Clearing the Spirit Gathering Formation

"Great news!"

Qi Xiu's spirits lifted immediately. This news was like a miracle cure for the sect's current situation—He Yu never fails to surprise!

Looking at He Yu, who was shyly accepting congratulations from his fellow disciples, Qi Xiu felt a surge of joy in his heart. He walked over to the still-somewhat-immature young man, patted him on the shoulder, and nodded repeatedly. 

He wanted to say something motivational, some grand words of encouragement, but when he opened his mouth, his lips trembled, and all he could manage was a choked, "Good... good..."

"Sect Leader!"

He Yu's eyes also reddened. Since deciding to follow this seemingly ordinary sect leader to South Xinjiang, he had felt some doubt and reluctance. But now, seeing how genuinely happy Qi Xiu was for him, He Yu's heart was moved. Sect Leader Qi really has our best interests at heart... he thought.

"Hahaha, what's all this? Why don't we take this opportunity to hold a Dao assembly to celebrate?" Zhang Shishi, who was responsible for passing techniques and enforcing rules, laughed nearby. 

This was also a small achievement for him since He Yu made progress under his watch.

"Good, good," Qi Xiu said, still emotional. "Sharing and teaching each other the ways of cultivation is something we cultivators must do. We've been so focused on setting up the sect since arriving in South Xinjiang that I overlooked this. Let's make this our sect's first Dao discussion gathering. He Yu, you'll lead it and share your experience in advancing to the next level."

The various key points of Daoist cultivation, such as the essentials of different Dao techniques, spellcasting techniques, material identification, and so on, encompass a wide range of knowledge, each with its own tricks and methods. A single cultivator could not explore and verify all of these on their own, which is why these Dao assemblies were quite popular. 

When it's between cultivators of the same level, one person will first share their expertise to initiate the discussion, allowing the others to learn, debate, and improve together.

He Yu's recent breakthrough under such sparse spiritual energy was undoubtedly due to the fact that he had already reached the peak of Qi Condensation Third Stage and was just waiting for the right moment to advance. The connection between the mountain cave's pool and his fate source, as Zhang Shishi mentioned, likely played a significant role as well.

Qi Xiu decided to have He Yu take the main seat in the hall, while he and the other disciples sat below, listening to He Yu discuss the reasons and insights behind his advancement.

I saw that the water pool in the cave was icy and deep, with a faint, lingering spiritual energy gathering above it. In the center, a stone platform jutted out of the water, just enough for one person to sit and meditate. The hole in the cave's ceiling, where the Spirit Gathering Formation was centered, was directly overhead. Somehow, I felt a connection to my fate source 'Water Within Stone' , and a realization slowly came to me. So, I sat on the stone platform to meditate, and it all just...clicked."

He Yu collected his thoughts and slowly began recounting what he saw upon entering the cave, then described his circumstances and his state of mind as he sought enlightenment. At first, he was a bit awkward in this newfound position of teaching, but gradually, he loosened up. By the time he started discussing deeper aspects of the Great Dao, even Zhang Shishi, whose cultivation was higher, found himself quietly impressed by He Yu's insights and understanding.

"The Great Dao described in the Mountain and Water Cavern Scripture comes from observing the natural world. I used it to advance, and while it may not be suitable for everyone, the heart of understanding nature's Great Dao should benefit any cultivator, even those without Water or Earth soul roots. To put it simply..." 

He Yu spoke at length, and unlike Kan Lin, his cultivation level was closer to that of the others, creating a stronger connection. His discussion of the Dao resonated with everyone, including Qi Xiu, and they all felt it was beneficial.

The members of Chu Qin Sect listened, debated, and shared their thoughts in a harmonious atmosphere until the sun began to set, at which point Qi Xiu announced the end of their Dao gathering.

The next day, Zhang Shishi, He Yu, and the others continued working at the foot of the mountain to complete the Spirit Gathering Formation, while the rest, after handling their logistical tasks, quietly resumed studying their Daoist scriptures, each making their own efforts in private.

Though the path to the Great Dao was distant and uncertain, it's impossible for any cultivator to completely abandon their pursuit of it. What's more, after seeing He Yu's breakthrough, even Qi Xiu's thoughts were stirred. The small table in the Sect Leader's inner chamber showed signs that the Yellow Court  and the Eternal Spring technique had fresh signs of being read again.

Especially Gu Ji, who was only a year younger than He Yu. Seeing the increasing gap between them, he started to rein in his playful nature and quietly focused on studying his scriptures.

Finally, three days later, while cleaning the main hall, Gu Ji noticed a faint stream of spiritual energy slowly seeping out from the small hole at the center. The Spirit Gathering Array had finally been cleared.

The door to the Sect Master's inner chamber was knocked loudly, and the news quickly spread throughout the entire Black River Peak. Qi Xiu, excitedly accompanied by everyone, sat down near the small hole, meditating and circulating their energy. 

They could feel the spiritual energy that would one day become the foundation of the Chu Qin Sect's mountain gate. The spiritual energy rose like smoke, directly ascending and then seemed to be blocked by an invisible force, gathering only around the small hole and the area above the formation on the ground, gradually filling this part of the space and enveloping Qi Xiu and the others.

Shen Chang, whose cultivation technique circulates the fastest in a single cycle, closed his eyes and sensed for a while before looking suspiciously at Qi Xiu. "This spiritual energy feels off, doesn't it?" 

'Yes, it is indeed off!' Qi Xiu replied.

"This is Earth-spiritual energy!"

"I don't have an Earth soul root; I still can't cultivate with this!"

Everyone's speed of circulating their energy varied, some fast and some slow, and they all noticed something wrong in turn. They began to discuss it animatedly.

"Silence!" Qi Xiu's 'Eternal Spring Technique 'focuses on nourishment and is the slowest in energy circulation. After completing a full cycle, his brows furrowed. The spiritual energy generated by this gathering formation turned out to be primarily earth spiritual energy. If divided into ten parts, roughly fifty percent is earth spiritual energy, thirty percent is water spiritual energy, and the remaining twenty percent is other types of spiritual energy.

Qi Xiu's Beast-Soul Root only gets a slight benefit from this Spirit Gathering Formation.

He felt like he was climbing a mountain, almost reaching the top, only to slip and fall back down—he couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Annoyed, he stopped the disciples from talking. "We don't know the full situation yet. Let's wait until Zhang Shishi and the others return before discussing this further!"

The disciples gradually quieted down.

Soon, Zhang Shishi and the others returned to the top of Black River Peak. Qi Xiu hurried to meet them, and after comparing their findings, some people were happy while others were disappointed.

It turned out that the previous secret cultivator from the Esoteric Sect had used a mysterious esoteric spirit-gathering technique to gather the spiritual veins inside Black River Peak and the weak spiritual energy generated from the water pool at the foot of the mountain. He had concentrated and channeled this energy through the small hole in Black River Peak into two locations. 

One was the center of the main hall, where the formation was inscribed. This area had mostly Earth energy, with some Water energy, making it about the equivalent of a 1st-grade high-tier spiritual land. The other place was the stone platform in the water pool at the base of the mountain, which had mostly Water energy with some Earth energy, making it roughly equivalent to a 2nd-grade low-tier spiritual land.

Both areas were small, and the stone platform at the bottom was only large enough for one cultivator.

"'This…" Qi Xiu looked at the expressions of everyone, somewhat at a loss for words. 

Though He Yu stood quietly aside, his lack of experience was evident as he clearly showed his joy. The stone platform at the mountain's base seemed almost destined to be prepared just for him; even though it is a 2nd-grade lower-tier, the rich concentration of water and earth spiritual energy was perfectly suited for him.

Zhang Shishi, who had an Earth soul root, could use both places, but had to choose. The stone platform was of higher quality but had less Earth energy, while the main hall had more Earth energy but was of lower quality. 

Gu Ji and others with Water or Earth soul roots were also relatively fine, but disciples like Shen Chang and Pan Rong, who had no Water or Earth soul roots like Qi Xiu, were left feeling disheartened.

'But Zhan Yuan doesn't have either of these two kinds of spiritual roots!' Qi Xiu lamented inwardly. Given that the environment of Black River Peak couldn't be changed, it seemed these three might not be able to stay...

It's a pity that Zhan Yuan, such a talent in administrative affairs, is still at the Soldier's Outpost Market working hard for the sect's future. I wonder how he would feel if he knew that the mountain's spiritual energy is unsuitable for his cultivation.