401: Chapter 411 Lesser Heavenly Cycle Star Power Gathering Array!

Su Ming walked out of the bamboo fence gate.

The mountain wind blew, making the bamboo forest rustle.

He didn't immediately take to the sky.

He walked back along the mountain path.

His footsteps stepped on the soft fallen leaves, making a series of fine, crisp sounds.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, leaving mottled spots of light on his Purple Robe; his mind was entirely filled with Elder Qingquan's words from just now.

"To know the 'what' is good, but one must know the 'why' even more."

"Breaking a Formation has never been the goal. Understanding the rules of how Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi flows is the ultimate Great Dao."

These few sentences were like a great bell tolling. They resonated continuously within his Sea of Consciousness, shaking his very soul with excitement.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, Lin Yu's voice rang out lazily, breaking the silence.

"How was it? After that old man's pointers, do you feel like you've been enlightened?"

Lin Yu's voice carried a hint of teasing, but if one listened closely, a deeply hidden sliver of admiration could be heard.

Su Ming stopped walking. He looked at the sea of clouds in the distance.

"This Disciple is indeed... somewhat moved."

Su Ming's tone was very soft.

Lin Yu snapped his fingers contentedly within the Sea of Consciousness, even though he currently lacked a physical body.

"That old man is a sensible one."

Lin Yu's tone became world-weary and experienced, fully putting on the airs of a Master.

"He doesn't teach you how to cultivate Formations; he teaches you how to think about Formations. It's better to teach a man how to fish than to give him a fish. This is a true teacher."

Su Ming nodded solemnly.

"Master is right."

Lin Yu felt quite comfortable seeing his Disciple's humble and receptive attitude. In his past life, he had always liked these clever people who understood things with just a hint, without needing long, exhausting explanations.

"However, don't get too excited."

Lin Yu timely threw a bucket of cold water to help his Disciple cool down.

"Realization is a good thing. But in the Dao of Formations, realization is just the beginning."

Lin Yu paused, his tone becoming stern.

"Of those three thousand six hundred basic runes, you've only thoroughly mastered a mere two hundred. Most of them are just basic auxiliary runes like Spirit Gathering or Reinforcement. There are still thousands of runes waiting for you to grind through. Don't think that just because you've grasped the Dao, you can reach the heavens in a single step."

Su Ming gave a bitter smile. The fervor in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by his usual calm.

"This Disciple knows. One must eat rice mouthful by mouthful, and walk the path step by step."

He knew his own foundation all too well. He didn't have a privileged background like Luo Feng, who had been immersed in Formation diagrams since childhood. All he had was the persistence to grind away, drop by drop, until the stone was pierced.

"Let's go. Back to Star Gazing Cliff."

Su Ming took a deep breath as his spiritual power circulated steadily within his body.

He tapped his toes lightly on the bluestone steps, and his entire being transformed into a purple streak of light, racing toward Star Gazing Cliff. The liquid spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment Stage made his escape light several times faster than before, and completely silent.

Half an incense stick later, Su Ming returned to Star Gazing Cliff.

He pushed open the heavy stone door of the Immortal Cave.

The light inside the Immortal Cave was dim; only the starlight falling from the ceiling skylight barely illuminated the stone room.

On the stone bed, the Mysterious Shadow Egg he had obtained from Senior Brother Second Senior Brother Qin Yi lay quietly.

Under the reflection of the starlight, the dark gold patterns on the eggshell shimmered with an extremely faint, ghostly light. The light was so weak it seemed it might go out at any moment, yet it emitted an incredibly tenacious vitality.

Su Ming walked over. He reached out and gently touched the rough eggshell.

It felt slightly cool to the touch, with no sign of hatching whatsoever. it was like a cold stone.

"This little thing is still the same as ever," Su Ming said softly.

Lin Yu's Divine Sense emerged from the xuantian ring and swept around the Mysterious Shadow Egg.

"This egg of yours has a significant background. It doesn't need ordinary Spiritual Qi, but pure Astral Power. Its speed of absorbing Star Power is very stable now. There's no use in rushing; you'll have to nurture it for a long time."

Su Ming withdrew his hand, his brow furrowing slightly.

"This Disciple is going to Daxing. The journey is long, and I'm carrying a Sect mission. I don't know how long it will be before I return."

He looked at the sky outside the skylight, which was gradually darkening.

"If it's left in this Immortal Cave for ten days or half a month, it would be fine. But if I'm gone for three to five years, without a Formation to maintain it and relying only on the bit of starlight leaking from this skylight, its vitality might be cut off."

The first rule of The Way of Cautious Survival: No resource should be wasted. Especially a top-tier mystery box like this that might hatch an ancient exotic beast.

Lin Yu chuckled in the Sea of Consciousness.

"So, you need to set up a Formation for it."

Su Ming's eyes lit up. Countless Formation diagrams instantly flashed through his mind.

"Master means... a Star Attracting Formation?"

Lin Yu didn't give the answer directly. This was his way of cultivating Su Ming's habit of independent thinking.

"A Star Attracting Formation causes too much commotion. Although you've set up a grand concealment Formation at Star Gazing Cliff, once a Star Attracting Formation is activated, the Heavenly Star Power will pour in. If it attracts attention within the Sect, it will cause unnecessary trouble."

Lin Yu guided him patiently.

"Think about the Formation diagrams you've seen recently. Think about what old man Qingquan taught you about 'knowing the why'. What you need is a Formation that is hidden, stable, and provides a steady, long-term flow."

Su Ming closed his eyes.

In his Sea of Consciousness, over two hundred basic runes began to spin rapidly, colliding and reorganizing.

A moment later, he snapped his eyes open, a flash of realization in them.

"Lesser Heavenly Cycle Star Power Gathering Formation!"

Su Ming blurted out.

"I can extract the core framework from the 'Star Guiding Pattern'. I'll remove those violent devouring runes. It won't need Spirit Stones to power it. By using specific angles and rune arrangements, it will gather and focus the starlight coming through the skylight, then precisely project it onto the Mysterious Shadow Egg!"

Lin Yu snapped his fingers, his tone full of the gratification of a teacher with a teachable student.

"Clever. This is called adapting to local conditions. Get to work. Let me see your progress these past few days."

Su Ming immediately sprang into action.

He didn't rush to carve the runes. Instead, he first moved a stone chair and stood beneath the skylight, carefully observing the trajectory of the falling starlight.

He took out Star Pattern Sand and a Formation Pen made from Century-old Sunken Yin Wood from his Storage Pouch.

Purple liquid spiritual power was slowly injected into the Formation Pen, and the tip lit up with a ghostly blue glow.

With his wrist suspended, he began to carve runes on the stone walls around the skylight.

"That rune at the li position. Shift it half an inch to the left."

Lin Yu's voice rang out at the right time, carrying an unquestionable precision.

"The stone walls of this Immortal Cave contain a faint trace of geomagnetism. Shifting half an inch to the left will allow you to avoid the interference of the geomagnetism, making the Star Power purer."

Su Ming's wrist turned slightly, immediately correcting the position of his stroke.

"The Flow-guiding Pattern at the kan position can be carved a bit deeper. Yes, just like that. Make the riverbed for the Star Power flow deeper, so the Star Power won't overflow when it gathers."

The Immortal Cave was silent, save for the faint sound of the Formation Pen carving into the stone wall.

A layer of fine sweat broke out on Su Ming's forehead.

Nesting a small convergence Formation without damaging the cave's original defensive Formation was an immense drain on his Mental Energy.

A full hour passed.

When the final stroke was completed, Su Ming let out a long breath of turbid air.

"Hum—"

The Array Patterns on the stone wall lit up in unison, emitting an extremely faint resonance.

The scattered starlight falling through the skylight seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, rapidly converging toward the center of the Formation.

In the blink of an eye, a visible silver pillar of light formed in mid-air.