Immortal Path in the Palm of a Mortal's Hand

"This humble servant—" Xin Ruyin blurted out instinctively, then paused almost imperceptibly before quickly correcting herself, "I have some knowledge of array formations. That group of thieves wanted to capture me and break the restrictions on an ancient cultivator's cave for them. I refused, and they then besieged me."

Chen Fan nodded slightly, then turned to leave.

"Fellow Daoist, wait a moment!" Xin Ruyin called out to him, her tone sincere. "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. Just now, I noticed you stopped, as if you needed some kind of formation? I hastily set up three small formations; I wonder if you find them still usable?" Her eyes were clear as she looked directly at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan stopped in his tracks. The Reversed Five Elements Formation! The weapon that Han Li relied on to survive in the original story! Even the simplified version was enough to trap a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator! He desperately needed a formation of his own—the restrictions of the cave dwelling and sect were crude and inadequate. If he were to leave the mountain alone in the future, without a powerful formation to protect him, he would be no different from putting himself in danger.

"What kind of formation is it?" Chen Fan asked, turning around.

"The Reversed Five Elements Formation." Seeing him stop, Xin Ruyin felt slightly relieved, and her voice became even more steady. "A complete formation can trap a Core Formation expert, but it is extremely difficult to refine, and the required materials are rare and hard to find. I have a simplified version of the formation flags and array plates. Once set up, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stage will find it difficult to escape, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the middle stage will also need to expend considerable effort to break free. If you don't mind, and are willing to give me some time, I can also tailor a set for you, one that suits your own cultivation technique and spiritual energy flow, and its power may be even greater."

"What's the price?" Chen Fan asked, getting straight to the point.

Xin Ruyin hesitated for a moment, then said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist, you saved my life. I will only charge you one thousand spirit stones for this simplified set of array artifacts." Her gaze was frank. "This is a fair price."

A fair price. In the market, the simplified version of this formation usually sells for between 1,200 and 1,500 spirit stones. 1,000 spirit stones is indeed a good price, even on the low side.

Chen Fan nodded and said succinctly, "Lead the way."

Xin Ruyin's residence was located in an inconspicuous mountain valley twenty miles north of the market town. At the entrance of the valley, an exquisite illusion array was set up. To outsiders, all they could see was a messy thicket of bushes and a rugged rocky slope. Xin Ruyin took out a small array plate and tapped it a few times with her fingertips. The bushes parted silently as if they were alive, revealing a narrow stone path underneath.

Inside the valley, three simple stone houses were arranged in a triangular pattern. The one in the center was her workshop, with towering wooden shelves on all four walls, piled high with various array plates, sets of array flags, mountains of jade slips, and numerous indescribable array-setting materials that shimmered with a faint light. On a stone table in the corner lay a half-finished array diagram, the ink still wet. The air was filled with the unique smell of cinnabar, spirit ink, and mineral dust.

Chen Fan's gaze swept over the wooden frame. There were three to five sets of finished array formations, seven or eight sets of semi-finished products still being polished, and a dozen or so blank array plate blanks waiting to be carved. For a Qi Refining stage rogue cultivator to have accumulated such a collection was a testament to his hard work.

Xin Ruyin carefully helped the injured maid into the stone room on the left. After giving the maid a medicine and confirming that her breathing was stable, Xin Ruyin took a square ebony box from the wooden shelf in the workshop, placed it on the stone table, and gently opened it.

Inside the box, five array flags and a palm-sized array plate were neatly stacked. The array flags were in the colors of the five elements: gold-blue, wood-green, water-blue, fire-red, and earth-yellow. The flag surfaces were meticulously woven from spirit silkworm silk, smooth and tough, while the flagpoles were made of superior ironwood, heavy to the touch. The array plate was a regular pentagon, its surface engraved with intricate and complex array patterns, like a spider web. Five main lines extended from the five corners, converging precisely at a slightly concave spirit stone groove in the center.

"This is a simplified version of the Inverted Five Elements Array." Xin Ruyin's voice was clear as she pointed her finger at the array plate. "The five array flags form the foundation of the array, and this plate is the linchpin. To set up the array, simply bury this array plate three feet deep in the ground, insert the five array flags according to the five elements' positions, and then activate the array plate with your magic power." She flipped the array plate over, revealing its back. "This is where spirit stones are embedded as the source. A low-grade spirit stone can support the array's full operation for twelve hours; if replaced with a mid-grade spirit stone, it can last for seven days. Once the array is activated, within a radius of ten feet, the five elements are reversed, and the positions are inverted. Those who enter the array will be trapped in a bewildering realm. Early Foundation Establishment cultivators trapped there will find it difficult to escape in less than one or two hours. Even those in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage will need considerable effort."

"How's the defense?" Chen Fan asked.

"It can withstand a full-force attack from a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. After the attack, the formation will automatically distribute the force of the attack to the five elements—earth to bear the weight and absorb the force, wood to provide flexibility and buffer, and water to flow, transform, and dissipate. As long as it is not continuously attacked by a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, it should be able to hold out for half an hour without any major problems." Xin Ruyin paused and added, "If it encounters a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator... it will definitely break after three attacks at most."

Chen Fan picked up the array plate, his divine sense like a fine probe, carefully penetrating each array pattern, examining it repeatedly. While the engraving technique wasn't the work of a top master, it was neat and solid, the lines clear and smooth, without the slightest hint of cutting corners. The spirit silkworm silk on the five array flags was of uniform texture, and the micro-carved auxiliary array patterns on the flagpoles perfectly matched the main patterns of the array plate. Although this array was simplified, its foundation was solid, and the workmanship exquisite.

One thousand spirit stones. Chen Fan flicked his sleeve, and ten neatly stacked piles of low-grade spirit stones silently appeared on the stone table, their spiritual light flashing slightly. Xin Ruyin didn't even glance at them, and waved her hand to put them into her storage bag.

"Fellow Daoist previously mentioned that you could customize formations," Chen Fan said calmly. "If you wish to set up a killing formation outside your cave, what would you need?"

Xin Ruyin pondered for a moment, then took a jade slip from the shelf and unfolded it, revealing a shimmering array diagram projected within. "This depends on the power of the killing array you require. The simplest, like the 'Blazing Flame Array,' has five array eyes and costs approximately five hundred spirit stones. A medium-powered array, like this 'Sumeru Sword Array,' has nine array eyes and, once set up, poses a deadly threat even to mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators; the material cost… is at least fifteen hundred spirit stones." She looked up at Chen Fan, "As for higher levels… they are beyond my current cultivation level."

Chen Fan's gaze swept over the Sumeru Sword Formation diagram and materials list. The formation had nine key points, requiring nine flying swords of compatible attributes as its foundation, supplemented by a main formation plate and a spirit vein guiding formation. Once completed, its coverage area could reach fifty zhang. One thousand five hundred spirit stones—a considerable price. However, with this formation protecting the cave, even a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator who rashly intruded would find it difficult to escape unscathed.

"I'll come back to you once I've gathered all the materials for the Sumeru Sword Formation." Chen Fan wrote down the list.

Xin Ruyin nodded, then took a palm-sized flat wooden box from the shelf and pushed it over. "This is a specially made communication talisman. If you need to use it in the future, simply activate one of them with your magic power, and I will sense it."

Chen Fan took the wooden box and opened it. Five pale blue talismans lay quietly inside. The runes on them were far more complex and exquisite than those sold in the market, clearly the work of Xin Ruyin herself. He closed the wooden box and put it away.

Upon reaching the entrance of the stone chamber, Chen Fan paused slightly without turning back: "Fellow Daoist, your use of the bronze mirror artifact in conjunction with three small formations to defend against the enemy was ingenious. However, if faced with a sustained and fierce attack from a cultivator at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage or above, the three formations will inevitably be insufficient. You could set up another illusionary formation around the main formation to confuse the enemy and buy them a moment to activate the main formation."

Xin Ruyin was taken aback upon hearing this, and then her eyes suddenly burst forth with a bright light! "Fellow Daoist's words... are like a wake-up call! The creation of illusion arrays is not difficult, and I had never thought of such a method of layering arrays to defend against enemies before!" She immediately turned around, took the blank array paper on the table, picked up the spirit pen, and hovered the pen tip on the paper, as if countless spiritual lights were colliding in her mind.

Chen Fan said no more, his figure disappearing into the illusion array at the entrance of the valley.