72: The Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman! Xin Ruyin's Strategies!

Chapter 72: ten thousand mile teleportation talisman! Xin Ruyin's Formation Insights!

Xin Ruyin took the simple dark purple wooden box with her delicate hand. As soon as her fingertips touched the cold wood of the box and the flowing black light runes, her eyes, clear as water, instantly lit up like the purest gems being ignited.

She placed the wooden box on the stone table, leaned over slightly, and concentrated on observing it. Her gaze followed the trajectory of the runes. Sometimes she frowned in thought, and sometimes she gestured lightly in the void, sketching invisible lines.

Lu Qiu and Xiao Mei both held their breath and waited, not daring to disturb her.

In the courtyard, there was only the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind and the occasional very slight, thoughtful sound of Xin Ruyin inhaling.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xin Ruyin slowly straightened up. Her pale face had a faint blush from her concentration, but her eyes flashed with confidence and the excitement of facing a challenge.

“Senior Lu.”

She spoke, her voice still steady but with a touch of decisive certainty: “The Restriction on this box is indeed a very sophisticated ‘Nine-Bend Continuous Restriction Technique.’ It is interlinked, and moving one part affects the whole. Ordinary methods of breaking Restrictions are not only ineffective but will trigger the internal ‘Spirit Annihilation’ and ‘Self-Destruct’ mechanisms.”

She extended a slender finger, pointing at several rune nodes on the surface of the wooden box that seemed ordinary but were actually the hubs of spiritual power flow: “The person who placed the Restriction had a seasoned technique, being at least a Formation Great Master of the Core Formation Stage or above. However, there are three places in its core hub where a pattern can be found. If the ‘Inverse Five Elements Derivation Algorithm’ is used in conjunction with the principle of ‘Stellar Position Counter-balance,’ supplemented by the precise entry of Divine Sense...”

She spoke a bit faster, briefly explaining her plan for breaking the Restriction to Lu Qiu. The ancient Formation principles and derivation calculations involved made Lu Qiu, who considered his progress in Formations to be significant, secretly click his tongue in amazement, deeply feeling that this woman's attainment in the Dao of Formations was unfathomable.

“If Senior trusts Ruyin, please leave this box here.”

Xin Ruyin said finally, looking at Lu Qiu calmly: “I need time to deduce the accurate ‘unlocking’ sequence and spiritual power injection rhythm of these three hubs. A slight mistake will render all previous efforts futile. In ten days at the earliest, or half a month at the latest, I should be able to break this Restriction without damaging the contents inside in the slightest.”

Lu Qiu did not hesitate and nodded: “This Lu naturally trusts Miss Xin. Then I will trouble you with it.”

He chose to believe Xin Ruyin, not only because of the absolute professionalism she displayed but also because of the description of this woman's character in the original work.

In terms of Formations, there was probably no one who could match this woman.

“As for the ‘Inverting Five Elements Array’...”

Xin Ruyin pondered slightly: “To tell you the truth, Ruyin has been trying to improve some redundant nodes of this array for the past year, and I happen to have a nearly completed ‘experimental version’ of the Formation tools. Its core Restriction is complete, though its coverage area and spiritual power consumption are slightly inferior to the original version, and its protective and illusory abilities are only about... one-tenth of the full version.”

She paused and looked at Lu Qiu: “If Senior doesn't mind, you can take this experimental version to use first. Once Ruyin's health is a bit better and the Materials are gathered, I will definitely produce a complete set of ‘Inverting Five Elements Array’ Formation tools for Senior within two years.”

One-tenth?

Lu Qiu's heart stirred.

The “defective product” that Han Li obtained in the original work seemed to have the same description.

Even so, that set of Formations was enough for Han Li to stay safe for a long time during the Foundation Establishment Stage, and it was no problem to withstand the siege of Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

For him at the moment, it was definitely enough.

“The experimental version will do.”

Lu Qiu readily agreed: “To be able to obtain a Formation personally made by Miss Xin is already This Lu's fortune. As for the full version, Miss can just do what is within her power. There's no need to push yourself too hard; your health is more important.”

Seeing Lu Qiu being so considerate, the gentleness in Xin Ruyin's eyes grew even stronger, and she nodded slightly.

---

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this half month, Lu Qiu spent most of his time in his temporary Immortal Cave.

He did not just wait idly but used the soul nurturing wood to assist him in diligently cultivating the Great Evolution Art.

Perhaps because he had accumulated enough, or perhaps because his state of mind was clear, when the half-month period was almost up, ripples rose in his Sea of Consciousness. The barrier of the first layer of the Great Evolution Art quietly loosened, and he officially stepped over the threshold of the second layer!

His total amount of Divine Sense increased again, and his control over it became even more refined and subtle. He could even vaguely sense the existence of that mysterious threshold of Divided Soul.

On the morning after he stabilized his new Realm, a Sound Transmission Talisman passed through the Immortal Cave's Restriction and hovered in front of him. It was sent by Xin Ruyin, stating that the Restriction had been broken.

Lu Qiu's spirits were lifted, and he immediately set off for the bamboo forest courtyard.

In the courtyard, Xin Ruyin's complexion seemed a bit worse than half a month ago, and the fatigue in her eyes was hard to hide. It was clear that she had spent a great deal of effort to break the Restriction over the past half month.

But her eyes were still clear, carrying a faint sense of relief and satisfaction after completing the challenge.

On the stone table, that dark purple wooden box lay quietly. The black light runes that had been flowing incessantly and were intimidating on the surface had completely dimmed and dissipated. There was no spiritual power fluctuation at all, as if it were just an ordinary wooden box with exquisite workmanship.

“Fortunately, I did not fail your mission.”

Xin Ruyin's voice was slightly hoarse as she pushed the wooden box gently toward Lu Qiu. “The Restriction has been completely lifted. Senior can inspect it. Ruyin did not peek at the items inside.”

Her tone was frank, and her gaze was clear.

Lu Qiu secretly nodded. This woman's character was truly a breath of fresh air in the cultivation world.

He took the wooden box casually. It still felt cold to the touch, but the power of the Restriction that isolated everything was gone.

He did not open it on the spot but solemnly cupped his hands in a salute to Xin Ruyin: “Miss Xin has worked hard. This Lu will remember this favor.”

Then he put it into his Storage Pouch.

Xin Ruyin shook her head slightly, indicating there was no need to be polite.

She then took a foot-long square jade box from the side and opened the lid. Inside were neatly placed five small Formation Flags of different colors, made of a material that was neither metal nor jade and covered with dense micro-runes, an octagonal Formation Plate also covered with runes, several high-grade Spirit Stones, and a detailed Jade Slip for setting up and controlling the Formation.

“This is the experimental version of the Inverting Five Elements Array Formation tools.”

Xin Ruyin introduced, “Although it only has ten percent of the original array's effectiveness, when fully activated, it should be able to withstand the strong attack of Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators for several days without worry, and its illusory and concealment abilities are even better. The specific operation methods are all recorded in the Jade Slip.”

Lu Qiu took the jade box. With a brief sweep of his Divine Sense, he could feel the complex and exquisite spiritual power structure contained within the Formation Flags and Formation Plate, which was far beyond the Lesser Four Symbols Guardian Array he had refined before. He was very satisfied.

“I've troubled you, Miss. As for the full version, just do as it's convenient for you. Don't overwork yourself.”

Xin Ruyin agreed and promised to complete it within two years.

The transaction was complete, and the atmosphere became quiet for a moment.

Looking at Xin Ruyin's pale, thin, but straight back, Lu Qiu's heart stirred slightly.

This woman had a special Physique, and her condition could worsen at any time. Moreover, living here alone, it was inevitable that she would encounter harassment similar to before.

He didn't want his pre-ordered complete version of the Inverting Five Elements Array to be cut short due to an accident.

After a slight hesitation, he took out a humanoid puppet about seven feet tall from his Storage Pouch. It was made entirely of dark metal, with fine runes engraved on the joints.

This was exactly the “trial type” of the first second-grade Puppet he had carefully refined according to the Puppet Truth Sutra, which had combat power close to a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator at Perfection and certain autonomous defense commands.

“Although this Puppet is not very powerful, it can be useful for daily alerts, handling chores, or temporarily resisting a few small-time troublemakers.”

Lu Qiu handed the control core Jade Slip of the Puppet to Xin Ruyin as well: “Consider this a small token of This Lu's gratitude for Miss's help this time. Please do not decline, Miss.”

Xin Ruyin looked at the exquisitely structured humanoid puppet in front of her, which faintly emitted spiritual power fluctuations, and was stunned.

She could naturally see that this Puppet was of great value and that the refining technique was quite extraordinary, definitely not something an ordinary Qi Refining Stage Cultivator could possess.

Lu Qiu's move, his intention of care and protection, was self-evident.

She remained silent for a moment, and without too much politeness, she reached out and took the control Jade Slip, bowed slightly, and said softly: “Thank you, Young... Young Master Lu, for the generous gift. Ruyin accepts it with shame.”

Perhaps because she was moved, Xin Ruyin specifically changed the way she addressed him, showing a clear sense of closeness.

Then, as if she had made a certain decision, she took out a warm-colored green Jade Slip from her bosom and handed it to Lu Qiu with both hands: “This is some of Ruyin's shallow insights and miscellaneous notes from studying Formations over the years. It records some ancient Formation derivation ideas, clever rune changes, and... my personal understanding of the Dao of Formations. Young Master Lu has a very high Comprehension Ability in the Dao of Formations; perhaps you can get some inspiration from it. I hope you won't find it crude.”

Lu Qiu's heart instantly surged with a wave of surprise!

Xin Ruyin's Formation insights!

In the original work, this was a supreme treasure that allowed Han Li to benefit greatly in the Dao of Formations!

Its value, in a way, even exceeded a complete set of the Inverting Five Elements Array!

He suppressed his excitement and solemnly took the Jade Slip with both hands, as if receiving a heavy gift for his path: “Miss's generous gift, This Lu cannot thank you enough! To This Lu, these insights are no different from a guiding light. How could I possibly find them crude? I will definitely cherish and study them diligently!”

A very faint but genuine smile appeared on Xin Ruyin's pale face. It was the relief of someone who had found a fellow traveler who could understand and cherish the fruits of her hard work.

Lu Qiu did not stay any longer. He cupped his hands in farewell again and turned to leave the bamboo forest courtyard that had brought him unexpected gains.

After Lu Qiu's figure disappeared at the end of the bamboo forest path, the maid Xiao Mei finally approached Xin Ruyin. Looking at the quietly standing humanoid puppet, she whispered: “Miss, this Young Master Lu... although he hid his cultivation at first, he seems to be a really good person. Not only did he give such precious Spirit Medicine and send this Puppet, but he also spoke very politely, unlike some Foundation Establishment Cultivators whose eyes are on top of their heads.”

Xin Ruyin did not answer immediately. She gently stroked the cold arm armor of the Puppet and looked in the direction where Lu Qiu had left. After a long time, she softly said “Mm” and whispered: “Yes... Young Master Lu is a very special ‘person’.”

The special part was that in the way he looked at her, there was appreciation for her Formation attainments, a sense of equal exchange, and concern, but there was no pity, nor that high-and-mighty sense of charity.

---

After returning to his temporary Immortal Cave and activating all the protective Restrictions, Lu Qiu, with a bit of anticipation and curiosity, took out the wooden box that no longer had any Restrictions.

He took a deep breath and slowly opened the lid.

There was no expected radiant light or exotic fragrance.

Inside the box was a layer of soft deep-blue silk, and on it lay a single Talisman.

The Talisman was about half a foot long and two fingers wide. It was unknown what kind of beast skin it was refined from, but it was a simple dark yellow color and was exceptionally tough in texture.

On the surface of the Talisman, extremely complex and mysterious rune patterns were drawn with some kind of dark gold spiritual liquid. These patterns were not static but were slowly flowing and changing, as if they contained a miniature, constantly fluctuating space.

The entire Talisman emitted an obscure but heart-pounding spatial fluctuation.

“This is...”

Lu Qiu carefully picked up the Talisman, and it felt slightly warm to the touch.

He recalled the records in many ancient books he had read and carefully sensed the unique Law rhythm in the Talisman involving spatial movement. A name gradually surfaced in his mind.

He immediately took out several ancient books on the identification of high-grade Talismans and checked them.

After a long while, he put down the Jade Slip, his eyes full of unbelievable surprise!

“ten thousand mile teleportation talisman! It's actually an Intermediate high-grade Talisman—the ten thousand mile teleportation talisman!”

According to the ancient books, the difficulty of making this Talisman was extremely high. Only a Nascent Soul Stage or above Great Master of Talisman-making who was proficient in Talisman-making could attempt it, and the Materials were hard to find.

Its effect could be called Heaven-Defying: after activation, it could instantly teleport the user randomly to ten thousand miles away!

Most importantly, this Talisman was an “instant-cast” type. As soon as the holder's mind moved, the Talisman would start. It was almost unaffected by most external confinements or interference Spells. It was a true life-saving divine Talisman!

“At least below the Nascent Soul Stage, with this Talisman, as long as I'm not instantly killed or trapped in a place completely isolated from space, I have enough to save my life!”

Lu Qiu held this seemingly thin but incredibly heavy Talisman, his heart extremely excited.

This was more precious than any treasure he had expected!

As a Demonic Path spy, Ye Jin had somehow obtained such a heavy treasure, but he was unable to use it because he was trapped by the Restriction, and in the end, it benefited him.

This was simply the ultimate protective Talisman tailored for his cautious and life-cherishing personality!

He very carefully put away the ten thousand mile teleportation talisman and then took out the jade box containing the experimental version of the Inverting Five Elements Array.

He took out the Formation Flags and Formation Plate and refined them slightly according to the method in the Jade Slip given by Xin Ruyin, and immediately had a clearer understanding of this set of Formations.

Just as Xin Ruyin had said, although this set of Inverting Five Elements Array was only a “defective product” with one-tenth of the original version's power.

But its degree of complexity and sophistication far exceeded any Foundation Establishment Stage Formation Lu Qiu had ever seen.

The Jade Slip stated that once this array was set up, it could not only create illusions to hide the mountain gate and confuse and trap enemies, but the defensive light screen it formed was also exceptionally tough. Except for its small coverage area and lack of active offensive power, in terms of illusion and defense, it was already not inferior to the protective arrays of many small and medium-sized Schools!

For the current Lu Qiu, using this array to protect Chixiao Cave would greatly increase its safety.

Finally, with an exploratory mood, he sank his Divine Sense into the green Jade Slip given by Xin Ruyin.

A massive amount of information flooded into his mind, but it was not dry dogma.

It contained not only in-depth analysis of various ancient Formation principles and unique improvement ideas for common Formation defects but also a large amount of Xin Ruyin's personal insights into the Dao of Formations.

She viewed Formations as a “symphony of heaven and earth's spiritual power and rules,” emphasizing “going with the flow and using the opponent's strength against them.” She proposed many forward-looking and even subversive ideas such as “dynamic spiritual power nodes,” “composite attribute nesting for enhanced effects,” and “virtual-real conversion between illusory and real Formations.”

Many of these ideas made Lu Qiu applaud in admiration. He only felt that a brand-new window had opened before him. Many previous doubts were resolved, and he saw the vast and infinite future direction of the Dao of Formations.

“As expected of the Formation Genius who stands above all in this world... the value of these insights is immeasurable!”

Lu Qiu withdrew his Divine Sense and remained immersed in the shock and joy of his gains for a long time.

With these insights as a guide, his attainment in Formations will surely reach a new level in a short period of time.

The next day, at dawn.

Lu Qiu had already cleaned up his own traces in the temporary Immortal Cave.

Near the Tianxing Sect Market Town, no new high-quality opportunities had refreshed for nearly a month. It was time to leave.

He took one last look at this bustling market town, boarded his green flying shuttle, turned into a streak of light, and sped toward the direction of the Taiyue Mountain Range in the State of Yue.