Free Web NovelChapter 58: Chapter 57: Spirit-Nurturing Jade Sun Stone
The Zhou Array Master crouched before a silk cloth in the center of the stream bed. Using a charcoal pencil to connect the last few lines, he then stood up and surveyed the valley.
"Judging by the lines connecting the nodes of these smaller arrays, the main pulse of Spiritual Qi extends roughly northeast."
He raised his hand and pointed to a narrow gap between the mountain walls deep in the valley.
"The core of the larger array, or rather, the true main Array Hub, should be deeper inside. I plan to continue in this direction and at least confirm the main Array Hub’s general location."
Wang Yuan was silent for a few breaths after hearing this.
"Senior Zhou, if we go any further, we’ll be deep in the mountain range, beyond the area we previously scouted."
The Zhou Array Master turned and glanced at Wang Yuan.
"I understand your concerns. But by only looking at the nodes of the outer arrays, we can only determine the general structure. If we want to truly figure out what this array is for, we have to find the main Array Hub."
Wang Yuan shook his head.
"We’re short-handed today. If we run into trouble after going in, it’ll be difficult to retreat."
"After we get back, I’ll report this to my family and arrange for more people to go in next time."
The Zhou Array Master rolled up the silk cloth and tucked it into his sleeve. There was no dissatisfaction in his tone.
"Fine. You call the shots." freёwebnovel.com
"But since we’re already here, I want to take another look around the perimeter. I suspect there are still traces of the array that you haven’t found yet."
He glanced at everyone present.
"You guides, split into small teams. Follow the routes I’ve marked and search the perimeter. See if there are any missed carvings or nodes."
Taking the cloth from his sleeve and unrolling it again, the Zhou Array Master quickly drew a few routes on it with his charcoal pencil and showed them to the group.
"No need to go too far, just extend one or two li from both sides of the stream bed. Focus on the base of the rock walls and the backs of large boulders. Those are the kinds of places that are easiest to overlook." freewebnovel.cσ๓
"I’ll take a few people and do a quick sweep to the northeast. We won’t enter the gap, just circle around the outside. If we encounter danger, retreat immediately and regroup here."
Wang Yuan nodded and looked at the two Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators.
"You two, go with Senior Zhou."
The two acknowledged and walked to the Array Master’s side.
Wang Yuan then quickly divided the remaining guides into groups. Li Yuan and Fang He were assigned a route on the west side of the stream bed.
The Cultivator known as Uncle Qu went with Wang Yuan.
After the men dispersed, the valley quickly fell silent.
Fang He followed Li Yuan west along the stream bed for a while. Once everyone else was out of sight, he plopped down on a rock.
"What array traces? We already checked everything last time. I doubt there’s anything left to find."
Fang He leaned against a rock wall with his arms crossed, kicking at the gravel on the ground with the tip of his boot.
"This is just running errands for that Senior Zhou. If he wants to look, he should look himself instead of sending us all out. We’ve been clearing out Demon Beasts lately, sure, but what if we run into one?"
Li Yuan stood at the edge of the stream bed and scanned his surroundings, confirming that no one else was nearby.
"Then let’s rest for a bit."
Fang He raised his eyebrows. It was rare to hear Li Yuan suggest such a thing. He didn’t think much of it, leaned back more firmly against the rock, and, grabbing the waterskin at his waist, took a big gulp.
"You sit down, too."
"I’m going to walk up ahead and take a look around."
"Suit yourself," Fang He said, waving his hand dismissively.
Li Yuan turned and continued along the stream bed for a dozen or so steps. He rounded a bend, completely blocking Fang He from his view.
Then he changed direction and walked quickly toward the location of the Jade Sun Stone from before.
It wasn’t far, just a short detour away.
The rock was just as it was before. The part exposed above ground was only the size of a human head, embedded in gravel and dirt, with no signs of being disturbed.
Li Yuan squatted down and used his hands to clear away the gravel and loose soil around the rock, exposing more of its surface.
The deeper he dug, the larger the rock revealed itself to be.
Beneath the loose soil was a layer of compacted gravel, and below that was even harder clay mixed with pebbles. Li Yuan circulated his Spiritual Power, dug his fingers into the earth, and broke off pieces of the rocky soil, pushing them aside one by one.
As he dug deeper, the side of the stone was gradually revealed. Its warm, lustrous white surface extended downward with no end in sight. The curve of its side was smooth and round—this stone was far larger than the exposed portion had suggested.
Li Yuan stopped, brushed the dirt from his hands, and pressed his palm against the stone’s surface once more.
The panel appeared.
[Detectable Equippable Item: Spirit-Nourishing Jade Sun Stone]
[Trait Preview: Flame Marrow Constitution (Green) — Effect 1: Enhances the power of the wearer’s Fire Element Magic. The boost increases with the number of Fire Element Magic techniques cultivated, with a minimum of 10% and a maximum not exceeding 50%. Effect 2: When consuming Demon Beast Flesh, residual Demonic Power in the flesh can be converted into Qi Blood to nourish the body’s meridians. It will also gradually transform the physical body, making it more adapted to Fire Spiritual Power.]
[Permanence Conditions: Consume fifty jin of Tier One Low Grade or higher Demon Beast Flesh. The higher the quality, the less is required (0/50). Learn five Fire Element Magic techniques (1/5). (Both conditions must be met.)]
[Current equipment slots are full (3/3). Replace a current item?]
’A green trait. Two effects, two permanence conditions.’
’This is more like two traits than one.’
Li Yuan stared at the panel for a few breaths, memorizing the information line by line.
’Demon Beast Flesh won’t be hard to get. Fifty jin isn’t a large amount, and I can buy plenty on the market.’
’The Fire Element Magic is a problem, though. I currently only know the Fireball Technique. I still need four more.’
Li Yuan selected the Iron Bull Skill on the panel and unequipped it. Then, he equipped the Spirit-Nourishing Jade Sun Stone into the now-empty third equipment slot.
The moment he equipped it, there was no obvious change, unlike the surge of Spiritual Power when a Cultivation Technique entered his body. He only felt a slight warmth spread through him, which then stabilized, becoming barely perceptible.
Before his eyes, the small piece of rock that had been exposed instantly vanished. The dirt in front of him collapsed, leaving a large pit.
Li Yuan’s expression didn’t change. He filled the pit with surrounding dead branches, fallen leaves, gravel, and loose soil.
’I’ll just push the gravel and dirt roughly back into place. A perfect restoration is impossible, but the stone itself was inconspicuous to begin with. Plus, the Array Master already declared it a useless rock in front of everyone. No one will come looking for it on purpose.’
’Even if they did find the hole, they wouldn’t know it was me. I don’t have a storage bag, so there’s no way I could have carried away a stone that large.’
He withdrew his hands, stood up, and brushed the dirt from his sleeves.
When he circled back the way he came, Fang He was still leaning against the rock wall. He turned his head at the sound of footsteps, saw it was Li Yuan, and turned back again.
The two waited for the better part of half a day. Then, the sound of footsteps came from the northeast section of the stream bed, and the Array Master returned from the distance with his men.
The groups gradually gathered at the previous meeting point.
The Array Master’s expression was neither satisfied nor disappointed. He took the cloth from his sleeve, added a few more strokes, then rolled it up and put it away.
"I’ve seen basically everything there is to see on the perimeter. The answers to what’s left lie deeper inside."
He glanced at Wang Yuan.
"That’s all for today. I’ll organize my preliminary findings when I get back."
Wang Yuan cupped his fists in thanks, then called for everyone to pack up and prepare for the return trip.
The journey down the mountain was easier than the climb up, and the group’s pace quickened considerably.
At dusk, the team returned to the area outside the market’s West Gate and went their separate ways.
Fang He and Li Yuan parted ways at the mouth of North Alley. Before leaving, he patted Li Yuan’s shoulder.
"Just come find me about the leatherworking. I’ll write down the steps for you first. After you’ve read them, come find me to learn."
"Alright."
Li Yuan returned to his residence, bolted the door, and sat down on the edge of his bed.
’Experimenting with the trait’s power can wait. Cultivation comes first.’
He activated the Spirit-Introducing Skill, and Spiritual Qi gathered into his body.
The "All Rivers Return to the Sea" trait seamlessly connected the Spiritual Power circulation of the two Cultivation Techniques. Li Yuan switched to the cyclical circulation of the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill.
Reaching Great Success in the Spirit-Introducing Skill had already laid a solid foundation for Li Yuan’s meridians, and the two Cultivation Techniques shared many similarities in how they developed the meridians.
After one full circulation cycle, Li Yuan’s brow relaxed slightly.
The feeling of obstruction as his Spiritual Power moved through his hundred meridians had lessened. He no longer needed to consciously guide the flow into every branch meridian; the Spiritual Power found the smoothest path on its own.
[Cultivation Technique: Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill - Proficient (0/400)]
