Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 70 – Formation Basics

Luo Xiu held a blood-stained Battle Sword in his hand as he pursued relentlessly, the blood at the corner of his mouth still unwiped, and his clothes were somewhat tattered, making him appear a bit disheveled.

"Haha, there's a road to heaven, but you refuse to take it; there's no door to hell, yet you barge in!"

Upon seeing Luo Xiu, Tian Guangyou burst into laughter, his face filled with malice. "Hand over the Fire Sun Fruit, and I'll leave you with an intact corpse."

He was a martial artist at the eighth layer of the Qi Sea Realm and didn't take someone at the fifth layer seriously at all.

Tian Guangyou might be brainless, but that didn't mean Zhang Haifei and Miao Feifei were equally dull.

Zhang Haifei noticed the fresh blood on Luo Xiu's Battle Sword and suddenly had a bad premonition.

"You want the Fire Sun Fruit? Of course, you can have it."

Luo Xiu smiled slightly and said, "But you'll have to trade your life for it."

Hearing the first part, Tian Guangyou was about to commend Luo Xiu for being sensible, but upon hearing the latter part, he flew into a rage and charged at Luo Xiu with his war blade.

"Ungrateful wretch, die for me!"

The blade gleamed with brilliance, and Tian Guangyou's murderous intent was chilling as he struck with ruthless ferocity.

"Swish!"

Luo Xiu swung his Battle Sword, the cold light of the blade bringing forth a spray of hot blood.

Tian Guangyou's eyes widened in disbelief, his movements halted abruptly as blood gushed from his neck, and he collapsed into a pool of blood with a thud.

The war blade in his hand was also severed into two pieces.

In that instant, Luo Xiu had slashed through his war blade and sealed his throat with a single strike, killing him instantly.

Miao Feifei turned pale at the sight, said nothing, and immediately fled into the nearby bushes.

Zhang Haifei also wanted to escape. Luo Xiu's sword strike had terrified him immensely. This guy's cultivation was definitely not as simple as the fifth layer of the Qi Sea Realm, and his Battle Sword, capable of easily cutting through a Human-Grade Low Tier war blade, was undoubtedly a high-grade war armament.

However, during the previous battle with the Blue-winged Demon Snake, his True Qi was nearly exhausted. Although he had taken a pill, it only restored a little, and he feared being intercepted before he could escape. So, he suddenly lunged at Lu Mengyao beside him.

However, Luo Xiu was faster.

A sword light cleaved through the air, causing Zhang Haifei's expression to change. He quickly withdrew his hand from reaching for Lu Mengyao.

Luo Xiu's face was expressionless, his actions decisive and swift. The Battle Sword swung horizontally again, aiming for Zhang Haifei's neck.

Zhang Haifei hurriedly took out a disc-shaped formation device, and a light screen appeared, protecting him.

Luo Xiu's Battle Sword struck the light screen, causing it to ripple like water without breaking. Zhang Haifei used the momentum to retreat rapidly.

As a third-level Formation Master, Zhang Haifei's abilities could rival an Innate Martial Master. If he were in peak condition, he wouldn't fear Luo Xiu, but now he had no choice but to flee.

Moreover, he activated a third-level defense formation treasure, and with just one sword strike, the defense light screen dimmed significantly. Another strike might shatter it.

This situation undoubtedly indicated that Luo Xiu's Battle Sword was of a very high grade, possibly even beyond the scope of Human-Grade war armaments. Could it be an Earth-Grade War Sword?

Zhang Haifei hadn't gotten far when Luo Xiu quickly caught up, the Earth-Grade War Sword piercing through the air.

With a splatter, the defense light screen shattered, and the formation disc in Zhang Haifei's hand emitted a cracking sound, showing several cracks.

"Not good!"

Zhang Haifei's face changed drastically. He hurriedly took out a jade talisman, just about to crush it, when he felt a sharp pain in his back. A Battle Sword pierced through his body, and his vision went black as he lost consciousness.

Luo Xiu withdrew the Battle Sword, crouched down, and used Zhang Haifei's clothes to wipe the blood off the sword.

This wasn't his first time killing, and since he was killing those who deserved it, his state of mind remained unperturbed.

Taking the jade talisman from Zhang Haifei's hand, Luo Xiu examined it and found it to be a Wind Talisman, inscribed with a third-level wind formation. Once crushed, it would greatly increase the user's speed.

However, Zhang Haifei hadn't had the chance to crush the Wind Talisman before Luo Xiu killed him with a single strike. Otherwise, he might have really escaped.

Luo Xiu then collected Zhang Haifei's storage ring, which contained hundreds of Low-Grade Yuan Qi Stones, some pills, and a few formation treasures.

Lu Mengyao waited anxiously near the bushes, her expression somewhat worried.

Hearing footsteps, she finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Luo Xiu return. Since he was back, it was evident he had killed Zhang Haifei.

"Are you okay?" Luo Xiu glanced at her and asked.

"I'm fine." Lu Mengyao shook her head, then handed a storage bracer to Luo Xiu.

This storage bracer belonged to Tian Guangyou. After Luo Xiu killed him and went after Zhang Haifei, Lu Mengyao had picked it up.

"Let's leave here first."

Moments later, Luo Xiu led Lu Mengyao back to the stone cave, using the Earth-Grade War Sword to disassemble the Blue-winged Demon Snake's corpse.

When Lu Mengyao saw the thirty-meter-long snake corpse, she was nearly stunned.

"How did he do it?" Lu Mengyao looked at Luo Xiu's back, feeling increasingly that she didn't truly understand him.

After collecting the materials from the Blue-winged Demon Snake, Luo Xiu immediately led Lu Mengyao away from the area. Although he had killed Zhang Haifei and Tian Guangyou, Miao Feifei had escaped, and it was uncertain if they had other companions.

Luo Xiu had a rough map of the Guanlei Mountain Range obtained from the Hunter Guild. After about half an hour, the two had distanced themselves from the previous area.

The Guanlei Mountain Range was vast, and Luo Xiu dared not venture into its depths. Even though he planned to cross it to reach Douhai Prefecture, his plan was to stick to the periphery and go around.

When Luo Xiu shared his plan with Lu Mengyao, her expression turned slightly melancholic. "After you take me to the Thunder Martial Sect, where do you plan to go?"

"Go with the flow, the world is my home," Luo Xiu replied with a smile.

Walking through the forest, the two fell into silence.

Using his Life Perception ability, Luo Xiu avoided encounters with demonic beasts above the third level. As they ventured deeper, they moved further away from Yunlong Prefecture.

From Zhang Haifei's storage ring, Luo Xiu found a book on the basics of formations, detailing the fundamentals of formation arts.

Since Zhang Haifei was a third-level Formation Master, it wasn't surprising for him to have such a book.

Luo Xiu had never considered studying formation arts before, but the incident with the Blue-winged Demon Snake made him realize the power of formations.

With formations, a Formation Master could not only create various treasures but also defeat stronger opponents. For instance, Zhang Haifei, at the ninth layer of the Qi Sea Realm, could rival an Innate Martial Master with a third-level formation.

Unfortunately, he aimed to hunt the Blue-winged Demon Snake, which was far superior to ordinary third-level demonic beasts, leading to his ultimate failure.

During his time at the Qingyun Martial Hall, Luo Xiu had learned some information about formations. It was said that the study of formations was complex and profound, requiring exceptional talent to comprehend. Many Formation Masters spent their lives studying formations, which often hindered their progress in martial arts.

As the saying goes, one cannot have both fish and bear's paw. To achieve success in martial arts, one must not be distracted by formations, pill refining, or forging.

Conversely, those who focused on formations, pill refining, or forging often lagged in martial arts progress.

Of course, there were rumors of exceptionally talented individuals who excelled in both fields, achieving great success.

Luo Xiu took out the book on formation basics, not intending to pursue formation arts but to gain a better understanding of formations.

He knew that as he ventured out for long periods, having more knowledge about formations would prevent him from being completely in the dark when encountering martial artists who practiced formation arts.

At the edge of the Guanlei Mountain Range, as long as Luo Xiu was cautious, he wouldn't encounter much danger. As they neared Douhai Prefecture, perhaps knowing they were about to part ways, Lu Mengyao spoke less, mostly remaining silent.

While Luo Xiu studied the formation basics, she often found herself staring at him in a daze, though Luo Xiu remained oblivious.

Luo Xiu had no idea what Lu Mengyao was thinking. As he delved into the formation basics, he was captivated by the various mysteries of formation arts.

Formations could be considered an alternative form of martial arts. Martial artists used various materials to craft formation flags, inscribing formation patterns and runes to harness the power of heaven and earth for their use.

During this process, the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle in his dantian began to spin rapidly, and the first Origin Law Diagram in his mind became increasingly clear. The lines and bizarre runes in the Law Diagram also contained the mysteries of formations.

Moreover, the Life and Death Pearl, which had merged with his soul, transmitted an indescribable profundity, making him feel that the supposedly complex and profound formations were surprisingly simple.

Three days later, Luo Xiu had finished reading the entire formation basics book, comprehending all the formation theories from the first to the third level, leaving him feeling incredulous.

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However, Luo Xiu quickly realized that his comprehension wasn't inherently exceptional; it was undoubtedly due to the Life and Death Pearl.

The Life and Death Pearl contained the fundamental principles of the universe. The so-called origin encompassed everything, and formations were naturally included.

In theory, Luo Xiu now possessed the knowledge of a third-level Formation Master, but without practical experience, he couldn't be entirely sure.

Setting up formations required the aid of formation flags. Most Formation Masters commissioned Forging Masters to craft formation flags, then inscribed formation patterns and runes on them to create powerful formations.

Without formation flags, Luo Xiu, though eager, couldn't test his ability to set up a third-level formation.

Unknowingly, Luo Xiu and Lu Mengyao had been in the Guanlei Mountain Range for half a month.

During this time, Luo Xiu gained much, especially in his understanding and insight into formation arts, which clarified many previously confusing questions.

His cultivation also steadily improved, and it wouldn't be long before he could break through to the sixth layer of the Qi Sea Realm.

His martial arts realm also advanced rapidly, with the Swift Sword Art progressing from Minor Achievement to Major Achievement!

The Ten-Directional Phantom movement technique could now manifest eight phantoms, further increasing his speed.

Time passed in mutual silence, and Lu Mengyao didn't neglect her own cultivation, reaching the sixth layer of the Qi Sea Realm before Luo Xiu.

This made Luo Xiu realize that his cultivation talent wasn't particularly outstanding. At the very least, Lu Mengyao's talent was far superior. His achievements were all thanks to the Life and Death Pearl.

"With a treasure like the Life and Death Pearl, if I can't make a mark in martial arts, wouldn't it be a waste of the opportunity fate has given me?"

Luo Xiu was filled with confidence about his future.

In this vast land, countless prodigies pursued the pinnacle of martial arts. Growing up, he had heard countless legends of powerful figures. At fourteen, he too aspired to become such a strong figure.