Chapter 56: Tier One Spiritual Array Outline
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Tier One Spiritual Array Outline
Hearing this price, Chen Mo was instantly rendered speechless.
Five Low Grade Spirit Stones. With his current capabilities, it would take him at least two to three years to save up that amount, and that was without factoring in his daily expenses.
At this moment, he finally understood why it was so difficult for Spirit Plant Cultivators to break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, and why ordinary Loose Cultivators were forever barred from Foundation Establishment!
Talent was one aspect, but resources were evidently just as crucial.
Wealth, Dharma, Companions, and Place. Wealth would always rank first!
"Brother Chen." Seeing the unnatural expression on the other man’s face, Song Yunxi spoke up again. "Five Low Grade Spirit Stones is no small sum for me either. How about this."
Chen Mo looked at him, listening as he continued, "This is a famine year, yet you managed to save up two Low Grade Spirit Stones. Next year, during an abundant harvest, you could probably scrape together three. Let’s do this: a year from today, if you are still short on Spirit Stones, I’ll lend them to you. What do you say?"
Lend them? Chen Mo was somewhat surprised.
These were Spirit Stones! Not mere Spiritual Sand.
"I appreciate your kind intentions, Brother Song, but..."
"What kind of talk is that?" Song Yunxi feigned anger. "We’re brothers!"
Chen Mo looked at him, then burst into hearty laughter a moment later. "Alright! I’ll take you up on that!"
Song Yunxi was exceptionally adept at handling people and had a perfect grasp of social nuances. The moment Chen Mo revealed his Great Success stage Qi Crossing Technique, the other party immediately threw out an offer he couldn’t refuse. By doing so, as long as Chen Mo wasn’t completely devoid of a conscience, he would be firmly tied to the Yi Er San Grain Station and Song Yunxi for years to come!
"Brother Chen, to celebrate your Qi Crossing Technique reaching Great Success, why don’t we..."
Chen Mo suddenly raised his hand, making a dismissive gesture. "Brother Song, there’s no need for you to spend your money."
"Nonsense!"
"I actually have another matter I’d like to ask about."
"Ask away!" Song Yunxi was in an excellent mood. He told himself that as long as it wasn’t anything too major, he would agree to it.
"Do you know where I might find a Spirit Array Master?"
"A Spirit Array Master?" Song Yunxi’s expression shifted multiple times as he looked at Chen Mo suspiciously. "Why are you looking for a Spirit Array Master? Do you want to take one as your master?"
Chen Mo nodded, offering the excuse he had thought up. "The wooden cabins of Spirit Plant Cultivators are covered by a Spirit Array, and its power is quite formidable. Now that I have some spare time from farming, I was wondering if I could learn a thing or two about it."
Now it was Song Yunxi’s turn to feel troubled.
"You really want to study the path of Array Formation... But Array Formation, just like Qi Refining and Alchemy, has an incredibly high barrier to entry. As far as I know, in the entire Ancient Dust Marketplace, only the Master’s Mansion has a titular Spirit Array Master, and he’s a disciple of Purple Cloud Peak." He paused before suggesting, "How about you try Talisman Making? I could actually introduce you to a Talisman Master or two."
Chen Mo smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It seems that if I want to learn Array Formation, I must join the Cyan Yang Sect!"
Song Yunxi remained noncommittal.
"Is that the case even for the most basic Spirit Array?"
"Basic? You only want to learn a basic Spirit Array?"
"Yes!"
Song Yunxi smacked his forehead. "I completely forgot! I think the Wandering Bookstore sells Ancient Texts on Array Formation! Like Artifact Refining and Alchemy, it’s all theory. However, I skimmed through it once, and I’m pretty sure there’s a basic Array recorded at the back of the book! I think... I think it’s some sort of shadow... I just remember that the Alchemy text had the Fasting Pill recorded at the back!"
"Really?"
Just when it seemed like a dead end, a new path revealed itself. He hadn’t expected that the answer to becoming a Spirit Array Master was right there in the Wandering Bookstore all along!
To Chen Mo, the goal wasn’t actually to become a true Spirit Array Master, but simply to master a single Spirit Array. It didn’t matter what kind of Array it was!
"Do you have time right now, Brother Chen?"
"Of course!"
"Then let’s go now!"
"Alright!"
Chen Mo didn’t want to delay for even a moment. With the Spiritual Sand in hand, he had to hurry and purchase the resources he needed for the coming year so he could continue his diligent cultivation!
The Ancient Dust Marketplace wasn’t very large to begin with, and the Wandering Bookstore was quite close to the Yi Er San Grain Station. After just a few dozen steps, the two of them arrived.
The exterior of the bookstore looked very plain. Compared to Niu’s Shop, it was much more understated, and its storefront wasn’t even as grand as Song Yunxi’s shop. The moment Chen Mo stepped inside, the scent of books immediately washed over him.
Directly facing the doorway was a horizontal table custom-made from nanmu wood, extending all the way to the base of the wall. Behind the table stood three rows of neatly arranged bookshelves. The Ancient Texts lining them, though devoid of Spiritual Qi fluctuations, still seemed to shine brilliantly.
An elderly man with a long beard sat between the bookshelves and the table. He was currently holding an Ancient Book, studying it intently. Even when Chen Mo and Song Yunxi walked in, he didn’t so much as glance up at them.
"Elder Xue!"
Xue Chongwu gently set down his thread-bound Ancient Book and asked, "What is it?"
Chen Mo looked at the elderly man before him, getting a sense that he was unfathomably deep. He couldn’t even detect any Spiritual Qi from his body; he seemed just like an ordinary old man! But for someone to make Song Yunxi respectfully address him as an elder, his strength was likely far from simple!
"I remember you had a Technique Ancient Book introducing Spirit Arrays here?"
Xue Chongwu slowly stood up, pulled out a thumb-thick book from the shelf behind him, and placed it directly in front of Song Yunxi. "Tier One Spiritual Array Outline, fifty taels of Spiritual Sand."
Fifty?!
Chen Mo swallowed hard but didn’t say anything aloud. However, compared to a Cultivation Technique worth five Low Grade Spirit Stones, this was practically free.
He reached out to take it, but the moment his fingers touched the book, a Ruler suddenly appeared out of thin air in the old man’s hand, pressing down on Chen Mo’s palm.
"Borrowing it to read once costs ten taels of Spiritual Sand, and it cannot exceed the time it takes an incense stick to burn," Xue Chongwu stated sternly.
In all his time at the Ancient Dust Marketplace, he had yet to meet anyone who dared to try anything underhanded at the Wandering Bookstore. This was merely a warning.
"Brother Chen, I suggest you spend the ten taels of Spiritual Sand to read through it and see if it’s what you need. If it is, you can make up the remaining forty taels and take it with you." Song Yunxi offered a timely suggestion. This was considered a bit of a loophole in the bookstore’s rules.
"Alright!"
Chen Mo promptly took the Sachet from his pocket, poured out ten taels of Spiritual Sand, and handed it over. Only after the old man accepted it did he move the Ruler away from the Ancient Text.
Chen Mo couldn’t wait to take it. The title page bore the words Tier One Spiritual Array Outline written in small seal script. Standing in front of the counter, he held his breath and began to flip through the pages.
Nearly ninety percent of the Outline’s initial content introduced the Celestial Time and favorable terrain needed for Array Formation, as well as how to leverage momentum, Feng Shui, and other elements. It also listed some common, essential materials used in Arrays.
For example, a Tier One Gathering Spirit Formation required Spiritual Sand as a catalyst, supplemented by four Spiritual Peach Plants, along with some common crushed stones. Of course, this section omitted all crucial information like hand seals and spatial positioning. Therefore, it was completely impossible to set up a Spirit Array relying purely on this!
When Chen Mo flipped to the very end, he finally saw the Basic Array Song Yunxi had mentioned—the Mountain Viewing Bird-Driving Array!