Upon hearing Xiao Qingxuan’s question, Bai Yuhan’s expression immediately turned a little awkward.
“In simple terms, it means the Huanshen Sect Master’s Yang Spirit left the body entirely, completely detached, without any sensation.”
“Your master doesn’t understand the Dao of the Soul, and didn’t believe the flesh could be entirely numb, so she decided to ‘slightly’ stimulate it.”
“A few days later, when the Huanshen Sect Master’s soul and body reunited, all the physical sensations flooded back to the soul at once, causing her to fall unconscious for three whole months.”
According to Feng Linyi, this is called “Sensory Shielding Stimulation.”
Later on, Feng Linyi also learned this trick, and even used it on Bai Yuhan a few times.
As someone who had personally experienced it, she admitted it was indeed very “stimulating.”
Thinking of this, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously let out a soft hum.
“Mm… Anyway, just pretend you don’t know anything about it, and absolutely don’t bring it up on your own.”
“These are matters from our generation; it’s all in the past now.”
Xiao Qingxuan nodded. She felt that being unconscious for three months wasn’t a big deal.
Even for cultivators in the Golden Core Realm or Nascent Soul Realm, closing themselves off for months was common.
Still, she truly didn’t know what her unreliable master had done, so she’d better be cautious this time.
She secretly made up her mind: this trip to the Illusory God Sect, she must find a way to restore Ye Luqing’s memories.
***
On the other side.
While flying through the sky on True Qi, Ye Luqing suddenly heard the System’s voice in her mind.
[Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value has risen to 89%]
[Side Mission: Evade the Soul Probing of Combined Dao Realm powerhouse Bai Yuhan—Completed]
[Reward issued, please check promptly, Host]
At this moment, Ye Luqing was immersed in the joy of flight, so she tossed these matters to the back of her mind.
“So this is what it feels like to fly on True Qi…”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity; this was a sensation she’d never experienced before.
In her previous life, she hadn’t even flown on a plane, and now she could fly on her own.
Bai He only carried her for a short stretch before Ye Luqing chose to experience it herself.
She felt that flying on True Qi wasn’t slow at all, and with a protective membrane of True Qi outside, the ride was smooth and steady.
Upon reaching the Golden Core Realm, one opens the Qi Sea and can release True Qi externally.
Golden Core cultivators are also called “True Persons,” qualified to found sects and establish lineages.
However, Ye Luqing herself had fallen from the Nascent Soul Realm, so she still wasn’t sure of her current combat strength.
After her first failure, she realized that what she needed most was to raise her cultivation and strength, not just increase Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value.
Otherwise, she’d only end up as a stray dog to be killed at a whim.
Once her strength surpassed Xiao Qingxuan’s, wouldn’t she be able to “stimulate” her however she pleased?
After a short while, Bai He and Ye Luqing arrived at Biluofeng’s mountainside.
“This is Biluofeng. Any higher, and we can’t fly—you’ll have to walk up from here.”
Bai He watched as Ye Luqing landed gently.
Although this junior sister had lost her memory, she still displayed the skill of a Gold Core Peak cultivator in manipulating True Qi.
“It seems she hasn’t lost all her memories. The instinct to use True Qi still remains.” Bai He thought to herself.
Still, she didn’t dwell on it. The Soul Slaughter Sect’s methods were strange, so such things weren’t surprising.
Ye Luqing followed Bai He up the mountain, looking up to see the sky high and clouds thin, the wind carrying the fragrance of grass and trees.
Rounding half the slope, she saw a vast training ground, with more than a dozen people cultivating.
“This is Biluofeng’s Baiyu Platform, where inner disciples train.”
Bai He pointed eastward, at a spiritual energy-rich area not far away.
“Are there only this many inner disciples?”
Ye Luqing asked curiously.
She hadn’t read much about Biluofeng in the original novel, but as one of the three great peaks of the Xuanxiao Supreme Sect, there should be quite a few inner disciples.
Bai He’s expression turned a little embarrassed as she explained: “The Sect-wide Tournament is coming up, so most are off preparing for it.”
Biluofeng’s high standing in the Xuanxiao Supreme Sect was mainly due to Vice Sect Master Bai Yuhan; the quality of its disciples, however, was much lower.
As one of the sect’s three Combined Dao Realm Dao Sovereigns, even if she had no disciples at all, Bai Yuhan was still entitled to her own entire peak.
As for why there were so few people at Biluofeng… it was mainly because Formation Cultivators were a niche path.
Bai He continued, “Actually, it’s not that there are few people on Biluofeng, but that there are so few Formation Cultivators.”
Most cultivators in the world focus on Daoist arts or offensive techniques.
Next came those who practiced Dan Medicine, Talisman Crafting, or Qi nurturing.
Formation Cultivators lack offensive power and focus mainly on support.
They also have to buy materials and inscribe formation patterns, which makes daily expenses high.
Moreover, most Arrays, once constructed, can run for a long time—like the Spirit Gathering Array or Protective Array—so demand isn’t as high as for consumables like Dan Medicine or Talismans.
As for the auxiliary effects of Arrays… eating Dan Medicine or using Talismans could achieve similar results.
Thus, those with talent in spiritual power all went to Dan Medicine or Talisman Crafting, so very few chose to study Array Arts.
If you were a Golden Core cultivator and called yourself a Sword Cultivator, people would look at you with respect.
But if you were a Formation Cultivator, people would assume you were just someone else’s sidekick.
Ye Luqing pursed her lips.
As someone who had read the original novel, she knew that Formation Cultivators were basically support in the cultivation world.
With her cultivation talent already inferior to the Destined Female Lead, and her combat power further weakened as a Formation Cultivator, how was she supposed to resist Xiao Qingxuan?
Was she only fit to be someone’s mugwort?
She didn’t want that!
“When you reach the Transformation God Realm and connect with Heaven and Earth, comprehending the Dao, everyone’s Dao becomes equal.”
Bai He consoled her.
“Even the Snake and Rat Path can swallow an elephant.”
Ye Luqing nodded. She remembered that in the book, the Spirit Transformation stage was a realm of true transformation.
The two continued up the mountain, with Bai He leading Ye Luqing to a grand hall near the summit.
“This is the Grand Hall of Xuantian, where Biluofeng’s Elders and Peak Master handle important matters.”
“Biluofeng has seven Elders in total—five in the Transformation God Realm, two in the Void Crossing Realm. They maintain the sect’s great Arrays or go out seeking rare formation materials, so they’re usually not on the peak,” Bai He explained.
Today, the main hall was empty, with only faint wisps of blue smoke curling.
Ye Luqing curiously looked inside the Grand Hall of Xuantian. To her, the seemingly empty hall suddenly “came alive.”
Dozens of Arrays operated ceaselessly within, with True Qi, soul power, and even the power of Heaven and Earth working in perfect concert.
Profound and intricate formation patterns and multicolored mysterious lights intertwined into a breathtaking masterpiece.
“So beautiful…” she murmured subconsciously.
In Ye Luqing’s eyes, these overlapping Arrays were stunning, more beautiful than any painting in her memory.
Bai He was momentarily surprised, then asked:
“Junior Sister Ye, how many Arrays do you see?”
Ye Luqing carefully studied the Arrays in the hall and replied truthfully:
“Seventy-two, though there are five or six I can’t see clearly…”
At this, Bai He’s mouth opened as if to speak, then she fell silent for a moment and finally nodded:
“Very good. It seems Junior Sister Ye’s talent in Array Arts hasn’t faded.”
“These unactivated Arrays test a person’s aptitude for Array Arts, and are the final test for Biluofeng’s disciples.”
“Perceiving sixteen Arrays qualifies you as an outer disciple; thirty-two Arrays, and you can be promoted to inner disciple.”
Bai He hesitated, but did not say more…
According to her mother, Biluofeng Peak Master Bai Yuhan, there were seventy-two Arrays in the main hall—a Dharma Array Treasury passed down through the generations of Xuanxiao Supreme Sect.
The first sixty-four were constructed by Array Masters in the Transformation God and Void Crossing Realms, while the last eight were created by those in the Combined Dao Realm or even Tribulation Crossing Realm.
As a Golden Core cultivator, Bai He could only sense fifty-four Arrays.
After breaking through to the Transformation God Realm, she could finally see all sixty-four of the first Arrays, but still could not perceive the last eight.
She hadn’t expected that Ye Luqing, at Gold Core Peak, could already see all the Arrays in the main hall.
It must be known that her mother Bai Yuhan, at the Golden Core Realm, could only perceive the first sixty-four Arrays, and was thus hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius in Array Path.
Bai He let out a barely perceptible sigh.
She really couldn’t understand.
Why would a junior sister with such monstrous talent in Array Arts be content to just be Xiao Qingxuan’s supporting sidekick?