I was a mineral prospector in Chengdu, who transmigrated into the body of a mortal sword immortal.

Li Bai stood before the altar, the jade talisman of the Xiling Divine Kingdom in his hand radiating scorching heat, its azure light swirling and reflecting the faint golden halo emanating from the altar's surface. The indentation was right before him, its shape perfectly matching the edge of the jade talisman. The frigid air at the bottom of the well seemed to solidify, save for the faint crackling of the tinderbox and the distant sound of dripping water. He raised the jade talisman above the indentation, his fingertips feeling the intense attraction between two forces of the same origin. Was it a blessing or a curse? Was it the key to unlocking ancient secrets, or the trigger for an unknown calamity? His gaze shifted back and forth between the jade talisman and the indentation, his breath condensing into white mist in the cold stone cave.

He did not put the jade talisman in immediately.

Observe first.

Li Bai took two steps back, holding up his tinderbox, and carefully examined the bronze altar. The altar was about ten feet high, divided into three tiers: a square base at the bottom, an octagonal platform in the middle, and a circular platform at the top. The overall design was ancient and imposing, its surface covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, giving it a hazy, grayish appearance under the firelight. Strangely, however, the central area of ​​the circular platform at the top—the recessed area roughly three feet square—was noticeably thinner of dust, and in some places, even revealed the original dark blue-green color of the bronze.

Someone has wiped it clean.

And it happened not long ago.

Li Bai crouched down and gently ran his finger along the edge of the area. The texture was smooth to the touch; the dust was only a thin layer, unlike other areas where it had accumulated for decades or even centuries. He examined it closely and, about two feet to the left of the indentation, discovered several fine scratches, as if left by some hard object. The scratches were fresh; the metallic luster exposed after the oxide layer had been scraped away from the bronze surface reflected slightly in the firelight.

Someone has been here.

They also attempted to clean the patterns on the surface of the altar.

Li Bai's heart leaped. He stood up and looked around. Apart from himself and the altar, there was no other living thing in the grotto. The air was thick with the damp, earthy smell of bronze and a faint, almost imperceptible, fragrance, similar to sandalwood but cooler, wafted from the direction of the altar. He listened intently; besides his own heartbeat and breathing, the only sound was the rhythmic dripping of water in the distance, drip-drop, drip-drop, like some ancient timer.

It's safe for now.

He refocused his attention on the altar.

The wiped areas revealed intricate and mysterious patterns beneath. These patterns were deeply etched into the bronze surface, the lines varying in thickness—some as straight as a ruler, others winding like snakes, some swirling like vortices, and others intersecting like a grid. Li Bai held up his tinderbox close, the firelight dancing in the grooves of the patterns, casting shadows of varying depths.

These patterns...

He closed his eyes, and the array diagrams recorded in the "Azure Lotus Sword Manual" appeared in his mind.

Spirit Gathering Array, Defense Array, Illusion Array, Killing Array, Teleportation Array...

One of the teleportation arrays, called the "Earth Vein Connection Array," bears a striking resemblance in its core pattern arrangement to some of the patterns on the altar before us. However, the arrays recorded in the *Azure Lotus Sword Manual* have more regular and symmetrical patterns, brimming with the Taoist sense of order embodied in the concept of "following the natural way." The patterns before us, on the other hand, are far more ancient and unrestrained, seemingly incorporating mountains, rivers, celestial bodies, birds, beasts, insects, and fish into their lines, brimming with primal vitality.

Moreover, it is incomplete.

Li Bai walked around the altar and found that at least a third of the patterns on it had been worn away to the point of being almost invisible, and there were several obvious breaks, as if they had been shattered by some enormous force. One corner of the octagonal platform of the altar had even collapsed, with rubble scattered all over the ground.

He crouched down and picked up the jade pieces and stone carvings scattered around the altar.

The jade pieces felt warm and smooth to the touch, their surface covered with symbols he couldn't understand. These symbols shared the same origin as the script on the murals of the Western Mausoleum Divine Kingdom, but were far more complex. Li Bai placed several jade pieces side by side on the ground and carefully examined them by the firelight.

The first jade piece was engraved with a circle surrounded by eight dots, each dot accompanied by a symbol. The shapes of these symbols reminded Li Bai of constellation charts in modern astronomy—although the details differed, the method of "connecting dots to form a pattern" was exactly the same. One of the symbols resembled a bird with outstretched wings, bearing a striking resemblance to the "Vermilion Bird" totem he had seen in the Western Mausoleum Divine Kingdom.

The positions of the stars.

The symbols on the second jade piece were more abstract, resembling wavy lines interspersed with dots and short lines. Li Bai stared at it for a long time, then suddenly had an idea. He took out the map of Chang'an's geomantic veins that he had drawn, spread it on the ground, and placed the jade piece next to the map for comparison.

Those wavy lines are highly similar in shape to the main vein curves in the earth vein map.

The positions marked with dots and short lines coincide with the "earth vein nodes" marked on his map.

Earth vein node name.

The symbols on the third jade piece were arranged in groups resembling counting rods, varying in length and forming a certain pattern. Li Bai stared at them for a long time, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—could these be some kind of "coordinates" or "parameters"?

He put down the jade piece and picked up the stone carvings.

Bird-shaped stone carvings, animal-shaped stone carvings, fish-shaped stone carvings… each piece is carved with lifelike detail, and all are made of spirit jade. Spirit jade is an important material in the cultivation world for crafting magical artifacts and setting up formations, capable of storing and transmitting spiritual energy. These stone carvings are carelessly discarded around the altar, resembling some kind of ritual object, or perhaps… components of a formation?

Li Bai stood up, his gaze shifting back and forth between the altar, the jade pieces, and the stone carvings.

Modern logical thinking begins to take effect.

Let's assume this altar is an ancient formation.

Judging from the pattern characteristics, it is similar to the teleportation array recorded in the "Azure Lotus Sword Manual", but it is more ancient and complex.

Based on the information on the jade piece, it involves parameters related to the orientation of stars, nodes of the earth's veins, and suspected coordinates.

Judging from the material of the stone carvings, they are all made of spiritual jade, which can store and transmit spiritual energy.

Judging from the location of the altar, it is located underground in Xuandu Temple. Xuandu Temple and Louguan Taoism have a deep connection, and Louguan Taoism is known for communicating with the earth's veins and setting up formations.

Therefore, the purpose of this altar is likely related to "ley lines" and "teleportation".

This is not ordinary spatial teleportation.

Instead... ley line teleportation?

A concept surfaced in Li Bai's mind: using the earth's ley lines as a conduit for short- or even long-distance teleportation. Earth's ley lines are channels through which the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flows; if precisely controlled, theoretically, it could indeed achieve an effect similar to "teleportation." Moreover, earth's ley lines are distributed throughout mountains and rivers; if such a teleportation network truly existed, then cultivators in ancient times might have been able to use it to quickly travel between various important nodes.

This altar is a node in the network.

But now, it is severely damaged.

The patterns were broken, the spirit jade carvings were scattered, and the supply of spiritual energy was cut off—no active spiritual energy could be felt around the altar, only deathly silence. The celestial positions recorded on those jade pieces may have shifted, the earth vein nodes may have changed, and the coordinate parameters may have become invalid. The entire formation was like a precision instrument, its core components missing, its energy source cut off, leaving only an empty shell.

Li Bai walked to the front of the altar and looked again at the simple map of the earth's veins carved on the ground.

At the center of the design is a circular altar, surrounded by eight trigrams, then a star map, and finally, mountains and rivers. Several thick lines representing the earth's veins radiate outwards from the center of the altar, running through the entire design.

The course of one of the main veins...

Li Bai squatted down and traced the line with his finger.

The lines originate from the center of the altar, extending northeastward, passing through the "mountain" symbol marked on the edge of the pattern, and continuing forward. Following this direction, if we correspond it to the real-world geography of Chang'an, this ley line should pass through… Leyouyuan?

He was startled.

He had already confirmed the main vein beneath Leyouyuan when he drew the ley line map; it was rich in spiritual energy and flowed steadily, making it the best choice for implementing the "Earthquake Plan." And the ley line map of this altar showed that it was directly connected to that main vein.

If the altar is functioning properly, it might be possible to directly control the spiritual energy of the earth veins beneath Leyou Plain.

Even... teleportation?

Li Bai took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs and making his mind clearer.

He needs verification.

To verify whether this altar is truly connected to the earth's veins and whether it still retains any function.

He walked to the altar, stretched out his palm, and gently pressed it on a relatively intact pattern on the surface of the altar.

It feels cool to the touch.

He closed his eyes and mobilized his internal energy.

The true essence in the early stage of Foundation Establishment flowed slowly through his meridians like a stream. He guided a wisp of true essence, which emanated from the Laogong acupoint in his palm and flowed into the bronze pattern.

The moment his true essence entered the patterns, Li Bai felt a slight resistance.

Like a drop of water suddenly flowing into a dried-up riverbed, the drop struggles to move forward on the cracked riverbed, searching for its former course. The true essence slowly spread along the grooves and patterns, and wherever it passed, the bronze surface shimmered with an extremely faint, almost invisible, pale golden halo.

The halo only spread for less than three inches before it stopped abruptly.

The pattern at the front is broken.

Li Bai withdrew his hand and opened his eyes. That wisp of true energy had vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea. The altar remained unresponsive, like an ordinary piece of bronze.

Insufficient spiritual energy supply?

Or is the texture too damaged to form a complete loop?

He thought for a moment, then took out the jade talisman of the Western Mausoleum Divine Kingdom from his bosom.

The bluish light on the jade talisman's surface remained soft, echoing the faint golden glow emanating from the altar's recesses. Li Bai held the jade talisman in his palm and pressed his hand against the altar's patterns once more.

This time, he simultaneously infused his true essence and allowed the azure light of the jade talisman to emanate from his palm.

True essence mixed with blue light and infused into the patterns.

The bronze surface shuddered violently!

It wasn't a physical vibration, but a tremor at the energy level. Li Bai felt as if the bronze beneath his palm had come alive; the lines, dried up for thousands of years, were like a riverbed parched by rain, greedily absorbing the true essence and azure light. A pale golden halo rapidly spread outwards from his palm, this time not just three inches, but a foot, two feet, three feet…

Where the halo passed, dust and cobwebs were shaken away by an invisible force, revealing the complete patterns underneath.

The patterns have brightened!

Not all of it, only the relatively intact parts. The broken areas remained dim, but the illuminated lines formed a fragmented yet still discernible pattern. The pattern was intricate and mysterious, nested layer upon layer, with the center precisely at the recessed area of ​​the top circular platform.

A faint light also shone from the recessed area.

A faint glow whose shape perfectly matches the jade talisman.

Li Bai's heart pounded. He withdrew his hand, and the halo slowly dimmed, but the faint light in the recessed area persisted, like some kind of confirmation, or like some kind of call.

He walked to the top of the altar and stood in front of the circular platform.

The indentation is in the center, its shape fitting perfectly with the jade talisman. A soft, steady light shines through the bottom of the indentation.

Li Bai looked down at the jade talisman in his hand.

The blue light on the surface of the jade talisman was brighter than ever before, even somewhat scorching. This scorching heat was not a matter of temperature, but rather an "activity" on an energy level, like a dormant object being awakened, eager to return to its original place.

key.

This jade talisman from the Western Mausoleum Divine Kingdom is indeed the key to activating this ancient altar.

But the question is... what will happen after it's started?

If the altar were functioning properly, activating it might directly connect to the earth's ley lines, or even activate teleportation. But now the altar is severely damaged; its patterns are broken, the spirit jade carvings are scattered, and the supply of spiritual energy is cut off. What would happen if we forcibly activated a flawed ancient formation?

The formation collapsed? Energy backlash? Triggered an unknown defense mechanism?

Or... should I open something I shouldn't?

Li Bai recalled the rumors Duan Qiniang had told him: strange noises often emanated from Xuandu Temple at night, like someone crying, or like the dragging of iron chains. The people all said that it was the vengeful spirit of a Taoist priest who died unjustly in the previous dynasty.

Are they really vengeful spirits?

Or... some kind of energy disturbance generated when this altar was activated?

He looked around. The grotto remained silent, save for the rhythmic dripping of water. The light from the firelight danced on the bronze surface, casting flickering shadows. The scattered jade pieces and stone carvings gleamed warmly in the firelight, as if telling secrets from a thousand years ago.

time is limited.

Only four days remain until Yang Yuhuan's investiture ceremony. He needs everything that can increase his chances of success. If this altar can be partially restored, even if it only slightly affects the earth's ley lines, it will be a huge boost to his plans.

But the risks are equally enormous.

Li Bai closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Memories of past and present lives intertwine in my mind.

The rationality of a modern geological engineer tells him: do not rashly touch unknown ancient devices, especially those that are severely damaged. More data should be collected first, the texture and structure analyzed, the principles of the formation deduced, and a safety plan developed.

The romantic spirit of the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai told him: Opportunity is right in front of you. If you are timid and hesitant, how can you defy fate? How can a sword immortal who can kill a man in ten steps be scared away by an inanimate object?

The will of the Sword Immortal of Mount Shu told him: the path of the sword requires courage and diligence, but also the ability to discern truth from falsehood. Whether this altar is an opportunity or a trap, only by trying it himself can he know.

Three opposing forces collided within them, ultimately merging into a single decision.

try.

but not now.

Li Bai opened his eyes, his gaze returning to clarity. He put away the jade talisman of the Western Mausoleum Divine Kingdom; the azure light on its surface slowly dimmed, but it remained warm. The faint light in the recessed area of ​​the altar also went out, and the grotto was once again enveloped in the light of the fire pyrography.

He needs to prepare.

First, he needed to determine the specific structure and extent of the damage to the altar. The area where the patterns lit up when he injected his true energy and azure light gave him a preliminary understanding of the formation's outline. However, the broken and missing parts required more careful examination.

Secondly, an attempt must be made to repair it. Not a complete repair—that's impossible. But perhaps some key patterns can be repaired, allowing the formation to function briefly. He possesses knowledge of formations from the *Azure Lotus Sword Manual*, logical thinking from modern engineering, and the "key" of the Xiling Divine Kingdom's jade talisman. Combining these three might create a miracle.

Finally, testing is necessary. While ensuring safety, test the altar's remaining functionality. Even a slight disturbance to the ley lines would suffice.

Li Bai squatted down and began to carefully record the details.

He took out his charcoal pencil and a blank sheet of paper—which he had obtained from the Qingwei Temple and originally intended for drawing talismans, but which now came in handy. By the light of the fire, he meticulously copied the relatively complete patterns on the surface of the altar, stroke by stroke. The patterns were intricate, so he drew slowly, striving for accuracy in every curve and every turn.

After drawing the patterns, he arranged the scattered jade pieces and stone carvings neatly, recording the symbols and shapes on them one by one. He copied the symbols he didn't understand; he also marked the shapes and material characteristics of the stone carvings in detail.

After doing all this, he stood up and looked around the entire grotto once more.

The grotto is about ten zhang square, with a dome about three zhang high. The four walls are natural rock, and only the ground where the altar is located has been artificially prepared and paved with smooth bluestone slabs. Some patterns are also carved on the bluestone slabs, which are connected with the patterns on the base of the altar to form a whole.

Li Bai followed the patterns on the bluestone slabs to the edge of the grotto and discovered that there were also carvings on the walls.

It's not a pattern, it's a mural.

The murals had peeled away severely, leaving only some blurry outlines. He held up his tinderbox and leaned closer, barely able to make out some details: a group of people dressed in ancient robes were gathered around an altar—the very one before him—performing some kind of ritual; the stars in the sky were arranged in a unique pattern; mountains rose from the ground, and spiritual energy surged up like dragons…

The scene in the last mural changes abruptly.

A rift opened in the sky, and black flames descended, striking the altar. The altar shattered, and the onlookers scattered in panic; some were engulfed by the black flames, while others collapsed and could not rise. The entire mural was filled with an aura of disaster and destruction.

Li Bai stared at the mural for a long time without saying a word.

Black flames... a rift in the sky...

This description reminded him of the "natural disasters" recorded in some ancient myths. Could it be that the abandonment of Xuandu Temple was not due to human rebellion or evil spirits, but because this altar had attracted some kind of irresistible natural disaster?

He shook his head, putting these speculations to rest for the time being.

The most urgent task is to repair the altar.

Li Bai returned to the altar and sat down cross-legged. He spread out the copied patterns in front of him and took out the "Azure Lotus Sword Manual"—not a physical book, but the contents from his memory. He closed his eyes, and the complete diagram of the "Earth Vein Connection Array" appeared in his mind.

contrast.

The patterns on the ancient altars are more ancient and unrestrained; the formations in the Azure Lotus Sword Manual are more orderly and disciplined. But their core principles seem to have something in common: both use specific patterns to guide and amplify spiritual energy, construct stable energy channels, and achieve spatial crossing.

The difference lies in the fact that the patterns on the ancient altars are more "natural," like lines extracted directly from mountains and rivers; while the formations in the "Azure Lotus Sword Manual" are more "artificial," having been summarized and simplified by Taoist sages.

Therefore, the approach to restoration is as follows: based on the ancient patterns, use the formation principles from the "Azure Lotus Sword Manual" to complete the restoration. The goal is not to completely restore the original appearance, but only to create a simplified version that can function for a short period of time.

Li Bai opened his eyes and his gaze fell on a broken line on the altar.

There was a three-inch-long gap at the break, and the bronze was completely shattered beyond repair. But perhaps... it could be "bridged" in another way?

He thought for a moment, then took out a few talismans from his pocket.

These are blank talisman paper and cinnabar that he asked Master Xuancheng for when he was at Qingwei Temple. He drew some basic talismans himself, including "Spirit Gathering Talisman," "Form Solidification Talisman," and "Guiding Talisman." They were originally for backup, but they might come in handy now.

He picked up a "guiding talisman." This type of talisman is used to guide the flow of spiritual energy and is often used to set up simple formations. Although its effect is far inferior to that of a real formation pattern, it may be feasible as a temporary bridge.

Li Bai affixed the guiding talisman to one end of the fracture and infused it with a wisp of true energy. The talisman glowed faintly, and the cinnabar-drawn patterns seemed to come alive, extending a faint thread of spiritual energy. He controlled the thread, slowly guiding it towards the other end of the fracture.

The bronze surface trembled slightly the moment the thread touched the pattern on the other end.

Bridging successful!

Although faint, the broken lines had reconnected. Li Bai could sense that spiritual energy—or rather, power—was flowing from one end to the other through the temporary channel constructed by this talisman.

He perked up and followed the same procedure, then used several guiding and solidifying talismans to repair the other two smaller breaks.

After completing these steps, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. This kind of precise energy manipulation was extremely mentally taxing. But he couldn't afford to rest and immediately began the next step.

test.

Li Bai stood up and walked to the altar again. He took out the jade talisman of the Western Mausoleum Divine Kingdom, but did not immediately insert it into the indentation. Instead, he first placed his palm on the surface of the altar and infused it with true essence.

This time, the flow of true energy was much smoother.

Although the broken sections bridged by the talismans were still obstructed, they could at least be traversed. True essence spread along the patterns, and the pale golden halo shone brightly again, its range nearly twice as large as before. The halo started from the base of the altar, spread upwards, passed through the octagonal platform, and finally converged on the top circular platform.

The patterns on the round table surface lit up to about 70%.

The dented area once again shimmered faintly.

Li Bai withdrew his hand, and the halo slowly dimmed, but did not completely disappear. The repaired patterns still retained faint traces of energy, like a dried-up riverbed temporarily kept moist after being soaked by water.

effective.

Although it was only a temporary repair and the effect was minimal, this ancient altar has indeed "come back to life".

Li Bai looked down at the jade talisman in his hand.

Next comes the most crucial step: inserting the key into the lock.

But he did not act immediately.

The repairs and testing just now had already consumed a significant amount of his true energy and mental focus. He was not in his best condition at the moment. Moreover, activating the ancient formation—who knew what might happen? He needed to recover to his optimal state and make thorough preparations.

More importantly... time.

How long had he been in the cave? He'd already gone through two tinderboxes; judging by their burning speed, at least an hour had passed. It should be getting light outside. He had to leave Xuandu Temple and return to Qingwei Temple before dawn. Otherwise, if his whereabouts were discovered, his plan might be exposed.

Li Bai put away the jade talisman, carefully organized the copied patterns and recorded jade symbols, and kept them close to his body. He then picked up the scattered spirit jade carvings, wiped them clean, and rearranged them around the altar—not randomly, but according to the energy flow trajectory when the patterns lit up, placing them at several key points.

After doing all that, he took one last look at the altar.

The bronze altar stood silently in the firelight, the restored patterns still bearing faint traces of energy, the dim light in the recesses had been extinguished, but it still exuded a subtle attraction.

He will come again tomorrow night.

With more thorough preparation and a more complete plan.

Li Bai turned and walked back the way he came towards the well. His footsteps echoed through the empty cave, gradually fading into the distance. The light from the tinderbox cast a final, flickering shadow on the bronze surface as he moved, before disappearing completely.

The grotto was plunged into darkness again.

Only the sound of dripping water echoed regularly.

Tick.

Tick.

It was like a heartbeat that had been waiting for a thousand years.