The Undying Immortal System

Chapter 443 – Life 116, Age 17, Martial Disciple Peak

Following the successful conclusion of the Heavenly Ascension Tournament, the Broken Spear Outpost remained packed with cultivators from distant towns and sects, while the Grandmasters who had been keeping them in check had vanished, causing the streets to slip into barely restrained chaos.

According to the Bureau’s regulations, my sectmates and I were supposed to be protected from any and all attacks for the next several months. However, with the outpost in such disarray, a chance encounter might still escalate into an all-out brawl. So, rather than risk provoking an irritable Martial Master, we decided to stay hidden away inside our new villa until things calmed down.

For Kan, JiuLi, and YuLong, this restriction was barely noticeable. They had locked themselves away in the villa’s basement and were pushing to break through to Martial Master as soon as possible. Meng LuYao and I, meanwhile, used this time to gain a better understanding of our new home.

Using a brush and a wide sheet of paper, Meng LuYao drafted detailed schematics of the building’s layout, including both the underground chamber and all the amenities in the outer courtyard. She followed this up with detailed comparisons to structures that she had seen on the Nine Rivers Continent. Then, whenever Kan, JiuLi, or YuLong took a break from their cultivation, she asked for suggestions on how to improve things. She even visited the Plane of Woody Earth to consult members of the Bao and Ye Clans.

Of course, since this was a rented villa, we weren’t actually planning to implement any of these changes. Meng LuYao was, instead, looking to the future.

We only had this villa for—at most—a year, and with the upcoming expansion of our sect, staying at inns was no longer feasible. Over the next few months, we would either need to find or build a place of our own, and using the Bureau’s villa as a template would help to ensure that nothing stuck out as obviously foreign.

To assist with this, while Meng LuYao worked to design a layout for our future base, I focused on the villa’s construction and collected samples of every material I could get my hands on—roof tiles, courtyard stones, timbers from the support beams, even flakes of metal from the hinges on the outer gates. Every material told me something different about what the local craftsmen prioritized, and, more importantly, what they expected from a building that had been constructed by a local sect.

After cataloging the villa’s physical components, I shifted my attention to its formations.

At first glance, nothing about the villa’s formations appeared overly impressive. There were basic anti-spying formations on the walls and standard defensive formations around the sparring grounds. The Qi Gathering Formation in the basement was slightly more interesting, but only because of how it interfaced with the room’s spirit fire. Overall, these formations looked almost exactly like what I was familiar with from the Nine Rivers Continent—except for one detail.

Scattered throughout each of these formations were clusters of energy, where inscription lines that should have remained separate converged, creating complex nexuses that my mind couldn’t unravel. Stranger still, the energy that flowed into these nexuses was different from the energy that came out of them. Earth qi was still earth qi, and guandao qi was still guandao qi, but both emerged slightly amplified, their qualities sharpened in ways that were subtle yet undeniably significant.

Curious, I took a few of the stones that I had gathered from around the villa and attempted to create small-scale, simplified versions of these formations. However, when I pulled the lines together to form a “nexus point,” the result was an uncontrolled explosion.

After a series of repeated failures, it was painfully clear that whoever had created these nexus points was privy to a branch of formation theory that I had never even heard of. A few of the scattered manuals I had copied from the Palace of the Herb Sovereign—scrolls with titles like High-Quality Rank 1 Focus Items—seemed connected to this issue, but these were little more than lists of materials and their effects. Nothing mentioned how to actually use such focus items to create nexus points.

I needed more information. So, with the streets of the Broken Spear Outpost finally calming down, I decided to venture outside to see what I could find.

Instead of heading directly to arrange for a lesson on formations, I first stopped at a Bureau-Approved herb shop to pick up the ingredients I needed for Meng LuYao’s Energy Expulsion Pill.

This shop wasn’t much to look at from the outside, but the inside was arranged with a level of precision and cleanliness that would’ve made even the Blue Wind Pavilion proud. Rows of wooden drawers lined the walls, each meticulously labeled in tiny brushwork. Even better, each herb had been tested and graded by the Bureau itself. For others, things might have gone differently, but as a member of a First-Class Sect, I was able to purchase everything I needed at set prices—no haggling needed.

After grabbing everything I needed for Meng LuYao, I went ahead and purchased a few bundles of other ingredients that might be useful. Unfortunately, though, I wasn’t allowed to purchase the key herbs needed to concoct Guandao Attunement Pills. First-Class Sects could only purchase those from the Bureau directly, and they could only do so using contribution points.

That done, I headed to a nearby shop that specialized in raw ores and unprocessed metals. Unlike the herb shop, this place didn’t have any neat shelves of ready-to-purchase items. Instead, the front room was arranged like a miniature museum, with each material represented by a palm-sized sample resting atop a lacquered pedestal. Beside each sample was a placard listing purity, grade, region of origin, and expected yield after refinement.

I spent a few minutes studying these samples, learning what the outpost’s craftsmen considered standard fare. Then, I placed an order for a few dozen kilograms of common Rank 1 and 2 metals, and the shopkeeper arranged for everything to be delivered straight to our villa later that evening.

Here again, though, the limitations that came from being a First-Class Sect made themselves painfully clear. Two of the metals essential for crafting a proper guandao were nowhere to be found. They weren’t even particularly rare, but First-Class Sects were only allowed to purchase them directly from the Bureau.

The message was unmistakable. If we wanted key resources, we would have to either earn contribution points or brave the outside world and harvest them ourselves.

After thoroughly offending Blackblade Hall during our recent Ascension, leaving the outpost before reaching the Martial Master Realm was off the table. Therefore, we could only look for ways to earn contribution points from the comfort of our villa.

With this in mind, I headed to the Sect Affairs Bureau to see what missions were available.

Upon arriving, I headed to a set of desks near the back of the first floor, where several thick binders contained all of the missions available to Eight-Star Sects. I had no intention of accepting anything just yet, but I needed to get a sense of both what these missions involved and how many contribution points they were worth.

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Unexpectedly, alchemy wasn’t nearly as profitable as I had assumed. Nine-patterned Rank 1 pills, which normally sold for several dozen spirit stones, were only worth about twice as many contribution points as a simple one-patterned pill.

Of course, this disparity only applied to First-Class Sects. Second- and Third-Class Sects would receive contribution points that reflected their pill’s true value. For First-Class Sects, however, the Bureau had deliberately suppressed prices, preventing a single skilled alchemist from trivializing the challenges of advancing.

This was mildly irritating, but it didn’t really disrupt my long-term plans. I had never intended to use alchemy to bankroll my entire sect. Meng LuYao and I would handle the planning for our sect’s future headquarters, but Kan, JiuLi, and the 25 new Disciples would have to find a way to pay for it themselves.

After getting a decent picture of all the missions on offer, I focused on the refining and formation missions. I didn’t need to earn enough points to purchase an entire villa. I just needed enough to fund my personal activities. Then, I made my way up to the second floor to see how much completing each of these missions would cost me.

With so few sects willing to tolerate the Bureau’s strange pricing scheme, this level was far quieter than the hall below. Shelves of metals, ores, herbs, and crystalline inks lined the walls, watched over by a handful of bored-looking clerks.

Having spent so much time in the Bureau’s training halls while preparing for our Heavenly Ascension, our sect’s contribution point balance was depressingly low. Therefore, I limited myself to purchasing only the key ingredients for a few basic Rank 1 refining missions. Not only would this allow me to start rebuilding our wealth, but it would also give me a chance to teach JiuLi a few things about refining something other than hemp.

This left me with just enough points for one last purchase.

I moved to the counter where various tutors took appointments and signed up for a lesson on advanced weapon formations. While a class on the basics might have been more appropriate, I only had enough points for a single lesson. And, if I was going to spend the last of our contribution points, I refused to waste them learning things I already knew.

I just needed a teacher to explain how and why to create those nexus points. Then, I could start producing formation-enhanced weaponry that could be sold to earn points and purchase more lessons.

Having chosen an instructor who worked for the Bureau directly, all I had to do was walk over to a nearby auxiliary building. Less than an hour later, a middle-aged Martial Master arrived, dressed in the crisp black robes of a Bureau enforcer.

“You are Su Fang?” she asked, her voice sharp and precise.

I nodded. “Yes. Instructor Choi, I take it?”

She returned my nod. “Very well, let us proceed. What exactly are you wanting to focus on in this lesson?”

“I noticed that several formations include nexus points—places where their inscription lines converge.” Not having any examples to point to, I gestured with my hands to illustrate the idea as best I could. “I want to know whether these points are related to so-called focus items, and if so, how to create them.”

Giving me another crisp nod, Instructor Choi reached into the storage bag at her waist and produced a well-made Rank 2 guandao.

“As you registered for the advanced course, I will assume that you already know the importance of positioning a weapon’s formations so that they don't interfere with its wielder's qi techniques.”

I didn’t, but one glance at the weapon in front of me was enough to understand what she meant. The instructor’s blade had intricate inscriptions running down the length of its spine, but the cutting edge was entirely devoid of such markings. That design allowed the wielder to release qi techniques from the weapon’s edge without needing to worry about the weapon’s formation.

“With this formation in place,” she continued, “releasing qi techniques from the spine becomes impossible. This restriction limits the techniques the wielder can use and constrains their overall fighting style. Thus, for a skilled warrior, weapon formations are only worthwhile if they meaningfully offset this loss in flexibility.”

Staring at the convergence of inscription lines at the weapon’s spiked hook, I had a reasonably good idea of where she was going with this.

Reaching back into her storage bag, Instructor Choi pulled out the razor-sharp talon of some vicious demon beast. “Focus items all contain energy, but this energy won’t necessarily match that of the larger formation. This talon contains demonic claw energy, but it is perfect for enhancing the capabilities of a guandao’s hook.”

Saying this, she placed the talon on the table between us, picked up the guandao, and activated its formation.

A gigantic claw of energy erupted from the weapon’s spine, transforming the blade into what looked like a scythe of crackling blue lightning.

“The power of this scythe is beyond what a normal Rank 2 formation is capable of. It is only possible because the energy is fed through a focus, reshaping its nature to more closely align with that of the intended effect.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. “So, how do you make such a weapon?”

Instructor Choi took out a crude Rank 1 guandao and placed it in front of me. Then, she handed me a diagram that looked like a simplified version of the formation she had shown me earlier. “First, carve your inscription.”

Not hesitating for even a second, I extended a blade of qi and carved the inscription that she had shown me. I worked fast, so the result was far from perfect, but given the limitations of the low-quality guandao, it was likely the best formation the weapon could accommodate.

Nodding in satisfaction, Instructor Choi took out a formation plate and the claw of some small animal.

“First, place the claw on the plate. Then, activate the formation.”

Doing as instructed, I watched as the claw disintegrated, leaving nothing behind but a bundle of raw energy.

My eyes shot open. Though different, the process wasn’t entirely unlike how an alchemist melted the physical body of an herb when preparing to refine a pill.

“Now, shove that ball of energy into the open space in the weapon’s inscription and activate its formation.”

Guandao qi poured into the weapon and circulated through its formations until several streams impacted the bundle of claw energy all at once.

“Control the reaction,” said Instructor Choi, “don’t let it be destroyed. The two will take time to integrate.”

Anyone else might have struggled with this, but my claw affinity made it trivial. Therefore, I instead devoted my attention to the scene unfolding before me, watching as the mass of raw claw energy twisted and reshaped itself into a piece of the guandao’s formation.

This was a natural process, not needing any intervention on my part, but what if I did interfere? Could I increase the focus item’s effectiveness? Possibly, but it would be a long time before I understood these nexus points enough to try that.

In the end, the ‘scythe’ that slithered out of the guandao was far from impressive, but given the materials involved, this wasn’t much of a surprise. It might have been nice to have Instructor Choi guide me through creating something a bit more powerful, but with my limited number of contribution points, I couldn’t afford the raw materials for that.

After answering a few more questions and demonstrating the effects of a few other focus items, our short lesson came to an end.

“Focus Condensing Formations are available on the second floor of the Sect Affairs Bureau,” she said, straightening her robes. “You can also purchase the schematics there if you intend to construct your own. You will find several catalogs there as well, detailing how focus items of different Ranks behave when integrated into a formation.”

Thankfully, such purchases wouldn’t be necessary, as I had already used my mental journal to draw out a schematic of the formation in front of me. I just needed to buy a stone capable of holding it.

Instructor Choi gave a curt nod, clearly signaling the end of our time together. “Good day.”