At Tianzhen Pavilion, ten thousand miles away, everything was in readiness for Wan Lei's arrival.
They attached great importance to this competition. Since Wan Lei's debut, his array formations had consistently expanded their understanding of such arts.
Especially after the people from Tianzhen Pavilion personally managed the maintenance of the "Old Turtle Shell" grand formation in the Water Lily Secret Realm, their grasp of Wan Lei's formations deepened.
That defensive grand formation was merely a casual throw-down by Wan Lei, pre-arranged. With just Nascent Soul cultivation, it could withstand the continuous bombardment of a million troops.
Therefore, if Wan Lei were given time and materials to set up a fixed grand formation, how strong would that defensive formation be? Could it completely repel a million troops?
Each hexagonal formation within the "Old Turtle Shell" grand formation was independent, yet mutually reliant. They dispersed the attacking force while ensuring that damage to one area would not affect others. What mastery of array formations this represented!
Thus, Feng Zhenzi, the Pavilion Master of Tianzhen Pavilion, was eager to discuss array formation theories with Wan Lei. More importantly, he wanted to understand where Wan Lei had learned his formations. Did the Lei Feng Realm truly possess a heritage more knowledgeable in formations than Tianzhen Pavilion?
No one viewed Wan Lei as a mere youth anymore. Even Feng Zhenzi, a Great Ascension stage expert and master of formations, treated Wan Lei as an equal.
The Four Heavenly Pavilions were not far from each other, situated atop the renowned Five Finger Mountain in the Central Region.
This location was slightly north of the Central Region's core, about a thousand li north of Lei Di Mountain, all part of the same mountain range.
The four peaks occupied by the Four Heavenly Pavilions all soared into the clouds, straight and steep, making them difficult to ascend. From afar, they resembled a colossal demon god, its body the size of a continent, its hand breaking through the earth, struggling to shatter the land and escape its confines.
As for why there were only four peaks yet it was called Five Finger Mountain, one legend claimed that the ancestor of Lei Di, in a fierce battle with enemies that shook the heavens and earth, picked up one of the large mountains and smashed it onto his enemy's head during the height of the conflict, thus accounting for the missing peak.
This legend was pure nonsense.
For anything in the world to gain fame, it needed an impressive origin story, tales of great figures.
It was like in a dimension beyond the infinite universe, where many famous mountains and scenic spots claimed visits from emperors, and many small, century-old eateries boasted of Emperor Qianlong's rave reviews, as if Emperor Qianlong's sole occupation was being a food vlogger.
In the Lei Feng Realm, no name carried more weight than that of the ancestor of Lei Di.
However, a discerning eye could easily see that the ancestor of Lei Di's most astonishing battle was the one that annihilated the Evil Moon Sect. But that took place in the eastern desert, where an area of ten thousand li around the Evil Moon Sect was reduced to barren land.
Five Finger Mountain, on the other hand, was in the north.
It seemed unlikely that the ancestor of Lei Di, unless driven mad, would suddenly travel from the eastern Central Region to the north to move a mountain and then return to smash an enemy.
The reason it was called Five Finger Mountain was simply for its pleasing sound. It couldn't possibly be called Four Finger Mountain, as if its heritage was inherently broken.
Atop Tianzhen Pavilion, a group of elders stood before the main hall, gazing into the distance with anticipation.
Leading them was an elder with an ethereal demeanor and an air of arrogance, clearly a master of profound skills, destined to be revered wherever he went.
This was Feng Zhenzi, the Pavilion Master of Tianzhen Pavilion.
A teleportation array lit up, and dozens of figures emerged.
This was the contingent from the Four Heavenly Pavilions on their way to celebrate a birthday at the Fang family, along with Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu.
"Old man greets young friend Wan Lei."
Young Master Lei, who had arrived with a fierce aura, ready to fleece the other party, was taken aback by the enthusiastic greeting from Pavilion Master Feng Zhenzi.
This completely derailed his plans for provocation, subtle hints, and taunts.
One doesn't strike a smiling face, and moreover, a seasoned expert and the master of an entire pavilion had greeted him, a junior, first. Young Master Lei felt he would be remiss if he didn't kneel and kowtow.
"This junior pays his respects to Pavilion Master Feng. I have long heard of Pavilion Master Feng's great name, and it is an honor to finally meet you. This junior is humbled."
"Humbled about what? Everyone in the Central Region knows how thick-skinned you are."
Pavilion Master Feng Zhenzi said with a chuckle.
This old fellow was quite familiar.
Receiving such a blatant compliment, Young Master Lei was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Then this junior will speak frankly. Do you have any good food here? Bring it out quickly. Is this how you entertain guests?"
"No rush, no rush. Old man has also heard much about young friend Wan Lei. I have long admired you, the rising young talent of the Central Region, from afar.
There are few people who study formations in our Central Region. For young friend Wan Lei to possess such profound attainments in formations, I and the many elders of Tianzhen Pavilion have long wished to discuss the profound mysteries of formations with you.
However, we have been busy and never had the time. Today, we have finally invited this great deity. Everyone is eager to witness the incredible formations of you, Wan Lei."
"In other words, you're not providing food."
"Can we discuss something unrelated to food?"
"Is there any wine?"
"This is not a tavern."
"...So there's nothing? Then I'll go to Tian Dan Pavilion to eat first, and come back to compete with you then."
"..."
"Someone, bring wine and dishes!!"
Feng Zhenzi uttered these words through gritted teeth.
After much anticipation, the legendary Wan Lei had finally arrived. He was eager to discuss array formation theories with him, only to find that the fellow was solely focused on food.
Damn it, were you starved at the Fang family yesterday or something?
Feng Zhenzi looked at the dozens of people before him, contemplating how much money these many mouths would consume.
Oh, it pained him greatly.
That's right, Tianzhen Pavilion was highly profitable. Whether it was array masters setting up formations for others or trading formation materials, the profits were substantial. It was a monopoly with an excellent reputation; Tianzhen Pavilion was widely known.
Yet, despite being such a wealthy establishment, its Pavilion Master, Feng Zhenzi, was notoriously stingy.
In Feng Zhenzi's own words: If I weren't stingy, how could Tianzhen Pavilion have made so much money? Without so much money, how would so many people in Tianzhen Pavilion be supported?
He was not only stingy with himself but also with the elders and disciples within the pavilion. Rewards were distributed at a mere one percent of the profits.
This led to Tianzhen Pavilion members, whenever they went out on business or to conduct affairs, having red eyes and looking formidable, always aiming to rip off clients or take kickbacks to supplement their needs.
This was precisely why the Yin Yang Sect and the Kui Lian Sect, when arranging teleportation arrays, preferred not to use Tianzhen Pavilion, but instead sought materials themselves and found Wan Lei to set them up.