Chapter 3941: Complexity In Mundaneness

Lin Mu remained standing before the weathered stone for a long while without making another move.

The surrounding forest had returned to silence after the nearby beasts fled from his presence. Only the distant chirping of insects and the occasional rustling of leaves disturbed the otherwise tranquil atmosphere. Beneath that peaceful exterior, however, his thoughts were moving rapidly.

His Immortal Sense continued to sweep through the stone and the deeper he observed, the more amazed he became.

Formation arrays had always fascinated Lin Mu. Throughout his cultivation journey he had encountered countless varieties. Some relied upon overwhelming power, others upon intricate craftsmanship, while a handful reached a level where elegance itself became their greatest strength.

The array before him belonged to the final category. It was beautiful, not because of appearance, but because of the sheer efficiency.

Every rune seemed carefully positioned after immense deliberation. Every channel carried precisely the amount of Qi necessary. There was almost no waste anywhere within the structure.

Lin Mu had once believed that formations naturally became more extravagant as they became stronger. This array taught him otherwise. It reminded him that true mastery often appeared deceptively simple.

"It really is impressive..." Lin Mu quietly muttered.

His admiration only increased as his Immortal Sense reached farther beneath the surface. The array stretched much deeper than expected. At first, he assumed it merely concealed a hidden chamber.

Then he discovered another layer and then another. Each one interlocked with the previous while remaining almost completely independent. Whoever created this had divided the formation into countless miniature structures rather than constructing one enormous array.

It resembled countless gears working together inside a great machine and should one section become damaged, the remaining portions would immediately compensate.

Lin Mu slowly shook his head. "Creating something like this requires absurd control."

Even with everything he had learned from formations over the years, he doubted he could replicate such craftsmanship. His knowledge had certainly grown considerably.

The inheritances from several worlds and sects as well as his own experiences. Then, the countless formations he had studied throughout various worlds. All of them had expanded his understanding tremendously.

Yet, standing before this array reminded him how vast the Dao of Formations truly remained. He had walked a respectable distance upon that path and had even made his own Dao Embryo, and yet someone else had walked much farther.

Another thought soon entered his mind. "This doesn’t feel like the work of the Wild Peak..."

The conclusion came naturally. The Wild Peak certainly possessed knowledgeable people.

’Understanding formations, using formations, repairing formations and basic breakdown...’ Lin Mu thought those were entirely believable.

But creating an ancient masterpiece of this level belonged to another realm altogether.

The Wild Peak had always been famous for body cultivation, raw strength, vitality and martial techniques. But Formation Grandmasters usually belonged elsewhere.

’Unless...’ Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed. "The creator wasn’t from the Wild Peak."

The possibility immediately expanded several theories within his mind. Perhaps someone from another division had cooperated with them. Or perhaps an outside expert had helped.

Or perhaps... Someone related to the Virtuous Calamity Daoist himself had requested assistance from someone renowned for formations. That possibility actually sounded the most believable.

No matter how powerful a person became, everyone eventually required help from others. Even peerless experts rarely mastered every Dao.

Lin Mu continued tracing the countless formation channels and soon, another detail caught his attention.

"This..." His expression slowly became thoughtful. "This was designed specifically for the Mad Demon Depths."

That realization surprised him more than anything else as the array was extraordinarily efficient. At first glance that seemed admirable. But upon looking deeper, it became obvious why: Qi.

There simply was not enough of it here.

Almost every formation relied upon Qi or other forms of energy. Without sufficient energy, even the greatest formation eventually ceased functioning. But the creator had anticipated that issue from the beginning.

The entire structure consumed astonishingly little energy.

Rather than relying upon abundant external Qi, it recycled nearly everything internally. Tiny circulation paths existed everywhere and whenever excess Qi appeared anywhere within the formation, it immediately flowed elsewhere for reuse.

Nothing escaped or leaked and no excess was left idle. The creator had practically squeezed every drop of usefulness from the limited environment.

Lin Mu slowly smiled. "So that was your solution."

The admiration within him deepened further. Most Formation Masters designed arrays assuming plentiful Qi. This one accepted reality that was often lacking as the truth instead. The creator adapted to the environment rather than forcing the environment to adapt.

Only someone with enormous practical experience would think that way.

Lin Mu’s Immortal Sense continued descending and eventually the formation extended beyond the stone itself. Deep beneath the forest floor, the surrounding soil contained formation runes.

That discovery genuinely startled him.

"Soil?" He carefully verified his observation several times.

There was no mistake, the earth itself had become part of the formation. Formation arrays frequently incorporated stone, crystals, metal, wood and even water. But mundane soil appeared far less often.

The reason remained simple as soil constantly shifted. Roots expanded through it, water eroded it and creatures burrowed beneath it. As such, maintaining stable formation lines within ordinary soil proved exceptionally difficult.

Large scale formations occasionally used earth as supporting material. But even then, the actual formation nodes remained constructed from far more stable resources as the earth merely filled the surrounding space.

This array differed completely as the soil itself functioned as an active component. Even individual particles participated within the formation.

Lin Mu’s eyes gradually widened.

"No wonder..." He finally understood why the array appeared so alive.

The surrounding earth constantly made microscopic changes naturally. Rather than resisting the instability, the formation embraced it.

His thoughts suddenly drifted elsewhere. "...The Thousand Fold Rock Birth Array."

The comparison appeared almost instantly as that formation also relied heavily upon natural earth. Instead of replacing mountains with artificial structures, it transformed existing geology into part of itself.

Because of that the array continuously repaired surrounding damage by borrowing the mountain’s own natural growth. The similarities became increasingly obvious. They had a different purpose and scale, yet the underlying philosophy felt remarkably familiar.

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