Strong individuals are always welcome in abundance. Li Yifei would never complain about having too many experts at home. With Xu Shanshan returning from training under Elder Qingqiu, the Li family no longer lacks masters of swordsmanship, nor do they lack other martial skills. Li Yifei himself is already quite versatile, but having one more Formation Master fills a significant gap.Li Yifei, sitting in the back seat, felt a bit of anticipation, while Yang Shuo, who was driving, was extremely nervous. If his beloved could prove himself, then he would definitely earn some status in the Li family. But if he couldn’t prove himself... the two of them would face Li Yifei’s wrath.
Moreover, it could be a doubled wrath, so despite her strong trust in Xu Shu, she still worried for him.
Xu Shu closed his eyes, mentally rehearsing a complex formation. With his current abilities, setting it up was still somewhat challenging, but to prove himself, Xu Shu was determined to succeed. Without using this move, he felt it would be difficult to earn Li Yifei’s appreciation. As for whether this formation would ultimately succeed, he wasn’t entirely confident, as this was his first time setting it up and it was somewhat beyond his current capabilities.
As the car moved, Xu Shu continually simulated and planned the setup in his mind. When the car finally stopped, Xu Shu opened his eyes and said to Li Yifei in the back seat, "Mr. Li, I am ready."
"Good, go ahead." Li Yifei nodded. Xu Shu pushed open the door and stepped out, taking a deep breath as he faced the open ground before him. He then walked forward determinedly. From his backpack, jade stones and other accumulated formation materials fell into his hands continuously. Without needing to reach for them, he could summon the materials with a mere thought, and they would fall perfectly into place as he directed.
Setting up a formation like this wasn’t particularly astounding; Li Yifei could do it too, so he wasn’t surprised. Of course, this didn’t mean he underestimated Xu Shu. On the contrary, because he had high hopes for Xu Shu, he wanted to test him further, especially as Li Yifei had experienced many formations of various types and utilities over the past two years, recognizing the immense utility of formations.
Of course, against true powerhouses, the effects of formations were limited. But for those of comparable or lesser strength, or even ordinary people, formations were akin to a cheat code with absolute power.
As Xu Shu set up the formation, Yang Shuo stood nearby full of anticipation, her eyes sparkling like stars. Seeing her like this, Li Yifei couldn’t help but shake his head.
A half-hour later, Xu Shu stepped back, vigorously wiping the sweat from his forehead. Ignoring his sweat-drenched clothes, he briskly ran back with a hint of excitement on his face and said, "Mr. Li, I... have completed the setup!"
"Half an hour? To set up a formation?" Li Yifei said expressionlessly.
Uh... Xu Shu momentarily felt choked, taking a few seconds before saying, "For this kind of formation, half an hour... isn’t slow at all. In fact, it’s already a very fast speed!"
"Very fast?" Li Yifei shook his head, saying, "If you’re in an encounter, will your opponent give you half an hour to set up a formation?"
"This... obviously not!" Xu Shu replied speechlessly. "Mr. Li, this formation... not all formations are like this, and there are attack formations too!"
"What kind of name does it have?" Li Yifei asked.
Xu Shu quickly explained, "This formation is called the Tian Yan Formation, a legacy from my school. When my master taught it to me, I couldn’t comprehend it. I’ve spent over a year figuring it out myself. The Tian Yan Formation is a type of Killing Formation, uh... it’s just that it takes a bit longer to set up. But if given enough time and materials, it can be very effective. Setting it up in just half an hour is actually very fast; even if my master were alive, I doubt they could achieve this speed."
"Don’t brag first!" Li Yifei raised a hand to stop Xu Shu, his tone cool as he said, "Since it’s a Killing Formation, I assume it’s quite powerful?"
"Of course... it is. My master said it could trap a hundred people... a hundred experts. Uh, but with the current range of the formation being smaller, it can’t trap a hundred, but about ten people is enough." Xu Shu replied.
Yang Shuo clutched her heart, smitten despite her age, while Li Yifei raised an eyebrow and said, "So this is the formation you’ve set up to prove yourself?"
"Yes, Mr. Li. This is also, with my current cultivation level, the strongest formation I can set up. Perhaps one of the strongest, but I still chose this." Xu Shu replied.
Li Yifei squinted slightly, a habitual gesture. With expectations, he seemed ready and eager, saying, "Alright, let me test this strongest Killing Formation of yours."
"Ah? Mr. Li, you’re going in?" Xu Shu was stunned upon hearing this and hurriedly tried to stop him, saying, "No, no, this formation is a Killing Formation. Entering it is deadly. Mr. Li, it’s not safe to go in personally and take such a risk. We’ve already taken too much of your money, and if you get injured or worse... it would be an unforgivable sin."
Li Yifei laughed heartily and said, "If we don’t try, how will we know if this formation is fierce enough or up to standard?"
"But you can’t test it like this. How about this, Yang Shuo, go and buy some live chickens or some animals. We can put them in and then know the effectiveness of this formation," Xu Shu suggested.
Yang Shuo nodded immediately. She couldn’t let Li Yifei take the risk, so she quickly said, "Okay, I’ll go right away!"
"Why go? If his formation method can’t even kill a chicken, what’s the use? Even if it can kill a chicken, it’s useless. To know if this thing is effective, we need to let a person test it!" Li Yifei said as he took off his coat, threw it into the car, and told the two who wanted to stop him, "Don’t try to stop me. Xu Shu, if this formation is effective, great; if not, you two will be in trouble."
Xu Shu’s face turned red, anxiously looking at Li Yifei, and said, "This is a Killing Formation, Mr. Li, you are too reckless."
But Li Yifei had already stepped five or six meters forward, walking through the formation as if taking a leisurely stroll. Xu Shu still wanted to stop him, but his hand suddenly paused. His expression was slightly strange, and next to him, Yang Shuo blamed, "Why didn’t you stop Mr. Li? If something really happens, how will I face President Xu?"
"No, no!" Xu Shu shook his head repeatedly, his eyes fixed on the place where Li Yifei entered the formation. He slapped his forehead and said, "Could it be that Mr. Li also knows formation methods? That step just now, he directly entered through the Life Gate, that definitely wasn’t a coincidence."
"If it’s not a coincidence, then what is it!" Yang Shuo was so anxious she almost cried, constantly praying, "Please don’t let anything happen, nothing happen!"
Xu Shu still murmured, "Yes, it was the Life Gate. Although once inside, the formation automatically changes and the Life Gate vanishes, unless one is knowledgeable in these matters, it’s impossible to step directly into it. That’s the first step to breaking the formation!"
"That’s right, that’s right, Mr. Li must also know formation methods. This is simply incredible; my master once said that people who know formation methods today might still exist, but those who truly can set them up are very rare. I didn’t expect to meet one."
"Brother Xu, what are you talking about?" Yang Shuo didn’t hear his muttering clearly and couldn’t help but ask.
"Yang Shuo, listen, Mr. Li knows formation methods. My formation... he might actually be able to break it," Xu Shu said excitedly.
Yang Shuo’s lips moved slightly, and hearing Xu Shu’s words, her first reaction was a great relief, as long as Li Yifei is fine. But she then said, "If Mr. Li breaks your formation, doesn’t that mean... you fail the test?"
"Well... it can’t be. If my formation can be broken, it’s because Mr. Li has high cultivation and strong abilities, not because the formation I set up is deficient. Mr. Li should understand this, so I think it’s fine!"
"Let’s wait and see, whether the formation is broken or not. The main thing is Mr. Li is safe first," Yang Shuo said nervously.
Xu Shu nodded vigorously, saying, "It’s a pity my cultivation is still insufficient. Although I’m the one who set the formation, I can’t directly control it. Otherwise, I could help in times of danger. Ultimately, cultivation is too expensive. Yang Shuo, this past year I owe it to you; without you, I wouldn’t have been able to continue cultivating!"
Yang Shuo heard this, her face showing a hint of blush, grasped Xu Shu’s hand, and softly said, "Brother Xu, don’t say that. What I did for you, I have no regrets. Of course, I also hope we can be together forever. To be satisfied with that for a lifetime."
"We surely can... it’s just... my lifespan may be a bit longer. But I’ll try my best to help you live a few more years, so we can be together longer," Xu Shu said affectionately.
"With your words, I can do anything. Brother Xu, I just decided, after this matter is solved, I’ll go home and get a divorce. You know, I don’t love him, I only love you. Your shadow has been in my heart for so many years. If I knew you were fine, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten married, wouldn’t have been with someone else!"
"I understand, and I trust you. Unfortunately, fate played tricks on us, separating us. But fortunately, fate looked favorably upon us again, allowing us to meet once more and fulfill a beautiful destiny."
The two spoke sweet words, as if for a moment forgetting about Li Yifei in the formation. Luckily, Li Yifei wasn’t there, otherwise listening to their nauseatingly mushy conversation, Li Yifei would probably kick Xu Shu away. Damn it, you two collaborating in a shameless affair, seducing a married woman with quite a sense of righteousness. Have you ever thought about that man with a greenness over his head? Thought about how the child, just entering middle school, will view this when they find out? Will it affect their studies? Lead them to downfall, or will they feel happy for Yang Shuo, believing their mother should pursue true love, rather than continue with someone they don’t love?
Of course, none of this concerns Li Yifei one bit. He is currently within the formation, entering through the Life Gate. This was something Li Yifei knew while watching Xu Shu set up the formation. As for what happens after entering through the Life Gate, Li Yifei isn’t aware, but it doesn’t matter. He has broken through many formations over the past few years, and he’s known for his broad knowledge. Perhaps, among the younger generation domestically, besides those old experts, his vision is the most expansive.