Research

During a break, the Elder found Chen Xing'an and couldn't help but sigh, "This thing of yours is quite extraordinary."

"Is it?" Chen Xing'an could only agree. He knew it wasn’t simple, but he wasn’t entirely sure just how extraordinary it was.

"If I can figure it out, it could play a huge role in battle."

One of humanity’s greatest advantages in fighting against the demon beast hordes was their ability to utilize various tools.

This particular spirit stone in front of them clearly had its spiritual energy artificially infused.

If they could mass-produce these, storing vast amounts of spiritual energy within the stones and then deploying them in battle—the thought alone was exhilarating.

This could significantly extend combat endurance.

While the cultivation world had similar treasures, their materials were expensive and their crafting process was complex.

This spirit stone, however, seemed far more efficient.

The Elder continued questioning Chen Xing'an, "This spirit stone looks quite new. Which senior crafted it?"

The formations inside the stone were intricate, but the Elder wasn’t completely useless—he could tell it had been made recently.

Knowing he couldn’t hide it, Chen Xing'an admitted, "A senior we met on the road gave it to us."

Now that they were safely aboard, revealing a little shouldn’t be a problem.

Li Yu added, "He mentioned he might visit us if he heads north."

A small precaution.

The Elder didn’t mind at all. "In that case, lend this to me for research. I’ll compensate you with treasures."

Chen Xing'an had no choice but to agree. Thankfully, Li Yu didn’t spill anything further.

The Elder, utterly fascinated, delved deeper into his studies.

The journey of the Misty Cloud Sect’s group proceeded smoothly.

No one dared cause trouble—most of the demonic factions had already been dealt with, leaving only occasional encounters with demon beasts.

But the group’s strength was more than enough to handle them unscathed.

Chen Xing'an and Li Yu also realized how naive they had been before—these demon beasts alone could have killed them several times over.

Luckily, they had met a benefactor.

The Elder’s research, however, wasn’t going well.

He prided himself on his knowledge of formations, yet he couldn’t decipher this one at all.

Still, he made some progress.

He could now replicate the spirit stone, but it only harnessed Qi Refining-level power.

Moreover, the production cost was too high, and the results were underwhelming.

It was practically useless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find a way to infuse more spiritual energy.

By the time they reached the north, he still hadn’t cracked it.

Then, shamelessly, the Elder offered to buy the stone outright.

Chen Xing'an figured it wasn’t a bad deal, and refusing would be awkward, so he sold it.

Before parting, the Elder added, "Chen Xing'an, if you ever meet that senior again, do contact me."

He handed Chen Xing'an a communication treasure.

Normally, the Elder would have given up, but with the impending war against the demon beast hordes, he couldn’t let such a useful treasure slip away.

If successful, they could mass-produce these stones, infusing them with spiritual energy before the battle, boosting the combat strength of countless cultivators.

Chen Xing'an could only nod.

Still unsatisfied, the Elder gathered all the formation experts in the north for a discussion.

One by one, the masters of formations examined the stone.

"Where did you get this? It’s fascinating!"

"If we can replicate it, it’ll be a game-changer for the upcoming war."

"Tsk, the intricacy of this… I can’t make sense of it at all."

More and more experts joined in, but like the Misty Cloud Sect’s Elder, they could only scratch the surface.

At best, they managed to store Foundation Establishment-level energy—barely.

The crafting process took too long, and the failure rate was as high as eighty percent. Completely impractical.

They’d be better off forging other treasures with that time and effort.

If only someone could explain the underlying principles.

The formation masters sighed in frustration.

But no such person existed.

......

"They’re really gone."

Su Luo extended his senses once more, but Chen Xing'an’s aura was nowhere to be found.

Seems they had truly left.

With that, he abandoned his plan of amusing himself with the newcomers.

Little Yu said, "I could pretend to be a newcomer if you want, Su Luo. You could have fun watching me."

"What kind of weird hobby do you think I have?" Su Luo rapped Little Yu’s head lightly.

Little Yu pretending to be a novice?

That would be laughable—with her strength, what trouble could she possibly face?

Jiang Ningshu pointed at herself, signaling she could also play the role of a clueless newcomer for his entertainment.

"Enough already. Do I really seem like someone who enjoys watching others struggle?"

"You absolutely do."

Though Jiang Ningshu privately thought Su Luo was mostly just lazy.

"Let’s go. If we’re any slower, we’ll miss the war."

Jiang Ningshu asked, "If we join, will there even be a fight left?"

"Don’t underestimate the demon beast hordes. They’ll at least hold out for a while."

"So you’re saying they still don’t stand a chance?"

"What did you expect?"

Humanity was plenty strong.

The cost might be high, but victory was guaranteed.

And so, Su Luo and his companions leisurely continued their journey north.

......

Seven days later.

Most of the southern cultivators preparing for the war had arrived in the north, where the Emperor Heaven Sect had arranged accommodations for them.

The tension was palpable—the battle could erupt at any moment.

But the exact timing depended on when the demon beast hordes launched their assault.

Judging by their movements, it wouldn’t be long now.

Lin Xuan also arrived in the north. His recent elimination of the Right Envoy had further elevated his reputation.

The demonic factions were notoriously slippery and hard to pin down, yet Lin Xuan had managed to kill one—truly impressive.

Soon, he was summoned to examine Su Luo’s peculiar spirit stone.

Lin Xuan was a man of many talents—spells, swordsmanship, artifact forging, alchemy—and formations were no exception. His skill in this field was considerable.

The moment Lin Xuan held the spirit stone, he was instantly captivated.

Such an intricate formation!

Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

He began his analysis, but soon, something felt off.

The spiritual energy inside… it felt familiar.

After a closer inspection, he confirmed it: "Isn’t this Su Luo’s?"

The others were stunned. "Su Luo?! The demonic cultivator?"

"You didn’t hear? Su Luo was a spy for the Seven Stars Sword Sect, planted in the Heavenly Demon Sect."

"No way. Tell me more."

"He knows formations too?" someone else asked, more interested in that.

"Knows them? He’s a master," Lin Xuan said, having witnessed Su Luo’s expertise firsthand on multiple occasions.

Top-tier, without a doubt.

Really?

The others were skeptical.

While Su Luo had gained some notoriety during his time with the demonic factions, most saw him as far less formidable than the previous demon lords.