Chapter 161: Array Formation Practice

Blind Liu was a classic case of once bitten, twice shy. Seeing his overly cautious demeanor, I laughed out of sheer exasperation. "Fine, drink the wine or don't."

I poured myself a cup and savored it slowly. A rich, mellow aroma of wine drifted through the room.

Blind Liu watched eagerly, his Adam's apple bobbing. He even abandoned his Calming Spell. Thoroughly tempted, he unconsciously rested his hand on the table.

"Are you sure you don't want a little, old man? You won't find this wine anywhere else."

I made a show of reaching for the cup in front of him, and Old Liu finally couldn't hold back. "Hold on a minute!"

He raised his hand, perfectly shielding the cup. "We cultivators believe in letting nature take its course. You have karma with the Liu family, so it seems I cannot avoid this cup of wine after all."

He shook his head gently, putting on the helpless look of a worldly master, and shook out his tattered linen Daoist robe. "So be it, so be it. I'll give you face today. We can't let a single cup of wine damage the relationship between us."

With that said, Blind Liu casually picked up the cup and drank with obvious relish.

"Damn, you convinced yourself fast. What happened to a cultivator's integrity? Hey! Don't pour yourself another one!"

"Ah! Fine wine in luminous cups, the pipa urging the rider to drink! Good wine, excellent wine!"

Seeing this entirely different side of Blind Liu put me in a great mood. I temporarily tossed the Underworld Live Show live broadcast task and the serial murders from five years ago to the back of my mind.

Get drunk today on today's wine, and leave tomorrow's sorrows for tomorrow.

After three rounds of wine, I finally remembered my real purpose. I went to the back room and brought out the Compass I had taken from Lu Jin.

"Old Liu, the Liu family specializes in feng shui and geomancy. I have something to give you as payment for your help." I placed the black-cloth-wrapped Compass on the wine table.

"You're treating me like an outsider. Helping you is helping the Liu family. If you strike it rich and soar to success, the Liu family can bask in your glory. But if you meet with unexpected disaster, we'll be dragged down with you." It was rare for Blind Liu to encounter such fine wine, and he had drunk quite a bit. "Consider this planning for a rainy day."

Despite his words, I believed in keeping things separate. "A drop of kindness should be repaid with a fountain. I can't use this Compass anyway, so I might as well give it to you to measure feng shui or something."

"A Compass? How could you possibly have one?" Blind Liu downed the rest of his wine in one gulp. "Modern ones are never accurate. They might look like mechanical replicas with errors of only a few micrometers, but they're just an empty shell, lacking spiritual essence. The truly good Compasses are all heirlooms handed down through the generations. They were crafted by ancestors who observed the stars by night and used their own two feet to measure the five directions of heaven and earth, the lakes, and the great rivers, one step at a time. That craft was lost long ago."

I topped off his cup and casually pulled back the black cloth. "This one doesn't look like a modern replica, but I'm not entirely sure. Take a look yourself."

Blind Liu didn't care at first. He merely tossed it a casual glance, but after that single look, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, this Compass of yours... it looks like it was brought out from the inside."

"Brought out from the inside? Old Liu, what does that mean?" I was somewhat puzzled.

Blind Liu lightly traced his pinky across the bottom of the Compass, then lifted it to his eyes with both hands. "Nowadays, most good Compasses are handed down from generation to generation by our ancestors, but yours is different."

"Different how?"

"This Compass was stolen from a major tomb." Blind Liu was absolutely certain, but when I tried to ask for details, he waved his hand dismissively. "The nineteen inner and outer layers of heaven and earth are staggered against each other. This is the earliest type of Compass. From the Heavenly Pool and Yin-Yang Fish at the center, to the celestial degrees and Twenty-Eight Mansions on the outermost edge, it fits everything into the palm of a hand. To achieve this, only the mighty cultivators of antiquity who comprehended heaven and earth could have done it."

"Deducing it came from a tomb based solely on that seems a little arbitrary, doesn't it?"

Blind Liu didn't answer me. Instead, he asked a question of his own. "Where exactly did you get this Compass?"

"From Lu Jin. He's the Brocade-Robed Daoist Priest we ran into at the Pine Forest Cemetery. Due to a little accident, I stripped him completely clean."

"That man has a formidable background. You really are audacious! If you stir up trouble with them, imminent disaster will fall on your head."

"What is there to be afraid of? These days, the bold gorge themselves while the timid starve to death. Besides, I was quick and clean. I didn't leave any loopholes." I gave Blind Liu a reassuring look.

"Just be careful. These Daoist lineages prefer to keep a low profile, but if you really push them into a corner, absolutely no one in a small place like Jiangcheng would dare speak up for you." Blind Liu thought for a moment, then added with a bitter smile, "Except for me, that is."

He set the Compass on the table and gestured for me to look at the light cyan cloud patterns on the bottom. "These weren't originally part of the Compass. They appeared because it was buried deep underground for too long. The clearer the cloud patterns, the older it is. The origins of your Compass probably date all the way back to the pre-Qin period."

"Damn, it's a real antique!"

"Keep it safely hidden away. I wouldn't dare accept a priceless treasure like this." Blind Liu wrapped the Compass back up. "You don't understand feng shui and geomancy right now, but since you've already started cultivating the Dao, you'll naturally come into contact with these arts sooner or later. The Compass is a feng shui master's magical artifact. Keep it. One day, it will become your most loyal and reliable companion."

Blind Liu absolutely refused to accept it no matter what I said, so left with no other choice, I put it back where it came from.

"Old Liu, I actually did come here to trouble you with something else." I handed Blind Liu a copied list of the new merchandise catalog from the Underworld Live Show. "Have you ever researched the path of array formations?"

"Array formations?" Blind Liu decisively shook his head. "That's not something an ordinary cultivator ever comes into contact with."

I had seen similar words in the Detailed Explanation of Profound Truth Dao Methods. Recalling it now, I felt a bit puzzled. "Array formations might be complicated, but their corresponding power is ten to a hundred times greater than ordinary talismans. Why have they gradually declined?"

"Array formations are indeed incredibly powerful, but they have several drawbacks." Blind Liu poured himself another cup of wine and took a sip before continuing. "First, operating an array is complex and places high demands on the person anchoring it. Even if an ordinary cultivator manages to get their hands on a detailed array explanation, they would have the will but not the power to use it."

"Second, the cost of setting up an array is simply staggering. Take the most basic Origin-Returning Array as an example. It only has one simple variation, and its effect is merely to gather spiritual qi. But to set it up successfully, you need nine One Qi Return to Origin Talismans, plus a magical artifact to anchor the formation. Although the artifact can be reused, those nine talismans will basically lose their effect after a single use."

Blind Liu comfortably drank his wine. "And array formations have one more flaw. The slightest distraction during setup will cause it to fail. The normal success rate is around one in three. Only someone highly experienced or with extreme natural talent can successfully lay down an array on their first try."

Hearing Blind Liu's explanation, I figured that Zichou, the man who had died in the Dream Realm, must have been a true prodigy in array formations. What a pity he encountered the Primal Destiny Divine Fiends inside the nightmare.

"Old Liu, do you think I might be one of those array-setting prodigies?" I looked at him expectantly, but he just smiled and didn't say a word.

"Are you ignoring me?" I pointed at my handwritten catalog. "If I wanted to learn array formations, which of these items do you think are actually reliable?"

"You want to learn array formations?" Blind Liu set down his cup, his expression turning solemn. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. How long have you even been cultivating the Dao? You don't even know how to draw a basic talisman yet, and you want to study array formations?"

Truth be told, I didn't want to learn any of this messy stuff either, but knowing the Underworld Live Show's nature, I would very likely run into some sort of evil array during my next live broadcast. So even if I couldn't master them, I needed to learn a bit more about them.

"Old Liu, just give me your advice."

Blind Liu held the merchandise catalog I'd given him, looking troubled. "I truly don't understand array formations. Furthermore, the items on this list of yours—like this Comprehensive Guide to the Top Ten Ancient and Modern Evil Arrays—sound like nothing good just from the name. If you really want to learn array formations, don't make it so complicated. Just practice the basic array formations from within the Profound Truth Dao. As for the array core, this Earth God Clay Statue will be enough."

"Just redeem this one?" The Earth God Clay Statue only took one point to redeem, and I currently had a full thirty-five points on me, leaving me very well off.

"Besides the array items, I think there are two other things you should snag." Blind Liu placed the catalog on the table. "If this Qi Gathering Pill is genuine, you absolutely cannot miss it. One tiny pill can save you months or even years of time."

I nodded. "And what's the other item?"

"The Lacquered Wooden Coffin."

"A coffin?"