by A P Gore
If only he had something that matched the quality of the Ice Panther Saber. With that, he could craft another legendary weapon and advance to Array Apprentice realm.
But it seemed like a dream. He feared he would be stuck in Array Carver realm. Array Apprentice, Array Adapt, Array Expert, and Array Master were like an illusion painted by immortals. An illusion that would never come to truth.
His eyes shone with vigor when he thought about the handsome icy blue saber. He’d crafted the best array years back. That was an Array Adapt work. When he’d touched that weapon, it spoke with him like his own child. It was the first Silver Grade weapon he’d received for crafting, and the master cultivator had trusted him to craft a Double Amplification Array. A Silver Grade array for a Silver Grade weapon. That time, he’d spent weeks just to prepare special blood, practice, and practice more. Finally, when he’d crafted the array on the weapon over the course of twenty hours, he’d felt his mind touching the boundary of the next stage in the path of array.
However, that moment had vanished as soon as it came. Then came the emptiness. Emptiness that occupied his life thereafter. If he didn’t get another equivalent material to craft arrays, he might just die of old age with no achievement in the path of arrays.
For a stray cultivator like him, this might be the ceiling he could reach. Unlike array cultivators from sects, he had limited resources and knowledge. All the arrays he obtained were from fortunate encounters and took his own blood and sweat.
If he couldn’t reach the next stage, he would probably die with an empty heart.
That was his biggest regret.
“Master Wu, Du clan’s young lord Du Fang is waiting for your audience.” Wu Xiodia’s apprentice, Kun Fu, walked into his crafting room with his head bent down. He seemed afraid, and he should be. Wu Xiodia’s temper was well known among his apprentices, and no one dared to disturb him.
Yet this bastard dared to disturb him.
“What, is he more important than the city lord?” Wu Xiodia spurted his anger out. This apprentice had become a pretentious fool, and he should teach him a lesson soon.
“Master Wu, please forgive this impudent apprentice for speaking pretentiously, but young lord Du Fang has brought a high-tier Bronze Grade dagger with him.”
“A high-tier Bronze Grade equipment?” Wu Xiodia’s face lit up with a gleam, and he quickly flicked his sleeves to step out of the room. Maybe his chance of re-touching that boundary had come. Even it wasn’t a low-tier Silver Grade weapon, it was still something he could try the Fierce Beast blood he’d obtained recently out on.
A young man with a short beard and a long nose sat on the couch in the outer hall, wearing a humble expression on his face. He got up as soon as Wu Xiodia entered the room. “Master Wu, please accept this junior’s humble greetings.”
Wu Xiodia observed the young man’s face. Du Fang’s demeanor had undergone a large transformation since the last time he’d seen him. His arrogance and vigorous look had gone, replaced by a haggard, weak look.
He must work so hard that he forgot to take proper lunches. But he liked this young junior. He seemed well educated. All the other young lords he’d met previously had an arrogant demeanor that he hated the most.
“Young lord Fang, what do you need from me?” Although he used the words young lord, there was no respect in Wu Xiodia’s words. Why would he respect a junior who came to beg for a carving?
“Master Wu. I’ve recently traveled through an ancient site near Du Long City and obtained this Green Fang Dagger by accident. This is made up of a quality material, and fortunately it doesn’t have any array carving on it. I want to ask Master Wu’s help to carve a Power Enhancement Array on this dagger, so it can accompany me in the upcoming Du Long City martial tournament.”
Wu Xiodia stared at the shiny green dagger in his palm and felt a tyrannical aura coming out of it. Excellent. Its body was made from Poison-Soaked Steel, and the hilt from Green Fang Cobra’s fangs. These were both high-tier Bronze Grade refining materials only found in Du Long City. This was it. He could feel the dagger pulsing in his palm. This dagger should hold on to the tyrannical blood he had obtained.
“Junior Fang, this is an excellent dagger, but carving a Power Enhancement Array would be an insult to the weapon.”
“Master Wu, what are you suggesting?”
“There is an array that can increase your power twofold, but just . . .” Pausing, he judged Du Fang’s reaction. As expected, his face fell and then rose. Young people these days. They didn’t understand the meaning behind words easily.
Du Fang shifted his balance to his other leg when he couldn’t seem to take the silence anymore. “Master Wu, please enlighten this junior.”
“Do you remember the Ice Panther Sabre I carved years back?”
Du Fang’s face shifted from worry to delight, like he’d obtained his ancestor’s blessing in one go. “Yes. My father always tells me about it. The magnificence of Master Wu’s work shone through the world that night.”
Wu Xiodia snorted in his heart. This junior was trying to butter him up now. “I can carve the same array, Double Amplification Array, on this weapon.”
Du Fang’s eyes gleamed like a thousand candles lit up in the darkest night. “Master Wu, thanks. I can’t even think of repaying this debt, but this junior will be in your debt forever.”
Wu Xiodia sneered when he spotted Du Fang’s gleaming eyes. “Don’t celebrate just now. There is a fifty percent chance that the weapon will be destroyed.”
Wu Fang’s face darkened. His longing gaze jumped to the dagger, but then he nodded. “Please, Master Wu. There is no one other than you who can do this.”
“Are you sure?” Wu Xiodia got up and tapped his leather shoes.
“Don’t even try that if you don’t want to die.” A smug sound echoed in the chamber, and Wu Xiodia glared at the source. Who dared to refute his claim?
Chapter 38 Schemes of Du Clan?
When the two people entered the outer room of the shop, Li Wei was talking with the attendant on the front side. It was dark outside, so he could easily see those two entering the guest hall connected to the shop front, and with his strong divine sense he could even hear their chatter.
At first, he’d ignored the duo, but when they talked about a dagger and array crafting, his attention drifted toward their conversation, but not to the level where he focused exclusively on them. How could a mere Array Carver in small Old Martial City attract his attention? In his previous life, he didn’t even talk with low-level characters like these. He didn’t have any airs when it came to martial arts, but on the path of arrays, who could dare to stand in front of him in both the Mortal and Martial realms? After he reached Array Master level, even Firmament Sect’s Master had to show respect to him. That was the main reason he’d betrothed Wang Zia to him.
That bitch. His nostrils flared when he thought about that woman. Until now, he couldn’t guess why she’d killed him. His prospects were much better than hers, and yet he’d died at hands.
Rage surged through his blood, but he suppressed it down. Currently, he was nothing in front of her. If he remembered correctly, in a couple of months she would reach Houtian Realm and travel through the Mortal World to gain experience. That’s when they first met.
He was lost in thought when a tyrannical aura stirred his divine sense. When he focused, he spotted the dagger in the young man’s hand emitting a strange green light. The smell of death protruded from that dagger and targeted his vitality, but it was quickly suppressed by his own vitality.
That was a cursed item. The green light it emitted looked exactly like Blood Sucking Poison. It was a forbidden poison in the Martial Realm, and no one dared to use it. If exposed to air, it would suck life and qi from the surroundings, quickly turning a hundred-foot area into a forbidden lifeless zone.
However, how could that young man hold the dagger in his hands for so long? If it was Blood Sucking Poison, it should have sucked him
dry in a breath’s time.
Curiously, he observed the duo carefully. The duo stood next to each other. One was old, like old bones excavated from a graveyard and given a green robe to wear. The other was young and haggard like someone had put him through years of manual labor and then gave him a nice gray robe with golden linings to wear. They discussed carving an array on the cursed item, and when the old man talked about carving a Double Amplification Array on that item, Wei couldn’t control his astonishment and unintentionally spoke aloud.
“Don’t even try that if you don’t want to die.”
The old and young man turned their fierce attention toward him.
“Insolent brat, are you trying to cause trouble in my shop?” the old man asked in a hoarse voice, his body quivering in anger.
With one look, Wei knew the man was on his death bed, but his eyes had a strange gleam. A glimmer of longing for something, and he was holding on to his life for that one longing.
“Li Wei, are you trying to go against Master Wu’s words? Are you afraid of living?” Du Fang asked.
“Are you trying to curse the old man by bringing a cursed item in his shop?” Wei asked calmly.
“Young man, don’t cause trouble. That’s Du Fang, Du Lufang’s third son,” the shop attendant whispered hurriedly next to him. “If I, were you, I’d apologize and get the fuck out of here,” he added.
“Li Wei, are you trying to slander the Du clan? If you don’t kneel and beg, then don’t blame me for being merciless.” Du Fang raised his dagger in the air, ready to strike anytime.
Wei sneered. With his layer three qi Refinement Realm cultivation, Du Fang was trying to threaten him. With his current condition, Wei doubted if Du Fang could even display fifty percent of his abilities.
“Brat, if you don’t explain, then I’ll give you a good thrashing for the whole night.” Wu Xiodia growled.
Wei arched his brows. What did he mean by thrashing for the whole night? Did this old man have that kind of habit?
His body suddenly shivered in fear. Although the old man had one foot in the grave, he still had third layer qi Foundation Realm cultivation and could trample on Wei easily.
“Du Fang, aren’t you feeling weak since you found that weapon?” Wei’s gaze dropped on the green dagger in Du Fang’s hand. It emitted a strange green light, and if he wasn’t wrong, it was a Green Scorpion’s Middle Bone dipped in Blood Sucking Poison for days. A strange refining material in low-tier Silver Grade. It was a valuable material, but at the same time dipping it in Blood Sucking Poison had made it into a cursed item.
Du Fang’s face turned grim, and he blinked his eyes rapidly. “Who said that? That’s a lie. I’m perfectly fine.” He tried to show his vigor by taking an offensive stance, but his body quivered like a butterfly stuck in crazy winds.
***
Du Fang’s body wobbled when he tried to gather his metallic qi in his palm. He couldn’t control it and coughed hard, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood. That bastard Li Wei was indeed right. Since Du Fang had found this weapon, he was suffering from all manner of illness. One day he would feel sick to his stomach, the next day his body would turn soft like cotton. On top of that, whenever he touched the dagger, he felt like his life energy was getting sucked into it.
Yet he couldn’t let go of it. It was a powerful dagger. Once, he fought with it, and he’d easily defeated a layer six Refinement Realm opponent. How could he throw away such a divine weapon?
So, he planned to get a power array marked on it and double its power. Then he could easily contend with his elder brother in the upcoming clan’s martial arts competition and win the first place to obtain a Body Healing Pill. With that pill, he could overcome all the illnesses he’d recently suffered.
But getting Master Wu to craft an array was next to impossible, and he had only come with a tiny hope. Fortunately, Master Wu had agreed. He’d even agreed to craft the legendary array he’d crafted on Ice Panther Sabre. If he got his hands on a powerful weapon like Ice Panther Sabre, he would be invincible in the young generation of Old Martial City. Hell, he would even surpass all young generations of Du clan.
Then this trash came out and started talking nonsense.
“You are talking nonsense.” He coughed more. “This dagger is a divine weapon. How can trash like you know its importance?” Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. “In fact, you are trash who can’t even cultivate, and yet you dare to come and make trouble in Master Wu’s shop. Are you tired of living? Then let me send you to the seventh hell.” Brandishing his dagger, he dashed at Li Wei standing outside of the shop. With his cultivation level and the power of the dagger, he would instantly kill that trash.
But when he reached Li Wei, something unexpected occurred. Li Wei vanished from his path at the last moment, and the dagger moved through empty air.
What? He couldn’t believe his eyes for a moment, but Li Wei had moved a foot away and sent a kick at him.
No, it must have been his sickness that made him miss his strike. Yes, it had to be his own illness, otherwise how could a mortal with no qi move out of his attack range? That was ridiculous.
Li Wei’s kick closed on him, but Du Fang didn’t resist it at all. What could a mortal’s kick do to him? Scratch his balls?
When blood spurted out of his mouth, Du Fang realized Li Wei’s kick packed a punch that he couldn’t dare to take with all his defenses activated, and he had taken it unprepared.
Too hateful. That man was too hateful. He’d acted as a pig to eat a tiger.
However, Du Fang couldn’t say anything, as he lost his consciousness before hitting the ground.
Chapter 39 Dao of Arrays
Wu Xiodia watched the two brats fighting with disdain. How dare they fight in his guest hall? They were insolent, and he itched to teach them a lesson. Although he fought little, he was still in Foundation Realm, so hitting their bottoms wouldn’t take much effort.
“My carpet!” he cried when the Du brat spat blood all over his green carpet. It smelled like death, and his heart tightened. Why did his blood smell like death? That meant this Li brat was right about the green dagger being a deadly item.
The next moment his doubt turned into confirmation. When the Du brat used his dagger, his face turned pale, and the dagger sucked a red aura from his body.
This was bad. If he had touched it, he might have lost his life already. How could that slip past his decade of experience of carving arrays on the weapons. The weapon had an evil aura that tapped into Du Fang’s heart and drew a power beyond what that brat could handle. In Wu Xiodia’s current condition, he could only hold on for a few more years, and if that dagger had sucked his life out, he might have died by now.
His body convulsed at the thought. If that had happened, his dao of arrays would be wasted before he could take the next step.
The battle didn’t last long before the Du brat sprawled on the ground, spitting up blood.
But how did the Li brat move so fast? This brat didn’t have an ounce of qi inside his body, and yet he’d moved like a cat and avoided every strike from the crazed Du brat. He’d even thrown a kick that had matched the layer four Refinement Realm cultivator’s power level.
No, his old eyes weren’t betraying him. That Li brat had strange physical strength.
He gasped; air caught in his throat. Could it be that legendary . . .?
No, that was impossible. How could a long-lost cultivation method make its way back to the Mortal Realm? But he couldn’t explain the Li brat’s strange physical powers another way. Unless, maybe, he’d eaten some spiritual fruit that had increased his strength to this level.
That sounded like a plausible explanation.
The Li brat bent down and picked up the green dagger and placed it in his pocket. “I don’t think you want this dagger anymore, do you?” he asked plainly. There was no respect in his eyes, and that shocked Wu Xiodia.
“And what about my carpet?” The carpet meant nothing to him, and
he felt gratitude toward this brat, but he couldn’t just show it on his face. If the brat had behaved nicely, he might have given him some weapon on a whim, but who’d told him to be haughty?
“Just use a cleaning array. Why are you trying to put an air?”
“A cleaning array?” Wu Xiodia quivered in anger. “Brat, do I look like an Array Carver to you? I’m an Array Apprentice. Do you get it? Array Apprentice.” He lied, but what would a brat who was still wet behind ears know? “Do you even know what arrays are?” He tried to curse further, but he couldn’t find more words. This was a sore spot in his heart, and he could never overcome it.
“You call this an array?” The Li brat picked up an armguard lying on the counter and snorted. “Array master? My foot. You can’t even complete the third circle of Qi Enhancement Array properly, and you call yourself an array master.” He flipped the armguard away like it was nothing in his eyes. “This single mistake has weakened your array by fifty-six percent. You can’t even compare to the fart of a real array master.” Shaking his head in disdain, he walked out of the shop.
“You, you . . .” Wu Xiodia was about to leap at the brat and thrash him when he realized something. Something important.
How did the Li brat know he’d made a mistake in the third circle of Qi Enhancement Array with a mere glance? Had his attendant told him that?
Impossible. His attendant wasn’t even allowed to lift a brush yet. How could he talk about that array? Only an array cultivator who could draw Silver Grade arrays was capable of detecting his mistake.
Then how could a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old brat detect that?
Qi Enhancement Array was a high-tier Bronze Grade array, and it had annoyed him for decades. No matter what he did, he couldn’t complete the third power circle. Even after crafting a Silver Grade array on the Ice Panther Sabre, he’d failed to complete a single Qi Enhancement Array. Sometimes he wondered if it was a bane on his path of arrays and stopped him from advancing further.
