Chapter 34: Labyrinth in the Mist

Xiao Yuansi held the formation diagram and studied it for a dozen breaths before shaking his head and saying

"I thought it was something novel, but it's just the same old 'Mist Maze' routine, merely given a new name."

Tucking the diagram away and handing it to Li Xiangping, Xiao Yuansi continued

"Although I do not possess a deep understanding of formation Dao, this diagram is far too simple. It is only enough to deceive cultivators in the Fetal Breathing Realm; once they achieve the Yujing Wheel, they can retreat unscathed. If they encounter a Qi Refining cultivator, breaking the formation to seize the flag would be quite easy."

"My Li family is destitute; having this formation will allow us some peace of mind," Li Xiangping said with a bitter smile, cupping his hands in respect.

Looking at Li Xiangping, who was only at the Chengming Wheel, and Li Tongya, who was at the Zhouxing Wheel, Xiao Yuansi could not help but chuckle.

"For the likes of you, it is indeed a good choice."

With a light tap on his silk pouch, six small flags instantly appeared in Xiao Yuansi's hand. The blue and white bodies of these flags were inscribed with profound, mysterious incantations, and their poles were a reddish-brown, looking quite well-crafted.

"These are the formation flags I used during my Yujing Wheel stage. The flag bodies are made from the skin of White-Patterned Crucian Carp, and the poles are made of red birch. They are decent treasures for the Fetal Breathing Realm and should be quite compatible with your formation."

"Since I no longer have use for this flag formation, I shall leave them here for you to set up a Mist Maze. If you find better diagrams in the future, you can use these flags to deploy them."

Xiao Yuansi smiled and waved his hand to stop Li Xiangping, Li Tongya, and the others from offering their thanks, saying

"Twelve spirit stones."

Li Xiangping was momentarily speechless, offering a sheepish smile. "I wonder about these spirit stones..."

"Do you not have spirit stones?"

Xiao Yuansi paused for a moment before explaining, "Among cultivators, spirit stones are like gold and silver to mortals. In markets or shops, transactions are usually settled with spirit stones. Even larger families require them when delivering tributes."

Hearing this, Li Xiangping's heart stirred, and he hurriedly inquired

"I wonder how much these White Essence Fruits and Spirit Rice are worth in spirit stones?"

"If we use these two as collateral..."

Xiao Yuansi rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, and replied

"Ten of these White Essence Fruits should be worth one spirit stone, while it takes one hundred catties of Spirit Rice to equal one spirit stone."

Li Xiangping and Li Tongya were instantly rendered speechless, thinking to themselves

"One hundred catties of Spirit Rice was enough to force the Wan family to send cultivators to rent our fields for planting! Twelve spirit stones would be a full twelve hundred catties of Spirit Rice! Even if we sold the entire Li family, it wouldn't be worth that much."

Seeing Li Tongya and the other two lowering their heads in silence, Xiao Yuansi understood immediately and said softly

"Very well, consider this Mist Barrier formation as a gift to me, valued at two spirit stones. The rest shall be recorded as debt. Once your family has gathered enough, have your fellow disciples who collect tributes in Lixia County deliver them to Qingsui Peak."

Li Xiangping gave a bitter smile and bowed in thanks. He then saw Xiao Yuansi perform a hand seal, causing the six formation flags in his hand to float upward.

"Deploy!"

With a gentle upward motion from Xiao Yuansi, five of the six flags rose into the air, trailing pale white flames. As if possessed by consciousness, they dispersed and dove into the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain.

In an instant, mist and smoke swirled at the base of the mountain. Layers of thick, grey fog spread out, completely enveloping Mount Lijing.

Before long, the grey mist gradually thinned. From a distance, the people on the mountainside had vanished; the entire mountain seemed frozen in time, as if nothing ever changed.

"There! What I have set up for you is the sect's Mist Maze, which is slightly superior to that Mist Barrier formation."

Xiao Yuansi withdrew his hand and thrust the final formation flag into the ground. A palm-sized formation eye immediately emerged, divided into inner and outer layers, glowing with a faint white light.

"This formation eye is divided into an outer array and an inner eye. If the outer array glows, it means someone is attempting to break through from the foot of the mountain. If the inner eye glows, that person has already broken the formation and entered."

Xiao Yuansi clapped his hands and pointed to the formation eye, explaining to them

"Once you have achieved the Yujing Wheel and refined the formation eye with your spiritual sense, you will be able to control the formation at will. For now, with only your Zhouxing Wheel cultivation, you can only drop a drop of fingertip blood onto the flags of this formation eye to allow the formation to recognize you."

"Thank you, Immortal Master!"

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping hurried forward to drop their blood. The formation eye flickered, and both men felt a faint connection to it.

Witnessing this miraculous scene, Li Xiangping's heavy heart, burdened by the debt, lightened significantly. He thought to himself

"This Mist Maze is much better than expected. It can hide the mountain gate and block the prying eyes of mortals, and these flags can be reused. It seems those twelve spirit stones were well spent."

"Once the younger generation grows up, we can make use of all the spirit fields in this village. It will just take a few more years to repay the debt. Protecting the mountain gate is the top priority! Especially that Jian..."

Xiao Yuansi withdrew his spell and asked with a smile

"Do you have any other doubts?"

Seeing everyone shake their heads repeatedly, Xiao Yuansi laughed loudly and said softly

"Then I shall wander through these mountains to slay some demons and gather some spiritual herbs. I shall return at dawn tomorrow to refine pills."

"We respectfully see you off, Immortal Master!"

Li Xiangping and the others hurriedly responded. They watched as Xiao Yuansi summoned a flying shuttle and stepped upon it, soaring into the sky.

Once Li Tongya saw that Xiao Yuansi was far away, he turned to Liu Linfeng and said

"Uncle. This academy is not suitable for the mountainside. We shall move it down the mountain tonight."

"I will go pack," Liu Linfeng replied.

Li Tongya looked at Li Xiangping and said

"Tomorrow, we shall take that Jian..."

"Brother!"

Li Xiangping was naturally suspicious and still suspected that Xiao Yuansi might not be far away, so he hurriedly interrupted.

Li Tongya understood immediately. The two exchanged a glance, sat cross-legged, and began their cultivation.

Although Mount Lijing was not a famous mountain, it was nonetheless a remnant branch of the Great Li Mountains and had produced spiritual roots like the Snake-蛟 Fruit. With the formation isolating the flow of spiritual energy between the inside and outside, the spiritual veins of the earth flourished, and the concentration of spiritual energy gradually rose until it stabilized at ten percent higher than the outside world.

The two in cultivation were instantly delighted, feeling even more satisfied with the formation.

They practiced their breathing exercises until the brilliant golden light rose from the east, and the mountain mist slowly dissipated, condensing into droplets of dew upon the treetops.

Only then did Xiao Yuansi descend from the sky. His clothes were neat as he landed slowly in the courtyard atop his flying shuttle.

"Open the furnace for pill refining!"

He laughed heartily, summoning a man-sized, jet-black pill furnace from his storage bag. Sitting cross-legged, he said to the two

"Although this Snake-蛟 Pill bears the name of the Snake-蛟, its nature is gentle. Though it is a Qi Refining stage pill, those in the Fetal Breathing Realm can also consume it, and it will be of great benefit to both of you."

Taking a brownish-yellow piece of wood from his storage bag, Xiao Yuansi pressed his hands together. He summoned a wisp of pure white medicinal fire from his dantian and lightly brushed it against the wood. The wood immediately began to crackle and burn, manifesting a ghostly blue flame.

Tossing the wood into the bottom of the furnace, Xiao Yuansi took out a jade box, used his magic to extract the Snake-蛟 Fruit, and cast it into the furnace.