Mortal: Starting with the Golden Jade Book

Xin Ruyin looked at the "Yu Feng's Formation Explanation" that had been pushed in front of her, but did not reach out to take it. She looked at Lin Zui, who had a calm expression, with some surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, although this rune array method is unorthodox and not the proper path of array cultivation, it is still an extremely rare treasure for us cultivators who study array techniques. Aren't you afraid that if you just hand it over to Ruyin like this, I might learn it and solve my own problems, leaving you with nothing?"

"Haha, if Miss Ruyin can say that, it shows that you are not the kind of person with a dark mind, and it also proves that I have not misjudged you."

"Moreover, the Way of Runes is not perfect. Although the spiritual runes mentioned in the book can be used to construct internal magic arrays, they are not stable and are easy to collapse. I am only able to construct stable internal magic arrays because of my special cultivation method. If Miss Ruyin thinks she can solve the problem of the Dragon Roar Body on her own, hehe, it's not that easy."

Lin Zui took a sip of tea and directly told the other party what he relied on, his tone extremely confident.

The Lingxu Array Talisman was something he created by chance by combining the secret techniques in the "Golden Palace Jade Book". Although Xin Ruyin is a genius in array formations who appears only once in a hundred years, it is unlikely that she could come up with a solution so easily.

In addition, Lin Zui told her the truth because this woman was too shrewd and intelligent. Ordinary lies could not fool her at all. Rather than making her suspicious, it was better to be straightforward and let each get what they wanted.

"I see. It turns out that Ruyin was indeed a petty person."

As expected, after hearing Lin Zui's explanation, Xin Ruyin was not dissatisfied at all; on the contrary, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"If it's just about resolving some conflicts between formations, I'm quite confident. Don't worry, fellow Daoist, after I've studied it carefully, I'll definitely give you a satisfactory answer."

……

Six months later.

Lin Zui rode his weapon away from Xin Ruyin's residence and flew towards Huangfeng Valley.

"I never expected that Uncle Yu would leave a backdoor in every spiritual energy rune. He really went to great lengths to plan. If I continue to cultivate in this muddle-headed way, he might actually take over my body and end up like that Yu Yi."

Lin Zui sighed deeply. Although he had long anticipated that there might be problems with the book "Yu Feng's Array Explanation," he might not have realized the danger if it weren't for Xin Ruyin's reminder.

Fortunately, now that it has been discovered, it is much easier to resolve.

Xin Ruyin spent several months remodeling some of the spiritual energy runes that the two of them could use. In addition to removing the hidden tricks left by Uncle Yu, she also optimized them and improved the effectiveness of the spiritual energy runes.

Next, Lin Zui reconstituted a new Spirit Void Array Talisman, which helped Xin Ruyin stabilize her meridians and temporarily control the problem of her meridians withering.

If Xin Ruyin were to cease cultivation from this point on, even if she lived to the end of her life, she would no longer have to worry about her meridians withering.

If she wants to continue cultivating, Lin Zui will need to reinforce her meridians every few years. Only when she reaches the late stage of Core Formation can she consolidate her meridians with her own cultivation.

Faced with this choice, anyone would inevitably struggle. Lin Zui didn't urge him, left his contact information, and took his leave.

After being away for half a year, everything in Yellow Maple Valley remained the same.

Lin Zui returned to his residence, first setting up a small spirit-gathering array in the room, then activating the isolation array and beginning his seclusion again.

This small spirit-gathering array, which was made into array flags and array plates, was naturally obtained from Qi Yunxiao. Lin Zui had longed for this array for a long time, but had never had a way to obtain it.

Having spent so much time with those two people, their relationship grew closer, so he took the opportunity to ask Qi Yunxiao for a set.

Although it was only a small spirit-gathering array, it was enough to increase the spiritual energy concentration here by nearly half.

Then, it took another month to replace the original internal magic array that maintained the operation of the spiritual root vortex with the newly condensed spiritual void array talisman.

Thanks to Xin Ruyin's optimization, the effectiveness of the new magic array has been greatly enhanced. The speed of automatic cultivation, which was originally only one-third of that of full-force cultivation, has now been increased to one-half.

As for the amplification array, on Xin Ruyin's advice, Lin Zui did not continue to choose multiple amplifications. In her opinion, if Lin Zui wanted to control the talismans flexibly, he had to have complete control over the magic power. Although the magic power would be stronger after multiple amplifications, Lin Zui would definitely not be able to control it well.

However, with her adjustments, the amplification array's effect is much better than before. Although it's not quite at the level of instant-casting beginner-level high-level talismans, it's not far off. It's estimated that it will be able to do so after breaking through the eighth level.

Time passed day by day, and two years went by in the blink of an eye.

"Finally, we've reached the eighth floor!"

Lin Zui, who had been cultivating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that his total magical power had increased by nearly half again.

Due to drug resistance, he has not chosen to take medicine for cultivation for the past two years. Instead, he has been practicing various secret techniques in the "Five Elements Transformation Technique" while also practicing talisman manipulation and the "Shadow Transformation and Flowing Light" movement technique. As for cultivation, he has relied entirely on automatic cultivation.

Although the Spirit Gathering Array provided assistance and greatly improved the efficiency of automatic cultivation, it still took him two whole years to break through to the eighth level.

I took out a basic high-level talisman and tried it out. Sure enough, it could be cast instantly.

"That's good. In this way, the Myriad Manifestations Armor can be upgraded to a higher level. I think that below the Foundation Establishment stage, there shouldn't be anyone who can pose a threat to me anymore."

Lin Zui was quite confident about this, not only because of the talisman armor, but also because of the newly mastered "Primordial Divine Light". With the combination of the two, Lin Zui really couldn't imagine what kind of attack could break through his defense.

Calculating the time, there is only about a year left until the battle of Yanjiabao. He can't wait until the treasure hunt starts before going. He must go in advance to make preparations so that he can have a chance to snatch chestnuts from the fire and escape unscathed.

"Let's set off after we've become familiar with the advanced Myriad Manifestation Armor."

Lin Zui's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked into the distance.

"Yan Ruyan, I'm here!"

……

A month later.

The nameless hill where Xin Ruyin lived.

Lin Zui looked at the woman whose aura had clearly improved, indicating that her cultivation had greatly advanced, and sighed inwardly.

"Miss Ruyin, it seems you've made up your mind."

"Indeed, many people in the world want to seek immortality and ask questions, but they suffer from the lack of spiritual roots. Ruyin has good aptitude and a remarkable talent in array formation. She is really unwilling to be trapped in Qi refining for the rest of her life and unable to see the vast world."

Xin Ruyin gave a graceful bow, but her gaze was firm, clearly indicating that she had given it considerable thought.

"And what about Brother Qi?"

Lin Zui looked at Qi Yunxiao beside him.

Qi Yunxiao scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.

"Wherever Yin'er goes, I will go."

Xin Ruyin glanced at Qi Yunxiao, her eyes filled with gratitude and guilt, but ultimately she said nothing.

"As I have said, I am not one to stay in the sect and cultivate diligently. In the future, I will inevitably have to seek opportunities everywhere. If you want me to help you stabilize your meridians regularly, you will have no choice but to follow me and acknowledge me as your master."

Lin Zui spoke calmly, as if he had anticipated this situation; in fact, it could be said that this was the result of his own planning.

Lin Zui didn't want these two highly skilled individuals, a master of weapon crafting and a master of formations, to die young like in the original story.

Therefore, ever since he realized that the problem of the Dragon Roar Body could be solved using the Spirit Void Array Talisman, he had been looking forward to this day.

Otherwise, he could have simply taught Xin Ruyin the "Divine Seal Technique" as well. With her talent, she would most likely have been able to master the Spirit Void Array Talisman.

"We two can acknowledge each other as masters, and we can also pass on our array formation skills and weapon crafting techniques to Brother Lin. Ruyin only wants a promise from Brother Lin..."

"Rest assured, both of you. I, Lin, swear by my Dao heart that my relationship with you two is merely that of master and servant in name only. I will never force you to do anything against your conscience. If one day Miss Ruyin reaches the late stage of Core Formation, I will immediately lift the restrictions and grant you your freedom."

Before Xin Ruyin could finish speaking, Lin Zui had already guessed what she wanted to say and immediately made a vow, dispelling their worries.

Xin Ruyin and Qi Yunxiao exchanged a glance, breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Lin Zui with a sincere expression, struggled for a moment, and finally bowed.

"Owner!"