Chapter 44: Refining the Formation Disk

Liu Xiaolou held the jade plate gifted to him by Wei Hongqing. Following the methods described in the formation manual, he began inscribing the formation symbols using his true qi. He carved a deep line on the left, a shallower one on the right, and then a faint, almost invisible mark across the top. From there, he pulled a line straight down, looping it behind the jade plate and back up to meet the mark at the top. Then the line split to both sides; on the left, a full circle representing the sun; on the right, a half-circle for the moon. At the bottom, the two were joined by a ripple pattern... According to the manual, the left side represented the One—that was, the Heavens; it symbolizes yang, the sun, the lord, or even the soul. The right side also represented the One—namely, the Earth; it stood for yin, the servant, or the spirit. When left and right joined at the top, they formed a unity of good and evil, order and chaos, fate and destiny... The purpose of the inscription was to construct a miniature heaven and earth on the jade plate. This heaven and earth was the formation symbol. The formation was intricate, composed of dozens of strokes, and the carving had to be completed in one uninterrupted flow. This didn’t mean the lines themselves couldn’t pause; it was the true qi that couldn’t break. The process was incredibly taxing. It took only a single night to finish the symbol, but Liu Xiaolou was left completely drained, as if he’d come down with a serious illness. His true qi was spent, his face pale, eyes dull. He collapsed and slept for three days and nights before recovering even slightly. But Lord Xingde didn’t let him rest any longer. Crafting the formation disk had to be done in one continuous effort; the formation’s "heaven and earth" needed to be completed while still “fresh.” If not, it would be nothing more than a dead object. Liu Xiaolou had no choice. He clutched a spirit stone to restore his qi and pressed on by lamplight. Next came the task of fusing various materials into the jade plate. The lines of the formation served as the pathways for this fusion. These “paths” also acted as storage chambers for the materials. Much like the primordial pools hidden in the body’s acupoints. This was another meticulous task. Every material had to follow the specific instructions laid out in the formation manual. No two materials could come into contact; they each had to follow their own path and enter through their own gate. Some carved channels needed to accommodate five or six types of material. Sometimes even seven or eight, all passing through the same narrow track, side by side. And once the formation disk was operational, none of these materials could interfere with one another. The difficulty of this step was almost unimaginable. If a single mistake was made, the entire channel had to be cleared out with true qi and the materials replaced from scratch. Liu Xiaolou spent over half a month on this step. He had to scrap everything and start over seven times before he finally got it right. The third stage required grounding the piece with earth fire and nurturing it with spiritual energy; what was known as the union of water and fire. Fortunately, there was a source of earth fire right in the Xingde Temple’s artifact refining room. As for the spiritual energy, that had to come from spirit stones. Since Lord Xingde didn’t have any to spare, Liu Xiaolou had to supply them himself, which was only fair. The jade plate floated in midair, suspended above the mouth of the earth fire pit. A spirit stone was affixed above it. Below, white flames surged upward from the earth fire, while above, the spirit stone released wisps of blue smoke. Where the white flames met the blue smoke, a shimmering rainbow took shape. The jade plate slowly rotated within the arc of color, the entire scene mysterious and hard to put into words. Liu Xiaolou sat cross-legged beside the earth fire, refining the artifact. On the fifth day, a deep rumble echoed faintly through the surrounding mountains, momentarily breaking his focus. Across from him, Lord Xingde made a quick hand gesture, signaling him to stay focused, then left the room and looked down the mountain. In the distance, a towering figure, about ten feet tall, was chasing down several rogue cultivators who were trying to flee. In no time, the divine being had captured them all, holding them in one hand before striding off down the mountain. A loud voice rang out from below: “Remain calm, all mountains! The Qingyu Sect is apprehending fugitives. This does not concern the rest of you.” Lord Xingde Jun leapt up to a higher vantage point and peered into the distance. At the mountain pass, the Qingyu Sect’s Inspector Hou was shouting to announce their presence. As the towering divine figure departed, Inspector Hou’s voice gradually faded along with him. That was the Qingyu Sect’s heavenly striking technique. No one knew which inner disciple had performed it, but the display was awe-inspiring. “A truly remarkable sect,” Lord Xingde murmured with admiration. Yet deep down, he also felt a trace of unease. He returned to the artifact refining room and signaled to Liu Xiaolou not to let his focus waver. By the seventh day of refining, following the instructions in the formation manual, Liu Xiaolou bit the tip of his tongue and spat a stream of fresh blood onto the formation disk. This was the final step in forging the disk; establishing a link with his mind and spirit. Once complete, the formation disk would respond to his will, and only its master would be able to wield it. Liu Xiaolou gently stroked the disk, now glowing with spiritual light. Joy welled up in his heart, but it was quickly overtaken by an overwhelming drowsiness. He collapsed and fell into a deep sleep once again. From gathering the materials, to mixing and carving the formation, to fusing the components and nurturing the finished piece.... the whole process had taken three months. An entire winter. It had been anything but easy. And during the warming phase alone, he had burned through five spirit stones. That's enough to make his heart ache. He hadn’t expected that when he first set out. Still, the effort had paid off. In addition to the Bewildering Fragrance Tendon and the Three-Mystery Sword, he now had a new layer of protection: the Abyssal Blackstone Formation. One more card to play when his life was on the line. When Liu Xiaolou finally woke, he activated the formation disk. On the small practice ground outside Xingde Temple, an illusion immediately unfolded. A courtyard appeared, just like the one Jiuniang had lived in at the Zhou family estate: whitewashed walls, lush green bamboo, a serene pond with jade-green water, elegant pavilions, and soft lantern light flickering inside the side rooms along the wall. The entire scene exuded quiet wealth and comfort. But this quaint little courtyard was actually a cage. Once someone stepped inside, getting out was no easy task. And under no circumstances should they enter the side room. That part wasn’t a joke; once inside, you lost all control over yourself. Lord Xingde entered the illusion to test it and quickly stumbled back out, his face flushed and ears burning. Frustrated, he scolded, “Can’t you be a bit more serious? I thought you were adding some fragrance tendon.... who knew it was actually? From now on, don’t tell anyone I taught you the art of formation refining!” Liu Xiaolou didn’t seem bothered. “Senior, I’ve said it before. There’s no such thing as high or low when it comes to technique...” Lord Xingde waved him off. “Alright, alright, spare me the speech.” Liu Xiaolou looked at him expectantly. “So, what do you think of the formation I made?” Lord Xingde gave an honest assessment. “You’re not exactly gifted, but you’re not bad either. For your first time crafting a formation disk, this is more than respectable.” Liu Xiaolou beamed. “So... it’s a success?” Lord Xingde nodded. “It’s a success.” Liu Xiaolou let out a long breath. “It really wasn’t easy. I’m telling you, I’m not selling this formation disk for anything less than twenty spirit stones. Tonight, we feast. No holding back!” The Taoyuan Mountains were rich with resources: wild boar, deer, rabbits, pheasants, you name it. Liu Xiaolou laid out a massive spread, brought out Lord Xingde’s stash of fine wine, and the two of them ate and drank to their hearts’ content. As they ate and drank, they talked freely about the future. Lord Xingde asked Liu Xiaolou what his plans were. Liu Xiaolou replied, “As a cultivator, my focus still has to be on cultivation. I’ve been leading my sect for over a year now, but I’m still only at the third layer of Qi Refinement; it hardly matches my position. I plan to spend some time in seclusion and push for the fourth layer as soon as I can.” Lord Xingde nodded approvingly. “Cultivation comes first. That’s the right mindset. Now that your formation disk is complete, you should head down the mountain tomorrow.” “Senior, I feel like we really get along. I’d like to stay here at Xingde Temple while I cultivate. That way, if I run into trouble, I can ask you for guidance. Would that be alright?” But Lord Xingde shook his head. “I’ve got matters of my own to tend to. I won’t be staying on the mountain either. Best you return for now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.” Since his host didn’t agree, Liu Xiaolou had no choice. He threw himself into finishing off the jar of spirit wine, determined not to leave anything behind and have regrets. The next morning, as Liu Xiaolou prepared to take his leave, Lord Xingde brought out a wooden box. “Xiaolou,” he said, “despite the difference in our ages, I consider us close friends. As a parting gift, I want to give you something. Just one thing. Don’t open it yet. Wait until you’re back at your sect. Alright?” Liu Xiaolou accepted the gift and said, a little sheepishly, “I don’t have anything good to give in return... how about I leave you two spirit stones?” No matter how hard he insisted, Lord Xingde refused to take them. And so, after their farewell, Liu Xiaolou headed down the mountain, humming a mountain tune as he made his way back to Western Xian.