"Tu Shicheng? Never heard of him..." Fang Yuan murmured to himself.
The boy Fang Yuan was impersonating had a father surnamed Tu, so naturally he shared that surname. The fact that someone could leave behind a dream meant this Tu master of the Formation Path was no ordinary figure. Yet in the history of Gu Masters, a Formation Path powerhouse with the surname Tu seemed to have left no trace.
Fang Yuan searched his memories carefully but found nothing.
Of course, his knowledge couldn't possibly cover the entirety of Gu Master history. Perhaps this was a dream left by a powerful figure who had lived incognito through the ages.
"Come, sit beside me." The middle-aged Gu Immortal, Tu Shicheng, settled onto the ground and patted the earth beside him with his palm.
Fang Yuan quickly walked over and sat cross-legged next to him.
"My son, do you know how many schools of Gu Mastery exist in this world?" Tu Shicheng asked with a gentle smile.
Fang Yuan thought for a moment. The schools of Gu Mastery were certainly numerous and varied. Overall, they had shown a trend of increasing prosperity over time. When Gu Mastery first emerged, the Space Path and Time Path had dominated, followed by the Wisdom Path, Qi Path, Strength Path, Rules Path, and others. By the modern era, there were even more — the Fire Path, Water Path, Metal Path, Bone Path, Poison Path, and so on.
"In five hundred years, the Dream Path will also rise... Innovation will never cease, and the number of Gu Immortal schools will only grow." Fang Yuan pondered internally before answering aloud. "As far as I know, there is the Space Path, the Time Path, um, and also the Qi Path, the Wisdom Path, and others."
Tu Shicheng nodded. "Correct, but that's far from complete. Let me tell you — since the era of Human Ancestor in ancient times, the Space Path and Time Path have existed. These two schools explored and expounded upon the mysteries of space and time."
"In the Primordial Era, Yuan Shi Immortal Venerable founded the Qi Path and the Slave Path, while Xing Su Immortal Venerable created the Wisdom Path and the Star Path. Our Formation Path was also created toward the end of the Primordial Era, though its true founder is unverifiable. The Refining Path and the Fire Path also originated in this period."
"In the Antiquity Era, Wu Ji Demonic Venerable founded the Rules Path, and Kuang Man Demonic Venerable founded the Transformation Path and the Strength Path. The Wind Path, Light Path, and Dark Path also emerged during this time."
"In the Middle Antiquity Era, Yuan Lian Immortal Venerable founded the Wood Path, Dao Tian Demonic Venerable founded the Theft Path, and Ju Yang Immortal Venerable founded the Luck Path. Meanwhile, the Metal Path, Water Path, Ice-Snow Path, Cloud Path, Earth Path, Lightning Path, Information Path, and Sound Path all emerged one after another. It was a truly innovative age of diverse schools."
"In the modern era, the Bone Path has appeared, along with the Void Path and the Restriction Path. Of course, what I've described are all major schools within Gu Mastery. Smaller schools like the Charm Path and Illusion Path — we'll set those aside for now."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan's understanding crystallized.
So the era within this dream was the Late Antiquity Era. At this point, the You Hun Demonic Venerable had not yet appeared, otherwise Tu Shicheng would certainly have mentioned him.
Tu Shicheng spoke again. "My son, I've explained all this because I want you to understand that the Formation Path we cultivate is one of the more ancient schools. While it can't compare to the Space Path or Time Path in seniority, it was born in the same era as the Qi Path and Wisdom Path. In terms of precedence, it even predates the Transformation Path."
Having said this, Tu Shicheng posed another question. "The Transformation Path reflects all paths through one path. My son, do you know the essence of the Formation Path?"
Though Fang Yuan's attainments in the Formation Path were quite ordinary, this particular question was simple and well-known, so he knew the answer.
He replied, "The Formation Path contains all paths within one path."
"Ha ha, well said!" Tu Shicheng offered his praise generously, then continued with a detailed explanation. "When we of the Formation Path set up a Gu formation, we may need to employ Gu from the Space Path or Time Path, and we might also need Gu from the Metal Path, Wood Path, Fire Path, or Water Path. Because of this, the Formation Path is arguably the most complex of all schools."
"Setting up a Gu formation is no easy task, since it may require Gu from many different schools. That's why cultivating the Formation Path demands at least a basic understanding of every other school. Even if our knowledge isn't deep, we need broad exposure — at the very least, we must thoroughly understand every Gu we use."
Fang Yuan nodded repeatedly as he listened.
This was indeed one of the great difficulties of cultivating the Formation Path.
Every school had its strengths and its weaknesses. The Slave Path, for instance, could let one fight against many once its subjects were raised — but the resources consumed were enormous.
The study and practice of the Formation Path had a high barrier to entry because it involved Gu from other schools. The Gu belonging to the Formation Path itself only served as the foundation or framework of a formation; the rest of the flesh and substance had to be filled in by a large number of Gu from other paths.
It was precisely this that made the Formation Path difficult to learn and hard to master.
Cultivating a Formation Path expert was no simple matter. First, it demanded significant resources, time, and scholarly foundation. Second, it required the Gu Master's own talent and hard work.
That was why, in the world of Gu Immortals, those who specialized exclusively in the Formation Path had always been rare in number.
Of course, this rarity was relative — there were still far more Formation Path Gu Immortals than Wisdom Path ones.
This was also why, across Fang Yuan's five hundred years in his previous life, he had never delved deeply into the Formation Path.