74: Chapter 74 Underwater Air Hole, Hidden Array

Three months later, in the depths of a remote forest within the Xie Family grounds at Lingxi Dock.

Chen Qingyuan sat cross-legged on a tree trunk. A pitch-black, three-legged round cauldron engraved with mountain patterns circled him a few times before landing steadily in his palm.

"Phew, it's finally completely refined."

This cauldron was the "mysterious iron mountain-suppressing cauldron" he had entrusted his father-in-law, Xie Mingde, to purchase at a great price from the market. Forged entirely from "ink-patterned mysterious iron," when actively driven, it could instantly release a protective light shield. Its defensive power was quite formidable, enough to withstand the fierce attacks of a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.

At the same time, the "yin bone needle" obtained from the Ding Family's younger sister had also been refined to proficiency and was hidden within his sleeve.

Of course, this was only part of his preparations.

Over these past three months, the greatest change had occurred in the Yin Armor.

At this moment, the Yin Armor stood quietly by Chen Qingyuan's side. Its original tattered cloth clothes had been replaced by a suit of deep blue iron armor, and the rusted long spear in its hand had also become entirely azure, sharp and imposing.

Its Cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, breaking through from the Qi Refining Seventh Layer all the way to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining!

However, the cost of such an increase was extremely high.

Chen Qingyuan had almost emptied all the Spirit Stones from himself and his spoils of war, and had sold off all the Magical Artifacts he didn't need. Even so, he still owed the Xie Family nearly two hundred Spirit Stones for the Yin-attribute Materials.

In total, he had poured in over one thousand Spirit Stones, just to forcefully stack the Yin Armor up to the Realm of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining.

Suddenly, the Yin Armor, which had been standing motionless, abruptly opened its eyes. The two clusters of deep blue soul fire in its eye sockets were brighter and more agile than before. It turned slightly towards the direction outside the forest.

"Master, the Mistress has arrived."

"Mm, withdraw."

"Yes!"

The Yin Armor bowed in response, and then its form turned into a wisp of faint blue smoke, quietly disappearing.

Almost the very next moment after the Yin Armor disappeared, a streak of light landed lightly, revealing the figure of Xie Jinshu.

However, where the Yin Armor had been, the Yin Qi remained thick and undissipated!

As soon as she landed, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Thinking of the large amount of cold Yin-attribute Materials Chen Qingyuan had purchased over these three months, worry inevitably welled up in her eyes.

"Husband, this is...?"

Chen Qingyuan restrained his breath and finished his Cultivation, waving his hand to retract the "mysterious iron mountain-suppressing cauldron" into his Storage Pouch!

He stood up and naturally took her hand. "Don't worry, Wife. It's just necessary for my Cultivation. Your husband knows what he's doing and will certainly not make any mistakes."

In the world of Cultivation, everyone has their own secrets. Seeing that he was unwilling to speak, she could only sigh helplessly and say,

"As long as you know what you're doing. Grandfather just sent a message asking us to hurry and meet him; it's time to set off."

Upon hearing this, a sharp light flashed in Chen Qingyuan's eyes. After three months of hard preparation, it had finally come.

"Alright! Let's go find Grandfather now!"

...

Spirit Stream Lake, at midnight, at an unnamed lake!

Three figures landed! It was Old Master Xie, Chen Qingyuan, and Xie Jinshu.

The lake surface at night was shrouded in a thin mist, exceptionally tranquil.

Looking at the familiar lake before him, Chen Qingyuan couldn't help but ask in a low, surprised voice!

"Old Master, could the entrance to that Secret Realm... be right here?"

Old Master Xie stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze looking far into the depths of the lake's center, and nodded slowly!

"That's right. After your father and I discovered this place years ago, in order to guard the secret of this Secret Realm for generations, I decided to move the entire Xie Family here and take root."

After saying this, he sighed softly!

"Sigh! Time flies, and the world changes; I never expected that in the blink of an eye, fifty years have passed..."

After a moment of reflection, the Old Master returned to normal!

He took out two water-blue beads the size of pigeon eggs and handed them to Chen Qingyuan and Xie Jinshu respectively.

"This is a 'Water-Avoiding Bead'. Hold it under your tongue, and it will allow you to move freely in the water for two hours, which is enough to support us in reaching the entrance."

The two followed his instructions, placed the Water-Avoiding Beads in their mouths, and followed closely behind the Old Master, leaping into the lake one after another.

Immediately, a chill washed over them.

It was early spring; although the lake water was not as bitterly cold as in winter, it was still piercing.

Fortunately, the spiritual light of the Water-Avoiding Beads protected their bodies, forming an invisible film of Qi around them that isolated the lake water, allowing the three of them to move forward as freely as fish.

"Splash!"

About an incense stick's time later, the Old Master, who was leading the way, lifted his body and was the first to break through the water's surface.

Chen Qingyuan and Xie Jinshu followed closely behind, leaping out of the water one after the other.

After steadying themselves, Chen Qingyuan quickly looked around.

They were surprisingly in a spacious natural stone cave.

Above them was a damp rock wall, with water droplets constantly seeping down, making crisp echoes, while the ground beneath their feet was exceptionally dry, as if they were in a different world from the lake water just moments ago.

"It's actually an underwater air pocket!"

"Old Master, if you hadn't led the way, who would have thought that there would be such a hidden world at the bottom of this lake."

However, the Old Master was already standing in the center of the cave with his hands behind his back. Upon hearing this, he slowly shook his head, his voice exceptionally clear in the empty underwater cave!

"Take a closer look."

Chen Qingyuan frowned slightly and immediately released his Divine Sense to observe carefully, only then did he realize something was wrong!

He saw that countless Formation patterns were engraved on the surrounding rock walls.

These Formation patterns were cleverly fused with the rock texture of the walls; if he hadn't been deliberately investigating, he would never have discovered them.

"Is this... a Concealment Formation?"

"Correct."

The Old Master nodded. When he spoke again, his tone couldn't help but carry a hint of pride!

"There are three methods for setting up a Formation: The superior method relies on the Spiritual Vein of heaven and earth, borrowing its momentum to form, which has the greatest power;"

"The middle method relies on specific Formation artifacts to connect with the earth's Qi;"

"The inferior method relies on carriers like Formation Plates and Formation Flags, which is flexible but limited in power."

"The Formation here is the culmination of my many years of hard work, built relying on the natural terrain of this place. Its concealment effect is extremely strong; unless a Golden Core Cultivator arrives in person, it is absolutely impossible to discover the mysteries here."

As his voice fell, when he spoke again, his tone carried a hint of helplessness!

"It's just a pity that there is no Spiritual Vein here. The spiritual power required to maintain the daily operation of the Formation relies entirely on Spirit Stones. Over the years, in order to maintain this Formation, our Xie Family has poured in quite a lot of our Family assets."

As he spoke, the Old Master looked back at Chen Qingyuan.

"I heard you chose my insights on Formations. If you have any free time in the future, you can come here more often to comprehend it. This living Formation that relies on natural momentum is much more intuitive than rote memorization from books, and it should be helpful to you."

Chen Qingyuan did not stand on ceremony and nodded slowly, while his heart suddenly became clear.

No wonder the Xie Family, despite having a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, lived so frugally.

On one hand, it was because the Spiritual Vein at Lingxi Dock was not of a high Rank, and supporting a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Cultivation was already difficult;

On the other hand, it seemed this underwater Formation was holding them back.

He immediately cupped his hands!

"Old Master, since this Secret Realm concerns the future of both the Chen and Xie Families, there is no reason for the Xie Family to bear the burden alone. From now on, my Chen Family will allocate a sum of Spirit Stones every year to cover the operating costs of this Formation."

Upon hearing this, the Old Master looked at him with surprise.

"Good, it is good that you have such intentions. The entrance to the Secret Realm is about to open. You two should seize the time to adjust your breathing and make sure to get into your best state."

"Alright!"

The two quickly followed instructions and sat cross-legged to adjust themselves, and the cave immediately fell into silence!

Time passed, until several hours later!

The Old Master, who had also been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and shouted in a low voice!

"Get ready, it's coming!"