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Xunuo eagerly asked, "So it's confirmed?"
The Yellow-Faced Black-Crowned Cultivator nodded. "In about ten days, there will be an auction for Talismans. It is said that a Teleportation Talisman will be up for sale, and naturally, the price will be exorbitant. If Xue Dao You is interested, you might want to give it a try."
Xunuo exclaimed with delight, "That's great! Do you know what the approximate price of this talisman will be?"
The Yellow-Faced Black-Crowned Cultivator replied, "Not long ago, a Random Teleportation Talisman was auctioned off for an astonishing one hundred eighty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. This time, it's a hundred-mile Directional Teleportation Talisman, and the price is likely to be double that."
Upon hearing this, Xunuo's mouth fell open in disbelief. He considered himself relatively wealthy, but he didn't have over three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Even at his most prosperous times, he had only managed to gather a little over two hundred. Recently, he had been spending more than earning, and all he had were some goods in Black Skin's storage bag. However, even that amount of spirit stones wouldn't be enough to bid on the Random Teleportation Talisman, let alone the Directional Teleportation Talisman.
Seeing Xunuo's expression, the Yellow-Faced Black-Crowned Cultivator smiled slightly and nodded, feeling a sense of balance restored.
Xunuo paced thoughtfully and inquired about the Three Star City Array Master Guild before taking his leave.
The Three Star City Magic Circle Masters Guild was well-known in the Tian Nan region. This reputation stemmed from their rigorous promotion system. To advance within the guild, members had to rely on Array Masters continuously refining formations to gain recognition. This practical approach meant that Array Masters from the Three Star City were far more skilled than ordinary ones, contributing to the guild's growing fame.
The guild's branch in Cloud City primarily handled communications with various Merchant Alliances and took on custom formation projects. During his frenzied period of crafting formations in Mars City, Xunuo had already created formations for the Cloud City Merchant Alliance. His current visit was to return borrowed formations to the Three Star City Array Master Guild and see if he could gather enough spirit stones to bid on the Teleportation Talisman.
Upon his arrival as a Sixth-Level Array Master, Xunuo was met with great enthusiasm from Cloud City's Array Masters. Over ten Array Masters lined up to welcome him and escorted him to the meeting hall of their branch. A Seventh-Level Array Master stationed there even went so far as to seat Xunuo at his right side without any pretense of hierarchy; they sat together while two Sixth-Level Array Masters accompanied them. Seeing everyone else act as if it were perfectly normal made Xunuo feel uneasy but unable to refuse their hospitality.
In truth, many of these Array Masters who ventured outside were those who felt they would struggle to advance further or lacked standing among their peers within the Three Star City Array Master Guild. They sought to curry favor with Xunuo, recognizing him as a promising young talent.
After some idle chatter, just as Xunuo was about to mention returning the formations, the Seventh-Level Array Master overseeing Cloud City's affairs spoke up with an opportunity that caught Xunuo's attention.
It turned out that a Cloud City Merchant Alliance auction—specifically the one auctioning off the Teleportation Talisman—had a major item canceled at the last minute. They commissioned the Magic Circle Masters Guild to create a Defensive Array as a substitute for that item. This Defensive Array was somewhat renowned in Tian Nan; it was a formation capable of both offense and defense, primarily defensive but with additional attack capabilities. Its power and coverage made it suitable for small Sects and Cultivation Families as protective formations.
However, crafting this array was exceptionally challenging; even this Seventh-Level Array Master lacked confidence in successfully producing it. Given how suddenly this situation arose, the Merchant Alliance couldn't wait for Three Star City's completion before transporting it; by then, the auction would already be over. The Seventh-Level Array Master had been troubled by this dilemma for days—refusing could damage the reputation of the Three Star City Array Master Guild, but agreeing raised concerns about failing and losing face significantly.
The one who had arrived now, named Zhang Huanqiang, was an Array Master. Although he was only a Sixth-Level Array Master, one rank lower than Xunuo, he hailed from Three Star City and was considered an insider. If he were to offer some ideas, it would be easier to find someone to take the blame if things went awry.
Xunuo pondered for a moment and then inquired about the array's Rune. After a brief observation, he asked, "Does Cloud City have a Geothermal Chamber for condensing Divine Sense?"
The Seventh-Level Array Master replied, "Yes, we do."
"In that case, I can take on this task," Xunuo stated.
The Seventh-Level Array Master fell silent, his expression darkening. He had mentioned this matter to Xunuo with the intention of sharing responsibility, but he never intended for Xunuo to actually forge the array. If he himself lacked confidence in it, there was no way a Sixth-Level Array Master could succeed.
Seeing that everyone else remained silent and one Sixth-Level Array Master even showed disdain, Xunuo didn't bother explaining further. Instead, he slightly released his Divine Sense. Even without fully unleashing it, this action completely changed the others' perception of him.
At their level as Array Masters, the distinction lay in the strength of their Divine Sense and their ability to manipulate it. A rootless Loose Cultivator Array Master might struggle with Runes, but those from the Magic Circle Masters Guild had no such concerns. Thus, when Xunuo released his Divine Sense, the other Array Masters present realized that this young man possessed significant capability.
The Seventh-Level Array Master smiled broadly and said, "Then we will rely on Zhang Daoist. Please share any requests you may have."
Xunuo nodded. "I need a few days to familiarize myself with this array's Rune; I won't participate in the material purification work."
"Of course," the Seventh-Level Array Master readily agreed.
"I plan to bid on something at this auction. However, I'm short on spirit stones; would it be possible for the remuneration for crafting this array to..."
Before Xunuo could finish his sentence, the Seventh-Level Array Master interjected, "Of course. This matter not only concerns the reputation of the Three Star City Array Master Guild but also affects our standing. For both public and private reasons, we should make concessions. This time, all remuneration will belong to Zhang Daoist." He then glanced at the other seated Array Masters. "You all have no objections, right?" The other Array Masters nodded stiffly in agreement.
In truth, the remuneration for this array was quite enticing to them; however, the words from their superior were not phrased as a question.
Seeing their expressions, Xunuo couldn't help but chuckle inwardly and continued, "I also need to procure several materials; I would appreciate your assistance with that as well. Of course, I will cover the costs." With that said, he took out a jade slip and pressed it against his forehead to input some information before handing it over to the Seventh-Level Array Master.
After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, Xunuo handed over the array borrowed from Three Star City to be returned on behalf of Cloud City and took his leave to familiarize himself with the Rune. This array served its purpose well as a Defensive Array, but its offensive capabilities were limited, making it significantly weaker in attack compared to its defense; it was a clear imbalance between offense and defense. Additionally, the difficulty of refining this array was relatively lower. In Xunuo's view, the complexity of crafting this array would not be much greater than that of the Qian Kun Two Instruments Formation. Without the assistance of the Geothermal Chamber to condense Divine Sense, Xunuo felt he had an eighty percent chance of successfully refining it. His intention in borrowing Cloud City's Geothermal Chamber, which could condense Divine Sense, was driven by ulterior motives. Xunuo believed that even if the rewards for this array were his alone, he still lacked confidence in acquiring a Teleportation Talisman.
Xunuo then turned his attention to elixirs. He hesitated to use his Unity Pill and Minor Rejuvenation Pill, as both the Insect Path and Crimson Flower Sect had been keeping a close watch on him due to his identity as an Alchemist. Furthermore, even if he sold them, it wouldn't cover the gap he faced.
The Elixir Formula contained several formulas, but being at the Foundation Stage, Xunuo naturally did not focus on the higher-level formulas. He would only purchase a few herbs when he encountered those related to them, especially rare herbs. Now that he found himself in a tight spot, he thought about attempting to refine a high-level elixir to resolve his current predicament.
One such formula was for the Turtle Spirit Pill. The rarity of the Turtle Spirit Pill lies in its dual function: it not only enhances cultivation but also provides significant assistance during breakthroughs for Foundation Establishment Practitioners facing bottlenecks. Refining the Turtle Spirit Pill requires nearly a hundred types of herbs; without the aid of a Geothermal Chamber to condense Divine Sense, Xunuo would be unable to produce it.
In fact, at this level of elixirs, the increase in herb varieties within the formula leaves little room for flexibility. The rarity of the herbs and the ingenuity of the formula are what underpin an elixir's potency. Xunuo still needed five more herbs for the Turtle Spirit Pill; these were not primary ingredients but rather obscure ones, including two that were Demon Beast Materials. Even calling upon an Array Master to procure these herbs left them puzzled about whether Xunuo intended to engage in Alchemy or artifact refinement.
Xunuo quickly calmed himself and focused his thoughts on the Array of Array Symbols; he had made bold claims about it.
Three days later, Xunuo received a message from a Seventh-Level Array Master indicating that everything was ready and just awaited his arrival. The Geothermal Chamber in Cloud City was located within the city itself, and given Cloud City's size, it encompassed two Geothermal Veins. The one Xunuo entered seemed to be shared with Alchemists because as soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by a strong aroma of medicinal herbs.
Inside one Geothermal Chamber, dozens of materials had been purified and neatly arranged in jade platters. After carefully inspecting everything, Xunuo nodded in satisfaction; these high-level Array Masters had done their purification work competently. He signaled for them to leave. The group had already been reluctant about doing such laborious work, and seeing that Xunuo did not even allow them to observe further darkened their expressions.
Xunuo had no choice but to explain that he wasn't accustomed to having others around him. If they insisted on watching and any mistakes occurred during the refining process, they would be held responsible, which ultimately frightened them away.
After several days of contemplation, Xunuo gained a detailed understanding of this array's Rune. These Runes were familiar to him; thus, they posed no strangeness. The challenge lay in connecting this entirely new combination of Runes together. Having used the Geothermal Chamber with its focus-enhancing capabilities before, Xunuo quickly familiarized himself with it and soon entered into a state conducive for refining the array.
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