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.
Then—
He pressed the jade slip to his forehead.
Information flowed in.
Not overwhelming.
But structured.
Clear.
Array formations were not something you could simply "see."
They had to be constructed.
Each array was built from:
• Nodes (anchor points)
• Lines (qi pathways)
• Core (stability center)
Without understanding this structure—
Nothing would form.
Lu Haotian opened his eyes slowly.
"…So this is the beginning."
No shortcuts.
No tricks.
Just learning.
He raised his hand slightly.
A faint strand of qi gathered at his fingertip.
He paused.
Then carefully—
He tried to form a single node.
It flickered.
Shook.
And collapsed instantly.
Lu Haotian stared at his hand for a moment.
Then nodded slightly.
"…Again."The Array Hall was quiet.
Only the faint sound of footsteps and turning pages could be heard.
Lu Haotian sat in the same corner.
Unmoving.
Focused.
In front of him, faint strands of qi gathered and dispersed repeatedly.
Failure after failure.
But his expression did not change.
Node.
Collapse.
Again.
He had already understood the theory.
But understanding—
Was not mastery.
Forming a node required:
• Stable qi output
• Precise control
• Constant focus
Even a slight fluctuation—
And it failed.
Hours passed.
Then—
For the first time—
The qi at his fingertip held.
A tiny point.
Stable.
Faint.
But real.
Lu Haotian's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Good."
But he did not rush.
He maintained it.
Observed it.
Felt its structure.
Then—
He added a second node.
The moment he did—
The first one collapsed.
He paused.
Then nodded.
"…Balance."
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 them.
Weak.
Unstable.
But connected.
Lu Haotian felt it immediately.
The moment the line formed—
His qi began to drain slightly.
Not much.
But noticeable.
"So arrays consume qi…"
He noted it mentally.
He tried to extend it further.
A third node.
The entire structure collapsed instantly.
Silence.
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.
Every instability.
Every imbalance.
Then he opened them again.
And started over.
By the time the sun began to set—
He succeeded.
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 in front of him.
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 walked out of the Array Hall, his thoughts were calm.
He had found something useful.
Something practical.
Something that could support everything else.
And for now—
That was enough.