Chapter 103 - 100: Mid-grade Spirit Stone
Chapter 103: Chapter 100: Mid-grade Spirit Stone
That evening, Li Yuan had just come out of the mine shaft when the Investigation Array suddenly lit up.
Cultivator Lü reacted quickly, immediately pressing his hand on the Array Disc.
"Demon Beasts. Three of them. To the north."
Li Yuan looked up, past the earthen wall.
At the end of the gravel ramp, three figures were charging toward the mine.
Running in front was a black-backed tusked boar, its tusks jutting out, its four hooves sending gravel flying. Following behind were two Iron-maned Wolves, their short, stocky bodies and gray pelts rising and falling in the twilight.
All were Tier One Middle Grade.
All three came at once.
Li Yuan paused.
’Uncle Qu had previously encountered a situation where the Li family used a beast-driving Magical Artifact to have Demon Beasts attack their station. Three Tier One Middle Grade beasts charging the mine at once, from the same direction, and timed for dusk... this doesn’t seem like a coincidence.’
Without hesitation, Li Yuan went out to meet them.
A fiery light gathered in his palm, and he hurled the first Fireball at the tusked boar.
BOOM!
The fiery light exploded over the boar’s head, shattering the Spiritual Light on its tusks. Its head plunged downward, and its hooves dug two deep furrows in the gravel, bringing its charge to an abrupt halt.
The two Iron-maned Wolves split up, pouncing from either side.
Li Yuan’s Fire Escape Skill flashed under his feet. He dodged sideways, evading the pounce from the left wolf as a fire arrow shot from his right hand.
PFFT.
The line of fire pierced the left wolf’s neck and came out the other side. The wolf stumbled forward two steps before collapsing with a thud.
As the wolf on the right closed in, Steward Liu cut in from the side, slashing his short sword into its ribs. Sun Liang arrived right after, thrusting his Magical Artifact toward the wolf’s hind leg.
Li Yuan ignored that wolf, turning to launch another Fireball that smashed into the tusked boar’s head as it struggled to rise.
BOOM.
Half of the tusked boar’s skull shattered, and its massive body crashed into the gravel.
Caught between Steward Liu and Sun Liang, the remaining Iron-maned Wolf struggled for a moment before it, too, fell.
It was over in less than twenty breaths.
But Li Yuan didn’t lower his guard.
He walked some distance up the ramp in the direction the three Demon Beasts had charged from, his gaze carefully scanning the bushes and gravel on both sides.
There were no footprints, no residual Spiritual Power, and no scent of pill powder.
He ventured several dozen yards further but still found nothing.
’If the Li family used a beast-driving Magical Artifact to send them, there should be traces of human activity nearby—residual powder, the spot where the controller was hiding. But there’s nothing.’
Li Yuan turned and walked back.
"I didn’t find anyone."
Steward Liu nodded, crouching beside the tusked boar’s corpse and using his short sword to cut off its tusks.
"These beasts probably just wandered over on their own. Demon Beast activity in the mountains has been more frequent lately. With all those fierce cries a couple of nights ago, it was only a matter of time before some witless creature charged over."
Li Yuan grunted in acknowledgment.
’For now, I can rule out the Li family driving them here,’ Li Yuan thought, ’but that doesn’t mean they won’t try it in the future.’
The Demon Beast corpses were dragged back to the mine and butchered. The valuable materials were kept, and some of the Demon Beast Flesh was also stored.
Early the next morning, Steward Liu found Li Yuan.
"I have something to discuss with you."
The two of them sat down under a wooden awning.
Steward Liu took a letter from his robes and flicked it with his hand.
"The He family has requested aid from the Wang family. They want you to go provide support."
"The He family?"
"A vassal family to the Wang family, located in a valley about forty-some *li* southeast of the mine." Steward Liu handed the letter to him. "The family doesn’t have many Cultivators. Their only Late-stage Qi Refining member just left not long ago, but they do have someone who knows a bit about Arrays."
Li Yuan took the letter, glanced at it, and then looked up at Steward Liu.
"The Wang family can barely defend itself. Why are they sending support to a vassal family?"
Steward Liu shook his head.
"We have to."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"Think about it. The Wang family has several vassals. If the He family asks for aid and we don’t go, what will the other families think when word gets out? The situation is already unstable. If the vassals come to believe the Wang family is unreliable, losing their loyalty would be far more troublesome than losing a few outposts."
Steward Liu paused before adding,
"Besides, the He family isn’t just an ordinary vassal. That Array Master the Wang family hired last time? The He family made that connection. They have connections in the world of Arrays."
He tapped the letter with his finger.
"Go and stand guard there for a while. Someone will be sent to the mine to take your place."
Li Yuan put the letter away.
"When do I leave?"
"The sooner, the better."
Li Yuan returned to his small house and packed his things.
Talismans, medicinal pills, Spirit Stones, and the beast hide with his Cultivation Technique—he stuffed them all into his storage pouch. After saying a quick goodbye to Sun Liang, he left the mine.
He followed a mountain path to the southeast. The terrain was more rugged than around the mine, with much steeper slopes and denser vegetation. Occasionally, he would see the He family’s mark carved on a cliff face: a crooked character for "He," painted with mineral powder.
Half a day later, the valley ahead came into view.
The He family’s settlement was much tidier than the mine. A semicircular stone wall enclosed rows of houses, arranged in tiers along the hollow’s terrain. In the center were several flat Spirit Fields.
Someone was waiting at the entrance to the valley.
A dark, thin man in his forties, a Qi Refining Fifth Level cultivator, cupped his fist in greeting as Li Yuan approached.
"Li Dao You? I am He An. Thank you to the Wang family for sending help. We will be relying on you for the next few days."
His tone was polite, but he did little to hide the anxiety in his eyes.
Li Yuan followed him inside.
A welcome meal was laid out in the main hall, complete with Demon Beast Flesh and Spirit Wine.
Li Yuan took a few bites but didn’t linger.
After the meal, He An led him directly to the spirit medicine garden on the mountain behind the settlement.
"So I’ll be guarding the medicine garden for the next few days?" Li Yuan asked.
"Yes." He An walked quickly, answering as they went.
"We can afford to lose other places, but if the medicine garden takes any more damage, the family will have nothing left for the year."
After walking for about half an hour, the spirit medicine garden on the back mountain came into view.
It was a gentle slope enclosed by a stone railing, divided into a dozen or so plots where various kinds of Spirit Medicine grew. A faint, cyan screen of light enveloped the slope’s perimeter, flowing slowly along the railing. It was the barrier of the garden’s protective Array.
Li Yuan surveyed the condition of the plots.
Three plots on the western side had been ravaged. The soil was completely overturned, and the plants were scattered about—some uprooted, others chewed through. Deep claw marks were visible in the ground, and crushed leaves were embedded in the dried mud.
He An’s expression was grim, but he didn’t comment, instead leading Li Yuan to a low stone platform in the center of the garden.
"The Array Hub is here."
A Spirit Stone was embedded in the center of the stone platform.
It was a size larger than a regular Low Grade Spirit Stone, and its Spiritual Qi fluctuations were noticeably stronger.
However, its surface luster was quite dim, suggesting its Spiritual Power reserves were insufficient.
A Mid-grade Spirit Stone.
He An gestured around the garden.
"The west and north sides are closest to the forest, so most of the Demon Beasts come from there. The Array can block them for a time, but it can’t withstand a sustained assault."
Li Yuan nodded.
He An called over two more He family Cultivators—one at Qi Refining Fourth Level, the other at Qi Refining Third Level—who were on duty guarding the garden.
"Tonight, the three of you will split up to keep watch. Shout if anything happens."
「After nightfall」
The back mountain was pitch-black.
The cyan light screen of the garden’s Array glowed faintly in the dark. Beyond the stone railing, the mountain forest was a heavy, black mass. An occasional night breeze rustled the leaves.
Li Yuan stood guard on the garden’s western side, his back to the stone railing. He spread his Spiritual Sense, blanketing the surrounding area.
The two He family Cultivators guarded the north and east sides, each crouching silently with a Magical Artifact in hand.
「In the latter half of the night」
The dull thud of footsteps suddenly echoed from the forest to the west.
’Not just one.’
Immediately after, a rapid series of ripples spread across the edge of the Array.
Li Yuan shot to his feet.
Three Demon Beasts charged out of the forest almost at the same time.
The largest was a Gray Ridge Flood Dragon Lizard with a high, ridged back. It pushed off with its four claws and rammed straight into the Array’s light screen. Following it were two Horned Lizards, smaller but faster, which circled left and right toward the screen’s weaker points.
All were Tier One Middle Grade.
The Gray Ridge Flood Dragon Lizard’s head slammed heavily into the light screen. The entire cyan barrier shook violently, and the Mid-grade Spirit Stone on the platform flickered once, dimming.
Li Yuan had already made his move.
A Fireball formed in his palm and shot out, heading straight for the side of the Gray Ridge Flood Dragon Lizard’s neck.
BOOM!
The fire exploded against its scales. Several thick gray scales shattered and flew off, revealing scorched, curling flesh underneath. The flood dragon lizard roared and stumbled against the light screen.
"They’re here! West side!" the He family Cultivator on the north side shouted as both of them rushed over.
The Horned Lizard on the left had already reached the edge of the light screen, its claws digging into the barrier and causing the Spiritual Light to fluctuate violently.
Li Yuan’s Fire Escape Skill flashed. He closed the distance and released a fire arrow.
PFFT.
The line of fire pierced the Horned Lizard’s front leg joint. The crisp snap of breaking bone was clearly audible. The front half of the lizard’s body collapsed, and it slid down from the light screen.
Li Yuan didn’t stop. A second fire arrow followed immediately, piercing its neck.
The Horned Lizard on the right had already circled to the thinnest section of the light screen on the north side. The Qi Refining Fourth Level Cultivator from the He family met it, rapidly forming a Spell with his hands. An ice spike shot out, striking the lizard’s back and drilling a small hole.
In pain, the Horned Lizard closed the distance and whipped its tail around. The He family Cultivator reacted a beat too slow and was sent flying nearly twenty feet, stumbling back several steps upon landing.
Li Yuan had already arrived. Using his Fire Escape Skill, he materialized beside the Horned Lizard with a Fireball coalescing in his hand.
The Horned Lizard hissed in alarm, but before it could move, the Fireball slammed into its head at point-blank range.
BOOM!
Half of the Horned Lizard’s head was blown to bits. Its large body convulsed a few times before collapsing to the ground.
The last remaining beast, the Gray Ridge Flood Dragon Lizard, was still struggling. It was crawling away at a considerable speed.
Seeing this, the Qi Refining Third Level cultivator charged forward, drew a short blade, and stabbed the Gray Ridge Flood Dragon Lizard.
The blade shimmered with Spiritual Light, but it only penetrated halfway. The Gray Ridge Flood Dragon Lizard twisted its body, throwing the cultivator and his blade aside. His back slammed hard into the stone railing.
Li Yuan turned, fiery light gathering in his palm once more.
He didn’t throw this one. Instead, he charged, using his Fire Escape Skill to close the distance to under twenty feet. Keeping the Fireball pressed to his palm, he slammed it onto the lizard’s upturned jaw.
BOOM!
The fiery light erupted from the corner of the lizard’s mouth, shattering its jawbone. Its body fell backward, its four claws kicking wildly for a moment before going still.
The medicine garden fell silent once more.
Three Tier One Middle Grade beasts, all slain.
The two He family Cultivators clearly lacked real combat experience, and both were injured.
The Qi Refining Fourth Level cultivator’s right shoulder had been struck by a tail, leaving half his body numb. The Qi Refining Third Level cultivator had slammed his back into the stone railing; he grimaced in pain as he stood, but no bones were broken.
Li Yuan relaxed and walked over to the stone platform.
The garden Array’s light screen was still active, but it was several shades dimmer than before the battle.
The luster on the Mid-grade Spirit Stone in the center of the platform was now extremely faint. More than half of its Spiritual Power reserves had been consumed, and it was barely keeping the light screen from collapsing.
He An rushed over, thanking Li Yuan profusely.
Then he glanced at the three Demon Beast corpses and back at the Spirit Stone on the platform, his face turning ashen.
"I have to replace it again."
He crouched down and took a new Spirit Stone from his storage pouch.
It was also a Mid-grade Spirit Stone, its surface Spiritual Light much brighter than the depleted one.
He took the old Spirit Stone from the platform, set it aside, and prepared to place the new one into the Array Hub.
Li Yuan’s gaze fell upon the Mid-grade Spirit Stone in He An’s hand.
"This is a Mid-grade Spirit Stone?"
"Yes." He An nodded, not pausing in his task. "Low Grade ones can’t sustain this Array, so we always have to use Middle Grade. The family has a few in storage, but not many more. After a few more replacements, we’ll be all out."
As He An moved the Spirit Stone toward the Array Hub, it passed in front of Li Yuan. Li Yuan reached out and briefly took it.
The instant his fingertips touched the stone’s surface, a panel popped up.
[Equippable Item Detected: Mid-grade Spirit Stone]
[Can upgrade existing entry: Spiritual Qi Filtration (White)]
[Note: Item does not belong to you. Cannot equip. Cannot view details.]
Li Yuan faltered for a moment.
’It can upgrade an entry.’
He An waited for a breath, then looked over in confusion when he saw that Li Yuan had stopped.
"Li Dao You?"
Li Yuan handed the Spirit Stone back.
"It’s nothing."
He An thought nothing of it. He took the Spirit Stone and fitted it into the Array Hub. Once the new stone was in place, the faint cyan light screen around the garden quickly stabilized, its brightness gradually returning.
Li Yuan stood beside the stone platform, pulling his gaze away from the Array Hub.