145: Observatory

Seeing Lin Feng watching intently, Qu Yunshang extended her right hand, condensed a wisp of faint Star Power at her fingertip, and pointed it into the air toward the pale golden light barrier.

"Watch closely here," she said, her voice slowing down, guiding Lin Feng's attention to follow the trajectory of the Star Power, "Energy is not static; it circulates back and forth between the three Formation Flags."

Her fingertip traced lightly, outlining the complete circuit as spiritual energy flowed out from the first Formation Flag, passed through the convergence point at the top of the light barrier, split to the other two Formation Flags, and then returned to the starting point.

This circulation was extremely fast; had she not deliberately guided him, it would have been nearly impossible for the naked eye to capture.

Then, her wrist sank slightly, and the Star Power at her fingertip suddenly brightened, simulating a powerful impact force that continuously pressed down on one of the Formation Flags.

"But this is also its weakness," she said, speeding up her speech, "If the attack is too concentrated and fierce, causing the pressure on this point to far exceed the limit that the other two points can share..."

Lin Feng concentrated his mind and calmed his breath, fully activating his perception through the heaven-stealing vine.

In his "eyes," it was no longer just three flags and a light barrier, but three clear and bright streams of spiritual energy flowing from the flagpoles deep into the ground, drawing upon the power of the Spiritual Vein, and then, through the transformation of the runes on the flag surfaces, converging and circulating in the light barrier above, endless and ever-flowing.

"So the key to breaking the Formation," Lin Feng replied thoughtfully, "is not just brute force, but disrupting the balance between the three? For instance, by attacking two of the points in rapid succession, forcing the energy cycle to become overwhelmed, it can be dismantled from within?"

Qu Yunshang was about to continue her explanation, but upon hearing Lin Feng's words, her movements paused slightly.

She looked at Lin Feng, her eyes brightening.

"Well said."

She nodded, then changed the subject, "For example, with this 'Three-Element Formation,' if a Qi Refinement Stage Disciple understands the principle of 'triangular circulation: strength lies in division, destruction lies in concentration,' they only need to strike the weakest node of the cycle with full force, and they might cause a fierce, brute-force attack from a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator to fail."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the other Formation components on the field: "Conversely, if one does not understand this principle, even with the cultivation of the Core Formation Stage, one could be trapped for a long time by a meticulously laid illusion Formation.

The essence of the Dao of Formations lies in this: using a small force to deflect a thousand pounds."

Qu Yunshang's clear and simple explanation, especially the final analogy of "using a small force to deflect a thousand pounds," made Lin Feng's understanding of the Dao of Formations suddenly clear.

"Senior Sister's words are worth more than a month of my own study," Lin Feng said, cupping his hands in thanks.

Seeing him grasp it so quickly, the look of appreciation in Qu Yunshang's eyes deepened.

She looked up at the sky; the setting sun had already dyed the horizon golden red.

"Let's stop here for today.

You have already understood the basics of Formations, but deeper things cannot be achieved in a single day."

She said, signaling for Lin Feng to follow, "I will take you to Orchid Garden to get settled first."

The two left the training ground and walked along a small path toward the mountainside.

They walked in silence, but the atmosphere was much more harmonious than when they had arrived.

Lin Feng was still ruminating on the Formation principles from earlier, while Qu Yunshang seemed to be thinking about something.

Soon, a quiet and elegant small courtyard appeared before them, with the words "Orchid Garden" written on the lintel.

Qu Yunshang pushed open the courtyard gate; the interior was furnished simply, but it had everything one needed.

"Junior Brother Lin, this will be your residence from now on," Qu Yunshang said.

Then, she walked under the ancient tree in the courtyard and said, seemingly casually, "You grasped things very quickly just now, which is very good.

However, the reason why the Formations of my Qingyun Sect differ from other sects lies in the unique environment of this place."

Lin Feng suddenly looked up, his attention completely captured.

He considered himself to have a certain understanding of the Dao of Formations, but this was the first time he had heard that the Qingyun Sect's Formations were related to the environment.

Qu Yunshang looked toward the endless firmament: "You should have sensed it during the day; the entire Starfall Mountain Range is itself like a massive Formation.

Its Foundation lies in the mysterious correspondence between the power of the celestial stars and the Spiritual Veins of the earth beneath our feet."

She paused: "For example, the twenty-eight constellations in the night sky correspond one-to-one with the major Spiritual Vein nodes in my mountain range where their Star Power falls."

Lin Feng's heart trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but ask, "The constellations are far away in the Nine Heavens, and the Spiritual Veins lie deep in the Nine Earths; can they truly correspond so precisely?"

"The movement of stars has its own orbit.

The flow of Spiritual Veins also has its own laws."

Qu Yunshang explained, "The two seem distant, but in reality, their Qi is connected, resonating like breathing.

If one can discern the connection between them, one can invoke the positioning of the stars when setting up a Formation and use the Spiritual Veins as a base; its power and mystery far exceed those that rely solely on Spirit Stones and Formation Flags."

Watching the light shimmering in Lin Feng's eyes, she smiled slightly: "If you wish to personally experience this resonance between Star Power and the Spiritual Veins, the Hour of the Rat is when Star Power is at its purest and most active.

I can take you to the Star Gazing Platform to see for yourself."

This proposal was exactly what Lin Feng had been hoping for.

The ingenious Formation demonstrations from earlier had opened his eyes, but they were ultimately mere techniques; however, the concept of "resonance between constellations and Spiritual Veins" directly touched upon the Dao of the workings of heaven and earth.

He felt as if he saw a brand-new door slowly opening before him.

"Thank you, Senior Sister!"

Lin Feng's voice was slightly urgent as he bowed solemnly, his eyes burning with intensity, "Junior Brother will surely arrive on time and would never dare miss the hour!"

Qu Yunshang took in the change in his expression.

In that instant, the composure and steadiness she usually maintained as the Sect Head's Disciple and a Formation Genius seemed to be gently nudged by something.

Her lips curved upward, and her eyes brightened a little, revealing a hint of joy and pride that belonged to someone of her age.

This expression was fleeting; she quickly reined in her outward emotions, returning to her usual gentle yet composed demeanor, and nodded lightly: "Good, then it is settled."

She turned and left, her sleeves fluttering in the breeze, her gait seemingly a little lighter than when she had arrived.

Watching her back disappear at the end of the path, Lin Feng slowly withdrew his gaze, but his heart remained surging.

As the Hour of the Rat approached, Lin Feng set off for the Star Gazing Platform a quarter of an hour early.

He had thought he was early, yet when he stepped onto the platform of the Star Gazing Platform, paved with special crystals, he found a familiar, graceful figure already standing at the edge, gazing up at the vast starry sky.

Qu Yunshang was no longer wearing the moon-white Daoist robe from the day; she had changed into a simple, pale blue dress, and her long hair was tied simply behind her head.

The night breeze blew against her hair and the hem of her dress, adding a touch of heroic spirit to her usual gentleness.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly turned around: "Junior Brother Lin, you are very punctual."

"Senior Sister Qu arrived even earlier."

Lin Feng walked forward and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

From this height, the outline of the Starfall Mountain Range appeared exceptionally mysterious under the moonlight, and the stars in the night sky were dazzling enough to be intoxicating.

He noticed that Qu Yunshang's expression as she gazed at the starry sky was exceptionally focused, even carrying an indescribable attachment, so he asked softly: "Senior Sister seems... to particularly like this place?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Yunshang turned her head slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips, which was quite different from the rigorous demeanor she had shown when explaining Formations during the day.