After hearing this, someone in the crowd couldn't help but respond."You mentioned that the center of the formation is so important, so how to hide the center of the formation should be more valuable than the formation pattern, right?" The doubts raised by the diners around are also reasonable. This person spoke so highly of the eye of the formation. If the eye of the formation is not well hidden, the formation can be broken in one go. Then all the formations that were created before would be wasted and all in vain. Hearing this, the person next to him smiled. "I didn't overestimate the role of the center of the formation. However, when facing monsters, those beasts have no ability to distinguish the core of the formation. Therefore, as long as a formation master has sufficient attainments in formation patterns, it will be of practical significance. There is no need to worry about the formation being destroyed easily." This explanation made sense, and the diners around were convinced after hearing it.
Most of the time, formations are used against monsters. The eye of the formation is not well hidden, which only limits its ability to block people. When dealing with monsters, the problem is negligible. Those beasts are not that smart. Even for a celestial demon whose intelligence is not inferior to that of a human, it is not easy to understand this formation. They haven’t even fully understood human language, so what can they do? In fact, let’s not talk about them. In this world, there are so many people who have no idea about battle formations. Su Chen sat aside and listened as the man continued talking. Su Chen learned all the knowledge about formations from the secret book left by the immortal Jingbo. What the person in front of me said was very different from what I had learned. Especially in terms of some concepts, there seems to be a big difference from the guidance of Jingbo Immortal. Especially from the perspective of the array patterns, Immortal Jingbo sought a method of stacking them. In other words, the array pattern that Immortal Jingbo advocated drawing was stacked up layer by layer. It was only after Su Chen read it carefully that he gradually understood this point. This kind of array pattern will make the formation appear to have a gradient. Once the hostile target becomes involved, they will retaliate in a graded manner. One strike to hide, another strike to attack. The formation masters here have completely different ideas. They required that the formation pattern be drawn in one go, without interruption. Under this concept, the response of the formation will be interrupted.
But every time the formation reacts, it will be the most violent feedback. Su Chen just listened and didn't believe it completely. After all, it was just a casual conversation among the diners. We have to consult an authoritative array master to know whether it is true or not. After eating some food, Su Chen wandered around Pi Shi City. Pishi City has been really lively recently. It is no less beautiful than Yangchun City during the spring viewing period. Also, there are many young people coming here. Come to take the test, to try your luck, to seek guidance. Compared to many places, there are more young people. Here, Su Chen saw the mansion of the Zhenmeng. The center of the Jin State's alliance was located here. Compared to the Pi Shi City which was filled with elements related to formations, there were no formations set up near the Formation Alliance's mansion. People came and went, and from time to time people went in and out of the mansion. Judging from their appearance, they seemed to be going to give gifts. Don't know what it means either. After leaving the Zhenmeng Mansion, Su Chen continued wandering around. In the city, you can find people explaining the formation everywhere. The study atmosphere is completely different from that of other martial arts techniques. Here, the formation masters are really not afraid of others learning their methods. Instead, I hope that more young people can enter the field of formation. In recent years, there are really fewer successor formation masters. Of course, although there is this hope, they will not allow disciples with incompetent abilities to be their successors. While strolling around, Su Chen asked about the next steps. The day after tomorrow will be the assessment for the ninth-grade formation master. If you want to be recognized by the Alliance, you can take part in this assessment. After the ninth grade, there are the eighth grade, seventh grade, and sixth grade. The assessment and evaluation of formation masters only takes place once a year. All levels of formation masters were also evaluated during this period.
Su Chen actually didn't have a very clear understanding of the strength of his formation. I feel like I have made some progress. However, when it comes to the rating, Su Chen was still a little unsure as to what grade he was. Seeing that there was a nine-level assessment, I decided to just go and give it a try. Hearing from the people around me, it seems that I can pass the assessment and become a formation master recognized by the Formation Alliance. There are a ton of benefits to be gained from this. Su Chen feels that the biggest benefit is probably the connection. Becoming a formation master recognized by the Formation Alliance means you are one of the alliance’s family. There are many opportunities to make friends with top formation masters. Some major events of the Jin State or major formation projects will also be taken into consideration. After registering, Su Chen just waited here. During the two days of waiting, Su Chen traveled around Pi Shi City. In fact, there are some teahouses here where people can chat about new things. The tea shops that Su Chen had visited before were all specially arranged to attract people who had just arrived in Pi Shi City. When this period of excitement is over, there won’t be so many people in Pi Shi City talking about the art of formations. The affairs of spiritual practice are always boring. The people of Pi Shi City have the ability to talk about formations all year round. With this kind of perseverance, I feel they can all try to become formation masters. Most people cannot endure the path of spiritual practice. Dull, tedious, frustrating. How many people can persist in practicing for months or even years without any progress or improvement? Even if many people are given the opportunity, they still do not embark on the path of cultivation. Su Chen listened to their casual conversation and got to know some of the more famous formation masters in the Formation Alliance. The most discussed person was the leader of the Zhenmeng, Luo Feihou. Many of the core members of the Formation Alliance are independent cultivators who have no sectarian support. The major sects in Jin State probably don't want a formation master from a certain sect to take control of the Formation Alliance. No matter which sect is in power, there will be big problems. Of course, it is better for the person who controls the alliance in the end to have no power behind him. Those formation masters with backgrounds are on good terms with the higher-ups of the Formation Alliance.
Two days passed while I rested. Today is the evaluation and assessment of the ninth-grade formation master. Su Chen's current appearance is also disguised, and he uses a pseudonym, Su Xing. The assessment location for the ninth-grade formation master is just to the north of Pi Shi City. Su Chen arrived a little earlier, but it didn't seem too lively here. There were not many spectators at today's assessment of the ninth-grade formation master. Some ordinary people from Pi Shi City came, and a small number of people who were new to Pi Shi City came here to observe. No one seems to be interested in watching this assessment. Su Chen saw some people chatting nearby and went over to them. I want to talk to them and see if I can get some information from them. Seeing Su Chen coming closer, these people no longer hid anything. During the conversation with Su Chen, he explained the reason very freely. The rating of formation masters is an artificial imitation of the martial arts grade. However, due to some regulations of the formation alliance, the ninth-grade formation masters are completely unpopular. For example, Su Chen came here today and passed the assessment of the ninth-grade formation master. In the end, he could only get a document to prove his identity as a formation master. There isn't even a formation master's robe. In the Formation Alliance, one must at least pass the assessment of an eighth-grade formation master to obtain an outer robe that proves one's identity. Moreover, many benefits in the Formation Alliance, including following a Formation Master to receive guidance, require an eighth-grade Formation Master. To put it bluntly, only by passing the assessment of an eighth-grade formation master can one be considered to have truly joined the Formation Alliance. Why are there so few people coming to and watching the assessment for the Ninth-Rank Formation Master? This is the reason. The ninth-grade formation master is more like a consolation prize left for many people. The difficulty of passing the ninth-grade assessment may be only one-tenth of the difficulty of passing the eighth-grade assessment. The eighth-grade assessment is ten times that of the ninth-grade assessment! Many people with aspirations directly participate in the eighth-level assessment. Only people like Su Chen who don’t understand or who come from small places. Only those who want a document to become a formation master will come to take the ninth-grade assessment. At the time of Si, almost everyone who was going to take the test had arrived.
Most of them are young people, but there are still many middle-aged and even elderly people. Not long after, the evaluators sent by the Alliance arrived. These formation masters are at least at the sixth rank. He can be regarded as the backbone among the formation masters of the Jin State. It can also be seen from this that the Formation Alliance attaches great importance to the assessment and evaluation of formation mages. Even for the evaluation of the ninth-grade formation master, they still did not randomly send two formation masters to prevaricate or be perfunctory. Several reviewers came over and nodded when they saw those who were middle-aged or even older. “If you can’t pass the eighth-grade test, there’s really no need to keep insisting on it. After passing the evaluation of the ninth-grade formation master, going back to train future generations is also a good choice. My mentor, You Mingshan, was a ninth-rank formation master. If you are obsessed with one thing and your thoughts are stuck in one place, you will end up wasting your life." This reviewer named You Mingshan should know several people who came to participate in the review. Su Chen also heard a lot of information from what he said. If nothing unexpected happens, those who look older here should have participated in the assessment of the eighth-grade formation master many times. But none of them passed. Only the reviewers in front of us would say this about them. Several middle-aged and elderly participants looked at You Mingshan with some gratitude and guilt. Bowed towards him. Su Chen felt that the group of formation masters was indeed much more harmonious. Looking at other places, it's not like this. It's already pretty good not to be ridiculed or laughed at. After all the evaluators arrived, they began to call the roll. The members who signed up responded. Some people had not arrived yet, so the reviewers waited for a quarter of an hour. In the end, there were a total of twenty-three people who took part in the ninth-grade formation master assessment. You have to know that this is the number of people from Jin and its neighboring countries who came to take the assessment. This seems a bit out of place with the lively atmosphere of Pishi City. There are so many people in Pishi City now, but only more than 20 people come here to take the test.
There are more than twenty tables set up in the open space in front. The pen, ink, paper and inkstone are also prepared. Su Chen found a seat. The next step is the formal assessment and evaluation of the ninth-grade formation master. This is the first time Su Chen has come here, and he is not familiar with the assessments of other levels. But seeing this situation, I was indeed a little surprised. I didn't expect that I would be asked to answer some basic common sense questions. The evaluators standing in the center began to ask questions. They asked the questions from upstairs, and Su Chen and others answered them from below. Just mark the serial numbers and write down the answer to each question. Su Chen listened to their questions and was indeed not clear about some of them. Many of these things are not mentioned in the books left behind by Immortal Jingbo. Of course, Su Chen knew most of the questions. The content of the book written by Immortal Jingbo is different from the current mainstream formation concepts. But after all, they are all formations, and their cores must be similar. All of them activate their effects by driving the array patterns through the array base. There are just many differences in the details and different understandings. Su Chen could only answer them according to his own understanding. You can't just write anything random. In half an hour, a total of ten questions were asked. After submitting your answer sheet, the second test will begin immediately. And there are only two items in the entire assessment for a ninth-grade formation master. The first item is a written answer, and the second item is a practical operation, which involves actually arranging the formation. The assessment location is on a flat area not far away. This is a professionally built flat land. The entire ground is extremely flat and there is no pothole to be seen. The difficulty of setting up a formation on this should be reduced by 70% to 80%. In reality, this should rarely happen. How could we be so lucky to have such a flat place for us to set up the formation?
If it is used for sect protection, sometimes a flat ground can be specially built. But in most cases, formations are used to deal with monsters. How could there be such conditions in the wilderness border? When we walked to the open space, everyone was assigned an area. The formations arranged by individuals are all installed in their own areas. In front of this, there is also a sample formation, which should have been arranged in advance by other high-level formation masters. The formation base is stable, and the formation patterns are like flowing water. This must have been set up by a formation master of some skill. After everyone arrived, the evaluators gave them an hour. No other complicated requirements, just this little bit. Duplicate the formation in front of you and run it successfully. Replicating on such a flat ground is already a very simple requirement. Su Chen did not hesitate too much. He picked up the tools for setting up the formation and began to set up the formation. The formation before you is called the Sealing Consciousness Formation. This is a very basic formation, and its core function is to block sounds and smells. Once you enter the formation, you will lose your sense of the sounds and smells from the outside world. In the eyes of many people, this is a useless formation. But Su Chen still has some research on this formation. Many people think that this formation is useless because they don't understand it thoroughly enough or those who have set up the formation don't have enough power. I want to bring out the effect of the sealing array. First of all, the formation must be large and wide enough. It should be at least ten feet wide. Secondly, it must be secretive enough to work silently. It allows people to enter the consciousness-sealing formation without realizing it, and they have no idea that they have now fallen into the formation. (End of this chapter)