A moment of clarity dawned upon Su Ming's heart.

What are formations? Mountains, rivers, plants, and trees can be formations. The sun, moon, and stars can be formations. Even the obsessions and the desire to protect within a person's heart are a kind of formation.

The Border Defense True Seal that had merged into his body did not, like in those storybook tales, directly impart to him some peerless cultivation method or a cultivation level that would allow him to ascend to the heavens in a single step.

It merely gave Su Ming a pair of "eyes."

A pair of eyes capable of seeing through the surface appearance to perceive the operating logic of all things.

Within this river of stars, Su Ming seemed to see countless figures with their backs turned to him.

They were the formation masters who had guarded the Northern Frontier through the generations. Some had frozen to death amidst wind and snow, some had been utterly annihilated, leaving not even bones behind, in beast tides, and some had died of old age before their formation diagrams.

Their faces were blurred and indistinct, but the aura emanating from them was startlingly consistent.

It was a kind of silence and tenacity as unyielding as bedrock.

One gaunt, withered figure among them slowly turned around.

Although the face was unclear, Su Ming knew it was Elder Mo.

The old man did not speak. He merely pointed a finger lightly towards Su Ming.

*Hum!*

Su Ming felt only a violent tremor in his Consciousness Sea.

The surrounding grand spectacle of the starry river instantly shattered, transforming into countless fragmented golden points of light that melted into his soul like spring rain.

An unprecedented sense of "rhythm" spontaneously arose within his heart.

It was akin to a tone-deaf person suddenly understanding the melody of a piece of music; or like a blind person seeing colors for the first time.

He no longer needed to deliberately calculate the angle of each rune or the amount of spiritual energy output.

As soon as his spiritual sense stirred, those runes would automatically arrange and combine within his perception, finding the most perfect, most effortless, and also the most lethal positions.

"Using the formation as the bone, using the heart as the guide..."

An obscure set of mnemonics flowed past his heart.

Su Ming's consciousness began to float upwards.

That sensation of falling disappeared, replaced by a steady, down-to-earth solidity.

When he regained consciousness again, the first things he felt were the tearing, excruciating pain in his chest and a gentle, mellow stream of spiritual energy slowly flowing through his meridians, repairing his battered and broken body.

"Awake?"

A voice tinged with weariness, yet also carrying a tone of relief, sounded in his mind.

It was Lin Yu.

Su Ming didn't open his eyes, only responding weakly in his heart, "Master... are we... still alive?"

"Alive." Lin Yu's voice held a trace of an extremely rare, lingering fear. "And... very much alive."

"What do you mean?" Su Ming didn't understand.

"It means..." Lin Yu clicked his tongue. "You're now a national treasure of the Cloud Hidden Sect. The way that Golden Core cultivator was looking at you just now was like looking at his own father reincarnated. He practically wants to hold you in his mouth for fear you'll melt."

Su Ming: "..."

With great effort, he controlled his eyelids, slowly opening them a crack.

What met his eyes was no longer the dilapidated, drafty stone roof of that hut, but a canopy of tasseled curtains exquisitely embroidered with cloud patterns. The air was suffused with the faint scent of Spirit-Concentrating Incense. Beneath him were soft brocade quilts.

And seated cross-legged by the bedside was a middle-aged cultivator wearing dark golden robes.

Seeing Su Ming open his eyes, the man immediately opened his own. His gaze was sharp as a torch, yet he deliberately restrained all his pressure. His voice was gentle, almost cautious.

"Awake?"

Su Ming opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry he couldn't produce a sound.

The middle-aged cultivator immediately retrieved a jade vial, drew out a drop of emerald-green spiritual liquid, and sent it floating through the air into Su Ming's mouth.

The spiritual liquid dissolved upon entering, transforming into a cool, refreshing sensation that moistened his throat.

"Disciple... Su Ming..." Su Ming struggled, wanting to get up and perform a formal salute.

"Lie down."

Li Changfeng extended a hand, pressing down lightly in the air. A gentle force pressed Su Ming back onto the bed. "Three of your ribs are broken, your meridians are depleted, and your soul is overdrawn. If not for this 'Border Defense True Seal' protecting your body, your soul would have scattered to the winds long ago."

Mentioning the "Border Defense True Seal," Su Ming instinctively reached to touch his chest.

There, the originally scalding-hot mark had already calmed, sinking back beneath his skin as if it had never appeared.

"Don't bother feeling for it. It's still there."

Watching Su Ming's action, a flicker of complex emotion passed through Li Changfeng's eyes. "Once this thing has acknowledged a master, unless you die, or unless you willingly pass it on to the next generation yourself, no one can take it away."

He paused, his tone becoming serious.

"Su Ming, do you know what this means?"

Su Ming fell silent for a moment. In his mind flashed Elder Mo's final resolute gaze and Zhao Tiji's figure stubbornly bracing against the stone door.

"It means..." Su Ming's voice was somewhat hoarse, yet it carried a steadiness that didn't match his age. "...the vital points of all seventy-nine major formations in the Northern Frontier are upon this disciple's person."

A glint of appreciation flashed in Li Changfeng's eyes.

"Good. Your mind is still clear."

Li Changfeng stood up, placing his hands behind his back. His gaze looked past the curtains towards the window outside. "The sect has already taken control of this place. Those two Cloud-Piercing Battleships are right overhead. From now on, your life does not belong to you. It belongs to the Cloud Hidden Sect."

These words sounded lofty and righteous, but to Su Ming, well-versed in the Way of Survival, he heard another layer of meaning.

This meant he was free, yet he had also completely lost his freedom.

He would become a key protected asset of the sect. Perhaps he would be confined to some cave dwelling abundant in spiritual energy, copying formation diagrams day and night until the last drop of his value was squeezed dry.

"Master, this situation... is a bit tricky," Su Ming thought bitterly in his heart.

"Tricky, my ass."

Lin Yu's voice, however, sounded unusually relaxed, even carrying a hint of slyness. "This is a heavenly, perfect opening hand. Since they treat you as a national treasure, then we must have the awareness of a national treasure. You must eat the freshest bamboo, sleep in the softest nest. If anyone dares bully you, just lie down on the ground and sue them to death."

"..."

Lin Yu snorted coldly. "Your legs are on your own body. Your brain is in your own head. As long as you demonstrate sufficient 'irreplaceability' while also maintaining a 'harmless' appearance, a cage cannot hold you. Don't forget, you now possess the 'perspective of a formation master.'"

Su Ming's heart stirred slightly.

Right.

Since the Border Defense True Seal had given him the ability to see through the structure of all things, then the so-called rules and restraints of this world, in his eyes, were merely another formation waiting to be deconstructed.

"This disciple understands."

Su Ming looked at Li Changfeng. The original confusion and weakness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a calm that was docile, respectful, yet secretly sharp-edged.

"This disciple will certainly... cooperate with the sect, without a trace of disloyalty."

Li Changfeng nodded, quite satisfied with Su Ming's attitude. A sensible, understanding junior who knew his place and possessed exceptional skills was always easy to manage.

"Rest well. Once your injuries have improved somewhat, we will return to the sect immediately."

Having said this, Li Changfeng turned to leave.

"Elder, please wait a moment," Su Ming suddenly spoke up.

Li Changfeng stopped. "Is there something else?"

"Those brothers who came out with me..." Su Ming pressed his lips together. "Lu Jun, and those wounded soldiers... how are they?"

Li Changfeng looked back at Su Ming.

"Don't worry. They have also been listed as meritorious. The sect will not treat them poorly."

Su Ming let out a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders finally slumping.

"Thank you, Elder."

After Li Changfeng left, the space within the curtains returned to quiet.

Su Ming lay on the bed, gazing at the exquisite tassels above him, silently calculating the path ahead in his heart.