After hearing Yun Xi's explanation, Cao Yi's stern expression finally softened, though he still said,
"Some formations can indeed be broken through with brute force, but others only become more dangerous the more violently you attack them. Your method isn't suited for all types of formations."
Yun Xi immediately nodded. "Senior Brother Cao is right. Through this tournament, I've clearly realized where I fall short. I've already decided to seriously study formation techniques."
She wasn't just saying that to appease him. Of the four core cultivation arts, she had already begun practicing alchemy and talisman crafting. Only artifact forging and formation techniques remained untouched.
Forging required burning through vast amounts of spirit stones. Before she could take independent commissions, learning it would be like throwing stones into a well. The spirit stones would vanish like water. That said, once she passed the assessments and gained a ranking, she could eventually earn those spirit stones back. Just look at the three robes she had bought as proof.
So, for now, Yun Xi didn't plan to learn artifact forging. But formation techniques were different. Especially when venturing outside, if she encountered a formation and didn't know how to handle it, she'd be completely helpless.
Cao Yi, hearing her sincere words, reached into his storage ring and retrieved two jade slips, handing them to her.
"These are Fundamentals of Formations and Practical Formation Compendium. You'll likely find them useful."
"This..." Yun Xi hesitated.
"They're for you. I've studied them already. They're just sitting there gathering dust, and they're not particularly rare either."
Seeing that Cao Yi genuinely intended to give them, Yun Xi smiled and accepted them. "Thank you, Senior Brother Cao. I'll study them carefully."
Afterward, the two exchanged contact imprints from their communication jade slips, marking the beginning of a new connection.
Yun Xi had only just stored the jade slips in her bracelet when she was stopped again—this time by Lin Keyang and Zhang Lingrui.
"Lin Zhēnrén, Zhang Zhēnrén," Yun Xi greeted them calmly. "Is there something you'd like to discuss?"
Lin Keyang cleared his throat, about to speak, when Zhang Lingrui jumped ahead of him.
"Junior Sister Wei, no need to be on guard. We just want to be friends."
He emphasized the word "friends" with a tone that made Yun Xi pause. She gave Zhang Lingrui a careful look before hesitantly replying,
"Senior Brother Zhang, I'm still young and not considering relationships beyond sect camaraderie. I also don't intend to look for a Dao companion with too wide an age gap. If you're seeking companionship, perhaps approach other female cultivators who are more open to that."
Zhang Lingrui froze for a moment. Then, realizing her misunderstanding, his nostrils flared. He gritted his teeth and said,
"That's not what I meant."
Yun Xi gave a slight smile.
"Then what did you mean, Senior Brother Zhang?"
Off to the side, Lin Keyang finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He had always wondered why his friend attracted so many romantic misunderstandings. Now it was clear—it was all due to his vague way of speaking.
Lin Keyang quickly interjected, "Junior Sister Wei, you've misunderstood. Senior Brother Zhang and I want to team up with you to explore the newly revealed secret realm in the Baohua Mountains."
Yun Xi heard the seriousness in his voice and dropped the teasing. "Do you have reliable information? When will the secret realm open?"
"It's reliable," Lin Keyang answered. "This Grand Tournament was actually meant to help the sect screen for participants. Golden Core level is the minimum requirement to enter.
You've seen it yourself—our sect has quite a few Golden Core cultivators. But there are very few early-stage ones with true combat power like yourself. The tournament helps filter out those who wouldn't last long. A newly emerged secret realm is full of opportunities, yes, but the danger is even greater."
Yun Xi had only returned to the sect half a day before the tournament began, so she was a bit behind on information. Though she had seen the Wei clan's disciples, they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators and likely hadn't caught wind of the true purpose behind the tournament. They probably assumed it was just a normal competition.
"So the two of you want to form a team with me to explore the secret realm together?"
"That's right. That's exactly our intention," Zhang Lingrui confirmed.
Yun Xi didn't immediately reject them, but she did raise a concern.
"In my experience, secret realms usually have randomized teleportation. The three of us might not even end up in the same area.
Also, we don't know how large the realm is. If we get scattered—one north, one south—just finding each other again will take time, not to mention the obstacles we'd face along the way. Wouldn't forming a team be meaningless?"
Zhang Lingrui chuckled.
"Your concerns are valid, Junior Sister Wei. But most secret realms have a core zone, and that's where the true treasures are. If you want to compete for opportunities, you have to go as a group. Going alone is asking to fail.
Also, from what I've heard, cultivators from all five regions will be entering the secret realm—not just those from our western region. Everyone will be after the same treasures. Do you think you'll be able to walk out unscathed?
When the time comes, even if you don't want to fight, you'll have no choice. You'll have to compete whether you want to or not. That's why forming alliances in advance is the best strategy."
After a moment's thought, Yun Xi nodded. "Alright, we'll form a team. But I want to invite one more person."
"Who?" both asked.
"Senior Brother Cao Yi."
Zhang Lingrui's tone turned a bit sly. "The one you conceded to—twice?"
Yun Xi smiled. "Yes. If I can't beat him, I might as well pull him into the team. Besides, who knows what formations we might encounter in the secret realm? You're a body cultivator, and Lin Keyang is a sword cultivator. I'm a spell cultivator. If we add a formation cultivator, we should at least be able to protect ourselves."
Lin Keyang nodded in agreement. "Junior Sister Wei really does think things through. I have no objections. As long as Senior Brother Cao agrees, we'll gladly have him."
"Alright, I'll speak to him."
Zhang Lingrui added, "The secret realm will open in about half a year. Let's each focus on cultivation and preparation. We'll regroup before departure."
"Understood."
The three exchanged imprints from their communication jade slips before parting ways.
Yun Xi then walked over to meet the waiting Wei clan disciples.
They immediately surrounded her with beaming smiles and cupped fists in congratulations. Yun Xi had become a pillar of support for the Wei clan within the sect. Their congratulations were entirely sincere.
Wei Ting gave a brief rundown of how the Wei clan disciples performed during the tournament. Wei Ying, having just reached Foundation Establishment, had been eliminated early. The others had all made it past at least three rounds.
The top rank among them went to Wei Zongyu, who, despite being only at the peak of early-stage Foundation Establishment, had managed to place within the top thirty.
Wei Zonghao had broken through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment during the tournament, but due to his lack of combat experience, he only ranked thirty-fifth.
Yun Ting, Zong Han, and Zong Jin had all placed after the fiftieth mark, though they remained within the top hundred. At the very least, no one had embarrassed the clan.
"What about Wei Yunqing?" Yun Xi asked, curious about her placement.
Wei Zonghao replied with a flat tone, "She's currently mid-stage Foundation Establishment and ranked twentieth. From what I saw, she's clearly accumulated a lot of combat experience."
Yun Xi gave a small smile. Wei Yunqing was the female lead, after all. She had been forcibly sent off for experience training halfway through the return journey to the clan. If she couldn't even place in the rankings after that, she might as well hand over her protagonist halo.
Wei Yunting, not wanting the Wei clan disciples to form internal rivalries, smiled and said,
"All of us did well in this tournament. More importantly, we each discovered where we still need improvement. Now we all have a direction to work toward. I believe we'll all do even better in the future."
Yun Xi nodded in agreement and let the subject rest.