The fourth morning began with Elder Fengxue's most important lesson yet—formation disruption through void manipulation. Lin Feng arrived at the instruction pavilion to find the space transformed, walls now covered in various defensive formations ranging from basic barriers to complex multi-layer arrays.
"Yesterday's sparring revealed your critical weakness," Elder Fengxue began without preamble. "You cannot breach sophisticated defensive formations. Against Chen Shuang's layered barriers, you were completely neutralized despite adequate offensive power. This deficiency will cost you tournament matches if not corrected."
"Yes, Elder. I recognized the problem immediately."
"Recognition is insufficient. Correction is required." She gestured to the simplest wall formation. "Formation disruption through void manipulation exploits a fundamental truth—all formations are structured spiritual energy. Void consumes structure. Therefore, void cultivators have natural advantage in formation breaking that other elements lack."
Elder Fengxue placed her hand against the formation, channeling ice-element spiritual energy to demonstrate its defensive properties. The barrier glowed brightly, repelling her assault effortlessly.
"Now observe." She withdrew her hand and motioned Lin Feng forward. "Channel void energy at the formation's geometric nodes—the points where spiritual energy lines intersect. Don't attack the formation's surface. Attack its structural foundation."
Lin Feng followed her instruction, focusing void energy at the formation's visible intersection points. The effect was dramatic—the barrier flickered, its stable glow becoming erratic, then collapsed entirely as its structural integrity failed.
"Excellent. You've just performed formation disruption through foundation targeting." Elder Fengxue's tone carried rare approval. "This technique works against any formation regardless of complexity—identify geometric nodes, apply void energy precisely, watch structure collapse. Simple in theory, difficult in practice because combat formations move their nodes or hide them within layered arrays."
What followed was intensive training in node identification. Elder Fengxue activated increasingly complex formations, each one hiding its structural foundations more effectively. Lin Feng practiced locating nodes through spiritual energy analysis, targeting them with void manipulation, and timing disruption for maximum tactical advantage.
By the session's midpoint, he could disrupt basic formations in three to four seconds. More complex arrays took longer—up to ten seconds for multi-layer defenses—but all eventually fell to sustained void application at geometric nodes.
"Your progress is acceptable but insufficient for tournament level," Elder Fengxue assessed. "Advanced defensive formations have redundant node structures. Disrupting one node triggers backup systems. You must learn to target multiple nodes simultaneously—requiring spiritual energy division and precision control beyond your current capability."
She demonstrated by channeling ice energy at three separate points on a complex formation. The barrier collapsed instantly, all structural support eliminated before backup systems could activate.
"This is advanced technique typically reserved for Immortal Emperor instruction. But your void cultivation makes it achievable at Divine Domain level if you develop sufficient control." Her eyes narrowed. "Can you divide your spiritual energy into three independent streams while maintaining precision targeting?"
Lin Feng attempted the technique. His void energy split reasonably well—three distinct streams emerging from his control—but precision suffered dramatically. The streams wavered, their targeting imprecise, none actually hitting intended nodes.
"Inadequate. But you have nine days to develop the skill." Elder Fengxue's tone suggested she believed nine days was barely sufficient. "Practice this technique two hundred times daily. Muscle memory and spiritual energy pathway development will improve division control and precision simultaneously."
After the morning session, Lin Feng went directly to the archive for his midday study period, his mind churning through formation disruption principles. The technique was powerful—being able to collapse defensive formations would eliminate his biggest tactical weakness—but achieving reliable multi-node targeting in nine days seemed ambitious even by his accelerated learning standards.
In the archive, he sought texts specifically about spiritual energy division and precision control. Several jade slips addressed the topic, most emphasizing that such techniques typically required months or years to master reliably.
One text stood out—"Parallel Consciousness Techniques for Advanced Spiritual Energy Manipulation." The author argued that spiritual energy division was fundamentally about consciousness division—maintaining multiple awareness streams simultaneously rather than just splitting power output.
"Most cultivators attempt spiritual energy division through brute force—separating power into streams through willpower alone. This approach is inefficient and imprecise. Superior method involves consciousness division—creating multiple awareness centers that each control spiritual energy independently. Void cultivators have natural advantage in this technique because void cultivation emphasizes liberation from singular perspective."
The concept resonated with Lin Feng's understanding of the Inverse Void Dao. Liberation from constraints included liberation from singular consciousness—the ability to maintain multiple simultaneous perspectives rather than just sequential attention.
He spent two hours studying the consciousness division technique, then practiced in the archive's experimentation area. The approach felt more natural than brute force spiritual energy splitting—instead of forcing power division, he created multiple awareness centers that each naturally controlled void energy streams.
First attempts were crude—two awareness centers that barely maintained stability. Third attempt achieved three centers, though they collapsed after five seconds. By the twentieth attempt, he could maintain three awareness centers for fifteen seconds while each controlled void energy with reasonable precision.
This could work. If I develop consciousness division sufficiently, multi-node formation disruption becomes achievable. Still need hundreds of practice repetitions but the fundamental approach is sound.
Afternoon brought scheduled sparring against Level 5 opponents—significantly stronger than previous day's matches. Yun Qingxue had arranged two matches: first against Sun Bing, a male ice cultivator specializing in offensive assault; second against Zhou Xue, a female defensive specialist even more formidable than Chen Shuang.
The match against Sun Bing was brutal education in power differential. Divine Domain Level 5 wasn't just incrementally stronger than Level 4—it was qualitatively different. Sun Bing's techniques operated at scale that made defensive formations nearly useless, his spiritual energy density so high that Lin Feng's void consumption struggled to keep pace.
"Frozen Cataclysm!"
The technique manifested as dozens of massive ice constructs—each one carrying enough destructive power to seriously injure Divine Domain Level 4 cultivators. They struck from multiple angles simultaneously, overwhelming Lin Feng's defensive capabilities through sheer volume and power.
He survived through desperate void manipulation—using Void Step for constant repositioning, Shadow Veil for misdirection, and formation barriers deployed at critical moments. But "survival" was generous description—he was clearly outmatched, accumulating damage that medical disciples would need to address after the match.
Twenty minutes in, Sun Bing called halt. "Enough. You're on the edge of serious injury and we're training, not trying to cripple you." His tone was respectful despite obvious power superiority. "You fought well for Level 4 against Level 5. Most cultivators at your stage would have been incapacitated in five minutes."
"I felt completely overwhelmed." Lin Feng accepted healing assistance from medical disciples. "Your power output is at least double mine. How do I compete against that in tournament?"
"You don't compete directly. You out-technique." Sun Bing settled nearby while disciples worked. "I won through power advantage, yes. But you have capabilities I lack—instant formation deployment, void-based spatial manipulation, consciousness that adapted mid-combat. If you can develop formation disruption and offensive formation speed, technique advantages might compensate for power differential."
"Might compensate. Not will compensate."
"Welcome to cultivation reality. Power matters. But technique, tactics, and timing can bridge gaps when applied cleverly." He paused. "Though honestly? If you face me in tournament, you'll probably lose unless you advance to Level 5 before then. The power gap is just too significant for technique alone to overcome reliably."
The second match against Zhou Xue demonstrated his formation disruption weakness even more clearly. She created defensive arrays so sophisticated that Lin Feng's single-node targeting was completely ineffective—by the time he disrupted one node, backup structures had already activated and the formation held.
He attempted the multi-node targeting Elder Fengxue had taught, using consciousness division techniques from his archive study. First attempts failed—his awareness centers collapsed under combat pressure. Fifth attempt achieved brief success—three void streams striking different nodes simultaneously—but Zhou Xue's defenses still held through redundant backup systems.
The match ended in stalemate—Lin Feng unable to breach her defenses, Zhou Xue unable to overcome his evasion capabilities enough for decisive strike. Frustrating for both participants but educational about defensive specialist challenges.
"Your formation disruption attempts were interesting," Zhou Xue observed afterward. "Multi-node targeting is ambitious for Divine Domain Level 4. If you develop that capability reliably, my defenses become much more vulnerable. But right now? I can weather your attacks indefinitely."
"What if I targeted six nodes simultaneously instead of three?"
"Then my formations would collapse. But six-stream consciousness division is Immortal Emperor level technique. Achieving it in nine days is..." She paused diplomatically. "Extremely ambitious."
After the sparring sessions, Lin Feng was physically and mentally exhausted. The Level 5 opponents had revealed just how far he still needed to advance. Power differential was real and significant. Technique advantages helped but weren't sufficient alone.
Need multiple paths to improvement. Can't just develop formation disruption and hope that's enough. Need to advance cultivation level if possible—Divine Domain Level 5 would help enormously. Need faster offensive formation deployment. Need better domain warfare strategies.
Nine days. Can I advance an entire cultivation level in nine days while also mastering new techniques?
Probably not. But I can get close. And "close to Level 5" combined with superior technique might be sufficient for competitive tournament performance.
Evening dao companion synchronization session with Yun Qingxue was particularly intense given his combat-damaged state. The dao resonance not only accelerated healing but also helped consolidate today's lessons—his consciousness division practice, his formation disruption attempts, his tactical adaptations against superior power.
"You're pushing too hard," Yun Qingxue observed midway through their session. "I can feel through our bond that you're approaching spiritual energy pathway strain. You need to ease back slightly or risk actual cultivation damage."
"Tournament is in nine days. I can't afford to ease back."
"You can't afford cultivation damage either. That would set you back weeks and make tournament performance impossible." Her voice was firm. "Lin Feng, advancement is marathon, not sprint. Sustainable intensive training is different from destructive overexertion."
He recognized the wisdom in her words even as frustration at time limitations chafed. "What do you recommend?"
"One rest day. Tomorrow, no combat training. Just formation practice, archive study, and dao synchronization. Let your body and spiritual pathways recover fully from today's damage. Then resume intensive schedule day after." Her eyes held concern. "You're advancing remarkably fast—faster than I've seen any Divine Domain cultivator progress. But that speed requires periodic recovery periods or you'll break rather than strengthen."
"One rest day. I can accept that." Lin Feng adjusted his cultivation rhythm to support healing rather than pure advancement. "Though I'll still practice formation disruption and consciousness division. Those are technical skills not requiring physical combat stress."
"That's acceptable. Technical practice is fine. Just avoid spiritual energy depletion and physical combat damage for twenty-four hours." She smiled slightly. "Besides, rest day gives us opportunity for extended dao synchronization session. Four or six hours instead of just two. That could advance both our cultivations significantly."
The idea had merit. Extended synchronized cultivation might provide advancement equivalent to several days of solo practice, compensating for the "lost" training day through enhanced efficiency.
After their session concluded, Lin Feng returned to his quarters and immediately began consciousness division practice. Two hundred repetitions as Elder Fengxue had demanded, drilling until his awareness could split reliably into three streams that each controlled void energy with acceptable precision.
By the hundredth repetition, he could maintain three-stream division for thirty seconds with reasonable targeting accuracy. By the two hundredth, forty-five seconds of stable division with good precision. Not combat-ready yet but measurably improved from morning baseline.
Progress is trackable. Consciousness division becoming more natural. Another week of practice might achieve six-stream division that Zhou Xue mentioned. But nine days? Uncertain.
But don't need six streams necessarily. Three streams reliably executed might be sufficient for tournament level. Focus on mastering three-stream division first, then expand if time permits.
Late that night, Lin Feng reviewed his advancement across four days of intensive training:
Formation deployment: Defensive barriers at 1.5 seconds, offensive arrays at 2.5 seconds. Target: sub-one-second defensive, 1.5-second offensive.
Formation disruption: Single-node reliable, three-node achievable but unstable. Target: three-node reliable, six-node attempted.
Combat capability: Competitive against Level 4, survival against Level 5. Target: defeat Level 4 decisively, competitive against Level 5.
Cultivation advancement: Solidly consolidated Level 4, approaching Level 5 threshold. Target: achieve Level 5 before tournament if possible.
Ambitious goals. Probably unrealistic to achieve everything in eight remaining days. Need to prioritize—which capabilities matter most for tournament success?
Formation disruption is critical—most opponents will use defensive arrays. Multi-node targeting development takes priority.
Offensive formation speed is important—faster attacks mean more tactical opportunities. Continue daily practice.
Cultivation advancement to Level 5 is valuable but can't be forced. Let it come naturally through dao synchronization rather than trying to rush breakthrough.
Domain warfare needs work but might be secondary—can compensate through formation advantages if developed sufficiently.
Through his window, the Frozen Sky Sect glowed with late-night lights, many disciples still training despite the hour. The cultivation world never truly rested—advancement required constant effort, constant practice, constant dedication.
Eight days until tournament. Eight days to transform current capabilities into genuinely competitive performance. Rest day tomorrow for recovery, then seven intensive days of final preparation.
Ready or not, the tournament approaches. And I'll face it with everything I've developed.
Lin Feng settled into final evening cultivation, drawing on the Inverse Void Dao, feeling void energy circulate through perfect meridians enhanced by dao companion resonance. The Heart of Void pulsed with steady rhythm, as if recognizing the intensive advancement pace and supporting the cultivation journey.
Day four complete. Formation disruption fundamentals learned. Consciousness division techniques acquired. Level 5 opponents faced. Recovery day planned.
Tomorrow: rest, technical practice, extended synchronization. Then final preparation sprint toward tournament.
The journey continues. One intensive day at a time.
He cultivated through the night, preparing for tomorrow's recovery day and the final preparation week ahead.
The path toward tournament success and Cloud Transformation advancement continued, fueled by determination, supported by resources, and strengthened through dao companion resonance.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 43: REST AND RESONANCE