Revolt against the Heavens

A big noise echoed throughout the array formation pavilion and Chief Elder Suxian appeared just before Cao Yun. He had no time to even perceive him that he was right before his face.

"Junior Chen! It's a good thing that you're here. My disciple tells me that you're pretty talented in regards to array formations. A great fighter, a great alchemist and soon a great array formation master. Good, good."

Soon after his master's sudden arrival and hearty welcome, Sun Liao came running behind with the receptionist.

"Master, do not move that fast within the pavilion." Sun Liao was almost out of breath and had to recover a bit. "Brother Chen, it seems like you made my master lucky."

Hearing theses words, Chief Elder Suxian's face froze. He turned toward Sun Liao and admonished him. "I just took you in as a direct disciple and you thank me by spilling my secrets?!"

"Master, I'm sorry, but it is your teaching that gambling and bets are bad, right?" Vividly in his mind, Sun Liao remembered how his now master had punished him for betting against Cao Yun during the entrance examination.

Chief Elder Suxian did not know what to respond to that. He had indeed scolded Sun Liao. But, in reality, it was because he had lost his Exquisite Purple Jasmine back then. Defeated, Chief Elder Suxian did not try to talk his way out with his disciple. Instead, he turned back.

"Young friend, this isn't what you think..."

"My master apparently bet with Chief Elder Luoming on your victory and he won the Exquisite Purple Jasmine which he had lost while betting against you during the entrance examination. Isn't that the reason of your good mood, Master? I hear that this jasmine makes some divine tea."

Clearing his throat, Chief Elder Suxian looked at Sun Liao who was walking to Cao Yun's side. Sun Liao properly greeted his friend before continuing. "Chief Elder Luoming came in person to gift this prize. Since then, my master just keeps talking about you. So when I told him that you were deeply interested in array formations, he just couldn't wait to help you out, right, Master? Isn't that what you said?"

"Luoming..." Once again, Chief Elder Luoming, even in defeat, had been able to tease his friend by spilling the beans to his disciple.

"Thank you, Chief Elder Suxian. That would be my pleasure." Understanding that his friend was teasing his master in order to help him, Cao Yun immediately stepped in. "I have indeed great need of such a master as yourself."

Speechless, Chief Elder Suxian quickly laughed it off. "Of course, of course. After all, my disciple had made things difficult for you during the entrance exam and he never paid you back. As his master, I'll take full responsibility and help you as atonement for his devious acts."

"Master! I did make amends to Brother Chen!"

As the duo of master and disciple kept bickering with each other, Cao Yun finally realized something. On Sun Liao's chest was a 5-star Earth grade array formation master emblem. He had probably passed the graduation test the day before and had finally become the official disciple of Chief Elder Suxian. And it seemed like their relation was very good. Even though they argued with each other, they were very cordial.

Sun Liao was trying to get back to his master for the hellish training he had to endure after the entrance exam. Moreover, Sun Liao had realized that this was due to his master losing a bet and not entirely due to his actions. Although, he now admitted that his actions had been terrible...

As Chief Elder Suxian was not a noble, he was very open with other people, even inferior to him. He was wise enough to know that no matter how weak a cultivator appeared, he could soar through the heavens and overcome anyone in a matter of decades. And with Cao Yun's talent, Chief Elder Suxian was convinced he would reach even the sect leader himself one day. On the other end, Sun Liao's mastery of array formations would allow him to surpass his master in no time either. As soon as he reached Spirit Master, he would exceed him in his craft.

But Chief Elder Suxian was not worried at all, instead he was looking forward to seeing their achievements. As both of them would be taught by him, their achievements would also in part be due to him. Although, with such talents, they would soar regardless of the master who taught them.

Anyway, they both stopped bickering and walked Cao Yun into the room they had just left. At the reception desk, the young servant was agape. For her, Chief Elder Suxian was an otherworldly existence. And yet, she saw him as excited as a little boy, sprinting to meet Cao Yun, and then quarreling with his young disciple. Even Sun Liao was a pinnacle of array formations for her, and she just witnessed a very charming side of him. Right now, she was even more seduced by this boy.

In fact, many women in the array formation pavilion had been seduced by Sun Liao, even without him trying to do anything. Since his arrival in the Wubei Sect, he did not have much time as he wanted to reach the 5-star Earth stage as quickly as possible. Now that he had, he would get more time to 'socialize'.

-

Once inside the room, Cao Yun realized it was much bigger than the room he had trained with Sun Liao previously. It was the training room of Chief Elder Suxian. Many bookshelves were lined up with thousands of books, manuals and scrolls. Just sweeping his eyes over them, he recognized many references he had seen but that were not in the Wubei library. At least, they were not in the levels he had access to.

"Oh? You have good eyes! These are my personal collection. You can browse through them if you want. But be cautious! It's not necessarily a good thing to get too deep in array formations without a firm foundation. There are so many techniques, they can cloud your mind more than help you understand. First, you really need to learn the basis."

Chief Elder Suxian pondered a bit. "What about this? I'll go over the foundation of array formations with you both and talk about some basic techniques. That can always be beneficial, no matter your level. Even for me! Trying to explain difficult concepts is a great way to make you understand them more. So don't shy away from trying to teach what you learn.

Of course, there are some things that are considered secret, and you should not teach them indiscriminately. But remember that the goal of our Wubei Sect is the betterment of mankind. Despite how safe the world may seem to youths like you, I can assure you that demons lurk in the shadow. They're just waiting for the right opportunity to send us all back to the irons they kept us in. So, all mankind should try and educate young talents. The more talented cultivators we have, the better off we are against these monsters."

Cao Yun had frequently heard stories from his parents about the demons. He knew they were talking about a real threat, but he had to admit that he did not take them too seriously. For him, this was a very distant threat, a very hypothetical one as well. Even his great-grandfather Cao Beiwen, in more than 200 years of existence, had never had to fight off a demon invasion. The Cao family lived pretty far from the borders, so Cao Yun had never even seen a demon in his life.

Anyway, he decided to focus on the content of Chief Elder Suxian's lecture. And so did Sun Liao.

"I'll go through the very basics taught in 'Guarding the Ten Thousand Directions'. Array formations were developed by Saint Duan Huang. He was a trusted ally of Emperor Nuwa. This discipline is really a culmination of our human knowledge. By observing the universe, he derived how Qi flowed through all nature. From the smallest blade of grass to the biggest star, Qi flows through all the universe. He realized that humans could alter this flow of Qi to produce mystical effects.

Hence was born the first of the Eight Directions, Qi Circulation. To understand this concept better, you must observe how Qi flows all around you. Of course, only Mortal Warriors can perceive Qi that's not directly around them, but you can still learn a fair amount just by watching how Qi flows through you. Just try to let it flow without controlling anything, as a spectator. Then, you'll understand its nature and how it flows better.

Then, you must understand Yin-Yang Alternation and the Five Transformations. As an alchemist, Chen Guo, you should already be familiar with these concepts. Qi itself has a Yin and Yang nature and also contains the five elements. You must use this to control how it flows and also get your desired outcome. Contrary to alchemy, you must be able to create an array formation which will preserve these qualities for very long period of times. In alchemy, you just need to adjust it during the refinement. In array formations, you must almost set it in stone. That's why observing your environment and using a compass are very useful.

It's possible to make an array formation without the use of a compass. But unless you're a great master, the result won't last long. For example, during his fight, my disciple produced a small array formation but it couldn't sustain itself for more than a few breaths. In a fight, that can be the difference between life and death, but it won't be considered a great array formation.

Sixty Rotations pertains to the cycle of time. Our time is divided into sixty segments according to the movement of the celestial bodies. This movement influences Qi, but to master it, you must understand the stars themselves. A great array formation master should be able to perform his craft even if the stars were to change. Because even on small time scales, the position of the stars do shift. If you become a true immortal, you can even witness the constellations change. So your craft should not be reliant on absolutes, but it should adapt to the stars you actually see.

Eight Trigrams is even more complex. It's based around the Eight variations of Yin and Yang. You must already know Small and Pure Yin or Yang, but they can further combine with Yin and Yang and create Eight variations. And even more complex than that, the Eight Variations of Heaven are symmetrical to the Eight Variations of Earth. So you must be able to use their interaction to manipulate the environment and make your array formations more stable.

Nine Halls is a way to analyze the environment. You can use it to extract the structure of the flow of Qi from a map. For example, mountains are known to generate Qi while rivers are known to conduct it. By using the topology of the terrain, you'll be able to create great diagrams, more abstract than the maps themselves. Then you can use these diagrams to consider how to best set your array formations.

The Twenty-Four Mountains principle further explains how to read your compass. Each of the eight directions linked to the Eight Variations can be further divided into three sections. Thus you obtain the Twenty-Four Mountains. You may use your compass to detect any wandering Qi and perfect its flow through your array formation. Thanks to this technique, you're able to locate where the palaces and gates of your array formation should be. But it means, that you're also able to locate the gates and palaces of another array formation. By altering the palaces, you can change or even destroy an array formation. You can also use the gates to leave any array formation unharmed.

Palaces and gates differ greatly from array formation to array formation. They can be physical objects or pathways in the flow of Qi. But every single array formation has at least a Gate of Life and a Master Palace. If you're able to destroy the Master Palace, the array formation will cease to function completely. And if you locate the Gate of Life, you can leave the array formation without any problem.

Finally, Twelve Earthly Branches and Ten Heavenly Stems refers to further subdivisions of time. It's also linked to mystical animals and celestial bodies. This is maybe the most difficult concept to grasp. It's said that if you understand this principle your array formations will last through the life and death of ten suns. And if you grasp all its profundities, your array formations will become eternal. This principle is used to increase the lifespan of your array formations and decrease the need for repairs.

To sum up, setting any array formation is akin to changing the flow of Qi of the universe. You can consider the universe itself as a giant array formation. By using some principles, your senses and a compass, you can understand a part of its structure and alter it to create a smaller array formation within. By the way, that's something you can also do with array formations: putting smaller ones within bigger ones. You can even create thousands of them harmonized by a larger one. The possibilities are limitless.

There are hundreds of lesser principles and thousands of techniques. Some are only used in very specific settings. For example the Small Dragon River is used to set an array formation under water, as long as the body of water is not too large. Outside of this situation, it's pretty much useless. So trying to learn them all is not a good idea at first."

Even though Cao Yun had read much of what Chief Elder Suxian had just told, the way he put it so succinctly was very great. He felt as if he had a better understanding of array formations. Instead of considering the Coiling Silk Faction residence alone, he could consider the entire map of the Wubei Sect. The Wubei Sect could be seen as an array formation and the Coiling Silk Faction residence a smaller one within. Then, he would have several diagrams to consider, as well as their interactions.

With this new knowledge, he could be able to more easily determine where traps could be hidden. In fact, he could also increase his stealth by not disturbing the flow of Qi. Since he wasn't a Mortal Warrior yet, he could only sense Qi in his immediate vicinity but a Mortal Warrior could feel it a bit further. Of course, their senses were not as good as those of a Spirit Warrior. However, compared to Cao Yun's, they were a magnitude better.