212: Small Void Spirit Summoning Array

At the same time, in the south room.

Li Kai, who had been sitting motionlessly behind the door, suddenly looked up.

He felt it.

The Formation Evil Qi that had been gnawing at his bones stopped its restless agitation at that instant. Immediately after, a gentle suction came from next door, drawing the Evil Qi within his body to slowly flow towards the repaired Formation Plate.

Two lines of clear tears silently streamed down the cheeks of this taciturn young man.

He knew he had made the right gamble.

That seemingly gentle, yet unfathomably deep Junior Brother Su had truly accomplished something even the Elders of Formation Peak might not be able to achieve.

“Su Ming...”

Li Kai murmured, engraving the name deeply into his heart.

And further away, on the main Peak of Cloud Hidden Sect.

A Grand Elder in seclusion suddenly opened his eyes, looking with confusion towards the direction of the External Affairs Hall at the mountain gate.

“Just now... there seemed to be a ripple of the Void Realm? Was it an illusion...”

The old man shook his head and closed his eyes again.

The sea of clouds surged, concealing all secrets... In the south room of Ding Zi Number Seven Courtyard, the door was tightly shut, yet it couldn't hide the extremely suppressed, heavy breathing from within.

When Su Ming pushed the door open, Li Kai's right arm, covered in dark green evil patterns, was resting on the edge of the Formation Plate.

As the Spiritual Qi flowed, those hideous, worm-like patterns faded at a visible speed, revealing a pale but healthy skin tone once more.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Li Kai suddenly looked up.

In his bloodshot eyes, despair had dissipated, replaced by a nearly exhausted euphoria, and a deep reverence for the young man before him.

“I have not failed my mission.”

Su Ming's voice broke the silence. He didn't look much at the arm being “purified.”

He took out a warm, green Jade Slip from his sleeve and gently placed it in the center of the table.

Inside the Jade Slip were inscribed his ideas for “flexible spiritual energy diversion,” which he had spent several hours deducing, as well as the specific method for constructing that “Water Spiritual Power Bridge.”

“The repair plan for the core nodes is all in here. With your foundation in the Dao of Formations, it shouldn't be difficult to follow the instructions, maintain the Formation Plate's operation for a quarter of an hour, and draw out the Evil Qi.”

Li Kai's hand, covered in calluses and scars, suddenly gripped the Jade Slip.

His knuckles turned white from excessive force, and the several hideous dark green evil patterns on the back of his hand seemed to sense their impending end, wriggling uneasily.

He didn't immediately check the contents, but took a deep breath, as if to exhale all the despair that had accumulated in his chest for half a month.

His Divine Sense probed into it, and a moment later, Li Kai suddenly looked up.

His always lifeless eyes were now bloodshot, but burned with a flame called Rebirth.

He didn't utter any superfluous words of gratitude, but simply stood up, took a step back, tidied his robes which had remained neat even in pain, and bowed deeply to Su Ming.

Then, he solemnly took out the ancient Jade Slip and presented it to Su Ming with both hands.

“It is yours.”

Su Ming took the Jade Slip. It was cold to the touch, as if holding a piece of profound ice that had not melted for ten thousand years.

The transaction was complete, Karma cleared.

This young man, usually as silent as a stone, now seemed a little hesitant.

He looked back at the tightly closed door, then lowered his voice, his hoarse tone echoing in the quiet room, carrying a hint of imperceptible tension.

“Junior Brother Su, the Outer Sect assessment is imminent. There are some things I've thought over, and I must tell you.”

Li Kai stared into Su Ming’s eyes, speaking rapidly, “Although you have Elder Ma’s recommendation, the main examiner for the ‘Hundred Arts Heavenly Path’ stage, which focuses on Formations, is the sworn brother of Deacon Zhang of the Artifact Hall. This person... has been very close to Elder Luo’s faction on Formation Peak. Previously, the Repair Hall cut off the Artifact Hall’s financial path, and Elder Luo’s side also suffered losses. They can’t openly move against Elder Ma’s people, but if they make things difficult for you within the assessment rules, no one can say a word.”

Su Ming's pupils slightly contracted.

Deacon Zhang's sworn brother? Elder Luo's faction?

This was trouble, as expected.

The Repair Hall was too tempting a piece of cake; disturbing someone else's interests naturally led to backlash.

He just didn't expect the retribution to come so quickly, and to cause trouble at such a critical juncture as the assessment.

“Thank you for the heads-up, Senior Brother.” Su Ming nodded slightly, his expression unchanged, “If soldiers come, we'll block them; if water comes, we'll cover it with earth.”

Seeing Su Ming so calm, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Kai's eyes, followed by even deeper admiration. He hesitated for a moment, pointing at the black Jade Slip in Su Ming's hand, his voice even lower, as if afraid of disturbing certain presences.

“There's one more thing, consider it me being talkative.”

“Does Junior Brother know the origin of our Cloud Hidden Sect's foundational Grand Array of Revolving Stars, which is said to be able to withstand the full assault of a Soul Transformation Peak expert?”

Su Ming's heart stirred, “Wasn't it created by our Ancestral Master, Senior Cloud Concealment, who comprehended the Dao by observing the stars?”

“That's what they tell outsiders.”

Li Kai curled his lips in a mocking arc, “The Ancestral Master was indeed exceptionally talented, but back then... he actually found an Incomplete Manual from ‘outside the heavens.’ He pieced together this Grand Array based on fragments from that Incomplete Manual, combined with the topography of the thirty-six Peaks here.”

Incomplete Manual from outside the heavens?

Su Ming felt the xuantian ring on his right index finger tremble slightly.

“And this Lesser Void Spirit Guiding Formation, along with that Incomplete Manual...” Li Kai pointed to the black Jade Slip, a hint of awe in his eyes, “Both come from the same source. One could even say that this is one of the very few relatively complete ‘portable’ components within that vast Legacy system.”

“So, Junior Brother Su.”

Li Kai's expression became exceptionally serious, “Although this Formation is named ‘Spirit Guiding,’ in my opinion, its greatest use is not for Cultivation. Only fools would use it for Cultivation.”

“Why?” Su Ming asked, puzzled.

“Cost.” Li Kai uttered two words, “To activate this Formation, it requires ‘Void Gazer Stone,’ which is extremely difficult to find in this world, as a medium. And although the Spiritual Qi it draws is extremely pure, it carries a hint of the Void Realm's icy attribute. If a Cultivator directly absorbs it, they would have to expend a great deal of energy to ‘warm it up,’ which is not worth the effort.”

“Its true value lies in two aspects: first, if you suffer from injuries caused by foreign spiritual power that are difficult to remove, or are afflicted by deeply ingrained Medicinal Pill toxins or Evil Qi, the pure Void Realm Spiritual Qi drawn by this Formation can slowly cleanse them, like clear water washing away ink, with unparalleled effectiveness; second, if you acquire a delicate spiritual seed, or need to refine high-grade Medicinal Pills that require zero Impurities, the ‘absolutely pure’ environment provided by this Formation is second to none in the world.”

Lin Yu listened, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

For Su Ming, whose Dao foundation was damaged and urgently needed nurturing and repair, and for his future potential involvement in high-end Alchemy and talisman crafting, this was simply a divine skill tailor-made for him.

“Understood.” Su Ming thanked him solemnly, “This is exactly the Formation I urgently need.”

Li Kai saw that Su Ming had taken his words to heart and breathed a sigh of relief.

He took out two small bottles from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the table.

“Inside are the remaining ‘Void Gazer Stone Powder’ and ‘Soul Stabilizing Sand’ I have; I'll split them with you.”

Li Kai gave a wry smile, “Don’t think it's too little; this stuff is ridiculously expensive. When activating the Formation, remember to use ‘Soul Stabilizing Sand’ to guard your spiritual platform. At the edge of the Void Realm rift, there are occasionally disturbing whispers. Although not fatal, listening to them too much can easily make one irritable and even... give rise to Heart Demons.”

After Li Kai finished speaking, Su Ming no longer lingered, turned, pushed the door open, and left.