76.

"This was...."

Yang Ze was still in a daze. The dream felt so real that for a moment, he almost lost himself in it. Now that he was awake, he was still somewhat immersed in those feelings.

"High school huh? That was more than ten years ago." Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. Some of the memories of the past slowly played in front of his eyes like a movie. All those friends, people he met, and experiences. Yang Ze thought he had forgotten them, yet at this time, all of it came back to him like a flooding river.

"Forget it. No use dwelling on past." With a sigh, Yang Ze looked at the screen in front of him.

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{Name: Yang Ze}

{Realm: Innate, Formation Master}

{XP: 2950}

{Fishing: Locked (120/500 spirit stones needed to unlock)}

{Personal Space: 3 cubic meters}

{Efficiency: 300 XP/day}

{Level: 3} (120/1000 spirit stones needed to upgrade)

{Mark Of Sin: 1/11}

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"As expected... The formation column disappeared after I upgraded it." At this moment, it wouldn't be wrong to call Yang Ze a complete expert in formations. Everything that he experienced in that dream life of his was etched deeply in his mind. Right now, it wouldn't be exaggerated to say that his knowledge about formations far surpassed any other person in this city.

Closing his eyes, Yang Ze once again arranged the memories that he had of the formations. Unlike martial arts and secret arts, the formation masters rely heavily on ingredients to lay down formations. Not only was it costly, but also time-consuming.

Take Yang Ze in his dream for example. It took him more than twenty years and countless resources to lay down a formation that doomed an entire city and sect. Yes, it was powerful enough to burn the Innate powerhouses to death, but it also took him with it. The final catalyst of the formation was his own life. In a sense, formation masters are stronger than any practitioners, but they rely heavily on time, resources, and luck. One mistake and everything can be ruined, including their decades of hard work.

Shaking his head, Yang Ze took a deep breath. Formations were good, but they can not replace his own strength. What a formation master was able to do in decades, an innate powerhouse might have done in a day or two.

"After all, my cultivation should be my primary focus." Making up his mind, Yang Ze thought for a while before walking out of the house. His destination... Nearest shops selling resources.

.

.

.

.

"How much did you say it was?"

"Well, the blue orchid costs 10 spirit stones per pound, the yin moss costs 60 spirit stones a pound, and the ghost grass costs 20 spirit stones per pound. The rune paper costs 30 spirit stones for three stacks. As a special offer, we will add this rune brush for free."

"The total is .... 120 spirit stones"

"Ugh.." Gritting his teeth, Yang Ze pulled out a bag full of spirit stones before placing it in front of him. In his excitement of getting the formation knowledge, he almost forgot how much money this thing burns.

No wonder there weren't that many people practicing formations. Not to mention the talent and time that it consumed, just the sheer amount of resources needed for it was astounding. Even after buying all the materials, one still needed to learn about the mixture and how to draw the formations. Without countless trials and errors, this was an impossible task. Perhaps the only ones eligible to learn the formations are the talented individuals from the Xuanwu Academy. Even for powerful families, this was but a pipe dream.

"Please come again."

Looking at the shopkeeper sending him off with a smile, Yang Ze gritted his teeth. From 400 spirit stones to zero. Truly... the money was hard to earn but easy to spend.

However, as he thought about the future gains, Yang Ze suddenly smiled heartily.

In a hurry, Yang Ze made his way back home before closing all the doors. One needed complete concentration and silence to draw formations. Spreading the items on a table in front of him, Yang Ze took a deep breath and picked up a blue orchid.

Usually one needed a mortar and pestle to grind these herbs and every herb should have its own separate container. If these somehow mix even a bit before the procedure, then the entire process will end up in a failure.

However, this was for ordinary people. For an Innate powerhouse, he could just grind those herbs with the power of heaven and earth.

Waving his hand, Yang Ze raised all three types of grass in the air before crushing them. The remaining liquid was further stored in the three containers that he had prepared beforehand.

The powder that remained after crushing them slowly fell into the table in front of him.

"Okay... Now, one part yin moss, three parts ghost grass, and half part blue orchid. Mix them carefully."

After making a mixture, Yang Ze took out a rune paper from the stack and carefully started drawing the rune on it according to his memories.

In his memory, formations can be divided into three categories. Small formations that can be drawn on paper. These kinds of formations have a name for them. People call them Runes. And people who are experts in drawing these are known as Runemasters.

The majority of people who practice formations are at this level. This could be said to be the beginner stage. Only after mastering it completely, one can move to the second stage of formations.

The second types of formation are different from runes. These are more complex and more time-consuming to make. These are often drawn on weapons or armors. And someone who is proficient enough in it was addressed respectfully as Rune Grandmaster.

And in the end, the third and the most complex types of formations. These are the formation that usually spans over a large area. These formations are usually placed in major cities. Not only these formations are more costly than the other two, but also time-consuming. Take Yang Ze for example. In his dream, it took him more than two decades to lay down the formation enveloping the city and the Sect. And even after laying them down, one needed to occasionally repair and maintain them too.

To Yang Ze, his current goal was to draw some runes. In this city, where even the runemasters were rare, this was going to be a profitable deal.

However, if just selling the runes was Yang Ze's plan, then it was going to take him months to collect a sufficient amount of spirit stones for his upgrade. He had a plan in his mind. A plan that could potentially be a game-changer.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Ze cleared his head of the excessive thoughts and focused on the primary task in front of him.

"Okay... Start from the left mid-corner then slowly curve it upwards. Then slowly curve it downwards to the right mid-corner. Then....."

'I wonder why I saw that dream.....'

"OH FUCK NO..."

Cursing in a loud voice, Yang Ze looked at the rune in front of him which was wasted completely. Just when he tried to concentrate on drawing a rune, his mind was filled with miscellaneous thoughts.

.

.

"Try another.."

"Remember... CONCENTRATE."

Taking a deep breath, Yang Ze calmed himself and took out another rune paper. With grave eyes, he picked up the brush and started drawing the same pattern on it again.

"Top... Then Slowly to the mid right.. Good... Then slowly to bottom."

'Damn man, I wish there was internet there. I miss it."

"OH FUCK NOT AGAIN."

Looking at the wasted piece of paper in front of him, Yang Ze shook his head helplessly. He could perfectly understand what the situation was with him right now.

For a formation master, the most basic and the most essential quality was to remain calm and free from any lingering thoughts. It was a job that demanded perfect harmony between a man and his work. Drawing runes was a delicate process where one could not afford to divert their attention.

Perhaps it was an easy task for the native people of this world, for them since childhood, there was only one goal... And that is to become stronger. There aren't many leisure activities or distractions that take their time. However, for Yang Ze, this was the complete opposite. He was a person from the modern era. An era dominated by technology and where everything that one could think of was on the internet.

For a person like him, Concentrating his mind on a single task was easier said than done. No matter how hard he try, there would always be some random thoughts popping off in his head.

And, the more he tells himself to focus on the task, the more these random thoughts would pop up. Even though he was a formation expert in the dream, it was a dream after all. The only things he was able to gain from there were some fragmented memories and complete knowledge about the formations.

Helplessly, Yang Ze looked at the ruined papers in front of him before giving it up.

"Well... This is going to take a while."