"Better. A lot better! You are a natural born learner, you instantly applied my advice. You've created a a good method for fighting but it could be improved. You used the punching but then you forgot the use the long range attacks. A fight is a constant struggle, you should always be doing something. In between punches launch petals, while punching launch petals. While they don't do much, a death by a thousand cuts is still valid"
"So I should stick with my attacks even if they seem to be doing nothing? But how do I continue to use melee while simultaneously shooting long range?"
"Don't neglect your new companion's abilities, try transferring a long range parasite to Da, and try creating a multi spirit will move. Usual cultivator use spirit will directly instead of through parasites so I don't know if they work the same but you can combine powers like with the blood fog and cactus spikes"
"I...see. I shouldn't focus just on me and the enemy, I am not alone anymore, I should focus on the whole." Hou's eyes widened
"What if... No..hmm. what if I give Da the cactus spikes, but what if I combine them with his parasite. He grew large with his parasite so if he has spikes on him they should also grow logically." Hou theorised carefully not putting full trust on his limited knowledge.
"Yes good thinking but spirit wills have their own complex rules, the spikes may be compatible and grow or they may not. Don't trust on conjecture alone but believe in experience. In line with that, I shall impart some of my experience to you regarding formations. You are already familiar with small blood formations to trap qi and will but now I will teach you about large scale formations you can use to protect Armen's family"
"I will listen patiently master" Hou bowed and let Yue speak
"Formations are automatic systems, they use a medium to create an effect. In your case we use blood with will infused to create the effect of moving blood into the realm qi inhibits and control it. This method I will explain will still use blood since that is my path but it is more about the qi inside. To further strengthen it you will need some compatible spirit wills. I will now transfer the plan in your head, this formation uses blood to camouflage those inside using the qi around it as the cover. Look at it and study it until daybreak"
Hou had a sudden impression of a complex blood pattern he would need to write around the encampment. Strangely there were even poems which he needed to use before creating the will blood. He monitored them all and inside his mind tried to recreate what he needed to do.
The birds started chirping as the sun started to rise, cresting over the horizon. Hou broke his focus and started heavily panting, his forehead was full of sweat. This formation was very complex and he was barely confident in replicating it himself, but he would still try it before feeling safe to part with Armen for a bit.
Hou walked a distance from Armen's tent and cut his hand. Ignoring his pain he circled around the camp letting out his blood. By the time he made a circle around it he felt lightheaded but kept going, next he started to double the circle and create a slightly larger one, then patterns he did not have any idea what they did. By the time he built the foundation the floor looked like a battle field covered with overlapping shapes of blood and strange patterns that made his head hurt even more.
A strange murmuring came from Hou's voice as Yue took over to repeat the incantations. The ground started to shake and the Armen family woke up. Armen thought it was an attack and came out ready to help any way he could.
But instead he saw Hou floating in the air with the floor covered in blood starting to rise in different shapes, it continued and became a dome. Then beads of sunlight flew out of Hou's body and went around the perimeter. They let out a stream of light which was absorbed into the blood and Armen felt something change.
He could not pinpoint it but it felt like he was very very far away from the outside even though it only appeared to be right in from of him.
Hou's body floated back down and he seemed to wake up, stopping the incantations. The blood faded and only a vague fuzziness could separate where it once was.
"Ah Armen you're awa...." Hou stopped mid sentence and collapsed even paler than usual. The last thing he saw was Armen running over with his right hand glowing.
"Boy, you were too reckless trying to do the whole formation in one go with your power, but you did succeed and you lived because of your friend, Armen. He healed you back and now you're in his tent resting. Don't wake up yet though, I feel I should tell you how the formation could create such an effect. I told you powers come from spirit wills. Well spirit wills come from spirits, which exist in the same realm as qi. By creating those patterns and speaking those incantations you attracted spirits and trapped them. But because you are trapping the spirits and not their pure will their powers are diminished. But you did succeed as I said. You created a formation which from the outside will be almost imperceptible, good job kid" Yue scolded but at the same time acknowledged Hou's feat.
"But master, you said we attracted spirits, can we not take the spirit wills and become strong?"
"No sadly not, I explained that with my blood path you transport blood to the qi realm, well it is a one way system. Now that blood is in the qi realm it cannot be moved back lest it would be destroyed. Spirit wills are useless if they are not in your inner world. Spirits use them in their inner world, and we can only use parasites or symbiotes to use other people inner world."