103: Ten years, ten days

Su Ling mingled with the crowd, equally focused on absorbing the knowledge in his Sea of Consciousness, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

Among the four arts of cultivation, he already had a Foundation in Talisman making and Artifact Refining, and he had dabbled in Formations long ago; only Alchemy remained untried.

Since talisman patterns and Formation patterns were inherently interconnected, he understood them far faster than other Loose Cultivators.

In particular, the Nine Palaces Heavenly Wall Formation and the Heaven Burning Evil Slaying Formation were both based on the Nine Palaces mathematical arts.

The set of Nine Palaces Lightning Descent Array flags in his hands had long been polished smooth from use, and he had already gained a basic understanding of the Nine Palaces positions and the laws of spiritual energy flow.

Learning these two Formations now, he felt he could grasp them through analogy; many details he previously didn't understand suddenly became clear.

“If I can make it back alive, this knowledge of Formations and Artifact Refining alone will have made the trip worthwhile.”

Su Ling sighed inwardly, yet the vigilance in his heart did not diminish by half.

He knew all too well the principle of 'high reward comes with high risk.'

The more astonishing the power of these formations—capable of resisting Soul Transformation and incinerating evil—the greater the risk for the Core Formation Cultivators within them.

Once a Formation was broken or if they fell into an enemy's Formation encirclement, these Core Formation Cultivators would be like candles in the wind; a single misstep would result in their death and the end of their path.

The explanation in their Sea of Consciousness gradually came to an end, and several Integration Stage Cultivators slowly ascended into the sky. The leader left one final instruction:

“Formations require diligent practice. After the National War begins, you must form your own teams and use them flexibly. I wish you all... the ability to return alive with your merits.”

As the words fell, the several individuals turned into five streaks of light and disappeared above the square.

Leaving behind over a hundred thousand Core Formation Cultivators, some were discussing Formation details in low voices, some were closing their eyes to digest the knowledge in their Sea of Consciousness, and others were starting to look for Cultivators with the same attributes to form teams.

The trial of the Nether Prison Star had not yet begun, but a silent preparation had already quietly unfolded within the illusory rainbow flying cloud bell.

While digesting that knowledge, Su Ling also constantly thought about areas where he could strengthen his own power.

It was basically impossible to improve his cultivation in the short term.

Regarding Magic Treasures, with two high-grade magic treasures plus the azure roc wings as his final trump card, it was also difficult to improve for the time being.

Only the ten thousand souls banner, which had lost all its Divine Souls, could perhaps be improved continuously by sustaining war with war.

As for Cultivation Techniques, the Azure Heaven Thunder Treasure Talisman had already become his standard method.

The Ghost Soul Arrow would surely shine brilliantly on the battlefield.

After much thought, Su Ling couldn't help but probe his Divine Sense into his storage bracelet and take a Jade Slip into his hand.

“Soul Capturing Art!”

After the Immortal Eye of Treasure Appraisal was upgraded, Su Ling had re-appraised this secret technique, and the feedback was the same as before.

Yun Qingluan had also personally said that this formula was identical to the one she practiced.

However, back in Thousand Star City, Su Ling had been busy refining Talismans and hadn't been interested in this secret technique.

Later, after obtaining the Azure Heaven Thunder Treasure Talisman on the nameless deserted island, he cared even less about the Soul Capturing Art.

Now, facing the upcoming National War, Su Ling finally remembered this secret technique.

“Let's give it a try...”

Pursing his lips, Su Ling immediately probed his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip and began to study it carefully... Su Ling had never imagined that the journey across domains to the Nether Prison Plane would be so long.

While many Core Formation Cultivators were immersed in the study of Formation deductions and Artifact Refining diagrams, ten years passed like a fleeting shadow.

Not until his vision blurred and a sudden wave of scorching heat hit his body, and the pungent smell of sulfur and blood filled his nostrils, did everyone snap back to their senses, realizing they had reached their destination.

“The Nether Prison Plane has been reached! In ten days, the National War will officially begin!”

A powerful voice came from the sky, like thunder rolling over the mountains.

The speaker was an Integration Stage Cultivator from the Azure Wave Sect suspended in mid-air. His Spiritual Pressure spread out, causing the over a hundred thousand Core Formation Cultivators below to feel a chill in their hearts.

“I wish you all an eternal path of immortality!”

The brief blessing fell, yet it was like an invisible war drum beating in everyone's hearts.

Over the past ten years, they had already engraved the National War rules, merit mechanisms, and risk factors into their Sea of Consciousness through the explanations of the Azure Wave Sect Cultivators.

Furthermore, centered around the Azure Wave Outer Sect Disciples, hundreds of groups, large and small, had spontaneously formed.

Some specialized in defensive positions, some were skilled in guerrilla raids, and others focused on resource collection, all just to have one more chance of survival in this trial.

And the Demon Species, a local feature of the Nether Prison Plane, also piqued everyone's interest.

After all, among all the Core Formation Cultivators present, those who had heard of this race could be counted on one's fingers.

Despite their trepidation, everyone wanted to see what kind of Yao Beast was actually crowned with the name 'Demon.'

“Go! To the logistics station to exchange for Materials, we must refine the Formation Flags before the National War!”

Someone shouted first, and the crowd instantly boiled over.

The Core Formation Cultivators surged like a tide toward the nearby logistics station, their robes fluttering as spiritual energy fluctuations intertwined into a noisy halo.

The Seven Sects were not completely hands-off this time; every participant had one hundred points of initial merit.

This was equivalent to the points for killing one enemy Core Formation Cultivator and could be used at the logistics station to exchange for Medicinal Pills, Artifact Refining Materials, Talismans, and other strategic supplies, serving as their 'startup capital' for participating in the National War.

Su Ling sized up the surrounding environment: beneath his feet were reddish-black rocks, distant mountains were covered in dark purple vegetation, the sky was a hazy gray, and occasionally dark red meteorite fragments streaked across the sky.

This was what the Nether Prison Star looked like.

At this moment, a crisp voice came from behind him, “Brother Han, let's go make our preparations as well.”

He turned around and saw Wen Qingzhu coming over with a team of fifty people.

The Cultivators in this team either had the agile aura of the wind attribute surrounding them or emitted the violent spiritual energy of the fire and lightning attributes. Their cultivation was at least Late-stage Core Formation, and thirty percent had reached the Peak.

Clearly, just as they had discussed within the feixia bell, the members Mo Qingzhu recruited were all skilled in speed and slaughter.

The goal was to avoid the mediocre risks but easily besieged positional warfare and instead take the path of guerrilla raids.

Regarding the addition of Su Ling, who was only a Core Formation Mid-stage Cultivator, many in the team had privately criticized it, but Mo Qingzhu had strongly supported him.

Fortunately, in this small team, several Peak Core Formation Cultivators were Disciples of the Fentian Sect from Danxia Island, and they all followed Mo Qingzhu.

His words carried absolute authority, which was why he was able to push aside all dissenting opinions and let Su Ling join.

To this, although Su Ling was noncommittal, he still appeared quite grateful on the surface.

Seeing Wen Qingzhu take the initiative to invite him now, Su Ling nodded and replied, “As it should be.”

With that, he followed the team toward a logistics station.

With one hundred points of initial merit, no one was willing to hold back.

Everyone quickly spent their points: Wen Qingzhu exchanged for a batch of Materials to refine fire-attribute Talismans, several lightning Cultivators exchanged for 'Lightning Pattern Crystals' to strengthen their lightning arts, and Su Ling chose Hidden Mist Wood and Ink Crystal Powder needed to refine 'Dark Travel Stealth Array' flags... This was a concealment Formation suitable for guerrilla squads, requiring only a group of three to perform. It could hide their forms and spiritual energy fluctuations, perfectly matching the team's tactical positioning.

After the exchange, everyone quickly found a secluded cave to divide the work.

Alchemists lit their Pill Furnaces to refine Medicinal Pills for healing and recovering spiritual energy.

Talisman masters spread out Talisman paper, using spiritual energy to outline talisman patterns.

Artifact Refiners utilized their core fire to begin refining Formation Flags.

Su Ling also found a corner, took out his Materials, and began refining Formation Flags with Ice Flame.

The difficulty of refining the Dark Travel Stealth Array flags was not high, only needing to reach the level of a High Grade Magical Artifact. For him, who had refined many ten thousand souls banners, it was a familiar operation.