50: The formation base was initially completed, but trouble came knocking.

The establishment of the "D-7 Courtyard Mutual Aid Cooperative" was like dropping a stone into the stagnant waters of the Outer Sect's lower ranks, and the ripples gradually spread.

Initially, only a few Disciples familiar with Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li came to test the waters, exchanging common low-grade attribute Materials for answers to difficult questions about the "Synchronized Breathing Technique," or for a slightly better "Special Edition" Formation Plate.

Wen Youyi accepted everyone, maintaining a sincere attitude and patient explanations. He was often able to pinpoint the problems in the team's coordination and offer practical suggestions for improvement. Although the Formation Plates exchanged were still rudimentary, they indeed produced good results in specific environments.

Reputation was built up bit by bit, just like this.

More and more low-level teams struggling with missions and fed up with the oppression from Great Courtyard Disciples began approaching the "Cooperative" with a tentative mindset. They found that there was no condescending attitude here, only equal communication and tangible help. Although they had to pay some Materials, it was insignificant compared to the gains.

The entrance to the Ding Zi Courtyard gradually became lively. Although it still couldn't compare to the Great Courtyards, it had gained a touch of popularity.

Meanwhile, Wen Youyi was immersed in the challenge of refining the "Five Elements Basic Formation Base."

The collected Materials were varied and of inconsistent quality. He first needed to purify and smelt the Materials of the same attribute, then etch them with crude Runes he had deduced from ancient texts in the Myriad Phenomena Tower, combined with his own understanding, attempting to make these inanimate objects stably emit corresponding attribute energy.

This process was harder than imagined.

"Bang!" There was another muffled sound. A piece of "Red Iron Ore" that had been painstakingly purified shattered into dust due to an energy conflict while etching the Fire Attribute Rune.

This was already the thirteenth failure.

Zhao Iron Pillar watched the scattered debris, wincing in distress: "Little Wen, this stuff is too expensive! We've almost wasted half of the Materials we exchanged for!"

Wen Youyi wiped the sweat from his forehead, showing little frustration. Instead, his face held the focus of a researcher: "Failure is the mother of success. Every explosion eliminates a wrong option. I've grasped a little of the knack now. Next time, I'll try adjusting the rhythm of the Spiritual Power output."

His almost obsessive dedication infected the others. Wang Wu and the others stopped complaining and helped him analyze the reasons for failure, organize Materials, and even tried to use their meager Spiritual Power to help stabilize the refining process.

The power of the team was evident at this moment. Although they lacked direct Alchemy and Artifact Refining experience, their strong learning ability, logical thinking, and unreserved trust and cooperation compensated for the lack of experience.

After the twenty-first failure, Wen Youyi held his breath and concentrated. The Spiritual Power on his fingertips was like the most precise carving knife, slowly etching a simplified Rune representing "Wood Attribute: Growth" onto a purified "Sinking Water Wood" core.

Spiritual Power circulated, and the Rune lit up with a gentle green light. A faint but continuous aura of vitality emanated from the wood core, lingering around it.

Success!

The first "Wood Attribute Basic Formation Base" was complete!

Although the effect was weak and the range might only be the size of a palm, this was a Breakthrough from zero to one! It proved that the path of using external objects to simulate the power of the Five Elements was feasible!

"It worked! I knew you could do it!" Zhao Iron Pillar shouted excitedly.

Wang Wu and the others also showed joy, feeling honored by the achievement.

With the experience of the first success, the subsequent attempts went much smoother. Wen Youyi struck while the iron was hot, successfully refining the metal Formation Base representing "Metal Attribute: Sharpness," the water drop Formation Base representing "Water Attribute: Moistening Downward," the fire feather Formation Base representing "Fire Attribute: Flaming Upward," and the Main Formation Base using the star core fragment itself as the core, simulating "Earth Attribute: Heaviness" while integrating the characteristics of the "Stars."

The five Formation Bases, each with a distinct form and emitting faint but pure attribute light, were placed together. Their Qi Mechanisms subtly drew upon each other, forming a delicate balance.

"The Five Elements Basic Formation Bases are complete!" Wen Youyi sighed contentedly, filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Next was the attempt to arrange these five Formation Bases, with the star core fragment as the main core, in specific positions to construct the conceptualized "Micro Five Elements Circulation Field"!

However, just as they were rolling up their sleeves, preparing for this historic step, trouble, as expected, came knocking.

The courtyard gate was violently kicked open!

Several Disciples wearing unified cyan uniforms and exuding a fierce aura barged in. The leader had an arrogant expression. His gaze swept over the slightly "lively" scene in the courtyard and finally rested on Wen Youyi, where he sneered:

"Oh, quite lively, aren't we? Who allowed you to gather here privately and engage in these Evil Path activities?"

Wen Youyi recognized them; they were members of the Outer Sect's Law Enforcement Team! They were responsible for maintaining order in the Outer Sect and wielded considerable power, often being controlled by Great Courtyard Disciples to serve as a tool for suppressing dissent.

It seemed the development of the "Cooperative" had finally touched the interests of certain people, leading to official suppression.

The real test had arrived.

(End of Chapter)