Chapter 23: Learning Makes Me Happy

The Library.

In some obscure corner.

Zheng Tuo took several books on the basic theory of formations and began to read them earnestly.

Formations: a type of auxiliary cultivation tool that exists by attaching itself to the Heavenly Dao.

There are many types of formations.

The most common include attack formations, protection formations, auxiliary formations... and so on.

Zheng Tuo was already familiar with the basic concepts of formations.

After all, he had prepared for ten years to join the Falling Immortal Sect.

Now, he was merely being cautious, reviewing them once more.

He wanted to see if the foundational formations within the Falling Immortal Sect differed from what he had previously learned.

Learning is a process that requires focus.

To this end, Zheng Tuo specifically set up thirty alarm talismans around him.

Whenever someone entered a ten-meter radius, the alarm talismans would erupt with a piercing sound, alerting him to their presence.

Once everything was set, Zheng Tuo picked up his books and began to study seriously.

Perhaps due to becoming a cultivator, Zheng Tuo found that his memory was now extraordinary.

After testing it himself, he was surprised to find that he possessed the ability to read ten lines at a glance and never forget what he had seen.

Perhaps this was the exceptional nature of a cultivator.

Although Zheng Tuo was happy, he did not become arrogant.

He was a man who focused deeply on his tasks.

Picking up his books, he studied with meticulous attention to detail.

At the same time, he had a very good habit: taking notes.

There was no other way; with his current soul strength, he was not yet capable of carving jade slips.

Therefore, he could only use self-made pencils to take notes.

Days of earnest study passed quickly.

Three days later, Zheng Tuo had mastered all the basic formation theories recorded in the Falling Immortal Sect.

"Ah..."

He put down the books and stretched.

It was a blessing that he was now a cultivator, with his physical body being nourished by spiritual energy at all times.

Otherwise, sitting there for three days without food or drink would have likely resulted in sudden death and another reincarnation.

He silently recited the Falling Immortal Art in his mind, attempting to use the technique to relieve his exhaustion.

Suddenly!

Zheng Tuo’s expression turned serious.

He immediately stopped reciting the art.

But it was too late.

A warm current surged within his body. He... had broken through.

Qi Refinement Stage 3.

"How did this happen!"

Zheng Tuo asked himself.

Why did he break through just because he let his guard down for a moment?

It was far too careless.

What if someone had greeted him right at the moment of his breakthrough?

Zheng Tuo disliked such unexpected situations more than anything.

A pleasant surprise can turn into a fright with just one wrong step.

He did not like surprises, and he disliked frights even more.

In this life, even for a cultivator, life has an end.

One must arrange every day reasonably and make every day fulfilling.

That was the kind of life he wanted.

Zheng Tuo warned himself to maintain his composure.

Then, he continued studying the basic theory of formations.

Although he had learned all the basic theories, he had not yet fully mastered them.

He wanted one hundred percent; ninety-nine percent was not enough.

Formations could communicate with the Heavenly Dao, borrowing the great power of heaven and earth for one's own use.

When setting a formation, even a tiny deviation could cause it to fail.

At best, the formation would self-destruct.

At worst, it would become a lethal trap that would trap and kill him.

To be safe, Zheng Tuo began reviewing from the beginning until he had completely internalized the basic theory of formations.

Time is like youth.

By the time you think of her, she has already boarded the train to heaven.

One month later.

Zheng Tuo closed his books and let out a long sigh.

This time, he had controlled himself and refrained from reciting the Falling Immortal Art.

Good.

There were no signs of a breakthrough.

In one month, he had thoroughly mastered all the basic formation theories.

"It's about time to start learning First-Tier formations," Zheng Tuo calculated.

But one problem stood before him.

There were a staggering five thousand volumes of First-Tier formations.

Many of them were useless.

For example, the Bathing Formation.

It was simply setting up a formation inside a washbasin to facilitate a bath.

Or the Bonfire Formation.

It simply produced a pile of bonfires once set.

While they might be used during annual celebrations, they were of no use to him.

He was a cultivator; creating a flame was not difficult.

Of the five thousand volumes, one-third consisted of such formations.

Whether to learn them or not was never a question for Zheng Tuo.

It was a fill-in-the-blank question for which he already had the answer.

He would learn.

His reasoning was actually quite simple and old-fashioned.

What if he needed them?

The road of life is long, and cultivators live for hundreds of years; there was no telling when they might come in handy.

Being cautious was never a mistake.

Zheng Tuo reminded himself thus.

He took the First-Tier formations.

He was in no rush.

He would study them one by one, slowly.

Three months later.

Zheng Tuo put down the five-thousandth volume of First-Tier formations, his heart filled with confusion.

Why!

Why was it like this!

It made no sense!

His confusion lay in why his talent was so outrageously high.

Five thousand volumes of First-Tier formations.

He had finished learning them all in just three months.

An average of fifty-five volumes per day.

It sounded exaggerated—fifty-five volumes a day.

But for a genius like him, who had completely mastered the basic theory of formations, studying fifty-five volumes a day was actually him intentionally slowing down.

Otherwise, a hundred volumes a day would have been easy.

How could this be?

Zheng Tuo could not understand it.

In his previous life, although he was smart, his exam scores were consistently ranked third from the bottom of the class, never once dropping to last place.

Thinking deeply, a spark of inspiration hit Zheng Tuo.

So that was it.

The reason he could master five thousand First-Tier formations so easily was simple.

It was like doing elementary school arithmetic after having already mastered multiplication tables.

It was easy and pleasant.

He had almost broken through his realm just from the ease of it.

With this realization, Zheng Tuo felt at ease to continue his studies.

Of course, being the cautious person he was, he intended to review the five thousand volumes at least three times.

His review speed was very fast; it took him only two months to fully master all five thousand volumes.

Once he had mastered the First-Tier formations, he turned his gaze toward Second-Tier formations.

However, the floor where Second-Tier formations were kept required the Foundation Establishment stage to access.

His current strength was only at Qi Refinement Stage 3, which was still far off.

However, Zheng Tuo looked up.

He looked at a young girl sitting opposite him.

The girl had been sitting across from him since his first day.

At first, he thought she was a junior sister who had fallen for him and was trying to confess.

But when he saw the ancient book in her hands, he realized she was also a formation master studying formations.

Furthermore, the ancient book in her hands appeared to be the most precious collector's edition among all First-Tier formations.

It was titled *The Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations*.

The *Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations* were not finished formations in the traditional sense.

Instead, they were a collection of formation principles akin to multiplication tables.

They could also be considered an alternative form of foundational formation studies.

The *Nine Volumes* could be applied to any formation without conflict and could stably increase a formation's strength.

They were considered one of the treasures of the Library.

However, because of their obscure and difficult concepts, they had caused countless formation masters to fall to their knees in frustration.

The girl in front of him looked quite capable.

And after several months of discreet observation, he had determined she was harmless and approachable.

Thus, he approached her.

"Ahem... Excuse me, Junior Sister. My name is Zheng Tuo, from Immortal Cauldron Peak."

Zheng Tuo spoke cautiously, fearing he might disturb her studies.

Hearing the voice, the girl slowly looked up.

Her face was covered in freckles, and her messy hair looked as though it hadn't been groomed in a long time.

Although she wore the robes of Ethereal Peak, she looked like a little sparrow no matter how one looked at her.

"Hello! Senior Brother... I... I... my name is Jiu Li'er, from Ethereal Peak."

Jiu Li'er looked very nervous and stood up in a panic.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person. I just wanted to borrow the *Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations* to take a look."

Zheng Tuo stated his intention directly.

"Senior Brother wants to read it too?"

Jiu Li'er looked somewhat reluctant.

"Don't worry, just let me see it for seven days, and I'll return it after seven days."

Zheng Tuo had confidence in himself.

Even though the *Nine Volumes* were profound, with his talent, seven days would be enough.

"Seven days?"

Jiu Li'er drew out the words.

She clearly doubted that Zheng Tuo could finish the first volume of the *Nine Volumes* in seven days.

Zheng Tuo didn't bother to explain.

"Junior Sister, you have been studying this volume for some time. Put it down and digest what you've learned. I'll be right here across from you, and I will definitely return it in seven days."

Seeing that Zheng Tuo spoke sincerely and didn't seem to be joking, and noting that he was also correct—she had only understood half of the first volume—Jiu Li'er relented.

There were many obscure parts that indeed required digestion before further comprehension.

"Mhm, thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother."

Jiu Li'er was very polite and handed the first volume of the *Nine Volumes* to Zheng Tuo.

Zheng Tuo did not dare to be careless and immediately immersed himself in his studies.

To be honest, perhaps because he truly enjoyed tinkering with these profound things, this former academic slacker had actually found the joy of learning.

As it turns out, if you want to push a skill to its limit, the best way is not to work desperately, but to fall in love with it.

Opening the first volume of the *Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations*, Zheng Tuo dove headfirst into the ocean of knowledge.