Chapter 337: Chapter 280: The Third Stage Refining Furnace Tripod and the Maze_2
“I’ve finally reached the third stage!”
Of course, having reached the third stage, Wang Sheng was sufficiently excited. Once this stage was complete, it would be the phase of massive enhancement in strength and longevity.
It was even possible that his current lifespan was merely insignificant in comparison.
“Let’s continue to consolidate it!”
Although he had achieved a new realm, Wang Sheng didn’t emerge from seclusion. The annual gathering of 548 of the great Zhou calendar was soon approaching, and it would be the same if he came out then.
Inside his closed-door cultivation, it didn’t take long for the year to come to an end.
…
There wasn’t anything special about this year’s gathering. Both Qingshan Village and the entire lands of the great Zhou were relatively peaceful, even the Ming Dynasty which was initially thought to stir up trouble didn’t make any moves.
However, Wang Sheng had also learned of another matter.
The spiritual medicines in Shuzhou were still abundant, the situation even seemed to be intensifying. With no real power taking control, all kinds of people came to Shuzhou to pick spiritual medicines, and Qingshan Village, nestled among the mountains, was no longer tranquil, often visited by medicine gatherers and those seeking fortune in the mountains.
Some visitors were benign, merely resting midway and offering compensation, but some were extremely arrogant, forcing Qingshan Village to reveal the existence of its martial artists.
Thus, Qingshan Village became even more famous.
Many believed Qingshan Village to be a reclusive and mysterious power, often visiting in hopes of gaining some fortune.
But a family knows its own business; Qingshan Village was indeed decent, but it had no such fortunes to offer.
The people of Qingshan Village weren’t fools to be taken advantage of.
Still, those who came visiting were very polite and even brought gifts, treating everyone with great respect, which made it harder for Qingshan Village to react.
Simply put, the tranquility of Qingshan Village was shattered.
Wang Sheng didn’t say much, and after the new year passed, he went back into seclusion.
By the time he emerged again, it was the ninth month of 549 of the great Zhou calendar, and another year had passed.
After coming out, Wang Sheng called for the village chief to contact the representatives of the Three Great Families.
“Village Chief, ask them to help purchase these resources.”
The village chief took the paper and looked through it. It was all rare resources, which included a large amount of “White Mist Stone”.
White Mist Stones, upon activation, could emit white mist autonomously. While these stones had no other effects, their unique function kept their price consistently high.
The village chief said nothing, took the paper, and left, obviously off to prepare.
There were plenty of treasures within the village, so purchasing these stones was not a problem.
By nearly November, everything was ready.
“Yun Sheng, what are you going to do with these items?”
The village chief knew Wang Sheng had been collecting iron ore, but what he was collecting now was not mere iron ore.
“In a few years, Village Chief, you will know!”
Wang Sheng had said as much, so the village chief didn’t ask further.
After the village chief left, Wang Sheng took all the materials and wandered to different locations within the village.
Yue, working hard to break through to the Great Grandmaster level, noticed this and approached him.
“Lord Wang Sheng, what are you doing?”
“Setting up an array!”
“A military formation?” Yue’s first thought was of this.
“No, an array, something I’ve derived from the military formation.”
Wang Sheng had been consistently studying arrays, hence the level of his arrays was rising.
“Array: 5 (12%)”
Now, Wang Sheng’s array skills had reached level five. Although it didn’t seem high, his understanding of arrays had deepened significantly.
He had perfected the initial trapping array, which could contain a Great Grandmaster without trouble, but he hadn’t made any breakthroughs with portable arrays.
However, he had devised a new array—the maze array.
It could create an effect similar to running into a ghost wall; without a means of breaking the array, it was even more terrifying than an actual ghost wall.
Wang Sheng planned to set up this maze array around Qingshan Village.
To reduce its limitations, he didn’t solely rely on powers such as spiritual power to form the array but used existing materials instead.
The White Mist Stone and other materials were all prepared for the maze array.
Although it was still influenced by him and couldn’t be left operational without him for long periods, he believed that eventually, he would break through this limitation.
Wang Sheng briefly explained the array to Yue.
Yue’s eyes sparkled.
“Lord Wang Sheng, there is great potential in the way of arrays!”
Wang Sheng didn’t refute this point.
Arrays, when used well, indeed could greatly increase combat power.
“Do you want to learn?”
Wang Sheng saw the hope in Yue’s eyes.
“Yes, Great Master Wang Sheng, may I?”
Yue didn’t hide it at all; he was truly interested in this matter and wanted to delve deeper into learning and understanding.
“It’s not impossible, but you might need to change your cultivation path from Qi-Blood Martial Arts to the path of Spiritual Cultivation. Have you decided?”
The art of arrays was something Wang Sheng still had yet to perfect; frankly, it was merely an introductory method.
The future was uncertain, but for now, spiritual power was needed to cultivate arrays; otherwise, one couldn’t construct the intricate structure of an array.
“To change to the path of Spiritual Cultivation?”
Yue fell into deep thought.
He knew about the path of Spiritual Cultivation, but to change to it, he couldn’t make an immediate decision because if he systematically continued his Qi-Blood Martial Arts, he might reach the Great Grandmaster level before long.
That’s also why he had long heard of the path of Spiritual Cultivation but had never thought of switching.
“There’s no need to rush; you can think it over.”
In Wang Sheng’s view, Yue was indeed suited for Spiritual Cultivation, and in fact, the entire Stargazing Valley lineage was compatible, but he wouldn’t make the decision for Yue.
“I understand, Great Master Wang Sheng. I will give you an answer very soon.”
Wang Sheng said nothing more and continued setting up the maze array while Yue observed from the sidelines. Occasionally, Wang Sheng would share a few insights.
Yue listened very attentively.
It wasn’t long before all the arrays were set up.
Sixty-four positions were equipped with White Mist Stones, which, once guided by Divine Thought, would activate the maze.
Without hesitation, Wang Sheng activated all the maze arrays.
In an instant, a thick white fog emerged around the perimeter of Qingshan Village, shrouding the entire village.
The village chief naturally noticed this scene; unlike others, he was quite aware that not long ago, Wang Sheng had asked him to purchase a batch of White Mist Stones.
Before long, the village chief found Wang Sheng.
“Yun Sheng, this was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed, I’ve set up some measures on the outskirts of Qingshan Village. Those who enter this white fog will gradually get lost and then walk straight out, unable to reach the inner parts of Qingshan Village.”
This was Wang Sheng’s solution to the problem of outsiders affecting Qingshan Village.
The village chief’s expression brightened. This could solve some of the village’s troubles, but he quickly thought of a concern and asked, “People from the village won’t be affected by this, right?”
“Rest assured, it’s only for outsiders. The people of Qingshan Village will not be affected.”
He had memorized the spiritual essence of every villager while setting up the maze and made arrangements in the array to prevent them from being affected.
“That’s great; that’s great. Thank you so much, Yun Sheng!”
“It’s nothing!”
For Wang Sheng, it was a minor matter done in passing.
“The village chief should also pass this information on.”
Not everyone in the village knew about this and there could be panic.
“Right, I almost forgot about that.”
The village chief departed, but Wang Sheng didn’t go back into seclusion.
After all, the New Year was approaching, and he also wanted to take some time to relax, to see if he could come up with other arrays or perhaps find a way to apply them to flying swords.
If possible, it would enhance his combat strength.
After about half a month, Yue approached Wang Sheng, stating his decision to practice the path of Spiritual Cultivation.
Wang Sheng didn’t say much but simply handed over the “Heavenly Thought Scripture” to him, for him to cultivate on his own, and also gave him a basic manual on arrays.
“Thank you, Great Master Wang Sheng!”
It was clear that the basics of arrays attracted Yue’s attention more than the “Heavenly Thought Scripture.”
Not long after giving Yue the methods of cultivation, the New Year approached and the annual celebration of Qingshan Village was about to begin.
And it seemed that Wang Sheng had forgotten something: there were many young people from Qingshan Village who were active outside.
Liu Jian’an was one of them, but this year he wasn’t coming back alone; he brought a large family with him…
(I have something on today, so just this much for now, normally if a chapter hits 4000 words, it means something’s up…)