"H-hello, Elder Xuan! Thank you for taking some time to help me today!"
"No problem at all, it's my pleasure to help, but what should I be calling you?"
Smiling assumingly at the nervous Fang Yu, Xuan Hao quickly asked for her name. Even if he had found out about it through the Sect Mission.
"It's Fang Yu!" Answering without a moment to waste, Fang Yu had calmed down a bit after hearing his question.
"Fang Yu… we will move over to the training ground located just beside my pavilion before going over the formation you have been struggling with for the past two years."
Muttering her name to himself as he nodded his head in an attempt to look like it was the first time, he heard it, Xuan Hao did not intend to waste too much time on the Sect Mission. Wanting to get started on it as soon as possible.
"Yes!"
Nodding her head obediently, both Xuan Hao and Fang Yu left the entrance of the pavilion and moved over towards the training ground.
…
The small journey towards the training ground was mostly spent with Fang Yu nervously walking behind Xuan Hao, as she kept looking around herself. Trying her best to observe the different things located on Xuan Hao's Mountain Peak… Not that there was much to begin with.
At most she managed to get a good view of the Flying Sword Sect that could be seen below them from time to time when the vision was not obscured by the clouds that decided to show up only a few hundred meters from the peak. Making the Flying Sword Sect below completely invisible to the naked eye.
"Hm?"
Arriving at the training ground, Xuan Hao could not help but let out a slightly surprised voice as the entire training ground was covered in a thick fog.
Observing closer, Xuan Hao discovered that the fog in essence was a cloud that was in the process of passing through the area of the training ground… This in turn should not be unusual, as the training ground itself was located a few hundred meters lower than the peak of the mountain where the pavilion was located.
This in turn was also the place where clouds normally formed. In reality, the training ground had been covered by a thick fog most of the time, it was just that Xuan Hao had yet to experience it for himself. In a sense, he felt a little unfortunate that the training ground had not been as foggy when he had visited it in the past.
The moisture in the air, along with the increase in water qi would surely make it easier to both cultivate and train water related techniques like his Rain Sword… Maybe he should take some time to visit the training ground after he finished up things with Fang Yu and practice his Rain Sword for a bit?
"Wow…"
Fang Yu was completely different from Xuan Hao who had just been a little surprised by the foggy training ground, as she let out an exclamation of surprise after witnessing the beautiful foggy environment… Or due to the increased density in water qi making it easier to cultivate. Especially for someone cultivating a water-based mantra...
Whoosh~
Scanning her body with his divine sense, Xuan Hao easily determined the fact that Fang Yu was indeed practicing a water-based cultivation mantra.
"I can allow you to cultivate here for a bit, but we first have to help you learn the formation that you have been struggling with!"
"Yes! I will do my best to learn from Elder Xuan!"
Upon hearing Xuan Hao mention that she would be allowed to stay in the training ground and cultivate afterwards, Fang Yu became even more motivated and excited to learn the formation she had been struggling with for the past two years.
"Did you perhaps bring the formation blueprint with you?"
"Yes!"
Eager to get started, Fang Yu took out a small piece of paper out from her robe and handed it over to Xuan Hao before retreating back a few meters, while eagerly looked over at Xuan Hao who began looking over the formation blueprint.
The formation blueprint was simple and easy to understand. Only requiring one to change the normal temperature formation by a tiny amount to create a small burning flame that would be sustained by the Formation Master's own qi.
Other than that, there was also a higher-level version of the formation that detailed how to make a permanent version of the formation that did not required the Formation Master's own qi, but instead passively took in qi from the surroundings to keep the fire burning.
"Now that I think about it, this should be how most of the lights in the city and sect are operated…" Muttering this quietly to himself as he put away the small blueprint, Xuan Hao began to construct the easiest among the two small fire burning formation on the blueprint.
Fwoosh!
With the sound of a flame igniting, the fire burning formation appeared in between Xuan Hao and Fang Yu, as Xuan Hao felt a small continuous drain on his qi from the fire burning formation.
The drain of qi was negligible to him, as he recovered his qi far faster than the small fire burning formation could drain it. Other than that, he would be able to easily cut off the small connection at any point in time.
"A-amazing!"
Fang Yu looking on from the side could not help but exclaim in surprise, as she watched how quickly Xuan Hao had learnt and set up the fire burning formation.
Even her grandmother would need at least an hour or two, to learn a brand-new formation at the beginner level!
Thinking about this, Fang Yu gazed over at Xuan Hao filled with respect. He might really be able to help her complete the entrance test and enter the Formation Hall!
"I think I understand how it works, Fang Yu, why don't you try and set up a fire burning formation?"
Nodding to himself as he watched the fire burning formation in front of him for a short moment, Xuan Hao waved his hand and cut of his connection to the formation before turning around to ask Fang Yu as the fire burning formation slowly began to collapse without the input of any new qi to keep it up and running.
"Y-yes!" Stuttering a bit due to suddenly being asked as she was absorbed watching the fire burning formation Xuan Hao had set up, Fang Yu hurriedly began to set up her own fire burning formation.
Woosh~
Slowly, the formation began to take shape in front of her without any problem.
Fwoosh!
A small fire began to burn brightly at the centre of the formations as Fang Yu finished setting up the fire burning formation. The entire process was smooth, elegant, and beautiful to watch. Even if it was far slowly than what Xuan Hao had done.
"Hm?"
Fwish~
Keeping an eye on the fire burning formation that Fang Yu had just set up, Xuan Hao suddenly felt the small fire burning in the middle of the formation behave weirdly as he felt a change in the flow of qi transferred to the fire burning formation by Fang Yu.
Fwoosh! Boom!
Forcefully cutting off Fang Yu's connection with the fire burning formation before retreating a few meters backwards, Xuan Hao watched the small fire inside the formation explode.
"Well, this is interesting…" Smiling a bit to himself as he looked at the place where the fire burning formation had been moments ago, Xuan Hao looked back at Fang Yu, who was just standing still and looking at the location of her fire burning formation with a depressed look on her face.
"Does this normally happen?" Raising one of his eyebrows as he noticed that Fang Yu was not really surprised over the fact that her formation had suddenly turned into a bomb of sort and exploded in front of her.
"Yes… Whenever I finish setting up the fire burning formation and begin adding my qi to it, it will either cause the small fire to fizzle out and die or explode violently like this…" Pausing for a short moment before answering his question, Fang Yu did not dare look directly at him while saying this.
"And you have no idea why this happens? Perhaps something with the mantra, you practice or your qi?"
"No… Grandmother already tried to see if it had something to do with my qi or the mantra I am practicing and found nothing wrong with it"
Listening to Fang Yu's answers, Xuan Hao put on a thoughtful look as he began remembering the process from earlier.
The fire burning formation had only explode after she had added in her own qi for a short amount of time, but she said it had nothing to do with her qi or her cultivation mantra…
What could it be that was affecting her if it was not her qi or her cultivation mantra…?