I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

a few days later.

Xu Zhou visited the Luo residence and invited Luo Lingxiao to go to Wusong Stream together.

Coincidentally, Luo Lingxiao was also curious about this neighbor whose origins were unknown.

Since Xu Zhou had come to invite him, he readily agreed and planned to go and sound him out.

After preparing the gifts, the two headed to the Wusong Stream on the north side of the market.

The trip did not last long.

Their first visit was merely a brief test. When Cui Donglin came to receive them, they simply drank tea and chatted in front of the cave, exchanging only a few words before Xu Zhou and Luo Lingxiao rose to take their leave.

After flying several miles, the two finally looked at each other.

"What do you think of this person?" Luo Lingxiao asked.

Xu Zhou pondered for a moment before speaking, "I can't see any problem for the time being."

Luo Lingxiao sighed: "On the surface, that's true. They don't look like evil cultivators at all; they seem like ordinary rogue cultivators who have really come here to settle down."

Unfortunately, despite our repeated attempts to probe, this person remained tight-lipped about his origins, making it difficult to completely trust him.

He paused, then asked, "Does Fellow Daoist Xu think this person understands the Dao of Arrays?"

Xu Zhou nodded: "He is indeed a formation master, and most likely at the second level."

The array around the Rime Valley was only recently set up, but the earth's ley lines have already been activated, clearly the work of a second-tier array master. This couldn't be achieved with just a high-level array plate.

Although the trip ended hastily, Xu Zhou had already realized that the opponent's array formation skills were not bad.

But he couldn't tell the exact depth of the problem.

This is because the array patterns around the Wusong Ravine employ a completely different approach than those used by the Mu Kingdom.

After a moment's thought, Xu Zhou gave his final opinion: "If this person is only temporarily staying to cultivate, there's no need to be too resistant."

Luo Lingxiao nodded and said, "Fortunately, this Fellow Daoist Cui doesn't seem to have any intention of interfering in the market. I deliberately brought up the market a few times, but he didn't respond at all."

Xu Zhou responded, "It seems he himself knows his background is sensitive and doesn't want to get involved in the market, thus avoiding a lot of trouble."

In the world of cultivation, a suddenly appearing unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator is bound to arouse suspicion.

Especially in places like Hongyefang Market, the interests of various parties have been entangled for a long time.

If Cui Donglin, this cultivator from out of town, were to get involved, Luo Lingxiao and the other local Foundation Establishment cultivators would have to carefully manage their interactions to avoid attracting outside enemies and causing unnecessary trouble.

Looking at it now, it seems more like the other party really came to live in seclusion and cultivate themselves.

"In any case, let's observe further."

Luo Lingxiao concluded by saying, "I will tell the other fellow Daoists to be careful and not to have too much contact with him."

"Fellow Daoist Xu, you are also a formation master. If you wish to communicate with him, that's fine. However, you must still be mindful of your actions. If he turns out to be a spy sent by another country to Mu Kingdom, it will be difficult to explain to your sect."

Xu Zhou nodded calmly: "I will be careful."

However, what he cared about more was the few wisps of array patterns he had just caught a glimpse of.

"The array formation techniques from outside the Mu Kingdom are quite interesting."

Xu Zhou seemed to be deep in thought.

...

Although Xu Zhou was somewhat curious about Cui Donglin, he was not in a hurry to associate with him again.

After all, second-tier array masters are rare, but not non-existent.

At worst, I can talk to the senior brothers of the Imperial Array Hall when I return to the sect later.

As for Cui Donglin, he did not intend to have much contact with him before figuring out his background.

this day.

Xu Zhou practiced alchemy techniques in the valley.

He placed the prepared medicinal herbs into the alchemy furnace, then activated the fire talisman to stabilize the heat.

boom!

A muffled thud came from the alchemy furnace.

Xu Zhou's face darkened.

"It failed."

He wasn't worried about the cost of the medicinal herbs, since this was just a practice session and he was using lower-grade substitutes.

He was simply confused, as he had already thoroughly studied alchemical texts and should have mastered the refining techniques for the Yi Mu Xuan Dan.

I thought I'd at least manage to get one batch, but after many attempts, I always failed at the last minute. I've almost never seen a success.

Xu Zhou cleaned out the waste residue and then carefully inspected the alchemy furnace.

A moment later, he found a tiny crack at the bottom of the alchemy furnace.

"No wonder we failed before; the alchemy furnace was already severely damaged."

Xu Zhou felt a pang of regret.

This alchemy furnace was a top-quality furnace that he had custom-made after mastering the Qi Condensation Powder. Its grade reached the top of the first rank, and it could theoretically be used to refine second-rank pills.

Unexpectedly, after only a few practice sessions, the furnace couldn't withstand the heat and cracked.

It seems that we still need to use a pill furnace of the corresponding grade.

"We need to buy another one."

As Xu Zhou calculated the price of a second-tier alchemy furnace, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

After all, the crafting of alchemy furnaces is mostly quite complex, and their price is comparable to that of mid-to-high-grade equipment of the same level, which is a huge sum of money for a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Buying a pill-making furnace will probably use up all the spirit stones I got from Ghost Lord earlier."

"Fortunately, I'm almost mastering the Yi Mu Xuan Dan. After that, the burden of spirit stones should be much lighter."

"Or, when we have time, we could go and build the Fei family's protective formation. Although they paid in cash in advance, the protective formation has a significant impact, so we should ask for an additional payment."

Comforting himself, Xu Zhou got up and flew towards the market.

A moment later, Xu Zhou arrived at the Thousand Pulse Chamber of Commerce.

He heard from the shop assistant that Manager Huang was busy for the time being, but he wasn't in a hurry. He wandered around the shop and waited for the other party to finish.

Unexpectedly, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the crowd.

"This person..."

Xu Zhou examined it carefully.

Although the other party had disguised themselves, they hadn't deliberately concealed their aura. Xu Zhou thought carefully for a moment and finally recognized the other party's identity.

As he recognized the other person, the other person seemed to sense it and turned to look at him as well.

"Could it be Fellow Daoist Xu?"

Cui Donglin was secretly surprised.

Xu Zhou nodded when he saw that the other person recognized him.

He stepped forward, gave a simple bow, and then asked, "What a coincidence, Fellow Daoist Cui, you're also visiting the Chamber of Commerce today?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Donglin casually replied, "There was a slight mishap at home, so I came over to replenish some array materials."

He spoke of it casually.

However, Xu Zhou noticed a hint of annoyance flash in the other person's eyes.

He couldn't help but have some guesses.

"Could there have been a mistake during the formation?"

Deducing formations by array masters is inherently extremely resource-intensive. Especially after reaching the second tier, even a slight deviation can destroy several sets of materials, which is quite normal.

Xu Zhou himself had just blown up a pill furnace.

Thinking about this, he felt inexplicably more at ease.

The two exchanged a few simple pleasantries.

Cui Donglin asked, "Fellow Daoist Xu, have you come here to buy materials for array formations as well?"

Xu Zhou shook his head: "I came here today to buy a second-tier alchemy furnace."

"Alchemy furnace?"

Cui Donglin was slightly surprised: "Fellow Daoist Xu, do you perhaps also practice alchemy?"

Xu Zhou was a master alchemist, a fact that was not a secret in the Mu Kingdom. However, Cui Donglin was an outsider and did not interact much with others, so he was unaware of this.

After Xu Zhou admitted it, he clicked his tongue in amazement: "I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Xu to be a rare practitioner of both alchemy and array formation. When I visited you before, I saw the array formation outside your cave and thought you were a pure array master."

At this point, he seemed to remember something and casually said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, using spirit wood to set up an array is quite ingenious. I have rarely seen this kind of array setup elsewhere."

Xu Zhou felt a little curious: "I remember, Fellow Daoist Cui mentioned last time that you are a rogue cultivator from Zhu Kingdom?"

I wonder what the Zhu Kingdom's formation looks like?

When this was brought up, Cui Donglin didn't shy away from it: "I did study array formations in Zhu Kingdom for a period of time."

Speaking of which, the array formations of the Zhu Kingdom are grand and imposing, and they are accustomed to using forged metal to set up arrays, making their arrays more powerful than those of other countries.

However, without the necessary materials and environment, Zhu Guo's array techniques would be difficult to execute.

As he spoke, he said with a hint of helplessness, "Especially since the spiritual materials of Mu Kingdom are heavily mixed with other elements, which is different from the habits of Zhu Kingdom."

Sigh, I've suffered quite a few losses in this regard over the past few years.

Hearing the other party's complaints, Xu Zhou chuckled inwardly.

He didn't delve into the topic further, but instead changed the subject: "Speaking of which, the array plate that Fellow Daoist Cui gave me before has benefited me quite a bit."

Cui Donglin casually replied, "These are just little trinkets I made in my spare time. If you'd like more, I can make some more later."

Xu Zhou was slightly taken aback: "Did you create these formations, fellow Daoist?"

"No, that's not it."

Cui Donglin pondered for a long time before explaining, "Those array plates were derived from established patterns. I merely modified the ideas of my predecessors; it cannot be considered my own creation."

"A set formula?"

Xu Zhou's gaze immediately sharpened.

Cui Donglin casually explained, "Over in Zhu Kingdom, there's a sect famous for its array formations. They've developed their own set of array formation rules to teach their cultivators."

When disciples first learn the art of formations, they usually start by learning these fixed patterns.

I found it interesting before, so I collected some of the established patterns that were circulating outside.

Xu Zhou's eyes flickered slightly.

The array formation system in Mu Kingdom has declined. Not to mention the fixed patterns specifically designed for array masters, even complete first-order inheritances are extremely rare.

Unexpectedly, there are even sects specializing in array formations in Zhu Kingdom, and they have even developed a corresponding study system.

He pondered for a moment, then casually said, "This is the first time I've heard of such a fixed pattern. If I have the chance, I'd like to see it for myself."

Upon hearing this, Cui Donglin smiled slightly.

He frankly admitted, "Actually, I am also quite interested in Fellow Daoist Xu's method of setting up arrays with spirit wood."

If Fellow Daoist Xu is willing to exchange ideas, I, Cui, will naturally not keep my knowledge to myself.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhou immediately understood.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

However, that makes sense.

Array masters often exchange information with each other.

However, the arrangement of spirit wood arrays was something he had accumulated over many years, and it also involved a lot of spiritual plants and medical knowledge, so it couldn't be explained in a short time.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhou did not immediately agree, but said, "This is not the place to talk."

If Fellow Daoist Cui has some free time, why don't we visit Drunken Immortal Abode later?

Cui Donglin smiled and nodded: "That's exactly what I was thinking."