to himself as the small temperature regulating formation in his hand changed into the shape of a horse before turning into a flower and then a small pagoda, Xuan Hao could not help but feel amazed at the sheer ease one could change the shape of a formation.
Maybe it's just because the formation is small…?
Whoosh!
Expanding the formation and once again trying to change its shape, Xuan Hao instantly discovered the difference.
The formation that was the size of his hand was easy to manipulate and shape as he pleased, while the formation covering the table and chair, he was sitting on, was impossible for him to change without feeling an enormous exhaustion strain coming from his soul!
"T-this!"
Feeling the strain on his soul with even a small change to the shape of the formation, Xuan Hao quickly stopped what he was doing, as the formation surrounding him quickly collapsed before there was no sign of it left.
The experience was simply too terrifying for him. The soul was after all the most important part of a cultivator and a mortal for that matter. Even the slightest injury might result in permanent damage to the soul.
Something that would lower the lifespan of normal mortals and prevent a cultivator from advancing onwards to the next realm. Forever stuck at whatever realm they got the injury at…
Xuan Hao did not really feel like he wanted to try and experiment with anything that could potentially cause an injury to his soul! That would at least have to wait until he found a way to safely do so and ensure that he would be able to recover just in case the worst thing ended up happening!
"Hm?"
[Side Quest: Learn about new subjects to better teach your disciples. (complete)]
[New Knowledge about Professions: ??/100 (complete]
[Alchemy 25/25]
[Formations: ??/??]
[New Knowledge about Movement and Combat Techniques: 100/100 (complete)]
[New Knowledge about World History: 100/100 (complete)]
[Reward: Cultivation Increase of one Minor Realm]
[Redeem reward: Y/N]
Looking over at his quest, Xuan Hao felt a wave of surprise wash over him upon seeing the quest being showing as completed.
The Formation part of it had even more question marks and even the main part of the profession knowledge part also had question marks replace the former number 53 that had been there just a few moments ago…
Did he perhaps just find out something incredibly important about formations…?
Xuan Hao could not help but feel excited when he thought about it, but quickly calmed down again.
After all, even if he knew that shaping a formation would put a strain on the soul, he had no way to test it out in practice at the moment. Unless he decided to risk injuring his soul…
"Hah…" Sighing to himself upon realizing this, Xuan Hao put the information to the back of his mind before choosing not to redeem the reward for the quest at the moment.
The library of the Formation Hall was not really a great location for that. At least he would wait until he had gotten back to his pavilion and found a quiet place to breakthrough without anyone disturbing him.
There was also the young inner disciple Fang Yu that he would have to help entering the Formation Hall according to the sect mission that the system had given him…
First and foremost, he would have to find out the reason why she had managed to fail the test to enter the Formation Hall for two years straight!
Rustle~
Standing up from his chair, Xuan Hao looked over in the direction of Fang Yu before making his way over towards the fully concentrated disciple, who didn't even notice when Xuan Hao was experimenting with formations earlier just a few dozen meters away from her.
…
"Hah! Finally, back again!"
At the same time Xuan Hao was about to attempt completing his first ever sect mission, Feng Chen and Zu Fei slowly appeared a few hundred meters away from the Flying Sword City. Exhaustion visible on both their faces as they dragged their completely drained bodies towards the entrance of the Flying Sword City.
"Who is that?"
"Maybe refugees coming from the central region? The collapse of the Heavenly Sky Kingdom really caused quite a large number of refugees to head towards the Flying Sword Sect and other nearby powers…"
"But why are they here? The Flying Sword Sect already designated several places for refugees to stay before stabilizing and finding out where they want to go after things calm down…"
"No idea… Maybe they got lost on the way and ended up here?"
Listening to the surrounding people looking over towards them filled with pity, both Feng Chen and Zu Fei suddenly realized their current state.
Exhausted, completely tattered robes. Making it hard to see that they were actually from the Flying Sword Sect… And finally, dirt and dried up blood making it hard for even the guards to recognize them…
"Hah… Why did we have to be so unlucky on our way back…"
Sighing full of sadness as she remembered what had transpired just after they managed to leave the Burning Mountain Range, Zu Fei could not help but feel a profound anger towards the people who caused them to end up like this…