Zheng—
The sword qi whistled, and the sharp sword light flashed by in an instant.
Bei Xinghan instinctively stepped forward, raising his sword to block.
The two long swords crossed, and the distance between Bei Xinghan and Xue Qi rapidly closed.
"It's not an illusion." Xue Qi's gaze was as dazzling and bright as summer fireflies.
Bei Xinghan's eyes burned him, and his heart actually began to race, leaving him flustered and unsure.
Xue Qi put away her sword and said casually, "If Junior Brother Bei feels it's sudden, I will give you time to adapt. Let's practice swordsmanship today."
Xue Qi walked towards the Sword Pavilion first, her retreating figure潇洒 (xiāosǎ - free and easy) and sharp.
Bei Xinghan stood in place for a long time before stiffly lifting his feet to follow.
Upon entering the Sword Pavilion, Bei Xinghan subconsciously avoided Xue Qi while practicing swordsmanship.
However, his behavior was too obvious, which instead attracted the attention of their teacher, Nalan Henxue.
"Bei Xinghan, focus."
"Yes, teacher."
After being reminded by Nalan Henxue, Bei Xinghan gathered his senses and stopped being distracted.
He didn't notice the slight smile that curved Xue Qi's lips not far away.
After the daily swordsmanship practice, Nalan Henxue, for some reason, asked Bei Xinghan to leave and kept Xue Qi behind.
Bei Xinghan dared not overthink it and left in a hurry.
"Teacher?"
Xue Qi held her long sword, her expression composed.
Nalan Henxue looked at Xue Qi and suddenly remembered her own youthful infatuation, her heart filled with a bittersweet ache.
Ever since she had wielded her sword to sever love, she had lost the ability to love, so she did not want her disciple to repeat her mistakes.
However, Bei Xinghan had been practicing swordsmanship by her side for nearly fifty years.
He was different from that person.
Nalan Henxue hesitated, "Bei Xinghan he..."
"Teacher, I think Bei Xinghan is good, and I have already expressed my feelings to him. As for the rest, we shall let fate decide."
Xue Qi was neither shy nor disappointed by Bei Xinghan's reaction just now.
Nalan Henxue was silent for a moment, then finally slowly said "Alright."
...
Angzhou, Feicheng.
"Heaven and Earth Ultimate Formation Disk, a masterpiece by Grandmaster Ouyang, a Level Six Formation Master, this is the only set, first come, first served."
"The latest refined Sun Moon Star Formation Disk by Grandmaster Huang, Vice President of the Formation Heavenly Alliance!"
"Formation Heavenly Alliance Formation Basics Manual, a must-have for formation cultivators, buying it is earning!"
"..."m..oΓg
Perhaps because the headquarters of the Formation Heavenly Alliance was located here, and the Formation Cultivator Exchange Conference was about to be held, the streets of Feicheng were crowded with pedestrians, and the cries of vendors on both sides were incessant.
Xu Yi stopped at a shop selling the Formation Basics Manual and, looking at the jade slips displayed on the counter, asked with interest, "How many spirit stones for this 'Formation Heavenly Alliance Formation Basics Manual'?"
"Is the immortal fairy here to buy the manual?"
Xu Yi nodded casually.
The middle-aged man who had asked the question rushed to the inside of the counter, took out a jade slip, and placed it on the counter. "Fairy has sharp eyes. This is an authentic manual, so the price is a little higher than those sold by scattered stalls outside."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yi smiled faintly.
These were the common tricks of these shopkeepers.
The shopkeeper, seeing Xu Yi's thoughts, waved his hands and said with a wry smile, "Fairy must think I'm lying, but this is the truth. These manuals are all purchased uniformly by me from the Formation Heavenly Alliance, and I will also give a certain percentage to the Formation Heavenly Alliance later, so the price is not something I can control."
Xu Yi's brows furrowed after listening.
It was another foolish act by the Formation Heavenly Alliance; they wouldn't let go of even this small profit.
"Then how much do you sell this manual for?"
The shopkeeper glanced at Xu Yi and then whispered, "Three mid-grade spirit stones."
Xu Yi: ...
The people of the Formation Heavenly Alliance were indeed greedy.
"Are there people who buy it at this price?"
A normal formation basics incantation could be bought for ten low-grade spirit stones, and a slightly better quality one would cost no more than one mid-grade spirit stone.
The Formation Heavenly Alliance's manual was priced at three mid-grade spirit stones. Ordinary rogue cultivators should not be able to afford this price, right?
"Fairy is not a formation cultivator, right?" The shopkeeper shook his head and sighed. He glanced around, confirming that there were no other customers in the shop, and then said, "The Formation Heavenly Alliance stipulates that all formation cultivators who join must purchase the three basic manuals and pass the assessment before being awarded the formation cultivator's铭牌 (míngpái - badge/emblem)."
In other words, even if they passed the assessment, they would not be recognized by the Formation Heavenly Alliance if they did not buy the manual.
"It can be like this," Xu Yi exclaimed, marveling. "Three basic manuals? Besides this 'Formation Heavenly Alliance Formation Basics Manual,' what are the other two?"
The shopkeeper bowed and took out two more jade slips from inside the counter.
"Here, the 'Formation Heavenly Alliance Formation Pattern Basics Manual,' and the 'Formation Heavenly Alliance Formation Diagram Basics Manual.'"
"Are these also three mid-grade spirit stones each?"
"That's right. If you want all three, you can get a discount of one mid-grade spirit stone."
Xu Yi finally took out eight mid-grade spirit stones and bought the three jade slips, wanting to see if they were worth the price.
She casually found an inn, expecting there to be no rooms available, but to her surprise, the attendant was very attentive and said, "There are no regular rooms left, but there are quite a few superior rooms. Would you like one?"
"Alright."
Xu Yi agreed readily.
However, after the attendant led her to the entrance of the so-called superior room, her expression became strange. "This is what you call a superior room? It seems no different from the regular rooms downstairs?"
Xu Yi had expected superior rooms to have at least some difference in appearance or facilities, but after looking around, she felt there was no difference between this and the ordinary rooms she had stayed in before.
"Fairy, you may not know, but by staying in a superior room, the fee for participating in the next Formation Heavenly Alliance formation cultivator assessment can be discounted by 20%."
Xu Yi: ...
How many businesses did the Formation Heavenly Alliance operate? Why did they have business dealings with inns?
Xu Yi waved away the attendant who wanted to promote other businesses, took out the three basic manuals she had purchased, and read them one by one. Her expression became more serious.
After putting down the last jade slip, Xu Yi's expression turned somewhat grim.
To be fair, the quality of these three basic manuals was very high. They almost contained all the common formation and formation path knowledge on the Nine Continents Continent, and they were written in great detail. Even cultivators who did not understand the formation path could set up simple formations after reading these three manuals.
However, there was one thing that made it difficult for Xu Yi to accept.
That was that all the diagrams, annotations, and experience sharing within were directly copied from other books.
Her storage space contained many basic books from various schools, a large portion of which her sect leader master had collected for her back then.
When she was trapped in the secret realm, she relied entirely on those books to pass the time.
After she emerged from the secret realm, she became interested in various paths, so she also read many new books within the Xuanji Sect.
Coupled with her studies with the teachers from Kunlun Academy during this period, Xu Yi filled in the gaps and read many books she hadn't read before.
She could tell at a glance that the so-called Formation Heavenly Alliance Basic Manuals were all pieced together, excerpts from various books, and then compiled into one.
Under their own banner, they harvested the achievements of others and profited from it.
The Formation Heavenly Alliance was truly as shameless as ever.