Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension-Chapter 686 - 415 Formation is..._2

Witnessing this scene, Zhao Sheng couldn’t help showing a hint of envy in his eyes.

The interstitial space of the void lies between the Void Realm and reality, being closest to the first layer of the Void Realm.

Only at the Ascension Platform can Divinity Transformation True Monarchs enjoy the privilege of closely observing the true Void Realm ahead of time.

Normally, Divinity Transformation True Monarchs can only sense the existence of the Void Realm through their Primordial Spirit, as elusive as flowers seen in water or the moon reflected in a mirror, completely untouchable.

Only by breaking through from Divinity Transformation to the Returning to Void Realm can cultivators break the spatial barrier and touch the true Void Realm. The symbol of Returning to Void is the flesh entering the Void Realm, thereby shortening the space-time manifold, allowing one to roam the universes like an Immortal.

Therefore, in the three thousand Spirit Realms, Returning to Void Monarchs are also known as "Demi Immortals."

Of course, the Returning to Void Realm is too far a distance for Zhao Sheng, who must focus on the present. He must observe the casting of the Three Great Array Masters, an opportunity too rare to miss, and Zhao Sheng must not let it pass by.

After one breath, he quietly moved behind Huang Yu, watching intently as countless Yin Yang Talismans burst forth from the Yin Yang Array Plates.

Huang Yu, sensing Zhao Sheng’s approach, did not mind and continued to mutter, his fingers rapidly calculating, flashing with countless afterimages.

Zhao Sheng stood behind him for a long time, only to see Huang Yu calculating endlessly without making a single move.

It was a stark contrast to his swift unraveling of the Mountain Guardian Formation on Earth Flame Island in the past.

Zhao Sheng’s gaze swept over the other two grandmasters, then suddenly flashed behind the sunglasses-wearing Li Ziran.

Unsurprisingly, Grandmaster Li did not shun him either; instead, he sent a telepathic message: "Mr. Zhao, I have heard from the Great True Monarch that you are also a master in formation? May I ask what is the highest level of Great Array you can set up? And how many formations have you mastered?"

While speaking, it did not hinder Grandmaster Li from scattering spirit tokens into the sky, which kept flashing with light and dark glows, shaped like golden needles as long as a finger, their number beyond estimation.

Zhao Sheng, looking at the ever-changing spirit tokens, spoke with a gentle tone, saying, "I have only been practicing the Array Dao for a short while. If the time and place are right, I should be able to set up one or two Fourth-Rank Arrays. For example, the Thousand Flames Array, the Earth Mountain Array, and so forth."

As for the number of formations, I haven’t really counted them. Likely it’s over a hundred, including the Five Elements Wind Thunder Ice Yin Yang Life Death Trapped Illusion... and so on."

After hearing this, Li Ziran was surprised, not because he doubted the other’s words since at their level, there was no point in deceiving themselves or others.

He doubted whether the other party was exaggerating.

It’s well known that of the Hundred Skills of Immortal Cultivation, formation is the hardest, not only hard to initiate but even harder to master. Yet the most difficult part is not specializing in one form, but rather having a vast breadth of knowledge.

Being "jack of all trades, master of none" is the biggest taboo for an Array Master.

Even he did not dare to claim mastery over so many aspects of formations like yin and yang and the five elements...life, death, and illusion.

After all, there’s a limit to human capacity, while the Heavenly Dao is boundless!

As the most orthodox of Array Masters, Li Ziran’s perspective on array was as orthodox as one could be.

The so-called "Heavenly Dao is the Tao, and the Tao is natural!"

In Li Ziran’s heart, "Array Dao is the natural way, the way of all things in heaven and earth."

Setting up arrays requires learning from the natural ways of heaven and earth; formation is an art that simulates the workings of heaven and earth, each array is a microcosm.

The profundity of Array Dao is vast and deep, with no one in the world capable of fully comprehending them, except for the legendary...True Immortals!

As for Zhao Sheng’s boastful words, Li Ziran was slightly displeased in his heart, but out of respect for the Great True Monarch, he would not take them seriously.

Nevertheless, he thus slightly lowered his estimation of Zhao Sheng.

Seeing that the other party had stopped speaking, Zhao Sheng instantly realized and involuntarily shook his head, turning to walk towards Liu Tianyi.

Just now, his words had not contained the slightest bit of falsehood or pretense, and he even had reservations.

From his initial forays into cultivation in his fourth life to the present, he had never slackened in his study of the Array Dao.

Having experienced the Dharma Transmission of the Star God twice, its bonus to array deduction was simply too significant.

Combined with the accumulation of four lives, Zhao Sheng’s mastery of so many and such comprehensive formations was actually not surprising at all.

Great Grandmaster Li could not believe that there were mystic talents "born with knowledge," yet Zhao Sheng was one, even though he couldn’t disclose it.

And so, the misunderstanding arose.

Compared to the two Huang Yu, Liu Tianyi’s movements were minimal.

No, it should be said that there was no movement at all. He simply sat cross-legged in front of the crystal column with his eyes closed, as if deep in thought or meditation.

However, the fluctuations of mana within him were extraordinarily intense, and his Divine Thought swept around the crystal column like a storm, repeatedly and incessantly.

Despite Zhao Sheng’s inability to discern what techniques the man had performed, he was aware of the characteristics that the man’s sect represented.

In the Tianzhu Realm, there are many Formation sects, but they are generally divided into three major branches, with each of the three Grandmasters representing one branch.

The Formation School that Master Liu represents is also known as the Heart Flow.

This school is vastly different from the traditional "Heaven and Earth Flow", as well as the later but prominent "Heavenly Number Flow", and can be said to have taken a unique path with boundless imagination!

The Heart Flow Array Masters have a unique perspective on formations, adhering to the view that "the person is the formation, with the heart present, the heaven and earth exist; with the heart gone, the heaven and earth perish."

Put in plain terms, it is like when I open my eyes to see the world, it is a reality that truly exists, but when I close my eyes, the world becomes nothing, non-existent.

Similarly, the Tao is based on the individual! Without the person, the Tao is also lost!

Without a doubt, the views of the Heart Formation School deviate significantly from those of the orthodox schools, and could even be considered ludicrous.

If it were not for the Heart Flow producing three Array Masters, including Liu Tianyi, this bizarre sect would have long been regarded by the vast majority of Array Masters as heterodox and been completely eradicated.

"The formation is heaven and earth."

"The formation is heaven and earth, but calculations are supreme!"

"The formation is the heart."

These three views on formations represent the three major Formation sects of the Tianzhu Realm and have also led to the creation of three great arrays that embody the ultimate achievements of each sect, namely the Supreme Sensing Sect’s "Heaven and Earth Mayfly Sumeru Formation", the Immortal Device Sect’s Flying Immortal City’s "Heavenly Curtain Infinite Map", and the Shuimu Palace’s "Mistaken Illusion Immortal Array".

Zhao Sheng’s gaze swept over Liu Tianyi, then he turned his head to look at the other two Grandmasters, his eyes brimming with Divine Light. The Star God Thousand Heart Technique was already operating at full strength unknowingly, memorizing any small movement of the three people and reconstructing their sublime memory, thereby reaping great benefits.

Under the effect of analogical thinking, his comprehension of the Array Dao naturally advanced significantly.

...

After more than half a month, the three Array Masters were successively exhausted and had to step down from their position.

The result was also not unexpected, the progress in repairing the crystal column was meager, only Li Ziran had some gains, whereas the two Huang Yu ended in failure.

In response to this, Zhao Xuanjing had no complaints and still held great expectations for the three Grandmasters, treating them with the same respect as before.

Afterward, when the Great True Monarch casually mentioned having the younger generation Zhao Qiong follow them to practice the Array Dao, the three Huang Yu readily agreed.

Clearly, Zhao Xuanjing had made many preparations in advance for Zhao Sheng to study under the three Grandmasters.

Otherwise, how could the three great Array Masters be so easy to negotiate with?

A few days later, when the three Huang Yu bid farewell to the True Monarch and were about to leave from the Ascension Platform, Zhao Sheng had also chosen the first mentor to study under, which was the closest related, Elder Huang.

As the saying goes, going up the mountain is easy, coming down is hard.

This saying, for the Nascent Soul Ancestor, can be turned the other way around.

Departing from the Ascension Platform and leaping down with the flow of Heavenly Gang Atmosphere, it took no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Zhao Sheng and his companion had already flown down from the ten-thousand-li sky, arriving at the Fourth Layer of the Cloud Sea here.

After flying horizontally along the cliff for a while, they soon reached a large sunken area.

Within the hollow were numerous buildings, crowded with people, with many still throughout.