179: Selection quota for the Formation Hall

While Xia Yuxuan and the other two were busily preparing at Shuiyue Peak.

On the other side, within the halls of the Formation Hall, the atmosphere was solemn and tense.

The air was filled with the faint glow unique to spiritual runes and the light scent of Formation Materials, while mysterious Formation patterns shimmered faintly on the walls and ceiling.

The Hall Master, True Person Mo Yan, sat at the head, his expression as calm as an ancient well, with dozens of Core Disciples standing below.

Today was the day to decide who would represent the Formation Hall and enter the Blood-colored Forbidden Land, where danger and opportunity coexisted.

There were only three spots.

As one of the Five Great Peaks and Four Great Halls of the Hehuan Sect, the Formation Hall held a special status.

Unlike Shuiyue Peak, which specialized in water-based Dao arts; Golden Palace Peak, which pursued ultimate offensive power; Thick Earth Peak, which tempered the Physical Body and defense; or Azure Wood Peak, which connected with natural vitality.

The Foundation and glory of the Formation Hall lay in the analysis of the Laws of heaven and earth, the mastery of spatial energy, and the profound research and application of complex Restrictions and Formation patterns.

While the cultivation Realm was certainly the cornerstone of cultivation, in the Formation Hall, the core standard for judging a Disciple's merit was always the depth of their understanding of the Dao of Formations, their deductive calculation abilities, their adaptability in setting up and breaking Formations on the spot, and their knowledge and use of various Formation Materials.

A Disciple at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage who had a thorough understanding of Formation principles and exquisite Formation-setting skills might be far more valuable in certain tasks than a Core Formation Cultivator who only knew how to painstakingly cultivate spiritual power and had only a superficial understanding of the Dao of Formations.

At this moment, the area in the center of the hall was the activation range of the hall's precious treasure, the "Thousand Mechanisms Martial Exercise Formation."

Just now, a targeted final selection assessment had just concluded.

This assessment simulated various complex Formation environments that might be encountered in the Forbidden Ground—including a combination of Spatial Barriers, Spiritual Power Interference Fields, Trap Killing Formations, and the breaking of Protective Restrictions.

It was not a simple competition of spiritual power strength but a comprehensive test of the Disciples' ability to interpret Formation Runes, find the Formation Eye, calculate Spiritual Power Nodes, and use their portable Formation Plates and Formation Flags for rapid setup or dismantling under high-pressure environments.

One could hear a pin drop in the hall.

True Person Mo Yan slowly opened his half-closed eyes, his calm gaze sweeping over every Disciple below.

His voice was not loud, yet it possessed a strange penetrating power, echoing clearly in the silent hall, every word seemingly striking the heartstrings of everyone present: "The assessment is over.

Having comprehensively evaluated the stability of the Formation Dao Foundation, the speed of on-site deductive calculation, the effectiveness of Formation-breaking techniques, the precision of Formation-setting, and the agility of response, the candidates for the Forbidden Ground are now determined as follows—" He paused slightly, his gaze first landing on the most outstanding figure standing on the left in the front row.

"First Disciple, Liu Qingyi!"

As his voice fell, a woman dressed in an elegant moon-white, form-fitting Daoist robe stepped forward and bowed toward the high platform.

She had a tall, straight posture and a clear, beautiful face, with a natural aloofness and calmness in her eyes, like a cold moon untouched by dust. Her cultivation was at the Core Formation Early Stage, which was not considered top-tier among the Core Disciples of the Five Great Peaks, but at this moment, no one had any objection to her obtaining a spot.

Liu Qingyi's comprehension of Formation principles was considered the best in the hall, and she was particularly skilled at constructing exquisite and complex Illusion Formations and high-level Formations involving Spatial Shifting and folding. In the assessment just now, she had perfectly simulated and constructed a small Spatial Maze Lock with minimal spiritual power consumption and the most precise placement of Formation Flags, and quickly identified seventeen linked nodes of a preset killing Formation to block them, a performance that was considered exemplary.

"Second Disciple, Shi Jian!"

Immediately after, a burly young man standing slightly behind and to the right of Liu Qingyi strode out, cupped his fists, and replied in a deep voice, "Disciple is here!" He was tall and sturdy, with a square and resolute face, his skin a bronze color from years of contact with metal and stone Materials, and his eyes steady and powerful.

His cultivation was also at the Core Formation Early Stage, and his spiritual power aura was thick and solid, like a monolith.

Shi Jian had a steady and reliable character and was an expert in the combination of Artifact Refining and Formations within the hall, especially proficient in the setup of various defensive Formations and the refining and maintenance of Formation Plates. In the assessment, he was responsible for resisting simulated Spiritual Power Turbulence and breaking a composite Protective Restriction.

Using several basic Formation Plates he carried with him, he layered them one by one to construct an impregnable defensive barrier and, with steady calculations, gradually dismantled the core Rune Chain of the Restriction, demonstrating extremely strong stability and execution.

There was no suspense regarding the ownership of the first two spots, which completely met the general expectations of the hall's Disciples. Liu Qingyi's cold wisdom and Shi Jian's steady weight were precisely the pillars of the new generation of the Formation Hall.

The atmosphere in the hall remained heavy, but with an added sense of natural calmness. Everyone's eyes were now locked onto the third spot about to be announced, with even stronger inquiry and uncontrollable curiosity. Many senior Disciples at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage or even Foundation Establishment Perfection, who had practiced in the hall for many years, unconsciously straightened their backs and lightened their breathing.

True Person Mo Yan's gaze did not linger too long on those Disciples with higher cultivation. Instead, it passed over the front row and landed on a particularly petite and delicate figure in the middle-back of the hall. The owner of that figure seemed a bit nervous, her head slightly lowered.

"The third person to enter the Forbidden Ground," True Person Mo Yan's voice clearly pierced the silence, "Gu Yingying!"

"Junior Sister Gu?!" "Yingying?!" A chorus of uncontrollable, startled whispers instantly rang out in the hall.

Countless gazes, filled with disbelief, shock, and deep doubt, focused collectively on that petite figure like something tangible.

Standing there, Gu Yingying's figure appeared exceptionally slender and small compared to the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters around her, like a Spiritual Plant that had not yet fully grown. She herself suddenly looked up, her small mouth slightly open, her clear large eyes wide with absolute shock and confusion, her fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of her clothes.

She, Gu Yingying, the Junior Sister recognized as the youngest in the hall whose cultivation had always remained at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Bottleneck? How was this possible? The massive surprise left her mind blank.

However, when everyone's Divine Sense subconsciously swept over her, the spiritual power fluctuations they felt made the shock and doubt in their hearts even stronger! The spiritual power aura Gu Yingying emitted at this moment was indeed still at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage; there was no doubt about that.

But the degree of condensation, purity, and the inherent vitality of this spiritual power had undergone an earth-shaking change!

It was exceptionally solid and heavy, its density and stability far exceeding that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Cultivator, even faintly revealing a sense of harmony and vigorous life force that only a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator might possess after stabilizing their Realm!

It was as if the spiritual power in her body had been repeatedly tempered and purified by some kind of power.