Druid Fairy

Chapter 159 Second-Order Array
The Prefectural Academy, Dan Hall.

Since Xu Hanzhou took the field, the Dayu Dynasty has won victory after victory, and the war with the Daqian Dynasty has entered a fierce stage.

The demand for elixirs at the front lines was like a bottomless pit, with the alchemy furnaces burning day and night.

On the stone steps of the courtyard, several newly initiated disciples were whispering among themselves, their eyes occasionally glancing at the most elegant alchemy room not far away, their faces full of undisguised admiration.

"Look, look! It's Senior Brother Li!"

"Wow, Senior Brother Li looks so handsome in that moon-white Taoist robe today!"

"That's right! Not only is he handsome, but his talent for alchemy is unparalleled in our academy for hundreds of years! I heard that his improved 'Qingyuan Pill' is now a hot commodity on the front lines!"

A female disciple with a few freckles on her face rested her chin on her hands, her eyes sparkling, yet she sighed with a hint of regret.

"Alas, it's a pity. I heard that Senior Brother Li's talent for cultivation is average. He's already fourteen years old, but his cultivation is still stuck at the second level of Qi Refining. His cultivation is not even as good as that of a Pill Hall steward."

"So what!" his companion immediately retorted. "Our Senior Brother Li is an alchemist! He's someone even Foundation Establishment cultivators treat with utmost respect! So what if his cultivation is a little slower? He has plenty of elixirs to replenish himself! Besides, this is called specializing in one path, what do you know!"

The girls chattered and argued, completely unaware that the steward Liu, whom they were talking about whose cultivation was "inferior to the steward's," was standing outside the alchemy room.

He looked at the tightly closed door and waited patiently, all traces of his former arrogance gone, his heart filled with regret and fear.

What I regret is that I was blind to his talent and dared to make things difficult for such a person. What I fear is that this young man's talent for alchemy is simply monstrous!

In just a few years, Li Mengze's name had already resounded throughout the entire Dantang.

He can not only consistently refine Qingyuan Pills with more than seven pill patterns, but he also frequently innovates and improves some ancient pill formulas, often with effects that are even better than the originals.

Nowadays, not to mention a mere steward like him, even the elders of the Pill Hall address Li Mengze respectfully as "Young Friend Li."

'I was so blind back then! This isn't some country bumpkin at all. I just hope the adults will be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against me for my past mistakes.'

Just then, the door to the alchemy room creaked open.

Li Mengze came out and saw Deacon Liu at the door. He calmly asked, "Deacon Liu, is there something you need?"

"Master Li, you've worked hard." Deacon Liu quickly bowed and greeted him, his attitude respectful but not obsequious. "This is the medicine account of the Pill Hall for this month. Please take a look."

Li Mengze took the ledger without saying much, simply nodding and saying, "Put it here."

"Yes, yes, then... I won't bother you any longer." Steward Liu said nothing more and quickly withdrew.

Looking at his appearance, Li Mengze felt no emotion whatsoever.

He had long understood that in the world of cultivation, respect was never bestowed by others, but earned little by little through one's own strength.

He composed himself, returned to his room, and sat cross-legged.

That night, the moonlight was as clear as water.

Li Mengze was surrounded by spiritual energy, as if he were a tangible being.

The points he contributed to improving the pill formulas over the years earned him a vast amount of spirit stones and rare medicinal herbs. He invested all of these resources into his own cultivation.

Within his dantian, his magical power was already overflowing like a rising tide, repeatedly surging against the invisible barrier leading to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

'Just a little bit more, just a little bit more!'

He could clearly feel that he was only a thin veil away from breaking through.

Instead of being impatient, he used his exquisite control over the various medicinal powers he had acquired while refining pills to organize the vast spiritual energy in an orderly manner. Then, guided by the "Breathing of the Tree" technique, he nurtured his meridians and soul again and again.

After an unknown amount of time, when the last trace of medicinal power was completely refined, the surging torrent of magical power finally converged into an unparalleled giant wave!

"boom!"

With a muffled thud that seemed to come from the depths of the soul, the solid barrier shattered!

Li Mengze felt a sense of lightness throughout his body, and an indescribable feeling of comfort and strength welled up from every corner of his body.

His dantian had expanded several times over compared to before. His magical energy surged and circulated endlessly.

His divine sense spread outwards like a tide, easily enveloping the entire alchemy hall.

Fourth level of Qi refining!

He slowly opened his eyes, and a dazzling light flashed in them, as if the whole room had been illuminated.

He got up and walked to the window, opened it, looked at the bright moon outside, and thought of the distant Peach Blossom Village. A sense of peace settled over him.

The tranquility didn't last long before a gentle voice sounded outside his door.

"Mengze, are you asleep?"

It was the voice of teacher Su Qingxue.

Li Mengze's heart stirred, and he quickly concealed his aura, then strode forward and opened the door.

Su Qingxue, dressed in a moon-white long dress, stood quietly in the moonlight, a relieved smile on her face.

"Teacher, is there something important that you're visiting so late at night?"

"You child, you are not arrogant or impatient."

Su Qingxue smiled softly, looking her disciple up and down, becoming more and more satisfied with her. "I have come here to tell you some very good news."

She paused, her expression becoming solemn: "Although the war between the Dynasty and the Great Qian is currently at a stalemate, our Great Yu army is strong and well-equipped, and with the assistance of many immortal sects, a great victory is only a matter of time. His Majesty is overjoyed and has issued a decree to reopen the 'Alchemy Academy' in the capital to cultivate true alchemy masters for the Dynasty."

"The Alchemy Hall?" Li Mengze was startled upon hearing this.

“That’s right.” Su Qingxue nodded. “Our Songling Prefecture has been awarded a recommendation spot. And you are the one unanimously recommended by your teacher and the entire academy.”

She looked at Li Mengze, her eyes full of expectation, "Mengze, this is not only your glory, but also the glory of the entire Li family. If you can pass the final selection and become a reserve royal alchemist, your Li family will be considered a true immortal clan in the entire Great Yu Dynasty!"

Li Mengze was deeply moved.

Royal Alchemist!
What a noble and glorious thing that is!

He took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Su Qingxue.

"Teacher, don't worry."

"Disciple will certainly live up to your expectations!"

…………

Inside the Dragon Palace, in the Hall of Five Elements.

The numbers on Li Pingcan's panel changed once again.

Water (35/70)

【Gold(31/70)】

【Fire(33/70)】

The three attributes of water, metal, and fire all broke through the 30th level, leaping from low-grade spiritual roots to mid-grade spiritual roots!
In that instant, Li Pingcan felt an indescribable transformation in his body and soul.

The distinct spiritual energies within his body, which were originally clearly defined, began to subtly flow and interact, mutually reinforcing each other. The vortex of magical power within his dantian also grew stronger and more solid.

When the Five Elements are perfected, the foundation of the Dao is naturally established!
"Boom!" Accompanied by a muffled sound that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, the magical power in his body, which had already reached the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, burst through the final barrier like a floodgate being opened!

His dantian and qi sea expanded once again, his magical power surged, and his divine sense spread outward like a tide. Within a radius of several miles, he could perceive every rustle of grass and every movement of the grass.

Seventh level of Qi refining!

Li Pingcan let out a long breath; his years of hard work had finally paid off.

What surprised him even more was that, with the breakthrough in his cultivation and the enhancement of his divine soul, the fungal carpet network that covered everything became unusually active, like a series of high-definition "cameras," and the distant scene was presented in his mind with unparalleled clarity.

At this moment, the "bacterial domain" seems to have broken through some invisible boundary.

His consciousness broke free from the constraints of geography, following the network of mushroom spores that spread across the land, instantly traversing thousands of mountains and rivers, and arriving in a territory he had never set foot in before.

That was a land stained with blood and the flames of war.

Not far away in the sky, two Foundation Establishment cultivators were engaged in fierce combat. The light from their magical artifacts and Daoist techniques illuminated the sky, causing it to flicker. Every collision caused the mountains and rivers to tremble.

The sounds of battle cries, the clashing of weapons, and the roars of monsters... even across vast distances, the aura of blood and fire still sent shivers down one's spine.

This is the frontier battlefield.

Li Pingcan quickly located Li Yuanhu's troops, who were engaged in a fierce battle with a group of Chiyan Army soldiers.

His gaze swept rapidly across the battlefield, and suddenly, the "camera" stopped in an inconspicuous corner.

It was a crater plowed several times by the aftershocks of the explosion. A female cultivator in a blue Taoist robe was leaning against the crater wall, with a huge bloody hole in her chest. She was stumbling and flying towards the distant valley on her sword, and it seemed she was not going to survive.

Judging from the lingering spiritual energy emanating from her, her cultivation level was at least at the late Qi Refining stage. In her hand, she tightly gripped a jade slip that shimmered with a strange light.

"Another unlucky guy..."

Li Pingcan sighed inwardly and instinctively tried to look away.

But the next moment, he suddenly stopped.

"That jade slip, and the fluctuations in its spiritual energy, are clearly not ordinary objects!"

For a moment, Li Pingcan was torn between his conscience and his inner turmoil.

To go or not to go?

Reason told him that the battlefield was full of powerful figures and fraught with danger.

But the allure of that jade slip was like a devil, constantly whispering in his ear.

"Fortune favors the bold! Anyway, I have the [Wind Control] talent and the [Swiftness Talisman]."

"That nun happened to die on the edge of the battlefield, in a very remote place. I can sneak over there, without anyone noticing, take it and leave. Who would find out?"

…………

Li Pingcan did not appear directly, but instead used the power of [Sculpting Earth] to quietly slip underground, like a fish swimming, rapidly approaching the dying cultivator amidst the chaotic battlefield.

The cultivator seemed to sense something and struggled to lift his head, but he didn't have the strength to move a single finger.

The life in her eyes was rapidly fading away, and she could only watch helplessly as a black-clad man wearing a ghost mask slowly "grew" out of the soil beneath his feet.

"you……"

"Don't speak, I'll send you on your way."

Li Pingcan's voice was hoarse and deep. Without uttering a single word, he delivered a swift and decisive chop to end the other man's suffering.

He darted forward, intending to pocket the jade slip.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the jade slip, a strong sense of crisis suddenly swept through his heart!

"not good!"

Without a second thought, he activated his [Wind Control] talent to its maximum, and his body retreated violently at an incredible angle!

Almost at the same time he stepped back!

"boom!"

The female cultivator's corpse suddenly exploded without warning!

A black shockwave, mixed with the stench of blood and flesh, instantly swept across an area of ​​ten feet in radius!

Although Li Pingcan retreated quickly, he was still hit by the edge of that shockwave. He felt his protective [Mystic Tortoise Armor] shake violently, and his blood and qi surged in his chest.

"What a vicious trap!"

He looked at the ground, which was sizzling and crackling from the black mist, and felt a wave of fear wash over him.

Fortunately, he was well-prepared. These cultivators on the battlefield were far more skilled than the petty tricks of those rogue cultivators. Even before their deaths, they would set up such terrifying traps!

Things should not be delayed, for delay may lead to unforeseen changes.

With a professional and skillful approach, Li Pingcan looted the other party's storage bag, magical artifacts, and everything else that looked valuable.

They even stripped off his tattered second-tier magic robe.

Even the smallest mosquito leg is still meat; we can't waste it.

He silently chanted in his heart, then used a ball of flame to burn the corpse to ashes before contentedly diving back underground and disappearing without a trace.

The whole process was smooth and quick, taking only a dozen or so breaths.

The distant battlefield was still filled with the sounds of battle, and no one noticed that a transfer of inheritance was taking place in this small corner.

Back at his cave dwelling on Ling Mountain, Li Pingcan began to take stock of his "unexpected gains."

"Tsk tsk, as expected of a cultivator from a dynasty, their family background is indeed substantial."

Inside the storage bag were not only dozens of mid-grade spirit stones and several bottles of healing medicine, but what surprised him most was an extremely ancient-looking animal hide scroll.

On the scroll, an extremely complex array was drawn using runes he couldn't understand.

"This is……"

He probed it with his divine sense, and a vast and boundless torrent of information instantly flooded into his mind.

Second-tier superior formation, Nine Yang Spirit Refining Formation!

This formation can actually ignite the true fire underground, and with the help of the earth's spiritual energy, it can refine a piece of land into a huge "furnace".

It can not only temper magical treasures, but also purify spiritual energy, and even... it can place a cultivator's physical body and soul within it for the deepest level of forging!
"What a domineering formation!"

Li Pingcan was shocked. "If this were laid out on Peach Blossom Mountain, wouldn't it be..."

He dared not think any further; the scene was too beautiful, and it stirred his heart.

"There's no rush. One must take things one step at a time."

He hurriedly went to seek guidance from the array spirit master of the Dragon Palace. He wanted to set up such an array, but with his current array skills, it was still not enough. He needed a master to guide him.

(End of this chapter)