Chapter Twenty-Six: The Formless Array of Seventy-Two Pillars
“Hey, have you heard the news? Yesterday, one of Young Lord Liu’s former personal guards was arrested at the tavern! And it was Yan Ye, the Deputy Commander of the Southern Tiger Cavalry, who led the men to seize him himself. The scene was tense and terrifying!”
“Why did they arrest him?”
“I heard it was because that guard revealed a secret about Young Lord Liu’s cultivation behind his back—hardly anyone knows it to this day!”
“Oh? What secret?”
“It’s just that our Young Lord Liu has been cultivating for eight years, and yet his level is still stuck at the Body Tempering stage. Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a laughable talent for cultivation!”
“That’s just terrible, isn’t it?”
“Could this really be true?”
“This secret was told to me at great risk by a good friend who witnessed it firsthand—don’t you dare spread it, or my life’s forfeit!”
“Don’t worry, our lips are sealed!”
“…”
“Hey, let me tell you a secret… You’d never have guessed, would you? Who would have thought Young Lord Liu’s aptitude would be so poor! Remember, this secret came to me at great risk from a friend—absolutely don’t tell anyone else!”
“Rest assured, not a word from us…”
“…”
“I have something to tell you…”
Such rumors swept through the entire Southern Prince’s City like a raging wind. In no time, everyone knew a secret they had never even imagined before: that after eight years of cultivation, Young Lord Liu was still at the Body Tempering stage. His talent for cultivation became the city’s greatest joke.
…
Southern Prince’s Mansion.
“Overnight, I’ve become known as a useless cultivator?”
Looking at the handsome, upright young man in white in the bronze mirror, Liu Ji shook his head with a wry smile. He stretched lazily and said slowly, “Well, so be it. Let me play the fool for once, just as they say I am.”
Beside him, Xiaoya snorted, “Young Master is no fool!”
Liu Ji smiled faintly. He didn’t need to wonder who had spread the rumor about his “uselessness”—most likely, it was his father’s doing. Once again, he marveled at the advantages of a powerful background; even when you make mistakes, there’s always someone to clean up after you.
Afterward, Liu Ji left his room and, after breakfast, followed Liu Ming to the training grounds in the rear courtyard. Many were already practicing martial arts there, their shouts and roars filling the air. These were all members of the Southern Tiger Cavalry, the mansion’s strongest and most elite force.
Liu Ji’s arrival drew many eyes. Soon, respectful greetings of “Young Lord Liu” and “Good morning, Young Lord Liu” echoed around him. Liu Ji nodded in response to each.
He suddenly asked, “Is this all the Southern Tiger Cavalry we have in the mansion? It looks like… there are at least four or five hundred here.”
Liu Ming replied, “At its peak, the Southern Tiger Cavalry numbered twenty thousand. But after years of war, their numbers dwindled. Now, there are only eight thousand active, plus three to four thousand retired. Altogether, we have about thirteen thousand.”
Pointing at those in training, he continued, “Don’t underestimate the few hundred here—these are the most elite. As a single unit, they’re enough to annihilate a five-thousand-strong martial force. The rest are stationed throughout Southern Province, garrisoned at border strongholds.”
Liu Ji was astonished.
He knew that the world’s armies were divided into three main types: Armor Spirit troops, Martial troops, and ordinary soldiers. Of these, the Empire’s Armor Spirit troops were the most formidable. He’d always known how powerful they were, but he hadn’t realized just how fierce—just a few hundred Armor Spirit soldiers could destroy five thousand martial troops. That meant ordinary armies were helpless against them, destined only for slaughter.
But thinking back, it made sense. The imperial histories were full of tales of a handful of Armor Spirit warriors annihilating vast armies from the Northern Territories in every war, winning victory after victory—clear proof of their might.
Speaking of Armor Spirits, he remembered he still hadn’t asked Liu Heng whether he had one himself. But surely, he must, right?
At that moment, Liu Ming said, “Now that you’ve begun cultivating the Supreme Saint Heavenly Strength Art, you’re not lacking in offensive skills. My advice is to work on your movement techniques. If you master those, combined with your powerful Heavenly Strength, there will be no equal in your realm!”
He looked at Liu Ji and added, “Of course, everyone has their own path. What you choose is up to you—this is just my suggestion.”
Liu Ji considered this and nodded. “I’ll take your advice.”
Liu Ming was right—he could feel his own lack in movement and agility. It was a weakness he needed to address.
Liu Ming smiled and led Liu Ji to a cluster of tall pillars, each as thick as an adult’s arm and radiant as jade.
“These jade pillars,” Liu Ming explained, “were crafted from Mystic Ice Jade that my uncle bought at great expense from the Northern Territories. They’re incredibly sturdy and slick—each one is worth ten million coins. There are seventy-two in all.”
“Ten million coins…” Liu Ji’s eyelid twitched. Once more, he marveled at the power of wealth. In Southern Prince’s City, ten million was enough to buy a fine house in the city center and support an ordinary family for over a hundred years.
He reached out to touch a pillar, finding it just as slick and cold as Liu Ming had promised, a chill radiating from its jade surface.
Liu Ming went on, “My uncle has always believed that the most powerful movement technique is one without pattern or trace. The best movement is to make your whereabouts unknowable to your enemies. That’s why this is called the Seventy-Two Pillars Formless Array!”
He walked up to a black stone pillar and pressed a button. With a rumble, the jade pillars began to rise and fall in unpredictable patterns, some quickly, some slowly—a truly strange sight.
“The Seventy-Two Pillars Formless Array, nine across and eight deep,” Liu Ming said. “This array can be adjusted for many types of movement arts. Liu Ji, come see—this is where you control the settings.”
Liu Ji stepped forward and saw the black stone pillar was covered in unusual buttons. He nodded, “Not bad—seems the money was well spent!”
Though, truth be told, he had no idea what he was looking at…
Liu Ming continued, “The rules are simple. Stand atop the pillars and don’t fall. If two compete, see who lasts longer or who can knock the other down.”
He chuckled, “Don’t underestimate this. The pillars are only as wide as an arm and exceptionally slippery. Even someone with great balance will struggle to stand, let alone adjust to their erratic movement. That’s why this is the best way to train your movement skills!”
Liu Ji nodded and stepped before the Formless Array of Seventy-Two Pillars.
Eager to begin, he declared, “Let me give it a try.”
…
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