Chapter 28: Four Array Disks

In Qu Yi’s soul, the Voice of the Artifact God rang out, “Qu Yi, considering Huai Miao’s deep devotion to the art of crafting, I might as well use you to teach him a few array formations.”
Qu Yi, who was dealing with Huai Miao, immediately understood and switched from a firm refusal to a smile.
“Uncle Huai Miao, to be honest, I really can’t practice the art of crafting with you. But during my time in the Misty Demon Mountains, I had some luck and obtained a incomplete book on array formations, learning a few of them. I can give them to you.”
Huai Miao, who was pleading earnestly almost to the point of crying, immediately perked up, his eyes shining as he exclaimed, “Really? What array formations? Show them to me quickly!”
Huai Miao’s obsession with crafting was truly unparalleled.
Qu Yi paused for a moment, but his mind was already in the soul world, listening to the teachings of the Artifact God.
“Haha, Uncle, well… how should I put it? These four array formations should theoretically be offered to the sect. But since my strength is weak, I might perish if I go out to train. So, I have to make an unreasonable request. Uncle, could you help me craft a few array disks?” Qu Yi said with a smile after hearing the Artifact God’s words.
Huai Miao was already three hundred years old, and his wisdom from crafting meant he understood right away that Qu Yi was trying to make a deal with him.
“Okay, tell me what array disks you need. Just state them directly,” Huai Miao said casually.
Qu Yi was only at the middle stage of Qi cultivation—what advanced array formations could he possibly think of that he could craft right away? Huai Miao thought to himself. Of course, Huai Miao had no idea that Qu Yi was already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and that there was also an ancient entity, the Artifact God, in his soul, whose demands would certainly not be low.
“Uncle, no rush. Let’s do one at a time. First, help me craft a Wind Binding Array Disk,” Qu Yi said with a smile.
Huai Miao’s eyes lit up. He seemed to have never encountered this Wind Binding Array before, which meant he could learn it while crafting it.
“Very well, I’ll do as you say,” Huai Miao replied happily.
A faint smile appeared on Qu Yi’s lips.
…
Inside the Flame Hall, Huai Miao, Kang Qian, and Qu Yi gathered around the Blue Flame Cauldron.
Huai Miao had already gone to the Materials Hall and brought all the materials for the Wind Binding Array Disk using his storage bag. Meanwhile, Qu Yi had secretly written down the Wind Binding Array formula in the Array Hall and handed it to Huai Miao.

“Qu Yi, you’re truly lucky to have obtained such a powerful formation. With the strength of the Wind Binding Formation, it’s already on par with a full-powered strike from someone in the later stages of the Golden Core phase.” Huai Miao was overjoyed, and her tone became much more relaxed.

She had originally thought the formation disk Qu Yi asked her to craft would at most be at the Foundation Establishment level, but to her surprise, it turned out to be a powerful formation like the Wind Binding Formation. She was both happy and deeply moved.

Qu Yi only chuckled, not daring to admit that he was merely an intermediary who simply wrote down the formation passed down by the Artifact God.

In the eyes of the Artifact God, the Wind Binding Formation was the worst kind, but for Huai Miao at this moment, it was truly awe-inspiring.

“Alright, I’ll help you craft the formation disk now. You just watch quietly over there. Oh, by the way, Kang Qian, stay by my side and absorb as much as you can. From now on, the art of crafting in the Immortal Cloud Sect depends on you.” Huai Miao gave casual instructions.

Kang Qian and Qu Yi immediately took their positions as ordered.

True energy activated the Blue Fire Cauldron, and the Earth Core Flame Formation was set in motion. Huai Miao completed these steps with great skill—far more proficient and precise than Kang Qian.

The flames inside the Blue Fire Cauldron seemed tamed by Huai Miao; they could grow as large or intense as desired. In no time, she adjusted them to the perfect intensity.

“Luo Yun Stone and Wind Stabilizing Stone, into the cauldron!”

At her command, the Luo Yun Stone and Wind Stabilizing Stone placed nearby flew into the Blue Fire Cauldron.

With a loud explosion, the stones melted completely, becoming pure.

Huai Miao closed her eyes, as if her spirit had penetrated into the cauldron, sensing the flames inside and searching for the perfect moment.

“It’s time. Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Crystal, into the cauldron!”

Feeling the conditions inside the Blue Fire Cauldron, Huai Miao suddenly added the last ingredient. Another burst of flames erupted, causing intense reactions within the cauldron.

Time passed slowly. A day went by, during which Huai Miao kept regulating the flame intensity to ensure the three ingredients fully combined.

“The artifact core is formed. Take it out of the cauldron!”

With a sudden shout, Huai Miao saw the flames in the cauldron vanish, and a whirlwind-like disc-shaped object flew out, emitting intense heat.

“Wind Binding Formation, activate!”

Huai Miao immediately shouted, and a beam of true energy from her palm flew into the artifact core, successfully deploying the Wind Binding Formation.

“Mystic Dream Ice Spring—temper it!”

Before Kang Qian and Qu Yi could offer their congratulations, Huai Miao spoke first. Soon after, a handful of cold-scented spring water floated out, completely enveloping the artifact core to carry out the final tempering process.
The Wind Binding Array was successfully crafted!
“Uncle, you’re truly amazing!” Applause rang out as Qu Yi expressed his admiration.
“Congratulations, master!” Kang Qian, though a step behind, also spoke his praise from the heart.
Huai Miao, after crafting the Wind Binding Array, showed no sign of exhaustion. Laughing, he accepted the praise from the two of them—this was precisely why he was so obsessed with the art of artifact crafting. After each successful creation, the feeling of being filled with energy both physically and mentally was utterly intoxicating.
Qu Yi took the array, which was merely a palm-sized, whirlwind-shaped object, entirely green in color, slightly cool to the touch, with a gentle breeze blowing where it made contact—very comfortable.
“Thank you, uncle. Then, should we start crafting the Wild Fire Array now?” Qu Yi asked tentatively with a smile.
“Go away! It seems so easy for you. This Wind Binding Array is equivalent to a top-grade magic weapon. I’m only at the later stage of the Golden Core cultivation level—how could I possibly craft two arrays in a row?” Huai Miao even grew angry, staring at him intently.
At the early stage of the Golden Core, one could craft lower-grade magic weapons; at the middle stage, medium-grade ones; and at the later stage, top-grade ones. Although Huai Miao appeared relaxed after crafting the Wind Binding Array, in reality, over 90% of his vital energy had been depleted, leaving him unable to continue working.
Qu Yi could only laugh it off and immediately turned to head to the Array Hall.
Ten days later, Qu Yi went to see Huai Miao and taught him the Wild Fire Array. After three days of hard study, Huai Miao also mastered it and promptly began crafting the Wild Fire Array.
Everything went smoothly, and thanks to his excellent crafting skills, Huai Miao successfully created the Wild Fire Array as well.
After another ten days, Qu Yi taught him the Storm Sand Array, then went to spend time with Bai Man, enjoying the scenery around Fire Wonders Peak. Meanwhile, Huai Miao continued to work hard on crafting the Storm Sand Array.
As expected, the Storm Sand Array was also successfully crafted.
That day, in the Array Hall, Qu Yi wrote down the last array, the “Golden Thorns Array”.

In his soul, a tiny sphere appeared, and the voice of the Divine Tool God rang out: “Qu Yi, I’ve already sensed it. In this Material Hall, there’s no Baiyan Yan Iron, one of the materials needed for the Golden Thorn Array. In a moment, give one piece of Red Flame Iron Essence to Huai Miao to use as a substitute for Baiyan Yan Iron. Oh, considering how hard Huai Miao is working, take two pieces of Red Flame Iron Essence—use one to craft the Golden Thorn Array disc and give the other to him as compensation.”

While in the Misty Demon Mountains, Qu Yi caught a Gold-Eating Rat and discovered Red Flame Iron Ore. The Gold-Eating Rat could consume this ore to produce Red Flame Iron Essence. In short, Qu Yi now had an abundance of Red Flame Iron Essence, a material used for spiritual tools.

Understanding this, Qu Yi picked up the manual for the Golden Thorn Array and went to find Huai Miao.

Soon, Qu Yi found Huai Miao, handed him the array formula, and listed all the materials required for the Golden Thorn Array disc.

“Oh, junior apprentice Qu Yi, I can find the other materials, but Baiyan Yan Iron is truly rare. Our Xianyun Sect doesn’t have any in stock, so that’s a problem,” Huai Miao said anxiously after hearing this.

“Then, uncle Huai Miao, is there any way to use other materials as a substitute for Baiyan Yan Iron?” Qu Yi asked tentatively.

Huai Miao sighed and said, “Of course, but it will be quite costly. Baiyan Yan Iron is only at the treasure-level. If there were a spiritual-tool-level material, it would work, but it’s not cost-effective at all.”

In the world of cultivation, magical artifacts are divided into three categories: ritual tools, treasure artifacts, and spiritual tools. Naturally, the materials used for crafting them correspond to these three categories as well: ritual tool materials, treasure artifact materials, and spiritual tool materials.

After hearing this, Qu Yi lowered his head and remained silent for a while, then fiddled with his body as if making a difficult decision. After putting on a show of hesitation, he finally said loudly, “Uncle, I have two pieces of Red Flame Iron Essence. I wonder if they can replace Baiyan Yan Iron.”

“What!” Huai Miao jumped up at the sound, staring intently at Qu Yi. Upon getting a positive response from his gaze, he immediately said, “Of course they can.”

Since Iron Essence possessed spirituality, it was naturally a spiritual-tool-level material.

Qu Yi immediately took out two round pieces of Red Flame Iron Essence from his storage bag.

Huai Miao, like a hungry wolf, snatched them away immediately, muttering something nervously—clearly very excited.

Cui Mu Star was short on resources. It was already difficult to obtain treasure-level materials, let alone spiritual-tool-level ones. If such materials were discovered, all four major cultivation sects would send their best fighters to fight over them desperately.

“Qu Yi, you truly are a lucky ambassador. When you first joined the Xianyun Sect, you obtained Starfall Iron, and now you’ve gotten Redflame Iron Essence. On your own, you’ve helped the sect acquire two types of spirit weapon-grade materials. I’m truly moved,” Huai Miao’s eyes welled up with tears again.

“Uncle, please don’t. As a member of the Xianyun Sect, it’s an honor for me to be able to help our sect,” Qu Yi said firmly, fearing even more that the old man would cry.

Huai Miao weighed the two pieces of Redflame Iron Essence, bit her lip, and finally made up her mind—she kept one and took the other to the Flame Hall.

Two days later, Qu Yi obtained the Golden Thorns Formation Disk. The Wind Binding Formation, Wildfire Formation, Storm Sand Formation, and Golden Thorns Formation—all four formation disks were now completed.