Chapter 79: Nut Formation
A first-tier low-grade nut could withstand the full-force attack of a cultivator at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Refinement stage. Such a defense, capable of resisting attacks from opponents two levels higher, was incredibly powerful.
For comparison, a first-tier low-grade potato mine could instantly kill an early-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, severely injure a mid-stage one, but its effectiveness against late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators was limited.
Moreover, as Gu Mo ceased his attack, the nut began to absorb spiritual energy from the spirit field, gradually healing its wounds. In no time, it would fully recover.
In other words, if an enemy's damage output couldn't outpace the nut's regeneration speed, they would never be able to break through its defense.
However, why would an enemy stubbornly attack an immobile nut? They could simply bypass it. The nut had no offensive capabilities, and it possessed no means to obstruct an enemy passing by.
The nut was undeniably strong, with a terrifying defense that could withstand attacks from foes two realms higher. If Gu Mo upgraded it further, it might even endure blows from a peak Qi Refinement cultivator.
Yet, the nut also had major flaws—it couldn't move and lacked any form of crowd control. If it had a taunting effect, that would be ideal.
As soon as the idea of adding a taunting effect to the nut crossed Gu Mo's mind, he paused. The nut itself had no taunting ability, but perhaps one could be artificially added. Given its large surface area, could something be inscribed onto it...?
This thought was interrupted as he touched the nut's rough surface. However, it had already broadened his perspective—there was no such thing as a useless plant, only plants whose true potential hadn't been discovered.
"Wait, formations!"
Suddenly, a new idea struck Gu Mo—what if he used the nut as a formation stone?
The quality of the formation stone determined the strength of the formation. Many formations were broken not because they were poorly designed, but because the foundation—the formation stones—shattered after sustaining repeated attacks, causing the formation to collapse.
If the nut, with its incredible defense, served as a formation stone and leveraged its regenerative abilities, breaking the formation would become significantly more difficult. This was especially true for defensive formations, which seemed to be the perfect match for the nut.
Of course, this was just a hypothesis. Gu Mo wasn't a formation master and couldn't be certain if it would work.
"Looks like I need to ask Chu Feifei about this."
Taking out a communication talisman, Gu Mo contacted Chu Feifei. Having a trustworthy formation master friend was truly advantageous in times like these.
Using the nut in a formation meant that Chu Feifei would inevitably discover its existence. While the nut wasn't as eye-catching as the Sunflower, it was still too risky to consult an unfamiliar formation master.
But with Chu Feifei, that risk was minimized.
——
Roughly two hours later, a paper crane descended outside Gu Mo's spirit field.
"Gu Mo, what's so urgent?"
When he had contacted Chu Feifei, he hadn't mentioned the specifics, only asking if she had time to visit. He hadn't expected her to arrive so quickly.
"I have some questions about formations," Gu Mo said as he deactivated his protective array, leading Chu Feifei to the corner of his spirit field where the nut was planted.
"This is a new spirit plant I recently cultivated. Can you see if it can be used as a formation stone?"
Now that Gu Mo was a recognized spirit plant master, claiming the nut was a result of his plant fusion techniques was entirely reasonable.
Sure enough, Chu Feifei didn't doubt him at all.
"Using a plant as a formation stone isn't impossible, but it must meet two conditions," she explained while examining the massive nut, which stood as tall as a person.
Formation stones needed to be both durable and capable of allowing spiritual energy to flow through them. Durability ensured the stones wouldn't break easily, while spiritual conductivity allowed energy to circulate freely, preventing disruptions in the formation's operation.
"No problem!"
Gu Mo immediately responded.
Durability was self-evident—he had personally tested the nut's defensive power. As for spiritual conductivity, it wasn't an issue either. The nut wasn't an inanimate object but a spirit plant, meaning spiritual energy could flow through it naturally.
"In that case, I can give it a try," Chu Feifei nodded.
Whether or not the nut would work as a formation stone required practical testing.
Since the experiment couldn't be conducted in the spirit field, Gu Mo uprooted the nut and relocated it to an uninhabited area, where he replanted it.
However, this location wasn't a spirit field, meaning the nut couldn't absorb spiritual energy to regenerate itself. Its self-healing ability would be significantly weakened, though its defensive power remained unchanged. The same was true for the potato mine, whereas the pea shooter, which relied on continuous output, required a spirit field for optimal performance.
As Gu Mo finished replanting the nut, Chu Feifei began setting up a simple defensive formation using formation stones.
Her talent in formations was considerable—she had already mastered many basic formations. Once she reached the third level of Qi Refinement, she would receive the official inheritance of a formation master and become a true expert in the field.
"All done."
Chu Feifei nodded at Gu Mo.
In this formation, the nut served as the formation's core, or "formation eye." Per Gu Mo's suggestion, all incoming attacks would be directed at the nut.
Although this setup contradicted conventional formation principles—since the formation eye was usually the most protected part—Chu Feifei agreed to it for the sake of experimentation.
Now that the formation was complete, the only thing left was to test its resilience.
As for the question of whether using the nut as a formation stone was viable, the answer had already been revealed with the formation's successful completion.
Looking at the faint energy shield that had formed, Gu Mo clenched his fist and struck.
Boom!
His punch tore through the air with a sharp, ear-piercing crack before slamming into the shield. The moment of impact sent violent ripples across the shield's surface, which quickly spread out and converged on the nut.
Crack!
A deep, narrow wound—one-third the depth of the nut—instantly appeared.
Seeing this, Gu Mo was overjoyed. The experiment was a success!
The nut had absorbed the full force of his attack, allowing the defensive formation to remain intact. Without it, such a simple formation would have been shattered instantly.
After all, Gu Mo wasn't just skilled in spellcasting—his physique was nine times stronger than that of ordinary cultivators at his level. The punch he had just thrown carried the power of a sixth-level Qi Refinement cultivator.
If he learned a proper body-refining technique and mastered a high-damage combat art, his physical attacks could reach the level of a seventh-level Qi Refinement cultivator. He had already planned to exchange his sect contribution points for a suitable body-refining technique once he had saved up enough. Since absorbing solar essence barely took any time, he could afford to cultivate both.
With the test complete, Gu Mo turned to Chu Feifei, expecting her expert assessment of the defensive formation's performance.
However, what he saw was Chu Feifei's utterly shocked expression.
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