[Mystic Sect Eight-Convergence Alchemy Array: A basic Array that gathers Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi using the Eight Trigrams Positions, then refines Elixirs according to a formula. The properties of the refined Elixirs will vary depending on the properties of the gathered Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.]

[1: Construct an Alchemy Room unaffected by the outside Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to ensure the purity of the Spiritual Qi gathered during the Spirit Gathering process. This is the key to successful Alchemy. Planting a simple Yin Yang Vine or using space-isolating Magical Artifacts and Magic are both viable methods.]

[2: Calculate the exact center of the Alchemy Room and place the alchemy altar there. Then, calculate the most precise Eight Trigrams Positions. In each of the Eight Trigrams Positions, inscribe a separate gathering array. When setting up the altar and the Eight Trigrams Positions, please refer to the accuracy rating. Current accuracy rating: No reference object.]

[3: The rune arrays connecting the Eight Trigrams Positions must be inscribed in an environment devoid of Spiritual Qi. Otherwise, there is a chance that parts of the Array will activate, which would ruin the entire layout of the Eight Trigrams Positions.]

[4: The gathering of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi must be arranged separately. Please devise the specific method yourself. You may choose to connect to the Nine Extremes Array, using its different operational modes to change the state of the Spiritual Qi in the Array, thereby allowing for the refinement of Elixirs with different properties.]

[Note 1: The Array Cores for the Eight Trigrams Positions and the altar’s Array Core all require Spiritual Objects of a matching property. They must be consistent with the property of the gathered Spiritual Qi, or the entire Array will be destroyed. When changing the gathered Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, be sure to also change the core Spiritual Objects.]

[Note 2: Before the Array is formed, promptly monitor the Spiritual Qi saturation. If the Spiritual Qi density exceeds (20/100), it must be managed immediately. Otherwise, you may accidentally activate the Array while it is still under construction. If an incomplete Array is activated, destruction is the only outcome.]

[Note 3: The Array Maps for the eight positions are as follows...]

[Note 4: The Array Map for connecting the Eight Trigrams Formation is as follows...]

[Note 5: The Array Map for gathering Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is as follows...]

[Note 6: There are four types of reference diagrams as follows...]

Wang Ping carefully read the knowledge that had been poured into his mind by the glowing screen panel, an unconscious smile appearing on his face.

Sensing the shift in Wang Ping’s thoughts, Yu Lian rubbed her head against his cheek and asked, "You learned it already? How do you do it? Do you have some special method?"

"Just read more books on arrays. Then, when you use your divine soul to observe the rune arrays here, the method to solve them will come to you. The principles will naturally appear in your mind," Wang Ping said with a straight face. He wasn’t wrong. Deciphering an array was like solving an advanced math problem; you had to master the fundamentals first.

"Forget it, then. Looking at that stuff too much is bad for one’s divine soul," Yu Lian said, finding an excuse for herself.

Wang Ping chuckled, seemingly pleased with his own explanation. Then, he left the Alchemy Room and soon returned to his Central Army Camp.

His mission on this trip to Ningzhou Road was to sweep the mountains, a task that was now largely complete. In fact, he had pretty much cleaned out the Demon Race from this entire mountain forest. However, a small incident occurred afterward, leaving the Ningzhou Road’s Daoist Scripture Hall without a leader, and no one was left to handle the cleanup.

Now, all he had to do was sit quietly in the Central Army Camp and wait for the bigwigs above to determine a winner.

...

That wait lasted for a month.

The Qi Cultivators who had followed Wang Ping were overjoyed this past month. They went to the various Demon Race gathering spots in the jungle to pick them clean, earning more wealth than they could normally make in ten years.

Some of the Qi Cultivators heard that the stockade was to be rebuilt into a city and considered staying to seek their fortunes. Of course, they were in the minority. They were well aware that the only reason they could pick the place clean so brazenly was because Wang Ping was holding down the fort in the Central Army Camp.

As a result, over the past month, Wang Ping had also received a considerable amount of silver offered up by his subordinates. All told, it amounted to over a hundred thousand taels. The largest portion came from the wealth confiscated from the rebel army after the conquest of Crescent Mountain.

One day, with nothing else to do, Wang Ping was behind his Central Army Camp, studying the poisoned Golden Armored Soldier.

The poison was very peculiar. It could actually corrode spirituality. He just didn’t know if it could corrode a Spirit Vein. Wang Ping currently had no test subjects for that. After several days of testing, he could now use his Wood Spirit Qi to roughly mimic the poison’s form.

This poison was highly effective in combat. When attached to a Sword Talisman, it would use the Sword Qi to corrode the spiritual sense in the surrounding space. However, this attack method also affected the Golden Armored Soldiers, as they lacked the Lizard Demon’s poison-resistant constitution. To truly unleash its power, he would need to use Wood Spirit Qi to simulate an antibody.

It could also be applied to the body of a sword. A single stab, even against a Second Realm Cultivator, would cause them to lose their spiritual sense for the span of a breath. The duration was short, but it was fatal.

Previously, when Wang Ping was practicing, Yu Lian had overheard him say the poison wasn’t fatal and only caused a temporary loss of spiritual sense. Driven by some unknown curiosity, she had foolishly stepped into his experiment to test its power. Afterward, she couldn’t feel her spiritual sense for a full two hours, unable to use even the most basic Magic.

Now, whenever Wang Ping experimented with the poison, she stayed far, far away.

Wang Ping’s experimental method was simple: he had two Golden Armored Soldiers attack each other with poisoned Sword Talismans to gauge the poison’s power. In any case, the Golden Armored Soldiers weren’t yet physical puppets, so it wouldn’t be a great loss if they were destroyed.

After another experiment, as Wang Ping was observing a speck of poison wrapped in Wood Spirit Qi, a familiar figure descended from the sky.

It was Hu Qianqian.

She hadn’t been back since accepting Wang Ping’s mission to monitor the person who inscribed the Earth Escape Technique for Young Master Ming. Just as expected, the Little Fox Demon appeared by her side as she landed.

"Greetings, Master, and Grandmaster!"

The little fox knelt directly, looking a bit nervous.

Wang Ping didn’t listen to Hu Qianqian’s report first. Instead, he stared at the little fox and instructed, "Since you have entered my Taoist Sect, you must abide by the precepts and study its principles. Do you understand?"

"This disciple understands!"

"Have you been given a name?"

"Replying to Grandmaster, Master has given me one. It is Hu Xin. She told me it means to be faithful and to guard my heart."

"Good. You may rise."

"Thank you, Grandmaster."

Seeing that her master had agreed to let her take in the little fox, a smile appeared in Hu Qianqian’s azure eyes. Just as she was about to bow in thanks, Wang Ping got down to business. "How did it go?"

"Xin’Er blended in at the street corner and waited for over twenty days before their Great Elder appeared. But he stayed in his room the entire time, never taking a single step outside. Last night, late in the evening, he met with an Alchemist from the Fox Race. The two of them were together for more than Half an Hour."

After speaking, Hu Qianqian offered two portraits. "These are the appearances of the Great Elder and the Alchemist, which I obtained by reading Xin’Er’s memories."

Wang Ping, however, didn’t take the portraits. He thought for a moment and said, "You keep their portraits. After we return, you can use some back-channel contacts to inquire about their identities. Remember, we have plenty of time. There’s no rush. Understand?"

"Yes, this disciple understands."