âAre you saying those two individuals were hired by Zou Yu?â
âCorrect.â
During their return journey, Liu Zihao recounted his encounter to Yang Lingrui.
Yang Lingrui immediately suspected Zou Yuâs involvement upon hearing the details.
Liu Zihaoâs brow furrowed, disappointment clouding his eyes.
âHeâd go this far to harm me? We shared eight years as formation hall colleagues! Though we competed at times, we collaborated frequently too⊠This⊠sighâŠâ
Never had he imagined Zou Yuâs hatred ran deep enough to hire attackers.
His masterâs removal to Chongtian had shown him how people chase profit, but Zou Yuâs betrayal made him feel this worldâs cruel reality firsthand.
âDonât despair, Mr. Liu. While Zou Yu exists, so do people like us,â Yang Lingrui reassured. âOur family Elder taught me: âKeep your ferocity but nurture kindness.â
âNever oppress the weak â show compassion. Against scheming villains, strike without mercy!â
Liu Zihao murmured these words, the gloom lifting from his face.
âThe Elder speaks wisdom. Iâm grateful for this lesson.â
Five days later, they reached the Yang Family estate.
Liu Zihao immediately began preparatory work at the mountainâs foot.
Heâd previously designed formation plans under Yang Guanfengâs oversight.
Normally, heâd simply update existing blueprints for current needs.
Yet he scrapped every prior design.
His role had changed â this was his first major task as a Yang Family member.
For his new family, mere adequacy wouldnât suffice. Every detail demanded perfection.
Three months vanished into drawing formation diagrams.
He never left his courtyard during this period, wholly consumed by his work.
When finally presenting his masterpiece to Yang Lingqing, the complexity stunned her.
Though familiar with basic diagrams, she couldnât discern top from bottom in these intricate designs.
âAllow me to explain, Master.â Liu Zihao lifted a wooden ruler. âThis shows five interlinked formations.
âThe primary âHexagram of Four Symbolsâ combines isolation, surveillance, defense, and offense. Anchored in Song Mountainâs Forbidden Area, it activates four subordinate formations below.
âThese four share identical structures and positions. Beyond their core functions, their overlapping creates five additional effects!â
"The Summoning Rain and Invoking Wind formations could generate cold rain;
Determining Clarity and Avoiding Snow could bring forth warm sunlight;
Combining Summoning Rain with Determining Clarity produced gentle moisture;
Pairing Invoking Wind with Determining Clarity created arid heat;
When all four formations activated simultaneously, they formed the âHundred Forms Returning to Origin Formation,â nourishing the bodies, minds, and spirits of all humans, animals, and plants within."
Yang Lingqingâs eyes widened with awe.
"Masterâs diagram resembles the work of immortals! Lingqing is humbled to witness such divine craftsmanship!"
Even Chen Yang, observing covertly, gained enlightenment from Liu Zihaoâs formation diagrams.
"Remarkable! This cross-disciplinary approach holds true wisdom!"
Chen Yang silently marveled: "His mastery of formation arts dwarfs my elementary understanding of Talisman Technique."
Though heâd reached late-stage Gathering Qi himself, Chen Yang had never grasped complete talisman creation.
Yet Liu Zihao, merely at the Sixth Level, could design perfect formation diagrams â truly admirable.
"The Yang Familyâs decades of struggle and sacrifice finally bear fruit. First obtaining three Condensing Essence stage methods, now gaining such talent â excellent, truly excellent!"
With the diagrams completed, the formation arranging phase commenced.
Though Liu Zihao understood perfect formations, his limited cultivation required assistance from Yang Family cultivators during implementation.
Gao Hui personally came to assist upon hearing the news.
The process demanded vast spiritual materials, including rare components scarce in common markets.
But with 40,000 Dynasty merits, the Yang Family procured everything from the Dynasty Treasury for 17,000 merits.
After six months of collective effort, five formations took shape across the territory.
During midsummerâs peak, the first cold rain descended from the new formations, banishing seasonal heat.
Revitalized northern and southern banks saw commoners prostrating in gratitude, chanting praises to the Immortal Master.
Chen Yang reclined in the ancestral hall, absorbing the accumulating power of wishes.
Seasons cycled swiftly through the year.
That year brought unprecedented drought to Tiger-Chasingâs southeast â a rare sight in decades.
While Wangyueâs populace suffered failed harvests, Yang Family territories flourished under climate-controlled formations.
The northern bank remained untouched by drought, while the southern bank endured the worst three months through formation protections.
Song Mountainâs foothills became legendary paradise. By next spring, mass relocation toward Yang lands began.
Three months saw two new southern bank villages, pushing population beyond 20,000.
These migrants abandoned minor families and sects whose leaders desperately tried preventing exodus through bribes or threats.
Since the "voluntary" relocation of nineteen families to Mobei region, none dared oppose the Songshan Yang Family among Wangyueâs noble families and sects.
"Master," reported Zhao Qi â now at Second Level of Gathering Qi â outside the Forbidden Areaâs main courtyard, "Qinghe Townâs Pan Baolu and Fengling Huang Familyâs Huang Yan request audience."
Having risen to prominence in southern Wangyue since the Mobei relocation, the Yang Family now received constant visitors â some seeking alliance, others begging Liu Zihaoâs formation expertise.