Turning to Bi Yuzhuang, Lin Chensheng smiled and said, "This is Li Xuanfeng, a capable and trusted aide of Daoist Master Yuan Su."
Bi Yuzhuang's attitude shifted noticeably as she responded with a smile, "I was just troubled over how to break this formation. I was at a loss for what to do. Your arrival is timely—why not work together to resolve it? That way, we can save time and avoid unnecessary entanglements."
Lin Chensheng scratched his head awkwardly and cupped his fist, "You know I have never been skilled with formations, and Daoist Xuanfeng is not either... If Kan Ziyu were here, perhaps we could give it a try."
Bi Yuzhuang pondered for a moment before replying, "I have been studying this formation for some time. It is quite peculiar and carries an ancient flavor. It does not follow the six-segment structure nor the nine-pattern layout. Over the centuries, as the world changed and fruition attainments shifted, its original might has greatly diminished."
She flipped her hand and retrieved several jade wedges from her storage pouch. Each wedge was attached to a few fine, elongated chains. She lightly tossed them, and the chains' ends gathered back into her hand as the jade wedges danced nimbly over the formation.
Explaining as she worked, Bi Yuzhuang said, "This formation was likely established over a thousand years ago, during a time when the Pristine Waters had yet to recede, and both Bright Yang and Veiled Yin were still present. It is even possible that the Supreme Yang and Supreme Yin still existed in the world. Hence, the formation relied on a Yin-Yang stabilization method for its core, making it exceptionally durable."
Bi Yuzhuang continued, "The world today has changed far too much. Modern cultivators favor using the Five Virtues and Three Metals as the foundation for formations, almost entirely abandoning Yin-Yang methods. While the grotto heaven has mitigated the effects of these changes, flaws have inevitably appeared."
With a gentle tug on the chains, Bi Yuzhuang revealed a series of glowing nodes across the formation. She pointed to a few of them and said softly, "If the two of you follow the guidance of my spiritual sense and strike at these weaknesses, the formation will break."
Lin Chensheng flipped his wrist and brought out a talisman. The talisman was pitch-black and shimmered faintly with multicolored light. He held it in his hand for a moment, then formed a seal and activated it, slamming it down with a loud bang.
Clearly holding back, Lin Chensheng refrained from using his full strength. The formation flickered briefly under the impact but quickly regained its brightness.
Li Xuanfeng raised his bow, but instead of nocking an arrow, he condensed a long streak of golden light and loosed it at the formation. He, too, held back his power, causing the formation to shake violently.
The formation, clearly not meticulously crafted and more akin to a casual protective barrier, was already riddled with flaws. Under the combined effort of the three, it shattered into pieces. The two stone beasts flanking the gate dimmed and lost their vitality.
The three ceased their attacks, and Bi Yuzhuang retrieved a resplendent white orb from her storage pouch, tossing it gently.
The artifact landed and immediately transformed into a white-armored warrior. Though its cultivation was only at the peak of the Qi Cultivation Realm, it stood tall and dignified, its features symmetrical and calm. Without a word, it began marching toward the courtyard.
This reminds me of Yuan Tuan's Azure Crest Manifestation, Li Xuanfeng thought to himself.
He watched as the white-armored warrior pushed open the courtyard gate and boldly stepped inside. In the center of the courtyard lay a collapsed pile of rubble.
The rubble was still intact enough to make out the form of a stone beast that once stood there.
The creature was neither wolf nor tiger, and its shattered head on the ground bore three eyes and sharp fangs, giving it a ferocious appearance. Its third eye had a gemstone embedded in it, though its nature was unclear.
Li Xuanfeng found the stone beast oddly familiar. After a moment's thought, he suddenly realized why: Daoist Master Yuan Su had a similar stone sculpture in front of his gates.
Sure enough, both Lin Chensheng and Bi Yuzhuang turned their gazes toward him. Lin Chensheng said softly, "A Three-Eyed Mount Tiao Beast. This beast was used in ancient times to guard formations and attract wealth. They were once fairly common, but the last known sighting was... Ah!"
Li Xuanfeng recalled that Yuan Su once owned a living spirit beast of this type, which had been killed by Situ Tang of the Golden Tang Gate. He asked, "And this gemstone—what is it?"
Neither Lin Chensheng nor Bi Yuzhuang could identify it, so Li Xuanfeng used his mana to retrieve it and said softly, "This item is connected to the spirit beast. I will return it to the Daoist Master. Allow me to take it for now."
The two nodded, watching as the white-armored warrior ransacked the pavilion and its side rooms, casually gathering an assortment of items and laying them out at the gate.
Among the loot were several dozen ancient texts, over ten jade bottles, and miscellaneous objects like jade pillows and mats. It seemed the courtyard's owner never anticipated intruders within the grotto heaven and had left without packing anything.
Without wasting time, Lin Chensheng took the ancient texts and distributed them among the group according to customary practice, ensuring everyone could read through them.
Li Xuanfeng examined the texts closely. Thirteen of them covered formations, seven were cultivation manuals, and the remaining dozen or so were biographies, tales, and bestiaries, most revolving around sea dragons and related aquatic species.
Bi Yuzhuang skimmed the formation manuals and sighed, "What a pity... such intricate formations... but with the changes in the world, most are no longer relevant."
Li Xuanfeng focused on the cultivation manuals. Three of them pertained to Embryonic Breathing Realm techniques, including two Grade four manuals, Six Chapters Seeking Immortality and Scaled Beasts Inquiry Technique , and one Grade Five manual titled Insights of Taihua .
These ancient cultivators were certainly straightforward with their naming conventions—practical and unadorned, Li Xuanfeng thought.
Among the three, Scaled Beasts Inquiry Technique focused on cultivating the six chakras of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, but the technique required transitioning exclusively to water-attributed methods afterward, which made it somewhat restrictive. The others were more flexible. However, Six Chapters Seeking Immortality included a specific note at the end, stating it could not be followed by Ancient Merging techniques.
What are these Ancient Merging Techniques? I've never heard of them before... and where would anyone find them now? Li Xuanfeng mulled over these for a while.
The three Embryonic Breathing Realm techniques were of no use to Li Xuanfeng personally, but they would be invaluable for the younger generation of his family. While he wasn't sure what techniques his relatives practiced beyond the Supreme Yin Breathing Meridian Nourishment Sutra , he was certain none of them had access to anything as high as Grade Five techniques.
These days, only in a grotto heaven can such high-grade techniques be found! Li Xuanfeng pondered in awe.
After memorizing the three manuals, he turned to the remaining four texts. Three were Qi Cultivation Realm techniques, incomplete and seemingly excerpts the pavilion's owner had used to make a selection. The last, however, was a complete manual that reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, suggesting it had ultimately been the owner's chosen path.
It seems the owner of this courtyard settled on this one in the end. It was easy for Li Xuanfeng to reach this conclusion.
Qi Cultivation Realm techniques were of little interest to him, so Li Xuanfeng skimmed over them. However, he carefully examined the Foundation Establishment Realm manual. The ancient book had a unique texture—firm, durable, and unlike anything common. The title, written in bold, clean characters, read, " Taiyue Northern Dawn Manual ".
Intrigued, Li Xuanfeng opened the first page, preparing to study it in detail.