“Things can’t go on like this. Should I also stack a fifth-grade formation?”

Yu Ping'an gazed at the sixth-grade portable formation he had crafted to showcase his skills, silently abandoning that thought.

There was no time left; he couldn’t rebuild the formation now. All he could do was continue to refine the portable formation before him.

Initially, he had hoped to compare his self-created portable formation with Bai Feng’s, who had been taught by Master Liu Meng. Even if he lost in the formation contest, he would still hold his head high. But now, the roles had reversed.

Even if he won the challenge, what would it matter? He was the senior brother of Fengling Sect, while the other party was just an unknown ordinary disciple. Even if the other side lost, the discussion wouldn’t be about how strong he was, but rather how Guo Xiao could hold his own against him.

With this thought, he focused on the formation before him, and his heart gradually calmed.

As the time for the competition came to an end, he completed the final touches.

At the last moment, Guo Xiao also finished his work. He looked at the sixth-grade formation he had built with his own hands, a genuine smile spreading across his face—he had succeeded!

Then he turned to Yu Ping'an and the sixth-grade formation he had created, still smiling.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to break through Yu Ping'an’s sixth-grade formation, and he was likely to lose this contest, but that no longer mattered.

“Senior Brother Yu, please.”

He extended his hand in an ‘invitation’ to Yu Ping'an.

Yu Ping'an stared at him, his expression complex, as if he were reminiscing or pondering.

Finally, he lowered his head and said slowly, “I apologize for my previous arrogance.”

“Senior Brother Yu, what do you mean by that?”

Guo Xiao was taken aback. He had anticipated many possible reactions from Yu Ping'an, even prepared for some sarcasm, but he never expected Yu Ping'an would apologize to him.

“Seeing you made me realize how far I’ve strayed from my original intentions.” Yu Ping'an shook his head and turned to leave. “Let’s skip the challenge. I can’t break through a sixth-grade formation, so let’s call this contest a draw.”

Guo Xiao felt a bit bewildered. He didn’t believe Yu Ping'an couldn’t break through. After all, he had rushed to create a simplified version of the sixth-grade formation, and since it was his first attempt, there were many issues with it. He believed that with Yu Ping'an’s level, it shouldn’t be too difficult to crack.

But in the end, he shrugged off his thoughts and stepped down from the platform alongside Yu Ping'an.

Yu Ping'an might have been speaking out of courtesy, but he genuinely couldn’t break through the sixth-grade formation. Since Yu Ping'an had already declared it a draw, Guo Xiao wouldn’t foolishly insist on experiencing Yu Ping'an’s sixth-grade formation; that would be asking for trouble.

Meanwhile, Bai Feng, seated in the stands, shut his eyes in frustration.

What the hell, Yu Ping'an? What do you mean by this? You’re trying to annoy me by not competing, right?

Can’t break through a sixth-grade formation? Give me a break!

I’m so angry! Why did Yu Ping'an give up? How did a good situation turn into this?

[Beep! Detected that the host has strategized and set up the game early, using several formation books to enhance the skills of a disciple with mediocre talent, resulting in a draw against Yu Ping'an, significantly striking a blow to Yu Ping'an’s arrogance. Reward: Luck Points +666, Unknown Immortal’s Work: “Terrain Formation: Poison Pit Edition.”]

Bai Feng looked at the system notification and sighed. It had indeed come.

Although it seemed that Yu Ping'an had realized something in the end, and a draw might be a good thing for him, the fact remained that he had genuinely fought to a draw with an ordinary disciple from Tianjian Sect, which severely impacted his reputation. He hadn’t heard of any system that could balance merits and faults, so the luck points he deserved were unavoidable.

By the way, this Poison Pit feels a bit familiar, stirring up painful memories from the past. The unknown immortal you mentioned, could it be someone called that old thief?

‘Forget it, I won’t think about that. I need to focus on the team competition first.’

Bai Feng shook his head. Although the plan had failed, the competition still had to be fought. He slowly got up and walked towards the Tianjian Sect team with Su Lanqian, who had been ready for a while.

At the same time, an elder from the holy land stepped onto the stage and said, “Since the rules for the team competition were proposed by Bai Feng of Tianjian Sect, he will only be responsible for directing the formation construction and will not participate directly.”

Yu Ping'an, who had just returned to his seat, suddenly narrowed his eyes—if that was the case, it meant Bai Feng hadn’t intentionally avoided him to secure a victory.

‘Ha, giving up his greatest advantage? He’s got some guts.’

Yu Ping'an straightened his posture, eager to see what Bai Feng was up to.

...

“As the elder mentioned, I will only be responsible for directing the formation construction and will not participate directly,” Bai Feng addressed the Tianjian Sect disciples participating in the team competition. “So, when to disrupt the opponent and how to defend against their interference is up to you to decide.”

Noticing the serious expressions on the faces of the Tianjian Sect disciples, he added a few comforting words: “Don’t be too nervous. Trust yourselves. Even if we lose, it’s no big deal; after all, we’re up against Fengling Sect.”

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother Bai! We absolutely won’t lose!”

“Yeah, with you directing us, we’ve beaten them too many times already!”

“Hold on, let’s save that talk for after we win.” Bai Feng interrupted them, unable to bear the premature celebration. “Now, let’s have Su Shijie take charge of the direction. If there are no objections, let’s get started.”

Seeing no one object, Bai Feng led the Tianjian Sect disciples to the competition venue.

Across from them, the disciples of Fengling Sect were filled with fighting spirit, not just because of past grievances in the secret realm, but also because this battle was one they absolutely could not afford to lose!

If Bai Feng, this genius of formations, were to participate, it would be one thing, but now he was restricted to directing the formation construction. If they lost to a group of Tianjian Sect disciples with lower skill levels in such a favorable situation, they would have no face left to show.

“The competition begins.”

With the elder’s command, both sides’ disciples instantly sprang into action.

Bai Feng, as the elder had said, did not participate directly but instead ‘wandered’ within the formation:

“Senior Brother, wait a moment. The southwest side hasn’t caught up yet. If we carve the formation patterns now, there will be issues.”

“Don’t rush. This multi-person formation requires observing everyone else’s progress. You can’t go too fast or too slow; if you speed up, you’ll just create chaos.”

“Hey, that brother with green hair, you’ve drawn one of the formation patterns incorrectly. No need to erase it and redraw; just change it to…”

Bai Feng seemed to be wandering aimlessly within the formation, but each time he appeared precisely where problems were about to arise, offering timely reminders.

To outsiders, his actions might seem excessive or even a bit noisy, but to formation masters, it was a different story. Bai Feng’s timely reminders prevented conflicts caused by mistakes, not only avoiding disruptions to others but also speeding up the construction process.

At this moment, Yu Ping'an’s expression gradually grew serious. He could see Bai Feng’s mastery over the multi-person formation, which required a solid foundation and keen observation.

He could even spot subtle errors that weren’t immediately obvious, as if the entire formation were transparent before him, devoid of any secrets.

He couldn’t do what Bai Feng was doing.

Reflecting on his previous views of Bai Feng, he couldn’t help but mock himself—how ridiculous he had been!

This wasn’t a waste of his own talent; perhaps the recording device was just something Bai Feng had casually created for fun, while he had let anger and prejudice blind him, holding onto such a laughable notion to mock the other.

---

Chapter 173: Why Did Yu Ping'an Throw Himself In?

“Is a multi-person formation really this simple?”

A Tianjian Sect disciple scratched his head, feeling that it was different from their previous competition.

While they had successfully built a multi-person formation before, it had been fraught with issues, ultimately relying on Su Shijie to save the day.

But now, there were no problems at all, and the construction speed had increased significantly.

“It must be because of Senior Brother Bai,” another disciple said in admiration. “Senior Brother Bai can always spot problems before they arise. He’s practically a master of formations, far surpassing us.”

“If only building formations were always this easy.”

“Alright, enough chatting. Let’s finish the formation quickly. I can’t wait to take down those arrogant Fengling Sect guys!”

At that moment, Bai Feng withdrew his gaze, the black and white colors in his eyes gradually fading.

He walked over to Su Lanqian, watching as she meticulously carved the core formation patterns.