The disciple from the Formation Hall patiently explained a few more details as they walked out of the office. "Junior Brother Tyler, once a project is approved, you’re allowed to recruit disciples from both the outer sect and inner sect. Of course, whether they agree to join depends on what you can offer them. Some people join for contribution points, some join for resources, and some simply want experience."

Tyler nodded thoughtfully before suddenly asking, "Senior Brother, then would you like to join the Aspirant Project?"

The disciple nearly stumbled. He quickly recovered and forced a polite smile onto his face.

"I’m afraid I can’t, Junior Brother. I already have several projects under my name. Recently I’ve been helping install formations for restaurants, markets, and a few cultivation families. I’m already busy enough."

His tone remained courteous, but inwardly he was shaking his head. Joining a project led by someone who had entered the Formation Hall less than a day ago? Only a fool would do that. Everyone knew the Aspirant Project was little more than a formality created by the Sect Master. Most elders already expected it to fail. In his eyes, Tyler had merely become the latest unlucky disciple chosen to carry the burden.

Tyler didn’t seem disappointed.

"It’s alright. Thank you for the explanation, Senior Brother."

After borrowing several introductory formation books along with a few volumes discussing advanced formation theories, he left the Formation Hall.

The disciple watched Tyler’s departing figure and silently congratulated himself on making the correct decision.

"Definitely not joining that project."

Meanwhile, Tyler walked back toward the outer disciple area. Before he even reached his cave, he spotted Maximus standing outside with his arms crossed.

"Boss Tyler!" Maximus immediately waved. "Did you register successfully?"

Tyler raised his disciple token.

A faint glow appeared across its surface and the symbol of the Formation Hall became visible beside his identity markings.

Maximus’ eyes widened.

"You actually got in!"

Then his expression immediately changed.

"Congratulations, Boss Tyler. Since you’ve joined the Formation Hall, shouldn’t you celebrate by treating us to a meal?"

The shameless smile on his face almost made Tyler laugh.

"Hahaha, fine. Go find Lee and Louch. We’ll eat together tonight."

Maximus immediately grinned from ear to ear. "Really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"Boss Tyler, you’re the best."

Tyler laughed and waved him away before returning to his cave. After sealing the stone door behind him, the noisy atmosphere outside immediately disappeared. The cave became quiet once more. In the corner, the glass coffin remained exactly where he had left it. The girl inside lay peacefully with her eyes closed, looking more like someone asleep than a corpse. Tyler glanced at her briefly before turning away. The Formation Hall was far more interesting at the moment.

He placed the books he had borrowed onto the stone table and began reading one after another. Basic formation principles, formation nodes, energy circulation methods, formation cores, activation patterns, maintenance techniques—every book recorded knowledge that ordinary disciples would spend months or even years studying. Tyler, however, flipped through them at an astonishing speed. By the time darkness gradually settled outside, every book on the table had already been read from beginning to end.

After closing the last volume, Tyler leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead.

"So crude? These are the basic formation knowledge?"

If any Formation Hall disciple heard those words, they would probably cough blood on the spot. Countless disciples treated these books like treasures and studied them day and night, yet Tyler felt as though he had merely read a beginner’s guide. Most of the theories weren’t wrong, but they felt old. Very old. Some methods were so inefficient that Tyler couldn’t help wondering how they had survived until today.

Shaking his head, he tossed the books aside and opened the project scroll Vance had given him.

The more he read, the more interested he became.

Originally, he had assumed the project was something the elders wanted to get rid of. After all, Vance had practically stuffed it into his hands and chased him out the door. However, the contents of the scroll told a completely different story. It was an order personally issued by the Sect Master. The Formation Hall was required to create new formations capable of generating wealth and practical value for the sect. Any disciple could participate. Resources could be requested. Funding could be approved. Outstanding results could even receive direct support from the Sect Master himself.

Tyler reread the scroll before placing it on the table.

"Interesting."

The Sect Master actually had some vision.

Most formation masters spent their lives digging through ancient ruins searching for formations left behind by their predecessors. The Sect Master, however, wanted people to create something new. Just this idea alone already placed him ahead of most cultivators Tyler had met.

His fingers lightly tapped the table.

By the time Tyler arrived at the cafeteria that evening, Lee, Louch, and Maximus were already waiting. The moment he sat down, he casually tossed the project scroll onto the table.

"Read it."

The three exchanged puzzled looks before opening the scroll.

A moment later, Maximus nearly spat out the food in his mouth. Louch rubbed his eyes and read the title again.

Lee stared at Tyler for several breaths before finally speaking, "Tell me honestly."

"What?"

"Are you the Sect Master’s illegitimate son?"

Tyler nearly choked.

Louch immediately nodded. "Actually, that would explain a lot."

"Yeah." Maximus agreed seriously. "You joined the Formation Hall today and already got your own project. That’s not normal."

Tyler rolled his eyes.

"Unfortunately, I’m not." The three clearly didn’t believe him.

After a while, Maximus leaned forward, "Boss, can we join?"

Tyler looked at him, "Join the project?"

Maximus nodded. Lee and Louch silently gave Maximus thumbs up. He immediately looked over as well. Their expressions gave them away before they even opened their mouths.

Tyler couldn’t help laughing, "Of course you can join."

The three visibly relaxed.

"Good. Then help me find someone."

"What kind of person?" Lee asked.

"A pill refiner that can make some Qi Level Pills."

The three froze.

"A pill refiner?" Louch asked. "What does pill refining have to do with formations?"

Tyler picked up a meat bun and took a bite.

"You’ll know when the time comes."

Seeing his expression, the three wisely stopped asking questions.

As the three continued discussing possible candidates, Tyler quietly ate his food and calculated the resources he would need. Formation materials, spirit stones, alchemy knowledge, cultivation resources, and perhaps a few willing test subjects.

The more he thought about it, the brighter his mood became. He already decided, what to create first.

It was an automatic pill-making machine.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

After finishing dinner, Tyler left the cafeteria alone and headed back toward his cave. The outer disciple area was much quieter at night. Only a few spirit lamps illuminated the paths winding through the mountain. Most disciples were either cultivating inside their caves or busy with their own affairs.

As Tyler walked through the dim pathway, a black crow suddenly landed in front of him.

Its eyes were crimson.

Tyler immediately stopped.

The crow looked directly at him without any fear. Ordinary birds would never behave like this.

"Who are you?" Tyler asked while narrowing his eyes.

The Dark Forest Society specialized in corpse techniques. A crow wandering around with red eyes was probably someone’s corpse puppet.

The crow let out a harsh caw before flapping its wings and flying toward another cave dwelling.

Tyler hesitated for a moment.

It could be a trap.

Then again, sect rules strictly prohibited disciples from harming each other. At most, someone wanted to talk.

The crow landed before a nearby cave and waited.

After thinking briefly, Tyler followed.

The moment he arrived, the stone door slowly slid open.

The crow immediately flew inside.

A voice came from within.

"Come in."

Tyler stepped inside cautiously.

The interior of the cave was much larger than he expected. Strange furnishings filled the room. Coffins of various sizes were neatly arranged against the walls, while several corpses stood motionlessly nearby like silent servants. Some were dressed in armor. Others wore ordinary disciple robes. The entire place looked less like a residence and more like a workshop dedicated to corpse refinement.

What surprised Tyler the most was a female corpse standing near the center of the room. She appeared almost identical to a living person and was currently performing simple stretching movements.

Tyler blinked.

"That’s a corpse?"

The female corpse immediately stopped moving.

Then, as though embarrassed after being discovered, she calmly walked back toward a nearby coffin, climbed inside, and pulled the lid shut herself.

The cave suddenly became quiet.

Tyler’s mouth twitched slightly.

"This sect really has all kinds of strange people."

A burst of laughter came from the wall.

One of the corpses hanging there suddenly moved.

Tyler instinctively turned toward it.

The corpse jumped down and landed lightly on the ground.

Only then did Tyler realize it wasn’t a corpse at all.

It was a young man around his age. He was shorter than Tyler and wore black robes embroidered with silver patterns. His face carried a cheerful smile that made him seem harmless.

"Hahaha! Junior Brother has good eyes."

The young man walked over enthusiastically.

"I am Jin. Your neighbor."

Tyler finally relaxed a little.

"So it was Senior Brother Jin who invited me."

"Exactly."

Jin nodded repeatedly.

"I’ve wanted to meet you for days." Jin pulled over a chair and sat down casually, "Come, sit."

Tyler sat opposite him.

For a few moments, Jin simply stared at him with sparkling eyes.

The look made Tyler feel uncomfortable.

"What do you want?" Tyler finally asked.

Jin rubbed his chin.

"I’ll get straight to the point."

His expression suddenly became serious.

"Junior Brother, have you ever considered becoming a corpse?"

Tyler nearly choked on his own saliva.

"What?"