Chapter 38: Men and women working together make the work easier

A crack was struck into the defensive formation by Chi Xiao.

Although it was repaired quickly, Zheng Tuo would certainly not act as if nothing had happened.

*It must be fake!*

The defensive capability of a First-Tier Immortal-Trapping Formation was sufficient to withstand the attacks of any Qi Refining stage disciple. Even a cultivator at the seventh stage of Qi Refining would not dare claim to have cracked his formation.

But what had just occurred was definitely not an illusion. Chi Xiao, through sheer, relentless effort, had cracked his defensive formation. This meant that if Chi Xiao continued his bombardment, the Immortal-Trapping Formation would likely be shattered.

The continuous output capability of a fire-attribute cultivator was truly terrifying.

*This won't do. I need to find a way immediately. If Chi Xiao breaks the formation, my life might be in danger.*

He had no desire to face a frenzied tigress head-on; that would be a total tragedy.

After instructing Shen Xian'er not to wander off and leaving enough provisions, he sealed off the entirety of Falling Immortal Mountain, ensuring that neither Shen Xian'er nor Xiao Bai could detect Chi Xiao's presence. Once everything was set, he departed Falling Immortal Mountain through Secret Path No. 17.

He did not go to seek out Martial Uncle Hong Niang, because even if Chi Xiao left, the fact that the defensive formation had been cracked remained an objective reality. Instead, he went to the Library to seek a solution.

Inside the Library, among all the levels he could access based on his current strength, he had read every book regarding First-Tier formations. The Immortal-Trapping Formation of Falling Immortal Mountain was already in its most perfect state. Therefore, to further increase its strength, he had to enter the next level.

But to enter the next level, he had to break through his current realm—meaning, he had to enter the Foundation Establishment stage. Only then could he enter the next level to study the Dao of Formations and strengthen the Immortal-Trapping Formation.

Given his cautious nature, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was a matter for the very distant future. He hadn't even reached the Spirit Tempering stage yet; how could he possibly enter Foundation Establishment?

Just as he was contemplating how to resolve this predicament, he spotted Jiu Li'er quietly studying the Dao of Formations in the distance. A thought flashed through his mind.

"Junior Sister Li'er, long time no see." Zheng Tuo approached with a smile to greet her.

"Senior Brother Zheng Tuo!" Jiu Li'er was pleasantly surprised; she hadn't expected to run into him. *Could it be that the stars heard my wish?*

"Junior Sister Li'er." Zheng Tuo looked left and right, and after finding no one around, whispered, "Junior Sister Li'er, do you want to learn the formation methods of the next level?"

Jiu Li'er froze slightly. Seeing that Zheng Tuo wasn't joking, she replied, "Senior Brother, you must be joking. My talent is limited, and my strength hasn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage. I cannot enter the next level."

"I am well aware your strength hasn't reached it. However, since we are both proficient in the Dao of Formations, we should know that any formation must have a flaw. The so-called Heavenly Dao follows the number nine, yet there is always a 'missing one'—this is the sliver of hope the Heavenly Dao leaves for the world."

Zheng Tuo was not talking nonsense. The Dao of Formations was inherently aligned with the Heavenly Dao. Any formation would inevitably have a flaw. Even his Immortal-Trapping Formation had flaws; it was simply that a skilled formation master would hide them. Thus, the more powerful the formation master, the harder the flaws were to detect.

How intelligent was Jiu Li'er? An excited expression appeared on her freckled little face.

"Are you saying the Library's formation has a flaw, and you want to break it to sneak into the next level to learn?" As Jiu Li'er spoke, she felt an inexplicable sense of excitement and an indescribable thrill in her heart.

"Smart." Zheng Tuo gave her a thumbs up.

"What did you discover, Senior Brother?" Jiu Li'er whispered.

"I haven't discovered it yet, but if the two of us, two great geniuses of the Dao of Formations, join forces, we will surely find the flaw."

Jiu Li'er thought for a moment. She actually yearned for higher-level formation methods. Stimulated by Zheng Tuo, she had completed her comprehension of the first volume of the *Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations* ahead of schedule. But due to her insufficient strength, she couldn't enter the next level to learn more. However, she also had concerns.

"Senior Brother, what if the sect finds out? According to the sect rules, damaging the Library's formation could result in us being expelled."

Jiu Li'er did not want to leave the Falling Immortal Sect. Her purpose for coming here was the *Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations*. According to her Great-Grandmother's instructions, if she could merge the *Nine Volumes* with the *Jiu Li True Method*, she could become the strongest formation master in the world. Then, she would be able to protect the entire Jiu Li Tribe.

"Expelled? Impossible! They'll be grateful to us; how could they possibly kick us out?" Zheng Tuo said. "Damaging the Library's formation privately? They'll thank us!"

Jiu Li'er couldn't understand.

"Think about it. We are helping the Library find a loophole to prevent a major catastrophe. How could they not thank us?"

Jiu Li'er tilted her head and thought. What he said seemed to make sense. A flaw in a formation could easily cause an explosion. If the Library's formation exploded, it would cause a chain reaction, potentially destroying all the books, which would be an immeasurable loss.

"So, what do you say? Want to pull a job?"

"Okay... let's pull a job."

The combination of two formation geniuses was, it must be said, highly effective. They began by exploring the most basic formation materials, following the clues step by step.

Finally, after half a month of effort, they actually found a flaw in the Library's formation. On a dark and windy night, they used this flaw to successfully enter the next level.

"Once we enter the next level, Jiu Li'er wants to immediately start studying the formation methods."

"Don't be in such a hurry, Junior Sister. Wait a moment." Zheng Tuo pulled her back.

"Senior Brother, hurry up and learn! We should try not to get caught," Jiu Li'er said anxiously. The formation methods she craved were right before her eyes, yet her Senior Brother was as steady as a mountain. He was being too cautious!

"Silly girl, let me ask you: how long will it take you to finish the second volume of the *Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations*?"

Jiu Li'er thought about it. "The Dao of Formations is like cultivation; it gets harder the higher you go. With my talent, even if I study day and night, I fear it will take over three years to fully comprehend it."

"Exactly! If you need over three years, by the time the formation is broken, the crowd from Falling Immortal Peak will likely already be on their way. In that amount of time, you probably won't even finish the table of contents."

"Then what do we do!" Jiu Li'er stamped her feet, her face full of anxiety. They had finally broken the formation and entered this level; if they didn't learn even a shred of the Dao of Formations, wouldn't this opportunity be a total waste?

"Calm down. I have my arrangements. If we succeed, in the future, we can break formations and study the Dao of Formations openly and proudly," Zheng Tuo promised, patting his chest.

"Really?" Jiu Li'er was half-believing, half-doubting. She trusted Zheng Tuo, but she couldn't shake a sense of unease.

Soon, the people from the Law Enforcement Hall arrived. The two were captured and taken to Falling Immortal Peak without any resistance.

In the Great Hall of Falling Immortal Peak

"Brother, help me pass a message to Peak Master Lei Xing. Tell him his nephew, Zheng Tuo, has something to discuss with him," Zheng Tuo said to the Law Enforcement guard beside him.

"Pfft! The Peak Master is very busy. Not just anyone can see him. Wait patiently," the guard said, quite dissatisfied with Zheng Tuo, perhaps because he was accompanied by a girl.

"Then what must I do to see the Peak Master?" Zheng Tuo maintained his basic composure.

"Make a mistake. A big mistake. An irreparable mistake. Then the Peak Master will definitely see you," the guard said with great emphasis.

"Like this kind of big mistake?" A low-grade spirit stone appeared in Zheng Tuo's hand as he attempted to bribe the guard.

The guard's eyes lit up upon seeing the stone, but he immediately regained his composure. "Don't try that kind of thing with me. I, Da Niu, am upright and incorruptible. Furthermore, bribing the Law Enforcement Hall is a capital offense. I will report—"

Halfway through his sentence, Da Niu noticed Zheng Tuo producing two more low-grade spirit stones.

"Making Senior Brother make a trip in the middle of the night—consider this a small token of my appreciation," Zheng Tuo said.

Da Niu hesitated. Seeing this, Jiu Li'er immediately understood.

"Senior Brother Da Niu, please just accept it. Great-Grandmother said that between seniors and juniors, we should help each other like family. How could this be a bribe? Senior Brother is overthinking it," Jiu Li'er said.

As soon as she finished, Zheng Tuo stuffed the three spirit stones into Da Niu's hand. Da Niu looked at Zheng Tuo, then at Jiu Li'er, and immediately pocketed the stones.

"Ahem... Junior Sister is right. We are all fellow disciples and should help each other. I will pass the message to the Peak Master for you. But I'm telling you, don't even think about running! My eyes are very sharp; even if you run to the ends of the earth, I'll catch you," Da Niu said before leaving.

Zheng Tuo turned to give Jiu Li'er a thumbs up. *Not bad, not bad. We've only met twice, and she's already learned the essence of manipulation. A teachable child.*

"Hee hee hee..." Jiu Li'er laughed happily. "But Senior Brother, spirit stones are very precious. Why did you give them to him?" She felt a bit pained for the stones. Earning them was not easy; though three stones weren't much, they shouldn't be given away for nothing.

"How could I give my stones away for nothing? Don't worry, we'll be able to use them in the future."

Falling Immortal Peak was responsible for all internal affairs of the Falling Immortal Sect, including guards, external reconnaissance, issuing tasks, and so on. Having someone on the inside meant he could receive a lot of useful information. He noticed the insignia on Da Niu's chest indicated he was a squad leader, and the man seemed like a simpleton with little wit. Most importantly, the man was greedy.

He had already recorded the entire encounter using a memory crystal. If this were handed to Peak Master Lei Xing, Da Niu would be expelled from the sect in minutes. This meant he now held leverage over Da Niu. Consequently, Da Niu would inevitably become his informant.

The internal workings of the Falling Immortal Sect always gave him an uneasy feeling. Collecting more information and being cautious would never be a mistake.

Before long, they didn't have to wait much. Peak Master Lei Xing arrived quickly after receiving the news.