Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 389: Unique, Great Ingenuity

Qiaojiao City, the third floor of Weiyun Teahouse.

Shi Qiyuan put down the teacup, looked at Yan Hanlin who had a slightly blushing face, and asked with a smile: "Senior Cao, are you going to ask Brother Xu to break the lightning formation in your Wuliu Mountain? It is said that it is a seventh-level residual formation."

After less than a year of interacting with Xu Yuanchang, he had his own way of judging people and felt that this person was worth making friends with.

His speech, knowledge, breadth of mind and bearing are all extraordinary.

Unfortunately, the Hufeng Mountain where he was located only recruited Confucianists and calligraphers due to sectarianism. It was inconvenient for him to recommend him to his uncle master in the sect to be accepted as a guest elder.

Yan Hanlin laughed twice and said, "That's what Uncle Cao said. Oh, what trouble."

There are only two seventh-floor uncles in Wuliu Mountain where he is. One of them, Uncle Ling, has been traveling across the border for more than three hundred years and there has been no news of him. I wonder if he is trapped in a dangerous place or is unwilling to return?

Fortunately, the soul lamp left in the sect is still burning.

Wuliu Mountain has been able to maintain its leading position among the second-rate sects in the Qiaojiao Mountain area, making other sects and forces dare not underestimate it, all because of the prestige that Uncle Ling created with his sword.

Xu Yuanchang naturally understood the hidden intention of the head monk of Wuliu Mountain, who wanted him to retreat when faced with difficulties. He mingled in the streets and alleys of Qiaojiao City, bought some information with money, and got to know some of the major sects in Qiaojiao Mountain.

In fact, he was more inclined to join the Wuji Temple. As they were both from the same Taoist sect, it would be more beneficial to him in the future.

However, according to He Qizhi, the sect did not recruit guest elders, so his letter was rejected.

He took out two booklets from his sleeve and placed them in front of Yan Hanlin.

"Brother Yan has always wanted to know the deduction algorithm I used to break the formation. We have known each other for a while and we have quite a lot in common. I will lend you these two mathematical classics to copy. Please return the originals to me in ten days. It's not that I can't bear to part with the two books, but it's actually because seeing these books reminds me of an old friend, so it's inconvenient to give them away."

Yan Hanlin picked up the printed booklet with both hands and saw that the paper had turned yellow. There were four jade characters on the cover: Qingping Suanjing. The author was actually written as "Anonymous".

On the title page there are the words "Please correct me, Mr. Anonymous, Xue Chunni, Meng Caiqin, Zhao Jun".

He was a little confused. Could there really be an expert called "Anonymous"?
After flipping through a few pages, I found that the calculation method recorded inside was unheard of. In the spaces on both sides, there were many notes and learning experiences marked with very small ink characters, which were densely packed and there were also many smears of ink. It seemed that the handwriting was not left by one person.

After carefully reading half a page of notes, I suddenly understood the parts of the main text that I didn't understand.

This is definitely a rare book of mathematics and is priceless to him.

After putting the two books away carefully, Yan Hanlin didn't say any more polite words. He drank the tea on the table, stood up, said goodbye and left in a hurry. He had to do something for Brother Xu.

Of course he could hear that Brother Xu intended to leave Qiaojiao City and continue his journey.

Shi Qiyuan secretly admired him. Brother Xu was magnanimous and scheming. He gave away two mathematical secrets to retreat in order to advance. Lao Yan would definitely make a great effort to receive such a big favor.

Even if it fails, you still have to pay an equal price in return.

This is an open and aboveboard strategy. If you want to get something, you must give it first, so as not to make others feel disgusted.

"Brother Xu, I wonder if you can accept a second-rate sect. I can introduce you to one."

What he was talking about was a small emerging force that had only six-story monks to support it.

Or it could be a third-rate declining sect that is in a precarious situation and needs monks from the sixth floor to keep it afloat.

There is a rule in Liuyun Continent that if a sect loses a sixth-floor monk for a hundred years, its sect status will be revoked, the blessed land on the mountain will be redistributed, and the monks of the disbanded sect can join other sects. The lower-level monks and some fourth- and fifth-floor monks will be reduced to independent cultivators.

Xu Yuanchang would not refuse the other party's kindness, and smiled and clasped his fists: "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Shi, please wait a little longer."

He presented the mathematical scripture to Shi Qiyuan in person to show him. When monks interact with each other, feelings and sympathy are one thing, but the exchange of interests also plays a big role.

If there is no benefit in doing something, why should we let others work hard?

He was not willing to join a declining sect and become its pillar. Everything happens for a reason. Such a big piece of fat meat had long been coveted by big forces. If he stuck his head in, he would have no roots or foundation, so it would be impossible for him to stand firm.

If it is a newly emerging force, even if it has other shortcomings, it can be considered.

When they finished their tea and came out, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

They bowed and said goodbye, then went back.

Xu Yuanchang was admiring the foggy scenery caused by the rain and the people coming and going on the street. He walked less than a hundred feet when he noticed someone vaguely spying on him. It was the black-clothed man from the demon clan named Zhai Yan. He was hiding in the upper floor of some shop. When he used his spiritual sense to look for him, he had disappeared without a trace.

It was impossible for him to use his spiritual sense to search recklessly, as each shop represented a force.

The Weiyun Teahouse where they drink tea belongs to the Hufengshan industry.

Zhai Yan is the elder of Tiandong Peak south of Qiaojiao Mountain, a sixth-stage late-stage ape monster. For more than half a year, it has been haunting him. He even specially sent a message through Yan Hanlin to invite Zhai Yan for tea, but the monster declined on the grounds that it had no time to go out.

There are only three continents in Liuyun Territory. Humans and demons coexist in separate areas, each with their own sect and special demon city.

It is said that thousands of years ago, the two sides fought fiercely for territory and resources, and both wanted to destroy the other side. However, neither could do anything to the other, and instead suffered heavy casualties, which led to the intervention of forces from other realms. Later, they reached an alliance and have maintained peace until now.

Of course, minor conflicts are inevitable. Even conflicts between sects will be resolved in their own way.

Avoid fighting between the eighth- and ninth-level high-level officials to prevent turmoil that sweeps across the entire Flowing Cloud Domain.

With Xu Yuanchang's profound ability in the art of illusion, even a seventh-rank old demon would have no chance of catching him.

He would not be afraid of a mere sixth-level ape monster. He just wanted to find out the reason. Why was he being targeted by the other party for no reason?
Regardless of whether he can join Wuliu Mountain or not, he will go to the Forgotten Forest.

That place is a good place to resolve grudges without getting involved in karmic troubles, and it also has excellent feng shui.

Less than ten days later, Yan Hanlin knocked on the door of the guest house with messy hair and returned the two mathematical books to Xu Yuanchang. He had copied down the contents of the books, as well as the notes and learning experiences in the gaps, word for word.

After two days of study, he felt more and more that the mathematical classics could be of great use to him. Perhaps it could help him find a new way to break through the bottleneck, but there were still many things he didn't understand.

He took out a bag containing books and put it on the table.

"I brought some experience in researching the 'Qingwei Yuanjiang Five Thunder Soul-Calling Formation'. I'll lend it to you, Brother Xu, for your reference. Let's find a time next time to discuss the thunder formation."

Yan Hanlin blinked his eyes. This was the only way he could help.

Xu Yuanchang accepted the package of books, chatted with Lao Yan tacitly, and made tea to entertain the guests.

Yan Hanlin waved his hand, opened the door and left. The seventh-level residual thunder formation was extremely difficult for a sixth-level formation master. He hoped to help Brother Xu, otherwise how could he have the nerve to ask for advice on the things he didn't understand in the arithmetic.

He sincerely wanted to recommend Brother Xu to become a guest elder of the sect. Besides the two of them being like-minded and having similar temperaments, he also considered the sect. At present, there was a lack of successors in the sect. There were only eight monks left in the sixth floor, and each of them was stuck in different difficulties and bottlenecks. It would be a long time before they could break through and advance. Above them, Uncle Cao of the seventh floor was in charge. Uncle Ling had been away for too long, and his deterrent power was gradually weakened. Several sects had complaints about the status of Wuliu Mountain.

The status of a sect represents the benefits gained from the Qiaojiao Mountain area.

Being able to accept an additional capable guest elder would be a great benefit to the sect.

He did not have as many worries as Uncle Cao. He believed in his own feelings and ability to judge people. Brother Xu was not specialized in formations, but his strength lay in magic. He had a free and easy mind, and perhaps he could be promoted to the seventh level in the sect as a guest official.

Aren’t the troubles faced by the sect easily solved?

After Xu Yuanchang saw the guests off, he took out the bundle and opened it, then spread out the top folded silk painting on the table and devoted himself to studying the formation diagram of the "Qing Wei Yuan Jiang Wu Lei Soul-Calling Formation". It would be beneficial for him to learn one more way to break the thunder formation in the future.

The ways to break the formation can be roughly divided into restraint, guidance, decomposition and breaking.

Wuliu Mountain wanted to decompose and restrain the remaining thunder formation so that it could be used by the sect in the future, rather than just destroying the thunder formation that had been passed down for thousands of years. Otherwise, it would not be Xu Yuanchang's turn to take action.

Xu Yuanchang has experience in breaking three-door compound formations. When he delved deeply into the ancient water gathering formation, he also learned part of the five elements formation.

I have to spend half of my time every day reading books and calculating formation diagrams, and I also have to learn the knowledge related to the Five Elements Formation.

At other times, he would meditate and practice Qigong, racing against time to improve his cultivation.

The six wooden staffs in his hand were used by him as a weapon to break the formation. For this purpose, he went to the shops on the street to buy the corresponding sixth-level crystal stones and thunder stones. There were quite a few crystal marrow stones in his space. One crystal marrow stone could be exchanged for a hundred spirit stones, which was enough for him to squander for many years.

As for the ape demon that was lingering after him, he would ignore it for the time being.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Through repeated calculations, Xu Yuanchang was able to break the Five Thunder Soul-Calling Formation on paper.

Yan Hanlin, who had rushed over after receiving the message, said as soon as they met: "Brother Xu, you can spend a few more years preparing and strive for success. There is no rush."

He was worried that Brother Xu was too impatient for success.

Or maybe he didn't want to join Wuliu Mountain as a guest elder and deliberately did things perfunctorily.

Xu Yuanchang returned the bundle of books to the other party and said with a smile: "Brother Yan, please lead the way. Let's finish it as soon as possible. I can put my worries aside and practice with peace of mind."

Yan Hanlin said no more. After leaving the city, he flew northeast for about five thousand miles and landed at the foot of a mountain shrouded in mist.

Xu Yuan grew on a small tree and several tree trunks, leaving no trace of his floating dust phantom.

In case someone in Wuliu Mountain wants to deal with him, he will not be helpless.

One must be on guard against others. He never bets on people's likes and dislikes, and always takes necessary precautions.

In Lao Li's words, the illusionist fought for his nine lives, and he must have a strategy to deal with any adversity.

As Yan Hanlin walked into the mountain gate that was opened by the fog, the gatekeepers on both sides bowed and saluted.

The two men flew one after the other at a low altitude over several hills. After two hundred miles, they came to a barren gravel land, about four miles in size. In the middle stood three charred rocks, with no grass growing. Occasionally, there were flashes of lightning in the gravel.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, there is no time limit. You can use whatever means you can to break the residual lightning array. Please remember that you cannot damage the remains of the lightning pillars. I will help you protect the Dharma outside the array and will not let other cultivators in the sect interfere with your progress."

Yan Hanlin bowed solemnly and simply repeated the rules again.

Xu Yuanchang clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Daoist Fellow Yan."

He took out his staff and slowly paced outside the thunder formation to observe. There was a huge difference in the senses between breaking the formation in reality and breaking the formation on paper. If he took a wrong step, he would face a violent thunder attack.

He walked three times along the grass outside the thunder array, and after comparing it with the records on the blueprint to get a rough idea, he walked into the gravel ground from the east side. Yan Hanlin, who was watching silently from a high place, was slightly startled.

Three steps later, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared on the gravel ground, and a red lightning bolt struck Xu Yuanchang's head out of thin air.

Xu Yuanchang waved his staff and with a "hissing" sound, a red thunder the size of an egg was led into the space creation altar. He took three steps to the left, quickly made hand gestures and hit several nodes underground. The green magic power dissolved the electric light that had just formed.

He walked forward, backward, left and right, stepping on the dots under his feet, and occasionally waving his staff to eliminate lightning strikes.

He has rich experience in breaking formations. His pair of eyes blessed with Yin-Yang Magic Fire seem to be specially made for breaking formations. He can see through any subtle flaws and changes and resolve troubles before they happen. The most difficult thing about breaking formations is the changes caused by the influence of time and place.

Often, there is no problem in talking about it on paper, and the calculations go smoothly, but when actually breaking the formation, problems arise frequently, resulting in failure.

He immersed himself in his own rhythm, casually made hand gestures, and advanced towards the remains of the first lightning pillar in an orderly manner.

Yan Hanlin's eyes widened, one large and one small. He was an expert and had studied the Residual Thunder Formation for many years. He could understand Fellow Daoist Xu's thinking and the difficulty of breaking the formation. He was amazed. Why didn't he think of it before?

Meet challenges head on and turn thunder into lightning.

After solving some big problems at the beginning, things went smoothly afterwards and the idea of ​​breaking the formation was unique.

A figure landed silently on the top of the hill, revealing a middle-aged man in a white robe and a long beard. He had a cold expression on his face. He waved his hand at Yan Hanlin who was about to salute, and stared at the figure hidden by the rising flames and mist in the residual thunder formation. After a long while, he said:

"Sure enough, there is some skill. A blunt sword has no edge, and great skill is not skillful!"

Yan Hanlin smiled and flattered: "Master uncle has a sharp eye, can see through everything, and hit the nail on the head..."

Cao Wanxin interrupted with a half-smile on his face, "Alright, I won't pursue your crime of betraying my own people. The young friend Xu you recommended does have some ability and can become a guest elder of the sect."

Before Yan Hanlin brought outsiders into the sect, he asked his uncle for permission. When he saw his uncle finally nodded in agreement, he was overjoyed.

"Thank you, Uncle Master. Thank you, Uncle Master, for not pursuing my reckless mistake. Haha, this is really good news."

He was so happy that he was a little incoherent.

He knew that his little actions could not be hidden from his uncle.

Cao Wanxin was no longer surprised. His figure disappeared, but his voice remained.

"After Xu Xiaoyou breaks through the residual thunder formation, bring him to Xiliu Mountain to see me."

"Okay, I'll send you off, uncle."

……

(End of this chapter)