Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 42: Chapter 41 Little Green Bamboo Array (Thanks to Little Warm Sun, Silver Alliance Leader!)

Several Samadhi True Fire fireballs shot out, turning the bodies of four people into flying ash.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, may you successfully establish your foundation in your next life,”

Ning Daoran sighed.

He wasn’t talking from a position of discomfort; he felt that Wang Chongyan shouldn’t have participated in this exploration of the secret realm.

After all, unlike other cultivators, Wang Chongyan could not rely on cultivating spirit rice to become stronger. Like all cultivators, he had to seize every opportunity, or else he would ultimately perish in regret.

After collecting everyone’s storage bags, he glanced at the cave mansion of the ancient cultivator behind the prohibition.

He had no desire whatsoever to explore the mystery, not even the desire to open the prohibition to retrieve the Liuhe Stones.

This cave mansion, he feared, was more than ten times more dangerous than the outside world!

After a quick soul search, he found two fist-sized Liuhe Stones in Purple Light Master’s storage bag, which he had discovered in the nearby forest, and those were sufficient.

Next, he needed purple copper, which Wen Zichen had.

He frowned and pondered carefully, feeling he could return, so he rode the green bamboo leaves, taking Big Stupid Deer back to Yellow Dragon Square.

…

Wen Family’s Refining Workshop.

“Fellow Daoist Ning, how did you come back so soon?” Wen Zichen was surprised.

“The breaking of the prohibition was a bit faster than we had anticipated.”

Ning Daoran smiled, “I’ve said before that I would only help break the prohibition and return after retrieving the Liuhe Stones. Master Wen, would you be willing to part with the half a pound of purple copper you have?”

“Of course.”

Wen Zichen smiled, “Ru’er, bring my half-pound of purple copper.”

Soon after, Wen Ru came with a delicate wooden box.

“Fellow Daoist Ning.”

Her lips lifted slightly, “Purple copper, Liuhe stones… If I’m not wrong, Fellow Daoist Ning, you are intending to refine a middle-grade Small Cloud Mist Array?”

“Indeed.”

Ning Daoran said, “Miss Wen indeed has profound knowledge in arrays.”

“Just a little,”

Wen Ru presented the half-pound of purple copper.

Ning Daoran, according to the market price, slapped his storage bag and took out twenty spirit stones to give to Wen Zichen.

He looked deeply at Wen Zichen, then turned and left.

That look made Wen Zichen stand dazed for a long time, puzzled.

He had no idea that he had almost been killed by the Azure Dragon Spear he had reforged himself.

Wen Zichen’s guarantee of cooperation with Purple Light Master was unaware that Purple Light Master’s real targets were Ning Daoran and the unfortunate Elder Wang from the start.

Ning Daoran, having soul searched the Purple Light Master and learned that Wen Zichen was unaware, really thought the Purple Light Master’s objective was the ancient cultivator’s cave mansion; hence he served as the guarantor.

Had he had any scheming with the Purple Light Master, he would have died just now.

…

Qiongbi Peak, Courtyard No. 77.

In a chamber twenty zhang underground, Ning Daoran began to inspect his gains.

These loose cultivators, and cultivators at the robbery stage were indeed poor. Purple Light Master, Ning Jiaojiao, Wang Chongyan, despite being great cultivators at the Qi Refining Ninth Level, had at most two or three magic artifacts, and a few hundred spirit stones on them.

The reason for their poverty was that every step of their cultivation required elixirs, and those elixirs for advancing cultivation or breaking through stages were not cheap, enough to drain these Qi Refining Stage practitioners dry.

Numerous cultivators in the world, but only a rare few could truly establish their foundations.

Foundation establishment was the first threshold for cultivators, yet it left the vast majority lingering outside its gates, which was truly lamentable.

However, there were also unintended gains.

Purple Light Master was not only a cultivator but also an array master.

He had set up a “Small Green Bamboo Array,” a First-tier Middle-grade Array outside the prohibition; conveniently, the legacy of this array was in the storage bag.

Furthermore, the Small Green Bamboo Array had already been retrieved by Ning Daoran; it was in the storage bag, just needing a bit of refinement to be usable.

As for the legacy of the Small Green Bamboo Array, Ning Daoran of course intended to study it thoroughly— even though he wasn’t going to refine this kind of First-tier Middle-grade Killing Array, researching the Small Green Bamboo Array would complete some of his understanding and knowledge of arrays.

…

That night, after re-refining the Small Green Bamboo Array and erasing the spiritual imprints of Purple Light Master, Ning Jiaojiao, and Zhu Ya.

Then, Ning Daoran began to upgrade the Small Cloud Mist Array.

Artifact Refining Chamber.

The Array Flag and Array Plate of the Small Cloud Mist Array were taken out anew, and Ning Daoran engraved a new combination of spiritual patterns; nearly forty-eight dense spiritual patterns formed a single array pattern.

Then, he used Samadhi True Fire to meld the purple copper and Liuhe stone into the Array Flag and Array Plate.

After three full days, he finally emerged.

A new array was born— a First-tier Middle-grade Small Cloud Mist Array!

“Hum~~~”

When the dense cloud mist surged up like an ancient tree covering a vast area at that moment, the isolation, illusion, and gathering spirit effects of the Small Cloud Mist Array were greatly enhanced, and an additional confusion effect was added.

From then on, if anyone were to intrude on the Small Cloud Mist Array, they would enter the impenetrable confusion array, unable to find their way out.

Either an expert in arrays could decipher it, or it could be directly crushed with mana force, otherwise, there was no other way to escape this Small Cloud Mist Array.

But pushing a First-tier Medium Grade Array connected to the underground spirit veins required at least a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage; otherwise, one could only be trapped within.

Ning Daoran currently avoided provoking Foundation Establishment cultivators, so he had no need in that regard.

What he truly needed were the isolation and gathering spirit properties of the Small Cloud Mist Array, which allowed him to recklessly plant spiritual medicines in the underground first layer from now on without having to worry about being detected by Divine Sense!

In the Chaotic Sect, apart from the Elder Sister in Core Formation, even the Divine Sense of the three Inner Sect Elders in the late stage of Foundation Establishment probably couldn’t penetrate the isolation effect of the Mid-grade Small Cloud Mist Array!

…

“Chen Weimo, come over for dinner!”

In the early morning, Ning Daoran’s voice roared like a dragon and tiger.

Chen Weimo, who was cultivating at Spirit Field 79, immediately rushed over. Ning Daoran imprinted Chen Weimo’s mark on the Small Cloud Mist Array, allowing her to pass in and out freely.@@novelbin@@

Breakfast was very simple, without the need for much meat or fish; being full was what mattered most. Five catties of spirit fish, a fat chicken, and a pot of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice were enough.

“Chen Weimo.”

“Yes, Uncle! What is it?”

The little girl opened her big watery eyes, appearing so harmlessly human.

Ning Daoran took out a set of Array Plates and Array Flags from his Storage Bag—it was the First-tier Medium Grade Small Green Bamboo Array—and said, “Impress your Divine Soul Mark on it, and from now on, this killing array will be yours.”

“Ah?”

Chen Weimo was startled, “Uncle… I… am I worthy of a First-tier Middle-grade Array? I’m just a Spirit farmer, and my broken house… doesn’t have anything worth stealing…”

“Tsks.”

Ning Daoran said sarcastically, “My dear, do you think this Small Green Bamboo Array is meant for thieves? Given how poor your possessions are, it’s debatable whether anyone would covet them.

This array has other uses. Take it home, bury the Array Flags and Array Plates, and activate the array as I taught you.

This array isn’t just a Killing Array; it also acts as a Confusion Array, which is quite handy. If anyone asks, just say I gave it to you.”

“Okay, thank you, Uncle!”

“No need for thanks, just focus on your cultivation.”

“Yes!”

Thus, quiet days began again on Qiongbi Peak.

After achieving perfection in Body Tempering Technique and cultivating the Evergreen Technique to the tenth layer, Ning Daoran felt vigorous every day, as if he had endless energy, and so he helped Chen Weimo plant all three mu of the Spirit land at Spirit Field 79 with Green Bamboo Spirit Rice.

The people of the Outer Sect saw it yet said nothing.

The Elders in charge of managing the Spirit lands had all received benefits from Ning Daoran, whether a few Spirit fish or several dozen catties of Second-tier Spirit Rice.

Thus, they took an out of sight, out of mind approach to these matters. If it ever came up to the higher-ups, they would simply say they hadn’t noticed; after all, these were trifles.

Beside, as a young Second-level Spirit Farmer, the Sect was eager to protect Ning Daoran; unless he went too far, they wouldn’t suppress him.

On Qiongbi Peak, apart from Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer, everyone else cultivated at a slow pace.

Chen Weimo, with her ordinary talent and cultivating the Evergreen Technique, naturally progressed slowly.

Ning Daoran taught her the Evergreen Technique primarily because among her Five Spirit Roots, the Wood spirit root was slightly more sensitive than the others.

Moreover, since the Evergreen Technique could increase her lifespan, he hoped that Chen Weimo could live longer and thus have more opportunities to reach Foundation Establishment.

Huang Shan still cultivated hard every day, though his progress was minimal.

Qin Xiang remained inconspicuous with a very low presence. If it weren’t for Ning Daoran’s frequent scans of his cultivation with his Divine Sense, one might think he was another anomaly with a system.

Old Ma was still a laid-back salted fish, spending most of the spirit stones he earned from planting Spirit Rice to take care of the “Kun Xiu” little fairies in the chaotic areas of Yellow Dragon Square.

On the field ridges, Ning Daoran pushed the Body Tempering Pile while the Evergreen Technique Mana surged through his body; Big Stupid Deer, carrying Chen Weimo, frolicked back and forth across the field ridges like a mad deer.

“Fellow Daoist Ning.”

Ma Quanyou took off his hat and sat down, his expression grave, “A couple of days ago, I went to the slum area of the Workshop. Guess who I saw.”

“Who?”

Ning Daoran grinned, “It’s not another fairy, is it?”

“That’s not it.”

Ma Quanyou sneered, “I saw Zhong Yan, dressed flamboyantly, sitting on the doorstep waiting for customers.”

“Ah?”

Ning Daoran shuddered.

“Ridiculous, right?”

Ma Quanyou said, ”

At Qiongbi Peak, Zhong Yan has always been seen as a virtuous and gentle woman in my eyes. Yet now, to think she has fallen to such a level, and given her age and fading beauty, she doesn’t have many patrons.

Most of those customers visit because of her Early Stage of Qi Refining status and even many mortal tycoons swing by to enjoy a night of spring with a cultivating immortal woman.”

“That’s enough, Old Ma.”

Ning Daoran frowned, “Stop talking.”

“Yes.”

Old Ma gently patted his shoulder and said, ”

Fellow Daoist Ning, you are now in the Late-stage of Qi Refining and have hope to establish your Foundation.

Me, Zhong Yan, Qin Xiang, Huang Shan, including Little Weimo, in the end, we are destined to stand behind a door of immortality that you can pass through while we can never…

Perhaps hundreds of years later, you will still be in the prime of youth, while we will have long since turned into dust beneath the spring. I wonder if you will still remember these old friends of yours then.”

…

Ma Quanyou’s words left Ning Daoran somewhat distressed.

He had intended to go down the mountain to see what Zhong Yan’s current situation was like.

But in the end, he thought better of it and decided not to go; going there would seem redundant after all.