Chapter 383 - 371: Tier 2 Array Perfection

Chapter 383: Chapter 371: Tier 2 Array Perfection

Beneath the limestone plateau, in an underground cavity.

The core of the optimization method recorded in the notes lay in rewiring the Spiritual Power circuit of the second, positioning layer. The original circuit design was a standard radial structure; the signal spread out evenly from the Array Hub, which offered a wide search range but incurred massive Spiritual Power loss. The author of the notes had changed the radial design to a directional one, compressing the search arc by presetting the target’s bearing, thus trading search range for transmission efficiency.

For a Teleportation Array with a known destination node, the directional design was far more efficient than the radial one.

The knowledge regarding multi-layered Array synergy and tuning from the Tier Three Array theory annotations came into play. Every modification to the positioning layer caused minuscule chain-reaction ripples in the transmission and folding layers. Li Yuan used the parallel multitasking capabilities of his five Divine Sense Lines to capture these ripples in real-time, applying compensatory adjustments before they could propagate.

The entire optimization process took four hours.

The final piece of Spirit Copper was embedded into its new position. The Spiritual Power paste solidified, closing the circuit.

Li Yuan injected his Spiritual Power to activate the Teleportation Array.

The moment the Array Patterns lit up, he could clearly feel that the smoothness of the Spiritual Power transmission had improved by more than just one level compared to before. The signal no longer spread aimlessly in all directions but pointed precisely toward the Stone Wilderness, piercing into the depths of space like an awl.

The connection to the Stone Wilderness node was established in almost a single breath.

The channel’s stability had increased dramatically. The spatial sensory feedback from the Teleportation Stone indicated the connection could now be maintained for at least two hours, a significant extension from the previous seven or so minutes. The walls of the teleportation channel were also denser and smoother, reducing Spiritual Power loss during transit by at least thirty percent.

Li Yuan deactivated the Teleportation Array and stood up.

From repairing the Teleportation Array from a pile of ruins, to restoring its basic functions, and now to tonight’s efficiency optimization—every step pushed his practical Array experience to a deeper level.

Reconstructing the spatial folding layer while mending the Teleportation Array, the practical drill of deploying the Netherworld Lock Array, the experience with three-dimensional nesting accumulated from analyzing the Profound Nether Sub-Palace’s Restriction structure, and the systematic study of the Tier Three Array theory annotations—all this accumulated knowledge converged in an instant.

A panel popped up.

[Array Mastery: Tier Two Perfection]

The peak of Tier Two. One more step would be the threshold of Tier Three.

Li Yuan didn’t linger. With the Teleportation Array optimized, he tried to redirect the search direction toward Yunzhou.

He injected Spiritual Power into the positioning layer, and the directional circuit sent a search signal toward the northeast.

After a few breaths, a response appeared amidst the spatial fluctuations.

It was still a weak, intermittent signal, but much clearer than the last time. The optimized positioning layer had drastically reduced the Spiritual Power loss during the signal search, leaving more abundant Spiritual Power available for locking on.

The signal’s point of origin was precisely captured—deep within a mountain range on Yunzhou’s southern border.

But the signal could never be stably locked. The channel wavered on the verge of forming, holding for about three breaths before collapsing again.

’The problem is with the destination node itself. It’s either severely damaged or sealed by some kind of power. Optimization on this end alone can’t solve it.’

’I need to further improve the Array’s precision or acquire a higher-quality Crystal Stone for the Array Hub to boost the signal strength.’

Li Yuan recorded the precise coordinates of the Yunzhou node in a jade slip, deactivated the Teleportation Array, and returned to the surface the way he came.

The following days returned to their usual rhythm.

The marketplace’s three main revenue streams operated smoothly. The monthly output of Fire Evil Stones remained high after the refined ore vein went into production, and Xu Zhang’s branch of the Mingyuan Commerce Association made regular purchases, transporting them toward Jingzhou via the Sunset Corridor. As for wholesale Talismans, Sun Henian had expanded production, ensuring a plentiful supply; several smaller surrounding marketplaces had begun to purchase them in bulk from the Mist Forest Marketplace. The external sales of Condensing Evil Pills were even more in demand, with supply unable to meet it.

The liquid capital drained by the White Mirror Marketplace auction was rapidly being replenished. At the current rate of net monthly income, the deficit would be completely covered within a month and a half.

His cultivation didn’t stop either.

Cultivating for more than twelve hours a day had become his fixed routine. The Spirit Vein was just a few dozen meters beneath his feet, and the twenty-percent cultivation speed bonus from his Spirit Vein Affinity worked day and night.

This evening, as Li Yuan finished his daily cultivation, the panel popped up.

[Spirit Vein Affinity (Green) Permanence Conditions Met]

[Cultivated for over twelve hours daily for a cumulative total of thirty days (30/30)]

[Spirit Vein Affinity (Green) has become a permanent entry]

The phantom image of the Spirit Vein Guiding Disc in his equipment slot dissipated, freeing up the space.

The moment it became permanent, the amount of information he perceived about Spirit Veins suddenly doubled.

Where he could previously only sense the general direction of the marketplace’s main Spirit Vein, now every branch, every node, and even the real-time flow rate of Spiritual Power were rendered in exquisite detail. His range of perception extended several times beyond the marketplace; the faint Spirit Vein fluctuations in the distance, which he could only vaguely detect before, were now all clear and distinct.

The twenty-percent boost to cultivation speed near a Spirit Vein also became a permanent effect. This meant that as long as he cultivated within the range of a Spirit Vein, his efficiency would always be at least twenty percent higher than that of other Cultivators at the same tier.

Li Yuan got up and walked out of the stone house, just in time to run into Chen Yi coming from the direction of the administration office.

"Good, I was looking for you." Chen Yi looked a little tired. "The exploration teams need to be resupplied."

The two of them sat down in the stone house.

"Both teams have been deep in the Ghost Mist Forest for half a month now." Chen Yi took out a jade slip and handed it over. "Each team was equipped with a ten-day supply of pills and Array materials, but they’re using them up faster than expected. The density of Demon Beasts in the depths is too high. They have to fight almost every half-day, and they’re burning through pills."

Li Yuan took the jade slip and glanced at the supply list.

Tier One Healing Pills, Tier One Spirit-Restoring Pills, Tier Two Meridian-Protecting Pills, Tier One Defense Talismans, and various Array materials.

"The marketplace has all this in stock. We can just allocate it from the medicine warehouse and the Talisman shop."

"I’ll leave you to arrange it," Chen Yi said, standing up. "Once the supplies are ready, give them to the people at the outpost. They’ll forward them in."

Li Yuan nodded in agreement.

After Chen Yi left, Li Yuan didn’t immediately go to arrange the supplies.

He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

The doubled perception range from his now-permanent Spirit Vein Affinity, combined with the Earth Vein Spirit Pivot’s ability to survey subterranean structures, extended his sensory net underground to an unprecedented depth and breadth.

He slowly spread his perception out toward the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest.

The marketplace’s main Spirit Vein extended to the northwest, splitting into several branches about sixty li from the marketplace. The ends of these branches snaked through the deep strata beneath the Ghost Mist Forest, spreading out in all directions like tree roots.

Following the path of the branches, his perception touched upon two slowly moving clusters of Spiritual Power.

’The two exploration teams.’

The Spiritual Power clusters were not moving fast, advancing into the forest’s heart from the eastern and western sides, respectively. Judging from their current positions, both teams were still more than seventy li away from the Profound Nether Sub-Palace. For now, they posed no threat to his secret.

But they were slowly closing in on the central area he had previously calculated.

At this rate, the leading team would enter the thirty-li radius around the center in about ten days.

Li Yuan retracted his perception and opened his eyes.

That night, the perception net of his Dark Evil Insight intercepted a new round of Demonic Qi transmissions.

The mole’s signal frequency was more urgent than usual, and the volume of information was greater.

Li Yuan deciphered it in real-time.

The Dark Abyss Association had become aware of the Primordial Yang Sect’s search operation. The intelligence mentioned that Demon Cultivators had been dispatched to the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest to investigate, while the Dark Abyss Association itself was also deploying personnel to the same area.

Both sides were converging on the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest.

The Primordial Yang Sect searched openly, while the Dark Abyss Association infiltrated from the shadows. The two forces, though uncoordinated, were both closing in on the exact same area.

Li Yuan sat on his meditation cushion, his expression calm.

’What’s coming will come.’

’What I need to do is get what’s mine before anyone else arrives.’