Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2099 Chapter 996: The Highest Good Is Like Water
Previously on Immortality Through Array Formations...
"Taoist Soldiers" represent a tremendously potent force within Tao Cultivation battles.
Typical cultivators possess restricted talents and levels of cultivation, yet through the application of formations, arrays, and auxiliary spiritual artifacts, they can assemble into Taoist Soldiers, merging their strengths to challenge even the most talented prodigies.
This stands as a wondrous transformation array spell.
By combining the feeble to confront mighty foes.
In Tao Cultivation's annals, certain Great Demons boasting such overwhelming personal might that peers in the same realm couldn't compete, ended up being ruthlessly slain by hordes of resolute Taoist Soldiers with unyielding resolve, embracing death without fear.
Even prodigies of heaven must steer clear of direct confrontations with vast, fully armed assemblies of Taoist Soldiers.
Regular cultivators, once arrayed as Taoist Soldiers, already display immense prowess.
What of those heavenly pride cultivators?
Should heavenly pride cultivators assemble into Taoist Soldiers, wouldn't they become utterly unbeatable and unstoppable?
Across Tao Cultivation's long history, numerous noble clans, sects, and hidden groups have openly or secretly strived to cultivate "Heavenly Pride Taoist Soldiers."
Save for a handful of triumphs, most endeavors ended in defeat.
Primarily, the expenses proved exorbitant.
Cultivating standard Taoist Soldiers demands a full legacy of spiritual artifacts, formations, cultivation methods, Taoist skills, and battle arrays.
It entails devouring enormous quantities of Spirit Stones, enduring prolonged intense drills, and pouring in boundless labor.
The caliber of the Taoist Soldiers escalates costs dramatically with each tier.
Yet employing heavenly pride cultivators with supreme-grade or even transcendent spiritual roots as the base for Taoist Soldiers demands an inconceivable wealth of legacies and supplies.
Not even mighty clans could bear such a burden.
Moreover, their title of "heavenly pride" highlights their singular nature.
Even if involved, they would assume the position of a "general."
They cannot quell their unique spirits and arrogance to serve as mere "soldiers."
Particularly in Qian Learning's borderlands today, the "elite" inheritance approach prevails.
Sects seek to groom elite disciples via "survival of the fittest," allowing them to shine and secure glory along with rewards for the sect.
This serves the aims of both sects and noble clans alike.
Noble clans desire their scions to surpass rivals, outshine peers, and ascend to loftier statuses later on.
They have no desire for heavenly pride disciples to merge into Taoist Soldiers.
Such an act would squander their potential.
Imitating the "Taoist Soldiers" model by rallying sect disciples for the Sword Discussion Conference has been tried by various sects in the past.
The Tai'a Sect experimented with it ages ago.
However, outcomes fell short of expectations.
From squad harmony to forging spiritual artifacts, tailoring formations, array shifts, and strategy rehearsals, countless complications arose.
To begin with, expenditures soared.
Forging spiritual artifacts and aligning formations posed the greatest hurdle.
After all, Sword Discussion scenarios remain highly variable.
Adversaries in the Sword Discussion vary widely too.
Though sects might cover the Spirit Stones, they often lack the dedicated Tao Cultivation "industry" for rapid, large-scale custom work.
Coordinating it demanded tremendous exertion.
No one could fully persuade the heavenly pride to unite under one banner.
Every sect generation features a "Big Senior Brother," yet despite great respect, he seldom oversees all aspects or secures total loyalty and accord from all disciples.
Furthermore, in the Sword Discussion Conference, match significance escalates progressively.
The arenas follow the Heaven, Earth, Xuan, Huang framework.
In particular, during the "Earth" phase battles and the climactic "Heaven" phase clashes, a single victory might yield scores or even hundreds of points.
Thus, instead of enduring such hassles, it's far more straightforward and effective to embrace "survival of the fittest," nurture "elite disciples," and propel them toward superior placements.
In due course, the "Taoist Soldier System" for Sword Discussions faded from practice among sects.
The Tai'a Sect likewise discarded this strategy.
Now, beholding the orderly, disciplined drill of Taixu disciples in precise alignment, the Tai'a Sect Leader abruptly sensed a touch of bewilderment.
This truly embodies the Sword Discussion via the "Taoist Soldier System"...
Then, peering more intently for a spell, he experienced considerable astonishment.
It appears somewhat distinct...
The training atop Mount Taixu deviates from a uniform Taoist Soldier System; not every disciple adheres to identical molds.
Instead, diverse specialized squads emerged, tailored to disciples' strengths, Taoist skills, and arrays.
Some balance offense and defense, others excel in head-on charges, some master rapid strikes, while others focus on evasion or prolonged resistance...
Given the brief timeframe and absence of fitted spiritual artifacts and arrays, actual battle efficacy would suffer somewhat.
Nevertheless, this method's potency was already emerging visibly.
At minimum, it displayed genuine organization, far surpassing prior haphazard groups.
Gazing upon the spectacle, the Tai'a Sect Leader inwardly acclaimed it, then voiced sincerely to the Taixu Sect Master:
"Dao Brother, your vision runs deep, and your methods are truly exceptional."
The Taixu Sect Master smiled, replying, "Hardly, it's mostly due to the disciples' diligence."
"You're being too humble."
"It really stems from the disciples' hard work..."
"Still downplaying it..."
The Taixu Sect Master felt somewhat at a loss; he spoke the honest truth. The disciples truly drove it. As sect master, he'd merely "delegated authority" fittingly.
Following that, the pair resumed sipping tea.
The Tai'a Sect Leader, observing the budding "Heavenly Pride Taoist Soldiers" forming below, grew increasingly captivated with every glance. After several cups of tea, he finally regained his focus, recalling why he'd come.
"Xuan Er...ought not to stir up issues..."
His gaze sweeping the area, the Tai'a Sect Leader at last spotted Ouyang Xuan's figure in the practice field's edge.
All seemed in order.
Ouyang Xuan trained routinely alongside the Sword Dao Genius from Mount Chongxu, the Formation Leader of Taixu Mountain called "Mo Hua," a burly fellow, and a Sword Cultivator of notable talent.