“Formation, formation—it wouldn’t work without spiritual energy. Just like talismans, the functioning of formations relies on the flow of true essence and the generation of spiritual power,” Zhang Shisan said to Mei Qing while sipping his wine. “When crafting a talisman, the practitioner must infuse their own true essence into it for magical effects to arise. However, formations, although also requiring spiritual energy, demand far more than just the energy of a single cultivator.”
As he spoke, he somehow pulled out several dried fish from somewhere, tossing one into his mouth occasionally while happily praising their taste.
Mei Qing nodded thoughtfully. Naturally, formations, although similar to talismans, were much larger in scale and far more powerful, thus requiring much greater spiritual energy.
“But there’s another important distinction to consider. True essence is refined by cultivators, while spiritual energy is the natural energy of heaven and earth. Although both originate from the same source, their purity differs vastly. Therefore, simply copying the methods used in talismans won’t work. The most crucial difference lies in the ‘formation eye.’
“A formation without an eye is lifeless; no eye means no formation. While all types of formations differ in what they use as the eye, the formation eye serves not only to control the entire formation and coordinate its components, but more importantly, to transform spiritual energy and sustain the formation’s operation.
“The most common method is using magical artifacts as the formation eye. Legend has it that the Zhuxian Formation used the four Zhuxian swords as its eyes, making it an unparalleled killing formation, the deadliest in the world. Some formations use natural nodes of spiritual energy as their eyes, or even the light of sun, moon, and stars. Others might even use living souls, evil spirits, or supernatural beings as the eye—there are countless variations.”
This was the first time Mei Qing had heard of the concept of a formation eye, and he found it fascinating. Seeing Zhang Shisan pause, he asked curiously, “So the formation eye is essentially the foundation of the entire formation—serving as its base, its control, and its energy source. Is that right?”
“You’re teachable indeed!” Zhang Shisan laughed. “That’s not a bad way to put it—foundation, control, and energy supply. But an eye alone isn’t enough to establish a formation. You must also set up ‘formation nodes’ to support the eye, creating more complex and wondrous effects. Formation nodes vary depending on the formation’s shape. Common types include the dual forces of Yin and Yang, the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams, the Five Elements, the Seven Stars, and the Nine Palaces.”
These concepts weren’t limited to formations alone; they were fundamental to Daoist cultivation, rituals, talismans, and more. The Supreme Ultimate gives rise to the dual forces, which in turn generate the Four Symbols. In terms of formations, the Eight Trigrams correspond to the Eight Gates: Shock, Rest, Injury, Death, Isolation, Prospect, Life, and Opening.
The Five Elements and Seven Stars were also commonly used. The Nine Palaces formation followed a specific pattern: numbers two and four on the shoulders, six and eight as the feet, three and seven on the left and right, nine on top, one at the bottom, and five in the center. Other concepts like the Three Mysteries, Six Instruments, and the Twelve Earthly Branches were also essential for a formation practitioner to understand.
“While the basics of formation techniques are simple, in actual practice, they can become infinitely complex. Especially in the case of cultivation formations, which differ from mundane military formations. They can’t be formed merely with the Eight Gates or the Five Elements. They must be combined, enhanced with magical techniques, to be effective,” Zhang Shisan said while munching on dried fish.
In the mortal world, formations were used in military tactics, relying on soldiers to form them. Therefore, overly complex formations were impractical—just managing a single column was considered a success. However, Daoist magical formations, if based solely on the Five Elements or Eight Trigrams, would be too simplistic and rigid. While easy to set up, they would also be easy for opponents to break.
“That’s why cultivation formations must combine basic formation patterns to create new variations. The most common is the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation. You must have seen it in the harbor. But that formation is somewhat gimmicky—it doesn’t really qualify as a true magical formation,” Zhang Shisan said with a hint of disdain.
True Daoist magical formations generally didn’t rely on cultivators to form them, otherwise they wouldn’t be called “magical” formations. Most sects followed this convention, even when using people in formations. Such formations were usually called “killing formations” or “sword formations.” In truth, few cultivators practiced such formations, since most preferred to focus on their own cultivation rather than spend time training in group tactics, which were rarely useful in actual combat.
The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation they had seen earlier was formed by people, suggesting that those individuals had specifically trained in that formation. It might work against inexperienced cultivators, but against a master like Zhang Shisan, it was practically useless—less effective than a true magical formation.
Mei Qing, however, felt a spark of inspiration. The reason few cultivators used human formations was that cultivators generally worked alone. Even within the same sect, cultivators rarely stayed together constantly. If one invested too much time in such formations, their effectiveness would be nullified if their companions weren’t present when needed.
But Mei Qing was different. Since he had formed a dual cultivation bond with Bi Zhen, they would be together for life. Investing time in researching combined battle formations might actually be a good idea.
Just as Mei Qing was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a sharp “thud” on the back of his head. He turned quickly and saw, as expected, his unscrupulous master Zhang Shisan, who had whacked him with his wine gourd and was now grumbling, “You little fool, what are you daydreaming about now? You’re not even paying attention to my lesson?”
“Ouch! Come on, Master, I was just thinking about what you said,” Mei Qing chuckled. “Since you mentioned earlier that formation nodes vary according to the formation’s shape, I suppose the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation must have eighty-one nodes?”
“Hmph, don’t try to fool your master. I know exactly what you’re thinking. But this time, you’re actually right—the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation does have seventy-two nodes. If you can calculate all seventy-two nodes clearly and precisely, then the formation becomes like a bunch of weaklings—you can walk through it as if strolling in a garden,” Zhang Shisan said with a smirk, giving Mei Qing another tap.
“Oh, I see. That doesn’t seem too hard,” Mei Qing nodded. Seventy-two nodes sounded like a lot, but for someone skilled in formations, calculating them wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Not too hard? Heh heh, don’t get ahead of yourself. If it’s not hard for you, it’s not hard for the person setting the formation either. So, in reality, most Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formations also incorporate the Five Elements, the Ten Heavenly Stems, or the Twelve Earthly Branches. If it’s the Five Elements, you have to multiply by five; if it’s the Ten Heavenly Stems, you multiply by ten. And people often disguise the real structure—what looks like a Five Elements Formation might actually be based on the Ten Heavenly Stems. Take one wrong step, and you’ll be crying later.”
“Ahh…” Mei Qing finally realized the matter wasn’t as simple as he thought. It was like solving a math problem—knowing the formula wasn’t enough. Even if you memorized all the formulas, solving a complex problem still required skill and adaptability.
Seeing Mei Qing’s puzzled expression, Zhang Shisan mercilessly added, “The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation is actually one of the easier ones. Although it’s complex, it’s still predictable. If you take your time and calculate carefully, you can eventually figure it out. But if you encounter a formation based on the dual forces and Four Symbols, that’s when it gets really difficult.”
Mei Qing was confused. “How so? The dual forces and Four Symbols only produce eight variations—eight isn’t that hard to calculate, is it?”
Before he could finish, another “thud” landed on the back of his head. Mei Qing protested, “Master, why do you always hit me on the back of the head? What if I get brain damage tomorrow?”
“You won’t make it to tomorrow!” Zhang Shisan sneered. “If formations based on the dual forces and Four Symbols were that simple, who would need to study formations at all? The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation is easy to calculate because it’s a combination of two systems. But the dual forces and Four Symbols are about mutual transformation and subtle changes. Their intricacies are far beyond what the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams can offer. Although they seem to have fewer nodes, they’re actually far more dangerous.”
Mei Qing was startled. He realized he had been misled by the math. The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation, although seemingly complex with many nodes, was actually more predictable. The dual forces and Four Symbols, on the other hand, represented the interplay of Yin and Yang, the old and young aspects of Yin and Yang. If used in a formation, the transformations between them were so subtle and fluid that only a master cultivator with deep formation knowledge could possibly decipher them. Such formations were truly formidable.
“So,” Zhang Shisan continued, “these kinds of formations may appear ordinary, but they’re like a gazelle hanging its horn—leaving no trace. They’re the hardest to calculate. If one day you can figure out the dual forces and Four Symbols Formation, then no formation in the world will be beyond your understanding. The Liangyi Zhengyi Formation outside the Longhu Sect’s gate is actually a dual forces and Four Symbols Formation. The ‘Zhengyi’ part is just a name. As for actually entering the formation and mastering it—well, I doubt anyone in the world has ever done that.”
After taking another sip of wine, he added, “So yes, the simpler the formation seems, the harder it is to calculate. If a formation incorporates time cycles, then there are only twelve hours in a day. But if a dual forces formation isn’t bound by time, then its energy flows naturally with the Yin and Yang cycles, changing constantly. That makes it extremely difficult to predict.”
Zhang Shisan nodded. “Exactly. The simpler it is, the harder it becomes. The dual forces formation isn’t even the hardest. The most elusive is the Hunyuan Formation, where Yin and Yang are not yet differentiated, and the One has not yet split into Two. How can you even set up such a formation? That’s why the Hunyuan Formation exists only in legends. In the cultivation world, not only has no one ever created one, but no one has even seen one.”
Mei Qing nodded repeatedly and asked, “Then how did the ancient cultivators create such formations? If it starts from the Wuji, where do you even begin?”
Zhang Shisan shook his head. “Who knows? According to legend, the formation was created by Laozi, the Supreme Elder, using the Taiji Diagram, a primordial treasure, as the formation eye. That’s why it’s called the Hunyuan Taiji Formation. For people like us, even thinking about how to create it is beyond our reach, let alone learning it.”
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