Setting Up the Array

"Big Brother actually moved to a new residence. Talisman Masters really do make more money than winemakers."

Chu Daniu secretly marveled.

In his view,

Li Chang'an must have earned quite a few Spirit Stones through Talisman Drawing.

Otherwise, how could he afford to move into a new residence?

"That residence must be in a better location. The Spiritual Energy concentration might even be close to Mid-grade First Tier."

Sure enough,

Li Chang'an led him directly deeper into the Marketplace.

Before long,

the two passed through the outermost area.

The farther inward they went, the richer the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy became.

Doubts gradually arose in Chu Daniu's heart.

"Something's wrong. The Spiritual Energy concentration in this area has already reached Mid-grade First Tier. Why is Big Brother Li still going farther in?"

He understood Li Chang'an's character and knew that Li Chang'an would never deceive him.

Precisely because of that, he was so bewildered.

At last,

when Li Chang'an stopped,

a broad and imposing residence appeared before Chu Daniu.

Li Chang'an smiled. "Da Niu, we're here."

"Huh? This..."

Chu Daniu slowly opened his mouth, as though frozen stiff, staring blankly at the residence before him.

It took him quite a while to come back to his senses.

"Big Brother Li, this... this is really your residence?"

Chu Daniu asked in disbelief.

In this area,

the Spiritual Energy concentration had already reached the High-grade First Tier range!

Ordinary Rogue Cultivators would not even dare dream of it. Even craftsmen with Low-grade First Tier skills could only yearn for it!

Only the cream of the crop among Mid-grade First Tier craftsmen, or cultivators with High-grade First Tier skills, could afford the rent for residences in this area.

"Big Brother Li, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Li Chang'an smiled and opened the courtyard gate.

"Come in."

"I..."

Chu Daniu stepped forward, but his movements were somewhat stiff.

He walked into the courtyard and looked around. His gaze was slightly dazed, and he felt as if he were dreaming.

Compared with this residence,

the place he currently lived in was not even fit for a dog!

"Big Brother, did you become a Zheng Family Guest Elder too?"

Chu Daniu swallowed. This was the only possibility he could think of.

Other than becoming a Guest Elder, what other way was there to possess such a large residence?

Could it be that Eldest Miss Zheng had taken a fancy to him?

"Not a Guest Elder. I merely encountered a little opportunity recently."

With a smile on his face, Li Chang'an led Chu Daniu around for a look.

After they finished looking around,

Chu Daniu sat in the courtyard, the shock still lingering on his face. He remained dumbfounded for a long while.

He felt that he might never get to live in such a residence in his entire life.

Unless he gave up cultivating immortality and returned to the Secular World.

"Sigh, Big Brother, I spoke out of turn before."

Chu Daniu suddenly sighed, thinking of how he had previously urged Li Chang'an to become a servant.

There was no need to serve as someone else's servant.

Li Chang'an could still enjoy a Spiritual Land with High-grade First Tier Spiritual Energy.

As for the Talisman Inheritance,

with Li Chang'an's abilities, he might find a way to obtain it in the future.

Chu Daniu sighed from the bottom of his heart. "Big Brother, of Wealth, Companions, Dharma, and Land, you've basically solved three already. You're only missing a Dao Companion. It's truly enviable."

"It was only an opportunity. Da Niu, you'll have one too in the future."

Li Chang'an smiled and offered a few words of encouragement.

After a while,

Chu Daniu rose and took his leave.

After he left,

Li Chang'an took out the five damaged Formation Flags he had previously bought at the Black Market and began studying them.

"The Hexagram Image indicated that there was another world within the Formation Flags, containing an entire Array."

He picked up the Formation Flags and refined them one by one.

But after the refinement was complete, he discovered nothing unusual.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

If simply refining them could reveal the hidden space, the stall owner who sold the Formation Flags would have discovered it long ago.

"Where exactly is it hidden?"

Li Chang'an focused intently, turning the five Formation Flags over and over as he inspected them.

After a long time,

he still found nothing.

After pondering briefly, he simply poured Mana into the five Formation Flags.

As the Mana increased, the banners of the Formation Flags began fluttering without wind, releasing faint might as they swayed.

Four of the Formation Flags were very weak.

After all, they were far too damaged.

Yet one Formation Flag, though equally damaged, released a trace of pressure that made Li Chang'an's heart tremble.

"Could it be this one?"

Li Chang'an pondered.

If he had not received the Hexagram Image's hint beforehand, he might have assumed that this Formation Flag had once belonged to an exceptionally powerful Array and retained a trace of its power.

Such things were perfectly normal.

Some treasures were incomparably powerful when whole. Even if they were later damaged until only fragments remained, they could still be unbelievably strong.

"Still, this Formation Flag does not seem particularly special."

Li Chang'an frowned slightly and inspected it patiently.

Who knew how much time passed.

His eyes had begun to feel dry.

At last,

he found something different.

At the end of the damaged banner was a Silver Dot so tiny it was almost impossible to notice.

Li Chang'an tested it with Mana, but the Silver Dot did not react.

When he used Mental Energy to touch it, he made a new discovery.

"So it really is here!"

Li Chang'an smiled.

After using his Mental Energy, he saw a special space through that Silver Dot.

Within that space,

there were a full one hundred and eight palm-sized Formation Flags.

There were also a great many precious treasures needed to set up an Array.

Li Chang'an spotted a Jade Slip and immediately took it out, reading its contents.

"It really is the Cloud Mist Hidden Kill Formation. This Jade Slip records its setup and usage methods!"

Delight filled Li Chang'an's eyes.

Although he was not a Formation Master,

this Array had already been fully crafted. He only needed to set it up according to the instructions!

Afterward,

Li Chang'an took out all the Formation Flags and treasures and set up the Array according to the Jade Slip's method.

He worked busily for several hours.

It was not until the latter half of the night that he successfully completed the entire Array!

After finishing all this,

Li Chang'an stood in the courtyard and willed it into motion.

"Array, rise!"

In an instant, clouds and mist surged.

The entire residence was shrouded in hazy fog, making it impossible to see clearly.

"According to the Jade Slip's description, the materials used for this Array are better than those of an ordinary Cloud Mist Hidden Kill Formation. It counts as a top-grade Array among Tier 1 Arrays!"

Li Chang'an looked at the transformations around him, deeply satisfied.

"Hide!"

With another thought from him,

all the clouds and mist instantly dispersed, as though nothing had happened.

However,

the Array still existed and continued operating slowly.

This was precisely what made the Cloud Mist Hidden Kill Formation special: it could conceal itself completely, unnoticed by outsiders.

If someone entered rashly without knowing beforehand,

even cultivators at the late Qi Refining stage could only meet their bitter end!

"The Spirit Stones required to maintain the Array normally are not many. Only when trapping and killing intruders does it require a large number of Spirit Stones."

Li Chang'an was now quite wealthy and could fully afford the Spirit Stones required to operate the Array.

Next,

he did not rush to cultivate and instead took the rare chance to rest for half a day.

After all,

with a large residence and a protective Array, he could finally relax his constantly taut mind a little.

The next day, Early Morning.

Li Chang'an had just finished breakfast and was preparing to cultivate.

Suddenly,

sounds of things being moved came from the neighboring residence.

"Huh, I have neighbors now?"

Li Chang'an remembered that no one had lived next door.

Very soon,

he heard several voices conversing.

When Li Chang'an heard one of them, his expression turned strange.

"It's actually Luo Kun."