Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The mountain guards around him whispered among themselves, their gazes towards Ning Che now carrying a hint of disbelief, as if he were a fool.

Hu Dayong is a renowned expert in formations under Deputy Commander Mu.

This newly arrived eighth-rank squad leader dares to challenge the formation; he's practically asking for death.

Ning Che didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he didn't care, and casually said, "Then let's bet."

His promise was too casual, yet Hu Dayong's breathing suddenly became heavy. He didn't understand what gave this young upstart the audacity to dare to do that. Did he really think he was some kind of genius in formations?

Just as he was about to speak, a gentle voice came from behind the crowd.

"Interesting, very interesting."

The crowd automatically separated.

Mu Qingming walked out slowly, his face still bearing his usual gentle smile.

He didn't look at Hu Dayong, but his gaze fell on Ning Che.

"It's a good thing that young people have vigor."

"Hu Bantou, since Captain Ning seems to be in the mood, why don't you join him in?"

"But let's not gamble with our lives. Let's stop here and not ruin our harmony."

Hu Dayong immediately felt emboldened and grinned maliciously, "Fine! Since Vice Commander Mu has spoken, I'll teach you a lesson today!"

"How do you want to compare? You tell me!"

"Simple."

Ning Che held up three fingers.

"Best of three games."

"First round, identification. Describe the true function and core principle of this formation."

"Second round, find the weaknesses. Identify the three weakest points in this formation at present."

"In the third round, a solution is provided. The most effortless and safest method to break the deadlock is proposed."

He spoke calmly, and after he finished speaking the three points, many people at the edge of the pit who had some knowledge of formations stopped looking down on him.

These three steps are indeed the correct method to break the formation.

From simple to complex, there's no room for pretense.

"OK!"

Hu Dayong readily agreed and rushed to the edge of the pit.

"I'll go first, so you won't say I'm bullying you!"

He cleared his throat and said loudly, "This formation is a variant of the 'Rock Guardian Formation' used by the ancient demon race to protect their lair. Its core principle is to draw upon the earth's energy to form an indestructible shield."

"Its function, of course, is to defend against external enemies!"

These words were completely consistent with the records in the dossier and were a consensus that they had always shared. Many of Mu Qingming's squads were nodding in agreement.

Hu Dayong looked at Ning Che smugly: "Kid, it's your turn. I'd like to hear what kind of nonsense you have to spout!"

Ning Che walked to his side and also looked at the deep pit.

"Wrong, terribly wrong."

Hu Dayong's face darkened.

Ning Che ignored him and continued, "This formation is a sealing formation."

Its principle is not to activate the earth's veins, but to extract the earth elemental energy from heaven and earth. Combined with the extracted yin energy from deep within the earth, this energy is transformed through an array into a suppressive force to hold down whatever is at the bottom of the pit.

"Therefore, its function is not defense, but sealing."

After he finished speaking, there was a few moments of silence around the pit.

seal?

Hu Dayong was stunned, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! A seal?"

"I've studied formations for over a decade, and I've never heard of any formation that can directly draw upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth!"

He suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Ning Che.

"You say it's a seal, but where's the evidence?"

"evidence?"

Ning Che smiled.

"You can all feel it for yourselves."

"Is the elemental energy of heaven and earth here thinner and more chaotic than in other places?"

"Those who cultivate earth-elemental techniques should feel this even more deeply. When drawing earth-elemental energy, there will be a noticeable stagnation. This is the imbalance of energy caused by the forced extraction of the earth's energy veins."

Everyone present was a practitioner, including many who practiced earth-element techniques.

Soon, someone closed their eyes and began to sense it.

A moment later, many people opened their eyes, their expressions changed.

Several team leaders who had been echoing Hu Dayong fell silent.

Hu Dayong's cultivation level was not low, so he naturally noticed something, but given his position, he could not admit defeat.

"Nonsense! When the power of the earth's veins is activated, the surrounding earth elemental energy will naturally be mobilized as well. This is perfectly normal."

Ning Che looked at him and suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question: "Commander Hu, you said this formation is a rock-solid protective array to defend against external enemies. Then let me ask you—does the power of the defensive array flow from the outside in, or from the inside out?"

Hu Dayong was taken aback, then blurted out, "Of course it's the convergence of internal and external forces that forms a barrier! You're trying to test me with such a simple principle?"

"Well said." Ning Che nodded. "When inside and outside converge, a barrier is formed. But does this barrier keep out things from the outside, or things from the inside from going out?"

"Of course, it's to block the outside—"

Hu Dayong's words stuck in his throat.

Ning Che continued for him: "If the purpose is to block things from the outside from entering, then why is the suppressive force of the formation directed towards the center of the pit, instead of spreading outwards?"

Hu Dayong opened his mouth.

Ning Che didn't give him time to think: "You've been bombarding this place for so many days, with every spell you cast on the barrier, did the ripples spread outwards or recede?"

The area around the pit quieted down.

Those cultivators responsible for bombarding the array knew the answer best. Every spell that struck the barrier didn't cause the ripples to spread outwards; instead, they were drawn inwards towards the center of the pit by some force.

No one had thought about what this meant before.

Now some people are starting to think about it.

"I will tell you why."

Ning Che paused deliberately until everyone's attention was focused on him:

"Because the core of this formation is not on the outer perimeter, but right in the center of the pit. It draws in the primordial energy of heaven and earth, transforms it, and then presses it all towards the center. This is not a barrier to defend against external enemies; it is a seal to suppress the interior."

"You've been bombarding us for so many days, but you're not tearing down the walls; you're loosening the seals on what's been sealed away."

The surroundings gradually quieted down. Ning Che looked at Hu Dayong, his gaze sharp as a knife: "I won the first round. Do you have any objections?"

Hu Dayong was speechless for a moment.

"Now, the second set."

"You go first, find the three weakest points."

Sweat was trickling down Hu Dayong's forehead.

All his previous judgments were based on the concept of a "defensive formation".

Now that Ning Che has kicked over his foundation, where can he find any weak points?

His gaze swept over the two trusted men at the bottom of the pit.

Then, he pointed to three widely spaced corners of rocks at the bottom of the pit and shouted, "Those are the three spots!"

The two trusted cultivators at the bottom of the pit immediately understood.

They channeled their magic power and launched a very light impact at the array barrier behind two of the stones.

hum!

hum!

On the two unseen barriers, obvious ripples immediately appeared.

"Did you see that!"

Hu Dayong shouted.

"Only by attacking a weak point can you get such a strong reaction!"

"Kid, what do you have to say now!"

The crowd began to waver again.

The reactions in those two places were indeed obvious.

Several team members in the distance were frowning.

They had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but they were too far away to pinpoint the problem immediately.

Ning Che remained calm throughout.

Liu Er Tingyue had already detected the subtle changes at the bottom of the pit.

Those two fluctuations of magical power were dazzlingly bright in his perception.

"A trivial skill."

Ning Che shook his head and casually picked up a small pebble from the ground. Then he closed his eyes and listened intently.

After waiting for a while, when everyone was getting impatient, he flicked his finger.

call out!

The pebble, imbued with magical power, traced a subtle trajectory and shot towards an inconspicuous patch of mud at the bottom of the pit.

The stone landed without making a sound, disappearing directly into the mud.

Hu Dayong burst into laughter.

"Haha, what a charade!"

"Not even a sound, and this is the kind of scene you're looking for..."

His laughter stopped.

Boom—!

A deep, rumbling sound came from deep underground.

The entire pit, along with the surrounding ground, trembled violently.

The invisible, formless net rippled violently, and countless profound runes were forcibly illuminated.

The stone bricks at the bottom of the pit vibrated and cracked.

A desolate, ancient, and chilling aura surged out half an inch from the bottom of the pit, only to be suppressed back by the great formation.

The mountain guards at the edge of the pit all retreated.

Some gripped their weapons tightly, while others turned pale.

The core of the formation was shaken, as if its vital point had been directly struck, and it began to fluctuate violently.

Hu Dayong pointed at Ning Che, his lips trembling.

"You...you..."

His little trick was exposed on the spot, and Ning Che suppressed it in this way, leaving him unable to utter a complete sentence.

"I won the second game too."

Ning Che looked at him and asked, "Do we even need to play the third round?"

thump.

Hu Dayong's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

He lost.

The smile on Mu Qingming's face finally vanished as he stood watching from a distance. He stared at Ning Che as if trying to see through his skin and into his soul.

A moment later, Mu Qingming laughed again, as if what had just happened was just an illusion.

He raised his hand and clapped.

Pop, pop, pop.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

Mu Qingming walked over slowly, his tone still gentle: "Captain Ning is so young, yet his mastery of formations is so high. It truly makes us feel ashamed."