The Grand Play Begins

On this day, Li Fan received a transmission from Zhang Zhiliang telling him to come to the Formation Planning Hall. Ever since obtaining the post of array repairer, Li Fan had yet to do any actual work. Presumably, Zhang Zhiliang had been busy studying the Mountains and Rivers Grand Array on that reproduced island, which was why he had not contacted Li Fan until now. Now summoned unexpectedly, Li Fan did not dally. Changing into his black-and-yellow Daoist robe, he made his way with practiced familiarity to the Formation Planning Hall. Now that he had an official standing within the system, the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation overhead completely ignored Li Fan as he entered the central core area. Stepping into the tilted cubical building, the smaller cube seemed to recognize Li Fan's identity and began operating automatically. Moments later, it brought Li Fan into the space where Zhang Zhiliang resided. Li Fan was truly familiar with this place. In his eleventh life, it was here that he had forgotten food and sleep, devoting several years of single-minded focus to studying formations before formally stepping onto the path of arrays. Looking ahead, Zhang Zhiliang stood motionless with his back to him. "Greetings, Senior," Li Fan said with a bow. As if he had not heard, Zhang Zhiliang remained completely still. Seeing this, Li Fan called out once more. As if subject to a massive delay, it was a long time before Zhang Zhiliang finally turned around. "Oh... you... came, did you?" Li Fan immediately realized that the figure before him was likely an avatar or similar existence. Even so, he asked, "Senior, have you finished studying the Mountains and Rivers Grand Array?" After a pause, Zhang Zhiliang's halting voice sounded. "Not yet. The study of the Mountains and Rivers Grand Array... is at a crucial juncture..." "It is even more complex than imagined... It will probably take another year or two to finish." "Fellow Daoist He seemed to have urgent business and rushed off ahead of time..." "I also... suddenly remembered that since you took the post, I have not yet taught you any formations." "In this current... situation, I cannot pull myself away." "However, delaying you for another year or two would hardly be reasonable." "Therefore, I am giving you the relevant materials on array formations first. Study them on your own for now." "Whatever questions you have, I will answer them one by one when I return." His speech was disjointed and halting; it took him quite a while just to finish this short passage. With that, Zhang Zhiliang handed over a storage ring. Taking the storage ring, Li Fan swept his divine sense through it; the contents were no strangers to him. An encrypted jade slip and Mind Ape incense. "You managed to step through the door of formations entirely on your own before, so your innate talent... cannot be too poor. The encrypted jade slip inside this storage ring is an introductory summary of array dao that I meticulously compiled. Study it carefully and cross-reference it with what you have learned. Once you have read it thoroughly, I expect... your array skill will see significant improvement." After delivering his final words, this figure of Zhang Zhiliang made no further sound. Li Fan put away the storage ring and returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror. Taking out the encrypted jade slip, he read through it carefully and found that it was largely similar to what Zhang Zhiliang had taught him in his previous life. Only, it contained many more real-world formation examples. For example, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' current Island-Protecting Grand Formation: the Tianyuan Creation Formation. Unlike the Ten-Thousand-Li Mountains and Rivers Formation from three thousand years ago, which prioritized defense above all else, today's Tianyuan Creation Formation emphasized balancing offense and defense, while also absorbing the essence of mortals within the formation to increase the concentration of spiritual energy. Though the jade slip lacked the core structural data of the Tianyuan Creation Formation, it did contain schematic diagrams for some of the grand array's vulnerable nodes. Even from these minor details, Li Fan could catch a glimpse of the Tianyuan Creation Formation's vast scale and exquisite craftsmanship. In the jade slip, Zhang Zhiliang did not forget to leave a warning: The contents of this grand array were top secret within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and under no circumstances should be leaked or shared. Besides the Tianyuan Creation Formation, the jade slip also contained breakdowns of many formations he had never seen before, such as the Azure Wood Spirit-Gathering Formation and the High Heavens Five Thunder Formation, greatly broadening Li Fan's horizons. However, these formations were profound, extensive, and extraordinarily intricate; Li Fan merely skimmed them without delving deeply. Because right now, he still had other matters to attend to. Setting aside the jade slip, Li Fan checked the price of Spirit Mist Grass. Earlier, hearing Zhang Zhiliang say that He Zhenghao had rushed off without even caring about studying the Mountains and Rivers Grand Array, Li Fan had guessed that the dragon whale's attack on the Spirit Mist Grass island must have already occurred. Counting the days, the timing was about right. Sure enough, the price of Spirit Mist Grass had experienced a modest rise not long ago. From 18 contribution points per stalk, it had climbed to 19. With an inventory of 2,700 stalks on hand, Li Fan was in no hurry to sell right now. After all, there was still some time before the news spread, the event fermented, and the price of Spirit Mist Grass soared to 25 points. "A price of 25 points is still too low. Perhaps I can fan the flames a bit more..." "It is just that my true self should not show my face in this matter. It is time to use my clone." Li Fan's eyes flickered. His clone, which had been quietly running errand missions on Wanxian Island to barely scrape together enough for its basic survival, activated a Form-Concealing Talisman, masking its aura and appearance before making its way to Thousand Li Hall. The shop was deserted, without a single customer in sight. Jiao Xiuyuan was lying lazily behind the counter, resting with his eyes closed. The moment Li Fan stepped inside, Jiao Xiuyuan sprang up, greeting him attentively. "Finally, a customer! What can I get for you?" "Formations and talismans, magical instruments and elixir pills—I have it all! Discounts for bulk purchases!" Li Fan gave a light chuckle. "I hear you have quite a few flawed Form-Concealing Talismans phased out from the Talisman Hall, Fellow Daoist Jiao?" Jiao Xiuyuan smiled cheekily. "It's true I have quite a few Form-Concealing Talismans, but where I got them isn't something I can disclose. How many does Fellow Daoist want?" "How many? I would love to buy up all the Form-Concealing Talismans you have..." Li Fan trailed off halfway, watching as wild joy spread across Jiao Xiuyuan's face. "Alas, my pockets are tight, and I don't have that many contribution points!" Li Fan sighed, abruptly changing his tune. Jiao Xiuyuan's face darkened, his tone turning sour. "Are you taking me for a ride, you rascal?" Then his brow furrowed with curiosity. "Why do you need so many Form-Concealing Talismans anyway? A person only needs a few on hand for regular use." Li Fan smiled faintly. "That is precisely why I have come to see you today." Seeing that Jiao Xiuyuan's interest was piqued, Li Fan deliberately kept him in suspense, falling silent. Jiao Xiuyuan sneered. "Leaving me hanging? Who knows whether what you're saying is true or false?" "If you don't want to tell me, then forget it!" Li Fan did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and cupped his hands directly. "In that case, pardon the intrusion!" Without a shred of hesitation, he turned and walked away. As he walked, he sighed, "Everyone says Jiao Xiuyuan of Thousand Li Hall never does business at a loss." "I thought your business acumen was something extraordinary, but it turns out to be nothing special after all." Li Fan shook his head, one foot already stepping out of Thousand Li Hall's doorway. "Hold on!" Right at that moment, Jiao Xiuyuan called after him. Warmly pulling Li Fan back inside, he shut the shop door. Jiao Xiuyuan rubbed his hands together. "Even though I know full well you're using reverse psychology, I'm still willingly walking into your trap." A hint of greed flashed in his eyes. "Because I smell the scent of business opportunity."