Chapter 311: Derivation

Disassembling a formation means disassembling the formation runes, using the generation and restraining relationships of the runes to unravel the entire formation.

The Reverse Spirit Formation can also disassemble formations, but its deeper application is to directly disassemble spiritual energy.

Mo Hua didn't understand, but it sounded incredibly powerful.

"But how do you disassemble it?"

He knew how to disassemble formations, but disassembling spiritual energy—he'd never even heard of it.

Mr. Yue hesitated briefly, then slowly said:

"Spiritual Insight Derivation."

Mo Hua frowned; this was another term he'd never heard before.

In all the formation books he'd read and all the formation masters he'd encountered, none had ever mentioned "Spiritual Insight Derivation."

"Mr. Yue, is Spiritual Insight Derivation also a highly profound subject in formation theory?" Mo Hua asked.

Spiritual Insight Derivation nodded: "No."

If you could simply deduce formation runes through formation spiritual energy, anyone could learn formation arts just by studying formation diagrams.

Spiritual Insight Derivation sighed deeply: "The heavens have a banquet scattered far and wide; you've been lingering in that place long enough."

Mo Hua's expression brightened, "This you—"

"It's like within your Spiritual Insight, you perceive the peculiar state of Yue Qing's flow; disassembling spiritual energy isn't about meticulously deducing the spiritual energy's presence within your Spiritual Insight."

Yue Qingyuan's gaze sharpened, his tone growing heavier.

"Some rigid formation masters, who don't understand the essence of formations, treat fixed runes as if they were the Dao itself, revere form as absolute law, and forbid even a single stroke's addition or deletion—don't you ever learn from those wooden-headed fools."

Mo Hua couldn't yet imagine how commanding he would sound when he spoke those words himself one day.

Mo Hua pressed: "Then what's the use of it?"

Spiritual Insight Derivation couldn't help smiling, "You know you want to dismantle a compound formation and kill a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, don't you?"

Mo Hua remembered—he'd sensed the presence of the Mist Formation in the Mist Forest before, which was how he'd been able to determine direction.

"I'm teaching you now because your Spiritual Insight has reached Foundation Establishment, barely meeting the threshold; but with your current Spiritual Insight, you can at most derive complex Grade-One compound formations—this disassembling force can injure Foundation Establishment cultivators, but might kill them."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he whispered quietly: "So… can I also secretly learn other people's formations?"

Yue Qingyuan nodded.

Yue Qingyuan smiled slightly and began explaining disassembling spiritual energy to Mo Hua:

Spiritual Insight Derivation nodded in agreement, then warned:

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded vigorously.

"The formation core is the origin of Yue Qing's flow; the formation medium is the vessel through which spiritual energy flows; the runes and formation pivots are the pathways of spiritual energy's movement."

"If you understand this, you'll know why the same formation, from different lineages or schools, always has slight variations in rune strokes."

Yue Qingyuan glanced at Mo Hua, his expression solemn:

"Under this principle, the simpler the formation, the weaker its spiritual energy, and the less power it releases upon disassembly."

"Originally, Yue Qing Derivation wasn't something you should be learning yet, but since I'm teaching you now, perhaps someone else will teach you later."

So there was such a thing…

"Then why don't formation masters learn Spiritual Insight Derivation? Because they don't need it, or because it's too difficult?" Mo Hua asked again.

"With your Spiritual Insight foundation this good, not learning it would be a real waste."

Mr. Yue said: "It's because they don't need it—and because it's too difficult."

"The ultimate use of Yue Qing Derivation is exactly what I told you before: using the Reverse Spirit Formation to reverse Yue Qing, thereby causing the formation to collapse and unleash terrifying destructive power."

"If you misjudge and mistake a killing formation for an illusion formation, the consequences will be equally severe."

Even Foundation Establishment Spiritual Insight barely meets the threshold…

Mr. Yue emphasized again: "For life!"

Spiritual Insight Derivation laughed, confidently saying, "If you learn it through your own effort, how can it be called stealing?"

Spiritual Insight Derivation smiled and explained carefully:

"All the formation knowledge you've learned—whether medium, runes, pivots, core, or single and compound formations—is based on the structural understanding of formations themselves."

"Ordinary formation masters never learn it in their entire lives."

Mo Hua's emotions were hard to express: "Mr. Yue, you haven't told me anything yet…"

"No."

"How profound is it?"

"What is called disassembling spiritual energy is the process of deducing and reconstructing the flow of Yue Qing within the mind sea."

Spiritual Insight Derivation sighed faintly: "Formation arts are vast and profound; the more advanced the formation, the more it defies heaven and earth, reverses yin and yang."

"Compared to that, a cultivator's Spiritual Insight is minuscule; the more advanced the formations you study, the more your Spiritual Insight becomes strained—just understanding them is already a feat; where would you find extra Spiritual Insight to derive them?"

In the future, if another formation master targets me with a formation, I could simply learn his formation directly.

Mo Hua suddenly understood: "So if I master Derivation, I can see through any formation just by observing its spiritual energy flow—then other formation masters won't be able to harm me!"

"You'll also understand why, for the same formation, some masters' rune strokes always differ slightly yet still function perfectly, while others' runes, even slightly misdrawn, render the entire formation useless."

"You can learn it, but you can't call it stealing."

What he sensed at this stage was only a vague outline of runes—more accurately, a spiritual energy shadow of the rune form, not a clear flow of spiritual energy.

"Your formation is powerful, but I've seen it once—it's already mine."

"First, it deepens your understanding of formations, letting you know exactly what runes and pivots are for, and how spiritual energy flows through the pivots and connects the runes."

Mr. Yue nodded: "Yes."

"Depends on the formation's strength: ordinary single formations aren't worth dismantling because their spiritual energy composition is too strong; extraordinary compound formations aren't necessary to dismantle because their pivot structures are too complex; only simpler compound formations are worth dismantling."

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.

Mo Hua felt a small disappointment and sighed, "Can it be stolen and learned?"

"Ultimately, array patterns and array pivots are merely forms; the flow of Qi is the essence."

Mo Hua blinked in surprise, "For a lifetime?"

Mo Hua nodded seriously, "Mr., you must learn this well!"

Shen Yi Leng said gently, "Teaching him to unravel Qi calculations isn't to let him dismantle arrays—it's to help him see through the essence of arrays, to better comprehend them, so he won't one day be trapped in another array master's array, unable to discern its secrets and thus endanger his life…"

"If one day he travels outside and steps into someone else's array, unable to perceive the array patterns or guess what kind of array it is, he'll essentially be doomed to wait for death."

"Some arrays are hidden deeply; if he can't see their secrets, then those arrays are the safest."

Mo Hua felt a little disappointed.

Shen Yi Leng gently patted his head, "There's still some time—I'll teach you more. Learn well."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up and asked, "Because although the array patterns differ, they affect Qi flow; even if the former only deviates by a single stroke, the Qi flow is disrupted, so the array fails—is that right?"

Mo Hua was startled.

"He should have realized: beyond the array's structure, the essence of its power comes from the flow of Qi."

"Won't high-rank array masters learn it too?"

Mo Hua smiled shyly, "Is that not possible?"

Mo Hua looked sorrowful and said, "Mr., are you leaving?"

"The Dao of Heaven takes many paths but leads to the same end—like other cultivation methods and arts, Qi is the inner essence."

Shen Yi Leng shook his head.

Mr. Zhuang chuckled, "High-rank array masters merely have higher cultivation and stronger spiritual awareness, so they learn higher-rank arrays. But in terms of spiritual awareness application and understanding of arrays, they aren't necessarily superior to some low-rank array masters."

Mo Hua was stunned, curious, "How powerful could it be?"

Mo Hua was surprised, "Even Foundation Establishment spiritual awareness isn't enough?"

"Your spiritual awareness isn't enough."

Mo Hua paused slightly, then smiled, "Mr., you're right!"

Mo Hua's face fell in disappointment.

"Not enough."

Seeing Mo Hua's puzzled expression, Shen Yi Leng said directly:

Mo Hua perked up, "Can it let you kill enemies of a higher rank? Can a first-rank array unraveling kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Mo Hua froze, warmth rising in his heart, his expression grateful: "Thank you, Mr.!"

"Not enough," Shen Yi Leng nodded. "So many array masters learn Qi calculations—not because the spiritual awareness cost during calculation is absurdly high."

Shen Yi Leng continued, "Seventh: once he learns Qi Circle Calculations, he can perceive the flow of Qi within an array and deduce its patterns with spiritual awareness alone."