Active and Passive Methods

After finishing his meal, Lu Shui returned to his own room.

The room was simple, with practically no unnecessary decorations.

It was completely different from after Mu Xue moved in during his previous life. Mu Xue liked to put all sorts of clutter everywhere.

Without overthinking it, Lu Shui sat cross-legged in the open space, an ancient book still in his hands.

This book was the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns he had brought out from the Scripture Repository.

Tonight, he intended to cultivate the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns.

When he opened the book, all he saw were strange symbols. Calling them scribbles would not have been an exaggeration.

That was precisely why no one had been able to understand them.

Some had once believed it was a lock that only needed to be deciphered. Others thought the symbols had been rearranged and would become understandable once placed in the right order.

Of course, some also believed they were simply runes, and that it was enough to use them correctly.

Yet none of those guesses were right.

What was recorded here was writing—a kind of writing that was not writing, a kind of writing only its recorder could understand.

The reason he had understood it back then was probably due to fate. That inexplicable feeling could not be put into words.

Understanding meant understanding. Not understanding meant not understanding.

The Heaven and Earth Array Patterns had two cultivation methods: Active Cultivation and Passive Cultivation.

So-called Active Cultivation was a physical cultivation method. Once cultivation began, it would automatically activate the Five Elements Yin Yang Array Patterns. After the array patterns were activated, Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Yin, and Yang would each correspond to a Minor Realm.

Once Gold Power was full, he would automatically advance to the Second Minor Realm.

And so on. Once all Seven Powers had been absorbed to perfection, he would automatically advance to a Major Realm.

This cycle would continue until the highest realm.

He would not even need to undergo tribulation.

This was the Active Cultivation Method.

The Passive Cultivation Method, meanwhile, meant viewing the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns. He could read the book or recall the contents of the array patterns, and this process would automatically gather Heaven and Earth Power.

When Heaven and Earth Power reached its limit, he could use the heavens as the array and the earth as its patterns, unleashing the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns.

Once the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns were fully activated, he could control everything in the world.

This was the Passive Cultivation Method.

When he had seized Heaven and Earth Fortune back then, the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns had contributed greatly.

However, this copy of the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns was incomplete, with quite a few gaps in the middle. The Active Cultivation Method could still be practiced in the early stages, but it would not work in the late stages.

The Passive Method was even more mediocre, though he had modified it later, allowing it to display its true power.

Still, Lu Shui had to admit that the person who wrote the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns was truly a prodigy. He did not know whether that person had succeeded in cultivating it.

With that thought, Lu Shui began reading the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns.

In his eyes, those scribbles seemed to come alive. Every symbol cooperated with Lu Shui as he read.

As he read, one of Lu Shui's hands began drawing runes through the air. Whenever he turned a page, he would finish drawing a rune and send it flying toward the ground.

As a Second Tier cultivator, he could freely use Spiritual Energy to draw runes. This was perfectly normal.

As he turned page after page, Lu Shui sent the runes one by one toward his surroundings.

By the time he finished the seventh page, seven runes had appeared around him.

At this point, Lu Shui did not continue reading.

After all, he needed to activate the Active Cultivation Method first. There was no need to spend the entire night reading the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns.

No longer reading the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns, Lu Shui turned his attention to the runes. Then, he interlaced his middle fingers through little fingers, while his index fingers and thumbs lightly touched opposite each other.

At that moment, Lu Shui closed his eyes.

After his eyes closed, the surrounding runes began to glow. Then the runes extended and complemented one another. Once all the runes connected, they began extending toward Lu Shui.

Lu Shui sat there cross-legged, waiting for the runes to extend—or rather, Lu Shui was absorbing those runes.

Before long, the runes extended onto Lu Shui's body. They traveled upward along his clothes, then reached his arms. They did not continue upward, instead gathering toward Lu Shui's hands.

Finally, they converged and fused in the space between his two opposing palms.

As time dragged on, the point of fusion grew larger and larger, while the runes on the ground grew fewer and fewer.

Lu Shui remained seated without moving, his eyes closed the entire time.

He looked as though he had fallen asleep.

In truth, he was sensing the runes and controlling their fusion. If anything went wrong, the activation of the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns' Active Method would fail.

The impact on his body would be considerable.

It could make his already meager Second Tier Cultivation collapse outright. Worse still, his waist would deteriorate even further.

So he could not possibly allow himself to fail.

A night passed, and a faint glow appeared in the sky.

By then, there were no runes left on the ground, nor were there any rune marks remaining on Lu Shui's body.

Everything had gathered between his palms, forming a Small Array.

Yes, it was a Small Array displaying Seven Powers. When the array took shape, Lu Shui opened his eyes as well.

He separated his opposing hands, one hand supporting the Seven-Colored Small Array.

"Completed. Now I just need to absorb Gold Element Power."

In theory, with the Lu Family's resources at his back, he would not lack such things. But absorption required time.

As for telling the Lu Family's Big Shots about this, he had no such intention.

He had not told them in his previous life, much less in this life.

If he told them, would they still let him step even one foot beyond the Lu Family Main Gate?

Would they still let him go break off the engagement?

Impossible.

Breaking off an engagement was such an interesting thing. If he did not go, who would?

Checking the time, Lu Shui discovered it was already five in the morning. Fortunately, he was Second Tier, so one night without sleep was not much of a problem.

Thus, Lu Shui planned to go outside and read the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns for a while. Reading more of this book brought only benefits and no harm.

The Active Method could not compare to the Passive Method.

After arriving at the pavilion and sitting down, Lu Shui began reading. If the sky had not been faintly bright, he would have considered bringing over a small desk lamp.

However, when he reached the pavilion, he noticed a maid standing outside the courtyard. If he had not guessed wrong, she should have been the one from the daytime.

Seeing this maid, Lu Shui had a question he dearly wanted to ask his parents. Did the Lu Family have only this one maid?

Why was she involved in everything?

When Lu Shui sat down in the pavilion, Qi Xi walked over, carrying two plates of pastries and tea water.

"This was prepared by Madam for Young Master."

Lu Shui nodded, then said:

"Go and bring me some treasures containing Gold Element Power. Ore or spiritual herbs will do.

"Oh, bring a little Wood Element Power as well.

"They do not need to be too strong. Second Tier ones will be enough."

Qi Xi lowered her head.

"Yes, please wait a moment, Young Master."

With that, Qi Xi left the courtyard.

She naturally would not ask what they were for. That was not something she needed to ask.

Lu Shui drank tea, ate pastries, and read the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns. He was deeply engrossed; otherwise, there was no way he could swallow such awful pastries.

He could be certain that his mother had made them herself.

As for why he wanted Gold and Wood Element Power, he simply wanted to see whether the Active Method worked well, and test how long it would take to reach Third Tier.