That makeshift, patchwork "Floating Formation Board" finally began to slow down with a sound of grinding metal that set one's teeth on edge.

"We're here, we're here! Hold on tight to the handrails... oh right, this board doesn't have handrails, then hold on tight to your belts!"

Accompanied by Luo Feng's loud shouts and small cries, the formation board suddenly dipped downwards, finally landing with a "boom" beside a crooked old pine tree, kicking up a circle of dust mixed with pine needles and stone chips.

Su Ming's feet touched the ground, and before he could even recover from the dizzying jolts, the scene before him caused his pupils to contract slightly for an instant.

This... this was really the residence of a True Disciple?

Compared to the majestic vastness of the Star Pivot Hall or the secluded loneliness of Gazing Star Cliff, this courtyard before him looked more like a scrap recycling station that had just been baptized by a small-scale lightning tribulation.

The originally elegant stone table was missing a corner, the break showing an eerie charred black color, as if corroded by some kind of strong acid; piled against the base of the courtyard wall were all kinds of discarded formation plates, broken jade slips, and several low-grade puppets missing arms and legs, gazing up at the sky in various twisted postures.

No wind chimes hung under the eaves; instead, several large formation diagrams covered in complex lines were suspended there, the ink not yet dry, flapping noisily in the night breeze. The air was filled with a unique blend of smells: the pungent odor of scorched metal, the light fragrance of spiritual ink, and... an extremely domineering, nose-piercing aroma of cumin-grilled fish.

"Ahem, it's a bit messy."

Luo Feng jumped off the formation board, kicking away a one-eyed puppet head that rolled to his feet. The puppet head tumbled into the grass, its single remaining ruby eye still flashing twice.

"When you're doing research, how can you avoid blowing up the furnace? Don't stand on ceremony, sit anywhere! Just don't sit on that blue rock. That's the formation hub of the 'Extreme Cold Array' I just carved and ruined last night. It hasn't completely deactivated yet; sitting on it might freeze your butt off."

The corner of Su Ming's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, his gaze sweeping over the crooked old pine tree in the courtyard. Countless metal pieces of varying lengths hung from the pine branches. As the night wind passed through, the metal pieces collided, producing not a chaotic clanging sound, but an ethereal, profound melody reminiscent of ancient chime bells.

"Wind Chime Array?" Lin Yu's voice in the Consciousness Sea held a note of surprise. "Using differences in wind speed flow, calibrating the pitch through the vibration frequencies of metal pieces of different materials... this kid is quite interesting. He's figured out physical acoustics."

Su Ming nodded inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged as he found a relatively safe-looking stone stool and sat down.

"Come on, come on, don't just stand there."

Luo Feng was clearly the master here. With a grand wave of his hand, he sent out several streams of spiritual energy to clear the debris off the stone table, then promptly pulled out several clay-sealed wine jars and a few oil paper packages from his storage pouch.

"Cold Fat Fish, just grilled, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside! This wine is 'Drunken Immortal Brew.' Although it's a diluted version, it's still the good stuff only those elders can afford to drink."

He deftly broke the clay seals, and a rich aroma of wine instantly filled the small courtyard.

Eldest Senior Sister Ling Shuang didn't stand on ceremony either. She untied the ancient sword from her back and placed it across her knees, poured herself a bowl of wine, and tipped her head back to drink it down. Her movements were bold and heroic, like a wandering knight-errant, creating a huge contrast with her cold and aloof appearance.

Second Senior Brother Qin Yi was more focused on the grilled fish. He pulled out a small silver knife from a leather pouch at his waist and meticulously picked out the fish bones. His movements were precise, as if dissecting some rare demon beast.

Su Ming held his wine bowl, looking at these three individuals with their uniquely eccentric styles. The question that had been in his heart finally couldn't help but surface.

"Senior Brother Luo," Su Ming took a sip of wine; the spicy liquid flowed down his throat, turning into a warm current. "During the master acceptance ceremony today, I've had a doubt in my heart. Formation Peak is established on the path of formations, but from what I observe of Eldest Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother... they don't seem to specialize in this art?"

A sword cultivator and a beast tamer—they seemed completely out of place in a Formation Peak that practically had "tech nerd" written all over it.

"Ha! I knew you'd ask that!"

Luo Feng tore off a piece of fish meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and laughed, his words slightly muffled. "Our Master, you see, is famously picky and broad-minded. Outsiders say Formation Peak has declined, with few disciples. Actually, it's because the old man is too capricious when accepting disciples. He often says: 'When accepting disciples, first look at their character, then look at fate, and only lastly at that troublesome thing called aptitude.'"

He pointed at Ling Shuang, who was lowering her head to wipe the corner of her mouth.

"Eldest Senior Sister was picked up by Master during his travels to the bitter cold lands of the Northern Frontier years ago. She was only seven or eight years old then. Her entire village had been slaughtered by wolf demons; she was the only survivor in the whole village. When Master found her, she was hugging a broken sword, huddled in a pile of corpses, her eyes colder than the Northern Frontier's wind and snow."

Su Ming's hand holding the wine bowl tightened slightly as he looked at Ling Shuang.

Ling Shuang acted as if she hadn't heard, just gently stroking the scabbard on her knees with her fingers, her expression indifferent.

"Master said she had the sword in her eyes, and even more so in her heart. Brought back to the sect and tested, she was indeed a natural sword prodigy. But the problem arose: Eldest Senior Sister had zero interest in those convoluted formation lines; she'd even get sleepy just looking at formation diagrams."

Luo Feng spread his hands. "Any other elder would have probably sent her to Sword Peak long ago. But Master didn't. He said, 'A clear and bright sword heart is also a great path. Forcing it would be counterproductive.' But he still sent Eldest Senior Sister to audit classes at Sword Peak, even going so far as to invite Sword Peak elders to give her pointers. As for formation classes..."

Luo Feng chuckled. "That was Master giving Eldest Senior Sister private tutoring. He only taught two things: how to 'break formations' and how to 'protect oneself.' He didn't teach her how to set up formations, only how to dismantle them. Master said this helps Eldest Senior Sister understand the 'momentum' and 'flaws' within sword techniques. If you tried to set up a formation in front of Eldest Senior Sister now, wanna bet she could pick out your formation core in three sword strikes?"

Su Ming was inwardly shocked.

A formation master who only taught how to break formations? This was practically cultivating a "weapon" specifically designed to counter formation cultivators.

"As for Second Senior Brother..." Luo Feng turned to look at Qin Yi.

Qin Yi had just finished picking the last fish bone. He didn't put the tenderest piece of belly meat into his own mouth but casually tossed it towards the darkness behind him.

*Rustle.*

A spirit cat with a pitch-black body, only its eyes gleaming with a faint green light, darted out from the shadows, accurately caught the fish meat, and silently disappeared again.

"Second Senior Brother is even more outrageous." Luo Feng lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing something. "He was a 'beast slave' Master bought from a group of poachers in the Southern Wastelands. It's said he could naturally understand the speech of birds and beasts, and even before entering the path of cultivation, he could command wolf packs to hunt. When he arrived at the sect, stepping into Beast Peak was like returning home. Those usually ferocious spirit beasts were more affectionate towards him than towards their own fathers."

"His interest in formations is probably limited to how to use Spirit Gathering Arrays to make spirit beast nests warmer, or how to use modified 'Cleaning Arrays' to automatically clean the beast pens." Luo Feng's tone carried a hint of helplessness. "Master doesn't force him either, saying, 'All things have spirit; the Dao follows nature. His ability to communicate with beasts through his heart is his own path.' So Second Senior Brother spends most of his time hanging around Beast Peak. When he occasionally comes back, it's to discuss whimsical ideas with Master about 'living being formations' or 'spirit beast cooperative formation setups.'"