After walking for a dozen meters in front, I realized that I did not know where to go. I turned to Rongxia who had been diligently following me and asked her: “Is there a place where people knowledgeable on Formations are?”
She seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding slightly: “There should be some cultivators with some knowledge on formations however they probably don't have that much knowledge about it, Senior”
Not much...
It might still be more than me.
“Being elegant as a teacher but humble as a student” – Lark, thought of today.
There is always more to learn and everyone and everything can be a teacher. If they had little knowledge, they still had knowledge and it meant there would be something to learn.
Maybe.
It was then worth going to check it out.
I told her to take me there.
My goal was to understand the essence of Qi formations and how they might be integrated with runes. In this world, formations are pivotal in manipulating Qi, and they offer a unique approach to energy control. By studying these formations, I sought to bridge the gap between my rune-based magic and the local Qi techniques.
Formations involve complex patterns that channel and direct Qi, akin to how runes structure mana. Learning about these formations would allow me to adapt and possibly blend the methodologies of both worlds. The integration of runes with formations could unlock new magical possibilities, enhancing my ability to wield higher energy amounts harmoniously. Thus, finding and learning from formation users was crucial to achieving a deeper understanding and mastering the synthesis of these two powerful systems.
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In the small city of Yanbei, Rongxia took me to a modest local establishment known as the Yunxiao Pavilion. It was a humble building, not a grand library or academy, but rather a small, specialized shop run by an elderly formation practitioner.
The Yunxiao Pavilion was filled with scrolls, simple diagrams, and practical tools related to basic formations.
I walked straight towards the elder and shop owner.
The elder man was named Master Liang. He was a gentle and learned practitioner, though his skills were indeed modest, as I felt that he was weaker than Rongxia.
He was an older gentleman with a long, white beard and a kind demeanor, who had spent decades studying formations and Qi, despite his limited personal strength from his words.
I asked him: “How strong are you?” and he answered me: “This humble one had the luck to reach the second Qi level, esteemed Sir”
I nodded even though I had no idea what the second Qi level actually meant.
But since I was here to learn, I simply asked him: “Could you tell me what that is about?”
He seemed puzzled as he looked towards Rongxia who sighed and shook her head sideways as if having given up.
- * -
“What a handsome young couple!” were my first thoughts as I saw a pair of cultivators enter my humble shop.
The male cultivator had short silver hair and a very impressive demeanor, standing tall and straight, exuding confidence. He wore a silver and blue martial robe complimenting his visage. I could distinguish some tattoos on his arm too and, while usually considered disdainfully, on him, it looked simply pleasing.
He had a beautiful sword strapped to his waist too, most likely a treasured sword.
As for the female cultivator, she was beautiful too. Long black hair tied in a ponytail and a face both mature and immature at the same time, hinting at the sexiness of youth itself. She had that little scar near one eyes but it only seemed to add to her charm.
She wore a beautiful red and gold martial robe and had two swords at her waist.
Compared to the male cultivator, she was exuding the aura of the third Qi level, not hiding her own ability at all.
To be at the third level in her twenties, how impressive!
They walked straight towards me and I greeted them as I usually greet any customers: “Welcome, esteemed guests, to this humble shop of mine, I am called Liang”
He greeted me back: “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Liang. My name is Lark”
Calling me master~ huff huff~
Maybe I should give him a little percentage off the products~
What a good young lad!
However, he did not introduce his girlfriend before he spoke once more: “How strong are you?”
I was a bit taken aback as it is quite rare for someone to be so direct. Especially, since I was not hiding my Qi, he could have simply deduced it from my aura.
Still, I answered him politely as customers are kings: “This humble one had the luck to reach the second Qi level, esteemed Sir”
I saw him nod. Was he trying to gauge my honesty or test something else?
Before I could think further about this, he asked me: “Could you tell me what that is about?”
What was what about?
Did he mean my qi level?
I turned to his young girlfriend who sighed and asked as if she had given up.