Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"If only a gold mine of the stars could fall into our mountain..." a disciple muttered softly, eliciting a chorus of wry smiles.

Zhao Qingyan waved her hand, signaling her disciples to go and rest. She stood alone before the enormous sand table, gazing at the half-finished array of light and shadow, which appeared precarious due to a lack of resources. A sense of powerlessness welled up within her. Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients.

"Junior Sister Qingyan, what's troubling you?" A gentle voice sounded from behind.

Zhao Qingyan turned around and saw that Shen Mo had arrived in the valley at some point, standing with his hands behind his back, smiling at her... and at the incredibly complex sand table in front of her. Han Lin and Su Xiaojing followed quietly behind him.

"Sect Leader! Elder Han, Senior Sister Su." Zhao Qingyan hurriedly bowed, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. Her idea had been incredibly costly, and she hadn't dared to formally report it until now, when the Sect Leader himself came.

Shen Mo walked to the sand table, his gaze sweeping over the shimmering points of light and spiritual lines, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "Activating the power of the stars, using the stars as chess pieces and mountains and rivers as a board... Junior Sister Qingyan, what a grand gesture."

Zhao Qingyan blushed slightly: "Sect Leader, you flatter me. However... these are just some immature ideas, and they are too costly. Moreover, the principles of many key formations have not yet been fully deduced, so I'm afraid they will be difficult to implement."

She recounted in detail the difficulties she encountered, especially the scarcity of resources and the bottlenecks in connecting several key points.

Shen Mo listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the edge of the sand table. After Zhao Qingyan finished speaking, he pondered for a moment and asked, "If resources are plentiful, what are the chances, Junior Sister?"

Zhao Qingyan was taken aback. After careful consideration, she said firmly, "If we have enough Star Gold and Void Stones, and give Qingyan another six months to refine the array diagram, we have at least a 70% chance of success! But..."

She shook her head with a wry smile; the assumption was too unrealistic.

Shen Mo smiled, a smile that carried a reassuring power: "There's no 'just.' Since we're 70% confident, let's go for it."

He turned to Han Lin: "Elder Han, prioritize the needs of the Array Hall by utilizing the sect's treasury and the resources that each hall can access in the near future. If that's not enough, purchase from Chen Hao of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in my name, and use special products from the secret realm or pills as payment."

"Tell him I need the best Star Gold and Void Stones, and the quantity... should be three times the amount on Junior Sister Qingyan's list."

"Three times?!" Han Lin was startled, his mustache standing on end. "Sect Leader! This...this is practically emptying our coffers! And that old bastard Chen Hao will definitely try to raise the price!"

Su Xiao frowned slightly, but she didn't say anything, she just looked at Shen Mo.

Zhao Qingyan was even more stunned: "Sect Leader! No! This formation is extremely costly. If it fails, the sect will suffer too heavy a loss! Qingyan... cannot bear the responsibility!"

Shen Mo waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument: "A lost fortune can be regained, but a missed opportunity is gone forever. The protective mountain array is the foundation of the sect, and it's worth investing in. As for Chen Hao..."

He smiled slightly. "He wouldn't dare ask for an exorbitant price. Tell him that this is what the 'Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array' requires, and if he supplies it, Bai Bao Ge will have priority in supplying array maintenance materials for the next fifty years."

Han Lin's eyes lit up; he immediately understood. This meant they were also bringing the Hundred Treasures Pavilion onto the war chariot! He immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "I understand! I'll get on with it right away!"

Shen Mo then looked at Zhao Qingyan: "Junior Sister Qingyan, you don't need to worry about resources. Just focus on deducing the array diagram. As for the bottleneck in array theory you mentioned..."

He paused, his gaze turning toward the direction of the Flowing Cloud Palace, as if recalling something: "I vaguely remember seeing a few broken array diagrams when I was sorting through the relics of Ancestor Flowing Cloud in my early years. There were some strange patterns on them about guiding and transforming the power of stars, which may have something in common with the bottleneck you mentioned."

"Those array diagrams are ancient and incomplete, and I have never been able to decipher them. They are gathering dust in a corner of the 'Fragmented Scrolls Room' on the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion. If you have time, Junior Sister, you might be able to take a look at them and perhaps gain some insight."

Zhao Qingyan's delicate body trembled violently, and her beautiful eyes lit up instantly: "Ancestor's relic? A broken array diagram? Sect Leader, is this true?" She had long admired Ancestor Liuyun's mastery of arrays. If there really was an array diagram left by the Ancestor, even if it was just a fragment, it would be priceless!

Shen Mo nodded, his tone certain: "Of course it's true. The picture is on the third bookshelf in the northeast corner, on the top shelf, in a sandalwood box. The box is engraved with flowing cloud patterns and has no restrictions. Junior Sister can take it and see it for herself."

"However, due to the passage of time, the picture is blurry. When you look at it, you will need to use your own judgment to distinguish the real from the fake."

"Thank you, Sect Leader! Qingyan will go right away!" Zhao Qingyan's voice trembled with excitement. She disregarded etiquette and turned to run towards the Scripture Pavilion.

"Wait a minute." Shen Mo called out to her, his expression turning serious. "Qingyan, this formation concerns the very lifeline of our sect; it is no small matter. The setup of the formation must be done in absolute secrecy."

"From this day forward, the Battle Formation Valley is designated as a forbidden area, to be defended by the Shadow Guards. No one may approach without permission."

"The core part of the formation deduction must be completed by you personally. No disciple other than one you absolutely trust is allowed to participate."

"Yes! Qingyan understands!" Zhao Qingyan replied solemnly.

Shen Mo then said to Su Xiao, "Junior Sister Xiao, dispatch a team of the most reliable Shadow Guards to guard the Array Training Valley day and night. During the array setup, all supplies and personnel entering and leaving must be jointly verified by you and Qingyan."

"Understood." Su Xiao nodded solemnly.

With everything arranged, Shen Mo took one last look at the vast array sand table, then gently patted Zhao Qingyan's shoulder: "Go ahead and do it. If you need anything, just ask me. I believe that Ancestor Liuyun's array techniques will not be lost in your generation."

After saying that, he led Han Lin and Su Xiao away from Yanzhen Valley.

Zhao Qingyan stood there, watching Shen Mo's departing figure, and then looked at the complex sand table in front of her. She felt a surge of excitement in her heart, and all her previous fatigue and hesitation vanished.

With the sect leader's trust and unwavering support, what reason does she have not to give it her all?

"Zhou Yi!" She turned around, her voice regaining its coldness and decisiveness. "Summon all core disciples and recalculate the data! I'm going to the Scripture Pavilion!"

"Yes! Martial Uncle!" Zhou Yi and the others were greatly encouraged and responded in unison.

Zhao Qingyan transformed into a streak of white light and headed straight for the Scripture Pavilion. Her heart was filled with anticipation; what would the array diagram left by the patriarch look like? Could it truly resolve the bottleneck she was facing?

On the top floor of the Sutra Repository, in the Room of Broken Scrolls, lay piles of various damaged jade slips, animal hides, and even stone carvings, most of which were dimmed of spiritual energy and neglected by everyone.

Following Shen Mo's instructions, Zhao Qingyan quickly found the dusty sandalwood box in the northeast corner.

She carefully opened the box, inside were several yellowed, badly torn, unidentified animal hides.

On the animal hide, some extremely ancient and mysterious patterns were drawn with a dark red pigment, many of which were blurred and intermittent.

Zhao Qingyan held her breath and looked closely. At first, she was somewhat disappointed; these patterns seemed chaotic and disorderly, quite different from the array system she had learned.

But when she calmed down and carefully perceived it with her divine sense, she gradually became immersed in it.

Those incomplete patterns seemed to come alive, combining and evolving in her sea of ​​consciousness... They weren't "setting up an array," but rather "depicting" the trajectory of the stars, illustrating a supreme realm of "using heaven and earth as the array plate and the laws as the array patterns"!

Several of the vague depictions of stellar energy manipulation and spatial folding subtly corresponded to the bottleneck she encountered, offering several unbelievable solutions she had never considered before!

"So that's how it is... Star power isn't forcibly guided, but rather follows its momentum, using its strength against it... Space isn't static either, it can be layered like flowing water, channeling pressure..." Zhao Qingyan murmured to herself, mesmerized, her beautiful eyes sparkling with wonder.

She completely lost track of time, immersed in the profound world of array formations. She knew that these "fragmented diagrams" given by the sect leader were no ordinary things! They were practically a supreme treasure tailor-made for her!

A few days later, when Zhao Qingyan walked out of the Sutra Pavilion with red eyes but full of energy, she held a jade slip filled with dense writing in her hand.

She went into seclusion and, combining what she had learned from the "fragmented diagram," began to re-deduce the core formation diagram of the "Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array."

Meanwhile, under Han Lin's operation, a large number of precious array materials began to be continuously sent into the Array Training Valley, which was strictly guarded by the Shadow Guards, through various secret channels.

A massive project that would change the fate of Qingyun Mountain was quietly and rapidly unfolding.