He walked toward the shelf and picked up a jade slip.
Basic Array Formation — Introduction.
He didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he found a quiet corner and sat down.
He pressed the jade slip to his forehead.
Information flowed in.
Array formations were not something you could simply "see." But you sense them.
They had to be constructed.
Each array was built from:
• Nodes (anchor points placed on physical materials)
• Lines (qi pathways)
• Core (stability center)
Without understanding this structure, no array can be formed.
The jade slip also mentioned that beginners often used simple materials—like treated pebbles provided by the Array Hall—to act as anchors for nodes.
Lu Haotian opened his eyes slowly.
"…So this is the beginning."
He took out a few small pebbles he had picked up earlier from the hall.
He raised his hand slightly.
A faint strand of qi gathered at his fingertip.
He paused.
Then carefully—
He guided the qi into one of the pebbles and tried to form a single node.
It flickered.
Shook.
And collapsed instantly.
Lu Haotian stared at the pebble for a moment.
Then nodded slightly.
He put the pebbles away, stood up, and took the jade slip with him back to his courtyard.
"…I should try again."
The room was quiet.
Only the faint sound of turning pages could be heard.
Lu Haotian sat in the same corner.
In front of him, several small pebbles were placed in a simple pattern.
Faint strands of qi gathered and dispersed repeatedly.
Failure after failure.
But his expression did not change.
He had already understood the theory.
But understanding was not mastery.
Forming a node required:
• Stable qi output
• Precise control
• Constant focus
• A proper material anchor to hold the qi
Even a slight fluctuation, and it failed.
Hours passed.
Then—
For the first time—
The qi flowing into one of the pebbles held.
A tiny point formed on its surface, which looked stable.
Lu Haotian's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Good."
But he did not rush. He maintained it and felt its structure.
Then he tried to add a second node using another pebble.
The moment he did, the first one collapsed.
He adjusted.
This time, he slowed down.
Formed the first node.
Stabilized it.
Then carefully—
Formed the second.
Both flickered.
But they remained.
A thin line of qi stretched between the two pebbles.
Weak and unstable, but connected.
Lu Haotian felt it immediately.
The moment the line formed, his qi began to drain slightly.
Not much.
But noticeable.
He noted it mentally.
He tried to extend it further.
A third pebble.
A third node.
The entire structure collapsed instantly.
Lu Haotian exhaled slowly.
No frustration.
Only understanding.
"This is harder than it looks…"
He lowered his hand, then closed his eyes, replaying everything.
Every failure.
Then he opened them again.
And started over.
By the time the sun began to set—
He succeeded.
Three pebbles.
Three nodes.
Connected.
Stable.
For a few breaths.
It wasn't powerful.
It wasn't even a complete formation.
But it was real.
Lu Haotian looked at the faint structure formed between the pebbles.
Then let it disperse.
A small smile appeared.
"…Interesting."
He stood up slowly.
His body felt slightly tired.
Not physically.
But mentally.
"As expected…"
"This won't be easy."
But that didn't bother him.
If anything—
It made it more worthwhile.
As he stood up, his thoughts were calm.
He had found something useful.
Something practical.
Something that could support everything else.
And for now—
That was enough.