158: Chapter 158 [Composite Rune Array - Full Version - Activated]

Four jade plaques floated in the air, slowly rotating.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the Secret Base had risen to an absurd level.

Zhou Rui stood in front of the workbench, the pen in his hand hovering in mid-air; he paused for several seconds before continuing to draw.

"Master, with this concentration, I don't even need to infuse my own spiritual energy when drawing talismans."

He drew a stroke, and the talisman paper lit up immediately.

The quality was a cut above the usual.

Shen Nian crouched beside the new sprout, the pages of his notebook rustling as he flipped through them.

"The growth rate of the new sprout is accelerating. The golden veins on the leaves have changed from one to three."

Yun Xi straightened up from the wall and walked to the center of the Talisman Array to feel it.

"In this place, one day of Cultivate will be equivalent to a week outside."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

He looked at the four jade plaques.

They rotated very slowly, like four satellites.

He was the center.

He reached out, and the four jade plaques fell simultaneously, stacking in his palm.

He put them away.

"Prepare the tools. We're going to North Mountain this weekend."

Zhou Rui put down his pen and walked over.

"How many shovels do we need?"

"Two. One as a spare."

"What about rope?"

"Thirty meters."

"Lighting?"

"Headlamps. Flashlights. Spare batteries."

Zhou Rui noted it down in his notebook.

"Food?"

"Enough for two days."

Zhou Rui nodded and continued writing.

Shen Nian looked up.

"I'm going too."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"If you go, who will take care of the seedling?"

Shen Nian was taken aback for a moment.

"Yun Xi?"

Yun Xi shook her head.

"I don't know anything about spiritual plants."

Shen Nian thought for a moment, then took out his phone.

"I'll find a friend to help."

He walked to the side to make a call.

Chen Zhen walked to the flower pot.

The light in the center of the flower was already very faint, like a lamp about to go out.

The second leaf of the new sprout was unfurling, tender green, with a faint golden thread along the edge.

It was receiving.

The flower was giving, and the sprout was receiving.

Generation passing to generation.

After finishing the list, Zhou Rui walked over and crouched down.

"Master, what should we do with this pot after the flower withers?"

"Keep it. When the new sprout grows up, we won't change the pot."

Zhou Rui nodded.

"Then when will the new sprout be independent?"

Chen Zhen looked at the unfurling leaf.

"When it grows its third leaf."

In the afternoon, Chen Zhen went to the Old Street.

The door of the Bookstore was open.

Old Wu was settling accounts behind the counter, the beads of his abacus clicking and clacking.

"Grandpa Wu, do you have a map of the area around North Mountain? I need the latest one."

Old Wu stopped the abacus.

"I don't have the latest one. Isn't that one from Old Gu enough for you?"

"That one is from decades ago; the roads might have changed."

Old Wu stood up, walked to the bookshelf, flipped through it for a while, and pulled out a thin booklet.

"This is a traffic map published by the county last year. The roads around North Mountain are marked; take a look."

Chen Zhen took it and opened it.

There were three roads marked around the main peak of North Mountain.

One entering from the east, one from the west, and one from the south.

The one from the east was the closest, but it was marked as "Danger."

The one from the west was the farthest, adding two hours of travel time.

The one from the south was in between and marked as "Village Road."

"What does 'Danger' mean?"

Old Wu leaned over to take a look.

"Dangerous. It could be a landslide or a broken road. Either way, you can't go that way."

Chen Zhen closed the booklet.

"Then we'll go from the south."

Old Wu nodded.

"There is a village in the south called Shiqiao Village. Once you get there, continue upward; although the road is a bit longer, it's safe."

Chen Zhen put the booklet into his Storage Space.

"Thank you, Grandpa Wu."

Old Wu waved his hand.

"Go on, go on."

In the evening, at the Secret Base.

Chen Zhen sat cross-legged in the center of the array, the four jade plaques placed in front of him.

He reached out to touch them and infused his spiritual energy.

The four jade plaques lit up simultaneously.

The system panel popped up a notification.

[ Composite Rune Array · Full Version · Activated ]

[ Spiritual Power Field Strength + 500% ]

[ Duration: Permanent ]

He withdrew his hand.

The spiritual energy consumption was very small, not as strenuous as before.

The Talisman Array ran on its own and didn't need him to maintain it.

Zhou Rui walked over, holding a cloth bag in his hand.

"Master, I bought the shovels. Two of them, foldable. Also, there's rope, headlamps, batteries, and a first-aid kit."

He opened the cloth bag and took things out one by one.

"For dry rations, I prepared compressed biscuits and chocolate. I brought five liters of water, enough for two days."

Chen Zhen looked at those items.

"That's enough."

Zhou Rui packed the things back in and zipped it up.

"Master, Shen Zhiyuan didn't dare to dig in that underground space on North Mountain. What do you think is down there?"

Chen Zhen thought for a moment.

"I don't know. But there is definitely something there."

"Why?"

"The jade plaque points there. It didn't point there for no reason."

Zhou Rui nodded and placed the cloth bag in the corner.

Shen Nian walked in from the doorway.

"My friend agreed. He's coming tomorrow. He understands spiritual plants and has quite a few planted at home."

Chen Zhen looked at him. "Is he reliable?"

Shen Nian nodded. "Reliable. He's my childhood friend; we grew up together."

"That's fine then."

Shen Nian walked to the flower pot and crouched down to check the new sprout.

"The second leaf is about to unfold. Once the third leaf grows out, it will be independent."

Chen Zhen stood up and walked to the window.

The night outside was deep.

The city lights were twinkling like stars.

On the street downstairs, someone was jogging, the headphone cord swinging back and forth behind them.

Tomorrow is Wednesday.

Leaving on Friday.

Two more days to go.