Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 167 - 160 Exchange Part 2

Chapter 167: Chapter 160 Exchange Part 2

Lin Xin pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and without concerning himself with what identity it might hold, he spoke of his predicament—the very reason he was here, which was to find a solution. Naturally, he would withhold nothing.

After listening to his account, the porcelain doll contemplated for a while.

"Pine Forest Sword Sect... we don’t have many members there. However, your issue isn’t too significant, and it can be resolved. You just have to understand... to gain something, one must undertake an obligation. I’m not one of the radical and passionate faction within the organization, I am part of the fair and cool-headed faction, also key to maintaining the balance between the needs of the members and what they contribute. So..."

"So, what must I give in exchange for this help?" Lin Xin nodded, "This is only natural."

The porcelain doll nodded, making a shasha sound of ceramic friction.

"You mentioned you are skilled in the Formation Path. Well... I also have a trouble here, and if you solve it for me, then I will take care of your issue."

"Please, senior, go ahead," said Lin Xin, realizing that the crux of the matter had arrived.

"There’s a flaw in the distribution array of my Mirror Gate, and I haven’t yet found a suitable Array Master to repair it. If you can fix the array for the Mirror Gate here, then I will lend a hand," the porcelain doll said in an androgynous voice, which at this moment also had a sense of formality.

Lin Xin pondered for a moment.

"I can’t promise you, senior, but I can certainly try."

"There are already people working on the repairs, you can join them. Whichever of you fixes it, I will consider it a favor," the porcelain doll quickly agreed. Helping Lin Xin was evidently a minor concern for it, but the Mirror Gate’s grand array was undoubtedly a significant matter.

"Furthermore, if you find yourself incapable, come tell me sooner rather than later. I will make other arrangements."

"May I ask what the senior is called?" Lin Xin made a bow, as a sign of accepting the agreement.

"You can call me Porcelain King," the porcelain doll’s face still bore the painted-on fixed smile, and with a wave of its hand, two porcelain figures appeared from behind.

"Go now, follow them, and you will be taken to the place where you will repair the array."

Lin Xin bade farewell to the Porcelain King and followed the two porcelain figures through another small door in the room, down a spiral staircase leading into a pitch-dark and profound underground.

The two porcelain figures proceeded in silence.

Lin Xin followed closely, winding his way downward along the staircase.

After countless circles, a faint white light appeared below, dim yet visible. As Lin Xin brought forth his spiritual energy, leveraging his current level of Qi Cultivation at the Second Layer, his bodily attribute points surged by eleven, reaching a total of thirteen points, and he could see in the dark as if it were daylight.

Below, a small group of people were congregated, gazing thoughtfully at the ring-shaped wall at the base.

There were men and women, old and young, dressed in a variety of clothes, most wearing disguise masks or bronze masks. Some were even cloaked in black robes to conceal their bodies.

"Another one has arrived," someone murmured softly as Lin Xin descended.

"What use is there in numbers?" another person said disdainfully.

Lin Xin glanced around and saw that the group centered around two white-haired elders.

One of the elders was slightly hunched over, accompanied by a young woman who was helping him stand, both wearing black copper masks.

The other elder stood straight, tall and imposing, clothed in a white robe with golden threads, obviously of noble origin. He wore a tiger mask, which added to his formidable appearance.

Upon closer sense, Lin Xin was unable to detect any cultivation aura from these people.

His mind stirred, and he focused on sensing his own cultivation aura, sure enough, he could not detect it either.

"Sir, rest assured, the Mirror Gate has the capacity to seal the cultivation aura of all who enter,"

a delicate girl’s voice spoke into his ear.

Lin Xin realized it was the porcelain woman who had been leading the way, and he nodded slightly.

He descended to the bottom, where no one paid him any attention. Each was absorbed in their own concerns.

It was only when Lin Xin reached the bottom ring that he saw the walls all around were filled with dense Formation Path talisman patterns. In some places, the inner gears were exposed, revealing a multitude of gears and chains of various sizes spinning rapidly inside. The gears and chains also bore an overwhelming number of symbols and patterns that could easily dizzy and confuse an onlooker.

The bizarre style momentarily gave him a sensation as if both mechanism and cultivation had merged in a peculiar fashion.

The people here were all examining the formation patterns and talismans on the surrounding walls, and from their occasional movements of tracing along the patterns gently with their hands, they appeared to be masters of the Formation Path.

Lin Xin’s heart was perturbed; he had never seen such an array before, and it was no longer a mere three-dimensional array, but a massive, super-compound Formation Path machine.

He looked around and carefully examined the formation patterns on the stone walls, quickly affirming his guess.

The patterns here were a display that reflected the inner workings of this enormous formation machine, serving as the central control hub. The control center alone encompassed at least dozens of smaller arrays within a larger array, all nested into a complex three-dimensional formation.

These dozens of three-dimensional formations were of a composite type, with even more various formations nested within...

In terms of complexity, Lin Xin had never seen anything like it in all his years, including what he had read in books. This was no longer just a question of grade; it was very likely that it had surpassed traditional grading...

He slowly extended his hand, following the talisman lines with his touch, his fingertips constantly moving within the lines.

Hiss...

Spiritual energy breathed in and out, igniting little white sparks.

At the same time, he fell into deep thought.

How should he solve this... First, he needed to identify the problem, and various guesses rapidly flitted through his mind.

Before long, the problem became quite obvious—it was an energy gap in the formation.

Over the years, Lin Xin’s study of the formation path, due to the advantage of skill manifestation, meant that as long as there were difficulties that required technical precision, he could quickly overcome them. Thus, his expertise in formation path had reached an extremely high level, but he had never interacted with other Qi Cultivators at the Array Master level. He did not know where his own skills stood. However, identifying the problem was still within his ability.

Upon discovering the issue, Lin Xin looked at the other array masters with some surprise.

This problem wasn’t difficult. The Mirror Gate formation was simply experiencing a leak of spiritual energy at its edges, which increased energy consumption and some aging issues in the machine’s operations. All that was needed was to apply small array repairs at critical points, like patching a hole.

This issue wasn’t hard to fix, so why hadn’t the people here been able to solve it after so long?

Lin Xin glanced at the others with a hint of bafflement.

He vaguely noticed that many of the array masters were directing their attention to two elderly men. Clearly, it was generally acknowledged that these two were the most accomplished array masters present.

This could be seen from several people going over to consult the elders from time to time and then respectfully stepping back.

Lin Xin approached as well, pretending to examine the formation patterns, but in reality, he was observing the techniques and thought processes of those around him. To his astonishment, he found that everyone present was not considering using formation patches at all. Instead, they were each looking for different solutions.

Micro formations might be small, but that didn’t mean no one should consider that approach at all. With a hint of doubt, he lightly tapped a middle-aged man on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, brother."

"Do you have any insights? If not, please don’t disturb me!" the man replied impatiently, turning his head.

"I was just wondering, why not use of micro formations to patch the flaws?" Lin Xin asked without annoyance. His goal was to repair the array and then complete the exchange task. He was indifferent to who fixed it.

"Micro formations?" the man paused, "Are you joking? Everyone knows that micro formations can repair and perfect, but the issue is! What grade are the formations here? The unit formations here are all third grade or higher. For third-grade or higher formation units, who will you ask to perform the micro formation? If you don’t understand, please don’t ask such low-level questions!"

He turned around and went back to his research, ignoring Lin Xin altogether.

"The grade of unit formations?" Lin Xin then realized that the amount of spiritual energy needed to activate the unit formations here was exceptionally high. If they did conform to third grade or higher, then the spiritual power required for activation would also have to be at least third grade.

"Indeed troublesome..."

He stroked his chin and pondered carefully.

He could not inscribe third-grade or higher unit formations himself, as he had never dealt with any third-grade formation inscriptions. Moreover, with third-grade formations, it was not just about tracing surface patterns, but also inscribing spiritual patterns, which were many times more complex. Such a task would also require at least someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage due to the consumption of mental energy.

"With my abilities, if someone could guide me in inscribing, I might be able to complete the linework part for a third-grade unit formation. The spiritual construction part would require someone else. With the right coordination, we should be able to repair the formation quickly," Lin Xin calculated internally. He knew his skill manifestation allowed him to replicate even the most difficult and complex formations with 100% success after the first successful attempt. For him, shrinking a unit formation to the required size for micro formation repairs presented no difficulty.

However, due to his insufficient cultivation level, he could not complete the task alone; he had to find someone else to work with him.

But among the array masters here, who possessed such cultivation? At least someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage who could also construct third-grade unit formations?

Unconsciously, Lin Xin’s gaze fell on the two white-haired elders.

At that moment, the two seemed to be arguing heatedly about a certain problem.

"If the Sweeping Water Array is nested in series, the method is correct, but the quantity isn’t enough, the output of cultivation power is insufficient; it simply won’t achieve a perfect effect. Even if we can repair it, will we have to come here again after not too long? Don’t you find this annoying? I’m certainly tired of it!" the hunchbacked elder grunted with annoyance.

"So what? Your Round Gold Formation is no different; it has met with a dead end. When we first started, you thumped on your chest so proudly, and now look at you, completely extinguished once actual true skill is needed, right?" the elder with the tiger face mask retorted loudly, unwilling to back down.

"If I didn’t lack cultivation, would I not have repaired it myself by now? Instead of wasting words with you?" the hunchbacked elder exclaimed, hopping madly with frustration.(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)