Chapter 97: The Spirit Formation

After Lin Yang and all his disciples had left, he ascended the prepared mountain peak.

The power of extraordinary labor was truly formidable. The hard stones atop the mountain, which would have taken a machine at least ten days or more to break, were cleared in just one hour by a dozen or so disciples relentlessly assaulting with spells. They even leveled the ground afterward. Comparing the peaks, Lin Yang noticed the mountain ridges were all cut to the same height. The efficiency was astonishing, and the work meticulous and perfect.

“Master, I hope this disciple has done well,” one of the disciples said.

“Very good. Distribute these rewards among them,” Lin Yang instructed.

He felt obliged to share some benefits. Those who had positions with perks deserved some acknowledgment, and so did the disciples who had labored digging the mountain. This was simply a matter of social grace.

He took out two small jade bottles, tossing one to the plump disciple named Jia. The other he kept to distribute among the others.

“Thank you, Master! I will make sure everyone receives it,” Jia said excitedly, immediately kneeling and kowtowing.

“No need to kneel here. From now on, you’ll stay at the foot of the mountain and follow my orders. No need to return,” Lin Yang said, eyeing this Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, who seemed somewhat timid—perhaps cautious around the strong. He was perfectly suited to guarding the gate, preventing mishaps and keeping secrets safe.

“I will inform the sect leader,” Jia said happily, kneeling once again.

“Thank you for your favor, Master. I will devote myself fully, to the point of death,” he declared earnestly.

“By the way, do you need a few more disciples for chores?” Jia quickly slipped into a flattering tone.

“Keep a few trustworthy ones. I’ll need many medicinal materials for alchemy, and I plan to grow some spirit herbs here. I don’t want to find my supplies missing when I need them,” Lin Yang warned.

“Also, no more kneeling so casually. I dislike people who kneel. Speak to me standing from now on,” Lin Yang said firmly.

He detested kneeling as a feudal relic. His predecessors had fought with blood and iron to abolish such backward customs. Though he couldn’t change the broader environment, he could change his own surroundings.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll go immediately,” Jia said, somewhat puzzled. Back in his hometown, whenever the landlord lost his temper, he had to kneel and kowtow to beg for mercy. Only because fate had smiled upon him, revealing his fairy destiny and luck in surviving the Blood-Scarred Forbidden Land, was he assigned to this lucrative position. Had he not taken part in the fairy destiny competition in the small town, he might have lived his entire life as a tenant farmer.

Deep down, he believed that early kneeling and admitting fault would make landlords favor him—a typical feudal mindset, the mentality of a feudal lackey.

Yet, if the great Master Lin wanted him to run errands, showing loyalty would surely win him more rewards.

“Also, find a few disciples skilled in cultivating spirit herbs. I need to plant several medicinal fields,” Lin Yang added suddenly.

“Understood, Master! I’ll go at once,” Jia replied, swiftly mounting his sword to seek out the disciples who had just left.

Meanwhile, Lin Yang turned to arranging formations atop the four mountain peaks. He carefully inscribed each array pattern with precision. It took him half a day to complete one.

The entire pattern was mysterious and strange, like a peculiar key, drawing in the surrounding energies of heaven and earth.

Soon, a spiritual energy storm erupted across the platform, pulling in spiritual energy from a ten-mile radius.

“Not bad. The craft hasn’t dulled,” Lin Yang muttered, pleased with the completion of the first step. Only three remained, which he estimated would take two days to finish.

He flew to another peak, took out his formation brush, and began inscribing again.

Such intense concentration was somewhat draining, and by the time he finished the next formation, fatigue crept in, though manageable.

The sun rose and set twice more. Finally, all the formation patterns were complete.

Lin Yang clapped his hands, and the four formation cores responded instantly.

Four formation flags soared into the sky, emitting beams of light that connected with each other.

At the same time, the four spiritual storms ceased, merging into one colossal spiritual storm.

This massive storm drew in surrounding clouds, blending spiritual energy with cloud vapor to generate abundant lightning.

Quickly, the energy coalesced into a vast force. Lin Yang decided to test the strength of this killing formation.

He struck the only small hill among the four mountain peaks with the lightning.

The hill, about several dozen meters high—essentially a small mound—was hit by the thunderbolt, causing an enormous explosion that echoed through the valley.

Dust rose violently from the ground, forming a scorching mushroom cloud.

The lightning’s power was tremendous, arcing between the four peaks. The small hill was blasted into a deep crater dozens of meters wide—truly terrifying.

Such damage, akin to a celestial phenomenon, was beyond the resistance of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

This place was extremely dangerous; without the formation talisman, few would dare approach.

This would become his second base, where he could leverage these spiritual formations to develop a new faction.

A faction wholly loyal to him, ensuring he would not be swept away by the downfall of Huangfeng Valley.

The decisive battle between the righteous and demonic sects was only fifty or sixty years away.

At his current pace, he would probably only reach the peak of Golden Core by then.

He did not want to become the primary target of the demonic cult.

Nor did he wish to be a mere pawn.

Though his present strength was insufficient to be a true player, he intended to first establish a power center to gather resources, ensuring he could reach Nascent Soul stage within four or five decades.

With his abilities and cultivation methods, there would be few who could defeat him during this period.

Then no one would forcibly expel him from his domain.

All of this depended on the transmission formations that would allow him to amass resources to aid his cultivation and professional advancement.

Strength was the foundation. He had to complete the prerequisites to achieve greater accomplishments.

He was now completing the first step: claiming the entire spiritual vein as his own.

If anyone disturbed him or uncovered his secrets, he would deal with them accordingly.

After arranging everything, he planned to seek out the ancient transmission formations.

One must not rush; impatience only spoils the meal.

One cannot disappear too long, especially not a 35-year-old like him.

Though he had attained Golden Core cultivation, he had never undergone a prolonged seclusion.

Long closures might attract unwanted attention.

At this moment, the plump disciple approached, having gathered several others and set them to work, even constructing a palace.

Though only the framework stood, it already showed sincere effort.

“Master, what are your next instructions?” he asked.

“No more tasks for now. Have a few disciples build residences at the mountain’s foot. Also, fill in my old mine tunnels to prevent spiritual energy leakage,” Lin Yang ordered.

“Remember to find some jade stones to fill the tunnels; jade can seal spiritual energy.”

Jia listened attentively.

“Understood, Master! I’ll go right away.”

He turned swiftly to inform the disciples to hasten the palace’s completion, and also sent one disciple to the mortal realm to purchase jade stones.

Lin Yang temporarily moved into a house once used by supervisors, waiting for the disciples to finish securing the spiritual vein.

Once order was established, he planned to enter seclusion and journey to the Chaotic Star Sea.

Page complete.