Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 95 Four Years of Hard Work: The Diligent Cultivation and Enlightenment of the Way of Runes a

Within this space, time flowed by. What might have been just a few days outside felt like ten years to Lin Yan, who was immersed in the vast ocean of rune arrays. During these ten years, he devoted almost all his energy to studying and practicing the "Complete Collection of Basic Rune Scriptures" and "Introduction to Array Formations" for the Qi Refining stage. Guided by the legacy left by his ancestor and backed by the endless resources of the Wanyan Mountains, he began a long and tedious period of arduous cultivation.

In his first year, Lin Yan did not rush into anything. The first thing he did was to practice the most basic rune drawing like crazy. Without talisman paper or cinnabar, he simply held his fingers together like a sword and used his own pure liquid spiritual power as ink to repeatedly inscribe the 1,080 basic runes in the void.

At first, the lines of spiritual energy were crooked and intermittent. Even the slightest unevenness in the output of spiritual energy would cause the structure to collapse and dissipate into the air. He was not discouraged. He practiced each rune tens of thousands of times until his divine sense could precisely control the output of every bit of spiritual energy, until the trajectory of his fingers was as natural as breathing.

By the end of the year, he could condense any basic rune in the void in an instant, with a stable structure and a radiant light, almost like a tangible substance. This brought a terrifying boost to his micro-management of divine sense and control of spiritual power.

In the second year, after mastering the basic runes, he began practicing on real talisman paper. He used the most basic Seven Star Grass talisman paper that he had personally crafted, and temporarily used low-level demon beast blood mixed with spirit spring water as spirit ink.

The failed talismans piled up like mountains. Some were self-immolated due to excessive spiritual energy input, others had their spiritual runes interrupted due to sluggish brushstrokes, and still others suffered from structural errors that disrupted the spiritual energy flow. With each failure, he would calmly reflect, comparing the details with those passed down in the tradition, to pinpoint the problem.

At the end of the year, he finally succeeded in drawing the most basic [Cleansing Talisman] and [Lighting Talisman]. Although the success rate was only 30% and the power was mediocre, it meant that he had truly stepped into the threshold of becoming a talisman master.

In the third year, his success rate gradually improved. He began to challenge himself with more complex runes, such as the [Sharp Metal Rune], [Fireball Rune], and [Earth Shield Rune]. The process was equally arduous; each new rune combination meant thousands upon thousands of failures.

At the same time, he began to learn the basics of array formations. The Array Master guided him to identify more array materials and learn the most basic "Spirit Rune Outlining and Energy Node Arrangement". He discovered that many basic spirit runes of array formations are similar to talisman runes, and are even more concise and focused on linkage. The two corroborated each other, which deepened his understanding of "spiritual energy patterns".

By the end of the year, he had become proficient in drawing several commonly used attack and defense talismans for the Qi Refining stage, with a success rate consistently above 50%. He also successfully set up his first formation—the [Small Spirit Gathering Formation]. Although the effect was weak, the feeling of spiritual energy gathering when the formation was completed filled him with ecstasy.

In his fourth year, he devoted more energy to the "intention" and "momentum" of talismans. He was no longer satisfied with talismans being able to be activated, but pursued the optimization of their power, activation speed, and duration. He repeatedly adjusted the rhythm of the spiritual energy flow between the strokes and studied the enhancement of talisman effects by different attribute spiritual inks.

Regarding formations, he began to study the arrangement of the [Maze Formation] and the [Simple Defense Formation]. He learned how to calculate directions, how to adjust the angle and depth of the formation flags according to the environment, and how to precisely allocate the energy output of the spirit jade.

By the end of the year, the power of the [Fireball Talisman] he drew was close to that of a casual strike from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, with a success rate as high as 70%. The [Maze Array] he set up was able to trap a Qi Refining Great Perfection demon beast for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

In the fifth year, the consumption of talismans began to decrease because the success rate was getting higher and higher. He tried to challenge himself with more complex compound talismans, such as insidious talismans that combined the effects of [Slow] and [Corrosion], but the failure rate increased sharply.

In terms of formations, I began to explore the rudiments of the [Chain Formation]—how to combine the [Bewitching Formation] and the [Trapping Formation]. This placed extremely high demands on my ability to coordinate my divine sense and precisely allocate my spiritual power. Countless times, due to miscalculations or poor coordination of spiritual power, the formations clashed, even backfiring.

At the end of the year, after nearly being injured by a failed explosion formation he had set up, he sat in meditation for three days and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, gaining a new understanding of the "energy resonance" between runes and spirit patterns. Runes and formations are essentially a kind of "programming" of the energy of heaven and earth.

In the sixth year, after an epiphany, his progress accelerated. When drawing talismans, he no longer simply copied what was passed down, but began to fine-tune them with his own understanding of the flow of spiritual energy, making the talismans more powerful and reducing their energy consumption.

When setting up the formation, he began to utilize the environment, ley lines, and even light to assist it, reducing his reliance on spirit jade and making the formation more seamless. Talismans were used for instantaneous bursts, while formations were used for sustained domains; the combination of the two amplified their power. He experimented with embedding specially made [Explosion Talismans] as traps at the formation's core.

By the end of the year, he was able to independently design and set up a complex formation capable of trapping and killing mid-Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts, and successfully temporarily attached the effects of the [Golden Spear Talisman] and [Swift Wind Talisman] to his flying sword.

The seventh to ninth years were a period of meticulous practice. He mastered all the talismans that one could grasp during the Qi Refining stage, bringing them to perfection. Every single one he created was a masterpiece. His success rate remained consistently above 95%, and he was even able to draw "top-grade talismans" with extraordinary power.

In terms of formations, he has become proficient in setting up more complex formations such as the [Minor Five Elements Defense Formation] and the [Wood Rejuvenation Formation], and has begun preliminary attempts at crafting formation flags—using star iron to forge flagpoles, using fire-resistant cloth to forge flag surfaces, and personally engraving basic spirit-gathering patterns on them.

Over the course of ten years, he consumed countless Seven Star Grasses and demon beast blood, mined countless spirit ores, and endured countless failures that resulted in the backlash of spiritual energy and mental exhaustion.

The tenth year has passed. Lin Yanjing stands on the spatial plain.

A blank sheet of talisman paper floated before him. Holding a talisman brush, he dipped it into spirit ink mixed with the essence of a second-tier demon beast's blood and the juice of moonflower grass. With a light flick of his wrist, the brush moved like dragons and snakes, the movements fluid and graceful, carrying a strange rhythm. Complex runes instantly formed at the tip of the brush, the spiritual energy flowing smoothly and without any leakage.

The brush is finished, the talisman is complete!

A [Gengjin Sword Talisman], radiating strong spiritual energy fluctuations and with runes shimmering with dazzling golden light, floated silently. Its power was enough to threaten a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator!

His figure flashed rapidly across the plain. One after another, self-made array flags were precisely inserted into specific positions, and pieces of spirit jade were embedded into nodes. Moments later, a [Small Sumeru Illusion Array] covering an area of ​​several dozen feet in radius was instantly formed, with mist spreading and light and shadow changing, capable of completely distorting the perception of intruders.

Immediately afterwards, he flicked his fingertips, and several different talismans were precisely shot into several key nodes of the formation, instantly upgrading the illusion array into a [talisman array] that combines trapping enemies, illusory effects, and attacks!

"Phew..." Lin Yan let out a long sigh, his face showing little joy, only a calm and profound feeling after a long period of trials.

After ten years of hard work, he finally mastered the art of talismans and formations in the Qi Refining stage, achieving the ultimate perfection that this level of mastery could attain.

This was not merely the mastery of two skills, but an ultimate tempering of his divine sense, spiritual power, and mental will. He felt that his control over power had reached an unprecedented level of precision; with the slightest thought, he could mobilize the spiritual power throughout his body to complete complex transformations.

He finally held the two keys—talismans and formations—firmly in his grasp. Now, it was time to advance towards the Foundation Establishment stage, or even higher levels of the Dao of Talismans and Formations.

Within the space, Lin Yan slept for three full days, sweeping away the mental fatigue accumulated from ten years of arduous cultivation. When he awoke, his eyes were clear, his spirit was full, and his enthusiasm for the Dao of Talismans and Arrays had not diminished in the slightest due to the previous hardships; on the contrary, it had grown even stronger.

He didn't immediately seek guidance from Elder Fu and Elder Zhen. After ten years of honing his skills, he had laid an incredibly solid foundation in first-tier rune arrays, confident that it would be sufficient to support his next step of exploration. He went straight to the second floor of the Starshine Tower and solemnly took out the two jade slips containing the "Secret Records of Spirit Runes: Foundation Building Chapter" and the "Mysteries of Array Dao: Foundation Building Scroll".

"To build a foundation, one must have foundation-building skills at one's disposal." He muttered to himself, and his consciousness sank into the jade slip.

However, upon first contact, Lin Yan felt an unprecedented shock!

If first-order talismans and formations are like outlining lines on a plane to create relatively independent patterns, then second-order content seems to require twisting, folding, and extending a plane to create a three-dimensional, multi-dimensional, complex structure with an ever-circulating internal energy!

In terms of talismans, it's no longer simply about stacking single effects. Foundation Establishment stage talismans require the three-dimensional nesting, parallel and serial connection of multiple, even contradictory, runes. A single [Azure Thunder Entangling Silk Talisman] must not only possess the vitality and entanglement of Wood element, but also perfectly integrate the destructive and paralyzing power of thunder. These two forces are both independent and mutually reinforcing, forming a symbiotic structure. This places abnormally high demands on the three-dimensional construction ability of divine consciousness and the precise layering of spiritual power output. Not to mention those bizarre talismans involving a trace of space and soul attack, whose rune structures are so complex that just looking at them makes one dizzy.

In terms of formations, the difficulty increases even more dramatically. First-tier formations mostly involve the flow of energy at fixed nodes. Foundation-building formations, however, introduce dynamic changes, energy tides, and a rudimentary concept of leveraging the power of heaven and earth. A single [Flowing Fire Flying Star Formation] not only requires the precise placement of five formation eyes with different attributes, but also the ability to ensure that the energy of these five formation eyes circulates and generates itself according to specific rules, while adjusting its attack mode and intensity in response to external stimuli. This demands an extremely profound understanding of the five elements' interactions and energy mechanics, resulting in an exponential increase in computational complexity.

"As expected... another formidable obstacle." Lin Yan took a deep breath, his eyes showing no fear but instead burning with an even more intense fighting spirit. This challenge reminded him of the days when he first learned alchemy, the days of repeated furnace explosions and repeated reviews.

Instead of being impatient, he made the same choice he made when he was learning alchemy—to record and review.

He prepared a thick notebook of incorrect answers, specifically for recording every practice session and every failure.

For the first five years, he attempted to draw the simplest second-tier [Flame Arrow Chasing Wind Talisman], requiring the flaming arrows to track the enemy like living creatures. The result was either that the rune structure would conflict and collapse when nested in three dimensions, or that the spiritual power could not maintain the stability of the three-dimensional structure. The drawn talismans were either ineffective or exploded directly.

The simplest "Mist-Locked Smoke and Clouds Formation" was set up, requiring the mist to move with the enemy. However, after the formation flags were planted and the spirit jade was embedded, the formation was lifeless, the mist was stagnant and motionless, and it had no vitality whatsoever. Furthermore, due to a miscalculation, the energy was blocked at the nodes, burning several precious homemade formation flags.

After each failure, he immediately stopped and meticulously recorded the details:

"At the third quarter of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the [Flaming Arrow Chasing the Wind Talisman] was drawn. At the point where the 'Fire' and 'Object Control' runes were nested, the spiritual power output deviated by one percent, causing structural imbalance, and the talisman was burned."

"At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the [Mist-Locked Clouds and Mist Array] was set up. The array flag in the Xun position was angled half a degree to the west, causing the wind spirit power to be unable to activate the water vapor circulation, thus rendering the array ineffective. The energy accumulated in the Kan position, damaging one side of the Cloud Silk Stone Array plate."

Then, he pondered deeply over the records, adjusted the output curve of spiritual power, recalculated the orientation and angle of the array flags, and even repeatedly observed the three-dimensional projection of the perfect rune structure left by the ancestor in the jade slip, feeling the subtle flow of energy within it.

In the middle ten years, after countless failures and reflections, he began to occasionally succeed.

On one occasion, he had a sudden inspiration, and his divine sense guided two different types of spiritual energy at a peculiar frequency, successfully completing the three-dimensional nesting of the [Azure Thunder Entangling Silk Talisman]! When the talisman was completed, azure and purple light intertwined, emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation! Although he failed dozens of times after the initial success, it proved that the direction was correct.

Regarding the formation, he finally managed to light up the five key points of the [Flowing Fire Flying Star Formation] for the first time, and the energy began to circulate awkwardly! Although it collapsed due to energy conflict after only three breaths, he was extremely excited.

But after that, he entered a long period of stagnation. His success rate was extremely low and highly unstable. His notebooks of incorrect answers were piled up like mountains, filled with all sorts of complex calculation formulas, spiritual energy curves, and array deduction models. He would often sit for days on end, repeatedly deducing various possibilities from a single failure.

In the final decade, quantitative changes finally led to qualitative changes. He became increasingly adept at constructing three-dimensional runes, and his divine sense seemed to be born with the ability to think and construct in multiple dimensions. The flow, calculation, and control of array energy also became as natural as breathing.

He successfully created the [Houtu Protective Talisman], and the resulting dark yellow light barrier was incredibly solid, with defensive power far exceeding that of the first-tier [Stone Skin Talisman].

He set up the [Illusory Wave Mirage Array]. The space and light within the array's range are distorted, making those who step into it feel as if they are trapped in a deep sea illusion, and they will be impacted by invisible undercurrents, making it easy for them to lose their composure.

He no longer confined himself to inheritance and began to try his own combinations and innovations. He incorporated part of the armor-piercing structure of the [Sharp Golden Dragon Demon Talisman] into the attack formation to enhance its penetrating power; he miniaturized the runes of the [Swift Movement Talisman] on the formation flags, allowing the formation to move slowly on its own. Although the range was small, it was an amazing improvement.

In the twenty-fifth year, on the Space Plain, Lin Yan stood still as a mountain. Before him was not a talisman, but a palm-sized, newly refined second-order array plate substrate—a cloud stone infused with a small amount of "Void Mithril" powder.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, his fingertips gathering highly concentrated spiritual power, and began to carve directly onto the hard array plate! As his fingertips moved, stone dust fell in a flurry, and intricate three-dimensional spiritual patterns were meticulously carved out, each stroke containing a specific spiritual charm and power.

For a full hour, he was completely focused, sweat beading on his forehead, but his fingers remained as steady as a rock.

Finally, the core of a three-dimensional array with an extremely complex structure and an internal structure that seemed to have starlight flowing inside was perfectly engraved on the array plate!

He took out five carefully crafted flags corresponding to the five elements, and with a wave of his hand, the flags were accurately inserted into the surrounding ground.

"Formation, activate!"

With a low shout, the array plate in his hand shone brightly, and the five array flags responded simultaneously, humming loudly! Five colors of spiritual light—gold, cyan, blue, red, and yellow—soared into the sky, rapidly weaving into a magnificent light shield covering a hundred feet! Above the shield, the five elements of energy flowed ceaselessly like tides, mutually generating and restraining each other, radiating a suffocating pressure! This was none other than the [Five Directions Five Elements Rotation Array], extremely difficult to set up during the Foundation Establishment stage!

At the same time, he flipped his left hand, and a talisman shot out, transforming in the air into a crystalline python formed entirely of dazzling starlight and sharp metallic energy. It hissed as it crashed into the array's light barrier, producing a deafening roar, yet it failed to shake the array in the slightest! It was none other than the powerful second-tier attack talisman, the [Starfall Serpent Devouring Talisman]!

The formation dissipates, the talismans disperse.

Lin Yan let out a long, long sigh. It was as if he had exhaled all the tedium, exhaustion, setbacks, and perseverance of the past twenty-five years.

His gaze became deeper and more reserved, his aura was perfectly harmonious, and his control over spiritual power and divine sense was already exquisite.

For twenty-five years, through tireless efforts, with extraordinary perseverance, a scientific approach to reviewing lessons, and the legacy of his ancestors, he finally mastered the art of talismans and formations at the Foundation Establishment stage!

He slowly walked to the spring, scooped up a handful of cool spring water to wash his face, and looked at his reflection.

"The Dao of runes and arrays is indeed vast and boundless. Above Foundation Establishment, there are Golden Core, Nascent Soul... The road ahead is still very long." He murmured to himself, a confident smile playing on his lips.

The gains of these twenty-five years go far beyond talisman arrays. The temperament honed through countless failures and the ability to independently solve complex problems are his most valuable assets on his future cultivation path.