Chapter 231 - 223: Array Dao Inheritance
Half a month later, the communication Token for the Foundation Establishment trading meet lit up again.
Li Yuan was cultivating deep within the Ghost Mist Forest when a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power came from his storage pouch. He took out the Token, and light-gold text materialized on its surface.
The second Foundation Establishment trading meet. Three days from now at Noon. The location is unchanged.
Li Yuan put the Token away and continued to cultivate for another two days. On the morning of the third day, he returned to Yunyang Market.
At Noon, Li Yuan followed the route to the end of the secluded alley on the north side of the market. He presented the Token, and a stone door opened. He then descended the stone steps.
A few people were already seated in the underground chamber.
Pill Refiner He was in his usual spot, holding a white porcelain teacup. Chen Yi sat beside him, posture impeccable.
Ji Huaiyuan was seated on the east side, with Ji Mingyuan now beside him.
Wang Ting’an was also present, sitting on the west side. His complexion was ruddy, and he seemed to be in high spirits.
Li Ze’an sat to the south, still dressed in his exquisitely tailored, gray-blue long robe.
The short-bearded Cultivator and the Female Cultivator Qin Ruoshuang from the last trading meet were also there.
Li Yuan sat down in an empty seat.
Chen Yi spoke up.
"Everyone is here. Let’s begin."
The short-bearded Cultivator went first, taking out a batch of Tier Two Spirit Grass which he wanted to trade for alchemy materials. Pill Refiner He took a portion of it, exchanging several batches of Tier One Top Grade medicinal pills.
Li Ze’an offered a Cyan Cloud Clam Jade Bead and traded it for a Spirit Pond used to raise Demon Beasts.
After a few more trades, it was Li Yuan’s turn to speak.
"Does anyone here specialize in the Array Dao?"
Several pairs of eyes turned to look at him.
"I plan to cultivate long-term in the Ghost Mist Forest, so I need to set up an array at my base," Li Yuan said. "It would be best if I could hire someone to set it up."
Chen Yi thought for a moment.
"The Primordial Yang Sect has an Array Dao master whose skills are quite profound. Setting up a Tier Two Array would be no problem for him. However, he is not in the market at the moment. He left some days ago and won’t be back anytime soon."
Hiring someone to set up the array was a dead end for now.
Just as Li Yuan was about to say he would wait, Wang Ting’an spoke up.
"Li Dao You, I happen to have an Array Dao inheritance here."
Wang Ting’an took a wooden box from his storage pouch, placed it on the table, and opened the lid.
Inside was a jade slip meticulously wrapped in Spirit Beast Hide. The quality of the jade itself wasn’t particularly good, but it had been preserved with great care, and the seal was intact.
"It records three Tier One Arrays."
Wang Ting’an pushed the wooden box to the center of the table.
"The Early Warning Array, the Spirit Gathering Array, and the Golden Light Array. It includes the setup methods for all three, the selection of the Array Base, and the configuration of the Array Hub. It’s a complete system."
He looked at Li Yuan.
Li Yuan picked up the jade slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.
The contents of the inheritance were indeed complete. The setup procedures for the three arrays, the methods for guiding Spiritual Power, the criteria for selecting Array Base materials, and the configuration of the Array Hub—it was all recorded within.
It wasn’t a fragmented piece, but a complete tutorial that one could use to get started immediately.
However, the important content was sealed by a Restriction, making it impossible to view the details.
"What would you like in exchange, Wang Dao You?"
Wang Ting’an smiled.
"Spirit Water Talismans."
"Six Spirit Water Talismans will do for now."
The market value of an Array Dao inheritance was at least five to six hundred Spirit Stones, but such items were rarely for sale.
Li Yuan took six Spirit Water Talismans from his storage pouch and placed them on the table.
"Done."
Wang Ting’an picked up the Spirit Water Talismans and inspected them one by one, pressing his finger against the surface of each talisman to sense its Spiritual Power density. He nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he removed the Restriction and pushed the wooden box over to Li Yuan.
Li Yuan placed the Array Dao inheritance jade slip into his storage pouch.
The trading meet continued.
A few more small-scale trades were made: medicinal pills for Spirit Grass, ore for Magical Artifacts, and the like. Li Yuan didn’t participate further, sitting quietly to the side.
He had nothing else he needed to trade for the time being. He had just given away six Spirit Water Talismans, and the rest had to be saved to supply the Purple Abyss Trading Company and the Wang family.
About an hour later, the trading meet concluded.
Those present rose and left one after another.
Li Yuan walked back up the stone steps, exited the alley, and returned to his courtyard.
He closed the courtyard gate and sat down at the table.
He took the Array Dao inheritance jade slip from his storage pouch, poured his Divine Sense into it, and began to study it carefully.
Three arrays.
The first was the Early Warning Array.
Its function was to establish a sensory network within the array’s perimeter. Any Cultivator or Demon Beast entering the array’s coverage area would trigger an alert. The warning signal would be transmitted to the Array Hub, allowing the holder of the Array Hub to receive the alarm immediately.
The coverage area depended on the number and quality of the Array Bases. Using three Tier One Array Foundation Stones would create a coverage radius of about fifty zhang. Using five could expand it to eighty zhang.
The Array Hub was a specially made Sensing Jade, which needed to have an early warning Spirit Pattern carved into it with Spiritual Power before being embedded in the center of the array.
The second was the Spirit Gathering Array.
Its function was to gather the Spiritual Qi within its coverage area towards the center, increasing the Spiritual Qi concentration in the array’s central region. The effect depended on the quality of the Array Base and the total amount of Spiritual Qi in the surrounding environment.
The Spiritual Qi concentration deep in the Ghost Mist Forest was already quite high. After setting up the Spirit Gathering Array, the concentration in the central area could be increased by another thirty to forty percent.
The Array Hub was a Spirit Gathering Stone; the better its material, the stronger the spirit-gathering effect.
The third was the Golden Light Array.
A Defensive Array. When triggered, it would form a golden shield of Spiritual Power within its coverage area, capable of repelling external attacks. The shield’s strength depended on the number and quality of the Array Bases, as well as the Spiritual Power stored in the Array Hub.
The defensive limit of a Tier One Golden Light Array was roughly equivalent to a full-force strike from a Qi Refining Ninth Level Cultivator. It wasn’t exceptionally strong, but it was sufficient as a first line of defense after the early warning was triggered.
The Array Hub was a Golden Light Stone, which needed to be pre-charged with a reserve of Spiritual Power.
The setup methods for the three arrays were not overly complex. The steps in the inheritance were extremely detailed; the method for guiding Spiritual Power at each node, the connection method between Array Bases, and the activation technique for the Array Hub were all written out with perfect clarity.
The required materials weren’t too expensive either. Array Foundation Stones, Conductive Spirit Sand, Sensing Jades, Spirit Gathering Stones, and Golden Light Stones were all things that could be bought in the market.
Li Yuan put the jade slip away, went out to a Materials Shop in the market, and bought all the necessary materials to set up the arrays.
Three sets of Array Foundation Stones, Conductive Spirit Sand, and three Array Hub materials cost him a little over four hundred Spirit Stones in total.
After returning to the courtyard, he didn’t rush to set up the arrays. The Ghost Mist Forest was the place for that; this was just a temporary residence.
Li Yuan stored the materials in his storage pouch, sat on his bed board, and resumed his cultivation.
’Tomorrow, I’ll go back to the Ghost Mist Forest and start setting up the arrays.’