Most children couldn't see this point, but An Jing saw it clearly.
Hanging Fate Manor often hunted Ferocious Beasts, and even apprentices like them could get meat from the beasts as an extra meal, which definitely meant they had special tactics compared to ordinary hunting teams.
A Battle Formation designed for Ferocious Beasts must be fundamental.
However, with An Jing's foundation in martial skills, he vaguely realized that this Formation targeted not only Ferocious Beasts...but also bigger, more vicious monsters.
Moreover, this Formation was designed for Ferocious Beasts 'trapped in one place.' But logically, they should also be prepared for Ferocious Beasts that 'launch sudden attacks.'
Could it be that Hanging Fate Manor had some method to lure the Ferocious Beasts into traps?
He couldn't figure it out, but practicing was never wrong.
Now, An Jing's heart swirled with doubts as he had prepared everything, just waiting for a cloudy night.
This day didn't make An Jing wait too long.
Time in the mountains was elusive, but the passing seasons were evident. The weather had recently turned hotter, a sure sign of the approaching summer. With the long wind blowing, thick clouds began to obscure the sky and earth.
Looking towards the distant mountains, the outlines of pitch-black clouds moved with the wind, expanding like living creatures, exuding a daunting and serious sense of oppression.
The storm was about to arrive.
"That's enough for today."
Even the instructors of Hanging Fate Manor wouldn't have anyone train under such conditions; they dismissed the boys and girls to go back to their dormitories and wait.
"Ye Qi, Cang, wait a moment."
Upon dismissal, An Jing signaled his two best friends to stay. Gu Yeqi readily agreed, while Cang Linzu was quite curious until he thought of a possibility, which made him shiver, "Wait, Jing, you're not going to make us practice martial arts in the downpour, are you?"
"Although that would indeed be useful, I'm afraid of the chill entering my body..."
"Do I look that terrifying?" An Jing blinked, puzzled, "Are you guys thinking too badly of me? I take good care of my brothers and sisters."
He had completely forgotten how the leg training he arranged for his own team made the other eight members groan in pain at the thought of leg day, to the point where they would claim to have stomach aches, and as his assistants, Gu Yeqi and Cang Linzu often had to put in extra practice sessions with him.
The youth spoke seriously, "You've got it wrong; I just have some things to explain to you."
As he said this, An Jing handed two small booklets to them, "This is my understanding of the Abyssal Qi Nourishing Stance and Piercing Armor True Strength. Among them are some... martial skills, as you know, from a certain place."
In the midst of their surprised gazes, An Jing's expression remained serious, "The Manor Master told me not to spread it, and I don't want to break the manor's rules, but you've probably noticed, right? The Battle Formation the Manor Master wants us to learn... our initiation trial is likely to involve hunting Ferocious Beasts."
"Mmm... indeed," Gu Yeqi nodded slightly in agreement. Having spent a long time with Zhang Ying, they all knew the terror of the Ferocious Beasts.
Cang Linzu hesitated for a moment and then added, "I feel it might not be ordinary Ferocious Beasts—the Battle Formation targets something big, or possibly very dangerous."
"Maybe, it's Ferocious Beasts with monstrous evil lineage," An Jing suggested.
"Yes, that's what I'm worried about," An Jing did not deny such speculation, "No matter how you look at it, it's dangerous."
"To tell the truth, I really don't want you to die, so even if I risk breaking the rules, I have to pass on my findings to you," he confessed.
"Wait a minute." Gu Yeqi frowned, sensing something, "An, are you... going to do something dangerous?"
Cang Linzu was not as sharp as Gu Yeqi, but upon hearing this, he also realized that An Jing's attitude was akin to making final arrangements—no, it wasn't quite that serious, but it was clear from An Jing's concern, "Is there something we can help you with?"
"If you can become stronger and take care of yourselves, that would be a great help to me," An Jing sighed. If it weren't for their slow progress in cultivating Piercing Armor True Strength, he would have shared his insights with them sooner—lacking the proper level, learning his techniques would only lead to injuries: "Having people I know leave one by one, I'm not hoping for you two to suddenly depart one day."
He patted their shoulders, "Work hard."
Boom.
A dazzling thunderbolt fell from the distant sky onto the mountain, connecting heaven and earth, making the whole world pale.
The torrential rain poured down.
The two looked at An Jing, then nodded silently.
Time passed.
Deep into the night.
In the pitch-black dormitory, a flash of thunder lit up, then the light faded away, leaving only a pair of open eyes in the dark.
An Jing got up and changed into a set of clothes he had prepared. His original outfit was piled up and roughly shaped into a human form under the blanket.
With his strength, he could easily shake his wet clothes dry, but just to be safe, it was better to change into a new set for exploration.
He left the dormitory silently. The downpour masked his footsteps, the clouds hid the stars and the moon, concealing his figure. An Jing quickly crossed the Medicine Pavilion and headed toward the fields of East Mountain.
Medicine Pavilion.
The Master of the Medicine Manor, or rather, the Vice Envoy of Medicine.
The old man with white hair squinted his eyes, the green flame light in his pupils contracted, allowing him to see clearly a red Blood Qi phantom leaving the dormitory and heading toward the fields of East Mountain.
"Hehe..." he muttered in a mild tone, "Just as the Northern Patrol Envoy said, the smarter the child, the more they love to explore secrets."
"Good!"
He showed a broad smile, "Those who stick to the rules are of the lowest rank."
"Only those who can break the awe deep in their hearts towards 'dignity' and 'rules', 'deities' and 'life and death', even 'Heaven's Will' and 'fate', and find the answers they want by themselves, are truly our people of the 'Revered Heavenly Divine Will Church'!"
"An Jing... will you be the 'Star Mansion Celestial Officer' or the 'Seven Fiend Divine General'? The 'Mysterious Yin Goddess' is obviously impossible, but if it's the 'Seven Fiend...'"
He shook his head slightly; the Vice Envoy of Divine Will Church's Medicine Pavilion seemed to think his guess was too far-fetched, so he kept silent.
Nevertheless, he continued to watch the direction in which An Jing was heading, then smiled and sat back down in his chair.
He looked at the time, picked up an hourglass, turned it upside down, and started timing.
The Vice Envoy of Medicine took a sip of his tea, the eerie green fire in his eyes flickering uncertainly, "Let's set a time — can't let him wander around aimlessly, causing too much commotion."
"But, I am really curious about how he will feel when he discovers the truth."
Meanwhile.
[You have already been discovered.]
The mysterious, clear voice sounded, yet An Jing, who was dashing through the night, was not surprised, "I know. Thank you for your help last time, but this time I am well aware that the Master of the Medicine Manor has detected me."
[Oh?]
Surprised by An Jing's calm response, the voice asked, [Not bad, you truly possess Innate Wisdom. So, how do you plan to respond?]
"If I'm not mistaken."
An Jing did not immediately answer the mysterious voice's question, but instead spoke to himself, "The entire Hanging Fate Manor should belong to the famous sect known throughout the northwest as the 'Revered Heavenly Divine Will Church,' also known to the world as 'Heaven's Will Divine Sect'."
"And Heaven's Will Divine Sect also has another quite well-known name."
"Heaven's Will Demon Sect."