Chapter 486: Array Master

Chapter 486: Array Master

November 10, 2024

After staying in Yangchun City for about twenty days, news of the turmoil within the Wulan Manor finally spread.

Following several of Su Chen's actions, the Wulan Manor finally began to panic.

Su Chen's mission had finally achieved its goal.

Causing chaos within a Great Sect was not an easy task.

Besides the publicly known powerful cultivators, Great Sects also had many hidden guards in secret.

However, these hidden guards were unable to find Su Chen.

They couldn't even trace his whereabouts.

Su Chen relied on his disguise skills and keen observation.

Many hidden guards were discovered by Su Chen as soon as they appeared.

Others with slightly inferior hidden abilities might have been exposed, but not Su Chen.

With Su Chen's keen observation, even without using the Demon Hunter Heavenly Providence, he could identify many demons.

During this time, Su Chen visited several cities near the Wulan Manor, taking a look around.

At the spring trading fair, he indeed saw many novel and interesting items.

But most of them seemed useless to Su Chen.

They were indeed unique, but not very practical.

Here, Su Chen found a merchant selling Array Technique Manuals, which piqued his interest.

Su Chen had some knowledge of Array Techniques and was considered a slightly accomplished Array Master.

After browsing through a few pages, he felt that the manual had some substance.

Although it couldn't compare to the cultivation techniques obtained from Immortal Tranquil Wave, Su Chen found that it was still worth reading.

However, this Array Technique Manual was not selling at all.

The difficulty of entering the field of Array Techniques was too high.

Many people knew that Array Masters held a high status, but becoming one was extremely challenging.

Firstly, one needed to have keen insight to understand Array Technique books.

They had to comprehend the meaning of the array diagrams and grasp the subtleties within.

Secondly, one needed dexterity, a natural talent that many couldn't cultivate.

Some simple arrays might be mastered through practice.

But for more complex ones, achieving proficiency was already difficult.

Moreover, the locations for setting up arrays were diverse and not always on flat ground.

The arrays had to adapt and change according to the terrain.

With so many variables, it was challenging for ordinary people to master.

Many new disciples in sects would initially try their hand at arrays, pill concocting, artifact refining, and forging.

If a new disciple showed interest and had the talent, they would receive special cultivation.

Most of the time, there were no disciples with natural talent for arrays.

After trying in their respective sects, they knew they lacked the talent.

Coming here, they wouldn't purchase Array Technique manuals.

Su Chen was slightly interested and, seeing the low price, bought one directly.

He chatted with the book seller along the way.

The man boasted about the prowess of Array Masters to Su Chen.

After learning the skill, one would be highly respected in the Jin Kingdom.

Su Chen learned some useful information from their conversation.

He learned about an organization called the Array Alliance from the book seller.

It was not a sect but an organization formed by Array Masters.

The Array Alliance would evaluate the skills of Array Masters and provide them with recognized status.

Array Masters recognized by the Array Alliance would hold a special position.

When joining a sect, they could reveal their Array Master status, and if their rank was sufficient, they could join Great Sects without issue.

The Jin Kingdom court granted many privileges to Array Masters.

Based on their rank, Array Masters could receive resources annually.

Array Masters of the Sixth Stage and above, as long as they didn't harm the Jin Kingdom's significant interests or lose their humanity, would not face the death penalty for other crimes.

The Jin Kingdom court and the Array Alliance would protect these Array Masters' lives.

Due to their scarcity, the Jin Kingdom's Array Masters were united and supportive of each other.

"If you're interested, young man, you can go to Pishi City in mid-May.

Every year in mid-May, an assessment and training event for Array Masters is held in Pishi City."

Array Masters' skills were evaluated through these assessments.

This skill was not as apparent as cultivation realms.

Non-professional Array Masters couldn't discern the quality of an array.

Su Chen set his sights on the distant goal, pondering for a moment.

"If you're wealthy, young man, you can even spend some money to participate personally.

Although you might not achieve remarkable results, you'll gain some experience and understand what arrays are all about."

The book seller boasted about the merits of being an Array Master, encouraging Su Chen to give it a try.

Su Chen listened to his suggestion.

To be honest, it felt more like he was bragging.

In his words, he was praising the array masters.

But to be honest, the status of array masters was common knowledge among the ordinary people of Jin Kingdom.

It was indeed a highly respected profession.

But what good was a high status if one couldn't learn it?

Take the path of pill concoction, for example; as long as one was willing to put in the effort to study, there was a chance to learn it.

At the very least, one could refine some low-grade pills, right?

But without innate talent for arrays, one would truly struggle to learn anything.

Even the most basic arrays might take years to master.

At most, one could only set up an array in a very flat area.

But in actual combat, it would be completely useless.

"Looking at you, young man, with your talent and intelligence, you might have some achievements in arrays.

Why don't you go to Pishi City, not far from Yangchun City, and take a look?

If you gain something from it will help spread the word about the benefits of this manual."

Su Chen chatted with the senior who was selling the manual for a while before leaving.

In his mind, he did have some thoughts.

The art of arrays lacked offensive capabilities.

But this type of cultivation method, when used for self-defense and protection, had significant advantages.

The core areas of Jin Kingdom's top sects were all defended by array formations.

In many narrow passes along the vast border, array masters also set up arrays to defend against demons.

This was how they safeguarded the core regions of Jin Kingdom.

It could be said that the current stability of Jin Kingdom was largely due to the efforts of array masters.

Currently, Wulan Manor seemed to be in a bit of a panic.

The manor had dispatched many hidden guards to search for their own people, and their numbers had increased significantly recently.

These hidden guards would disguise themselves as commoners or even as guards on duty at the city lord's mansion.

They would find excuses to frequently reach out and try to tear at others' faces.

These small actions weren't very noticeable, but Su Chen had noticed them several times.

It was clear that these people were skilled at disguising themselves.

By finding people who could disguise themselves, they could quickly question them to increase the efficiency of their search.

Su Chen wasn't worried. He could use his "Skillful Artisan" Heavenly Providence to disguise himself, which was far superior to their methods.

Without a specific method, it was impossible to remove the disguise from his face.

Even with their efforts, they still couldn't find him.

Su Chen saw that Wulan Manor's hidden guards were relying on this method but couldn't find him.

Instead, they ended up exposing many demonic cultivators.

These people didn't want to cause trouble, but if their true identities were exposed, it would bring them a lot of trouble.

That was why they had hidden their identities.

But now, even those who didn't want trouble were being forced into it.

After being discovered, the demonic cultivators would resist.

Wulan Manor would naturally have to spend resources to deal with them.

After dealing with several such incidents, the higher-ups of Wulan Manor were speechless.

Su Chen, however, remained calm and left Yangchun City at a certain time.

He headed towards Pishi City.

As long as Wulan Manor was already in a panic, they wouldn't have peace for a long time if he made his move.

Su Chen also wanted to see if he could gain a deeper understanding of arrays in Pishi City.

After obtaining Immortal Tranquil Wave's array manual, he hadn't studied it thoroughly.

This was partly because he didn't prioritize it, and partly because he hadn't seen its practical application, so the effect was always slightly lacking.

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It is said that martial cultivation requires resources, talent, and experience.

Array practice is actually the same.

One can't gain experience just by reading books.

Su Chen wanted to see how the array masters in Pishi City practiced the art of arrays.

He wanted to learn some clever techniques and gain some insights.

After improving his understanding of arrays, he wondered if he would have different gains when he returned to Immortal Tranquil Wave's secret realm.

Pishi City was located to the northwest of Wulan Manor.

It was also relatively close to the Ming Ying Battlefield, which was further north.

This wasn't surprising, as the primary application of arrays set up by array masters was to defend against demons.

To test the effectiveness of arrays, one needed to go to areas near the border where demons were more common.

Su Chen could test the arrays at any time with the demons there.

He continued on the path towards the Ming Ying Battlefield.

It would take about four days to travel from Wulan Manor to Pishi City.

From Pishi City to the Ming Ying Battlefield, it would take about a day.

But this time, Su Chen didn't go directly to Pishi City.

Instead, he walked a bit further and arrived at Changshou City.

Changshou City was even closer to the Ming Ying Battlefield and was a frequent destination for many of the warriors who roamed around the battlefield.

As Su Chen walked through Changshou City, his thoughts became more complex.

In the city, he found that group of little beggars again.

Su Chen asked around about Lan Wuxiu.

This woman from Qingxue Tower, who had saved him at the risk of her own life, was now dead, her body nowhere to be found.

Su Chen learned this from the mouths of the street urchins.

He had never imagined that she would repay his kindness in such a way when he saved her sister.

It was also thanks to her help that he was able to escape from the hands of a Transcendent Master at the time.

In Changshou City, Su Chen couldn't find out where Lan Wuxiu's sister was either.

But he heard that she had returned to her village, and he didn't want to disturb her again.

He didn't want to cause any more trouble for her.

After leaving Changshou City, Su Chen set up a stone tablet for Lan Wuxiu in the wilderness outside the city.

After finishing all this, Su Chen finally headed towards Pishi City.

As May approached, the city was already bustling with activity.

Every year at this time, it was a celebration for Array Masters.

In addition to many Array Masters coming to participate in the assessment, there were also top-notch Array Masters demonstrating their achievements.

Many sects would send people to observe.

The purpose of these observations varied; some came to gain knowledge, while others brought their juniors to see if they could learn the ways of array techniques.

Another portion came to see how capable Array Masters could be.

If suitable, they would invite Array Masters to set up arrays for their sects as a defense.

Upon arriving at Pishi City, Su Chen noticed array-related elements at the city gate.

There was a relatively basic array called the Great Boulder Array at the entrance.

The Great Boulder Array was simple to set up and had a fundamental function.

To put it bluntly, wherever this array was set up, a large boulder would be placed there.

This array could be used to block many crucial passes.

Although it was basic, it was still quite useful when applied correctly, and this type of array was very stable, rarely causing any issues.

To enter Pishi City, one could either break through the Great Boulder Array or pay a fee.

If one wasn't familiar with arrays, they would just have to pay to enter.

Su Chen examined the Great Boulder Array. This basic array was, of course, something he could decipher.

He didn't want to show off, so he simply paid a small fee and entered Pishi City.

Inside Pishi City, array-related items could be seen everywhere.

Many taverns didn't have stairs, and ordinary people had to rely on floating arrays to reach the upper floors.

It wasn't very practical, but it looked quite interesting.

The entire Pishi City was promoting the use of arrays.

Su Chen found a tavern and ordered some local specialties to try. In other cities, tavern patrons would discuss interesting news and events or major happenings in the vicinity.

But it was different here.

In Pishi City, the tavern patrons were all discussing the art of arrays.

Perhaps in the recent period, many people who weren't familiar with arrays had come here.

The conversations of these patrons were much simpler.

Su Chen listened as they continued their discussion.

The table by the window, he wasn't sure if they were hired by the tavern owner or not.

In their conversation, they spoke about the most basic knowledge of arrays.

"The foundation of arrays is called the Array Foundation.

The foundation can be spirit stones, a special location, or even one's own essence source.

A special location, for example, could be an area with a spirit vein.

If spirit stones are used as the foundation, and one's essence source is infused, the spiritual energy will dissipate, and the array's effectiveness.

If a spirit vein is used as the foundation, the array can be maintained for a very long time, possibly even hundreds or thousands of years."

Those who were unfamiliar with arrays listened intently.

"Aside from the foundation, the most crucial part is the Array Pattern.

Arrays are composed of lines, symbols, and shapes to form the pattern.

Different array patterns naturally result in different array effects.

The difficulty of arrays lies in these patterns.

One needs extremely high precision and skill to draw the array patterns accurately.

Any slight deviation can lead to issues with the array.

It might reduce the effectiveness or shorten the array's lifespan.

Seventy percent of an Array Master's strength lies in their ability to draw these patterns."

After this person spoke, many people around him listened even more intently.

"Then, what about the remaining thirty percent?"

Surprisingly, one of the tavern patrons couldn't help but ask.

The speaker smiled and continued without holding back, "In my opinion, the next most important aspect is the Array Core.

How an Array Master conceals the array core is another crucial skill.

If the array core is destroyed, the entire array is broken.

No matter how excellent the array pattern is, if it can't hide the array core, it's useless."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end