“There are many ways an Array Master can fight. They can support the others like Dong Zhou is doing right now, or they can fight in the frontline by themselves. It all depends on what they prefer and how confident they are in their own arrays.”
“Some Array Masters may prefer supporting because they are not confident in their ability to fight, but that is not to say they don’t have the capabilities to do so.” Huang Xiao Li explained to him.
Bang!
The ship shook again when one of the tentacles struck the barrier protecting the ship.
“I didn’t notice the formation until you told me. How can you tell there’s one?” Yuan then asked.
“Formations can be spotted quite easily if you know what you’re looking for. Unless the formation is concealed with another formation, you should be able to see it with your divine sense.”
“With my divine sense?” Yuan immediately tried looking with his divine sense, and sure enough, there was a massive barrier around the ship that seems to be made of symbols— tens of thousands of symbols that connect with each other.
“You probably think there’s only a few thousand symbols in this formation, right? Look at the symbols individually again. Each of these symbols are actually combinations of smaller symbols, so there are millions if not billions of symbols that make up this formation.”
“Heavens… How long would it take to create this formation?” Yuan asked after a moment of silence.
“Hmmm… It really depends on the complexity of the formation and the ability of those Formation Experts that worked on it. A formation of this size and complexity probably took years if not decades of efforts from hundreds of Formation Experts to complete.”
“That long?!” Yuan was shocked.
“Of course. Formations often require millions of symbols, and a single mistake can cause the whole formation to crumble. Unlike arrays that don’t need as much attention since they require much fewer symbols, so even if you make a mistake, you can quickly fix it.”
“Furthermore, arrays are meant to be used very quickly and do not have lasting effects. Formations, on the other hand, are often made to last for as long as possible. There are plenty of formations out there that have lasted for even millions of years.”
“How does one become a Formation Expert? Is it the same as becoming an Array Master?” Yuan asked.
“In a way, yes. However, most people become Array Masters before they become Formation Experts. Although formation requires symbols, formations have their own unique symbols while arrays have their own distinctive symbols. That’s what really separates us apart from being completely the same thing. The basics are the same, but everything else is different.”
“I understand now. Thank you for the lecture.” Yuan said.
The Sea Demon was subdued shortly after their conversation ended.
“Hm? Young Lady, what are you doing out here?” Dong Zhou noticed them when he made his way back to the ship.
“It’s suffocating to stay in the same room for many days, so I came out for some fresh air,” she said.
Dong Zhou nodded and said, “Anyways, you should return to your room soon. The captain said we might encounter a large-size Sea Demon soon since we’re getting closer to the Giant’s Continent.”
“It’s just a large-size Sea Demon. It won’t be the first time we encounter them.”
“No, this time is different. I’m not sure what to expect since we’ve never had a reading like this one before, but the captain said to expect the worst.”
“Reading?” Yuan raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, we have a treasure that allows us to detect nearby Sea Demons and those that show aggression towards us. The radar picked up the aura of a large Sea Demon that’s currently approaching our direction, but we’ve never seen such a reading of spiritual energy before.”
“How long before this Sea Demon reaches us?” Yuan asked with a worried frown, as he was certain that this Sea Demon was the real trial.
“At the speed it’s moving, it should collide with us in two days.” Dong Zhou said.
“Two days…” Yuan mumbled to himself.
Dong Zhou left the scene shortly after.
“Are you worried about this Sea Demon?” Huang Xiao Li could see it very clearly on Yuan’s face.
“Yes.”
“No matter what we encounter, I’m sure we’ll be able to overcome it,” she smiled.
“I sure hope so.”
They returned to the room after finishing up their tour around the ship.
“Welcome back.” Qin Kai said to them when they returned.
Yuan looked at his replacement and said, “Thank you for taking over. I will take care of the rest.”
“Of course.”
The bodyguard didn’t say anything else and returned to his room.
“I feel safe knowing that you’re here, Yuan.” Huang Xiao Li said to him with a gentle smile before entering the room.
“I think she has a thing for you.” Qin Kai said to him afterward.
Yuan merely shook his head and ignored it.
He then sat down and retrieved the manuals that Huang Xiao Li had given him and started studying them.
He started with reading through ‘Guide to Combining Array Symbols’ to memorizing all of the symbols in ‘10,000 Array Symbols’.
Meanwhile, in the spectators’ room.
“The Young Master is learning arrays now? How many cultivation paths does he plan on walking? Isn’t it bad to spread your focus to so many different things at once?” Feng Yuxiang mumbled in a dumbfounded voice.
“Brother Yuan is not your average genius.” Xiao Hua said.
“I am well aware of that, but he’ll grow much faster if he focuses on one thing.”
Chu Liuxiang then said, “Well, there’s no harm in picking up different hobbies. It’s easy to get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. The real question is whether he truly invests himself into this new hobby or not. He might even get bored of it after a while.”
“Brother Yuan will probably master whatever he’s interested in very quickly and move onto the next path.” Xiao Hua said.
“Honestly, whenever the Young Master does something new, it feels more like he already has experience doing them but just forgot about it. I know that sounds impossible, but it’s how it feels sometimes.” Feng Yuxiang shrugged.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Hua mumbled in a low voice, “If reincarnation is real, that won’t sound as impossible…”