Chapter 233 - 225: Long-term Cooperation
After half a month of cultivating in the Ghost Mist Forest, Chen Yi returned.
This time, he wasn’t alone. Four Primordial Yang Sect disciples followed him, each carrying a heavy storage chest on their back.
Li Yuan was cultivating in a clearing when his Early Warning Array was the first to detect their presence.
Chen Yi walked through the dense fog to the edge of the clearing, his gaze sweeping the area.
Although the Array Foundation Stones for his three Arrays were buried out of sight, he couldn’t miss the traces of Conductive Spirit Sand and the Spiritual Power fluctuations from the Array Hub.
"You’ve set up Arrays?"
"An Early Warning, a Spirit Gathering, and a defensive one. Three in total."
Chen Yi nodded without asking any further questions.
He sat down on a rock, resting his hands on his knees.
"I’m here to update you on the situation at the mine."
"The Primordial Yang Sect has already dealt with the Demon Qi Ore in the deeper regions, but the blockade will remain in place for a while longer. The mining of Spirit Iron in the shallower areas is also nearly finished. There isn’t much left; another month or two of digging should clear it out."
He turned his gaze to Li Yuan.
"Although the development of the mine is nearly complete, the value of this area extends beyond its ore veins. There are still quite a few Loose Cultivators active around the Ghost Mist Forest—gathering herbs, hunting Demon Beasts, and mining. Someone needs to ensure their safety."
He raised one finger.
"The Sect would like you to be stationed in the Ghost Mist Forest long-term, responsible for clearing out the surrounding Demon Beasts and protecting the cultivators active in this area."
He laid out the terms.
"You’ll receive a fixed monthly payment of two hundred Contribution Points. If you happen to kill any Tier Two or higher Demon Beasts, you’ll be rewarded with extra Contribution Points."
’Two hundred Contribution Points a month.’
’That’s twenty-four hundred a year. Combined with the base Contribution Points I receive at the end of the year for my status as a Protector, my income of Contribution Points will become quite stable.’
"There are no compulsory duties,"
Chen Yi added.
"You can continue to cultivate and craft talismans as usual; there’s no need for daily patrols. You just need to be able to respond promptly and deal with threats whenever the Early Warning Array is triggered."
’I was already planning to cultivate in the Ghost Mist Forest long-term. Now that I’m being offered payment for it, there’s no reason to refuse.’
"I’ll do it."
Chen Yi nodded and gestured to the four disciples behind him.
The four disciples set down the storage chests from their backs and opened the lids.
Inside was a large quantity of Array Foundation Stones, Conductive Spirit Sand, and Early Warning Spiritual Rune Talismans.
"The Primordial Yang Sect will set up a large-scale Early Warning Array on the outskirts of the Ghost Mist Forest, covering the mine and several major areas where Loose Cultivators are active."
Chen Yi pointed at the materials in the storage chests.
"The central node of the Array will be established here with you. When an alert is triggered, the signal will be transmitted to your Array Hub. You’ll then determine the threat level based on the signal and decide whether or not to act."
He looked at Li Yuan.
"Sect personnel will handle the setup, so you don’t need to worry about that. But since the Array’s center is within your encampment, you’ll need to continue your cultivation here to guarantee you can respond the moment an alert is triggered."
Li Yuan nodded.
「For the next two days」
The four Primordial Yang Sect disciples busied themselves on the outskirts of the Ghost Mist Forest. They buried the Array Foundation Stones one by one in their designated locations, laid the Conductive Spirit Sand along planned routes, and affixed Early Warning Spiritual Rune Talismans to key nodes to act as signal relays.
The large-scale Early Warning Array was far more complex than the one Li Yuan had built himself, and its coverage was much greater. The entire periphery of the Ghost Mist Forest and the surrounding area of the mine were now part of its warning network.
The signal-receiving Array Hub, the center of the new Array, was installed in the clearing of Li Yuan’s encampment, operating in parallel with his own Early Warning Array.
「Two days later」
The large-scale Early Warning Array was activated.
The four disciples packed up their tools and left with Chen Yi.
Li Yuan sat in the center of the clearing, sensing the combined effect of the two Early Warning Arrays operating simultaneously.
His own Early Warning Array covered a radius of eighty zhang, primarily protecting the immediate vicinity of his encampment. The large-scale Array from the Primordial Yang Sect covered the entire periphery of the Ghost Mist Forest, its range more than ten times greater.
With the two Arrays overlapping, every inch of land from his encampment to the edge of the Ghost Mist Forest was now covered by the sensory network.
Now that he had a stable income of Contribution Points, Li Yuan began to consider matters he had previously set aside.
Tier Two Magic.
He had already mastered the basics of the Fire Python Skill and the Wind Escape Skill, but having only two Tier Two Magic skills was far from enough. The Fire Python Skill was for offense and the Wind Escape Skill was a Body Technique; he still lacked defensive and support-type Magic.
Li Yuan took out his Protector Token and infused it with Spiritual Power to check his Contribution Point balance and the exchange list.
His current balance, plus the two hundred points just deposited for the month, was enough to exchange for two more.
Li Yuan picked two skills from the list.
The first was the Tier Two upgrade of the Spirit Shield Skill, called the Profound Light Shield. A Tier Two defensive Magic, the shield it formed by condensing Spiritual Power was several times thicker than the shield from the Tier One Spirit Shield Skill and could withstand a full-force attack from a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. It cost five hundred and twenty Contribution Points.
The second was the Tier Two upgrade to the Origin Condensation Skill, a more advanced technique also called the Origin Condensation Skill. It was a Tier Two support Magic that could highly compress Spiritual Power in a short time, drastically increasing the power of the next attack or defense. It cost eight hundred and eighty Contribution Points.
The two totaled fourteen hundred.
Li Yuan registered his request at the exchange point, and by that afternoon, the jade slips containing the Magic were delivered to his encampment in the Ghost Mist Forest.
Two jade slips. He placed his fingers on them one by one.
’No entries.’
Li Yuan put the jade slips away and immersed his Divine Sense in them to begin his study.
The Spirit Pattern structure of the Profound Light Shield was a level more complex than that of the Tier One Spirit Shield Skill, but the core principles were the same. Since he was already proficient with the Spirit Shield Skill, getting the hang of the Tier Two upgrade wouldn’t be difficult.
The principles behind the new Origin Condensation Skill were also similar to the original version; the core concept was the instantaneous, high-level compression of Spiritual Power. His mastery of the Micro-Control Spiritual Skill made handling the compression a non-issue.
Li Yuan began practicing the two new types of Magic at his encampment.
He mastered the basics of the Profound Light Shield after just half a day of practice. The shield formed by condensed Spiritual Power was much thicker than the Tier One version. Its golden glow was steady and reserved, and tapping on it felt like hitting an iron wall.
The Origin Condensation Skill took a full day. The instantaneous, high-level compression of Spiritual Power placed immense strain on his Dantian and meridians. During his first few attempts, the repulsive force of the Spiritual Power threw him back when the compression was only halfway complete. It wasn’t until after more than ten tries that he finally figured out the knack: drawing the Spiritual Power from his Dantian while simultaneously using the walls of his meridians to apply auxiliary pressure, achieving compression through a pincer-like force from both inside and out.
[Magic: Profound Light Shield — Introductory (0/200)]
[Magic: Origin Condensation Skill — Introductory (0/200)]
He had now mastered the basics of both Tier Two Magic skills.
Combined with his previous Fire Python Skill and Wind Escape Skill, he now had four Tier Two Magic skills at his disposal. Offense, defense, body technique, and support—the basic framework was complete.
Li Yuan put away the Magic jade slips, sat down cross-legged, and resumed his cultivation.
The Spirit Gathering Array drew Spiritual Qi toward its center while the Evil Essence Unification technique operated in sync. The Cyan Wood Longevity Skill, Soul Condensation Skill, and Demon Essence Skill all ran in rotation as he advanced his multiple cultivation paths simultaneously.
The Early Warning Array operated silently, and all was quiet within its range.