Destiny in Cinders

As a martialist who had perfected the Imperial Sky and Earth Arts, An Jing could easily gauge Huo Qing’s progress. The last time they met, Huo Qing had only managed to make some headway in Abyssedge Stake Aura Refining. Though he understood the theory behind Profoundstep and Armorpierce Impetus, he still struggled to apply them. But in just a matter of days, he could see that Huo Qing exuded a sense of harmony. It was obvious he had mastered the three body refinement techniques, bringing him incredibly close to perfection. This was an incredible feat, and An Jing was intrigued.

”Honestly, it was a twist of fate.” Huo Qing recounted with lingering trepidation, ”If it weren’t for a near-death experience, I never would’ve made this breakthrough.” After An Jing left last time, the beast horde launched a sudden attack on Hilltwixt. Once again, the Purple Mansion major formation drove off the feys, allowing Huo Qing to get right back to studying. However, residents were shocked when they attacked again the following day. Ordinarily, no single type of fey could sustain back-to-back losses of a failed siege, unless two different hordes were attacking in turns.

However, both attacks involved flamecrows, which meant either the flock had gone utterly mad, or their population had flourished to an alarming degree. In any case, Deepnight City was forced to send in cultivators to wipe them out. Today, on the third day, an unprecedented horde of flamecrows descended upon Hilltwixt just as the major formation was undergoing maintenance. There was even the three-legged golden crow, a crown fey that was the absolute pinnacle of the flamecrow bloodline.

”At the time, I was a little tired from studying, so I began practicing martial techniques to clear my head.” Huo Qing admitted, ”The entire town was under lockdown as soon as the feys and golden crow attacked. I was so frightened that I immediately triggered the stealth formation and hid myself, but it was no use. The Purple Mansion major formation was down for maintenance and had to be forcefully activated in the emergency. Hilltwixt was completely exposed. Burning meteors fell from the sky and claimed many lives.

”We took a hit from a meteor over here too. I activated the stealth formation, but if those flamecrows detect even a breath, they won’t stop attacking us. Caught between life and death, I desperately tried to envelop the entire warehouse in the formation. At the same time, I pushed Abyssedge Stake Aura Refining and Profoundstep to the absolute limit and tried to merge my breath with the universe to become completely invisible.

”That was when it clicked. It was all so similar to a formation! Isn’t Abyssal Stake Aura Refining, in essence, a formation for gathering and storing? And isn’t Profoundstep just a multilayered stealth formation? As for Armorpierce Impetus which I couldn’t grasp, isn’t that just accumulating strength, concealing intent, and unleashing explosive force beyond imagination at a critical moment?”

As he spoke, Huo Qing raised his hand, and a silver light ignited at his fingertip. The light traced a path following the movement of his finger, forming a complete circle. It glowed faintly, branching into countless intersecting lines that wove into an intricate formation pattern. ”At that moment, I realized that it was indeed a formation! I immediately incorporated my knowledge of formations into the stealth formation and channeled it with Doubtless Piercing Mind. In an instant, the formation expanded, covering the entire warehouse! Even as I sustained the formation, I noticed that my body was constantly being tempered by it. Before I even realized it, I had actually grasped the true intent!”

Wow...” An Jing was completely dumbfounded. He couldn’t help but clap his hands in admiration. ”Incredible... You’ve actually learned how to temper the body through formations!”

”It was just a spark of insight in a life-or-death crisis,” Huo Qing downplayed it. ”Besides, I’ve been practicing for over half a year, and I already had a solid foundation in body tempering. That’s the only reason I achieved this. It’s really nothing special.” It was true. Compared to the disaster children, Huo Qing’s progress couldn’t even be considered fast. After all, he also used a nourishment technique to temper his organs and accumulate vital qi, which also accelerated his progression.

Still, An Jing was well aware that Huo Qing’s main focus was formations. For him, martial techniques served to build strength and energy, much like physical exercise. He had mastered the Imperial Sky Art and unlocked the method of refining the body through formations in a single flash of insight.

And besides... As An Jing stared at the embryonic silver formation outlined by true intent, a sudden realization struck him. It sort of resembles the layout of Direlife Manor, doesn’t it? If these formation patterns were replaced with towers, the manor, and the topography of the mountains... Wait, could it be? Was the entire manor actually a major formation capable of speeding up the learning process for anyone inside?! So that’s why the disaster children comprehended the Imperial Sky Art so quickly and mastered the basics in just a few months! The reason Huo Qing’s progress was slow at first wasn’t a lack of focus on martial techniques. It was because he lacked the aid of a formation! Amazing! These secret tomes are incredibly profound. They never fail to reveal new insights every now and then!

An Jing was deeply moved. Without a background in formations, it was only natural that he failed to glean the formation technique from the Imperial Sky and Earth Arts. Even in body refinement, achieving perfection was impossible without grasping true intent as well as deducing, studying, and even comprehending the dao. Superficial study of Void Embrace’s martial tomes would only amount to rote imitation, never leading to true mastery.

”You’re amazing.” Seizing upon the terror of a life-or-death crisis, Huo Qing grasped the Imperial Sky Art’s formation technique. An Jing was convinced no amount of praise would be too much. ”If you can master the formations of the Imperial Earth part, you can combine the two. You’ll at least be considered an adept in formations, even if you fail to grasp its true essence!”

”It’s not that easy.” Huo Qing said frankly. ”The Imperial Sky Art is external and can be mastered through formations, but the Imperial Earth Art is internal. As far as I can tell, it requires knowledge in pillmaking rather than formations. And that’s something I truly know nothing about.”

”No, no, no... Pillmaking?! Huo Qing, you’re an absolute genius!” Upon hearing this, An Jing’s eyes widened as realization washed over him. ”Of course! The Imperial Earth Art expands the meridians, tempers the mind, and forms psychic intent. Isn’t that just refining a pill of psychic intent and qi essence inside the body? My talent is simply too great, so I succeeded by following the prescribed path. But I forgot that this profound technique encompasses everything. I missed so many details that I could’ve explored!”

”I wouldn’t say you missed anything... You already understood it; you just didn’t have to consider how to apply it.” Huo Qing rubbed his chin. Though An Jing repeatedly hailed him as a genius with unique insights, he saw it differently. In his eyes, someone who ascended steadily along the martial path straight to its pinnacle like An Jing was a deceptively ordinary genius of the rarest kind. Was An Jing completely ignorant of the Imperial Sky formation and Imperial Earth pillmaking techniques? No, he was just unaware that he had internalized them. It only took a single sentence for him to pierce through all the complexities, grasp its true intent, and further elevate his mastery.

Just like that, Huo Qing witnessed An Jing effortlessly execute elixir incubation with the Imperial Earth Art. Thrusting his bare hands forward, An Jing unleashed a vast, invisible wave, discharging his force across the distance to blast away the scorching meteor that had crushed the warehouse doors. This level of power was something Huo Qing knew he couldn’t achieve or wield, even with a few more years of training. He merely possessed the knowledge, but had yet to put it to the test. On the other hand, An Jing had already mastered its practical application. Ultimately, taking a novel approach was only a supplementary measure, not the true orthodox way.

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