Array Deployment Dao

After taking it, Lu Feng examined the patterns on the jade shard in his hand. They seemed utterly without pattern or order, yet a closer look made him feel slightly dizzy.

The patterns were strange and solemn, condensed and archaic. Their beginnings and endings revealed no sharp edges; no matter how he looked at it, it resembled a beautiful work of art.

"Engraving is the first step. What about the second?" Lu Feng asked thoughtfully.

"The second step is Spirit Infusion. Crude Jade Shards like these contain no spiritual energy, so they cannot become the heart that drives an array. We must inject spiritual energy into them to provide power. If one uses beast cores from soul beasts, or crystals containing the source energy of heaven and earth, one can skip past the step of 'Spirit Infusion,'" Old Bai explained patiently. He then took out a round piece of jade and infused it with a trace of spiritual energy.

Three engraved Jade Shards and one spirit-infused jade stone were arranged neatly before Lu Feng. Watching streams of light flash across the jade, Lu Feng could not help marveling inwardly.

"The third step is Vein Connection. Engraving and Spirit Infusion alone are not enough. You must connect the two, and that step is called 'Vein Connection.' You draw the patterns already engraved upon the Jade Shards onto the spirit-infused jade stone." As Old Bai spoke, he arranged the pieces of jade into an array. The three engraved Jade Shards were placed in a triangular formation, with the spirit-infused jade stone in the center.

"Watch closely," Old Bai called out.

Lu Feng then saw the patterns on the three Jade Shards surge toward the central jade stone as though they had come alive. In the end, they connected with one another, and the Spirit Locking Inscription was branded upon the central jade stone in the shape of a triangle.

"Chirp..."

Old Bai explained, "This is the fourth step, Array Chant. When an array is formed, it will usually emit some sort of chant. When high-grade arrays are completed, their chants can resound across the heavens. Of course, special methods can also be used to conceal that sound."

When Lu Feng looked again, the three Jade Shards and the jade stone had already vanished from their original positions. He had no idea where they had gone.

"Do not think that knowing how to engrave arrays is enough. You must be able to deploy them without a sound. If you openly let everyone know there is an array here, then no matter how exquisite your array is, it will not be able to trap anyone." After saying this, Old Bai walked out of the Bamboo House.

"If you wish to deploy arrays, first learn how to break them. Comprehend it properly and leave this Entrapment Array within three hours."

Lu Feng was still immersed in the mysteries of arrays and did not immediately grasp Old Bai's meaning. Yet in the next instant, he sensed that something was wrong.

Three Jade Shards suddenly appeared in midair. They rotated around Lu Feng in a triangular formation, surrounding him and forming three invisible barriers. The jade stone serving as the array heart, however, remained hidden somewhere unknown.

Lu Feng tried to leave the triangular enclosure, but the moment he reached its edge, his entire body jolted as if struck by a shockwave. His chest felt stifled, and he could not cross that barrier.

The simplest Entrapment Array can actually trap a One Soul Realm soulmaster? Lu Feng inwardly grumbled. Although he knew Old Bai was no ordinary array master, he was still shocked by this Entrapment Array.

After trying every possible method to no avail, Lu Feng began studying the books Old Bai had left him. He carefully read the detailed annotations and explanations, line by line and sentence by sentence.

"Array diagram, array heart, Array Jade, array patterns..."

"Engraving, Spirit Infusion, Vein Connection, Array Chant."

Lu Feng studied the descriptions in the book and recalled Old Bai's methods when deploying the array.

Immersed in the book's mysteries, more than an hour soon passed. Lu Feng picked up several Jade Shards and the engraving knife Old Bai had left behind, then walked toward the southernmost of the three Jade Shards.

The small knife danced as he engraved the same array pattern onto the jade shard in his hand, but after several consecutive attempts, every one of them ended in failure.

Lu Feng had thought that failure simply meant trying again. Who could have expected the Jade Shards to be unable to bear an incorrect array pattern and shatter directly, leaving slight cuts on his hand?

After four attempts, Lu Feng finally succeeded in engraving an array pattern that was ninety percent similar. Referring to the array-breaking methods recorded in the Array Dao Essence, he flipped the jade shard over and pressed it against the barrier wall.

Bang...

The moment the two came into contact, Lu Feng was sent flying as though launched from a bowstring, crashing into another barrier behind him.

His blood and qi churned in his chest.

Lu Feng muttered in shock, "Where exactly did I go wrong?"

Could Old Bai have deliberately written down an incorrect method for breaking the array?

Lu Feng quickly dismissed the thought. There was no point in it.

Suddenly, a passage from the book flashed through his mind. Lu Feng immediately flipped through the essence again and discovered a line of tiny writing at the very bottom of the page describing the method of breaking arrays.

'Every array possesses its own unique array force. The greater the array master's strength, the stronger the array force of the array they deploy. If one cannot break the array force, then this method of breaking the array will not apply; one must begin with the array's foundation.'

Lu Feng nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He silently cursed Old Bai for writing the words so tiny.

There was not much time left before Old Bai's deadline, yet Lu Feng still had not thought of a way to break the array. He had read through the essence countless times. Every line and every word was already clear in his mind, but he still had not the slightest clue.

Then, with a glance from the corner of his eye, Lu Feng saw the jade that had shattered earlier. Because of the angle, it now appeared reversed. Inspiration flashed through his mind, along with the force that had just flung him away.

Lu Feng suddenly realized, "Do it in reverse! Would that send this jade shard flying out?" As he spoke, his suspicions grew firmer, and he immediately began engraving again.

Only two Jade Shards remained. If he failed again, there would truly be no way back. Moreover, engraving the Spirit Locking Inscription in reverse was far more difficult than normal engraving. Cold sweat formed on Lu Feng's hand, and he became somewhat nervous.

"Scrape..."

Sure enough, his first attempt failed as expected.

But Lu Feng did not become more anxious. With the experience gained from that failure, he instead felt several degrees more confident. He set down the engraving knife, sat cross-legged, circulated his qi, and calmed his mind for a while. Only when his heart had become still did he pick up the knife again.

There was not the slightest hesitation where he set the blade. Had Old Bai been present, he would surely have marveled at the speed of Lu Feng's improvement and the strength of his comprehension.

When the final stroke was complete, Lu Feng let out a long breath. Even though he had adjusted his mindset, he was still nervous after finishing the engraving.

I hope this can break the array. Lu Feng prayed inwardly before walking over.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally pressed the two together once more. Spiritual energy circulated as he connected the two Jade Shards, while his right hand instinctively took a defensive posture, afraid that he would be blasted away again.

Bang...

A huge explosion rang out. The distant bamboo door was blasted apart, while the jade shard before Lu Feng shattered across the ground.

"Success!" Lu Feng was overjoyed.

Lu Feng stepped out from the scattered bamboo fragments and jade shards, then saw Old Bai and Old Hei drinking tea and chatting in the pavilion outside the Bamboo House.

"Hahaha!" Old Bai laughed three times and said to Old Hei with a pleased expression, "You stubborn old donkey, you lost. Convinced now?"

Old Hei stood and looked at Lu Feng as he approached, somewhat puzzled. "How did you break the array so quickly, boy? Aren't you just a beginner?" As he spoke, he took out an exquisite Wrist Guard and handed it to Old Bai. He still had the spirit to accept his loss after a wager.

"Just luck." Lu Feng smiled modestly.

Old Bai accepted the spoils of war Old Hei handed over and casually tossed them to Lu Feng. "This Kirin Ring contains a fine Living Spirit Space. Consider it your master's first gift to you." He had truly borrowed flowers to offer Buddha, winning another round before Old Hei.

So this storage artifact was called a Kirin Ring. Lu Feng knew a little about Living Spirit Spaces. High-grade storage artifacts generally possessed them, allowing living beings to be stored for short periods. Low-grade storage artifacts, such as Storage Rings, could only hold dead objects, and their capacity was generally not very large.

After receiving the Kirin Ring Wrist Guard, Lu Feng examined it. He had seen quite a few storage artifacts before, but this was the first time he had seen one so exquisite. Looking closely, he discovered that an unknown beast was carved upon the Wrist Guard, lifelike in every detail. Two extremely tiny red gems were set as the beast's eyes, lending the entire design a fierce aura. A circle of small diamond-shaped gems was embedded around its outer edge, as though the vicious beast had been trapped within.

Lu Feng's love for treasures flared up. Just as he was about to count how many gems there were, Old Hei smiled and said, "No need to count. There are ninety-nine in total. That is also what makes this Wrist Guard remarkable. It has ninety-nine storage spaces, and each one is much larger than your Bamboo House. Beyond that, the long jade piece at the clasp is the true essence of this Wrist Guard. As for the Living Spirit Space it contains, even I have never been able to determine just how vast it is."

As Old Hei spoke, he actually sounded somewhat reluctant to part with it.

Lu Feng clicked his tongue upon hearing this. How was this merely fine, as Old Bai had said? It was practically a rare treasure of the world. Lu Feng quickly calmed himself. Possessing an extraordinary treasure was not necessarily a good thing; mishandling it could bring trouble.

After some thought, Lu Feng decided to wear the Kirin Ring together with his own Storage Ring, concealing the treasure's brilliance until he possessed absolute strength.

"Why are you not thanking Old Hei yet?" Old Bai instructed with a smile.

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Old Hei." Lu Feng smiled, then put the Wrist Guard on his left wrist, where it echoed the Tail Ring on his little finger.

"Hiss—"

A burst of agonizing pain came from his wrist. In that instant, Lu Feng felt his soul suffer an extremely terrifying impact. His Heavenly Rush Soul, which had only just stabilized after being reforged, nearly exploded out of control. Fortunately, the two elders acted in time and calmed it down.

"I forgot to tell you earlier: wearing this Wrist Guard means recognizing its master. It will give its host's soul a 'test,'" Old Hei said sheepishly, a trace of suppressed laughter at the corner of his lips.

"Would taking it off be even more painful?" Cold sweat still beaded Lu Feng's forehead from the pain, but he could not help asking curiously.

"No. You can take it off whenever you need to. But every time you take it off, wearing it again will bring this same pain. And the stronger your cultivation and soul become, the more intense the pain you must endure," Old Hei explained. Though reluctant to part with it, now that he had removed it, he would never endure such pain again. Giving it to Lu Feng was the best outcome.

Once Lu Feng had stabilized and adapted, the three of them broke into laughter as if by unspoken agreement. It had been a long time since Exquisite Valley had seen such a vibrant scene.