“Did you try not to repair it?” Elder Qingquan asked.

“Yes.” Su Ming nodded.

“I understand that if one forcefully follows the logic in The True Meaning of Basic Rune Deconstruction to fix it, it will only collapse instantly.”

There was a rigor in Su Ming’s tone, the precision of a science student.

“So, I tried not to repair it. I tried to understand it. To understand why it became this way. To understand how those deformed spiritual energy circuits managed to maintain balance amid chaos.”

Elder Qingquan put down his teacup.

He looked at Su Ming and leaned forward slightly.

“And then?”

Those two words were asked very softly, but they carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

Su Ming swallowed.

“Then I found that although that ruined formation’s logic is extremely chaotic, seemingly without any order… even within the chaos, there are patterns.”

Su Ming stretched out his right hand and drew an empty circle in the air above the stone table.

“Like a person going mad. The way he goes mad, the trajectories his limbs trace, are still traceable.”

Su Ming threw out his core piece of evidence.

“At Iron Wall Pass, I spent half a month. I stayed by the Formation Hub and recorded the patterns in which one hundred and eight formations’ spiritual energy dissipated and were damaged when hit by beasts.”

In Su Ming’s mind flashed the ledgers full of dense data he had written.

“I decomposed, compared, and summarized those one hundred and eight patterns. I discovered that some of the self-protective reactions the Iron Wall Pass formation displayed as it neared collapse…”

Su Ming stared fixedly into Elder Qingquan’s eyes.

“Match some of the malformed changes in that jade slip’s ruined formation!”

The courtyard fell into a corpse-like silence again.

The wind rustled through the bamboo groves.

Lin Yu in the Consciousness Sea held his breath. He knew that Su Ming’s words had already touched the most essential laws of formation Dao.

This was not merely solving a problem.

This was dissecting heaven and earth.

Elder Qingquan was silent.

He said nothing. He simply watched Su Ming quietly.

He watched this disciple in his twenties wearing a purple Daoist robe. He watched his clear yet profound eyes.

Time passed, breath by breath.

Sweat formed on Su Ming’s palm. But he did not avert his gaze. He firmly believed his logic was right, even if it was heretical.

After a full ten breaths, Elder Qingquan suddenly moved.

He reached out and picked up the coarse ceramic teapot.

He flipped the empty teacup in front of Su Ming.

Scalding tea poured from the spout.

The tea landed in the cup, stirring small ripples. The aroma of tea immediately wafted out.

Elder Qingquan poured a cup of tea for Su Ming.

This was a courtesy even Luo Feng had not enjoyed when he first met the elder. It was also the first tangible act of recognition Elder Qingquan had shown Su Ming since he passed through the bamboo gate.

“Drink.”

Elder Qingquan set down the teapot. His voice softened considerably.

Su Ming looked at the steaming cup of tea before him.

The massive stone in his heart finally crashed down.

He knew he had bet right.

Su Ming did not refuse. He cupped both hands respectfully and lifted the teacup.

The cup was somewhat hot, but he held it steadily.

He lowered his head, gently blew away the steam, and took a shallow sip.

The tea tasted slightly bitter at first, but once swallowed it transformed into a sweet, warming stream. That warmth did not sink into the Dantian; it shot straight into the Consciousness Sea.

Su Ming’s spirit jolted. The fatigue from days spent preparing to descend the mountain was swept away by the tea’s fragrance.

This was definitely not ordinary spirit tea.

“Thank you for the tea, Elder.” Su Ming set down the cup and spoke softly.

Elder Qingquan looked at him, and the admiration in his eyes was no longer hidden.

“What you just said.”

The elder’s fingers lightly rubbed the edge of the stone table.

“It pleases me more than those who come before me boastfully claiming, ‘I have untied the dead knot.’”

There was a clarity in Elder Qingquan’s voice that came from years of weathered experience.

“In cultivating formation Dao, the worst thing is rigidly applying methods.”

Elder Qingquan pointed at Su Ming.

“Knowing the result is important, but knowing the reason why is even more so.”

“People think solving a formation is the goal. Find the way out, break the formation, and you’ve won. How ignorant.”

Elder Qingquan snorted coldly, his tone laced with disdain for the mundane formation masters.

“Solving a formation was never the goal. Understanding formation principles, understanding the rules by which heaven-and-earth spiritual energy circulates, that is the true Dao.” 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He looked at Su Ming and nodded heavily.

“You could perceive the doctrine of 'formation corpses' from the ruined formation. You could step beyond the constraints of the formation diagram and seek the patterns of how it went mad. That shows your understanding of formation Dao has truly entered the gate.”

Elder Qingquan paused, offering very high praise.

“You have already touched that threshold.”

Su Ming hurriedly rose, cupped his fist with both hands, and bowed deeply.

“Thank you for your guidance, Elder.”

Gratitude filled Su Ming’s voice. He knew that without Elder Qingquan’s test, he would not have pondered the underlying logic behind these formations so deeply.

Elder Qingquan waved his hand.

“Guidance is too grand a word.”

He lifted his own cup and took a sip.

“I only handed you a stone. Seeing jade in a stone is due to your own high comprehension.”

Elder Qingquan put down his teacup.

The aloofness about him gradually ebbed. His tone became a bit more casual, like an elder chatting with a younger kin.

“Since you came today.”

Elder Qingquan sat up a little straighter.

“I’ll make things clear, so you won’t have qualms.”

At those words, Su Ming immediately sat upright. He knew this was the most important part — defining his status.

Elder Qingquan looked at Su Ming’s purple Daoist robe.

“You apprenticed under Xuanheng, his direct disciple. You are rightfully a True Disciple of Formation Peak.”

Elder Qingquan’s tone was even, without the slightest jealousy or resentment.

“Xuanheng is the Peak Master. What he teaches you is the peak’s lineage. That is good.”

Elder Qingquan extended a finger and pointed to himself.

“As for here, you are only a Nominal Disciple.”

He emphasized the word “nominal.”

“Nominal does not mean I disdain you.”

Elder Qingquan looked straightforwardly into Su Ming’s eyes.

“Nominal means you don’t have to come here to pay respects every day like you do with Xuanheng. You don’t need to report every single thing to me.”

“The sect has many rules, and Xuanheng’s side has many rules. Here, I do not enforce rules.”

Elder Qingquan waved his hand.

“You focus on your cultivation, handle your tasks. I mind my own business and drink my tea.”

“I will not interfere with how Xuanheng teaches you. You need not feel torn between two masters.”

Hearing this, Su Ming felt a surge of emotion.

“Disciple understands.”

Su Ming nodded heavily.