Lu Haotian returned to the Array Hall the next day without delay.
He did not rush.
He did not skip steps.
He simply sat in the same corner, took out the jade slip, and reviewed the basics again.
Nodes.
Lines.
Balance.
Yesterday, he had barely managed to stabilize three nodes for a few breaths.
That wasn't even considered a proper formation.
It was just the beginning.
He raised his hand again.
Qi gathered at his fingertip.
A node began to form—
It flickered.
Wavered.
And stabilized.
Lu Haotian didn't smile.
Instead, his gaze sharpened.
Yesterday, this had taken hours.
Today, it came faster.
But that wasn't improvement.
That was familiarity.
He formed a second node.
Slower this time.
Carefully.
The moment both existed—
He connected them.
A thin strand of qi stretched between them.
Unstable.
But intact.
Then—
His breathing changed slightly.
He felt it again.
Drain.
This time, he didn't ignore it.
He observed it.
The nodes weren't just structures.
They were consuming qi constantly.
Even while idle.
"So it's not just formation…"
"It's maintenance."
That made things worse.
He could create nodes—
But he couldn't sustain them for long.
Not with his own qi.
Not without affecting his cultivation.
Lu Haotian lowered his hand.
Then paused.
Thinking.
A moment later, he reached into the Veiled Emperor Ring.
A low-grade spirit stone appeared in his palm.
He stared at it briefly.
Then looked back at the faint, fading node in front of him.
"…Let's try."
He held the spirit stone in one hand.
Then extended his other hand again.
This time—
He didn't draw qi from his body.
He drew it from the stone.
The difference was immediate.
The qi was rougher.
Less controlled.
But abundant.
He guided it carefully.
Formed a node.
Stabilized it.
Then another.
This time—
The drain did not affect him.
It came from the stone.
Lu Haotian's eyes sharpened.
"…So this is how they do it."
But the problem appeared quickly.
The qi from the spirit stone was harder to control.
The nodes flickered more violently.
More unstable than before.
When he tried to connect them—
The structure collapsed instantly.
Silence.
Lu Haotian looked at his hand.
Then at the cracked spirit stone.
"…Not that simple."
Using external qi solved one problem.
But created another.
Control.
He didn't stop.
He tried again.
Second attempt—
Failed.
Third—
Failed faster.
By the sixth attempt—
He managed to form two stable nodes using spirit stone qi.
Barely.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
Not from exhaustion—
But from focus.
"This is harder…"
He adjusted.
Slowed down.
Refined the input.
Instead of pulling large amounts—
He drew thin strands.
Smaller.
More controlled.
The node stabilized.
Better.
Second node—
Held.
He connected them—
And this time—
The line stayed.
For longer than before.
Lu Haotian watched it carefully.
Not moving.
Not interfering.
Just observing.
Then—
It collapsed.
He exhaled slowly.
Not disappointed.
"…Progress."