Xi Ri stood in front of Xia Yushan on the training grounds within Jade Peak Palace's boundary. Neither of them held any conventional weapon, but rather, thin cards made of white jade were in their hands. Off to the side, Daoyi was watching with great interest. Tianyi had also stopped hiding his face behind his hand and was staring intently at the two's battle.
The battle started without any signal.
Xi Ri directed a Formation Card with the image of a punch forward and yelled. "Formation Card activate!"
Within a second, a disembodied hand materialized and punched towards Xia Yushan. Xia Yushan was calm as he raised a Formation Card of his own and activated it. A fist also emerged in front of Xia Yushan and clashed with Xi Ri's punch. Both of them were of the same strength, and soon, they dissipated into nothing.
Xia Yushan waited, but Xi Ri did not activate the next Formation Card. Xia Yushan looked at his foe and saw that Xi Ri had a luminescent blush upon his face, and he was holding the Formation Cards as if he just wanted to throw them away.
"Brother Ri has discovered the detriment of the cards it seems," Daoyi said with a giggle. Tianyi looked pleased. Finally, someone else was suffering the shameful feeling he had experienced. He wasn't someone who would warn others of the pit to begin with; rather, he would tell the other person to jump headfirst into a pit.
Xi Ri was holding the cards as if they were ticking time bombs; he stood petrified as the horrid reality settled into his head.
"Junior brother, if you aren't going to attack, then allow me." Xi Ri watched as Xia Yushan dramatically drew a Formation Card from the deck and, in a flourishing manner, revealed the image to Xi Ri.
A ball of fire appeared and shot towards Xi Ri, and he scrambled to activate a Formation Card. A wall of water appeared in front of Xi Ri and extinguished the fireball summoned by Xia Yushan. Xi Ri moved to draw another card but stopped mid-motion as his face reddened once more. He couldn't help but look towards Tianyi and Daoyi.
Tianyi and Daoyi were clearly enjoying Xi Ri's embarrassment and even had the time to give him a small wave. Even someone as mild-mannered as Xi Ri couldn't help but deliver a glare at the two for his current predicament.
Xia Yushan watched in confusion as Xi Ri seemed to be restrained by something. He had planned to allow Xi Ri to attack while he defended a bit more, but seeing Xi Ri pause with no intention to attack, Xia Yushan decided to unleash more Formation Cards.
The "spar" consisted of Xia Yushan attacking Xi Ri to goad him into an offensive, but Xi Ri did not play along, and he activated the Formation Cards stiffly in defense. He never went on the offensive again.
"Senior brother Xia, what do you think of the Formation Cards?" Tianyi asked, his eyes filled with expectation.
Xia Yushan looked at Daoyi comforting Xi Ri, who seemed to have lost his soul for some strange reason that was incomprehensible to the Nascent Soul Grandmaster. "It's excellent. If there were a Nascent Soul realm Formation Card, I would no doubt buy it. If I had any critique, I would have to say that activating the Formation Card by qi would be enough, instead of using voice."
Tianyi blinked. "Senior brother, you didn't feel anything while using the cards?" His face the expression of confusion.
This time it was Xia Yushan's turn to be confused. "Should I have felt something? The usage of the Formation Cards is straightforward. Not once did I feel that there was something wrong with them. Is there a problem I'm not aware of?"
"N-no, it's nothing." Tianyi gave Xia Yushan a strange look. It wasn't only Tianyi, even Daoyi and Xi Ri was giving Xia Yushan strange looks.
Xia Yushan felt as if there was a mark on his face that only the three before him could see.
"Senior brother Xia, if we were to sell this. Do you think that people would buy it?" Daoyi suddenly asked, her voice serious.
"Hm?" Xia Yushan looked surprised for a moment, but after careful consideration, he nodded. "It should sell well, but the condition would be that people would have tested it first. I was skeptical at first, but after using it, I found it simple and easy. Between Formation Card and a talisman, seven out of ten, I would choose the Formation Card."
"Senior brother, do you think you will be able to mass-produce these for Foundation Establishment disciples?" Daoyi asked Tianyi, an idea at the tip of her tongue.
"I can produce them quite easily, but only a Core Formation realm Master would be able to afford it," Tianyi said.
"But is there some way you can make it cheaper for Foundation Establishment disciples?"
"I mean, it isn't impossible. I'd have to experiment to be sure. Why?" Tianyi asked; he was sure that Daoyi wasn't asking for no reason.
"We can sell these Xiyi Formation Cards before the Xiyi Talismans. We can make the activation simpler for ease of use." Daoyi said.
"Why? These Formation Cards are unique, but I don't see why we should sell them. We aren't going to make much off of it for the problem they're worth." Tianyi said.
"To build trust." Xi Ri said, causing Tianyi to look at him. "The Formation Cards are quite similar to talismans, and it is easier for people to buy them. Once we build trust, the people who purchased the Formation Cards from us will be more likely to buy the Xiyi Talisman."
"So, we're making a brand before selling the Xiyi Talisman," Tianyi said, comprehension in his voice.
"But, we need to market it first," Daoyi said.
Tianyi looked at Daoyi in surprise.
"We need a way to promote the Xiyi Formation Cards." Daoyi elaborated upon seeing Tianyi's stunned expression.
Tianyi shook his head. "No, I understand what you mean. How are we going to promote it? It's not like we can have an exhibition match or something."
"The Foundation Establishment Inner Disciple Tournament is coming up soon." Xia Yushan, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. All three of them looked at Xia Yushan. "If your goal is to promote the existence of Formation Cards, even if you used something else, as long as you reach first place, your goal will have been basically reached."
Tianyi and Daoyi shared a look, before simultaneously sharing a smile and looking at Xi Ri. Xi Ri immediately saw through the twos' plan before shaking his head vigorously in rejection.
"Absolutely not!"
"Older cousin Ri, as the eldest among us, you have to take this responsibility," Tianyi said.
"Senior brother and I are personal disciples of a Grand Elder. We are not eligible to participate; otherwise, it would be seen as us bullying the inner disciple." Daoyi said. "Older brother Ri, this is for the future of the Xiyi Talisman. It is a task that can only be entrusted to you. "
In the end, Xi Ri could not resist the whispers of the devil and succumbed in a moment of weakness.
Thousands of Inner Sect disciples congregated on the day of the tournament. Their uniform bleached the entire arena in white. That was why Tianyi and Daoyi stood out so much on the stands.
Tianyi wore his purple robes sans the white uniform he used as his mantle while Daoyi was in a blue dress with embroidered irises in lieu of her usual Buzhou Immortal Sect uniform.
There was a noticeable distance between the two and the other Inner Sect Disciples. The amount of the Inner Sect disciples could be said to be large, but it wasn't large enough that they would not recognize their fellow disciples unless they were a newly promoted Outer Sect disciple. No one recognized the two unfamiliar faces for a few moments, but soon the more astute and knowledgable ones spread the knowledge concerning the two's identity.
"Isn't that senior brother Xi?"
"Really? I heard that senior brother Xi had been cultivating a secret lightning art the past few years and rarely left Jade Peak Mountain!"
"Not having seen senior brother Xi for such a long time, his aura has become even more stunning!"
"Are you talking about his appearance or cultivation base?"
"If that is senior brother Xi, then the woman beside him must be senior sister Jiang."
"I heard that she was only a mortal that hasn't even cultivated until a few years ago."
"I can feel that her cultivation base is that of a Spiritual Pillar Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. Tsk, tsk, as expected of Grand Elder Xi's disciple."
"I wouldn't be so sure. If I had the same resources, maybe I would have already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm in five years. Compared to senior brother Xi, she is inadequate."
There would always be some people who think themselves better. Ignoring that there were no ifs in the world, these people would often fall on the road to immortality. Cultivating was just as much as tempering one's heart as it was increasing their cultivation base.
After discovering the twos' identity, the gap between them and the rest of the Inner Sect disciple increased instead of decreasing.
"Say, why do you think they are here?"
"It couldn't be because they want to join, right? Senior brother Xi is already in the Core Formation realm, so he can't join. But senior sister Daoyi..."
"Impossible, the elder would not allow it. Even if they are the personal disciples of Grand Elder Xi, they cannot do as they wish."
"Did you guys hear the rumor that there was an Inner Sect disciple related to Grand Elder Xi?"
"I heard, but wasn't that just a baseless rumor?"
"Hard to say, why else would senior brother Xi be here?"
Tianyi and Daoyi just conversed among themselves and ignored the inquiring looks of other people. When the tournament began, Tianyi and Daoyi did not stop talking and only separated a fraction of their attention towards the arena. It wasn't until Xi Ri stepped into the arena did the two entirely focus on the tournament.
Even among the white-robed disciples, Xi Ri stood out with his excellent temperament and sophisticated air. Tianyi quickly forgot Xi Ri's opponent's name as he wasn't anyone worth the effort needed to be remembered in Tianyi's eyes.
Xi Ri didn't immediately start out using the Xiyi Formations Cards, as that was what they were officially named. Instead, Xi Ri brandished his staff at his opponent. His opponent was the same stage and realm as him, the Spiritual Pillar Foundation Establishment realm. But how could his opponent's Spiritual Pillars compare to Xi Ri's that had been formed using the Spring Autumn Scripture?
Sure enough, Xi Ri easily won and advanced to the next round.
Xi Ri's staff techniques weren't anything special in Tianyi's eyes, but he could sense an intent of steadiness as if nothing could overcome it. But coupled with Xi Ri's cultivation, not many disciples were his opponent. Xi Ri was like an ever-present phantom that could strike from anywhere on the stage, and his qi reservoir seemed to be infinite. He was capable of generating more qi than he used.
As Xi Ri won more and more rounds, his opponents eventually reaching the peak Foundation Establishment realm, it was until he defeated the fifth peak Foundation Establishment disciple did Xi Ri bring out the cards.
Tianyi's eyes immediately brightened, and the sense of drowsiness disappeared.
Xi Ri's opponent and the audience were confused by Xi Ri's actions. But their confusion turned to shock once Xi Ri began to activate them. With ease, Xi Ri used the Xiyi Formation Cards to defeat his current opponent. There was some confusion among the crowd at the Xiyi Formation Cards that Xi Ri used as they closely resembled talisman, which was banned from tournament use.
However, after Xi Ri explained the mechanism behind the Xiyi Formation Card, the elder presiding over the tournament allowed their use.
From then on, Xi Ri continued to win round after round. For any other disciple, the continuous drainage of their qi would have hampered their ability to continue. Still, with the Spring Autumn Scripture's excellent recovery ability, this was not an issue for Xi Ri.
The climax of the tournament was naturally the finals of the tournament. Xi Ri's opponent was an inner disciple whose power had reached the threshold of the Core Formation realm while being at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
In order to win, Xi Ri went all out. He used five Xiyi Formation Cards at once. Those five cards did not just unleash five separate techniques but instead a head, two arms, and two legs. These five body parts merged to form a titan of power that unleashed a devasting punch that won Xi Ri the tournament.
When the Elder pronounced Xi Ri the winner of the bi-decade tournament, many disciples had faces that showed that they were not convinced. Although Xi Ri had won the first few matches and proved his strength to many since he relied on external items, he did not deserve to be the champion. But everything Xi Ri did was within the rules as for whether there would be a change in the regulations in the future was unknown.
After the announcement, Xi Ri did not step down from the arena and instead directed his gaze towards the disciples, many of whom were not convinced. "What I used in the tournament are called Xiyi Formation Cards!"
Sneers and words of ridicule were heard, but Xi Ri ignored them and continued speaking. "Their use is straightforward; you simply need to inject your qi into them to use it. After use, the qi originally stored inside is used. You can charge it with your own qi. In other words, as long as it isn't destroyed and you still have qi, you can continuously use it!"
"Not only that, but there are also many variations, from defensive Xiyi Formations Cards to offensive Xiyi Formations Cards. Some of them even can be used at once to form an avatar like I did at the finals!"
The more Xi Ri spoke, the stranger the atmosphere became. The words of ridicule disappeared and were replaced with confusion.
"Starting today, these Xiyi Formation Cards will be sold to anyone who is willing to purchase them. The prices are..."
"..." The presiding Elder.
"..." The participants.
"..." The spectating Inner Sect disciples.
Only Daoyi was clapping after Xi Ri finished his sales pitch. Tianyi had taken out a hat and covered his face with it.
Xi Ri stood in front of Xia Yushan on the training grounds within Jade Peak Palace's boundary. Neither of them held any conventional weapon, but rather, thin cards made of white jade were in their hands. Off to the side, Daoyi was watching with great interest. Tianyi had also stopped hiding his face behind his hand and was staring intently at the two's battle.
The battle started without any signal.
Xi Ri directed a Formation Card with the image of a punch forward and yelled. "Formation Card activate!"
Within a second, a disembodied hand materialized and punched towards Xia Yushan. Xia Yushan was calm as he raised a Formation Card of his own and activated it. A fist also emerged in front of Xia Yushan and clashed with Xi Ri's punch. Both of them were of the same strength, and soon, they dissipated into nothing.
Xia Yushan waited, but Xi Ri did not activate the next Formation Card. Xia Yushan looked at his foe and saw that Xi Ri had a luminescent blush upon his face, and he was holding the Formation Cards as if he just wanted to throw them away.
"Brother Ri has discovered the detriment of the cards it seems," Daoyi said with a giggle. Tianyi looked pleased. Finally, someone else was suffering the shameful feeling he had experienced. He wasn't someone who would warn others of the pit to begin with; rather, he would tell the other person to jump headfirst into a pit.
Xi Ri was holding the cards as if they were ticking time bombs; he stood petrified as the horrid reality settled into his head.
"Junior brother, if you aren't going to attack, then allow me." Xi Ri watched as Xia Yushan dramatically drew a Formation Card from the deck and, in a flourishing manner, revealed the image to Xi Ri.
A ball of fire appeared and shot towards Xi Ri, and he scrambled to activate a Formation Card. A wall of water appeared in front of Xi Ri and extinguished the fireball summoned by Xia Yushan. Xi Ri moved to draw another card but stopped mid-motion as his face reddened once more. He couldn't help but look towards Tianyi and Daoyi.
Tianyi and Daoyi were clearly enjoying Xi Ri's embarrassment and even had the time to give him a small wave. Even someone as mild-mannered as Xi Ri couldn't help but deliver a glare at the two for his current predicament.
Xia Yushan watched in confusion as Xi Ri seemed to be restrained by something. He had planned to allow Xi Ri to attack while he defended a bit more, but seeing Xi Ri pause with no intention to attack, Xia Yushan decided to unleash more Formation Cards.
The "spar" consisted of Xia Yushan attacking Xi Ri to goad him into an offensive, but Xi Ri did not play along, and he activated the Formation Cards stiffly in defense. He never went on the offensive again.
"Senior brother Xia, what do you think of the Formation Cards?" Tianyi asked, his eyes filled with expectation.
Xia Yushan looked at Daoyi comforting Xi Ri, who seemed to have lost his soul for some strange reason that was incomprehensible to the Nascent Soul Grandmaster. "It's excellent. If there were a Nascent Soul realm Formation Card, I would no doubt buy it. If I had any critique, I would have to say that activating the Formation Card by qi would be enough, instead of using voice."
Tianyi blinked. "Senior brother, you didn't feel anything while using the cards?" His face the expression of confusion.
This time it was Xia Yushan's turn to be confused. "Should I have felt something? The usage of the Formation Cards is straightforward. Not once did I feel that there was something wrong with them. Is there a problem I'm not aware of?"
"N-no, it's nothing." Tianyi gave Xia Yushan a strange look. It wasn't only Tianyi, even Daoyi and Xi Ri was giving Xia Yushan strange looks.
Xia Yushan felt as if there was a mark on his face that only the three before him could see.
"Senior brother Xia, if we were to sell this. Do you think that people would buy it?" Daoyi suddenly asked, her voice serious.
"Hm?" Xia Yushan looked surprised for a moment, but after careful consideration, he nodded. "It should sell well, but the condition would be that people would have tested it first. I was skeptical at first, but after using it, I found it simple and easy. Between Formation Card and a talisman, seven out of ten, I would choose the Formation Card."
"Senior brother, do you think you will be able to mass-produce these for Foundation Establishment disciples?" Daoyi asked Tianyi, an idea at the tip of her tongue.
"I can produce them quite easily, but only a Core Formation realm Master would be able to afford it," Tianyi said.
"But is there some way you can make it cheaper for Foundation Establishment disciples?"
"I mean, it isn't impossible. I'd have to experiment to be sure. Why?" Tianyi asked; he was sure that Daoyi wasn't asking for no reason.
"We can sell these Xiyi Formation Cards before the Xiyi Talismans. We can make the activation simpler for ease of use." Daoyi said.
"Why? These Formation Cards are unique, but I don't see why we should sell them. We aren't going to make much off of it for the problem they're worth." Tianyi said.
"To build trust." Xi Ri said, causing Tianyi to look at him. "The Formation Cards are quite similar to talismans, and it is easier for people to buy them. Once we build trust, the people who purchased the Formation Cards from us will be more likely to buy the Xiyi Talisman."
"So, we're making a brand before selling the Xiyi Talisman," Tianyi said, comprehension in his voice.
"But, we need to market it first," Daoyi said.
Tianyi looked at Daoyi in surprise.
"We need a way to promote the Xiyi Formation Cards." Daoyi elaborated upon seeing Tianyi's stunned expression.
Tianyi shook his head. "No, I understand what you mean. How are we going to promote it? It's not like we can have an exhibition match or something."
"The Foundation Establishment Inner Disciple Tournament is coming up soon." Xia Yushan, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. All three of them looked at Xia Yushan. "If your goal is to promote the existence of Formation Cards, even if you used something else, as long as you reach first place, your goal will have been basically reached."
Tianyi and Daoyi shared a look, before simultaneously sharing a smile and looking at Xi Ri. Xi Ri immediately saw through the twos' plan before shaking his head vigorously in rejection.
"Absolutely not!"
"Older cousin Ri, as the eldest among us, you have to take this responsibility," Tianyi said.
"Senior brother and I are personal disciples of a Grand Elder. We are not eligible to participate; otherwise, it would be seen as us bullying the inner disciple." Daoyi said. "Older brother Ri, this is for the future of the Xiyi Talisman. It is a task that can only be entrusted to you. "
In the end, Xi Ri could not resist the whispers of the devil and succumbed in a moment of weakness.
Thousands of Inner Sect disciples congregated on the day of the tournament. Their uniform bleached the entire arena in white. That was why Tianyi and Daoyi stood out so much on the stands.
Tianyi wore his purple robes sans the white uniform he used as his mantle while Daoyi was in a blue dress with embroidered irises in lieu of her usual Buzhou Immortal Sect uniform.
There was a noticeable distance between the two and the other Inner Sect Disciples. The amount of the Inner Sect disciples could be said to be large, but it wasn't large enough that they would not recognize their fellow disciples unless they were a newly promoted Outer Sect disciple. No one recognized the two unfamiliar faces for a few moments, but soon the more astute and knowledgable ones spread the knowledge concerning the two's identity.
"Isn't that senior brother Xi?"
"Really? I heard that senior brother Xi had been cultivating a secret lightning art the past few years and rarely left Jade Peak Mountain!"
"Not having seen senior brother Xi for such a long time, his aura has become even more stunning!"
"Are you talking about his appearance or cultivation base?"
"If that is senior brother Xi, then the woman beside him must be senior sister Jiang."
"I heard that she was only a mortal that hasn't even cultivated until a few years ago."
"I can feel that her cultivation base is that of a Spiritual Pillar Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. Tsk, tsk, as expected of Grand Elder Xi's disciple."
"I wouldn't be so sure. If I had the same resources, maybe I would have already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm in five years. Compared to senior brother Xi, she is inadequate."
There would always be some people who think themselves better. Ignoring that there were no ifs in the world, these people would often fall on the road to immortality. Cultivating was just as much as tempering one's heart as it was increasing their cultivation base.
After discovering the twos' identity, the gap between them and the rest of the Inner Sect disciple increased instead of decreasing.
"Say, why do you think they are here?"
"It couldn't be because they want to join, right? Senior brother Xi is already in the Core Formation realm, so he can't join. But senior sister Daoyi..."
"Impossible, the elder would not allow it. Even if they are the personal disciples of Grand Elder Xi, they cannot do as they wish."
"Did you guys hear the rumor that there was an Inner Sect disciple related to Grand Elder Xi?"
"I heard, but wasn't that just a baseless rumor?"
"Hard to say, why else would senior brother Xi be here?"
Tianyi and Daoyi just conversed among themselves and ignored the inquiring looks of other people. When the tournament began, Tianyi and Daoyi did not stop talking and only separated a fraction of their attention towards the arena. It wasn't until Xi Ri stepped into the arena did the two entirely focus on the tournament.
Even among the white-robed disciples, Xi Ri stood out with his excellent temperament and sophisticated air. Tianyi quickly forgot Xi Ri's opponent's name as he wasn't anyone worth the effort needed to be remembered in Tianyi's eyes.
Xi Ri didn't immediately start out using the Xiyi Formations Cards, as that was what they were officially named. Instead, Xi Ri brandished his staff at his opponent. His opponent was the same stage and realm as him, the Spiritual Pillar Foundation Establishment realm. But how could his opponent's Spiritual Pillars compare to Xi Ri's that had been formed using the Spring Autumn Scripture?
Sure enough, Xi Ri easily won and advanced to the next round.
Xi Ri's staff techniques weren't anything special in Tianyi's eyes, but he could sense an intent of steadiness as if nothing could overcome it. But coupled with Xi Ri's cultivation, not many disciples were his opponent. Xi Ri was like an ever-present phantom that could strike from anywhere on the stage, and his qi reservoir seemed to be infinite. He was capable of generating more qi than he used.
As Xi Ri won more and more rounds, his opponents eventually reaching the peak Foundation Establishment realm, it was until he defeated the fifth peak Foundation Establishment disciple did Xi Ri bring out the cards.
Tianyi's eyes immediately brightened, and the sense of drowsiness disappeared.
Xi Ri's opponent and the audience were confused by Xi Ri's actions. But their confusion turned to shock once Xi Ri began to activate them. With ease, Xi Ri used the Xiyi Formation Cards to defeat his current opponent. There was some confusion among the crowd at the Xiyi Formation Cards that Xi Ri used as they closely resembled talisman, which was banned from tournament use.
However, after Xi Ri explained the mechanism behind the Xiyi Formation Card, the elder presiding over the tournament allowed their use.
From then on, Xi Ri continued to win round after round. For any other disciple, the continuous drainage of their qi would have hampered their ability to continue. Still, with the Spring Autumn Scripture's excellent recovery ability, this was not an issue for Xi Ri.
The climax of the tournament was naturally the finals of the tournament. Xi Ri's opponent was an inner disciple whose power had reached the threshold of the Core Formation realm while being at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
In order to win, Xi Ri went all out. He used five Xiyi Formation Cards at once. Those five cards did not just unleash five separate techniques but instead a head, two arms, and two legs. These five body parts merged to form a titan of power that unleashed a devasting punch that won Xi Ri the tournament.
When the Elder pronounced Xi Ri the winner of the bi-decade tournament, many disciples had faces that showed that they were not convinced. Although Xi Ri had won the first few matches and proved his strength to many since he relied on external items, he did not deserve to be the champion. But everything Xi Ri did was within the rules as for whether there would be a change in the regulations in the future was unknown.
After the announcement, Xi Ri did not step down from the arena and instead directed his gaze towards the disciples, many of whom were not convinced. "What I used in the tournament are called Xiyi Formation Cards!"
Sneers and words of ridicule were heard, but Xi Ri ignored them and continued speaking. "Their use is straightforward; you simply need to inject your qi into them to use it. After use, the qi originally stored inside is used. You can charge it with your own qi. In other words, as long as it isn't destroyed and you still have qi, you can continuously use it!"
"Not only that, but there are also many variations, from defensive Xiyi Formations Cards to offensive Xiyi Formations Cards. Some of them even can be used at once to form an avatar like I did at the finals!"
The more Xi Ri spoke, the stranger the atmosphere became. The words of ridicule disappeared and were replaced with confusion.
"Starting today, these Xiyi Formation Cards will be sold to anyone who is willing to purchase them. The prices are..."
"..." The presiding Elder.
"..." The participants.
"..." The spectating Inner Sect disciples.
Only Daoyi was clapping after Xi Ri finished his sales pitch. Tianyi had taken out a hat and covered his face with it.
