So that’s how it was; Lei Dong finally understood. No wonder the spiritual energy in the Nine Provinces World was so scarce now, causing all species to degenerate. It must be due to the lack of Chaos Origin—only consumption, no production.

Yet, even though he now grasped the origin and importance of this Chaos Origin, Lei Dong felt no covetousness for it. This thing was far too high-level for him. If he were miraculously fortunate enough to acquire a single Chaos Origin, the subsequent troubles would likely be far more complex than just dealing with the Supreme Sect.

It might even draw in the Upper Three Realms, which would be a massive headache. If some great master were to casually appear and crush him with a single slap, this kind of transaction would be incredibly unprofitable.

Low-profile, developing quietly—that was the true path. He surmised that the old Demon Emperor had probably gotten himself targeted by the great powers of the Three Realms precisely because he was too arrogant and exposed himself too early. He needed to hoard resources and delay claiming kingship.

Lei Dong and Xiao You remained silent for a long time, carefully absorbing this knowledge, which was utterly new to them. Only then did Lei Dong ask something more practical: "Senior Spirit of the Artifact, how can this Netherflame Ghost Banner operate according to the formations I envision?"

"This thing is called the Netherflame Ghost Banner?" The Artifact Spirit’s divine sense swept over the banner with disdain. "What kind of junk is this? The materials are poor. Only the Nine Nether Ghost Flame and Chaos Fine Iron are somewhat acceptable. Why didn't you use silk spun by a God Transformation stage Ice Silkworm instead of that so-called Profound Nether Ice Silkworm Silk? And for the artifact spirit, why not use the soul of a God Transformation stage Netherworld Demon Dragon instead of that one?"

Lei Dong jolted, curses brewing in his mind. Damn it, gathering those materials for himself was a near-death experience, requiring him to perform beyond his limits. God Transformation Ice Silkworm silk? God Transformation Demon Dragon? What the hell? He hadn't even heard rumors of a God Transformation Ice Silkworm. As for the God Transformation Netherworld Demon Dragon, there was only one in the entire Nether Domain—the one that constantly opposed the Netherworld Ghost Emperor, known as one of the Four Emperors of the Nether Domain.

Asking him to slay it for a God Transformation beast soul would be more merciful than simply snapping his own neck sooner.

Xiao You, however, spoke a line of fairness: "Senior Artifact Spirit, the current era is different from the ancient times. Where can one still find so many top-tier materials?"

"That is true. Ever since the few Chaos Origins in the Nine Provinces World were claimed, the Chaos Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth has diminished. Forget Chaos Spiritual Qi; even the ordinary spiritual energy of heaven and earth seems quite thin now," the Artifact Spirit sighed. But in the next moment, it resumed its critique: "Insufficient materials are one thing, but look at how this treasure was refined! The concept is flawed, the technique is crude, and even the inscribed formations are utterly vulgar. To use the soul of a perfectly good Demon Dragon merely to enhance spiritual sense is an insult to the very term 'Artifact Spirit.'" By the end, the Artifact Spirit sounded somewhat indignant.

Lei Dong felt compelled to defend Wang Lei [implied creator], inwardly cursing, If you could forge a congenital spiritual treasure to this standard under these current world conditions on your first try, I'll take your surname. However, since he needed to rely on this Artifact Spirit now, he dared not offend it rashly, so he replied with sincere flattery: "Senior Great Expert, naturally, we juniors who have just started cannot compare. I beg Senior to instruct me." He thought to himself that this Artifact Spirit was truly a chatterbox; couldn't it just plainly state how to structure the formations?

"Hmph, since you are being reasonably respectful, this Artifact Spirit shall offer you some guidance," the Artifact Spirit seemed quite pleased by Lei Dong's flattery and deference. After feigning a couple of coughs, it said, "Actually, achieving what you call 'formation structuring' is simple. There are two methods. One, have the spirit of your Ghost Banner assist in command. As long as your artifact spirit is intelligent enough, it can certainly command according to the formations you pre-design. But this method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. The second method is slightly more troublesome: while you are refining those ghost soldiers, you must engrave the operational patterns into their instincts as a formation matrix. Which method do you choose?"

"The second one, of course," Lei Dong stated without hesitation.

"A wise choice. Since your artifact spirit wasn't refined well and its sentience is sealed, you might as well choose the second method and get it done in one go. After all, extensive, dense command consumes a great deal of your artifact spirit's energy," the Arena Artifact Spirit continued its rambling.

Lei Dong inwardly despised the Spirit's verbosity but outwardly became even more respectful: "I ask Senior to assist in refining it."

"Impossible. You are currently in a fair life-or-death duel. If I strengthen your spiritual treasure, it amounts to violating the rules," the Spirit instantly and coldly refused.

Lei Dong was speechless. Was all that flattering for nothing?

However, he wasn't entirely helpless regarding this matter. He put on an expression of anguish and said, "Of course, I cannot ask Senior to break the rules left by the Master just to make things difficult. I can attempt to refine and modify it myself. However, my aptitude is dull, and my foundational knowledge is poor. Should there be any shortcomings, I hope the vastly wise Senior Artifact Spirit can offer ample guidance."

The Artifact Spirit fell silent for a moment, seemingly in contemplation.

"Senior, though Xiao You is unremarkable, she can still maintain the Netherworld Black Fiend Formation for two years. That Xuan Zhenzi wouldn't dare force his way in even if he were beaten to death. Since we have time on our hands anyway, perhaps Senior could guide us on academic matters," Xiao You chimed in to assist.

"Guiding on academic matters is certainly possible; I find both of you juniors rather pleasing to the eye," the Artifact Spirit began to seemingly deceive itself, its voice turning serious. "But we must agree beforehand: I am only acting as a senior, pointing out academic issues to juniors, not helping you in the duel."

"Absolutely, absolutely," Xiao You and Lei Dong exchanged a sly glance.

"Xiao You, keep a close watch on that old man Xuan Yuan. We must ensure that this old fellow cannot heal while we cultivate; it would be best if we could even keep him fatigued," Lei Dong instructed.

"That's easy. Once Ah Chou Ghost Stings are upgraded, I'll take them to hide near the edge of the formation and launch surprise attacks on the old man now and then, just to keep him on edge. Harassing him from a distance with spells isn't difficult. It would be best if we could anger the old man so much that he charges into the formation—that would resolve everything," Xiao You declared brightly, seemingly having a plan.

"It won't be that easy. Human cultivators cherish their lives, especially this old man, who probably has over a thousand years of lifespan left. He absolutely won't gamble his small life," Lei Dong said, pulling out a large stack of various talismans and tossing them to Xiao You. These were strategic reserve supplies prepared for attacking the Joyous Union Sect. Since the assault on the sect had gone smoothly, most of these items remained unused. Now, using them to let Xiao You create some fireworks, harass Old Man Xuan Yuan frequently, wear him down a bit more, and increase Lei Dong's chances of victory was worthwhile.

It must be known that although high-level cultivators didn't need sleep and could fast for extended periods, that relied on periodic meditation and cultivation. If they were prevented from recovering their energy and vitality through cultivation for too long, and had to constantly guard against sneak attacks, even an iron man would be worn down after one or two years.

After instructing Xiao You to act independently, Lei Dong focused his attention on modifying the Netherflame Ghost Banner. Just as Xiao You said, she could maintain the formation for two more years. Even if the refinement failed, taking the time to cram and learn formation and artifact refining knowledge was worthwhile.

Lei Dong slowly began to understand that the artifacts most suited to him were those he forged himself. And which of the great powerful figures who once dominated the ancient world hadn't thoroughly researched various arcane arts? Having achieved the Nascent Soul stage, his lifespan was now measured in millennia, and he hadn't even used a tenth of it.

And this arena seemed to contain the Law of Time—one day outside equated to a year inside. While this appeared superior to his own Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, it was certainly different from the pure secondary space dedicated to cultivation in a Grotto-Heaven. The Time Law in this arena must have numerous prohibitions.

But no matter what, these two years should be utilized to the fullest; otherwise, it would be a complete waste.

Calming his mind and concentrating, Lei Dong began to study the principles of the Ghost Banner. Of course, he didn't understand most of the knowledge involved. Fortunately, the nearby Artifact Spirit, though a chatterbox, was genuinely knowledgeable, possessing a vast ocean of lore regarding artifact refining and formations. It seemed there truly was no refining knowledge it didn't understand in this world. If it weren't so long-winded and talkative, it would be absolutely perfect. If you asked this fellow a question, it would often cite classics and precedents for half an hour before getting to the main point.

In just half a year of dedicated study on the Ghost Banner, under the Artifact Spirit's guidance, Lei Dong had completely grasped the banner's mechanisms. His knowledge of artifact refining and formations had progressed from basic introductory levels to proficiency.

This greatly surprised Lei Dong. The primary credit certainly went to the Artifact Spirit's actual power—it was omniscient about this specialized knowledge. While its analysis was verbose, it often pointed directly to the essence of the problem, allowing Lei Dong to draw inferences and learn profoundly. Secondly, it was because, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, both his memory and comprehension abilities had significantly increased. His insight into the basic laws of heaven and earth had also become extraordinary after absorbing the Demon King's experiences.

The arrays inscribed within the Ghost Banner, put plainly, merely harnessed and utilized the myriad basic or advanced laws of the universe and the space between heaven and earth, arranging them in a specific sequence to trigger effects.

Formations are divided into large formations and micro-formations. Micro-formations refer to those inscribed onto magical artifacts, treasures, or talismans, emphasizing smallness and exquisiteness. Apart from micro-formations, everything else is considered a large formation.

In this past half-year, Lei Dong primarily studied micro-formations. He hadn't realized how deep this field was until he delved into it; one could spend an entire lifetime and still fail to master all the knowledge.

The reason Lei Dong now claimed proficiency was merely that he had temporarily mastered the knowledge he needed.