Cultivation begins with harvest.

Walking through Xingfeng Market, Chen Guang's mood was not good. According to information gathered from various sources, the way to obtain Zhanyang Flower is particularly unstable. If it also has the requirement of being in full bloom with all its stamens and tail intact, it would be even more difficult to obtain.

And the quantity is often very small.

Chen Guang subconsciously walked towards the Scripture Pavilion. Although he felt that he was being a bit arrogant, it concerned his cultivation. The Taoist priest in the Scripture Pavilion who had a good impression of him was obviously a good person to consult.

So be it.

Sure enough, at the top of the Sutra Repository, they found the Taoist priest.

Chen Guang started the conversation by offering Dingzhen Spirit Tea for tasting. He learned some interesting stories about the tea from the Taoist priest in the Sutra Repository, as well as some trivial preparation techniques.

Then he asked, "Since you have shown me such favor, I have some questions that have been on my mind for a long time, and I hope you can answer them."

Seeing the Taoist priest in the Sutra Repository nod, he continued, "The Zhan Yang Flower is extremely important to my cultivation path. I wonder if there are any methods within the sect to obtain more?"

The Taoist priest in the Sutra Repository smiled and said, "You went to such great lengths to acquire a place of supreme Yang energy. I thought you were going to use two Zhan Yang flowers and a Chang Liang Qing Qiu wood to fool people for a while."

"The Daoist is very perceptive. I was just busy with trivial matters and dared not rush things. Only now am I seriously considering the matter of increasing the number of plants." Chen Guang was not surprised that the Daoist in the Scripture Pavilion knew so much about him.

"If it's just one or two, that's fine; you can get it in three to five years. But those who try to settle down in the sect and get more—" The Taoist priest in the Sutra Repository's voice grew increasingly harsh, "Difficult, difficult, difficult!"

"You must seek it out yourself and be sure of your safety. You can enter the Fire Beard Cave, where there must be a few sporadic Sunflowers. There is great hope there."

"To seek quantity, one must venture deep into the wilderness, perhaps to 'Fire Mandarin Duck Mountain,' or 'Walking the Blessing Pool,' or even further, to places unknown to me. To obtain such an opportunity without taking a single risk is called greed!"

The Taoist priest in the Sutra Repository said earnestly, "It's always better to be early than late, even the earlier the better. If you want to reach great heights, a moment's delay can mean the end of a thousand years! Don't seek comfort for the sake of comfort."

The Taoist priest in the Sutra Repository seemed to have seen through Chen Guang's thoughts and intentions, and every word he uttered pointed to his vital point.

Chen Guang's breath hitched. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that he did seem to have to have it all. But how could one have it all?

We should consider the Fire Beard Cave. As for Fire Mandarin Duck Mountain, it's deep in the wilderness. A Qi Refining disciple can boast about just catching a glimpse of it from afar and returning to the sect.

As for Zhuchi, he had never heard of it before and didn't know how deep in the wilderness it was. Chen Guang naturally decided not to consider these two places for the time being.

"Please forgive my overthinking, but with my current strength, where should Firebeard Cave stop?"

"Outside the Firebeard Cave, the five southern regions are the most spiritually vibrant, but also far more dangerous. You should consider this carefully." The Taoist from the Scripture Pavilion did not intend to dwell on this topic any further.

Next, the Taoist from the Sutra Repository gave a few pointers on how to obtain Zhanyang Flowers within the sect. However, Chen Guang needed Zhanyang Flowers that could be cultivated or were intact, and it would be even more difficult to obtain them within the sect, so it was basically out of the question.

After chatting for a while, Chen Guang tactfully took his leave.

"I've made so many plans before, even including a plan to go to the Sharp Peak Outpost to retrieve the Capture Wood Juice. Going to Firebeard Cave wouldn't be out of the question, but remember to stop in the Eastern Nine Regions and remember to keep to yourself."

The next steps will require some new arrangements.

Walking down the street, I rethink my plans for this year as I headed towards the Cang Family Fanglin Hall.

After hearing Chen Guang's purpose for coming, Cang Yunxian was somewhat troubled.

"We do have array flags, but Fanglin Hall only has three fixed types: the Spirit Gathering Array, the Mysterious Bird Clear Micro Array, and the Fire Cloud Chasing Peak Array. The array flags that you need for one person usually require an array plate to set up, so we don't have any." Cang Yunxian showed a hint of apology. "Not only do we not have them, but most other rogue cultivator families don't have them either. Even if they do, there is only the Zhao family's 'Four Cries of Flame Fall Array,' which has both offensive and defensive capabilities, but it cannot be used by one person."

"Defensive formations for a single person are often fraught with difficulties. For a Qi Refining cultivator, the amount of mana required to support the operation of an excellent first-order formation is far from small, and they often need the assistance of a formation plate. A formation plate that can take care of this is the work of a master. As for single-person formations, they have never been a direction that our independent cultivator families have considered or taken into account. After all, in terms of what we have learned, our formation masters are only barely competent and not proficient. They only know a limited number of formations, and this has been the case generation after generation, making it difficult to make progress."

"To be honest, if we have high-quality array plates, we would choose to collect them rather than trade and sell them."

Only after fully mastering a formation can one use it as a foundation to create formation flags, because formation flags are not only easy to set up, but also mean that anyone can unleash the appropriate power of the corresponding formation.

The array flags are divided into main array flags and other array flags. The main array flag is located at the center of an array. Multiple centers operate separately. Even if the person holding the array flag does not understand the array, they can still control the array's changes. They only need to maintain the injection of magic power. Through cooperation and each performing their own duties, the difficulty is greatly reduced. Therefore, the beneficiaries of the array flags are often a group rather than an individual.

If a cultivator wants to use it alone, firstly, he needs to have a good understanding of formations, precise control of his mana, and abundant mana; secondly, the person who crafts the formation flags must be highly skilled enough to craft the formation plate to command the formation flags. However, the process is complex and intricate, and many self-proclaimed formation masters find it extremely difficult to craft a single formation plate. If it is given to a cultivator without a foundation in formations, the crafting process will only become more difficult.

Generally speaking, array plates are rarely seen in first-order arrays.

Just like slaughtering a pig for the New Year, the difficulty is completely different when one person does it alone versus when many people work together.

In practical application, a highly skilled array master uses array flags more often than array plates. The creation of array plates is often for the use of others, which is more convenient but less flexible. However, the difference between the upper and lower limits is small, and stability is pursued. Array plates are still superior to array flags.

The level of a formation is determined by the degree of understanding it.

Using scattered trigrams to form an array is considered ordinary; the array formation is only barely understood and can be used with only 30% of its power.

The superior formation, arranged with the hexagrams, is more convenient and stable. I have mastered it thoroughly and have already mastered about 60-70% of it.

Top-grade formations, including the crafting of formation flags and plates, require a focused mind and concentrated effort. Only through complete mastery can their full power be unleashed.

As of now, Chen Guang has not mastered any formation to the point of being able to refine formation flags, and he still harbors some hope of being able to buy the formation flags he likes.

The Spirit Gathering Array can be used by one person.

The Xuan Niao Qing Wei Formation, requiring at least three people working together, can detect unusual activity within a radius of two miles.

The Fiery Clouds Chasing Peaks Formation requires the cooperation of five people and is meant to chase after mountains upon sight. It is a formation that enhances speed and allows for escape.

"Purple Spirit Pavilion occasionally sells Tier 1 array plates. If you have any requests for them, you may want to keep an eye out for them," Cang Yunxian said tactfully.

"Does your esteemed institution possess any simple and convenient defensive formations?" Chen Guang asked, settling for second best, or rather, he had never expected to achieve his goal in one step.

"They are all here." Cang Yunxian also took out a beautiful book.

Since it's difficult to purchase defensive array plates, I'll just make them myself. I'll focus on one array for the next year. If I still can't make array flags, I can consider giving up on arrays altogether.

"This one will do."

Chen Guang placed his finger on a page labeled "Armored Array". The name was simple, and it was only a third-level array, but the effect was very practical. It formed layers of wooden barriers for defense. Its power was not outstanding, but its advantage was that it could be broken and rebuilt immediately. Simply increasing the number of array flags could increase the defensive effect to a certain extent. It was very suitable for Chen Guang's current situation, where he had plenty of spiritual energy but lacked experience.