Chapter 131 - 127: Marketplace Array
Chapter 131: Chapter 127: Marketplace Array
That afternoon, he finished his talisman production quota earlier than expected.
He had made enough Fireball Talismans and Heart-lock Talismans to cover He Shou’s allotment for the day. Instead of using the remaining time to draw more Combat Talismans, Li Yuan reached deep into his storage pouch and took out the materials for a Spirit-Refining Talisman.
He spread the golden talisman paper on the table. It had a subtle, restrained glow and felt heavy in his hands. He poured the Dark Gold Spiritual Ink from a jade bottle. The liquid ink was warm, and when he dipped his brush in, he could feel Spiritual Power slowly circulating within it.
Tier One Top Grade.
’I’d tried a few times at the Talisman Hall, and they all failed. Later, at the mine, I tried a few more times. Still failures.’
’The sticking point was always the fourth loop of the Concentration Pattern.’
’Starting from the fourth loop, the spacing of the spiral circuit shrank drastically. The Spiritual Power density had to nearly double over an extremely short distance, meaning the rotation of my wrist and the increase in Spiritual Power had to be perfectly synchronized. Every time I reached this point before, either my Spiritual Power couldn’t keep up with the required density, or my wrist moved too fast and caused the pattern to break apart.’
’But that was when I was at the Qi Refining Sixth Level.’
’After reaching the Qi Refining Seventh Level, the total volume and quality of my Spiritual Power have both risen to a new level. With my Spiritual Power condensation now permanent, its density far exceeds that of my peers. With my Pure Spiritual Power now permanent, my Spiritual Power is even purer. Add to that the bonus from my practiced brushwork and the precision I’ve honed through this period of intensive talisman crafting, things should be different now.’
Li Yuan dipped his brush in the Dark Gold Spiritual Ink and set it to the paper.
The Concentration Pattern. First loop.
Spiritual Power flowed from the tip of the brush, forming an inwardly contracting arc on the golden talisman paper. The Dark Gold Spiritual Ink seeped into the page, the edges of the Spirit Pattern emerging neat and clean.
Second loop. The spacing narrowed, and he increased the density of his Spiritual Power. It was nearly thirty percent tighter than the first loop, and the brush tip moved correspondingly faster across the paper.
Smooth.
Third loop. The spacing continued to narrow, the Spiritual Power density steadily increasing. The rotation of his wrist and the flow of his Spiritual Power remained synchronized as the pattern tightened loop by loop on the paper.
So far, it was just like before. He had managed to complete the first three loops last time at the mine; the problem had always been the fourth.
The fourth loop.
The spacing shrank abruptly.
Li Yuan’s wrist slowed by a fraction.
It wasn’t hesitation, but a way to build up power. Along the conductive chain from his fingertip to the brush tip, he deliberately slowed the rhythm of his Spiritual Power output by half a beat. This allowed the density to ramp up smoothly, like climbing a hill, instead of jumping up all at once.
The brush tip traced the first half of the fourth loop.
The Spiritual Power density kept pace.
The pattern held.
The second half.
The spacing had now shrunk to a minuscule gap, the brush tip practically scraping the edge of the third loop. The Spiritual Power density was nearly double that of the third, demanding that his wrist’s rotation and his Spiritual Power output be precise down to the finest detail.
Li Yuan’s breathing slowed. As his wrist completed the final quarter of the loop, the Spiritual Power density hit its peak for this section.
It held.
The fourth loop was complete.
Li Yuan didn’t stop. While he still had the rhythm, he moved directly into the fifth loop.
The fifth loop was the final and innermost loop of the Concentration Pattern, leading into the Talisman Core. The Spiritual Power density reached its maximum as the spiral circuit closed, and all the accumulated Spiritual Power flowed into the center.
The brush tip traced the final arc, pouring Spiritual Power into the Talisman Core.
At once, the Spirit Pattern on the talisman’s surface lit up.
The five spiral loops flashed in sequence, from outermost to innermost. Layers of dark gold light folded inward, finally coalescing into an intensely bright point at the Talisman Core.
The point of light sank, disappearing into the paper.
A steady, dark gold sheen emerged on the talisman’s surface, completely different from the faint glow of a Tier One Low Grade Talisman. This luster was deep and restrained, as if something was being held down just beneath the surface.
’Success.’
[Talisman: Spirit-Refining Talisman - Novice (0/200)]
Li Yuan placed the Spirit-Refining Talisman on the table.
’A Tier One Top Grade Talisman. My first finished one.’
He glanced at the remaining golden talisman paper on the corner of the table. He had brought twenty sets of materials in total. He had already ruined six, used one today, and now had thirteen left.
’I got lucky, succeeding on the seventh try.’
He touched his fingertip to the talisman’s surface.
[Detected Equippable Item: Spirit-Refining Talisman (Complete)]
[Entry Preview: Divine Soul Tempering (White) — Increases Divine Soul Condensation by 20%, reduces damage taken from Divine Soul attacks by 20%]
[Permanence Condition Preview: Using only pure Divine Soul power, attack and kill a Tier One Middle Grade Yin Soul (0/1)]
[Equipment Slots Full (5/5). Replace a currently equipped item?]
’A white entry. Divine Soul Tempering.’
’It has two effects: increases Divine Soul Condensation by twenty percent and reduces damage from Divine Soul attacks by twenty percent.’
’The Soul Mirror’s Soul Light Tempering passively enhances my Divine Soul’s strength, while the Spirit-Refining Talisman’s Divine Soul Tempering increases its condensation and resistance. Their effects overlap, but they aren’t exactly the same.’
’The condition for making it permanent is to kill a Tier One Middle Grade Yin Soul using only pure Divine Soul power.’
’I don’t have any Divine Soul-attacking Magic at the moment. The Soul Mirror can release a bright light that damages the Divine Soul, but since it’s currently equipped, I can’t use it as a Magical Artifact.’
’Besides, it’s unclear if using a Magical Artifact would even count as an attack using "only pure Divine Soul power." It probably wouldn’t.’
’And a Tier One Middle Grade Yin Soul isn’t something I’m likely to just stumble upon.’
’I’ll set it aside for now.’
Li Yuan put the Spirit-Refining Talisman into his storage pouch and cleaned up the table.
When he stepped out of his stone house, the courtyard was much livelier than it had been the past couple of days.
The repair work on the surrounding wall was still ongoing, but today there was a new group of people.
On the west side of the courtyard, near the marketplace wall, seven or eight Cultivators were squatting on the ground, hard at work. A few of them were moving stone materials, while the others were carving Spirit Patterns into the ground. Crushed stones were stacked into neat stone pillars, connected by lines of ore powder. The Spirit Patterns on the ground were arranged in a circle that was gradually expanding outward.
’They’re not repairing the wall. They’re setting up an Array.’
Li Yuan took a few steps closer.
The person squatting in the middle, carving the Spirit Patterns, was a young Cultivator in his early twenties. He had a fair complexion and wore a short, gray-blue robe. He held a fine-tipped carving knife, meticulously etching something onto the side of a stone pillar, one stroke at a time.
’Someone from the He family.’
Li Yuan recognized him. He had seen him at the mine before. His name was He Yun.
The few Cultivators moving stones nearby were wearing the guard’s standard-issue equipment; they had obviously been roped in to help.
Li Yuan walked over to a guard who was taking a break.
"When did this start?"
The Cultivator set down the stone he was holding and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"This morning. After they heard the marketplace was attacked, the higher-ups sent over someone who knows about Arrays. Said he’s going to set up a Defensive Array for us."
He jerked his chin in He Yun’s direction.
"That kid’s from the He family. We’re taking all our orders about the Array from him. We’re just here to move rocks."
Li Yuan glanced at He Yun. He was completely focused on carving the Spirit Pattern, his knife tracing intricate lines onto the side of the stone pillar. He would occasionally pause to consult a Beast Skin Map spread out beside him.
"The marketplace didn’t have an Array before?"
The Cultivator shook his head.
"Why would we need one? The most we ever had to deal with were a few Demon Beasts, and the wall and patrols were enough for that. Bandit cultivators didn’t dare show their faces, either. With the Wang family in charge, who’d be reckless enough to cause trouble in the marketplace?"
He dusted off his hands.
"Things are different now. A few days ago, someone broke into our post and tore the place up. The wall’s not much of a deterrent. The higher-ups finally remembered we should have an Array."
Li Yuan grunted in acknowledgment and didn’t ask any more questions, just watched from the side for a while.
After finishing the Spirit Pattern on one stone pillar, He Yun straightened up and stretched. He turned and saw a few of the guards squatting on the ground, waiting to move the next batch of stones, and began to explain casually.
"This stone pillar is an outer node for the Array Hub. The Spirit Patterns I carved are a Sensing Pattern and a Conduction Pattern. The Sensing Pattern detects Spiritual Qi fluctuations within its range, and the Conduction Pattern transmits that signal back to the Array Hub."
He used his carving knife to point to two spots on the newly completed pillar.
"These two spots are the connection points. The Sensing Pattern on the next stone pillar has to connect from these two points, and the direction can’t be reversed. If you get it backward, the signal won’t reach the Array Hub, and the whole thing will be a waste of effort."
One of the helping Cultivators squatted down to get a closer look at the Spirit Patterns.
"Are these the same as the Spirit Patterns on a Talisman?"
"The principles are similar, but the medium is different," He Yun said, setting his carving knife aside. "A Talisman’s Spirit Pattern is drawn on paper. It’s single-use; once it’s spent, it’s gone. An Array’s Spirit Patterns are carved into stone or metal and powered by Spirit Stones, so they can run continuously."
He gestured at the layout of the entire circular Spirit Pattern.
"But an Array is far more complex than a Talisman. A Talisman’s Spirit Pattern might have a few nested layers at most. An Array can easily have dozens or even hundreds of Spirit Patterns all linked together. If even one is carved in the wrong place or facing the wrong direction, the entire Array is useless."
The few Cultivators nodded, asking no more questions. He Yun picked up his carving knife and went back to work.
Li Yuan watched for a while longer before turning and returning to his stone house.
’The Array had little to do with him. That was He Yun’s job.’
Back at his table, Li Yuan took a piece of Demon Beast Flesh from his storage pouch.
It was a pound of leg meat from an Iron-horned Antelope, which he roasted using his Fire Control Skill.
The meat was firm and chewy. After he swallowed, a warm current spread from his abdomen.
His Flame Marrow Body Tempering converted the Demonic Power into Qi Blood, which seeped into his muscles and bones. The residual Demonic Power was captured by his Evil Qi Affinity, transformed into a faint wisp of Evil Qi, and merged into his body.
His Evil Qi Body Tempering automatically activated, drawing the Evil Qi into his fascia.
After eating, he sat down cross-legged and began circulating the Iron Bull Skill.
He drew Qi Blood from his Dantian, channeling it along the pathways of the Iron Bull Skill and into his internal organs. At the same time, Evil Qi seeped into the areas around his organs, scouring them in a dual-pronged assault.
His physical body grew stronger, little by little.
The sky outside his window slowly darkened. From the direction of the marketplace, he could faintly hear the sounds of stone being moved. He Yun and his team were still at it.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and circulated his energy. Inside him, Qi Blood and Evil Qi flowed in alternating currents.