Cultivation is Creation

The first thing that struck me about Zhou Shentong's private courtyard was how... normal it looked.@@novelbin@@

I'd expected something more grandiose from a man who supposedly controlled most of the trade routes in the region. Maybe some imposing statues of fierce beasts, or at least a few decorative fountains. Instead, what I found was a modestly sized compound surrounded by plain stone walls, with traditional curved roof tiles and simple wooden gates.

The only hint of ostentation was in the details – the walls were made from expensive quarried stone rather than cheaper pressed earth, and those simple-looking roof tiles had subtle patterns that spoke of master craftsmanship. It was the kind of quiet wealth that didn't need to announce itself, which somehow made it more irritating.

"The walls are higher than they look," Han Renyi observed. "At least twenty feet, with formation-reinforced stone. The gates are ironwood, probably imported from the southern forests."

I nodded, keeping to the shadows of a nearby building as I studied the compound's defenses. "Expensive tastes for someone in a dying world. Those formation arrays must cost a fortune to maintain."

"They do," Han Renyi confirmed. "Most families can barely afford basic protective formations these days. Zhou Shentong has at least three layers of them around his entire compound."

He wasn't exaggerating. Even from here, I could see the telltale shimmer of multiple formation arrays layered over the walls. The patterns were... interesting. Similar to what I was familiar with, but with notable differences.

"Azure," I thought, keeping this conversation separate from Han Renyi, "what do you make of these formations?"

"The basic principles are clearly derived from standard protective arrays, but they've been modified to work with the local rouqi. See how the energy flows are wider, less concentrated?"

"It's not just the energy channels," I noted, focusing on a particularly complex section. "The actual formation patterns are simplified too. Look at that ward array – in our world, it would have at least twelve interconnected matrices. This one barely has four."

"Presumably adapted to function with the limited rouqi available," Azure suggested. "Though that simplification comes with its own weaknesses..."

He trailed off as we noticed movement along the walls. The guards were making their rounds, six Rouqin patrolling in a standard overlapping pattern. Through Hawk's Eye, I could read their energy signatures clearly – three at mid Tier 1, roughly equivalent to fifth stage Qi Condensation, and three at late Tier 1, comparable to sixth stage.

"Most are former sect disciples who couldn't advance further due to the declining rouqi levels. They're bitter about it, which makes them especially dangerous,” Han Renyi warned.

I could understand that. Nothing more dangerous than someone who feels the world has cheated them of their destiny. Still, their bitterness had led them to serve a man like Zhou Shentong, so my sympathy had limits.

"Their patrol pattern is sloppy," I observed, watching as one guard consistently arrived at his checkpoint three seconds later than he should. "They're relying too heavily on the formations to detect intruders."

"Can you blame them?" Han Renyi's voice held a note of bitterness. "No one's seriously challenged Zhou Shentong's power in years. They've gotten complacent."

I smiled. "Well then, let's wake them up. But first..." I turned my attention back to those formations. "Time for a little sabotage."

Moving closer to the wall, I studied the formation arrays more carefully.

The outer layer was a standard alert ward, designed to notify the compound's defenders of any unauthorized entry.

The second was more interesting – a reinforcement array that strengthened the physical structure of the walls and gates.

The innermost layer appeared to be some kind of energy dampening field, probably meant to weaken any hostile techniques used against the compound.

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"Clever," I murmured. "The dampening field would make it harder for someone to just blast their way in. In a time where high-level Rouqins were rare, that's probably enough to deter most attackers." ⱤãΝƟᛒЁs

"But not us?" Han Renyi asked hopefully.

"Not us," I confirmed. "Because whoever designed these formations made a classic mistake – they assumed quantity could make up for quality."

It was a common error in formation design. People thought that layering multiple simple formations would provide better protection than a single complex one. Sometimes they were right – if you just wanted basic security, multiple redundant layers could work fine. But when those layers all shared the same fundamental weaknesses...

"The energy distribution nodes," Azure pointed out, highlighting what I'd already noticed. "They're using the same type of connector in all three layers."

I nodded. Those connectors – the points where formation energy flowed from one section to another – were crucial to any array's stability. In our world, a formation master would use different types of connectors for each layer, ensuring that even if an attacker compromised one, the others would remain secure.

But here? They'd used the same basic design across all three layers. Probably because they didn't have access to more advanced formation knowledge, or maybe because the local rouqi couldn't support more complex patterns.

Either way, it meant I only needed to find one weak point to disable the entire system.

"Watch and learn," I told Han Renyi as I pulled out the formation testing stone we'd acquired earlier. "This is going to be fun."

The stone was a simple tool, meant for novice formation practitioners to check their work. It could inject a small amount of energy into a formation array and monitor the response. Not very useful for serious formation work, but perfect for what I had in mind.

I placed the stone against the wall at a point where two energy channels intersected. With careful precision, I began feeding it qi, not the local rouqi. The stone's surface flickered with confused patterns as it tried to process the foreign energy.

"Careful," Azure warned. "Too much variance in the energy signature could trigger the alert system."

He was right. I needed to match the local energy's frequency while maintaining enough of my spiritual essence's properties to interfere with the formation's flow. It was like trying to play a song in the wrong key while still keeping the melody recognizable.

After a few attempts, I found the right balance. The testing stone's light stabilized into a steady pulse that matched the formation's natural rhythm. Now came the tricky part.

I twisted the spiritual essence's frequency slightly, creating a subtle discord in the formation's energy pattern. The effect was like dropping a slightly off-key note into an otherwise perfect chord – not enough to break the music entirely, but sufficient to make everything just a little bit wrong.

The formation's light flickered almost imperceptibly as the disruption spread through the connectors. To anyone watching the arrays directly, it would look like nothing more than a minor power fluctuation, the kind of thing that probably happened all the time in this energy-starved world.

But I could feel the change through the testing stone. The formations were still active, still drawing power and maintaining their basic patterns. They just... weren't quite connected properly anymore.

"Did it work?" Han Renyi asked anxiously.

I smiled and stepped through the supposedly impenetrable barrier. The formations' light didn't even flicker. "Like walking through an open door."

"How...?"

"The formations are still running," I explained as I pressed myself against the inner wall, avoiding the patrol's line of sight. "They're just not actually protecting anything anymore. Think of it like a chain where one link isn't quite closed – it looks fine until you put pressure on it."

"And the guards won't notice?"

"Not unless they specifically check the formation's integrity," I assured him. "Which, judging by their patrol pattern, isn't something they do very often."

Speaking of the guards...

I activated Hawk's Eye again, enhancing my perception to track their movements. The six Rouqin were maintaining their original patrol pattern, still blissfully unaware that their primary defense was now about as useful as a paper umbrella in a rainstorm.

"Time for some pruning," I muttered, earning a groan from Azure at the plant-based pun. "Let's start with the weak ones first."

The closest guard was one of the mid Tier 1 Rouqin, about fifty feet away and walking a route that would take him behind a storage building. Perfect. I waited until he disappeared from his colleagues' view, then activated Shroud and Blink Step.

The world blurred as I covered the distance in an instant, appearing directly behind him. Before he could react, Yggy materialised and wrapped around his throat.

The guard tried to struggle, but it was futile, not even a second and he went limp.

I carefully lowered the body behind a decorative boulder, using a touch of power to encourage some nearby plants to better conceal it.

One down, five to go.

The second guard proved more challenging. Another mid-Tier 1, but this one had better spatial awareness. As I moved to ambush her, she suddenly stopped, head tilting as if sensing something amiss.

I froze. A single wrong move...

The guard slowly turned, her hand dropping to her weapon. I could see her eyes scanning the area, professional paranoia warring with the embarrassment of possibly jumping at shadows.

That's when I encouraged a nearby flower to shed a petal, the small sound drawing her attention for just a fraction of a second.

It was enough.

Blink Step put me directly behind her, and this time I used Leaf Storm instead of Yggy. A dozen razor-sharp leaves materialized silently. The guard had just enough time to widen her eyes before the leaves found their marks.

"Two down," I thought as I hid her body among the roses she'd been distracted by. "Four to go."

It was the next guard that almost ruined everything.