Chapter 255: Fang Hao's Initiation, The Grand Scheme of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 255: Fang Hao's Initiation, The Grand Scheme of Heaven and Earth

Xu Yan glanced at his junior disciples and a smile tugged at his lips. "Nothing out of the ordinary," he said.

After all, he was the one who had set up the sword array. How could there be anything amiss?

Meng Chong scratched his bald head, looking a bit glum. He carefully sensed his surroundings and indeed, he felt a sense of danger looming.

"Am I really just imagining things?" he wondered.

Even the senior master said there was nothing unusual. Meng Chong couldn't help but feel that it must be his illusion.

Li Xuan's mouth twitched as he noticed Xu Yan had shrunk the Mountain and River Sword Array to only surround Meng Chong.

Meng Chong's confusion deepened. Why did he feel like the danger was intensifying?

It was as if he was surrounded by peril, and the environment around him had become extremely treacherous, as if at any moment, he would be assaulted by countless attacks!

"Junior brother, are you experiencing anything unusual?" Xu Yan asked.

Meng Chong rubbed his head in dismay. "I do feel a sense of danger, but it doesn't make sense. Master is right here, and even if a Refining God Celestial is watching, it shouldn't pose any danger."

Xu Yan nodded thoughtfully. Meng Chong was no ordinary warrior, and despite the subtlety of the sword array, he had sensed it.

However, because his master was present, he didn't feel the need to be vigilant.

In an instant, the sword array disappeared, having enveloped Su Lingxiu as well.

"Junior sister, have you noticed anything?" Xu Yan inquired.

He was seeking ways to make the sword array even more stealthy and silent.

Su Lingxiu furrowed her delicate brows. "I don't know why, but I feel like the grass and trees around us have become sharper, more dangerous somehow."

"Is that so?" Xu Yan nodded. With a thought, he infused his sword intent into the soil, even merging it with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"Hmm, that feeling is gone now. It's just... I still feel like something is a little off," Su Lingxiu said, knitting her brows in puzzlement.

Meng Chong glanced at the senior master, his mouth twitching. He had figured out that his senior master was up to something!

"Senior brother, have you realized something?" Meng Chong asked curiously.

"Sword array!" Xu Yan exhaled and, with a thought, the sword array materialized once more.

They beheld countless sword shapes, and it seemed as if the grass, trees, and even the soil could transform into sharp blades at any moment. Moreover, each sword followed a unique pattern, operating in a profound and mysterious manner.

Meng Chong's scalp tingled. So this was a sword array?

Back at the Dai family, Xu Yan had demonstrated the might of his Heart Sword Realm, where all things in heaven and earth became swords.

However, what they were witnessing now was far more intricate. The sword array operated in a profound way, enhancing the attacks and making the killing force even more formidable.

"With this sword array, if I were to fight Dai Sheng again, I am confident I could kill him!" Xu Yan declared as he retracted the sword array.

He now possessed the strength to slay a Refining God Celestial in the early stages!

"I feel like I'm about to break through. I'll find a place to cultivate," Xu Yan said after bidding farewell to his master. He was now very close to achieving Minor Success in the Divine Will Realm.

"I'm off to cultivate too!" Meng Chong exhaled. Now that his senior brother could slay a Refining God Celestial in the early stages, he needed to step up his own game and work harder.

Fortunately, he had just comprehended an auxiliary cultivation technique that he could try out.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong each found their own spots to cultivate.

Su Lingxiu, however, remained by Li Xuan's side. As she poured tea for her master, she asked, "Master, how long will it take for junior brother to cultivate and enter the door of the Grand Scheme of Heaven and Earth?"

Li Xuan glanced at Fang Hao in the valley and replied, "When the grand momentum of heaven and earth weakens, it will be his time to enter."

Su Lingxiu looked at the strange formation that Fang Hao had set up. In between the mountains, the grand momentum of heaven and earth continued to gather and slowly increase. It was far from reaching a point of decline.

"Master, what realm will junior brother be in after he enters?" Su Lingxiu asked curiously.

Li Xuan pondered for a moment. Fang Hao had originally been a Grand Master warrior. By leveraging the momentum of heaven and earth to reforge his martial arts foundation, he had become a Mysterious Arts warrior. His starting point wasn't low.

"The Profound Enlightenment Realm," Li Xuan answered.

Fang Hao would enter the Profound Enlightenment Realm as soon as he stepped into the Grand Scheme of Heaven and Earth! Typically, a Mysterious Arts warrior who entered this realm was considered a Natural Talent.

Fang Hao had been a Grand Master warrior before, so his starting point would be higher.

"Normally, a Mysterious Arts warrior needs to temper their body, strengthen their bones, and learn formations and grand schemes of heaven and earth before they can enter," Li Xuan explained. "Only after mastering these basics do they fulfill the requirements for entry.

"Although entering the realm is considered a Natural Talent, the cultivation speed before entering is not faster than that of orthodox martial arts, physical martial arts, or medicinal martial arts.

"If one's talent is insufficient, it might even be slower than cultivating other martial arts."

Li Xuan quietly assessed the situation.

"Once Fang Hao enters and receives feedback from the Mysterious Arts martial arts, we will know the true cultivation path of the Mysterious Arts martial arts," he thought with anticipation.

Half a month later, the momentum of heaven and earth began to weaken, and the treasure artifacts that Fang Hao had refined and used to set up the grand formation of heaven and earth began to show cracks. They were reaching their limit.

"He must be close to entering," Li Xuan mused silently as he watched.

A few more days passed.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on Li Xuan's face. Fang Hao, in the valley, seemed to have undergone a subtle transformation.

Above his spiritual platform, the Golden Book of the Great Dao opened.

"Your disciple, Fang Hao, has cultivated the Mysterious Arts martial arts that you created. Your Mysterious Arts martial arts has reached the level of Great Perfection, and your strength is a hundred times that of someone at the same level," the Golden Book of the Great Dao revealed.

Li Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly as the methods of the Mysterious Arts martial arts emerged in his mind.

But the feedback from the Golden Book of the Great Dao didn't stop there.

"You have founded the fourth type of martial arts, and your Mysterious Arts martial arts has advanced to the Divine Will Realm."

The Mysterious Arts martial arts had reached the Divine Will Realm! Now, among the four types of martial arts, the orthodox martial arts was at the Divine Source Realm, while the physical, medicinal, and mysterious arts were all at the Divine Will Realm.

"Your disciple, Fang Hao, has cultivated the Mysterious Arts martial arts that you created. He has successfully refined a Heavenly Mystery Pattern, and you have obtained a Natural Mystery Pattern," the Golden Book of the Great Dao continued.

In that instant, a profound and mysterious pattern appeared within Li Xuan's body, floating within his skeletal structure.

"This!" Li Xuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected Fang Hao to use this as his entry into the Mysterious Arts martial arts and successfully cultivate it.

"Using his body as the root, the momentum of heaven and earth as the seed, and the grand formation of heaven and earth's mysterious door as the bridge... Fang Hao has truly entered through this method.

"I should have realized that a Mysterious Arts warrior who wants to control formations, manipulate the grand momentum of heaven and earth, and control the grand formation of heaven and earth's mysterious door must use himself as the core.

"And the only way to achieve that is by refining the Heavenly Mystery Pattern," Li Xuan marveled. The Mysterious Arts martial arts had indeed taken an unconventional path, and the cultivation methods were unique.

The first Heavenly Mystery Pattern was just a foundation. The subsequent cultivation would build upon this foundation, refining the second and third Heavenly Mystery Patterns within the body.

However, each Heavenly Mystery Pattern had to be cultivated to perfection before moving on to the next one.

Using the Heavenly Mystery Patterns to circulate true qi, true yuan, divine will, and divine source... This formed the foundation of the Mysterious Arts martial arts, distinct from orthodox martial arts, physical martial arts, and medicinal martial arts.

It was truly an unconventional and extraordinary path.

"Your disciple, Fang Hao, has enlightened the art of artifact refining, and your basic artifact refining skills are perfect," the Golden Book of the Great Dao continued.

"Your disciple, Fang Hao, has enlightened the art of formations, and your basic formation skills are perfect."

The Great Dao Golden Book continued to provide feedback.

One by one, it revealed the branches of the Mysterious Arts martial arts: formations, artifact refining, restrictions, and mysterious schemes.

Although it was only at the basic perfection level, Li Xuan was already very satisfied.

All he needed to do was pass on this foundation to Fang Hao, just as he had done with Su Lingxiu, shortening the time it would take for Fang Hao to gain a higher level of insight and receive more advanced feedback.

"Although it's just the basics, it's very powerful!"

Li Xuan took a deep breath and stepped forward. Suddenly, a mysterious scheme appeared, and in that moment, it seemed as if he had stirred the grand momentum of heaven and earth.

While the Heavenly Mystery Formation resembled formations in certain aspects, it was vastly different and unique to the Mysterious Arts martial arts.

It focused on harnessing the grand momentum of heaven and earth, using the terrain to set up schemes that could be deployed in an instant, trapping one's enemies.

It was one of the offensive techniques of the Mysterious Arts martial arts.

On the other hand, formations required external objects for their deployment.

Of course, when formations were combined with mysterious schemes, they became incredibly profound and their killing power was enhanced.

"I've mastered all thirty-six of the formations I created, even the nine grand formations. However, they are all still at the basic level and have not yet reached their full potential.

"For example, the teleportation formation, with my current proficiency in formations, can only teleport over a distance of a few dozen li, which is too short and not very useful.

"On the other hand, these smaller formations are more practical."

Li Xuan pondered as he glanced at Fang Hao in the valley, who was consolidating his cultivation.

A day later, Fang Hao excitedly emerged from the valley.

"Master, I've successfully entered the door of the Mysterious Arts!"

The power of the Mysterious Arts martial arts was truly astonishing! Fang Hao was so excited that he couldn't close his mouth.

As he walked, a strange momentum seemed to spread from the ground beneath his feet, and in an instant, a mysterious scheme formed around him.

Once trapped within this scheme, one's body would be controlled!

Su Lingxiu raised her delicate eyebrows. As a Divine Will Realm warrior, the mysterious scheme that Fang Hao had unleashed had no effect on her, but she was still surprised by it.

"So this is a Heavenly Mystery Formation?" she wondered.

Her aura surged, and with a stomp of her foot, a burst of true yuan energy exploded, striking the weak point of the Heavenly Mystery Formation.

Bang!

The spreading formation was instantly broken, and Fang Hao stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

Su Lingxiu giggled and said, "Junior brother, you're still too weak. If you want to defeat me with a lower cultivation level, don't even think about it. You might be able to handle other warriors in the Divine Soul Realm, but you're far from being able to take on your senior sister!"

Fang Hao scratched his head embarrassedly and said, "I thought Senior Sister wouldn't notice."

"Alright, let's go back."

Li Xuan laughed, and Chi Cat turned around and left.

As he turned, Su Lingxiu and Fang Hao suddenly felt their surroundings shift, and their bodies seemed to lose control, stumbling and turning in unexpected ways.

"Is this the Heavenly Mystery Formation?"

Su Lingxiu was secretly astonished.

She suddenly felt a bit glum. If her junior brother were at the same realm as her, it seemed that her strength would be inferior to his!

Li Xuan retracted the Heavenly Mystery Formation and smiled. With his innate mysterious pattern, he could instantly create a mysterious scheme, harnessing the momentum of heaven and earth and trapping his enemies within.

"The Heavenly Mystery Formation is truly extraordinary!"

However, Li Xuan also understood that the Mysterious Arts martial arts might not necessarily give him an advantage over warriors like Xu Yan and Meng Chong.

Xu Yan's sword techniques were so fierce that he might be able to tear through the Heavenly Mystery Formation and break any formation with his unstoppable sword path.

As for Meng Chong, his physical martial arts allowed him to transform into a giant, and his strength was also formidable.

Nevertheless, Fang Hao's Mysterious Arts martial arts still had their unique strengths. Warriors in the Divine Soul Realm who encountered Fang Hao were almost always crushed.

Of course, how powerful the Mysterious Arts martial arts could become and how Fang Hao would cultivate it further depended entirely on Fang Hao himself.

Now that he had entered the door of the Mysterious Arts, the next step was to think about how to utilize the Mysterious Arts to enhance his strength, such as through formations, artifact refining, and restrictions.

Li Xuan believed that it wouldn't be long before Fang Hao's proficiency in formations and his unique artifact refining techniques would astonish the entire Divine Soul Realm.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong had both left to cultivate.

Although they were being pursued by the Yu Shen Sect and the Su family, Li Xuan wasn't worried about their safety.

Xu Yan was cultivating his sword formation and preparing to break through to the Minor Success stage of the Divine Will Realm.

Meng Chong, on the other hand, had probably found a treasure ground to cultivate the Heaven-Refining Hundred Refinements Technique and assist in his cultivation of the Unbreakable Golden Body. Li Xuan could sense that the Unbreakable Golden Body was slowly improving along with Meng Chong's progress.

Back at the manor, Li Xuan sat down in a chair.

"Now that you've entered the door of the Mysterious Arts, memorize these thirty-six formations and use them as a foundation to diligently research the path of formations."

Li Xuan drew out the diagrams of the thirty-six formations.

"Yes, Master!"

Fang Hao replied respectfully.

After entering the Mysterious Arts, it became easier to memorize formation diagrams, and Fang Hao no longer struggled with this task.

After looking through the diagrams a few times, he had committed all thirty-six formation diagrams to memory, without a single mistake.

"These are the Thirty-Six Heavenly Mystery Formations. Use them as a foundation and explore them further. I hope that you can forge your own path in the Mysterious Arts, rather than simply following in the footsteps of others and becoming constrained by their methods."

Li Xuan said solemnly.

He then passed on the Thirty-Six Heavenly Mystery Formations to Fang Hao.

How long it would take Fang Hao to fully master these formations and use them as a foundation to deduce even more Heavenly Mystery Formations was beyond Li Xuan's control. It all depended on Fang Hao himself.

"Yes, Master!"

Fang Hao was thrilled.

He was determined to forge his own path in the Mysterious Arts, rather than merely following in the footsteps of others.

"Go ahead and set up formations in this manor as practice. It will also help you become more proficient in artifact refining."

Li Xuan instructed.

"I will definitely not disappoint you, Master!"

Fang Hao said solemnly.

Li Xuan nodded. "Although you are only at the Profound Mystery Realm, the strength of a Mysterious Arts warrior lies in the Heavenly Mystery Formations, as well as formations and restrictions in general.

"A powerful Mysterious Arts warrior can set up schemes and formations in advance and is bound to be able to defeat enemies beyond their realm.

"Go ahead and set up a formation that can restrain a Refining God Celestial."

A Refining God Celestial was strong, but when faced with an unfamiliar formation, they would inevitably be cautious and restrained.

Although it might be difficult for Fang Hao to set up a formation that could kill a Refining God Celestial with his current strength, he should be able to restrain one for a period of time. Even a powerful Refining God Celestial would be cautious and refrain from attacking recklessly when suddenly trapped in a formation.

Moreover, the insight of soul power was not as strong as that of divine will.

"Yes, Master! I will definitely set up a formation that can restrain a Refining God Celestial!"

Fang Hao was excited.

He, too, wanted to challenge and defeat a Refining God Celestial like his senior brothers had done.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end