Longevity and Immortal Cultivation: Starting from Controlling Your Own Essence

Someday in a few months.

In the afternoon of this day, Zhang Yao packed his things and checked the accounts in the store as usual, preparing to close the store.

In the past ten years, he had to devote a lot of time to self-cultivation every day, and the number of talismans he produced would inevitably be greatly reduced, and he basically sold them out early every day.

At this moment, two monks, a man and a woman, came to the shop.

The man is in his forties with a dark complexion; the woman is in her thirties with a graceful appearance.

"Um?"

Zhang Yao raised his head and said with a trace of apology:

"Both, I'm sorry, the talisman has been sold out."

"You two might as well come back tomorrow."

"No, boss."

The dark-faced middle-aged monk shook his head and said:

"We're not here to buy talismans."

"We heard that you are the most famous formation master nearby, and your formation skills are second to none in Li Guo's cultivation world."

"Don't dare to be."

Zhang Yao waved his hand and said humbly:

"It's nothing more than a little bit of face-saving and flattery from colleagues in the market. I can't afford to praise Zhang so much."

"At Zhang's level, he is far from daring to call himself the number one person in Li Guo's formation."

The pretty female monk smiled, her voice was like an oriole:

"Master Zhang is too modest. Based on your reputation over the years, even if you are not the number one in Li country, you can at least rank among the top three."

"We came to you today because of some formation matters, and we want to ask you for advice..."

"oh?"

Zhang Yao's expression moved slightly, and he said:

"So that's the case, please wait a moment, both of you."

After inviting the two to take their seats, he personally made a pot of spiritual tea for them.

The business of consulting formations is often not a small business, and he still pays more attention to hundreds of spirit stones.

"Master Zhang."

After a few pleasantries, the middle-aged monk took out a jade slip and handed it to Zhang Yao:

"This is a part of the broken array map that we got by chance. I want to ask Master Zhang for help to refer to it."

"alright, please wait."

Zhang Yao took the jade slip, and his mana entered it.

What was inscribed in the jade slip was indeed a rather complicated section of spirit veins, and many connections were obviously incomplete.

"Um……"

He swept around with his thoughts, and suddenly had a judgment in his heart, and immediately fell silent.

"Master Zhang, how are you?"

The two waited for a while, and the female monk couldn't hold back first, and asked:

"Master Zhang has an opinion on this broken formation."

Zhang Yao touched his chin and said:

"The formation diagram engraved in this jade slip should be part of some kind of composite formation."

"Just judging from some spirit patterns, there are at least three different formations nested. The main function seems to be protection and sealing, and the level is very high..."

Hearing his words, the middle-aged monk and the female monk looked at each other, and suddenly showed a hint of joy.

The female monk couldn't wait to ask:

"Does the master have a way to crack it?"

Zhang Yao waved his hand and said:

"I'm afraid the two of you don't know much about how to play against each other."

"For any formation, the spirit pattern formations within it are connected, influenced, and superimposed to form a perfect whole, which can be said to affect the whole body."

"It is impossible to deduce the method of breaking the formation from a part of the incomplete formation map, and it is difficult for even a brilliant formation mage to do so."

After speaking, he paused for a moment before continuing:

"Unless I can get a complete array, I have no way to crack it."

When the two of them heard this, they couldn't help showing a hint of hesitation.

After chatting for a few more words, the two got up to say goodbye and left, saying they would visit again in a few days.

After Zhang Yao sent them away, he returned to the store, groaning silently, showing a hint of thought:

"This array is unusual..."

Judging from the broken formation diagram, he suspects that the corresponding formation is likely to be of the second order.

There are very few second-tier formations in the entire world of cultivating immortals in Li country, only the mountain gate formations in Mangshanfang City and Tiandunzong are of this level.

"It seems that behind this formation, there is still a lot of secrets hidden."

"But it doesn't have much to do with me. Anyway, I just use money to do things. Let's wait and see in a few days."

Zhang Yao didn't take it too seriously. After closing the shop, he went straight back to the rented cave.

After a few days.

Zhang Yao was in the shop, receiving some customers who were choosing talismans, when suddenly a young monk in red robes came.

"Li Daoyou? What a rare visitor."

Zhang Yao was a little surprised and took the initiative to greet him.

The young monk in front of him is a monk from the Mangshanfang City Management Office and a member of the Li family. He has seen it several times.

"Master Zhang, long time no see."

The red-robed monk bowed his hands politely, and said:

"Is such that."

"I am ordered by the Patriarch to invite Master Zhang to come over, and I would like to ask a question or two about some formations."

"So that's how it is."

Zhang Yao's expression moved slightly, he nodded and said:

"Then please wait a moment, fellow daoist Li, and go with fellow daoist after I send these guests away."

"good."

The red-robed monk nodded and waited patiently.

Soon after sending a few customers away, Zhang Yao closed the store, and went to the top floor of Mangshanfang City with the red-robed monk.

The uppermost layer of Mount Mang's spiritual veins is also the place with the most abundant spiritual energy. There is Li's family house, which covers a vast area and is home to hundreds of monks.

"Master Zhang, please."

The red-robed monk led Zhang Yao all the way into the depths of the Li family mansion.

In the hall, an old man with a gray beard and a dark red robe sat on the main seat.

When Zhang Yao saw this person, his heart shuddered.

The other party's aura was as deep as a secluded pool, and his aura was ups and downs. Even with a kind face, it gave him a faint sense of oppression.

He judged instantly that this was a monk in the Foundation Establishment period!

"Didn't you say that the head of the Li family invited me? Why is it an ancestor of the Li family in the foundation period..."

Zhang Yao was wary in his heart, but on the surface he was surprised and said:

"Li Daoyou, this senior is..."

"Uncle Ninth."

The red-robed monk first saluted the old man before introducing:

"This is my ninth uncle 'Li Changlin', one of our Li family's founders."

He explained: "The head of the family asked me to invite Master Zhang to come here, and I also obeyed the commandment of the ninth uncle."

"It turned out to be Senior Chang Lin, Zhang is being polite."

Hearing this, Zhang Yao bowed immediately.

"Master Zhang is polite, please sit down."

Li Changlin nodded with a smile and motioned him to sit down.

After Zhang Yao was seated, the red-robed monk resigned tactfully, leaving only Zhang Yao and Li Changlin in the hall.

"Master Zhang, I have admired your name for a long time..."

Li Changlin's attitude was quite kind, the two chatted for a while, and Zhang Yao took the initiative to ask:

"Senior, I don't know why you came here?"

"Master Zhang, be safe and don't be impatient."

Li Changlin raised his hand and said with a slight smile:

"I have invited other people this time. Let's talk in detail after everyone is here."

"good."

Zhang Yao nodded, and waited patiently. At the same time, he secretly thought:

"It can't be the man and the woman from a few days ago..."

The reason why Zhang Yao thinks so, is also a reasonable inference:

If you want to ask the dignified Mangshan Li family about the formation, it must be a second-order formation.

Second-order formations are rare in Li Guo's world of cultivating immortals, and it is impossible for one to emerge out of thin air.

A few days ago, that man and a woman came to the door; a few days later, the Li Family's Foundation Establishment cultivator came to invite him, how could it be such a coincidence?

"Or, it's that one man and one woman, who are actually from the Li family, came to test my level."

"Or, it's because they are really hiding some secrets, but they don't act confidentially, and they are blackmailed by the Li family..."

Thoughts flickered in Zhang Yao's mind, and he secretly calculated.

At present, he is more inclined to the second guess. After all, the Li family is the lord of Mangshanfang City, so he has to obediently come here if he says a word, there is no need to engage in such probing methods.

He has opened a shop in Mangshanfang City for almost 20 years, and his reputation as a master of formation is overwhelming. It is impossible for the Li family not to know his level.

"We'll find out after a while."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao calmed down and waited silently.

After a while.

An old man in a purple robe with a red complexion walked in with his head held high, and bowed to Li Changlin:

"Uncle Nine!"

"Um."

Li Changlin nodded slightly, and said:

"Yuan Hui is here, you sit down first, and everyone will be here later."

"Yes, Uncle Jiu."

The red-faced old man named Li Yuanhui nodded and sat opposite Zhang Yao.

Zhang Yao sized him up and found that Li Yuanhui was also sizing him up secretly, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"It seems that this person should be a formation master trained within the Li family..."

Zhang Yao knew it in his heart.

As a power at the foundation level, the Mangshan Li family must have trained formation masters of extremely high level, otherwise they would not even be qualified to maintain a second-order formation.

It's just that as a core member of the Li family, Li Yuanhui doesn't have much reputation in the outside world, so he can be regarded as unknown.

It's not like him, because he took the advantage of opening a shop, arranged compound formations for others several times, and became famous, he was praised as the number one person in Li Guoxiu's world of formations.

A person who is probably not as good as himself is touted as the number one in the formation. Who can be convinced?

"As the saying goes, colleagues are enemies."

"Everyone is a formation master, without a real competition, who can willingly admit that others are number one."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao felt relieved.

After waiting for a while, a bald old man hurried over and repeatedly confessed:

"Senior Li, I hope you will forgive me! I was delayed for a while because of something, it's really..."

"No problem."

Li Changlin waved his hand and said with a smile:

"Since Master Zhuo is here, please take a seat."

"Okay, thank you Senior Haihan."

The bald old man breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly took a seat beside Zhang Yao.

"So it was him..."

Hearing his surname, Zhang Yao immediately recognized his identity.

This master Zhuo is also a formation master who has been famous for decades. He was born as a casual cultivator and once played in the Wanhe League. Zhang Yao has heard of the opponent's reputation more than once.

It's just that after Wanhe Dao Life was destroyed and the Wanhe League fell apart, this person sought a place to live in seclusion and disappeared for many years. Unexpectedly, he was invited by Mrs. Li today.

"Now that everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point."

Li Changlin looked around and said:

"Apart from the guarding elders of the Tiandun Sect, Master Zhang, Master Zhuo, and your nephew Yuan Hui should be the most accomplished people in the cultivation world of Li Guo."

"I have an incomplete array map here, I hope some of you can refer to it and try to give a solution."

"There is no need for complete cracking steps, even just some ideas."

As he said, with a flick of his sleeve, three jade slips flew out and stopped in front of Zhang Yao and the other three.

Zhang Yao, Taoist Zhuo, and Li Yuanhui didn't dare to neglect, they quickly took the jade slips, entered the mana and inspected them carefully.

"Sure enough!"

Zhang Yao's thoughts swept away, and he felt certain.

About 30% to 40% of the formation pictures recorded in the jade slips were those he had seen a few days ago.

Although a lot of new parts have been added, making the entire array more and more complicated, it is still incomplete as a whole.

"Not three formations, but at least six formations..."

After making a further judgment in Zhang Yao's mind, he felt more and more difficult.

The formation corresponding to this formation is probably much more powerful than the formation in Mangshanfang City. Even if he gets the complete formation, he is not very sure that he can crack it.

"This formation..."

He glanced over from the corner of his eye, and found that Li Yuanhui and Zhuo Taoist were all frowning, obviously feeling the same trouble.

"You don't need to be stressed."

Li Changlin also noticed this, and immediately said:

"As I said, you don't need a complete method of breaking the formation, as long as you have a general idea."

"...The junior will show his shame!"

Taoist Zhuo bowed his hands and took the lead in mobilizing mana, trying to deliberate and dissolve the broken formation in the jade slip.

Zhang Yao also did the same work as him, but deliberately concealed his true level, and only used the top-level formation knowledge.

After half an hour.

The three handed in the jade slips one after another. After Li Changlin thanked them politely, he ordered Zhang Yao and Taoist Zhuo to be sent out of the Li family mansion.

Before leaving, Mrs. Li's steward gave the two of them five hundred spirit stones as a reward for this time, and said that they might be invited again after a while.

Like Taoist Zhuo, Zhang Yao fully agreed, and then went all the way back to his cave.

Inside the cave:

Zhang Yao closed the door tightly, with a dignified expression, took out a jade slip, and entered it with mana.

This is a set of "thinking test dossiers" that he made up by combining the superficial psychological knowledge he studied in his previous life, and his two hundred years of experience and perception in this life, to measure his own thinking and memory.

Once bitten, twice shy.

The experience in Qingyunfang City that year really made him suffer a lot, and he still remembers it vividly, fearing that one day he will accidentally repeat the same mistakes and be secretly influenced by high-level monks with magic.

For this reason, he conceived various protective measures, and this set of thinking test files is one of the means to verify after the fact and prevent erroneous progress.

Although it is still unknown how much effect this set of dossier has, it is better than nothing.

"call……"

After a while, Zhang Yao withdrew his mana, and compared it with another jade slip that had been recorded in advance and recorded normal answers, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Judging from the results, the memory is accurate, and the possibility of thinking being distorted is extremely small."

Looking at the two jade slips in his hand, he suddenly smiled wryly:

"I'm really suspicious..."

There should be very few people in the world who are proficient in soul magic.

Moreover, it is impossible for a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator to indiscriminately kill strangers they meet for the first time.

But he was still afraid of it, so after meeting Li Changlin, the first thing he did when he came back was to test his memory and thinking.

"Well... something is wrong with this."

Recalling the scene in the Li family's mansion, Zhang Yao got up and paced back and forth in the cave, frowning.

It was normal for the Li family to invite him to study the formation, but the level of the formation was too high, which made him feel a little uneasy.

Although as a formation mage, participating in breaking the formation is not too dangerous, but there is no guarantee that the interests involved will be too great, and he will be killed afterwards.

"Then you might as well just leave!"

Zhang Yao stopped suddenly, and thoughts flickered in his mind:

"Because no one is paying attention to me now, I can leave Li Guo directly and go north to Dali."

"At that time, even if there is a big risk behind this formation, it will not affect me..."