Chapter 37

The sharpest blades are those you cannot see. Ling Qingxiao’s earlier question had come so naturally, so sincerely—it was clear he genuinely didn’t understand why anyone would be confused.
Luo Han swallowed her words and even subtly scooted her chair a little farther away. “It’s fine. I’ll manage. You keep listening, I won’t disturb you.”
A true academic slacker always knew where they belonged. Luo Han’s people were over with Zou Jibai.
Ling Qingxiao glanced at her, then quietly shifted his gaze toward Zou Jibai without saying a word.
Up front, Star Lord Gu was completely in his element. He’d already slipped into a trance-like flow as he lectured, his voice reverent: “Just look at the beauty of these diagrams—each line so simple on its own, yet when layered together, they produce endless variations. That was a sequential overlay. Now, let’s try a new arrangement—swap the third and fourth diagrams. See? Completely different outcome.”
The patterns in the air weren’t tangible drawings but lines of energy conjured from Star Lord Gu’s spiritual power. With every word, he subtly adjusted the configuration midair—an impressive display of sheer divine sense.
This, Luo Han thought, is the world of true cultivators.
She really was trying to follow along, but the more she tried, the more lost she became. And she wasn’t alone. Most of the students were floundering just as hard.
Star Lord Gu gave a dramatic flourish of his sleeve, conjuring four arrays midair. “Now then,” he said cheerfully, “which one of these is the correct evolved diagram?”
Scattered answers rose from the crowd—“One!” “Four!”—a discordant mix. Ling Qingxiao sat upright and wordlessly marked “three” on his parchment.
Luo Han peeked over and quietly copied the answer into her jade slip.
After waiting a few more moments and still hearing no correct answer aloud, Star Lord Gu let out a theatrical sigh. “It’s number three. A shame. You’ll all need to put in more effort. That’s all for this—”
He hadn’t even finished his sentence before the students erupted in protest, demanding an explanation.
Gu Xing glanced at the arrays and said, matter-of-factly, “The first is obviously wrong. The second is incorrect. The fourth is a deliberate mislead. That leaves number three.”
With that, he looked over the now speechless class, smiled warmly, and asked, “Any more questions? No? Wonderful. Dismissed.”
And then, as if afraid someone might actually stop him to ask something, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
Luo Han exhaled deeply, releasing the tension in her shoulders as she gathered up her brush and paper.
Just as she was about to remove the paperweight, Ling Qingxiao spoke beside her. “Did you understand those four arrays just now?”
Luo Han’s hand froze. She answered delicately, “Not...entirely.”
To be honest, not even remotely.
But that answer didn’t surprise Ling Qingxiao. He took the paperweight from her and pressed it gently back into place. “Show me your jade slip. I’ll walk you through it.”
Luo Han was stunned by the offer, but quickly snapped out of it and dug through her storage ring.
Ling Qingxiao began calmly, “Which part didn’t you understand?”
Luo Han hesitated. “...Pretty much all of it.”
“I’ll start from the beginning then. If anything’s unclear, ask.”
He manifested her copied notes into the air and began explaining the diagrams from the first fifty one by one. Unlike Star Lord Gu’s immersive, abstract style, Ling Qingxiao’s explanations were clear and precise. Luo Han still struggled, but at least this time, she could keep up.
Zou Jibai, who had been on his way out, quietly slid back into his seat and even pulled out a jade slip recorder. Ling Qingxiao noticed but said nothing, as long as he behaved.
While explaining, Ling Qingxiao also began correcting Luo Han’s notes. “This one’s wrong. You drew this line incorrectly.”
He was literally redrawing her notes with his bare hands, while Luo Han had managed to copy them wrong in the first place. By the time he finished, her notes looked better than professionally published scrolls.
Knowing she had no foundation in formation theory, Ling Qingxiao didn’t expect much. He just wanted to help her grasp the basics.
The hall had long since emptied. The only sound that remained was the gentle cadence of Ling Qingxiao’s voice, calm and elegant as he explained the complex workings of formations to the girl beside him. Dust motes shimmered in the light above the rows of long desks.
When he finished, he looked to her. “Understand?”
Luo Han shook her head honestly. “Not everything, but I get the core idea now. I’ll review it again later.”
Ling Qingxiao nodded. “That’s good. Formations have to be understood through personal comprehension.”
He swept up her scattered writing tools with a flick of his sleeve. “Come on. Time to head to the training room.”
Luo Han sighed in surrender, popped a fasting pill into her mouth, and officially gave up on lunch and rest. As they talked, Zou Jibai had been sitting nearby, watching her hopefully. When Luo Han turned, their gazes met. She instantly understood what that look meant—the desperate yearning of a fellow slacker.
She handed him her jade slip. “Want it?”
Zou Jibai nodded wildly and copied everything in one go with practiced ease.
Once done, he leaned in and whispered, “Hey...your rankings. Are they based on the written test or the combat one? I only challenge the top in combat. If he’s the theory guy, I’m not fighting him.”
Luo Han gave him a deeply complicated look. She paused, then silently made a fist and offered a sincere thumbs-up. “He’s both. Keep working hard. Heaven won’t forget your effort.”
Then she turned and hurried after Ling Qingxiao, leaving Zou Jibai alone and vaguely unsettled by the exchange.
They’d spent too long in class. By the time they arrived at the training grounds, the room was already packed. These were the elites of every clan, each one used to standing out—and none willing to be overlooked now.
The formation class had been too abstract. Many had already mentally checked out. But the combat session—that was where everyone wanted to prove themselves.
After all, in the end, it always came down to results. You could master every theory, but if you couldn’t fight, it meant nothing.
During the free-form gathering, cliques had naturally begun to form, like stars in a constellation. The most sought-after figures stood at their center.
Take Ling Zhongyu, for example—Zhongshan’s team lead. Always strategic about building connections, he was now surrounded by admirers. Other clans had their own stars as well, and small groups were forming all across the hall.
Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao entered quietly, drawing little attention. Zou Jibai slipped in behind them, only to be quickly intercepted by his own clan, the Zouyu. A whole crowd of people surrounded him.
Luo Han blinked in surprise. So he really was the top fighter in his clan? He didn’t look the part...
She silently scanned the room as Tianyu arrived.
The moment he appeared, the crowd hushed.
“I am Tianyu,” he said simply. “I trust Star Lord Gu explained the mission. You all know why you’re here. Let’s not waste time.”
He led them to a massive training room—one of many aboard the warship. Inside stood fifty circular platforms, each equipped with a detailed array console glowing faintly with runes.
Tianyu activated the nearest one, and as the formation lit up, a shimmering barrier enclosed the dueling stage. “This array simulates the Western Sea. Observe: this is wind from the Firmament.”
In a blink, razor-like gales tore through the platform, buffeting the protective barrier with violent force.
Even just watching, Luo Han could feel the killing intent. The gusts spun unpredictably, slicing through the air like blades. If one were to stand in that wind...it wouldn’t end well.
The scene shifted again, becoming a dense jungle. Vines gleamed with an ominous green light. A rabbit was suddenly drawn into the array—and in the blink of an eye, it was swarmed, devoured to the bone by the vines. Then even the bones vanished, absorbed into the earth.
Luo Han stared, eyes wide. In her heart, she quietly muttered, Heavens, help me.
I’m still just a kid, she thought mournfully. I should be riding a merry-go-round in a spirit kindergarten...not out here playing in the adults’ world.
Cliffs, swamp beasts, sandstorms, fog fields, even tornadoes followed. After two incense sticks’ worth of time, the arena finally stilled.
“You saw for yourselves,” Tianyu said.
A few shaky responses of “Yes” echoed in reply.
“Then go train,” he ordered. “This is only a small sampling of what’s inside the Western Sea. I won’t waste time explaining—experience will teach you faster. One formation per person, fifty per room. Find your own spot.”
A scion of the Suanni clan raised a hesitant hand. “Can we train in one environment at a time? The shifts are too fast. We barely adjust before it changes again…”
Tianyu gave him a frosty look. “That was two incense’s time. Once you enter the real thing, the terrain changes constantly. If you’re already trying to slack off here, what’ll you do when you’re inside?”
The boy shrank back.
Ling Zhongyu stepped forward. “Star Lord Tianyu, earlier you said that even the Western Sea follows patterns. Since it’s a formation, can its changes be predicted?”
Tianyu let out a cold laugh. “The Heavenly Pivot Hall holds the best formation masters in all of the Celestial Realm. Ten thousand years of study, and even they can’t predict it. You think one month of training will be enough? Just focus on surviving.”
Brutal, but honest. Luo Han felt crushed. Still, she had to admit—Gu Xing and Tianyu both had a point.
Formations were all about talent. Luo Han had none, and a month wasn’t nearly enough. If she couldn’t predict the changes, then she’d have to train her instincts instead. Be faster. Be sharper.
If I can’t control the battlefield, she thought, then I’ll just have to move fast enough that it can’t control me either.
Everyone began splitting off into their assigned spaces. Luo Han, naturally, stuck with Ling Qingxiao. Zou Jibai was about to head off with his clan when he spotted them lingering—and quickly detoured to follow.
He hadn’t given up on challenging Ling Qingxiao.
Luo Han picked a formation array at random. Ling Qingxiao, indifferent as ever, chose the one right beside her. Zou Jibai trailed in behind and casually joined their corner.
Luo Han stared at the unfamiliar console. “I didn’t get a good look earlier. How do I activate this thing again?”
Ling Qingxiao stepped forward without a word, adjusted the settings, activated the safety array, and only once everything was ready did he step back and nod at her to enter.
Luo Han stood on the circular platform, feeling inexplicably nervous. She was about to tell Ling Qingxiao that they could begin when a sharp-beaked black bird suddenly flew toward her. Luo Han quickly crouched to dodge, but before she could stand up, she saw a large group of black birds following, rushing toward her like locusts with a buzzing sound.
Luo Han: "?"
This was how it started? Why did she immediately draw a new map the moment she stepped into the arena?
Everything in the formation was simulated, so the black birds were fake, but the attacks hitting her body were real. Luo Han's advantage was her sensitivity to spiritual energy, allowing her to dodge the birds clumsily. Ling Qingxiao, watching from outside, softly guided her: "Don't look at your feet, use spiritual energy, don't rely on your eyes."
Luo Han followed Ling Qingxiao’s advice, trying to use spiritual energy perception rather than her eyes to avoid the birds. She was pecked several times before she finally managed to dodge once. Luo Han vaguely started to understand the trick, but before she could figure it out, the surroundings changed abruptly. The cliffs and birds around her disappeared, and she suddenly appeared on a river. Before she could react, she plunged into the water with a splash.
The fear of nearly drowning felt too real. Luo Han knew she was standing on solid ground, but she still felt suffocated in that instant. In her panic, she hurriedly attempted the Water Avoidance technique, but before she could complete the gestures, a fish bit her.
...This formation is too realistic.
Luo Han spent the second half of the session being toyed with by the formation. After finally enduring one round, as all the scenes vanished, Luo Han collapsed on the platform, looking utterly disheartened.
Ling Qingxiao, standing outside, gently sighed: "Get up. It's not good for your recovery if you stay like this."
Luo Han looked up, and from her angle, everything was upside down. Ling Qingxiao stood right above her, and even from this deathly angle, he was still incredibly handsome.
"Is this what we're going to face when we enter the Western Sea of Mian?"
"Yes," Ling Qingxiao nodded. "And it will only get harder. At least now it's just a simulated formation. When we get there, all the dangers will be real."
Luo Han sighed from the bottom of her heart: "It's too difficult, really too difficult."
Ling Qingxiao's voice remained calm and patient: "It's fine. Just practice more, and you'll get better."
Luo Han remained lying there, unmoving. Seeing this, Ling Qingxiao gently tapped her head: "Alright, get up."
Just as Luo Han was about to speak, she suddenly heard a voice transmitting to her from Tianyu Star Lord: "You are familiar now. From this point on, the assessment mode is activated. You cannot leave the platform until you meet the assessment goals."
With Tianyu Star Lord's words, a light curtain slowly rose between Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao. Luo Han hurriedly climbed to her feet and reached out to touch the light curtain, only to find that it couldn't be penetrated.
She was trapped inside.
So this is how Tian Gong operates?
Ling Qingxiao could see that Luo Han was a little frightened and whispered: "It's alright. This is just a confinement formation. As long as you meet the conditions, the restriction will lift automatically."
Luo Han looked through the light curtain at Ling Qingxiao, feeling inexplicably like she was in a prison. Ling Qingxiao reassured her: "The assessment conditions are to stay inside the formation for more than fifteen minutes and have a damage rate lower than fifty percent. It's not too difficult. You were about thirty percent evasive just now. With more practice, you'll get it."
As long as she could last for half an hour with less than fifty percent damage, it didn’t seem too hard. Luo Han assessed in her mind and felt confident she could manage, so she relaxed.
"Alright. I'll start practicing. You go ahead and finish your assessment." Luo Han waved to Ling Qingxiao, somehow feeling confident, "I'll try to finish quickly. Maybe I’ll finish even faster than you."
After saying that, Luo Han felt she might have been a bit too boastful. Ling Qingxiao gave a faint smile and nodded: "Alright."
The simulation was over, and now the real assessment had begun. Ling Qingxiao returned to his formation platform. As the outer light curtain slowly rose, attacks followed one after another.
Luo Han listened to the sound of swords clashing from the nearby formation and looked at herself, feeling a sense of helpless sadness. But after being struck for so long, she had grown accustomed to it. Luo Han was now unaffected.
Two quarters of an hour later, the assessment ended, all attacks ceased, and Luo Han's results appeared in the center of the platform.
Maximum duration: two quarters (standard two quarters) — Passed.
Damage rate: 326/600 (standard 300/600) — Failed.
Luo Han was a little disappointed. Out of the six hundred attacks, she had been hit three hundred twenty-six times, just over fifty percent. She sighed and was about to retry.
This time, she was sure she could reduce the damage below three hundred.
Luo Han stretched her muscles and was about to restart when a calm, flat woman's voice suddenly echoed through the training room: "The highest score for Spatial Formation Training Room A has been updated. Highest score: Ling Qingxiao, zero hits in two quarters, damage rate 0/600. Perfect clearance achieved, assessment upgraded to level B. All formation platforms' assessment durations extended to four quarters. The passing standard is half of the highest score."
Everyone present froze. The voice was from the formation's automatic system, not human-controlled. Luo Han quickly looked at her own formation platform. Sure enough, the words had been updated, and everything turned red.
Maximum duration: two quarters (standard four quarters) — Failed.
Damage rate: 326/600 (standard 100/600 per quarter) — Failed.
Luo Han was stunned, her eyes blinded by the glaring "Failed" marks. Why did she fail two criteria now? Was the passing standard changed?
Luo Han glanced at Ling Qingxiao, who had just finished his assessment, and suddenly felt a surge of sadness. She probably understood what had happened.
The simulation didn't count toward the score, so the initial passing standard was set by the system. When Ling Qingxiao completed his training, he immediately became the highest scorer, and the score database was updated.
Luo Han didn’t expect the training room to be so ruthless. The passing standard and highest score were now linked. Their assessments were level-based, with the passing standard being half of the highest score, effectively lowering the criteria by two levels. Only those who passed this new standard would be considered qualified, or everyone would fail., zero hits in two quarters, damage rate 0/600. Perfect clearance achieved, assessment upgraded to level B. All formation platforms' assessment durations extended to four quarters. The passing standard is half of the highest score."
Everyone present froze. The voice was from the formation's automatic system, not human-controlled. Luo Han quickly looked at her own formation platform. Sure enough, the words had been updated, and everything turned red.
Maximum duration: two quarters (standard four quarters) — Failed.
Damage rate: 326/600 (standard 100/600 per quarter) — Failed.
Luo Han was stunned, her eyes blinded by the glaring "Failed" marks. Why did she fail two criteria now? Was the passing standard changed?
Luo Han glanced at Ling Qingxiao, who had just finished his assessment, and suddenly felt a surge of sadness. She probably understood what had happened.
The simulation didn't count toward the score, so the initial passing standard was set by the system. When Ling Qingxiao completed his training, he immediately became the highest scorer, and the score database was updated.
Luo Han didn’t expect the training room to be so ruthless. The passing standard and highest score were now linked. Their assessments were level-based, with the passing standard being half of the highest score, effectively lowering the criteria by two levels. Only those who passed this new standard would be considered qualified, or everyone would fail.
Unfortunately, they were in the same group as Ling Qingxiao.
The training room was eerily quiet at that moment, everyone was stunned by the sudden change. Luo Han watched as her passing standard skyrocketed from 300 to 100. If the passing standard had remained at 300, she could have made a real effort, but 100?
She could only be hit a maximum of 100 times out of 600 attacks, which seemed an impossible task. The passing standard had suddenly become far out of reach, and without it, she would remain stuck in the formation, unable to leave.
In that instant, Luo Han felt utterly defeated. Silently, she gazed at Ling Qingxiao with a face full of despair: "Ling Qingxiao, what did you do?"
The light curtain around the high platform where Ling Qingxiao stood had already been retracted, and he could now freely leave. He looked at Luo Han with some regret: "I didn't expect this either."
Who would have thought the Celestial Palace would set the passing standards based on the highest score?
Ling Qingxiao could see that the new standard was quite difficult for Luo Han. She couldn’t be compared to the immortals here, most of whom had cultivated for hundreds of years, whereas Luo Han had just begun learning immortal techniques, and she was only eighteen.
She was at the age of a beginner, yet she was competing with people over a thousand years old—how unfair was that?
Ling Qingxiao felt a bit guilty and tried to comfort Luo Han: "It's okay, don't rush. I'll wait for you here."
Luo Han stared at the solid, bright light curtain and felt more and more like she was being held in a prison.
Could she even leave?
She silently took a pill from her storage ring and clicked "Start" again. To accompany Luo Han, Ling Qingxiao also restarted his own round.
Moments later, a familiar female voice echoed across the room: "Space formation training room A, highest score updated. Highest score: Ling Qingxiao, perfect zero hits for 3 minutes and 2 seconds, average damage rate 5 per 600. Passing standard updated, duration 4 minutes, average damage rate 80 per 600."
Everyone, still trapped, was stunned by the new standard. Many of them lost their composure and stopped dodging attacks, turning to see who Ling Qingxiao was.
Did he have some kind of grudge against them?
Ling Qingxiao himself was not satisfied with the score: "I was hit by a wind blade after 3 minutes and 2 seconds; such a mistake can't happen again. I’ll restart."
"No, Ling Qingxiao, no!" Luo Han, just hearing it, nearly went mad. She quickly stopped him, "Your score is already perfect, really, you should rest now, don’t do it again!"
However, Ling Qingxiao, a perfectionist, could not accept any flaws in his performance. When the others saw him about to restart, they were all in despair. Zou Jibai, unable to maintain his masculinity, hammered on the light curtain: "Don't try again! I need to sleep when I get out! Ahhhh..."
Zou Jibai, who had watched Ling Qingxiao click "Restart," gave a desperate roar.
At this moment, everyone's hearts were in the same place.
In the end, when that familiar female voice rang out again, everyone’s gaze had become numb.
"Space formation training room A, highest score updated. Highest score: Ling Qingxiao...Passing standard updated: duration 4 minutes, average damage rate 50 per 600."
The room fell into dead silence. Just then, disciples from other training rooms passed by and spoke in hushed tones: "Today's training was so tough, I was locked in for two minutes before getting out."
"Yeah. My standard was 300, and I just barely passed with 299."
"That was close. But I’m out now, thank goodness. I’m so tired, I’ve been wanting to go rest. Hey, why is the door to their training room closed? Have they all left already?"
Luo Han silently took out her storage ring and began counting how many pills she had left. She had thought that after finishing high school, she would never experience the sorrow of being stuck in class again.
But of course, fate always beats tomorrow. Why did she have to choose the same examination field as Ling Qingxiao?