Li Xuan sat down cross-legged, and the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion watched him with curiosity.
The Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion noticed that as the defensive formation disappeared, the aura it had sensed seemed to grow even stronger. Moreover, the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion felt a sense of familiarity with the aura emanating from Li Xuan.
Though it couldn't explain why, the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion unconsciously moved closer to Li Xuan.
At this moment, Li Xuan's mind was filled with new knowledge, almost entirely concerning the Way of Formations.
Due to the sheer volume of information, Li Xuan couldn't absorb it all at once. It took a full fifteen minutes before the information began to organize in his mind.
As soon as Li Xuan had fully absorbed the information, a voice echoed in his mind.
"The Way of Formations utilizes the might of heaven and earth, guided by the positions of the eight trigrams, and perfected by the secrets of the nine palaces. Comprehend one, and you shall understand the other. One begets two, two begets three, three begets all things. Formations are yin and yang, thus they are Taiji."
"Taiji gives rise to the two polarities, the two polarities to the four phenomena, the four phenomena to the eight trigrams, and the eight trigrams transform into sixty-four hexagrams, creating an endless cycle of change. Young man, I hope you will remember my words."
"Also, let Little Fire stay with you. It must be tired of staying in this cave dwelling. I took it in when it was young, and after all these years, it must have developed sentience. If you treat it well, it will surely become a powerful helper in the future."
"To find the location of my cave dwelling, your destiny and fortune are indeed good. And to be able to break the formations I left behind is sufficient proof of your talent."
"Haha, my name is Xiaoyao Zi. I spent my life diligently studying the Way of Formations, only to turn to dust in the end. Young man, since you have received my inheritance, you must cultivate diligently. If one day you can make my Xiaoyao Sect flourish, I will have no regrets!"
The voice slowly faded, and Li Xuan's eyes suddenly snapped open.
Was that voice the owner of this cave dwelling?
Li Xuan mused silently, then with a thought, his gaze shifted to the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion beside him, and he smiled slightly, "So, your name is Little Fire."
Upon hearing this, the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion trembled, then hastily transmitted, "How do you know my name? And does that formation manual have any clues about that aura?"
Li Xuan smiled again at this, then stood up. He glanced at the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion and said, "Come with me, I'll take you to find the source of the aura you've been searching for."
After Li Xuan spoke, he immediately walked towards the stone door, and the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion quickly followed behind him, a flicker of anticipation in its eyes.
Stepping out of the stone door, Li Xuan looked around and then walked towards a stone slab on the right. Then, Li Xuan formed a hand seal and waved it at the stone slab, causing it to flip over.
Behind the stone slab, a skeletal corpse, long since dried, appeared before Li Xuan and the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion.
"Little Fire, this corpse is the source of the aura you've been searching for. Before he died, he used himself as a catalyst, merging all his spiritual energy into this entire cave dwelling to maintain the operation of these formations."
"The reason you couldn't find it was because this aura had already merged with the formations. Now, step forward and sense it; you should detect a familiar scent from him."
Looking at the dry corpse before him, Li Xuan respectfully bowed to it.
Clearly, this dry corpse was the remains of Xiaoyao Zi.
Having inherited Xiaoyao Zi's legacy, Li Xuan understood all the formations and mechanisms within this cave dwelling like the back of his hand.
The Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion slowly approached the dry corpse. After sniffing, it immediately knelt down. Seeing the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion like this, Li Xuan nodded slightly. He didn't speak further, but waited patiently.
Perhaps sensing the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion's prostration, a gentle breeze suddenly arose around Xiaoyao Zi's corpse before the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion. As the breeze blew, Xiaoyao Zi's corpse instantly turned to dust and scattered before the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion.
"Thank you for helping me fulfill my wish." As Xiaoyao Zi's corpse weathered away, the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion stood up and then bowed its head slightly to Li Xuan, transmitting, "Thank you."
Li Xuan shook his head and transmitted, "I have inherited Senior Xiaoyao Zi's Way of Formations, so in a sense, Senior Xiaoyao Zi is half my master. And you are the only one Senior Xiaoyao Zi cared about, so helping you is only natural. Little Fire, what are your plans next?"
Although Xiaoyao Zi had ultimately asked Li Xuan to take the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion with him, Li Xuan decided to first inquire about the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion's wishes.
After listening to Li Xuan, the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion remained silent for a moment, then looked at Li Xuan and transmitted, "I'm used to staying here. If I were to go out, I might not adapt. So, I wish to stay here. If I decide to leave, I will come to find you."
Li Xuan nodded slightly and transmitted, "Senior Xiaoyao Zi did ask me to take you with me, but since you wish to stay here, I will not force you. Take this with you. If you wish to find me, crush this item."
As Li Xuan spoke, he took out a token from his sleeve and placed it before the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion. These tokens were condensed by Li Xuan before he sealed himself. They contained a trace of Li Xuan's aura, which was enough to locate him.
"Alright, I've noted it," the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Li Xuan nodded as well, then turned and walked towards the stone wall of the second level. Watching Li Xuan disappear into the stone wall, the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion slowly prostrated itself, gazing at the stone slab where no trace remained.
"Senior Li, where did you go? We searched for a long time but couldn't find you. We thought the Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion had tricked you into a trap."
As Li Xuan suddenly appeared, the elder Hua family quickly stepped forward and said. Upon hearing Madam Hua's voice, Hua Yaoyu and the others also rushed over from various directions.
Looking at Madam Hua and the others, Li Xuan smiled faintly, "The Fire-Spitting Heavenly Lion has already left, and there is nothing of value left in this cave dwelling. Looking at you all, it seems you've had quite a good harvest. If there's nothing else, shall we leave?"
Madam Hua's eyes flickered with confusion, but she still nodded and followed Li Xuan, who was already heading towards the exit. Hua Yaoyu and the others glanced around the stone walls before also following suit.
After exiting the cave dwelling, the stone cave instantly closed and slowly sank, disappearing from sight.
Li Xuan paid it no mind and then looked at the Hua family, saying, "Next, it's time for me to fulfill my promise."
As Li Xuan spoke, the Hua family members became excited. Li Xuan's promise was naturally to help them increase their strength by one level.
Under the expectant gazes of the Hua family, Li Xuan took out a jade bottle from his sleeve and tossed it to Madam Hua, saying, "There are six Taiyuan Pills inside. After taking them, they will help you break through your current limits and enter the next stage. Thus, my promise will be fulfilled."
Madam Hua's eyes lit up as she looked at the jade bottle in her hand, and then she bowed respectfully to Li Xuan. Hua Yaoyu and the others followed suit, then also looked at the jade bottle in Madam Hua's hand.
"You must not reveal my identity, nor should you come to find me casually. Alright, our transaction is concluded. Take the pills with peace of mind."
After Li Xuan spoke, he turned and walked out of the cave.