Chapter 11: Formation Array (Part 2)

  For more than 20 days, Xiao Si woke up from a dream in the white daylight and slipped into Geng Nan Yi's study to browse through various Qimen Dunjia classics. He didn't return to his own room until after dinner, continuing to contemplate the 28 Mansions Star Array throughout the night.

  These twenty-eight constellations have four gates with one hundred and ninety-six variations, each variation contains twenty-eight changes, I'm afraid many people spend their whole lives studying and still can't fully grasp them.

  And this is only the most superficial and smallest part of the various star arrays contained in the Cuiyu disk. If you want to fully comprehend, I'm afraid only an immortal god can do it.

  Xiao Si didn't care about these things, anyway, in the next few days, the news of Tong Baoju's death would spread like wildfire, and it was likely that there were already spies and assassins from Hu Ge Village hiding in Jiangzhou City, so going out to have fun was not an option. It was better to focus on figuring out the mystery of the 28 Constellations Array, and see what secrets it held.

  So, apart from eating and sleeping, Chu Lie used the Phoenix Fire Technique to help himself push blood flow through his meridians and suppress the cold air. Xue Xiao Si did not leave the four major gates, nor did he exit the two gates, thoroughly entangling himself with the Twenty-Eight Constellations Star Array.

  In his room, stacks of painting paper piled up like small hills, and bald brushes were scattered all over the place.

  Of course, in order to guard against Wen Er coming to make trouble, Xīao Sì had secretly set up a small-scale magic array in the room. It only needed to be activated with a symbol paper to start immediately.

  Time passed day by day, and one after another, the changes in the star array were constantly deduced by him. In his mind, a picture of the twenty-eight mansion star array was becoming more and more complete and vivid.

  Geng Nan Wing occasionally comes to visit and discuss changes in the star array with Xiao Si, while also bringing various news from outside.

  Chi Zun Xiao had not been heard from since he left the Hui Tong Bureau. Xiao Si didn't care much, as the cold air could still be suppressed, and it was still early for the three-month deadline set by the two men. Moreover, after a while, there would be a big commotion to kick off.

  Although Geng Shaohua's life was not in danger, how could the Tonghu Bureau tolerate this and swallow their anger? Moreover, the feud between the two sides had grown bigger and bigger, and it would eventually have to be settled. Therefore, Geng Nanwing personally wrote a letter of challenge and ordered someone to deliver it to Hu Ge's camp, stating that he would visit on October 21st.

  By then, Geng Shao Hua and Wan Er's injuries had healed, and they were able to catch up with the big battle.

  What's more important is that Geng Nan Yi and Chu Lie need some time to invite the good friends of Bashu Zhengdao, while exploring the details of Hu Ge Village through various channels.

  On this deep night, Xiao Si sat in front of the desk, burning the midnight oil and finally deduced the last general variable of the 28 Mansion Star Array after consuming three hours.

  Just as he put down his brush, a loud noise suddenly sounded in his mind without warning.

  The void is endless, the stars are sinking and floating, all the scenery in the house suddenly disappears.

  A burst of crystal clear enlightenment surged into Xiao Si's mind, causing him to forget everything outside of himself in an instant.

  Twenty-eight silver stars revolve and twirl in the void, interpreting the various changes and variables that have been contemplated in recent days.

  When the last transformation was completed, Xiao Si suddenly felt a heat in his dantian, and countless fine streams of air mysteriously flowed and galloped in the copper furnace, circulating endlessly.

  Xiao Si was initially startled, then delighted to discover that the way these air flows were circulating was exactly the same as the Twenty-Eight Constellations Array! One, two, three... each vortex emerged in the dantian without stopping until it grew to the twenty-eighth one before finally coming to a stop.

  On the left, Azure Dragon; on the right, White Tiger; above, Black Tortoise; below, Vermilion Bird. All seven whirlpools formed a three-dimensional star array in the Dan Tian, mysterious and unpredictable, with no fixed pattern.

  "Xianren board, it turns out that this star array is actually a set of cultivation techniques!" Xiao Si was overjoyed and suddenly enlightened, finally realizing the true purpose of the Cuiyu Star Array Diagram.

  At this moment, his dantian copper furnace was completely shrouded in the mysterious and unparalleled twenty-eight star array. Thousands of tiny cold currents were constantly changing and combining like countless wonderful symbols, constructing a magnificent picture.

  Next step, Xiao Si thought to try to extend the coverage of this twenty-eight mansion star array to his whole body. If successful, his internal body would be like having a constantly operating immortal family law array, which might thoroughly eradicate the cold poison.

  But this thing is absolutely not something that can be done just by thinking about it, and even less possible to achieve overnight.

  For cultivators, the greatest threat is to be greedy for merit and rashly advance, thus going astray. Once the true energy in the body goes awry and triggers fire deviation and demonic possession, spitting blood and getting injured, lying in bed for three to five months is already a blessing from ancestors who have accumulated virtues; if luck is slightly worse, it will be the disappearance of merit and the loss of life, never to be reborn.

  Therefore, many young disciples during their practice, when encountering a critical moment, would have the seniors of the sect protecting them by their side. If things were slightly off, they would immediately lend a hand to guide and correct the flow of true energy.

  As for those with high cultivation, they often choose a remote and inaccessible place, use various formations and magical artifacts, set up layers of protection around them, and then close themselves in to concentrate on meditation, until they overcome their heart demons and pass through the tribulations before breaking out.

  There are also some ruthless and bloodthirsty demon kings who burn and slaughter the living, seize their souls, and use all kinds of cruel means to respond to the increase in calamity and cultivation.

  But all of the above methods were unknown to Xiaosi, and she had no way to prepare.

  Nowadays, he is a lone hero, with nothing but this newly dug emerald plate on him, so poor that it makes a ringing sound. As for those demonic heads slaughtering lives to respond to the disaster, even if Xiao Si wanted to learn, no one would teach him.

  It's said that the bold will die from being overconfident, while the timid will starve to death. High risk comes with high returns. With a smattering of knowledge about the mysterious Qimen Dunjia technique and some fragmented skills learned from the old master's "Great Ease" method, he began to concentrate his mind and stimulate the newly formed 28-star array, attempting to expand it beyond the dan Tian.

  But Dàn Dà is bold and daring, after all, one's life is only worth one time, Xiǎo Sì will not use his own life to take risks recklessly.

  His mind was clear and transparent, imagining his body as a void, slowly condensing his thoughts into the star array, following the changing rules and paths of the formation, carefully operating one of the seven Xuanwu mansions, Dou Mansion.

  "Boom——" As his mind merged with the Douzhu, trying to push the formation to make new changes and move it upwards, a loud explosion suddenly sounded in his mind, as if something had burst open. His vision went black, his chest felt stuffy, and all the formation diagrams instantly disappeared, turning into a chaotic burst of golden stars.

  Xiao Si's hand involuntarily trembled, and he forced himself to swallow the pungent sweetness that rushed up his throat. He felt his chest pounding violently, as if it was going to burst open. His head spun dizzily, like it had been sawed in half, with waves of scorching pain that were hard to bear. It wasn't until after a while that he started to feel slightly better.

  Xiao Si picked up the teapot on the table, poured a few mouthfuls of cool tea into his mouth, and slowly calmed down, thinking: "Damn it, what's going on? Could it be that this star array is the daughter of a wealthy family, can only look but not touch?"

  He cleared his mind and walked to the desk, spreading out a roll of densely painted paper on the table, as if he wanted to find something from it.

  He would frown and ponder deeply, then scold and complain loudly, and suddenly stare at a certain place on the painting paper motionless for a long time, completely unaware of the passing of time outside.

  He became more and more convinced that the Twenty-Eight Constellation Formation was completely movable and expandable. At least, Old Man had said before: "The formation has no fixed momentum, the momentum has no fixed method, the method has no fixed rules, and the rules have no fixed shape." And Geng Nanxing also said that the best Qimen Dunjia formation should be formless and ruleless, not bound by any heavenly or earthly constraints, can fully integrate into nature, and operate tirelessly according to certain methods, like water, like wind, like the sun rising and the moon falling, using the unpredictable to control the predictable.

  I remember six years ago, I learned to lay down my first Qimen Dunjia formation in my life. However, the old man shook his head and said, "This is just a tangible formation, a true formation should be intangible."

  He half-understood and half-refused to answer: "All things have form, how can there be a formless array?"

  Perhaps the old man was in a good mood that day, and he didn't mind his impertinence, patiently answering: "The world we live in is the largest invisible formation. The highest state of Qimen Dunjia is no longer a formation but a Tao."

  "Can you use Daobu formation then?" Xiao Si asked again in a very tactless manner.

  The result can be imagined, the old man's face suddenly turned black, and he pointed into the house: "Get in!"

  That time, Xiao Si lay in the coffin for three whole days, until he was so hungry that his stomach was stuck to his back before he crawled out dizzily.

  Everyone can talk about the great truth of Tao, but how to apply it to this twenty-eight constellation array, let it listen to me, and Xiao Si is still clueless.

  He became more and more annoyed, returned to the table, picked up the teapot and poured two more mouths, trying to suppress the evil fire in his heart, but still couldn't help but burst out scolding: "Dead old man, one day I will dig out all the dry goods in your belly!" After speaking, he heavily put the teapot on the table, as if taking it as a dead old man to vent.

  "Bang!" The sudden and intense vibration caused the teapot lid to jump up, and tea water splashed out of the pot. A few drops fell onto a rolled-up painting paper nearby.

  This paper has a strong water absorption, and as soon as the tea water falls on it, it spreads out and reveals a patch of ink on the back.

  "What the...?!" Xiao Si's curses abruptly stopped, and he stared blankly at the ink spreading slowly on the paper, his eyes unwittingly shining with excitement.

  It's the whole water droplet that spreads, rather than a certain point or part of it.

  Pull one hair and move the whole body.

  A flash of inspiration struck him, and he slapped his forehead excitedly, jumping up and shouting: "Dead old man, no need for you to say those fart words, I can figure it out myself!"

  He rushed to the bed, sat down cross-legged with his feet bare, and first tried to calm down his excited mood. He carefully savored the insight he had just gained, and repeatedly replayed it in his mind several times until he could no longer find any flaws or doubts, before re-entering meditation.

  However, driving the entire Twenty-Eight Constellation Array is more than ten or a hundred times harder than driving a single star. Fortunately, Xiao Si has plenty of time to spare, and he can use all the time that was originally spent on eating, drinking, playing, and deceiving others to comprehend and refine the array, which brings him endless joy and inspiration.

  Who would have thought that this sitting down would be a whole day and two nights?