The white-clad woman spoke, "I wonder what kind of formation you need?" It seemed she had no intention of refusing.
Wang Hong quickly explained the situation in Mountain Valley and the desired outcome.
After a brief pause, the white-clad woman said, "I need to inspect the site first, consider the terrain, the direction of the Spirit Veins, and other factors. Only then can I design a formation diagram tailored to your needs."
Wang Hong was surprised. He hadn't expected the formation master to be so skilled, which explained her reputation.
Formation masters shared something in common with their counterparts, the alchemists. Ordinary formation masters would set up formations by following established patterns. Throughout history, countless fixed formation diagrams had been passed down. Most formation masters would simply learn a few of these diagrams and replicate them.
It was akin to mastering a basic formation like the Three Powers Formation and being able to set it up meticulously, which would qualify one as a formation master.
Some formation masters could only grasp three to five formations and would use them repeatedly everywhere they went.
Being proficient in dozens of formations made one stand out among formation masters of the same tier.
A formation master who could modify existing formations based on geography, Spirit Veins, and other factors to better suit the environment was considered a true master of the craft.
In the Cultivation World, this pattern of learning from predecessors and rigidly adhering to their methods was common across all fields. Most people simply applied what had already been created, with only a few able to adapt and innovate after mastering the basics.
True geniuses were scarce, and even the most extraordinary among them had to acquire a solid foundation of knowledge before they could create something new.
This was why Cultivation Techniques, skills, and traditions were highly valued—because true creators were few, and in a world where time was scarce due to cultivation, who had the time to delve deeply into these arts?
Wang Hong was not a genius. The reason he could create new Pill Recipes was because he had access to Space, which afforded him hundreds of times more time to slowly acquire the necessary knowledge.
Seeing Wang Hong lost in thought, the white-clad woman added, "Before I investigate the terrain, you'll need to provide a deposit. I only accept this kind of Spirit Tea."
She gently shook the wooden box Wang Hong had brought.
She had originally planned to focus on her formation studies during this time, but Wang Hong's offering of this Spirit Tea made her reconsider.
"I'm not sure how much Spirit Tea you require, and I don't have much on hand either," Wang Hong said cautiously, fearing an exorbitant demand. After all, without the assistance of Space, the production of this Qiu Long Tea was extremely limited.
The white-clad woman asked, "How much do you have right now?"
"I currently have only one pound," Wang Hong replied. This was already his bottom line. It wasn't about being stingy; it was the fact that, given the rarity of Spirit Tea, this was the most he could provide.
"Alright, one pound of Spirit Tea, and I'll be responsible for designing the formation diagram for you. As for the materials needed for the setup, you'll have to purchase them yourself. If you require my assistance in the actual deployment later, additional fees will apply."
The two agreed on the price, and Wang Hong paid half a pound of Spirit Tea as a deposit.
The following day, Wang Hong took the white-clad woman to Mountain Valley, where they carefully investigated the area for an entire day.
Upon their return to Azure Void City three days later, the white-clad woman handed Wang Hong a Jade Scroll. Inside were the formation design for Mountain Valley and a list of materials required for the setup, which included hundreds of different materials, some of which Wang Hong had never heard of before.
Wang Hong transcribed the list of materials and handed it to Xu Lun to begin collecting them.
After more than half a month, Xu Lun returned to Wang Hong.
"East Master, there are still over ten types of materials that we couldn't find. I've already searched through all the shops in Azure Void City."
Xu Lun handed over a Storage Bag to Wang Hong, along with a Jade Scroll listing the materials that couldn't be found.
Wang Hong glanced at the Jade Scroll and saw that these were all second-tier materials. He said, "Make two more copies of this list, and give one to Zhao Ning and one to Skinny Monkey. During this time, each of us will attend various trade fairs and auctions."
Thinking for a moment, Wang Hong retrieved various items from a Storage Bag, including pill bottles, wine bottles, wooden boxes, jade boxes, and more. "These materials for the formation are undoubtedly rare items. No one will be willing to sell them for Spirit Stones. Let's use these rare materials for trade as well."
He stuffed all these items into a Storage Bag and handed it to Xu Lun.
Azure Void City had numerous places where Foundation Building cultivators could trade, but they usually occurred every half month or month. Sometimes there would be no trade fairs for several days, while other times, there might be multiple fairs in a single day. Therefore, each of them had to attend different events.
After bidding farewell to Xu Lun, Wang Hong sent a Transmission Talisman to Liu Changsheng, asking him to discreetly search for the remaining materials.
Liu Changsheng, as the former head of Shadow Kill, was privy to many secrets, including some underground black markets.
On that day, dozens of Foundation Building cultivators gathered in a hall, participating in a trading event.
Wang Hong, disguised as a middle-aged man, waited for his turn at the event and directly listed the names of the over ten materials he needed.
In exchange, he offered second-tier Spirit Wine or Nourishing Essence Pills.
Second-tier Spirit Wine and Nourishing Essence Pills were considered standard currencies among Foundation Building cultivators. Almost everyone had a need for these items, and they were always in demand.
As a result, Wang Hong's offer quickly drew the interest of many Foundation Building cultivators.
In the end, he managed to exchange two pieces of formation materials in return for his Spirit Wine. Others were interested in his Spirit Wine and pills, but they could only envy his successful trades.
On the same day, Skinny Monkey and Zhao Ning each obtained one piece of formation material, while Xu Lun had no success.
In the following weeks, the four of them attended every available trading event.
Wang Hong's disguise skills were quite effective, as he consistently offered attractive terms at these events, leading to a high success rate in his trades.
Xu Lun and the others, lacking reliable disguise skills, were more cautious and had a lower success rate compared to Wang Hong.
After more than three months, they finally managed to gather the remaining ten-plus pieces of formation materials.
Wang Hong decided to spare himself the trouble and asked the woman surnamed Cai to handle the formation setup.
"You've run out of Spirit Tea. What do you intend to use as compensation this time? I have no interest in ordinary items," the female cultivator asked when Wang Hong approached her again for assistance with the formation.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]