The mountains stretched on, and in the vast rift of a massive canyon, Xu Mu sat in meditation, a thin layer of dust settling on his shoulders.
Two full days had passed since the great battle. Those in the alliance were either healing or resting, quietly awaiting the end of the competition. They no longer needed to gain points, as the combined scores of Wei Dao Xuan and Wei Dao Jue's alliances were enough for everyone to pass the next round, with rankings within the top five thousand!
On one side of the canyon, someone was using magical artifacts and cauldrons to cook the flesh of a great demon, releasing an alluring aroma. Many people were gathered around, waiting.
Jiang Sheng and the others were also there.
"Why haven't we seen Brother Mu Xu? Is he still studying the Way of Formations?" Jiang Sheng stood by the cauldron, and while waiting, he realized Xu Mu was nowhere in sight. He casually asked.
"Do you even need to ask? Just take a look behind you, and you'll know," Qian Qian said, patting Jiang Sheng's shoulder and pointing to a corner of the canyon.
"Ah, ever since Ji Nian taught him the Way of Formations, he's been immersed in comprehending formations, except for eating and sleeping, for these past two days."
"Brother Xu Mu has exceptional talent; he will surely succeed!" Jiang Sheng said, clenching his fist and speaking with confidence as he looked at the meditating Xu Mu. He had great faith in Xu Mu.
"I'm more worried he might suffer qi deviation," Ji Nian said, approaching with Wan Yan Zhen Yao, his brow furrowed. "Alliance Leader Mu Xu indeed possesses extraordinary talent, excellent innate qualities, and formidable strength. However, the Way of Formations is not something that can be accomplished overnight."
"With Alliance Leader Xu Mu's talent, if given enough time, achieving mastery should be absolutely no problem. But now, with less than four days remaining, and him putting so much pressure on himself..."
"Alas, sometimes the deeper one's obsession with something, the less likely it is to be achieved. If you trust me, go wake him up. This won't lead to any results."
Ji Nian sighed repeatedly. He was not optimistic about Xu Mu and was, in fact, worried about the latter suffering qi deviation.
Qian Qian and the others exchanged glances, their expressions turning solemn.
After some hesitation, Qian Qian stepped forward, filled a bowl with the meat broth, and then led the group to where Xu Mu was meditating. He placed the bowl on the ground.
Qian Qian said softly, "Brother Mu Xu, please get up and have some soup. You don't seem to have rested much these past two days. If this continues, your body won't be able to take it."
Hearing this, Xu Mu showed no reaction.
Qi Lan also sighed and stepped forward to persuade him, "I think Ji Nian is right. Even the patriarch of the Shangguan family, a lineage dedicated to formations, took seventeen days to achieve mastery. It's normal for us not to achieve mastery in two days, so please don't put pressure on yourself."
"Eat first, and then study formations, okay?" Xu Jing Chu also walked over, asking Xu Mu with concern.
The group stood in a line, continuously trying to persuade him, but just like before, no matter what they said, Xu Mu offered no response.
"Alas, it seems he's completely engrossed. Prepare the pills to treat his mental ailments. If he suffers qi deviation, timely treatment will cause no great harm," Ji Nian also spoke.
Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. They took out their most prized medicinal pills from their spatial bags and stared intently at Xu Mu, as if they would rush forward and force the pills into his mouth at the slightest sign of pain.
However, after a moment, Xu Mu did not frown. Instead, he calmly opened his eyes.
He looked at the meat broth before him, picked up the bowl without hesitation, and drank it down in large gulps. He even swallowed the half-cooked meat clean.
"Phew, delicious."
Xu Mu said, smiling, and stood up, dusting himself off.
"Giving up?" Ji Nian looked at Xu Mu, somewhat surprised. "I thought you were too obsessed and would suffer qi deviation. It seems I underestimated you."
Qi Lan also nodded, saying with relief, "Fortunately, you're alright. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to kill Qi Ye, and I would have lost a great helper for nothing."
"It's good that you're fine. There are still two days left, so get some good rest. We checked your ranking for you; you're already in the top ten," Xu Jing Chu added.
"Top ten?" Xu Mu raised an eyebrow. He opened his jade slip and was astonished to find that after killing Wei Dao Xuan and Wei Dao Jue, his points had reached nine million four hundred seventy-eight thousand, ranking him seventh.
"So many points, and still not at the top. This is outrageous," Xu Mu marveled. He looked up the rankings and saw that, except for the top three, the points of those ranked high were not far apart, differing by only hundreds of thousands or even thousands.
The top three ranked were: third place, Qi Ye, with eighteen million nine hundred eighty thousand points; second place, Jiang Tai Xu, with twenty-two million one hundred thirteen thousand points; and first place, Ye Gong, with thirty-seven million six hundred ten thousand points.
"So many points, I wonder how many demon beasts they had to kill," Jiang Sheng also exclaimed in amazement.
"They didn't get them by killing demons, but by stealing," Qian Qian said, shaking his head. "There are three hundred and twenty thousand participants, all accumulating points simultaneously. The combined total of points would be an unimaginable astronomical figure. Those ranked high only need to steal points from others to achieve their current standings."
Qi Lan nodded, "Precisely. The strong prey on the weak, and the stronger prey on the even stronger, filtering upwards. The top geniuses only need to defeat a few individuals, and their points will multiply by the tens of millions, just like our Alliance Leader Mu Xu."
"With so many points, it's not just for this round. Calculated for the next round, you might already be promoted without doing anything," Wan Yan Zhen Yao said with a smile.
"Are you guys flattering me? Why does it feel so awkward?" Xu Mu looked at them strangely. He felt their behavior today was somewhat peculiar.
"We were just worried about you," Qian Qian said, patting Xu Mu's shoulder.
"But thankfully, it seems you haven't experienced any emotional changes due to failing to learn formations."
Xu Mu smiled, "Who said I failed?"
Qian Qian was stunned. "Then, did you succeed?"
Xu Mu nodded, "Of course."
Qian Qian froze, and the others were also stunned. Only Qi Lan put his hand to his forehead and sighed to himself, "It's over, one of them has gone mad."
"Brothers, hold him down! I'll give Alliance Leader Mu Xu an ancestral Ten-Complete Vitality Pill. It's remarkably effective against mental blockages and cures the ailment instantly!"
As Qi Lan spoke, he produced a pill the size of a luminous pearl and lunged at Xu Mu, grabbing his chin to force it in. Qian Qian and the others, after a moment of愣, also moved to help.
"Are you trying to give me medicine or bash me to death!" Xu Mu dodged to the side, asking with a horrified expression.
"Qi deviation, and so quickly at that," Qi Lan clicked his tongue, then rolled up his sleeves and said with a solemn expression, "Brothers, it seems we'll have to put up a fight this time."
"I'll fight your sister!" Xu Mu gave him an exasperated glare, then took out his formation diagrams and array disk. He walked to the formation's core and quietly closed his eyes.
"Don't disturb me. Once I've completed this great formation, you can do whatever you want!"
Xu Mu said, and then poured all his focus into completing the formation. He held the array disk in his right hand, his left hand hovering in the air, like a free fish swimming at will, using his finger as a brush, moving with the fluidity of dragons and snakes.
He seemed to be setting up a formation.
"This..." The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do.
"Is he really setting up a formation? His appearance is somewhat like performing a ritual," Qi Lan swallowed and nervously asked Jiang Sheng beside him.
"How would I know?" Jiang Sheng shook his head. He then looked at Qian Qian, who in turn looked at Wan Yan Zhen Yao... until finally, everyone looked at Ji Nian.
He was the only one present who understood the Way of Formations.
But now, he was speechless.
Ji Nian gazed at Xu Mu, watching the agile movement of his fingers, sensing the subtle shifts in the world. It seemed something was being perfected.
"This... how is this possible?" Ji Nian struggled to raise his hand, rubbed his eyes, and then, gasping for breath, said to Xu Mu, who was in a daze, "The technique of his brushstrokes, their direction, all of it is of the highest caliber."
"And he can actually perceive the Great Dao of Space and replicate the formations within the array diagram. He has truly achieved mastery in the Way of Formations, and it only took him two days!"
"What!" Everyone's expressions changed drastically upon hearing this, and they immediately looked at Xu Mu in shock.
Their alliance leader had grasped the Way of Formations, which took others three, five, or even a lifetime to master, in a mere two days. And upon mastering it, he could already set up formations?
"How is this possible? Did you misread it?" Wan Yan Zhen Ze asked Ji Nian in disbelief. While he meant no harm, the situation was indeed too extraordinary.
In the Hundred Tribes Alliance, and indeed in the entire Primordial Realm, the faction with the strongest command of formations and the deepest foundation was the Shangguan family. The current patriarch of the Shangguan family, only thirty-four years old, was already a Grandmaster of Formations at the Fourth Realm. His future advancement to Domain Lord was inevitable, and even the Half-Step Human King Realm would not stop him.
Such a heaven-defying talent took seventeen days to achieve mastery in the Way of Formations back then, so it was no wonder he found it hard to believe.
"He's already out of his mind, can't you tell if it's real or fake?" Qian Qian looked at the dejected Ji Nian and then at Xu Mu, who was setting up the formation, shaking his head endlessly.
He thought he was used to the shock Xu Mu would bring, but he was still startled every time something happened, even when he was mentally prepared.
Qian Qian clicked his tongue. He was now curious about how many secrets Xu Mu's potential held that had yet to be unearthed. His physical body was incredibly powerful, his alchemy surpassed that of the Alchemist Valley's Domain Lord, and the bow and arrow from just now were clearly no ordinary items. Now, he even possessed extraordinary talent in the Way of Formations.
Who exactly was Xu Mu?
...