First Steps into the Array Dao

Lu Feng was somewhat flattered. He took a small step back, bent slightly, and bowed apologetically. "A disciple cannot serve two masters. Though I deeply appreciate your life-saving grace, I have already taken a master, so I cannot take another."

How could Old Bai not know what worried Old Hei? He had already imagined ten thousand possible futures, yet he never expected Lu Feng to refuse outright. He froze where he stood, looking somewhat awkward.

"Hahaha... the old turtle's attempt to take a disciple was actually rejected." Old Hei laughed heartily, as though adding fuel to the fire, patting his round belly several times. Nothing delighted him more than seeing Old Bai suffer a setback.

Old Bai shot Old Hei a glare. Then he looked at Lu Feng with great displeasure and threatened fiercely, "Do you know that I can take the Seven Souls Array from your body at any time? Even so, you still refuse to take me as your master?"

"I refuse!"

Lu Feng spread his hands and declared resolutely, "Not to mention the seven souls—even my life was saved by you. If you want it, take it whenever you wish."

His tone was utterly firm, without the slightest hesitation.

"Hahaha, good lad! Your temper is as foul as that old stubborn donkey's." Old Bai laughed in anger, once again studying Lu Feng with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

Old Hei was likewise startled by Lu Feng's bearing. He secretly began comparing him to Liu Su. Though the two were currently in no way comparable, the old man realized that he had instinctively placed them on equal footing. Thereafter, the look in his eyes as he regarded Lu Feng changed somewhat, and he could not help thinking, If that old turtle truly takes this boy as a disciple, then perhaps in the future, he may truly have some chance of fighting Liu Su.

"Fine. Since you are unwilling, I will not force you. From now on, you may study arrays under me. I will not take you as a disciple, only teach you, just like those instructors in the mortal world."

Old Bai spoke as though making a concession, but inwardly he was secretly delighted. Later, I can take another disciple. Then, if even Lu Feng can defeat Liu Su, wouldn't that mean that a student I taught casually could defeat that old stubborn donkey's disciple? At that thought, he laughed joyfully.

Lu Feng was stunned. In the past, he might have been overjoyed by this, but after enduring this calamity, he had matured greatly. Before rejoicing, he considered matters more thoroughly.

After all, there was currently nothing about him that should have caught Old Bai's eye.

"Stop hesitating. With your crippled seven souls, among the paths of Soul Cultivation, only the Array Dao suits you. If you still wish to cultivate the Martial Dao as before, I fear you will not even live for seven months." This time, it was Old Hei who spoke. Seeing Old Bai's serious expression, he abandoned his teasing and began helping to persuade Lu Feng.

In Lu Feng's memories and understanding, Soul Masters who cultivated the Array Dao were generally quite frail, and most were women. In battle, they basically never confronted their enemies head-on. Most were timid and cowardly, shrinking back at every turn.

The old Lu Feng had despised such people the most, yet now he was about to become one of them. He could not help feeling that fate truly toyed with people.

Helplessly, if he wanted to grow stronger, there was no other way. Lu Feng, who understood the way of survival well, knew clearly that in this world, the weak were like ants.

Having thought it through, Lu Feng slowly bent at the waist, lowered himself to his knees, and knocked his head twice loudly before Old Bai.

Three Bows to Acknowledge as Master was tradition, but these two bows were not the tradition for an instructor. An instructor merely imparted knowledge and did not require many formalities.

The first bow was to kneel in thanks for saving his life; the second was to kneel in thanks for imparting the Dao. Naturally, the two old men understood their meaning.

Watching this touching scene, Old Hei stroked his long white beard and left with a cheerful smile, leaving Old Bai behind alone.

"Instructor," Lu Feng said as he slowly rose.

In this world, anyone who taught skills without accepting disciples was respectfully addressed as an instructor.

Upon hearing this, Old Bai could not help feeling moved. It had been a long time since he had felt this way. From this day onward, there was one more person in the world closely tied to him.

After calming his emotions, Old Bai brought Lu Feng back into the Bamboo House. Pointing at the dark-red stone bed, he explained, "This stone bed is made from Divergent Red Warm Jade. Cultivating atop it will yield far better results. From now on, you will sit in meditation and cultivate here."

Lu Feng had already learned the wonders of the stone bed over the past three-plus months. Cultivating on it was not only several times faster than usual, but after cultivation, his entire body felt exceptionally comfortable. A warm feeling spread through all his meridians, and all the spiritual energy gained through cultivation could be absorbed and merged on its own.

Old Bai rarely taught others. Lacking experience, he simply poured all the theoretical knowledge he knew and had learned into Lu Feng in one go. Fortunately, Lu Feng had a good memory and was not lacking in comprehension.

"This is where our sect is located. Our sect is called Exquisite Valley, and it specializes in the Array Deployment Dao. The valley is divided into two branches: one breaks arrays, while the other deploys arrays. Old Hei is the master of the Array Breaking Branch, while I am the master of the Array Deployment Branch." Old Bai immediately began introducing things to Lu Feng.

"Which is stronger, deploying arrays or breaking arrays?" Lu Feng casually asked without thinking.

"In the Dao of arrays, the superior triumphs through stability, while the inferior triumphs through danger. There is no division between strength and weakness." Old Bai stated this seriously. Given his personality, Lu Feng had assumed that he would boast about how array deployment was far superior to Old Hei's array breaking, but Old Bai earnestly said there was no distinction between the two. This surprised Lu Feng somewhat.

"Then which is stronger, cultivating the Array Dao or cultivating the Martial Dao as usual?" Lu Feng asked again. Though he already knew in his heart that the Martial Dao must be stronger—otherwise, how could Martial Dao cultivation have become the mainstream of this world?

"Whether it is the Array Dao, Martial Dao, Medical Dao, or even unorthodox paths and side roads, they are all paths of Soul Cultivation. Whoever walks their Dao farther and better is stronger." Old Bai stroked his beard and continued explaining, "The three thousand Great Daos merely differ in origin. As they say, all great paths return to the same destination. Once cultivated to the end, they are all equally powerful."

"The Array Dao and Martial Dao begin in much the same way. Both involve opening the seven souls of a person to gain power. Let us speak of the Martial Dao first. Those who cultivate the Martial Dao are called Martial Soul Masters, also known as Martial Masters, as ordinary people often call them. You should know this best; it was the path you cultivated before."

"The Array Dao is the same. Soul Masters who cultivate the Array Dao are called Array Soul Masters, or Array Masters. The only difference from Martial Masters is how spiritual energy is used in cultivation. The spiritual energy Array Masters consume to inscribe and deploy arrays is far less than what Martial Masters consume in battle. Furthermore, the less power an Array Master uses when inscribing and deploying arrays, the easier it is to control. Thus, at the same level of strength, the spiritual energy Array Masters possess and the power they display are both far less than those of Martial Masters."

Though Lu Feng had been mentally prepared, he still felt somewhat bitter upon hearing this. "Then at the same level of strength, Array Masters possess only a fraction of a Martial Master's power? Isn't that far too weak?"

Old Bai nodded and continued, "In a frontal battle, even if all seven of your souls are opened, you may still lose to Martial Dao practitioners with only two or three souls opened. But within an array, even if you possess only the power of two or three souls, relying on a powerful array, you can still kill someone whose seven souls are fully opened."

Old Bai earnestly cautioned, "There is no absolute strength or weakness in this world. On the road ahead, no matter whom you encounter, you must never let down your guard."

Lu Feng nodded and committed the words to memory. As he listened to Old Bai continue, his impression of the Array Dao began to change somewhat. He no longer viewed it through a different lens.

Old Bai continued, "Besides being renowned throughout the world for its arrays, Exquisite Valley also possesses a profound movement technique called Exquisite Steps."

"We Array Masters have poor survival ability when facing danger. Thus, in the days ahead, besides studying arrays, you must also learn movement techniques well. You must always remember: only by living can you continue fighting."

Lu Feng nodded and firmly remembered Old Bai's words. Back when he was in the Clear River Sect, he had learned a decent movement technique, but it had certain restrictions when used and offered poor self-preservation for an Array Master. It was unsuitable for Array Masters.

Since he had decided to walk the path of the Array Dao in the future, he should learn a movement technique suited to Array Masters.

"Instructor, please tell me about the Array Deployment Dao," Lu Feng requested. Though he had entered arrays before, he had ultimately escaped through luck and brute force. Thus, he only had a superficial understanding of the Array Dao.

Old Bai explained solemnly, "To deploy an array, you must first understand arrays. So-called arrays do not depart from yin and yang, nor do they depart from heaven, earth, and nature. Arrays borrow the power of heaven and earth to resist enemies. Once one falls into an array, it is equivalent to fighting against the entirety of heaven, earth, and nature." As he spoke, Old Bai shook both hands and produced a book from thin air. The words "Array Dao Essence" were written upon it. He casually handed it to Lu Feng and told him to study it carefully.

"A complete array consists of the following parts: the array diagram, which is the foundation of array deployment. Only with an array diagram can you know how to deploy the array;"

"The array core, sometimes also called the array eye, is the heart of an array and the place that provides energy for it;"

"Array Jade, the vessel upon which array inscriptions are engraved. It can be said to be an array's limbs;"

"Furthermore, some high-level arrays also contain array weapons, array souls, and other such things. In short, the Dao of arrays is broad and profound. Only by slowly comprehending its mysteries yourself can you truly understand them."

Lu Feng nodded, murmuring as he understood, "Array diagram, array core, Array Jade, array inscriptions, array weapons, array souls..."

"Next, I will tell you about the Array Deployment Dao I am best at. To deploy an array, you must first prepare all the materials required according to the array diagram."

As he spoke, Old Bai took out several palm-sized Jade Shards, a sheet of dark-yellow ancient paper, and a small knife not even the length of a palm. Looking at Lu Feng, he said, "Watch carefully. I will demonstrate the simplest Entrapment Array for you."

After saying this, Old Bai picked up a jade shard in his left hand and held the small knife in his right, beginning to engrave a special pattern. At the same time, he said to Lu Feng, "Pick up that sheet of paper. It contains an introduction to the Spirit Locking Inscription. What I am engraving right now is the Spirit Locking Inscription."

With every lift and fall of the knife, Old Bai engraved the array at astonishing speed. Yet even this speed was only to allow Lu Feng to see clearly and learn. With Old Bai's strength, he did not need to engrave anything at all; with a wave of his hand, he could form an array.

Very soon, the three Jade Shards before Old Bai had all been engraved.

"Carefully sense the path of the knife and the flow of the patterns. This is the first step of array deployment: inscription, namely engraving array inscriptions."