Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Stepping out of the Treasure Pavilion, the hustle and bustle outside returned. Shen Mo handed the storage bag containing robes, talismans, pills, and other items to Zhao Qingyan, instructing her to distribute them to everyone and reminding them to put on their new robes and keep the talismans and pills with them at all times.

Standing on the bustling, dreamlike streets of Wanfa City, watching his disciples change into their new robes, which were of significantly better quality and subtly shimmered with spiritual light, their faces showing varying degrees of excitement and anticipation, Shen Mo felt little emotion.

Manager Jin's words still echoed in my ears: "The tallest tree in the forest..."

He looked at the magnificent and bustling Wanfa City before him, but his gaze seemed to penetrate the layers of prosperity and see the undercurrents beneath, and the even more turbulent Tianyuan City in the distance.

I stayed in Wanfa City for two days.

In the past two days, apart from necessary shopping and rest, Shen Mo also allowed his disciples to move around freely, but they had to go in groups and return to the agreed inn before sunset.

Firstly, it was to broaden their horizons, and secondly, it was to see what the disciples of Qingyun Sect would encounter in this chaotic place.

The next afternoon, Li Xiaocao returned from outside, her face flushed and her eyes shining brightly. As soon as she entered the inn room, she couldn't wait to say to Zhao Qingyan, who was deducing the formation:

"Sister Qingyan! I just saw an exchange fair in the small square in the south of the city! Lots of cultivators were setting up stalls there to trade items, and some were even exchanging skills on the spot! A-Tu was there too, and he seemed to have discovered an interesting old cultivator..."

Zhao Qingyan put down the array plate in her hand and looked up at her: "Exchange meetings? There are plenty of exchange meetings in a place like Wanfa City. But what useful information do you find out?"

"Yes!" Li Xiaocao nodded vigorously, taking out several yellowed booklets and some medicinal herbs in a jade box from her storage bag. "I traded my newly refined 'Heart-Clearing Pills' with an old alchemist who specializes in collecting unorthodox remedies and prescriptions for a copy of 'Records of Spiritual Herb Mutations,' compiled in the Central Region over the past century!"

"This contains many cases of mutated medicinal herbs that are not found in the Southern Region, along with treatment methods. It will be very useful to me!"

"I also traded a few good-aged 'Crimson Sun Grass' for these 'Frosty Mist Flower' stamens. Although their quality is so-so, they're perfect for trying out the improved 'Ice Soul Pill' formula..."

She chattered on and on, clearly having learned a great deal.

Zhao Qingyan took the book "Records of Mutations of Spiritual Herbs" and flipped through it. The records were detailed and the illustrations were exquisite, which was indeed very valuable to alchemists.

It seems that although Xiaocao is gentle by nature, she has good judgment and decisiveness when it comes to things she is good at.

"What about A-Tu? What did he discover?" Zhao Qingyan asked.

"Ah Tu, he's even more amazing!" Li Xiaocao covered her mouth and laughed. "There's a corner by the square where an old monk dressed in tattered clothes is holding an old compass and chanting incantations. He seems to be anxiously pacing around because the compass needle is spinning wildly and he can't find his way."

"A-Tu went over and looked at it for a long time, then squatted down and touched the floor tiles for a while. Then he told the old cultivator that it wasn't that the compass was broken, but that there was a small section of 'geomagnetic disorder zone' three zhang underground in this square, which was affected by a fragment of a 'spirit-disrupting stone' buried many years ago. He actually pointed out the approximate location!"

"The old monk was skeptical, but he had someone dig it open, and guess what? There really was a palm-sized, cracked black stone! After it was taken out, the compass immediately returned to normal!"

"The old cultivator was overjoyed and insisted on giving A-Tu something. A-Tu couldn't refuse, so the old cultivator took out a dark, unremarkable plaque from his robes and stuffed it into his hands, saying it was a token of a guest elder of the 'Thick Earth Sect' that he had picked up during his travels in his early years."

"Although the Thick Earth Sect is long gone, this plaque is made of special material. The great author Mayday has brought his new work, 'Still Living in the Ruined Gate and Making Myths,' to its place! It can slightly enhance the sense of earth veins, so let Atu keep it to play with. That silly boy Atu is too embarrassed to accept it."

Zhao Qingyan was also somewhat surprised upon hearing this. Atu's talent for sensing the earth's spirit was becoming more and more unexpected.

Beneath the City of Ten Thousand Laws lies countless ancient artifacts and secrets, yet he was able to perceive the subtle geomagnetic disturbances with such precision.

"What happened next? Did that old cultivator make things difficult for Atu?" Zhao Qingyan asked.

"No, no, the old cultivator looked down on his luck, but he was quite kind. He thanked A-Tu repeatedly and asked which sect's disciple A-Tu was. As instructed by the sect leader, A-Tu didn't elaborate, only saying that he came from the Southern Region. The old cultivator didn't ask any more questions, just remarked a few times, 'The younger generation is truly formidable,' and then left."

As they were talking, there was a gentle knock on the door. Su Xiao slipped in, still dressed in dark clothes for easy concealment, her aura calm.

"Qingyan, Xiaocao," Su Xiao's voice was cold, "near the Xuanji Pavilion in the West City, there's a small exchange meeting that's geared towards array masters and weapon refiners. It's fairly well-organized, and most of the participants are Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators. Would you like to go? Perhaps you can exchange some insights on array formations."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingyan's heart stirred. Although she had received the "Source Sea Dao Scripture" and the "Two Elements Micro Dust Array" from Shen Mo, those were too profound, and many basic variations and applications still needed to be verified through exchanges with other array masters.

The City of Ten Thousand Laws gathers extraordinary people from all over the world; such an opportunity is rare.

"Okay, I'll go take a look." Zhao Qingyan stood up, straightened her robes, and said, "Su Xiao, you..."

"I followed them secretly," Su Xiao said succinctly.

Zhao Qingyan nodded; with Su Xiao in the shadows, she felt much more at ease. The two explained the situation to Li Xiaocao and then quietly left the inn.

A quiet courtyard next to Xuanji Pavilion was temporarily set up as a meeting place.

There were more than ten stone tables in the courtyard, and several cultivators sat around each table. Some were showing off the array plates they had made, some were deduce array formations on sand tables, and some were simply exchanging their experiences in setting up and breaking arrays.

The atmosphere wasn't too lively, but it was quite focused.

Zhao Qingyan entered the courtyard without attracting much attention. Today, she was dressed in a plain light blue robe, concealing her aura, and looked like a young female array mage with decent cultivation and a calm demeanor.

She paused to look at a stone table displaying several basic trapping formation variations. Behind the table, a middle-aged formation master, whose cultivation was at the early Golden Core stage, noticed someone's interest in his formation diagrams and initiated a conversation: "Fellow Daoist, are you also interested in the variations of this 'Minor Five Elements Trapping Formation'? Although this formation is basic, its power should not be underestimated if it can be flexibly combined."

Zhao Qingyan nodded slightly and pointed out a slightly sluggish flow of spiritual energy in the diagram: "Would the connection between the 'Fire' and 'Metal' positions here be better facilitated by using the 'Fire and Metal' runes instead of a direct link, thus enhancing the effect of fire refining metal and strengthening the sustained burning power after trapping the enemy?"

The middle-aged array master was taken aback. He looked carefully at the spot Zhao Qingyan pointed to, pondered for a moment, and then his eyes showed surprise: "Eh? Fellow Daoist's words... are very insightful! Indeed, although direct connection is powerful, it also consumes a lot of energy and is easily countered by the sharp metal energy."

"Using the Bing and Ding runes as a transition, transforming hardness into softness, the fire's intensity is made more enduring... I've learned a lot! May I ask your name, and from whom you studied?"

Just as Zhao Qingyan was about to reply, a slightly arrogant voice came from another table next to her: "Hmph, just some clever tricks. The basic trapping formation is all about the word 'trapping,' and its key is stability and durability."

"Adding burning power may seem to enhance it, but in reality, it disperses spiritual energy. If faced with a strong enemy, it can easily be broken through in one fell swoop. It's all show and no substance."