Druid Fairy

Chapter 102 True Strength, Cultivation Techniques

The scene of the Dragon Palace changes, and the familiar white jade training ground appears.

The "Water Dragon Guard," whose entire body was composed of azure water, wielded a long spear of surging currents and reformed, its swirling eyes still deep and cold.

"It's nice to see you again, old friend."

Over two years, I don't know how many times I suffered at the hands of this guy, and I was so frustrated by his water gun that I questioned my existence.

But today, things are different.

"Buzz!"

The Water Dragon Guard moved, still using that textbook-perfect starting stance. With a flick of his spear, a roaring water dragon lunged forward, baring its fangs and claws. This was a move that Li Pingcan had tried with all his might to defend against, leaving him in a sorry state.

But now, with the Qi Refining Level 2 and the Spirit Beast talent, he only needed a thought.

【Riding the Wind】!
A strange power instantly flowed through his body, making him as light as a feather. Facing the ferocious water dragon rushing towards him, he didn't even retreat. He simply touched the ground with his toes, and his body glided to the side at an incredible angle, like a leaf lifted by a gentle breeze, easily avoiding the water dragon's head-on impact.

The vortex in the Water Dragon Guard's eyes seemed to pause for a moment, clearly surprised by Li Pingcan's sudden increase in speed.

"I already know your moves by heart."

Over the past two years, he has analyzed the Water Dragon Guard's operational patterns countless times.

It is powerful and precise, but this also makes it lack variety. After each thrust, there will inevitably be a brief moment of stagnation to regroup the water flow; with each sweep, the trajectory of the spear tip follows a fixed arc.

These details, which seem insignificant to others, became exploitable flaws in the eyes of Li Pingcan, who had been beaten hundreds of times.

The Water Dragon Guard's attack missed, but his spear thrusts continued unabated. He swept his spear horizontally, creating a crescent-shaped curtain of water that blocked Li Pingcan's escape route.

"The same old trick!"

Li Pingcan remained calm and composed; he had anticipated this move. Using the power of [Wind Control], he advanced instead of retreating, like a swift flying close to the ground, narrowly escaping beneath the spear shaft just before the water curtain closed!
He closed in close!

This time, the Water Dragon Guard was caught off guard. As an elemental being, its greatest strength lies in mid-to-long-range magical suppression; once it gets close, its movements will be severely restricted.

Li Pingcan seized this fleeting opportunity without using any fancy spells, as water magic was ineffective against the Water Dragon Guard.

The real killer move is this acquired physical body that has been tempered through countless trials, as well as the combat experience accumulated over the past two years!
Fist! Elbow! Knee!

At this moment, every joint in the body becomes a deadly weapon, and every strike precisely hits the weak points of the water flow in the Water Dragon Guard's body!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull thuds of blows echoed across the training ground. The Water Dragon Guard's massive body was forced back repeatedly, the water around his body surging violently, making his form appear somewhat ethereal.

It roared angrily, trying to force Li Pingcan back with its spear, but Li Pingcan's movements, enhanced by [Wind Control], became slippery and unpredictable, like a persistent infection. No matter how the Water Dragon Guard struggled, it could not escape his close-quarters combat.

Li Pingcan fought with increasing gusto, unleashing the pent-up resentment he had accumulated over the past two years through the power of his fists.

The Water Dragon Guard seemed to be completely enraged. It slammed its spear into the ground, and water poured into its entire body. In an instant, the entire training ground trembled violently, and countless water columns shot into the sky, forming an impenetrable cage to completely strangle Li Pingcan.

"I've been waiting for this move from you for a long time."

A glint flashed in Li Pingcan's eyes. This was the Water Dragon Guard's strongest move, and also the moment when its energy was most dispersed and its defense was weakest!
The moment the water cage closed, magical power flowed, and he once again used [Wind Control] to break free, pushing the physical strength of a post-natal grandmaster to its limit, and delivered a powerful punch to the Water Dragon Guard's chest.

"boom!"

With a deafening roar, the core of the Water Dragon Guard's chest was blasted apart, turning into a cloud of water vapor. The water prison that filled the entire training ground also collapsed with a crash, turning into a torrential downpour.

In the rain, Li Pingcan stood quietly, his body soaked through, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

[Trial successful.]

"call……"

Li Pingcan let out a long sigh of relief, a broad and joyful smile spreading across his face.

He looked at the pills he had been rewarded with.

[True Strength Pill: Its effects are powerful and pure, refining true essence and stimulating the pure, original true essence within the user's body.]

Then, with a flash of light, he was teleported to the martial arts arena.

"Little carp, how was it? How long did you last this time? Did you last more than ten breaths?" the Azure Dragon asked cheekily.

However, when it saw the pill emitting a soft light in Li Pingcan's hand, its voice stopped abruptly, and its snake eyes widened in shock.

"You...you...you! You passed?!" Qingjiao exclaimed in disbelief.

Li Pingcan waved the pill in front of the Azure Dragon and said calmly, "It was just luck. The Water Dragon Guards didn't seem to be in good shape today, and I caught them out a few times."

Not feeling well? You're kidding me!
The Azure Dragon was so angry at Li Pingcan's smug look, as if he had gotten a good deal but was still acting innocent. It kept wagging its tail.

'No way! This guy's already past the third level, and I'm still wallowing in the second level's illusion! It's so embarrassing! If I keep going like this, how can I ever hold my head high in front of him again? It's just an illusion, I can handle it!'

Li Pingcan deliberately didn't swallow the pill directly just to show off in front of Qingjiao. What's the difference between returning home in glory and wearing fine clothes in the dark?
I'll also give my good buddy a little push, a bit of reverse psychology.

Now that the goal has been achieved, I comfortably swallowed the True Strength Pill. The medicinal power washed over my meridians, continuously refining my inner energy, removing impurities, making it more solid and pure, and transforming it into "True Strength," a higher level of martial arts.

This pill is not a one-time burst of power, but rather it fundamentally strengthens the dantian and meridians, paving the way for future cultivation and also providing a certain boost to cultivation techniques.

My physical strength has increased!

Li Pingcan finished his meditation and felt happy.

After his physical cultivation reached the Innate Realm, he felt that his martial arts progress slowed down significantly. Even with daily cultivation, he felt like he was "reaching the threshold".

However, after taking Zhenjin Dan, this feeling was greatly reduced, which essentially meant that the upper limit was increased.

Sensing Li Pingcan's aura growing stronger once again, Qingjiao truly realized the reality that Xiao Liyu was "far ahead," and shed tears of envy, jealousy, and hatred. He wasn't afraid of his brother suffering, but he was afraid of his brother driving a Land Rover!

After much painful reflection, I'm determined never to waste my life like this again!

If I can't get past the second level, I'll cut off the root of this damned desire!
It made a solemn vow, and at that moment it appeared incredibly resolute.

…………

"Keep going!"

Having gained many benefits, Li Pingcan's anticipation for the Dragon Palace grew even stronger, and he headed towards the fourth level.

As he stepped inside, the scene before him was no longer a martial arts arena, but an ancient and solemn hall.

"Why has it changed again?"

Li Pingcan was slightly taken aback; he had thought it would be something like continuing the fight or tempering his mind.

The next instant, in the center of the hall, four orbs of light, each shimmering with a different radiance, floated, representing: pills, artifacts, talismans, and arrays.

[The fourth level of the Dragon Palace, the Hall of Path Selection.]

Please select your cultivation technique.

Looking at the four orbs of light in front of him, Li Pingcan felt a surge of joy.

Among the myriad arts of cultivation, the most powerful are alchemy, artifact crafting, talisman arrays, and so on. It is the most powerful of all the "wealth" among "wealth, companionship, magic, and land"!

The four cultivation techniques displayed in the Hall of Choosing the Path, if mastered, will bring a continuous stream of wealth!
He had heard his second brother say that even the Mu family of the prefecture treated alchemists with utmost respect and would never dare to be disrespectful in any way, as they held a very high status!
Now, besides the "Array Formation" technique, I can also learn a second cultivation skill!
But after thinking for a long time, Li Pingcan slowly shook his head.

"Alchemy, weapon crafting, and talismanic arts are all great paths, but each requires an immense amount of time and resources to master."

Upgrading Druid proficiency and planting trees took up a lot of Li Pingcan's time, not to mention martial arts, meditation, and studying formations... Even someone as energetic as Li Pingcan, who had taken Dao Spirit Pills and Dao Foundation Pills, would be overwhelmed if he were to develop a new skill!
The current balance between the various cultivation sessions is already at its limit.

"My energy is limited. Rather than being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, it's better to specialize in one area and cultivate expertise in it!"

He took a deep breath and resolutely reached out to touch the light sphere representing the character "阵" (array).

"I choose the Path of Arrays!"

As the selection was made, the other three orbs of light slowly dissipated, leaving only the orb bearing the character "阵" (array) to shine brightly. From within emerged the phantom of an old man with white hair and beard, an air of otherworldly grace, yet a stern face. This was the array spirit of the Dragon Palace, who didn't seem very approachable.

The spirit of the formation looked Li Pingcan up and down, its eyes filled with a critical and scrutinizing gaze. It snorted and said in a rigid voice, "Since you have chosen the path of formations, you must endure hardship and never slack off easily."

He paused, then asked, "Have you studied formations? If so, how much time do you spend on formations each day?"

"I've learned it." Li Pingcan dared not lie to the spirit, and honestly replied, "About an hour."

"Huh!? What did your teacher teach you? You dare to slack off like this!"

The spirit immediately glared at him, his beard bristling with anger, "This child is beyond redemption!"

I never expected him to be such a scholarly spirit...

Li Pingcan felt that he must have forgotten to check the almanac before going out today, so he could only put on an awkward but polite smile.

"Alright, let me teach you the basics of array diagrams first."

The spirit of the array shook its head and sighed, with a resigned expression, and said, "Drawing an array diagram, the first thing is the brushstrokes. The brushstrokes for each array diagram are not exactly the same. Take the Spirit Gathering Array as an example. When you encounter a turn in the rune pattern, the spiritual energy must first be 'gathered' and then suddenly 'released', lifting the brush to 'flow' like a dragon. In this way, the strokes at the nodes will be solid, and the spiritual energy will not easily leak out. There are eighty-one such key turns in the Spirit Gathering Array..."

As he spoke, he made abstract drawings in the air, like blackboard writing in a classroom from a past life.

Li Pingcan became more and more confused as he listened.

The Five Elements Mysterious Array doesn't explain the brushstroke transitions or turns at all!

Such internal terminology is passed down orally among array masters. Although "The Five Elements Mysterious Array" also teaches the basics, some industry-specific aspects can only be understood through practical experience.

This is the difference between self-studying by reading textbooks and being taught by a teacher who breaks things down into smaller parts.

Moreover, authors of cultivation knowledge often keep secrets from other cultivators. Bai Niangniang was not a formation master and could not understand the "hidden hand" behind it.

Having finally encountered a "teacher," Li Pingcan humbly asked, "What is 'gathering'?"

"You don't even know this? What did your teacher teach you? Has our array formation tradition declined?" The array spirit looked at the person in front of him suspiciously and asked speechlessly, "Then do you know about 'lifting the brush to let the dragon soar,' 'releasing the brush to set the ink,' and 'sliding the brush back to its origin'...?"

Li Pingcan's eyes widened involuntarily.

He recognizes all these characters, so why can't he understand them?

He could only awkwardly and softly say, "This junior has learned some rudimentary techniques on his own, and I would appreciate guidance from the array spirit master." He bowed deeply, his attitude extremely humble.

"No! I don't have a good-for-nothing disciple like you."

Seeing Li Pingcan's "not very bright" expression, the array spirit sighed, "Very well, let this old man see your foundation and draw a very basic array diagram."

As he spoke, the spirit waved his hand, and a scroll made of light and a brush made of spiritual energy appeared in front of Li Pingcan.

He had already memorized the array diagrams, but after experiencing a series of setbacks, Li Pingcan decided to draw the "Spirit Gathering" array diagram that he was most familiar with.

He immediately picked up the light pen, concentrated his mind and followed the method in the "Five Elements Mysterious Array," and the pen soared like a flying dragon.

'Spiritual energy is drawn in but not gathered; it flows freely, causing the form to scatter and the spirit to become chaotic!'

As the array spirit looked at it, it made its own assessment in its mind. The more it looked, the more it frowned. This array diagram was simply a chaotic and substandard product. Logically speaking, it would collapse at any time before it was completed, and it was impossible to succeed.

but……

In a short while, Li Pingcan's spirit-gathering array diagram was completed.

The spirit stared wide-eyed, its face filled with disbelief. How could this possibly work?
It's like a rickety building frame that was suddenly stabilized, and the completion speed was quite rapid.

A little bit of trial and error in the brushstrokes, a little bit of steady inspiration, plus a little bit of luck!

"Your drawing style is... way too wild!"

The spirit of the formation glanced at Li Pingcan subconsciously. Could it be that he was still a rough gem?

Seeing that Li Pingcan's attitude was relatively sincere, he finally patiently began to teach him, his voice muffled as he said, "Actually, you have already grasped some of the so-called 'pen like a swimming dragon,' but it's not systematic. Now I will teach you again, so listen carefully. The way of formations uses spirit as the guide, qi as the ink, and intention as the bone; it requires a connection with the spirit of heaven and earth..."

"Yes!" Li Pingcan was overjoyed. Learning by doing was too difficult. He had spent two or three years figuring out the two array diagrams. If he had a teacher, he wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble!
…………

the following few days.

Li Pingcan completely abandoned his own "unorthodox methods," humbly accepting instruction and starting to learn from the most basic techniques of holding a pen and guiding one's breath.

Although the spirit of the formation is harsh and prone to cursing, he is meticulous in his teaching, imparting to the essence and orthodox knowledge of the formation path.

Li Pingcan already possessed a powerful spiritual sense and extremely high comprehension. Now that he had received the orthodox inheritance, he was like a dry sponge frantically absorbing water. Many previously obscure and difficult principles of formations suddenly became clear, and his knowledge of formations advanced by leaps and bounds.

Another five days passed.

"Draw the Spirit Gathering Array again," the array spirit said expressionlessly.

Li Pingcan took a deep breath and picked up his pen again.

This time, his movements were steady and fluid, the light from the tip of his pen perfectly merging with his divine sense. Array patterns imbued with spiritual energy leaped onto the paper, connecting with each other to ultimately form a shimmering, vibrant array diagram.

Although it is not yet as perfect as the formation spirit, it has already undergone a complete transformation and is beginning to show the style of a master.

The spirit of the formation stared at the formation diagram, speechless for a long time.

A look of undisguised astonishment appeared in those calm, still eyes. He leaned closer to the array diagram, examining it closely for a long time, then looked up at Li Pingcan as if he were looking at a monster.

"How can this be?"

He stroked his beard and muttered to himself, "Such progress in just a few days, such talent, such comprehension, could it be that I've stumbled upon a treasure?"

The look in his eyes when he looked at Li Pingcan changed from initial disdain to appreciation, with a hint of ecstatic joy as if he had found a treasure!

Even the unchanging, rigid face of the spirit array managed to squeeze out a smile that could be described as kind, despite its ferocious appearance.

"Cough cough!"

He cleared his throat, his tone barely concealing his pride, "A promising young man indeed! It seems my judgment was right after all. You lad, although your foundation is a complete mess, like a dog paddling, your comprehension is decent, you've barely... barely managed to capture one-tenth of my former glory!"

Li Pingcan's lips twitched slightly.

Goodness, that's a change of heart faster than flipping through a book. Just a moment ago they were incredibly disdainful, and now they're practically begging, "Quickly, become my disciple!"

However, he was also happy. Being praised like this by a professional array master felt even better than succeeding a hundred times by studying it on his own.

The spirit stroked his beard, increasingly convinced that he couldn't let this promising talent slip away, fearing he might be led astray by other unorthodox methods. He earnestly instructed him:
"From guiding Qi to setting up the array, from runes to the array core, I will break down every detail for you. After you go back, you must spend at least three hours studying it every day. If you slack off even a little, don't blame me for not giving you a good look next time we meet!"

Li Pingcan chuckled: "Thank you for your guidance, teacher."

"Hmph! Who is your teacher! I merely saw the lineage of array formations declining and couldn't bear to see such a precious gem go to waste!"

The spirit, though arrogant, smiled and said, "Next time you come, I'll teach you a few more of my special skills."

Looking at the spirit array that seemed to have poured out all its knowledge, Li Pingcan was moved and also wanted to laugh. He was then teleported out of the Dragon Palace with a satisfied heart.

His mind was now filled with the ingenious methods taught by the array spirit, and he wished he could immediately tear down and rebuild all the arrays of his house and Listening Wind Cliff.

"What kind of formation was that before? It was just patching things up, robbing Peter to pay Paul. It worked, but if a problem arose, it was like digging up a mountain of shit to keep patching it up..."

The once-proud "Hidden Mystery Spirit Array" is now riddled with flaws.

"The position of this array base is three inches off, which causes the flow of spiritual energy to be obstructed, greatly reducing its concealment effect!"

"The connection of this rune is too stiff, like a blocked meridian. No wonder it always feels somewhat obscure!"

"And this array eye! My God, what was I thinking? I just buried the Concealment Pearl directly! What a waste!"

As he examined the items, he shook his head and sighed, heartbroken.

(End of this chapter)