Chapter 147 - 143: Array Dao Insight
Li Yuan returned to his room at the inn and slid the bolt shut.
He took the bamboo scroll, *An Introduction to the Basics of the Array Dao*, from his storage bag and placed it on the table.
The bamboo slips of the scroll were slightly yellowed and bound with ox-tendon cord. It felt much like an ordinary Cultivation Technique scroll.
Li Yuan unrolled the scroll and began reading from the beginning.
The contents were indeed basic.
The first few bamboo slips discussed the classification of Arrays. They were divided into six major categories based on function: Attack Arrays, Defense Arrays, Investigation Arrays, Illusion Arrays, Trapping Arrays, and Restriction Arrays. Each category was followed by two or three lines of explanation, describing their general principles and applications.
Further on, the scroll covered the identification of Spirit Patterns.
The scroll listed about ten of the most common Array Spirit Patterns, each accompanied by a simple line drawing: Sensing Patterns, Conduction Patterns, Spirit Gathering Patterns, Sealing Patterns, and Detonation Patterns.
The form of an Array’s Spirit Patterns was different from that of a Talisman’s.
The Spirit Gathering Pattern on a Talisman was open-ended, while the Spirit Gathering Pattern on an Array was a closed loop.
Unlike in talisman crafting, the Spiritual Power didn’t dissipate after traveling through the pattern. Instead, it followed the end of the pattern back to the beginning, forming a continuous circuit. The Spiritual Power would then cycle endlessly within this circuit, constantly drawing in Spiritual Qi from the surroundings to replenish what was consumed.
The difference between a single-use effect and a continuous one lay in this closed circuit.
Further still, the scroll mentioned a concept—a network of nodes.
No matter how complex a Talisman’s Spirit Patterns were, they were all on a single sheet of paper. All the Spirit Patterns shared the same medium, and the Spiritual Power didn’t need to cross between different materials as it flowed across the paper’s surface.
Arrays were different. An Array’s Spirit Patterns were distributed across multiple mediums, requiring Conduction Patterns to be laid between them, linking the various nodes into a network.
The direction, length, and angle of the Conduction Patterns determined the efficiency of Spiritual Power transmission between nodes.
And the Array Hub was the core node of the entire Array. The place where all flows of Spiritual Power ultimately converged was the Array Hub.
The basics of the Array Dao were explained in great detail, but the scroll didn’t contain a single complete Array.
There were no Array Maps, no setup procedures, and no materials lists.
Only principles and identification methods.
Li Yuan flipped to the last slip of the scroll. The final few lines were just some words to the effect of, "The Array Dao is vast and profound. A beginner needs a master’s guidance and cannot reinvent the wheel in isolation," and then it ended.
Fifteen Spirit Stones, for just this.
Old Sun was right. It really was too basic.
It was detailed, but not particularly useful.
Li Yuan closed the scroll, his fingers resting on the surface of the bamboo slips.
The panel popped up.
[Detected Equippable Item: Basics of the Array Dao (Complete)]
[Entry Preview: Array Dao Comprehension (White) — Proficiency gained when setting up Arrays increases by 50%.]
[Permanence Condition Preview: Personally set up one complete Array (0/1).]
[Current equipment slots are full (5/5). Replace a currently equipped item?]
A white entry.
A fifty percent increase in proficiency gain when setting up arrays.
’If I learn about Arrays in the future, this entry will be quite useful. Just like "Skillful Strokes" accelerates proficiency gain in talisman crafting, I can have a similar accelerator for Arrays.’
The permanence condition was to personally set up one complete Array.
’To meet the permanence condition, I’ll first have to learn at least one complete Array.’
Li Yuan put the scroll back into his storage bag without equipping it.
’I’ll set it aside for now. I’ll think about it again when I have a chance to learn a complete Array.’
Taking out a piece of Demon Beast Flesh from his storage bag, Li Yuan used his Fire Control Skill to roast and eat it. A warm current spread through him, his Qi Blood nourishing his muscles and bones. The residual Demonic Power was converted into Evil Qi, which then flowed throughout his body.
Then, he took out the Evil Essence Pills.
He poured out two and popped them into his mouth.
As the Evil Qi entered his body, his Evil Qi Affinity suppressed the negative effects to a minimum, while Evil Qi Body Tempering guided the Evil Qi to seep into his fascia and bones.
He began circulating the Iron Bull Skill.
Qi Blood was drawn from his Dantian, pouring into his internal organs along the path of the Iron Bull Skill. Simultaneously, the Evil Qi pressed in from the outside, creating a twofold scouring effect.
After reaching the Great Success stage, the resilience of his internal organs was several levels higher than before. When his Qi Blood rushed into the walls of his organs, they no longer passively endured it but actively absorbed it, increasing both the depth and efficiency of the permeation.
But he was still a long way from the perfection stage.
The accumulation phase of the Great Success stage required daily grinding. It relied on continuous scouring and tempering to forge every inch of his organ walls to their absolute limit.
His supply of Evil Essence Pills would last a while longer. He’d figure out how to restock once they ran out.
After an afternoon of cultivation, Li Yuan ceased his practice and stretched his limbs.
Outside, the sky had already darkened. The light from the Spirit Lamps of Yunyang Marketplace filtered through the crack in the window, casting long, thin bands of light on the wall.
After finishing his meal, just as he was about to sit cross-legged and resume his cultivation, two knocks sounded at the door.
The rhythm was unhurried.
Li Yuan got up and opened the door.
Wang Lu stood in the hallway. His expression was no different than usual, but the look in his eyes was heavier than when he had left. He glanced around the room, stepped inside, and casually pulled the door shut behind him.
Li Yuan sat down on the edge of the bed board and waited for him to speak.
Wang Lu didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
"Someone is buying up the supplementary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill in the marketplace."
He held up a hand and began counting on his fingers.
"Red Glow Grass, Profound Spirit Sand, and Soul Condensing Dew. All three items were bought by the same person from different shops within three days."
He lowered his hand.
"There aren’t many Foundation Establishment Pills that can be made with this combination of supplementary ingredients. Red Glow Grass establishes the base, Profound Spirit Sand stabilizes the Pill Fire, and Soul Condensing Dew protects the Divine Soul. This combination corresponds to a type of Foundation Establishment Pill called the Breaking Element Pill."
Wang Lu took a folded piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and placed it on the table.
The names of seven ingredients were listed on the paper. The first three were the ones he had just mentioned; Li Yuan didn’t recognize the other four.
"The Breaking Element Pill requires seven ingredients in total."
Wang Lu tapped the paper with his finger.
"The first three are supplementary ingredients. Of the last four, three are common main ingredients that can be bought on the market. The final one is the core ingredient, called the Spirit Essence Fruit. It can only grow in a specific Spirit Vein environment and is extremely rare on the market."
He lifted his finger from the paper.
"We’ve got our eyes on the person who bought the supplementary ingredients, and we also sold him one of the main ingredients. If he was indeed sent by that rogue cultivator to make the purchase, then adding what he obtained from the herb garden himself, he’s only missing the Spirit Essence Fruit."
Wang Lu continued, "The Spirit Essence Fruit hasn’t appeared in the marketplace, at least not in the last six months. It’s an item with a price but no supply. He either prepared it in advance or is still looking for it."
Li Yuan looked at him.
"So what’s the plan?"
"We wait."
Wang Lu’s tone was flat.
"Yunyang Marketplace is the Primordial Yang Sect’s territory; we can’t make a move inside. But there’s a very high chance he won’t be able to buy the Spirit Essence Fruit here, so sooner or later, he’ll have to go out and look for it. Once he leaves the marketplace, he’s no longer under the protection of the Primordial Yang Sect’s rules."
He folded the paper and tucked it back into his sleeve.
"The higher-ups’ orders are to keep an eye on him for now, gather intelligence, and send people to intercept him after he leaves the marketplace. Whether our target is actually in the city or not, it doesn’t matter—as long as we can trap him outside."
Li Yuan nodded and watched Wang Lu depart.
After the footsteps in the hallway faded away, the room fell silent once more.
Li Yuan bolted the door and sat back down at the table.
He took out the specialized materials for the Soul Refining Talisman.
With the "Spiritual Ink Enhancement" entry equipped, both the Spiritual Ink’s conduction efficiency and the Spirit Pattern’s stability were boosted. Combined with the increase in success rate and proficiency from "Skillful Strokes," his practice conditions for the Soul Refining Talisman were much better than before.
In the following days, Li Yuan dedicated most of his free time to the Soul Refining Talisman.
During the day, he would go out and wander around the marketplace, keeping an eye on things and buying some daily necessities. After returning, he would either craft talismans or cultivate.
His success rate with the Soul Refining Talisman continued to climb.
That night, Li Yuan spread out a sheet of golden talisman paper, dipped his brush in Dark Gold Spiritual Ink, and began to draw.
As he completed the five loops of the Concentration Pattern, the entire flow of the talisman, from the first stroke to the last, felt different from all his previous attempts at the Soul Refining Talisman.
It wasn’t that any single loop was drawn particularly well, but that the overall rhythm had changed. The transitions between the five spirals no longer required conscious adjustments to density and speed. The turn of his wrist and the increase in Spiritual Power felt like two sides of the same coin, coordinating with each other seamlessly.
The dark golden glow that emerged on the talisman’s surface was more stable and reserved than his previous finished products.
The panel popped up.
[Soul Refining Talisman: Skilled (0/400)]
Li Yuan placed the Soul Refining Talisman on the table and looked at it for a moment.
’Skilled.’
The arrangement of the Spirit Patterns was a level more refined than when he was at the novice stage. The decreasing spacing between the five spirals was more uniform, and the Spiritual Power density in each loop was perfectly distributed.
A Tier One Top Grade Talisman, from novice to skilled.
Li Yuan tried using the Soul Refining Talisman, and its effect was slightly better than the novice-level ones he had made before.
The Wang family had provided him with ample materials, and Li Yuan took this opportunity to occasionally craft a few Soul Refining Talismans for himself to enhance his Divine Soul.
After his Divine Soul was enhanced, his talisman crafting skills grew stronger as well.
He folded the finished talisman, stored it away, and set down his brush.
Night had fallen over Yunyang Marketplace. The glow of the Spirit Lamps seeped through the cracks in the window, stretching pale yellow bands of light across the wall. The faint sounds of people could be heard from the direction of the main street in the distance. The nights in this marketplace were much livelier than in Qinghe Marketplace.
Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed board, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.
Spiritual Qi surged into his body and sank into his Dantian.