Chen Xiao chose to set up the formation in the basement because he knew there was a dragon vein beneath his house.
The spiritual energy contained within a dragon vein could only be described as immense.
Although the spiritual energy underground was vast, what managed to seep to the surface was pitifully little.
Therefore, Chen Xiao first set up a spirit-guiding formation to draw in the spiritual energy from the dragon vein. Then, using the seal as the formation's core, he established a spirit-gathering formation to concentrate the energy.
These two major formations formed the foundation of the entire array.
As these formations were activated, the entire array began to take shape.
Spiritual energy, hundreds of times more potent than before, surged forth from the formation's core, forming a stream of white light that seemed almost tangible.
The entire basement was filled with wisps of milky white mist.
This was no ordinary mist; it was highly purified spiritual energy. If one were to cultivate in such an environment for an extended period, even someone with average talent could condense a golden core within a year.
The Gu family father and daughter, along with Li Qin, would have seen their cultivation progress soar unknowingly if they had continued to live there.
Not only them, but even Liu Zhen, a normal person, would have become immune to all illnesses and possessed a robust physique if he lived there long-term.
Once the spirit-guiding and spirit-gathering formations began to operate stably, they would continuously supply this area with highly purified spiritual energy.
Next, Chen Xiao placed the stone lion within the formation. From then on, the stone spirit would exist as the spirit of the entire array.
Its strength immediately increased dramatically, rivaling its peak state.
If it wished to ascend, it could do so at any time. However, to repay Chen Xiao, it decided to wait for him to ascend together.
"Ascend?"
Upon hearing the stone spirit's words, a smile touched Chen Xiao's lips.
If he were to ascend to the immortal realm, he would become a true immortal, gaining true longevity and a hundred times more power than he possessed now.
But that was not the life he pursued… at least not yet.
In this world, he still had many things to do and many people to protect.
Then, within the grand formation, Chen Xiao used the semi-spirit artifact saber to set up the Yin Soldier Formation. This formation served as the primary killing array for the entire formation.
From now on, if Chen Xiao had to go far away, he would no longer worry about his mother being captured. Even a Golden Core stage expert would be unable to break through the Yin Soldier Formation he had set up.
In this era of declining magic, cultivators who could reach the Golden Core stage were already exceedingly rare.
In addition to this, Chen Xiao supplemented the array with formations like the Mist Formation and the Heavenly Thunder Formation for support. However, the power of these formations was relatively weaker, as they lacked good spirit artifacts or treasures to serve as their cores.
Still, Chen Xiao was more than satisfied with the current setup. Moreover, the purpose of this formation was not only to protect his family but also the dragon vein underground.
With his current strength, he could not yet claim the entire dragon vein for himself. He could only secretly utilize some of the spiritual energy that overflowed from it. Otherwise, it might attract the covetous attention of powerful experts.
Although Chen Xiao was not certain if such powerful beings truly existed, the world was vast, and one could never be sure.
Caution ensures a thousand years of peace.
After completing the formation, Chen Xiao sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
However, he, in the basement, was unaware that outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, with wind and rain lashing down.
Many astonished gazes were cast towards this region, their owners filled with disbelief: "What mighty being has appeared to summon such a torrential heavenly thunder!"
...
The next morning, the weather had cleared, and the sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue.
After breakfast, Chen Xiao went to work at the hospital, just like countless ordinary office workers.
With Chen Xiao, the head of the department, setting an example, everyone else's performance also became more proactive.
At the very least, instances of lateness or unexcused absence no longer occurred. The three deputy directors and Jia Bing arrived even earlier than Chen Xiao.
The Traditional Chinese Medicine department also welcomed a fresh face that morning: Wu Fei'er. Her application had been submitted and directly transferred to the TCM department.
Her arrival instantly added a touch of vibrancy to the entire TCM department, dispelling its previous lifeless atmosphere.
However, this was still far from enough. Chen Xiao intended to recruit more personnel and inject new blood into the TCM department through hiring.
Otherwise, there wouldn't even be enough doctors for consultations.
In fact, the appointment slots for the Jiangcheng Hospital's Traditional Chinese Medicine department had been canceled. Besides the shortage of doctors, it was also related to patients' lack of faith in TCM.
Chen Xiao's goal was to reverse this situation.
He went to the院长's office and made a request to Director Hao. Director Hao readily agreed without hesitation.
After all, he had tricked Chen Xiao onto this path, and he couldn't completely abandon him once he was on it.
Coincidentally, there was a campus recruitment fair at Jiangcheng Medical College that day. After Director Hao informed Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao rushed over immediately.
Jiangcheng Medical College was the highest-ranked medical university in Jiangbei and Chen Xiao's alma mater. He was intimately familiar with the place.
Upon arriving at the recruitment fair and seeing students submitting resumes at various recruitment booths, Chen Xiao felt as if he were looking at his past self.
The confused expressions on the faces of these fresh graduates were exactly the same as his own back then.
Chen Xiao approached the Jiangcheng Hospital's recruitment booth. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a staff member ask, "Student, do you have your resume?"
Chen Xiao gave an awkward smile and took out his work ID: "I don't think I need a resume. Director Hao sent me."
Upon seeing Chen Xiao's name on the work ID, the staff member's face showed shock, and they respectfully said, "So it's Director Chen, hello, hello. May I ask for your instructions?"
Chen Xiao's name was already known to everyone in Jiangcheng Hospital.
Although the staff member had never met Chen Xiao, upon seeing his name, they became extremely deferential.
"No need to be so formal. I want to recruit some interns for the Traditional Chinese Medicine department. Is that convenient?"
Chen Xiao asked politely.
The staff member busily replied, "Convenient, convenient. Director Chen, please take a seat."
Chen Xiao did not refuse and sat down.
Chen Xiao was in urgent need of staff, so he interviewed students who were submitting resumes and seemed to meet the basic requirements on the spot.
The results of this approach were significant. In just over half an hour, Chen Xiao had already recruited four 'new recruits.'
Although the skill levels of these four individuals varied, and their aptitudes were mixed, they were all from the Traditional Chinese Medicine faculty.
Chen Xiao believed that after his guidance, they would be more than capable of supporting the Jiangcheng Hospital's Traditional Chinese Medicine department, and perhaps even become renowned physicians in the future.
By the end of the morning, Chen Xiao had recruited another four interns, though their skill levels were only that of ordinary university students and not particularly impressive.
It wasn't until near the end of the recruitment fair that Chen Xiao encountered someone who truly caught his eye...