It turned out that the Soul-Nurturing Trees appeared to be planted within the space, but in reality, they were rooted in the buffer zone.
Ordinary visitors to Changming Mountain might be able to see the Soul-Nurturing Trees, but they wouldn't be able to touch them.
Of course, that's just the standard situation.
As the Sect Master and creator of Changming Mountain, Lin Xiao naturally left himself a way to traverse the entire area freely.
For now, he refrained from using his privileges, choosing instead to experience the place from the perspective of an ordinary visitor.
After surveying Changming Mountain and confirming that everything was functioning as intended, Lin Xiao prepared to leave.
The white fox, still lying lazily atop the stone monument, noticed Lin Xiao about to depart. It lazily lifted its eyelids, ready to dissolve back into the formation. However, just as Lin Xiao turned to leave, he suddenly stopped and asked the fox:
"As the guardian of Changming Mountain, you should have a proper name, so the disciples can address you appropriately. Since you are the spirit of this formation, how about we call you 'Changming'? What do you think?"
Changming Mountain was not just a regular spatial formation but a complex, multi-layered formation that fused many different arrays into a single, inseparable whole.
Unlike combination arrays, which are merely multiple functional formations placed together, Changming Mountain's formation was a complete entity. Each function was carefully adjusted and fused, making it impossible to separate into individual components.
The technical difficulty of creating this formation far surpassed that of simply stitching multiple arrays together.
Thus, Changming Mountain was undoubtedly a high-grade formation.
High-grade formations often give birth to their own formation spirit.
Lin Xiao had noticed this phenomenon long ago when studying formations. However, back then, his cultivation level was too low, and with his time consumed by sect matters and personal cultivation, he hadn't had the chance to delve deeper into the topic.
But when he conceived the idea of creating Changming Mountain, a highly intricate formation, he had factored in the possibility of a formation spirit emerging.
After thorough research and planning, he was certain that with the size and complexity of Changming Mountain, a formation spirit would inevitably manifest if the formation succeeded.
The only deviation from his design was that, instead of the Heavenly Hound he had envisioned, the spirit manifested as a white fox.
This was likely due to an imbalance in the properties of the yin energy gathered during the formation's completion.
But that was a minor issue. The white fox was charming in its own way.
The white fox seemed surprised at receiving a name. Its previously calm and expressionless face briefly showed a trace of confusion.
"Changming…"
As the spirit of Changming Mountain, it was naturally drawn to this name, for it was born of the very essence of the mountain.
The white fox stood up, bowed its head respectfully to Lin Xiao, and said, "Thank you, Sect Master, for granting me a name."
Meanwhile, just half an hour earlier, in the royal palace of Pusi Kingdom, far from the Lingxian Sect, He Yi was deep in meditation when his brows suddenly furrowed, and his eyes shot open.
After a moment of concentration, he raised his hand, and a thin, glowing talisman appeared at his fingertips!
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that this glowing talisman was unlike the usual kind drawn on paper—it was created entirely from spiritual energy!
"Go!"
With a flick of his fingers, He Yi sent the talisman speeding out of the room, aimed at a distant location!
If any knowledgeable cultivator had witnessed this, they would have been utterly shocked. After all, He Yi had just instantly crafted a talisman out of pure spiritual energy, a feat that few could achieve.
It might seem like an unnecessary step, given that with such precise control of spiritual energy, he could have simply cast a spell instead.
But the truth was different.
To cast any spell with proficiency requires thorough learning and practice.
There are countless spells in the world, and for many cultivators, mastering even a few is considered impressive.
However, He Yi's ability to create talismans instantly from spiritual energy meant that the more talismans he mastered, the more spells he could cast!
As a talented Talisman Master, He Yi could acquire and use a vast number of talismans much faster than he could master individual spells.
This gave him an almost limitless range of techniques at his disposal!
Additionally, Talisman Masters have the unique ability to craft talismans of a higher grade than their own cultivation level permits.
If He Yi could accurately and swiftly create high-grade talismans from spiritual energy, his strength would be extraordinary.
However, this particular ability of his had rarely been seen by others.
Not because he deliberately kept it secret.
It was simply that, except for a few rare instances, those who had seen it were no longer around.
And for those who were still around, there was never a need for him to use it.
Nonetheless, he practiced this technique often when alone, honing his skills.
Today was one such occasion.
He Yi had arrived at the capital of Pusi Kingdom the previous month.
Having spent over a year in the Land of Absolute Spirit, a place devoid of spiritual energy, he and the other nine cultivators who had come from the cultivation world needed to recover.
The lack of spiritual energy in the Land of Absolute Spirit had taken its toll on their cultivation.
Thus, as soon as He Yi emerged from that desolate place, he immediately entered seclusion to recuperate.
The other cultivators from the mission had done the same.
However, spiritual energy in the mortal realm was sparse.
Although He Yi possessed numerous talismans, he was not keen on selling them, so his stockpile of spirit stones was not particularly large.
Upon arriving in Pusi Kingdom, he had not rushed to hand over his investigation task to the royal family, leaving them to handle it themselves.
Instead, he had chosen to engage with the mortal royal court directly, learning the finer details of their operations before assisting with the investigation.
So, for the past month, He Yi had been staying within the palace.
Just moments ago, during his usual meditation, He Yi had sensed a faint, almost imperceptible flow of yin energy, as though being drawn toward a distant location.
This sensation did not last long before it disappeared.
Most cultivators would not have noticed such a subtle shift in yin energy. Even if they had, they likely would have dismissed it as an illusion.
However, for certain reasons, He Yi was particularly sensitive to fluctuations in yin energy.
He had been in the mortal realm for a few months now. Whether traveling through the wilderness or passing through various towns and cities, he had never encountered anything like this before.
It struck him as odd.
Typically, yin energy exists as a natural force in the world, but it doesn't just flow in a fixed direction unless there is something drawing it—or someone manipulating it.