148: Heart Moon Fox

In Lin Feng's Sea of Consciousness, the brilliant galaxy he had seen at the Star Gazing Platform last night appeared once more, the positions of the Big Dipper clearly visible.

At the same time, he channeled all his power into the heaven-stealing vine, sinking his consciousness beneath his feet to sense the extremely faint fluctuations of the earth's veins that had not yet completely calmed down after being guided by the "Little Big Dipper Formation."

A few breaths later, he opened his eyes, his gaze calm. He did not look at any of the Formation Flags, but instead began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the Formation. His steps were peculiar, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, as if he were measuring something, or perhaps listening to the whispers of the earth.

Qu Yunshang's gaze gradually grew solemn. She recognized that Lin Feng's footwork faintly corresponded to certain changes in stellar positions; this was definitely no coincidence.

Finally, Lin Feng stopped at a corner on the northern side of the Formation. He reached out and pointed to one of the seven Formation Flags that appeared unremarkable; the position of that flag happened to correspond to the "Tianshu" star position of the Big Dipper.

"Senior Sister Qu," Lin Feng turned to look at Qu Yunshang, "If Junior Brother's senses are correct, the eye of the Formation should be this flag. Because it not only bears the Star Power of Tianshu but is also the intersection point of several subtle spiritual flows of the earth's veins here, like the hub of a galaxy, where moving one part affects the whole."

A flash of undisguised surprise crossed Qu Yunshang's eyes. Naturally, she had no way of knowing that with the heaven-stealing vine, Lin Feng had already silently replicated the trajectory of every bit of spiritual power she had used when setting up the Formation earlier.

When Lin Feng closed his eyes and focused, the heaven-stealing vine had automatically correlated the rhythm of the Formation he had just recorded with the stellar positions he had perceived last night, clearly reflecting the most critical energy intersection point in Lin Feng's consciousness.

Therefore, when Lin Feng, relying on this unique perception, not only accurately pointed out the Tianshu Formation Flag but also described the intersection of Star Power and the earth's veins—the most core secret to constructing the Formation—to Qu Yunshang, it sounded far beyond the scope of someone who learns quickly; he was simply a prodigy of Formations who had mastered it without a teacher.

In her mind, scenes of countless Disciples struggling day and night yet failing to grasp the basics flashed by, yet he had pointed straight to the Origin upon his first contact? This could no longer be described as having high Comprehension Ability; it was simply... was he born for Formations?

She took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, and when she looked at Lin Feng again, her gaze had completely changed.

"Junior Brother Lin," her voice was unconsciously a few shades deeper than usual, "You... are very good."

That night, the moonlight was as clear as water.

In the quiet open space behind the Orchid Garden, Lin Feng took out the set of black Formation Flags that Qu Yunshang had used for her demonstration during the day. For him, the basic techniques of setting up a Formation and the tricks of guiding spiritual power were not unfamiliar, as he had already memorized Zhao Ming's Jade Slip by heart.

He stood still, recalling the details of the "Little Big Dipper Formation" that Qu Yunshang had demonstrated during the day, and then with a flick of his wrist, the seven Formation Flags flew out in sequence.

When the seventh Formation Flag landed, with a soft "hum," the seven black Formation Flags moved without wind, and the Big Dipper patterns on the flag surfaces suddenly lit up with silver light.

The starlight in the night sky seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, transforming into seven clearly visible silver pillars of light that poured precisely into each of the Formation Flags.

In the blink of an eye, a complete Little Big Dipper Formation appeared on the ground, with seven points of silver light circulating ceaselessly, forming a star pattern. The gathered Star Power was extremely pure, even causing the dust on the surrounding ground to float gently.

Lin Feng stood frozen in place, looking at the Formation he had set up with his own hands, which far exceeded his expectations. The Formation was complete, which was expected. However, the Star Power stirred by the Formation before him far exceeded his understanding of a basic "Little Big Dipper Formation."

Just as his mind was shaken, Qu Yunshang was quietly standing under the bamboo shadows, taking it all in.

She had just finished her routine patrol of the Formations. When she passed the fork in the road leading to the Orchid Garden, her footsteps involuntarily slowed down. Lin Feng's eyes reflecting the starlight and filled with Comprehension Ability, as well as his expression when he accurately described the secrets of the Formation, lingered in her mind.

She did not know why, but she had inexplicably changed her route and came to the Orchid Garden.

However, when she truly felt the exceptionally pure spiritual power fluctuations coming from the open space behind the garden, her heart skipped a beat.

This was definitely not a scene that could be triggered by ordinary practice!

She quietly focused her gaze, and when she saw the Little Big Dipper Formation in the field set up by Lin Feng that had already triggered an anomaly, even with her composure, her breath hitched, and her footsteps instantly froze in place.

She knew better than anyone that to trigger such an anomaly, one needed not only an ultimate understanding of the Formation itself but also an extraordinary affinity with Star Power. The latter was the very Realm that she, and countless sages of the entire Qingyun Sect, had been struggling to pursue!

Lin Feng had already sensed the presence under the bamboo shadows the moment the Formation was complete. He pretended not to know, deliberately showing a thoughtful expression towards the circulating starlight of the Formation, and only when Qu Yunshang's aura became slightly disordered did he turn around and smile lightly: "Since Senior Sister is already here, why not offer some guidance?"

Hearing this, Qu Yunshang's figure paused slightly, knowing her presence had long been exposed. She walked slowly out from the bamboo shadows, the moonlight shining on her plain white dress, her expression having returned to its usual calmness, though a faint blush at the roots of her ears betrayed her momentary embarrassment just now.

She walked to the front of the Formation, "This Formation... no longer needs my guidance." Immediately, she looked at Lin Feng, her gaze complex, "Junior Brother is truly... always surprising."

...

Half a month passed in a flash. Lin Feng had become quite familiar with the first floor of the Starfall Formation Pavilion and often studied the Formation diagrams of the sages there.

On the afternoon of this day, he was pausing in front of an ancient Formation Plate depicting the network of the "Great Array of Stellar Evolution Circulating Heaven," when the heaven-stealing vine in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly transmitted a faint yet clear pulsation without any warning.

Lin Feng immediately focused his mind and calmed his Qi, channeling all his perception. The heaven-stealing vine's sensing was elusive, yet it stubbornly pointed outside the Formation Pavilion, towards the northwest direction where the core area of the Sect's protective Formation was located.

Following that subtle guidance, and combining it with what he had learned over the past half month, he compared it in his mind with the stellar position map of the "Great Array of Stellar Evolution Circulating Heaven," his expression gradually becoming solemn. The source of that uncoordinated fluctuation seemed to vaguely point to the general area of the main Formation base of "Heart-Moon Fox," which corresponded to the seven mansions of the Vermilion Bird in the south within the Sect's protective Formation.

Upon hearing this, Qu Yunshang's expression immediately became serious. The Sect's protective Formation concerned the foundation of the Sect and could not be taken lightly in the slightest.

She first quickly checked all the monitoring Jade Slips for the "Heart-Moon Fox" main Formation base from the recent period; the records showed that all operating parameters were normal. She then closed her eyes and focused, attempting to remotely probe that Formation base with her own unique stellar sensing, but failed to detect any of the anomalies Lin Feng had described. According to common sense and existing evidence, she should have concluded that this was an illusion caused by Lin Feng's sensitivity as a beginner.

However, she remembered that Lin Feng could perceive the connection between the stars and the earth's veins that night at the Star Gazing Platform, as well as that Comprehension Ability that allowed him to grasp things instantly, and his keen eye that could always find the key in subtle places. This spiritual perception, far exceeding that of ordinary people, had repeatedly proven its extraordinary nature. Since he was making such a serious proposal now, it was definitely not groundless.

Therefore, this common sense based on facts was shaken in her heart.