Chapter 427

Chapter 427: Setting Up the Formation

Early the next morning, Zhou Luo left Zhou Fu and went to Tian Xia Pavilion.

Over the past few years, with Long Yunshuang gone and Fang Li keeping a low profile, Wang Lang under his authority had effectively become the most powerful figure governing this commercial center.

This was primarily due to the elevation of Zhou Luo’s background and identity.

During these five years, through his arrangements, word that Yao Wu had studied under the sect leader of Wan Gu Sect and become the master of a mountain peak had spread across the entire Qinyuan Domain.

Because of this connection, the attitude of the entire Qinyuan Sect toward him had undergone a subtle shift.

The six mightiest forces on Jinyun Continent were known as the Three sects and three clans.

Wan Gu Sect, being one of them, stood far beyond the reach of a sect like Qinyuan Sect.

Thus, when news spread, high-ranking members inside Qinyuan Sect were immensely shocked and promptly launched a series of measures.

First to be affected was the reduction of the Lin Family’s annual spiritual stones quota; then came the concessions granted by the management of the Immortal City, individuals like Fang Li, towards him, and so on.

Therefore, in five years, Zhou Luo’s background and identity had undergone a drastic change.

Now, upon his arrival at Tian Xia Pavilion, staff welcomed him warmly and immediately ushered him to the top-floor VIP room.

At his direction, the materials and tools needed to set up the Second Level formation were gathered in less than half an hour.

Taking these materials, Zhou Luo returned to Zhou Fu.

Holding the formation disk, he began setting up the formation.

Now a Second Level Formation Master, he no longer needed to use the formation disk to imprint the entire area onto it and slowly extend the area coverage.

He could simply envelop all of Zhou Fu completely with his mental strength, saving a lot of trouble.

This time, he was setting up a formation serving a dual purpose: defense and trapping enemies.

The most obvious difference between a Second Level Formation Master and a First Level Formation Master lay in their ability to create formations that combined two functions, essentially merging two distinct formations into one.

Once his mental strength covered the whole of Zhou Fu, Zhou Luo started incorporating the materials, setting up formation bases according to the formation diagram.

This process lasted a long time.

Setting up a Second Level formation was far more complicated than imagined, especially due to its significantly larger coverage area.

Just as Zhou Luo was busy arranging the formation, Ye Qian, resting at the time, detected unusual power fluctuations.

She got up and went outside. Releasing her mental strength, she saw Zhou Luo hard at work.

Observing him holding the formation disk while setting up the formation, and sensing its immense power, her beautiful eyes widened in shock.

"Could he possibly be a Second Level Formation Master as well?"

Her voice trembled slightly as she muttered.

Originally, she had assumed he was merely a second level Pill Master capable of refining Foundation Establishment Dan.

If that were all, his level of achievement would be considered normal.

Yet, so early in the morning, he had given her such an enormous surprise.

Finding both Formation Master and Pill Master skills in one person, and both being Second Level skill—this was something Ye Qian found somewhat hard to accept.

The reason why the four major skills held such significance among the hundred skills of cultivation lay foremost in the immense time they demanded. Advancing in them required an amount of effort truly unknown to any aspirant.

For a cultivator seeking mastery over a single powerful skill, it might well consume their entire lifespan, demanding total dedication before any chance of breakthrough arose.

There were also those cultivators fueled by ambition who sought to simultaneously cultivate multiple skills.

Yet countless examples across time had proven that those scattered in focus and constant in their shifts inevitably ended drawing water with a bamboo basket—grasping nothing tangible.

It was precisely the warnings from these predecessors that caused later cultivators to abandon any wild fantasies of mastering multiple arts at once. Unless, that is, the skill was exceedingly simple and common.

But Dual Paths and formations were not skills one could casually succeed in studying concurrently. This was especially true considering their Second Level nature, far beyond the First Level.

In that instant, Ye Qian’s heart trembled as she suddenly recalled a rumor she’d heard earlier.

Apparently, Zhou Luo had once obtained a celestial opportunity gifted by an immortal. That was why, despite possessing only a Ninth Grade spirit root, he’d managed to break through Foundation Establishment in such a short time and become a second level Pill Master.

Looking at it now, becoming a second level Pill Master was merely the tip of the iceberg for him.

A glimmer of light shone with astonishment in Ye Qian’s beautiful eyes, her face etching an expression of utter disbelief.

Fearsome thought—that immortal had likely forcibly elevated his other skills to the Second Level as well. And probably not just formations; likely also artifact forging, rune-making, and more.

In a flash, this terrifying conjecture sent ripples through Ye Qian’s heart.

The image of that retreating figure within her mental strength suddenly turned profoundly mysterious.

Pursing her lips, she felt an intense wave of relief wash over her for agreeing to his request.

Because this meant she might, in time, gain access to that immortal being herself.

After all, an entity capable of bestowing so many immortal boons was inevitably an existence beyond imagination. Moreover, this entity seemingly held Zhou Luo in special favor.

In that moment, a complex emotion surged within Ye Qian.

Meanwhile, Zhou Luo was still intently setting up the formation.

He harbored no real concern about this secret being exposed.

From the moment dual cultivation began, their hearts would become interconnected, their souls perfectly aligned.

Even if he withheld these secrets now, she would eventually come to know them anyway.

But the paramount reason lay in her special constitution. From the very instant she joined with him, the energies circulating within her body became uniquely attuned to his alone.

This fundamentally meant that if she betrayed Zhou Luo or ceased dual cultivation, her cultivation speed would plummet to an agonizing crawl. Furthermore, her very constitution could hinder normal cultivation.

As long as she possessed basic sense, she would be wise enough to behave as if these matters had simply never occurred.

Clearly, his judgment was correct.

Within Ye Qian’s thoughts right now, her initial shock had already eased into acceptance, blossoming even into thankful relief.

She was thankful for her choice; she had even started fantasizing about relying on him to successfully ascend to the Golden Core stage.

For an entire day, Zhou Luo labored, finally enveloping the entirety of Zhou Fu within a Second Level formation.

This top-tier formation, combining both defense and confinement capabilities, was such that even an ordinary Golden Core master would expend considerable effort and time trying to force entry.

It would absolutely buy him ample time to consider a counter-strategy.

Just as Zhou Luo finished setting up the formation, an enormous force fluctuation abruptly erupted from within Zhou Fu.

The instant it burst forth, Zhou Luo instantly activated the formation.

A light glow radiated around Zhou Fu, coalescing into a shield that completely isolated it. The shield then faded, becoming invisible to the naked eye.

And in that moment, the entire Zhou Fu compound violently shook. A towering prismatic light pillar shot into the heavens, its potent aura rolling outwards.

However, the formation successfully concealed these phenomena; nothing could be detected from the outside for now.

A flicker of joy crossed Zhou Luo’s face. He strode quickly towards the heart of Zhou Fu, heading straight for the secret chamber shielded by multiple formations.