From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

Two days later, Chen Shi obtained the list of the earliest collected books in the Martial Arts Pavilion from the one-eyed man.

Without any delay, the missing mathematical texts were collected that very night, according to the records above.

"That works now!"

Back at his residence in the Zhechongyuan, Chen Shi closed the door tightly. Looking at the stack of mathematical scriptures before him, his eyes flickered and trembled slightly.

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, picked up a new arithmetic manual, and began to study it carefully.

For the next month, Chen Shi studied mathematical classics.

Fortunately, although arithmetic is obscure and difficult to understand, the mathematical texts recorded in these books are not too complicated. Although not the mainstream, arithmetic has made considerable progress and development over the past few centuries, from Zhuge Liang to the present day.

Chen Shi, with his modern understanding, tried to learn these arithmetic methods from hundreds of years ago, which was like using a high level to attack a low level. In fact, it was not as difficult as he imagined.

After thoroughly understanding all the mathematical classics, compare them with the Eight Trigrams Formation and find the relevant parts one by one.

After that, Chen Shi spent several more days answering these questions one by one.

"That's it!"

Once all the problems are solved, the solution to the Eight Trigrams Formation will be revealed.

Looking at the results, Chen Shi was filled with excitement.

It was late at night.

With the Eight Trigrams Formation laid out before him, Chen Shi calmed his mind completely, as still as an ancient well, before beginning to dismantle it according to the method he had found.

The Eight Trigrams Formation rotates slowly, changing unpredictably, yet it is not chaotic, subtly conforming to a certain principle or law.

Chen Shi couldn't understand this principle yet, but he knew that as long as he followed this method, he could solve the Eight Trigrams Formation.

Just focus and follow the steps.

An hour passed in this manner.

Om~!

Once all the steps were completed, a faint buzzing sound rang out, and the Eight Trigrams Formation suddenly underwent a dramatic change.

Chen Shi knew that the fog that had been covering up the truth had been lifted, and now the true face of Yagami was revealed!

He stared intently at the Eight Trigrams Formation, not daring to blink, wishing he could completely imprint the changes at this moment into his mind.

"This is……"

The contents of the Eight Trigrams Formation changed continuously, a total of eight times.

And each time, it seems to be a kind of formation.

Even a cursory glance reveals its profound mystery. But precisely because of this, it's impossible to remember, let alone delve into and comprehend its principles.

After a short while, the eight formations were completed, and the Eight Trigrams Formation returned to the first formation, which remained unchanged thereafter.

"What do you mean?"

Looking at the Eight Trigrams Formation, which had returned to calm, Chen Shi frowned slightly.

There are eight formations in total. The first one is being shown now. How do I unlock the second or third one? Do I have to solve the previous formation myself before I can unlock the subsequent ones?

Perhaps that's the case.

Although he only caught a glimpse of it and didn't understand it, Chen Shi could at least tell that the formation became more and more complex as it progressed.

As the saying goes, one must start with the simple and gradually move to the complex. Only by learning the simple formations first can one master the more complex ones later.

"I see."

Having figured this out, Chen Shi couldn't help but nod in approval.

This is the true secret of the Eight Trigrams Formation.

It contains eight different formations; could this be the origin of the name "Eight Trigrams Formation"? That's quite straightforward.

Or perhaps there's another reason, one he just hasn't discovered yet.

Perhaps.

"This formation..."

Chen Shi didn't have time to investigate the origin of the name, nor was it necessary. He looked at the formation on the Eight Trigrams Formation again.

What he needs to do now is to thoroughly understand this formation.

"A long, single-line formation?"

Looking at the formation in the array diagram, Chen Shi was slightly taken aback.

The so-called "long snake formation" involves the entire army forming a single line, resembling a long snake crawling across the battlefield. The head and tail support each other; attacking the head will trigger a response from the tail, and vice versa.

Chen Shi had seen this formation in military books before. Although it seemed simple, it was actually quite versatile in practice.

To fully grasp it, let alone three or five years, it might not even take eight or ten years.

Some generals were skilled in this long snake formation, and some even used it to kill countless enemies and make many contributions.

Chen Shi only glanced at some of it and did not study it in detail.

Starting from the basics, he progressed from square and circular formations to fish-scale and goose-shaped formations, but this was far from the level of studying the long snake formation.

"wrong."

Although the Long Snake Formation is powerful, it is actually the Eight Trigrams Formation, the culmination of Zhuge Liang's formations.

If it's just a long, single-line formation, one of the eight major formations, it would be rather disappointing.

Chen Shi carefully examined the formation on the array plate, and after trying to manipulate it, the changes in the formation became apparent.

"It's not that simple after all."

Chen Shi's eyes widened instantly, his face showing delight.

Although similar to the "One-Line Long Snake Formation," it is not the same.

The "One-Line Long Snake Formation" is a formation arranged in a single line, emphasizing a beginning and an end that correspond to each other. However, compared to a stretched-out "long snake," this formation is more like a coiled "long snake."

It can coil, circle, and contract freely, with both ends in harmony, and can extend and retract at will, offering multiple paths and depths. In this way, the complexity of its variations far surpasses that of a single-line long snake formation, and its power is naturally far greater.

"The Serpent Formation!"

Looking at this formation, a name immediately came to mind.

That's right, this is not a single-line long snake formation, but a snake coil formation.

"What formations are the next few...?"

Having learned this, Chen Shi became even more curious about the other seven formations.

But no matter how he manipulated the array plate, only the snake formation appeared; the remaining seven formations did not materialize.

It seems that he won't be able to create the next formation until he has fully mastered the Snake Coil Formation.

From the basics to the advanced, Zhuge Liang had already planned ahead for future generations.

"In that case..."

Chen Shi smiled and turned his gaze back to the array plate. "Let's start with the Snake Coil Array then."

Take a deep breath and manipulate the array plate again.

And just like that, a night passed in the blink of an eye.

By the time Chen Shi came to his senses, it was already broad daylight. Looking at the array plate in front of him, he couldn't help but nod repeatedly.

"I see."

Chen Shi fully understood that the purpose of the Eight Trigrams Formation was to teach these eight formations.

As he manipulated the array plate, the array within began to change, as if someone were operating and directing it.

Chen Shi could simply observe from the sidelines, as if he were an outsider, taking in every change in the formation, every detail and corner.

You have to understand that if it were a real military formation, the battlefield would be constantly changing, and with such a large scale, how could you possibly see the whole picture of the formation?

This Eight Trigrams Formation is like a model.

Moreover, it goes far beyond that; one can practice repeatedly and intervene on one's own to deepen one's understanding.

To put it simply, it's about teaching you the originally complex formations in the simplest and most intuitive way.

"Truly worthy of being called Zhuge Liang."

After learning this, Chen Shi's admiration for Zhuge Liang grew even stronger.

It wasn't just because he created the Eight Trigrams Formation, such a magical 'learning tool,' but because of his magnanimity.

The Eight Trigrams Formation is the culmination of the battle formations of the various military commanders, and his masterpiece was actually designed to teach others how to master these formations. Such magnanimity is truly ashamed of the world.

"Thank you, Zhuge Liang. I will certainly study diligently."

Taking a deep breath, Chen Shi once again focused his attention on the Eight Trigrams Formation and continued to study it.

As for the fact that it was already breakfast time, since Zhuge Liang had such a magnanimous heart, what did it matter that he forgot to eat and sleep?