Chapter 16 Semi-Grand Formation Master

Xiao Chen sensed someone tailing him the moment he left the Blacksmith School. Activating his spiritual sense, he quickly located four presences—all in the Foundation Establishment realm. Without alerting them, he discreetly made his way to an isolated area.

"Come out," Xiao Chen called out calmly.

Sure enough, four figures emerged from the shadows. They had the rough, brutish appearance of street thugs.

"Hey, kid, why don't you share some of that wealth with us, the Quad-Devil Brothers?" the leader sneered, stepping forward with a cocky grin.

Xiao Chen's gaze remained indifferent. "I would... but I doubt you'd be able to spend anything I gave you."

"Oh? And why's that?" another one of the brothers chuckled arrogantly.

"Because you'll all be dead," Xiao Chen replied coldly. In a flash, he used his Heavenly Steps to close the distance and unleashed his Heavenly Sword technique, cutting down three of the brothers before they could even react.

The leader, paralyzed with fear at the brutal display, trembled and stammered, "W-wait! I'll talk! Please! We were...we were hired... don't kill me!"

Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed. "Who hired you?"

The leader, shaking violently, blurted, "It was two apprentices... from the Blacksmith School. They... they work for Master Blacksmith Xue Lang!"

Before he could finish his plea, his head was severed cleanly from his body.

Xiao Chen sheathed his sword and muttered coldly, "Xue Lang's apprentices... I'll remember that."

His next stop was at the Formation School. At first, he doubted whether he was in the right place, as the building resembled more of a humble hut than anything grand. It was a stark contrast to the impressive structures of the Alchemy and Blacksmith Schools.

"Perhaps the Formation School has fallen into decline over the years," he thought, comparing its state to the recent history of the Mo Sect.

His assumption was quickly proven wrong the moment he stepped inside the school. It was far more grandiose than either the Alchemy or Blacksmith School. A sudden realization struck him—this entire place was enveloped within a formation. Although there was no information about this particular formation in his knowledge base, he deduced it must be related to spatial or illusion techniques and likely above grade 4. Even with his expertise, he couldn't fully identify or unravel its intricacies.

He approached the attendant to inquire about taking the 1-star examination. Initially, he considered visiting the library, but his request was denied as only apprentices of a Formation Master or Formation Masters themselves had access.

Undeterred, Xiao Chen proceeded to the examination area after paying the exam fee in lower spirit stones. All the required materials and formation flags were prepared on the table. His task was to construct a miniature Pinnacle Grade 1 Qi Gathering Array. With precision, he set up the formation flags and components, utilizing the Heavenly Formation Technique to link the flags with Qi. As the flags absorbed the Qi, he connected a second set of flags to an Amplifying and Converging Stone to channel the Qi toward the center. With that, he successfully completed the basic Qi Gathering Formation.

Impressed, the examiner awarded Xiao Chen the 1-star badge, leaving a favorable impression of him.

Returning to the attendant, Xiao Chen was granted access to the library. There, he began his methodical process, flipping through each page while his AI recorded and analyzed the content. After fully scanning the library's collection, the AI provided its prompt.

[Ding ...Analyzed formation knowledge up to 4-star]

"Interesting," Xiao Chen mused, "It seems that unlike the other schools in this city, the Formation School provides support up to the 4-star level."

[Ding .. Saved to Knowledge Database]

Just like at the Blacksmith School, Xiao Chen swiftly completed all the exams up to the 4-star level.

The moment Xiao Chen successfully passed the 4-star examination, Examiner Weiyang, who had been overseeing the process, fainted on the spot, foam forming at the corners of his mouth. The other elders and guards in the room rushed over in alarm, quickly administering a recovery pill to stabilize him.

After some time, Weiyang regained consciousness, groggy and disoriented. He blinked, trying to gather his thoughts and remember what had just happened.

Weiyang had an older, more seasoned appearance compared to Zhang Tian or Fan Li. As a 5-star Formation Master, his expertise was highly respected, but unlike many who were transferred to their posts by the institution, Weiyang had come to Celestial Jade City by his own choice. He preferred the peace and quiet of this northern region, far removed from the war-prone South and the entanglements of politics. In this quieter city, he found solace in his work, content with the calm atmosphere and his role in charge of the Formation School.

Here, he could immerse himself in his studies and teaching without being dragged into the turbulence of the larger world.

Weiyang reviewed the details Xiao Chen had provided after completing the 2-star exam, much like Zhang Tian had done earlier. He was already considering introducing Xiao Chen to a few Formation Masters he knew, thinking it would be beneficial for the young man to receive proper guidance. After all, Weiyang knew that the Mo Sect lacked a true Formation Master to mentor someone with Xiao Chen's potential. He believed it was nearly impossible to achieve such high attainment in any profession without the instruction of a skilled master, no matter how talented the individual.

Additionally, Weiyang was keen to connect with the younger generation, as fewer and fewer cultivators seemed to show interest in formations compared to alchemy or blacksmithing, though all three were equally respected professions.

As he was reflecting on this, Xiao Chen came to him again, this time requesting to take the 3-star examination. Weiyang raised an eyebrow, thinking Xiao Chen seemed a bit overconfident. Still, he decided not to stop him—young geniuses like Xiao Chen were often hard-headed and needed to learn the difficulties of the world through experience. He figured the harsh reality would humble the youth.

Yet, to his astonishment, Xiao Chen passed the 3-star exam with flying colors. Weiyang was utterly flabbergasted by the turn of events, unable to comprehend how the young cultivator had achieved such a feat so effortlessly.

After gathering his thoughts, Weiyang stepped outside to speak with Xiao Chen. He was taken aback by the young man's next statement to the attendant.

"I'd like to apply for a 4-star examination," Xiao Chen declared confidently.

The attendant's eyes widened in shock. What had just happened?

She began to relay the message to prepare for the 4-star exam when she suddenly caught sight of Weiyang approaching. 

As she opened her mouth to explain the situation, Weiyang waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he already understood.

"I already heard your request, Young men, are you sure about this?, the 4-star exam is not as easy as previous ones, 4-star means you are stepped as a mid-level Formation master, In the cultivation world you are regarded as semi-Grandmaster. Where any occupational professional above 7 is often called Grandmaster of that field. I can introduce you to some Grandmaster for guidance and it won't be too late to apply for a 4-star examination then" said Weiyang.

Weiyang had seen many geniuses rise too quickly, only to crumble when they finally faced failure, losing everything in the process. He didn't want Xiao Chen, such a rare talent, to suffer the same fate. Concerned for the young man's future, he tried to caution him, hoping to keep him grounded.

"Be careful," Weiyang advised. "Success after success can cloud your vision. Failure can be a heavy burden when you've never experienced it."

Xiao Chen understood Weiyang's good intentions and replied politely, "Thank you, Master Weiyang, but I'd still like to take the exam."

Seeing Xiao Chen's quiet determination, Weiyang knew there was no stopping him. With a sigh, he reluctantly allowed the young genius to proceed.

When Weiyang regained consciousness after fainting from shock, his mind scrambled to catch up. The first words out of his mouth were, "Where is Xiao Chen... no... Semi-Grandmaster Xiao Chen... where is he?"

A nearby elder, who had helped Weiyang recover, replied, "He's already left. He obtained the 4-star badge from me after you fainted." 

Weiyang sat up, still dazed, shaking his head in disbelief. "This boy... I must meet him again."

"No, I need to report this to the higher-ups.. first," Weiyang said firmly, his expression serious.

With that, Xiao Chen unknowingly stirred up a storm around himself. Ironically, he was about to get swept up in it. Xiao Chen's shortcomings were his limited understanding of the broader world and his underestimation of the political schemes in the Martial World. Having spent little time outside and with minimal exposure to the greater cultivation society, he was unaware that by applying for and obtaining badges across three different professions within a short period, he was setting himself up to become a major topic of discussion throughout the Verdant Sky Empire.

In Xiao Chen's mind, there were countless Grandmaster-level experts across various occupations, so he believed no one would pay too much attention to his actions. He knew some might see him as a genius, but he was well aware that geniuses were far from rare in the vast cultivation world. Thus, he thought no higher power would take interest in a mere disciple from a remote city. Confident in this belief, he simply aimed to acquire badges based on his knowledge, saving some future trips, assuming it would go unnoticed by those at the top.

Xiao Chen had made a small but significant miscalculation. It wasn't just that he earned badges in different occupations—he obtained them all within a short period. Earlier, when he acquired a 2-star badge in Alchemy, it was uncommon for someone in this small city to continuously challenge up to 2 stars but still possible, as many geniuses are out there. However, it was unheard of in this era for someone to challenge up to a 4-star badge and knowledge in multiple occupations without any guidance from a grandmaster. If he had been under the tutelage of a Grandmaster, it would have been understandable, but Xiao Chen had no such backing. The Mo Sect, even at its peak, had never been in a position to hire a Grandmaster to guide its disciples.

People who understood the implications of Xiao Chen's rapid rise would inevitably suspect that a hidden superpower was backing both him and the Mo Sect. The idea of such an unknown force would make other powers, especially the Royal Shi Clan, wary. The Shi Clan thrived by maintaining a delicate balance of power within the empire, ensuring that no one faction grew too dominant, keeping themselves in control. But now, with the sudden emergence of an unknown entity seemingly supporting the Mo Sect and Xiao Chen, the Shi Clan's carefully laid plans were at risk of being disrupted. This new, unseen force could destabilize the balance they worked so hard to maintain, making the Shi Clan cautious and even more determined to uncover the truth.