The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

Mu Fangxu said no more, took out his storage bag, and placed the nine spiritual plants on the ground one by one.

Then, with a flick of his right hand, the Frost Sword was already in his grasp.

Mu Fangxu flicked his wrist, aiming the sword tip at the roots of the first Jade Spirit Grass.

The sword flashed, the roots were severed silently, and the complete spiritual plant was split in two.

Then, with a series of flicks of his wrist, the sword light crisscrossed and fell like bolts of lightning, two becoming four, four becoming eight, eight becoming sixteen, and sixteen becoming thirty-two.

Each strike was precise, the blade following the natural texture of the root system, neither damaging the main stem nor the leaves.

In the blink of an eye, one spiritual plant has transformed into thirty-six plants, each complete with roots, stems, and leaves.

Mu Fangxu examined the divided spiritual plants with his sword and nodded in satisfaction when he saw that they were flawless.

The sword light flashed again, and the second spiritual plant was divided up.

Li Ping stood calmly to the side, her gaze fixed on Mu Fangxu's wrist.

The swordsmanship seemed effortless, but in reality, every strike was just right; too much and the stem would be damaged, too little and the roots would become tangled.

This level of precision is impossible to achieve without countless hours of practice.

After an incense stick had burned, all the spiritual plants were cut up.

The ground was covered with spiritual plants, roughly counted to be more than three hundred.

Mu Fangxu sheathed his sword and slowly stood up.

He glanced at Li Ping, a smile playing on his lips: "Can you do me a favor?"

Li Ping raised an eyebrow: "So, we're going to hide them separately here?"

Mu Fangxu was taken aback, then chuckled, "As expected of Brother Li, you saw through my plan at a glance. What do you think of this method?"

Li Ping pondered for a moment and said, "That's right, but if you add the black soil from the herb garden, it will be even more realistic."

Mu Fangxu was taken aback, then slapped his forehead: "How could I not have thought of that?"

He immediately turned back to the herb garden, brought over a large clod of black soil, and dug a deep pit on the spot.

Place a divided spiritual plant into the pit, cover it with black soil, and then pat it firmly.

Taking two steps back, Mu Fangxu looked him up and down, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Now even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator were to come in person, they wouldn't be able to detect anything amiss."

"Let's begin."

Without further delay, the two went their separate ways.

In the main hall of the courtyard, Li Ping dug a small pit in the corner of the wall, buried a spiritual plant, covered it with black soil, and then stomped on it to compact it.

Mu Fangxu then wrapped a golden vine around the window. The vine climbed along the wooden frame, and the leaves drooped down, as if it had been growing for several years.

He examined it for a moment, then grabbed a handful of black soil and smeared it on the roots of the vines.

One plant after another.

The two of them made the most of every nook and cranny of the courtyard: the four corners, under the stone benches, in the gaps of the threshold, and in the shadows at the base of the wall.

By the stream, Li Ping squatted down, dug a hole next to a rock, and planted a spiritual plant.

The stream flowed gently, washing over the black soil, and soon the soil's color blended into the surrounding mud.

Mu Fangxu, on the other side, planted a spiritual plant in a crevice in the rock.

The two worked very quickly, and planted dozens of trees in a short time.

After planting by the stream, Li Ping got up, looked around, and then came to the stone wall.

Pushing aside the withered vines, he dug a row of shallow pits at the bottom of the stone wall and planted the spiritual plants one by one.

Then the withered vines were pulled back to cover the marks.

Mu Fangxu was busy working around the perimeter of the courtyard.

Half an hour later, the spiritual plants inside the cave had been planted.

Mu Fangxu straightened up, wiped his sweat, and looked at the white wall outside the courtyard.

"What about outside?"

Li Ping nodded: "Same."

Upon arriving outside the cave, Li Ping looked around, his gaze finally settling on the bluestone slab beneath his feet.

The stone slab was three feet square, with a smooth surface and covered with moss all around.

He crouched down, gripped the edge of the stone slab with his five fingers, and exerted force.

Click.

The stone slab was slowly lifted, revealing a layer of grayish-white soil underneath.

Mu Fangxu's eyes lit up: "Great place."

He took some black soil and spread it under the stone slab, planted the two spiritual plants in the soil, and then carefully put the stone slab back in its original position.

After doing all this, Mu Fangxu looked around and buried a few more plants in the pile of rubble next to the white wall.

After all the spiritual plants were planted, the two of them passed through the white wall and left.

The seabed is silent, with towering rocks standing tall and countless seaweed swaying gently in the ocean currents.

Mu Fangxu swam to the front of the boulder, examined it carefully for a moment, and selected an inconspicuous groove.

He pointed his fingers together like a sword, and a pale blue sword aura condensed at his fingertips, which he then gently traced along the inside of the groove.

A scratch as thin as a hair is embedded in the stone, and it is almost impossible to notice unless you get close and look closely.

After making the mark, Mu Fangxu nodded to Li Ping.

The two then continued upwards.

Emerging from the water, I saw that night had fallen, the sky was full of stars, and the sea was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the stars, making it impossible to distinguish where the sky ended and the sea began.

Mu Fangxu let out a long breath, flipped his hand to take out the spirit boat, and tossed it into the air.

The spirit boat grew longer as it faced the wind, eventually becoming about ten feet long, and hovered above the sea.

"Walk."

The two boarded the spirit boat, and with a burst of magical power, the spirit boat trailed a streak of light, heading straight for the market.

Behind them, the sea fell silent once more.

The water's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the Milky Way.

Suddenly, the water surface trembled slightly, and a ripple spread out silently.

The source of the ripples lies beneath that giant rock.

At the bottom of the water, mud and sand churned.

A large, skeletal hand slowly emerged from the bottom of the boulder.

The hand had distinct joints, as large as a millstone, and each finger bone gleamed with a pale white luster.

With fingers slightly bent, gently clench in the water, then slowly open.

The seawater was stirred up, and silt filled the air, obscuring the view.

The skeletal hand rippled a few times in the murky mud, as if sensing something.

A moment later, it slowly shrank back into the boulder and disappeared.

The silt gradually settled.

The seawater became clear again.

Everything was as usual, as if nothing had happened.

……

……

The spirit boat cut through the wind and sailed on.

Mu Fangxu sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The differentiation of the spiritual plants had taken a lot of mental effort, and his face was slightly pale at the moment.

Li Ping stood at the stern of the boat, the sea breeze whipping his robes into the air.

Half an hour later, a light appeared on the sea ahead.

More and more lights appeared, gradually merging into one.

We've arrived at Xikou Market.

Night had fallen, and only a few lanterns were still lit on the dock, their dim yellow light reflecting on the water and swaying with the waves.

The two put away the spirit boat and landed on the dock pier.

The pier was deserted, the shops on both sides were already closed, and only a few lights were still shining from the inn in the distance.

The two parted ways here. Mu Fangxu walked towards the seaside courtyard, while Li Ping returned to his own courtyard alone.

Mu Ming and the other two remained in seclusion, and the courtyard was silent.

Li Ping did not rest immediately, but sat down at the stone table.

With a thought, the storage bag flashed with light, and the wooden box appeared out of thin air on the table.

The box lid was opened, and thirty-six battle flags were neatly stacked inside.

Li Ping took out a battle array flag and then took out the "Introduction to the Way of Arrays" from his storage bag.

He turned the pages of the book, his gaze sweeping over the table of contents before settling on one of the pages.

Small Spirit Gathering Array.

This formation is the most basic spirit-gathering formation recorded in "Introduction to the Dao of Formations". It has only nine basic formation patterns, simple structure, and its advantage lies in its stability.

For Li Ping now, it's a perfect opportunity to practice.

According to the characteristics of the Formless Array Flag, one array flag can carry one array pattern.

Therefore, the nine basic array patterns of the Minor Spirit Gathering Array require nine array flags.

Li Ping stopped thinking about it and took out the nine battle flags from the box, unfolding them one by one.

The deep blue flag was spread out in the palm of my hand, with silver patterns flowing like water.

He concentrated his mind and calmed his spirit, slowly channeling his magical power into the flag.

The unique feature of the Formless Array Flag is that it can be adjusted according to the changes in the array patterns. After being infused with magic power, the flag surface will resonate with the magic power of the array setter.

The Nine-Pole Array Flags were quickly activated by magic, and the silver patterns on the flags began to shimmer slightly.

Li Ping stood up and walked into the courtyard.

He looked around, confirmed his location, and planted a battle flag in front of him.

This is the core of the formation, the place where spiritual energy gathers.

Then, he took the remaining eight array flags and arranged them one by one according to the array pattern positions of the Small Spirit Gathering Array.

The eight battle flags were lowered, surrounding the center of the formation.

Li Ping stepped back a few paces and stared intently at the scene.

The positions of the battle flags corresponded exactly to those described in the book, with no discrepancies in orientation.

He took a deep breath, formed a hand seal, and uttered a low shout:

"Gather".

In an instant, the flags of the eight outer array flags moved on their own without any wind.

A silvery sheen shone from the flag, rippling outwards like waves.

Silver patterns flowed across the flag, echoing each other and gradually merging into one.

The spiritual energy in the courtyard began to flow.

First came a faint breeze, followed by visible threads of spiritual energy converging from all directions.

The silk threads passed through the outer array flags and then, following the patterns of the array, slowly flowed into the central array eye.

The battle flags at the heart of the formation fluttered in the wind, their surfaces gleaming with a brilliant silver light.

The spiritual energy is becoming increasingly strong.

After a stick of incense had burned, the spiritual energy within the array had become so dense that it had almost solidified.

A misty, ethereal light flowed across the flags, enveloping the nine flags in a hazy glow.

Li Ping stood outside the formation, feeling the pure spiritual energy rushing towards him, and nodded in satisfaction.

He stepped into the formation and sat down cross-legged at the center of the formation.

The surrounding spiritual energy surged in like a tide, seeping into the body through the pores of the skin.

In just a short while, it was equivalent to an hour of cultivation on a normal day.

Then, Li Ping opened his eyes, got up and walked around the formation, carefully checking the condition of each flag.

After confirming that there were no problems, he then performed a hand seal to dismantle the formation and put away the formation flags one by one.

The Formless Array Flag is indeed a good thing.

However, his mastery of formations was too shallow, and he could only set up such a simple formation at the moment. If he were to use a slightly more complex formation, he would be helpless.

"I need to study those books on battle formations written by Gongshu Yan carefully from now on."

Li Ping sighed softly and looked at the spiritual plants in his storage bag.

Aside from the Formless Array Flag, the biggest gain today is these nine spiritual plants.

According to Mu Fangxu's estimate, this batch of spiritual plants can be sold for at least 20,000 spirit stones.

For a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, 20,000 spirit stones is an absolute fortune, enough to support their cultivation to the late stage of Qi Refining.

But for Li Ping, it was still not enough.

He has too many expenses, so he has to be very careful with his money.

The offering to the Well of Opportunity costs two thousand spirit stones each time.

Moreover, as the number of offerings increases, the required items become increasingly precious, and their prices rise accordingly.

This part is absolutely essential; the opportunity well is his greatest asset, and the more he invests, the greater the reward.

Expenses on Pingyue Island are also a major expense.

There are now four people on the island who have had their soul tablets planted: Hong Xing, Ruan Ling'er, Su Mei, and Zhou Dahai, plus five employees, as well as Tie Fuhai and the group of Iron-spined Whales, totaling more than ten mouths waiting to be fed.

The five employees, with a salary of over three hundred spirit stones a year, may not seem like much, but over time, it adds up to a considerable expense.

Although Hong Xing and the other three had soul tablets in their hands, meaning their lives were entirely in their own hands, they hadn't received any benefits from them for a long time.

I didn't have much money before, but now that I have more, I should still give what I'm owed; I can't let people's hearts grow cold.

In addition, the arrangements for Hong Xing and the other three also need to be adjusted.

Hong Xing managed the affairs of Pingyue Island and did a good job, so she should stay on.

However, Zhou Dahai and Su Mei, one a seasoned seaman and the other a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, were truly wasted on guarding the island.

Li Ping had already planned that these two would go out of their way to search for the items he needed to donate.

Offerings have always been hard to find, and in the past we always asked the Mu family for help, but constantly troubling others is not a long-term solution.

Firstly, if it happens too often, it will arouse suspicion. After all, the items offered are disorganized. Today it's spirit ore, tomorrow it's monster materials, and the day after it's alchemy ingredients. Anyone would have doubts.

Secondly, Li Ping himself felt embarrassed.

It's perfect to give it to Zhou Dahai and Su Mei.

Both are loyal and reliable, and they keep their mouths shut. With proper training, they will surely be able to take on important responsibilities.

The same is true over the Iron-Covered Sea.

This little rascal may seem timid, but he's actually incredibly talented.

They will definitely be a great help when they grow up.

It requires a lot of elixirs and essence.

Li Ping did a rough calculation in his mind.

The reserve for the well is 15,000 yuan, and this is an unwavering bottom line.

The expenses of Pingyue Island, the monthly allowances for Hong Xing and others, the training of Zhou Dahai and Su Mei, and the meals for Tie Fuhai, all added up, would cost at least five thousand spirit stones.

The remaining few thousand spirit stones were used partly for emergencies and partly for personal cultivation.

With this thought in mind, Li Ping picked up the book "Introduction to Array Formation" again and began to read it page by page by the light of the oil lamp.