"You brat, you're actually that capable?"
Upon seeing that Chu Feng had succeeded, Xia Xingchen's beautiful eyes brimmed with delight.
But Hua Hua snatched the formation sphere back. "Something must have gone wrong. Let me try again."
Xia Xingchen quickly spoke up. "Hua Hua, you can't do that. It's beneath your dignity. As a senior, you should keep your word."
"Senior, it's fine. I can do it as many times as you like." Chu Feng was completely unfazed.
Soon, Hua Hua restored the formation sphere to its previous state and handed it back to Chu Feng once more. She even added in a warning tone, "This time I'm watching you closely."
"Watch carefully, then."
With a smile on his face, Chu Feng grabbed the formation sphere between his hands once again, repeating the same motions as before. This time, he deliberately slowed his pace, and since Hua Hua was no slouch herself, everyone could clearly see that the power of barriers Chu Feng released was not mere barrier power — it was a formation.
Chu Feng had set up a formation within his body and used it to break open the sphere. And it was drawn from the initial-level secret manual.
Thus, it was successfully broken open once more.
"You've broken this before?" Hua Hua stared at Chu Feng.
"Second time," Chu Feng replied.
"When was the first? Who taught you?" Hua Hua pressed.
"No one taught me," Chu Feng said.
"Impossible. With your level of cultivation, there's no way you could break this. Your formation compensated for the realm gap. Just who taught you this method?" Hua Hua demanded.
"The first time was just now. So tell me, senior — who taught me the formation?" Chu Feng replied.
"You… I don't buy it." Hua Hua's expression screamed disbelief.
"Senior, I'll be straightforward. I've mastered certain methods that can compensate for realm gaps when dealing with different formations. They're hard to put to use in actual combat, but when it comes to breaking through ruins, if given enough time, I might genuinely be able to help you, senior," Chu Feng said.
"All right, Hua Hua. Regardless of whether you believe Chu Feng, he broke the formation right under your nose. You ought to keep your word," Xia Xingchen urged.
Although Hua Hua had her doubts about Chu Feng, she was willing to face reality. "Fine. But let me be clear upfront — I'm not counting on you to help. Just don't get in my way, and do as I say."
"No problem." Chu Feng agreed with a smile.
With that, Chu Feng, Xia Xingchen, and Hua Hua set off on their journey.
To make good time, Hua Hua piloted an aerial warship. It wasn't particularly large, but it was remarkably fast — capable of flying not only through the normal world, but also maintaining impressive speed within teleportation tunnels.
At first, Xia Xingchen seemed to be putting in a good word for Chu Feng, as she kept chatting with Hua Hua. The two communicated through secret voice transmission, so Chu Feng couldn't hear what they were saying, but from their frequent laughter, he could tell their conversation was quite pleasant.
Chu Feng, meanwhile, was far from idle. He sat cross-legged on the deck, cultivating the other formations recorded in the Heavenly Dao Secret Manual. Though the initial-level secret manual was already heaven-defying, setting up formations still required time. In a normal confrontation against offensive formations, there often simply wasn't enough time. That was why Chu Feng needed to master the remaining formations in the Heavenly Dao Secret Manual.
"Brat, are you cultivating?"
Suddenly, a soft voice sounded right beside Chu Feng's ear.
He opened his eyes to find Xia Xingchen leaning down, her delicate face close to his.
Very close.
Despite being a senior, Xia Xingchen really was strikingly beautiful. Her face, figure, and temperament were all top-tier, and her personality was genuinely endearing to boot.
No wonder the Sect Master of the Celestial Firmament Immortal Sect had taken an improper fancy to her.