He had not formed a complete structure, and he had not created anything usable yet. However, he had learned something important from his attempts. Arrays were not about brute force or the amount of qi one possessed, but about precise control under limitation.
For the first time, Lu Haotian felt genuinely challenged. A faint sense of satisfaction rose within him as he stood up and returned to his courtyard, already planning to continue his practice the next day.
Night fell quietly over the Lu Family, and the courtyard became still.
The Next Day.
Inside his room, Lu Haotian sat calmly with several low-grade spirit stones arranged in front of him.
He had chosen not to go to the Array Hall that day, deciding instead to remain in his courtyard and practice alone. He repeated the same process over and over—forming nodes, connecting lines, and failing repeatedly.
By now, he could reliably form three nodes and occasionally a fourth, but he understood that forming them alone was not enough. He picked up the jade slip again, this time focusing on a specific formation rather than the basics.
The technique was called the Tier 1 Qi Concealment Formation. It was a simple array used to suppress aura leakage, hide fluctuations, and reduce one's presence, making it highly practical despite its simplicity.
Lu Haotian closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. Without hesitation, he picked up a spirit stone and began.
The first node formed and stabilized quickly. The second followed, slightly unstable but still holding. The third flickered violently before finally stabilizing, while the fourth collapsed the moment he tried to form it.
He stopped and adjusted his approach before trying again. This time, he managed to form four nodes, though just barely, as maintaining them stretched his control to its limits even with the help of spirit stones.
Following the structure described in the jade slip, he carefully connected the first two nodes, then extended the lines to the others. The connections formed, but they trembled constantly, and the qi within the spirit stone began to drain faster than he had expected.
He frowned slightly but continued. Taking out a second spirit stone, he began drawing qi from both sources, which allowed the structure to stabilize a little more.
Finally, he attempted to form the core of the formation. The moment it connected, the entire structure shook violently and nearly collapsed.
Lu Haotian's focus sharpened as he immediately adjusted the flow of qi, reducing the input and stabilizing the output. After several tense moments, the trembling gradually subsided until the formation finally held steady.
A faint ripple spread through the room, subtle and almost unnoticeable, but clearly present.
Lu Haotian exhaled slowly as he observed the formation. It continued to consume qi at a steady rate, and within minutes, one of the spirit stones cracked. He calmly replaced it with another, noting the cost required to maintain it.
Leaning back slightly, he examined the faint, nearly invisible structure surrounding his room. His aura was now suppressed and contained, making it difficult for others to detect any fluctuations even if they passed nearby.
A small smile appeared on his face as he understood its value. This kind of concealment would give him an advantage that went beyond simple cultivation.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the formation to continue running as he rested. For the first time, he felt that he had gained a new kind of control, one that would allow him to move more carefully and avoid unnecessary attention.