The hour of Chen had not yet arrived, but the white jade plaza before the Star Pivot Hall was already gilded with a layer of pale gold by the morning light.

Su Ming stood outside the hall's entrance, his head slightly bowed, straightening the sleeves of his robe that already had no wrinkles. He took a deep breath, circulating the Like Water Art, silently smoothing away the slight heart palpitations caused by his impending meeting with the sect's top brass.

"Heart rate seventy-two, breathing steady, divine sense perfectly restrained." Lin Yu's voice sounded in the Consciousness Sea, tinged with a hint of teasing, "Not bad, you've really figured out how to wear this 'honest and simple' skin. Remember, once inside, look less and listen more. This is the brain of Formation Peak, surveillance cameras everywhere... oh wait, I mean recording formations."

Su Ming silently acknowledged in his heart. As the heavy sound of the hall doors slowly opening echoed, he stepped across that high threshold.

With that single step, it felt as if he had entered a river of stars.

The Star Pivot Hall had no dome; looking up revealed a simulated, vast celestial sphere. Countless starry phantoms slowly revolved according to some profound trajectory. In the center of the great hall was a waterfall of spiritual energy cascading down from the void.

That wasn't water, but countless densely packed, rapidly flowing runes.

They fell from high above, disassembling, reassembling, and evolving mid-air, ultimately converging into the Formation Hub core beneath the ground. Each flicker represented one precise calculation of the mountain-protecting grand formation.

Su Ming only glanced at it and immediately felt dizzy, his soul in the Consciousness Sea involuntarily wanting to follow the rhythm of those runes.

"Don't stare at it. That's something only Golden Core realm cultivators and above can look at," Lin Yu promptly spoke up to stop him.

Su Ming immediately withdrew his gaze, focusing his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, and quickly walked towards the front section of the hall.

Three figures were already waiting there.

"Hey! Su Ming!"

The first to break the solemn atmosphere was naturally Luo Feng. Although this newly promoted Third Senior Brother was wearing formal True Disciple robes today, he couldn't hide his inherently lively and energetic aura. He darted over to Su Ming in a few steps, his smile as bright as a child who had just gotten a new toy, raising his hand to pat Su Ming's shoulder.

"Wait, no, from today we have to change how I address you. Little Junior Brother! Finally got you here!"

Su Ming was just about to bow in greeting when his shoulder received two solid pats.

Luo Feng's hand strength was considerable, but he didn't use spiritual energy, just pure enthusiasm. Without waiting for Su Ming to reply, he directly grabbed his sleeve and pulled him inward, "Come on, come on, hurry up and meet everyone. Our Formation Peak lineage is sparse; usually, it's hard to even gather enough people for a full table. Today, we're all here."

He pointed to a white-robed woman standing with her hands clasped behind her back on the left.

"This is Eldest Senior Sister, Ling Shuang. She usually lives at Sword Peak, just holds a nominal position here. Don't bother her for no reason. She's the type who would rather act than argue."

Su Ming looked up.

The woman's posture was as straight and upright as a pine tree. Her snow-white robes, purer than snow, were untouched by dust, and she carried an ancient sheathed sword on her back. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, yet cold as a piece of ten-thousand-year-old profound ice that would never melt. Hearing Luo Feng's introduction, she showed no annoyance, merely tilting her head slightly, her gaze falling upon Su Ming.

In that instant, Su Ming felt as if an invisible sword aura had locked onto his throat.

Not killing intent, but a pure, razor-sharp scrutiny. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

In the Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu clicked his tongue, "Wow, what kind of formation master is this? The sword energy inside this girl is practically bursting her meridians. She's a tough one."

Su Ming's expression remained unchanged. The water spiritual energy within his body flowed naturally, like a deep pool, gently enveloping and dissolving that piercing sharpness. He respectfully performed a Daoist bow, his voice steady, "Su Ming pays his respects to Eldest Senior Sister."

A flicker of surprise passed through Ling Shuang's eyes.

An ordinary Qi Refining disciple, under the sword intent she unintentionally emitted, would either have weak knees or have their qi disrupted, even if they didn't collapse. This new junior brother, his cultivation seemed average, but this spiritual energy of his... was astonishingly resilient.

"Mmm."

She gave a slight nod, her voice clear and crisp like jade beads shattering on stone, "Ling Shuang."

That counted as an acknowledgment.

"Don't mind it. Eldest Senior Sister cultivates the 'Sword Path.' She has to count every word she speaks," Luo Feng chuckled, then pointed to the right, "This is Second Senior Brother, Qin Yi."

The person on the right wore short, practical martial attire, his sleeves rolled up to reveal sturdy forearms. He carried a faint, unique scent mixed of vegetation and beasts.

It was actually Qin Yi, whom he had met once before at Spirit Beast Peak.

A gentle smile hung on Qin Yi's face, his gaze warm and moist, showing not a trace of the airs of a True Disciple. He looked at Su Ming, a meaningful glint in his eyes, "Junior Brother Su, I said back then at the cold pool, just from watching your formation-laying technique, I knew you were no ordinary talent. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, you and I would become fellow disciples."

"Second Senior Brother flatters me too much," Su Ming said modestly, "If not for Senior Brother's pointers that day, this junior brother would have struggled to grasp the crucial points."

"The composition of your master's disciples... is a bit complicated."

Lin Yu went on an outburst in Su Ming's mind, "One's an ice mountain sword immortal who only knows how to slash, one's a zookeeper who hangs out with demon beasts all day, plus a formation-obsessed tech nerd... This old man Xuanheng has quite eclectic tastes in accepting disciples. No wonder he recruited you, a maintenance and repair guy. Is he trying to complete the 'Compendium of All Trades in the Cultivation World'?"

Su Ming suppressed the twitch at the corner of his mouth, maintaining his respectful posture.

Right at that moment, the rune waterfall in the center of the great hall suddenly halted.

The originally rapidly flowing spiritual light became gentle, and a figure slowly emerged from within, transforming from illusory to solid.

Xuanheng Zhenren today wore an extremely simple dark cyan Daoist robe without any intricate patterns, only a single ancient formation line embroidered at the cuff. He did not release any pressure, but the moment he appeared, the vast and precise operational rhythm of the entire Star Pivot Hall seemed to find its backbone, becoming more coordinated and harmonious.

"Master."

Ling Shuang, Qin Yi, and Luo Feng all stood solemnly and bowed in unison.

Su Ming also bowed down with them.

Xuanheng's gaze was as warm and moist as jade, sweeping over his three beloved disciples, finally settling on Su Ming. That gaze seemed capable of piercing through flesh to see the true heart within, yet it didn't feel oppressive. Instead, it brought a sense of peace as soothing as a spring breeze.

"Su Ming, step forward."

Xuanheng's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly within the spacious hall.

Su Ming complied, stepping forward and kneeling before the prayer mat.

A young Daoist attendant had already presented a tea cup beside him. The tea was no ordinary brew; the white mist rising from the cup actually condensed into the shape of a miniature cloud crane, gathering and dispersing unpredictably.

"Disciple Su Ming respectfully offers Master tea."

Su Ming raised the tea cup with both hands high, his movements as standard as a textbook.

Xuanheng accepted it, lifted the lid, and took a small sip.

With that single sip of tea swallowed, it meant the master-disciple relationship was now established, their fates connected.

"Since you have entered my gate, you must guard your heart with righteousness and hone your path of formations."

Xuanheng set down the tea cup, his tone calm yet solemn, "The path of formations encompasses all things. At its smallest, it can protect homes and bodies; at its greatest, it can govern heaven and earth. Although you entered halfway, your foundation is slightly shallow, but your advantage lies in your resilient character and thorough consideration. This is your weakness, yet also your strength."