Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

"Damn it!"

"You have already chosen a path to death."

Lu Yuan cursed under his breath inside the room.

Upon discovering that someone was following him, he returned home several times, used the Concealing Qi Technique to change his appearance, and began to carry out counter-surveillance.

He had mastered the art of concealing his breath to a high level, and the other party was completely unaware of it. Lu Yuan then discovered that the person who often followed him was actually Zhang Su.

"Zhang Su..."

"I didn't go looking for trouble with you, yet you still come looking for me..."

Lu Yuan's mind was as clear as a mirror.

He knew Zhang Su's character well; when he was an apprentice, he was often harshly criticized and found him to be a narrow-minded person.

If he reveals even the slightest clue and Zhang Su discovers that he is the old man who fought with him for the Starfall Array that day, the other party will definitely seize the opportunity to make a move.

At that time, the enemy will be in the dark, while we will be in the light.

The situation was, as one can imagine, extremely dangerous.

To eliminate this potential risk, Lu Yuan still believes that they should take the initiative and strike first.

However, with his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining and his status as an array master, Lu Yuan was not someone he could match at the moment.

Lu Yuan's first thought was to ask for help.

If someone is willing to cooperate with him in assassinating other cultivators and keep the secret afterwards, the Pharmacist, Zhang Dashan, and Ji Ming will certainly not refuse.

However, their cultivation level is not high.

In case this matter causes irreversible damage, or even death.

Even worse, what if things don't go as planned, and the entire army is wiped out...

Lu Yuan shook his head.

What about the Treasure Pavilion...?

Lu Yuan further denied it.

Ultimately, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion is all about business. Although I have some value, compared to a Qi Refining Level 8 Array Master who is proficient in three sets of arrays, I am not as valuable.

If Baibaoge chooses to remain neutral, it must be because Manager Luo is kind-hearted.

As for Zhu Meng, whom he knew and who had a higher level of cultivation, he wasn't entirely sure that the other party would agree and keep it a secret afterward.

Therefore, it is excluded.

After much deliberation, only the weapon refiner Jiang Zhi remained.

He wasn't sure if Jiang Zhi would help him. Although the two had a good relationship now, it was hard to say when it came to matters of life and death.

Furthermore, he had never witnessed the methods of a weapon refiner, and did not know just how powerful a weapon refiner was in a life-or-death duel.

Since the other party had been secretly observing him for a long time, they must have also noticed that he frequently went to Jiang Zhi's house.

They will also be on guard.

Just as he was planning to secretly contact Jiang Zhi, he unexpectedly learned from Manager Luo that she had already entered the Nine Ridges Mountains with a team in order to collect refining materials.

Lu Yuan grabbed his head with both hands, feeling a headache coming on.

He could wait for Jiang Zhi to return, but would she even wait...?

Just as he was about to lose his mind, he suddenly remembered someone.

The man sitting next to him at the auction, the one in black robes with his face covered, was a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator who wanted something from him.

"There's no other way, we'll try anything, even if it's a dead end."

late at night.

After disguising himself with the Thousand Illusion Mask, Lu Yuan used the Concealing Breath Technique to scale the wall and head straight for the black-robed cultivator's residence.

……

After confirming that there were no tails following him, Lu Yuan arrived at a small alley outside the city. Before he even knocked on the door, he was shocked to find that his feet were covered with a layer of frost, which was chillingly cold.

"Who?"

A woman's low shout came from inside the door, with a faint glint of sword light emanating from it.

The protective effect of the mid-grade magic artifact, the Xuan Guang Ring, was activated instantly, shattering the frost. Lu Yuan retreated several steps, creating distance between them.

He held the Golden Shadow Sword in one hand and the Array Plate in the other.

"The auction, the old master."

Lu Yuan responded in a low voice.

There was a moment of silence inside the door, then a cold voice came again: "He doesn't look like you..."

Upon hearing this, and seeing the sword light inside the door dissipate, Lu Yuan calmed down slightly and laughed, "How do you know that this is my true face?"

A short while later.

The gate opened by itself, but no one was seen.

"Come in and talk."

The cold, clear voice rang out again.

Lu Yuan slowly stepped in, walked through the courtyard, pushed open the door of the house with the light on, and saw the black-robed cultivator sitting cross-legged on the futon.

The low-grade spiritual weapon, the Frost Sword, rested between her knees, emanating a faint chill, just like its owner.

"Senior, do you know how much courage it takes for a Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator to come looking for a complete stranger at the Qi Refining Level 9 in the middle of the night?"

Lu Yuan feigned nonchalance and sighed.

"Feel sorry."

The black-robed female cultivator's tone remained cold and indifferent, as if devoid of any emotion: "I didn't expect you to come so late at night."

If they apologize, it means they have no malicious intent at the moment...

Lu Yuan felt somewhat relieved, then asked curiously, "How did you find out about me?"

He used a concealment technique, so he shouldn't have been noticed by anyone who wasn't a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"it."

The female cultivator in black robes opened her pale white palm, and a crystal-clear ice silkworm crawled back and forth on her icy, jade-like fingers.

Lu Yuan, a rogue cultivator, didn't recognize the Ice Silkworm and looked completely bewildered.

"It's called the Snow Soul Ice Silkworm, and it can sense subtle changes in the surrounding environment and temperature."

Perhaps because Lu Yuan's cultivation level was low, the female cultivator in black robes did not hide anything.

These silkworms are truly remarkable at judging whether there are external enemies by temperature changes.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but take a second look.

The black-robed female cultivator belatedly realized what was happening and withdrew her fair hand.

Seeing that the other party was sincere and answered all questions, clearly without malice, Lu Yuan then asked seriously, "May I ask, senior, what was the purpose of leaving your message at the auction earlier?"

You don't need to ask why.

"I need you to set up a fire-based formation for me as soon as possible. I can offer a higher-than-market price."

The black-robed female cultivator stated her request in a very urgent manner.

Lu Yuan did not agree immediately.

In the Five Elements Mist Array, he has drawn many array patterns related to the Mystic Fire on magical artifacts in recent months, and his skill has already reached a high level.

Setting it up as a mini version of the Xuanhuo Array on its own was not a difficult task for Lu Yuan.

At most, its power will be somewhat reduced.

"Why me?"

Lu Yuan held back for a long time before finally asking.

Give me your hand.

The black-robed female cultivator extended her fair hand. Lu Yuan considered her cultivation level and realized there was no need to resort to such underhanded tactics, so he didn't hesitate and offered his hand.

The two clasped hands.

cold.

The first thing Lu Yuan felt was an extremely cold aura that spread from his palm throughout his body, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

After that shiver, the extreme cold dissipated instantly.

"It is indeed the fourth level of Qi Refining..."

The black-robed female cultivator released his hand, nodded, and said, "Telling you won't hurt. The cold poison has entered my body and will take effect in about ten days. If there is no fire-type array to suppress it, my Dao foundation will be damaged, and I will never be able to complete the Foundation Establishment..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan was about to ask further questions when the black-robed female cultivator waved her hand to interrupt him and continued speaking.

"The reason I chose you is because after the cold poison took effect, my strength dropped drastically, and I needed an array master by my side at all times to repair the array patterns damaged by the cold energy. And you... are only at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

understood.

This is another case of reaping the benefits of low cultivation level.

The significant drop in strength mentioned by the ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator clearly indicates that it wasn't something a mere fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator could easily pull off.

Lu Yuan was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

Moreover, after listening to this, he realized that what the other party wanted was not to complete the formation in one go, but to wait for a period of time to ensure that the formation would not be destroyed by the cold air after the cold poison took effect.

It sounded a bit troublesome, but it suited Lu Yuan's needs perfectly.

The more complicated the situation, the more confident he becomes in setting conditions.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Yuan shook his head and sighed, "Senior, this concerns your Dao foundation, and is of great importance. Please forgive me for being unable to agree."