Refining a Formation Disk

Liu Xiaolou held the jade disk gifted by Wei Hongqing, etching formation runes with his true essence according to the incantations in the formation book.

He carved a deep mark on the left, a shallow mark on the right, and a faint trace above, then pulled it straight down, circled around the back of the jade disk to return to the mark above. Next, they separated left and right, the left semicircle representing the sun, the right semicircle representing the moon, and connected at the bottom with wavy lines…

According to the formation book, the left side represented heaven, yang, and the sun; it could serve the master, or be a soul. The right side represented earth, yin, and could be a subordinate, or a魄. The union of left and right above represented good and evil, righteousness and wickedness, and the controller of fate…

The purpose of the carving was to construct a world on the jade disk, and this world was the formation rune.

The formation rune was complex, with dozens of strokes. It was crucial that the true essence flow was uninterrupted during carving; this meant the continuous flow of true essence, not just the physical marks. The carving consumed a great deal of energy.

Completing the formation rune took only one night, but Liu Xiaolou felt as if he had suffered a severe illness. His true essence was completely depleted, his face pale, his eyes vacant. He slept for three days and three nights before showing slight improvement.

However, Lord Xingde would not allow him to rest further. The refining of a formation disk required a single, continuous effort, and it had to be completed while the formation rune's world was still "young." Otherwise, it would become a lifeless object.

With no other choice, Liu Xiaolou gripped a spirit stone to replenish his true essence and continued his work through the night.

The next step was to integrate various materials into the jade disk. The channels for integration were the carved formation rune lines. While called channels, they were also the resting places for the materials, akin to the pools within acupoints in the body.

This was another delicate task. It had to be done according to the methods specified in the formation book. Each material could not touch another; they had to follow their own paths and enter their own gates. Some carved channels required the passage of five or six, or even seven or eight materials. The difficulty of having so many materials pass through such narrow, shared channels, and ensuring that each material would not interfere with the others when the formation disk was in operation, was immense.

Once an error occurred, the channels had to be cleared with true essence again, and new materials integrated.

Liu Xiaolou spent over half a month on this stage, pushing back and restarting seven times before finally completing it.

The third step required the stability of earth fire and the nurturing of spiritual energy, a process referred to as the fusion of water and fire.

Xingde Temple had readily available earth fire in the artifact refining room. As for spiritual energy, it could only be supplied by spirit stones. Lord Xingde did not have any spirit stones, so Liu Xiaolou had to provide them, which was only fitting.

The jade disk floated in mid-air above the earth fire vent, with a spirit stone attached above it.

The earth fire burned with white flames beneath the jade disk, while the spirit stone emitted blue smoke above it. Where the white flames and blue smoke met, a rainbow materialized. The jade disk slowly rotated within the rainbow, a sight of profound mystery.

Liu Xiaolou sat cross-legged at the earth fire vent to refine the artifact. On the fifth day of refining, a faint tremor echoed through the mountains, causing him to lose focus for a moment.

Lord Xingde, on the opposite side, gestured for him to concentrate, then left the artifact refining room to gaze down the mountain.

He saw a divine being about ten feet tall in the mountains, apprehending several fleeing rogue cultivators. In a short while, the divine being captured the rogue cultivators, held them in his palm, and strode away.

A shout came from below the mountain: "All mountains, do not be alarmed! The Qingyu Sect is apprehending people; it has nothing to do with you!"

Lord Xingde leaped to a high vantage point for a closer look. It was Steward Hou of the Qingyu Sect, loudly informing everyone at the mountain pass. As the towering divine being departed, Steward Hou's voice gradually faded.

This was the Qingyu Sect's Divine Strike Technique. It was unclear which inner disciple of the sect had acted, but the display of power was astonishing.

Prestigious sects were truly formidable! Lord Xingde sighed, a sense of heaviness settling in his heart. He returned to the artifact refining room and signaled Liu Xiaolou not to be distracted.

The refining continued until the seventh day. As per the formation book, Liu Xiaolou bit his tongue, and a stream of blood sprayed onto the formation disk.

This was the final step in refining the formation disk: establishing a spiritual connection. Upon completing this step, the formation disk could be activated at will, and only its owner could control it.

Liu Xiaolou caressed the glowing formation disk, his heart filled with immense joy, which was immediately overcome by an overwhelming wave of drowsiness. He collapsed and slept again.

From collecting materials to mixing, etching formation runes, integrating materials, and finally nurturing, the entire process took three months, a full winter. It was truly not easy.

Furthermore, nurturing the formation disk consumed five spirit stones, which pained Liu Xiaolou greatly.

This was something he hadn't anticipated when he first conceived the idea. Fortunately, with the successful completion, he now possessed the Lin Yuan Xuan Shi Formation in addition to the Bewitching Incense and the Three Xuan Sword, adding another means of self-preservation.

Upon waking, Liu Xiaolou activated the formation disk. On the small training ground of Xingde Temple, a small courtyard immediately materialized, exactly like the courtyard where Ninth Mistress resided in Zhou Manor: white walls surrounded it, green bamboo flourished, the pond was verdant, the pavilions exquisite. In the side rooms by the wall, candlelight flickered, exuding an aura of wealth.

However, this small courtyard was a prison; once inside, it was difficult to leave. And one should absolutely not enter the side room, for doing so would mean losing control of oneself, which was no laughing matter.

Lord Xingde entered the illusion formation to test it. He emerged with a flushed face, chiding him, "Can't you be more serious? I thought you were joining some kind of Incense Tendon, but who knew it was... Don't ever say you learned artifact refining methods from me again!"

Liu Xiaolou was unconcerned. "Senior, as I've said, there's no high or low in methods..."

Lord Xingde waved his hand. "Alright, alright, stop with that talk."

Liu Xiaolou eagerly awaited Lord Xingde's critique. "How is the magic array I refined, Senior?"

Lord Xingde commented candidly, "There's no particular talent, but it's not bad either. To be able to do this on your first attempt at refining a formation disk is quite rare."

Liu Xiaolou beamed. "So, it's done?"

Lord Xingde nodded. "It's done."

Liu Xiaolou exclaimed, "It truly wasn't easy. For this formation disk alone, I wouldn't sell it for less than twenty spirit stones! Let's have a good meal tonight and drink until we're drunk!"

The Taoyuan Mountain Range was rich in produce. Wild boars, mountain deer, wild rabbits, and pheasants were everywhere. Liu Xiaolou prepared a lavish table of dishes, took out Lord Xingde's stored wine, and enjoyed a hearty feast.

As they ate and drank, Liu Xiaolou thought about the future. Lord Xingde asked about his plans. Liu Xiaolou replied, "As a cultivator, my primary focus naturally remains cultivation. I've been in charge of my sect for over a year, yet I'm still at the Qi Refining third layer, which is unbecoming of a sect leader. I plan to go into seclusion for some time and strive to break through to the Qi Refining fourth layer as soon as possible."

Lord Xingde praised him. "Cultivation comes first; this is the right principle. The formation disk is complete, so you should head down the mountain tomorrow morning."

Liu Xiaolou said, "I feel a strong kinship with you, Senior. I'd like to go into seclusion at Xingde Temple so I can seek your guidance if any difficulties arise. Would that be possible?"

Lord Xingde shook his head. "I also have matters to attend to and will not be on the mountain. You should return. If fate allows, you can visit again in the future."

Since the host disagreed, Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to drain the entire jar of spirit wine to avoid any regrets.

The next day, Liu Xiaolou bid farewell. Lord Xingde took out a wooden box. "Xiaolou, we can be considered friends who met late in life. As we part, I wish to give you something. Please do not open it now; wait until you return to your mountain, alright?"

Liu Xiaolou accepted the gift, feeling ashamed. "I don't have any good items to give you. How about I leave you a couple of spirit stones?"

No matter how much he insisted, Lord Xingde would not accept his spirit stones. After they parted, Liu Xiaolou hummed a mountain tune as he descended the mountain, returning to Xiangxi.