In the rear courtyard of the Mu Estate, Mu Chen stood tall, his eyes filled with excitement. After several days of cultivation, he had successfully condensed fifteen Spirit Seals, meeting the basic requirements for the Fiery Flame Array.
So he decided to give it a try, to see just how powerful a Tier 1 Spirit Array truly was.
Mu Chen opened his hand, and dark spiritual energy surged out, transforming into streaks of Spirit Seals. He manipulated the fifteen Spirit Seals, embedding them into the air. Each Spirit Seal was like a raindrop falling into a lake, quickly dissolving and creating a strange ripple of fluctuation in space.
Constructing a Tier 1 Spirit Array was far more complex than a minor Spirit Array. He had meticulously studied the Fiery Flame Array diagram for days, but even now, the execution was still very clumsy. By the time all fifteen Spirit Seals were embedded into the air, sweat poured from his forehead as if he had just bathed.
"Boom!"
The fifteen Spirit Seals merged into the air, forming fifteen tiny specks of light that were hard to see if one wasn't paying attention. Mu Chen's mind stirred slightly, controlling these luminous spiritual energy specks to move and extend into tails of light, intertwining with each other.
The array diagram was quite intricate, and Mu Chen was a little flustered. This kind of complex array structure required meticulous and detailed spiritual energy manipulation. Even a slight error could lead to immediate failure.
And evidently, a Tier 1 Spirit Array was not easy to construct. Although Mu Chen possessed high talent and quickly condensed many Spirit Seals, it did not mean that many Spirit Seals automatically translated into quickly building a Tier 1 Spirit Array.
Just as the array's light began to intertwine in complex steps, an error finally occurred: a stream of spiritual energy moved to the wrong position.
In the blink of an eye, as a stream of spiritual energy appeared out of place, Mu Chen inwardly lamented the instability. The air then dispersed with violent, crimson spiritual energy fluctuations that swept out, radiating a visible light of a nascent, unformed array.
"Crash!"
The violent, crimson spiritual energy directly attacked Mu Chen's body. A dull thud sent him flying ten meters, leaving him miserably rolling on the ground, his face ashen.
Mu Chen scrambled to his feet, fortunately not seriously injured, only slightly bruised. Brushing the dust from his clothes, he fell into deep thought, pondering the moment of failure, his dark pupils moving incessantly.
This first attempt at arranging a Tier 1 Spirit Array ended in a dismal failure for Mu Chen. However, he was not discouraged; instead, it strengthened his resolve. After a brief rest and recovery, he began his second attempt.
The result...
"Crash, Crash!"
The hot midday air in the rear courtyard was constantly punctuated by dull explosions. A young man was sent flying haphazardly. The patrolling guards, hearing these unusual sounds, merely exchanged glances, but no one dared to disturb Mu Chen's cultivation.
It wasn't until dusk, as night gradually fell, that Mu Chen's pathetic state finally ceased. From noon until now, it had been nothing but failures. However, this still did not discourage him, because after each failure, he took a small step forward, and the number of steps he could execute in construction increased. At this rate of practice, sooner or later, he would successfully construct the Fiery Flame Array.
Having thought it through, Mu Chen smirked, brushed off his backside, and turned to return to his room.
For the next three days, Mu Chen's entire focus was immersed in the Fiery Flame Array. He would then go to the rear courtyard to try again, only to meet with continuous failures.
Sometimes, the patrolling guards would suddenly see his tattered and ragged appearance and almost didn't recognize the Young Master. They didn't know what Mu Chen was cultivating, but seeing him repeatedly fail yet refuse to stay down, struggling to get back up and continue pursuing his passion, filled their hearts with even more admiration for the Young Master's resilience.
"The Young Master is truly diligent. When he inherits the position of Domain Lord, it seems our Mu Domain will gain considerable prestige."
A few guards walked past the backyard, not daring to speak loudly or stomp their feet, lest they disturb the young man. They merely whispered among themselves before continuing their patrol.
Mu Chen failed, got up, and continued. He failed again, got up again, and continued again. This continued until the third day at dusk, when a sudden change occurred.
The miserable young man in the backyard, his clothes torn to shreds, had no idea how many times he had rolled and crawled on the ground. Only his two dark eyes still radiated a determined spirit, and his expression was serious. Fifteen spiritual seals danced and flew around his fingertips, rapidly merging into the air, creating ripples of spiritual energy.
Mu Chen's technique for forming and controlling the fusion of spiritual seals was far superior to a few days prior. Evidently, failure had made him much more skilled.
The air rippled, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth quickly surged forth. In front of Mu Chen, a strong red light appeared. The air undulated, and a complex, fiery red light array slowly emerged.
Within the dazzling red light array, a radiance began to activate, as if a flame was piercing through it, creating a truly magnificent sight.
Mu Chen stared intently at the Fire Flame Array. He had finally managed to condense it, and his eyes expressed an indescribable joy, overflowing like waves crashing on a shore. After so many disheartening failures, he had finally succeeded!
Although the Fire Flame Array was not yet very stable, it had indeed formed.
"Go!"
Mu Chen suppressed the joy in his heart, changed his finger gesture, and pointed towards a large rockery in the backyard.
"Whoosh!"
The Fire Flame Array suddenly erupted with intense heat. A bright, fiery red pillar of flame shot into the twilight sky, like a miniature volcano erupting, fiercely striking the rockery.
"Boom!"
The small mountain, made of black giant rocks, trembled and shattered, sending fragments of stone flying everywhere, leaving the backyard in chaos as if someone had vandalized it.
"What terrifying power!"
Mu Chen looked at the power of the imperfect Fire Flame Array, his face filled with both joy and fear. Even a mid-stage Spirit Wheel Realm expert would not have an easy time if hit by this attack! A Tier 1 spiritual array was indeed formidable and admirable, even if it consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy.
"Young Master!"
A group of guards patrolling the backyard, hearing such a loud commotion, rushed over. Seeing the young man standing amidst a pile of chaotic rocks, they were also startled, thinking Mu Chen had been attacked, and anxiously gathered around him.
"It's nothing, nothing! I just messed around a bit."
Mu Chen smiled. He didn't even need to look to know how terrible he looked. Fearing that the guards would misunderstand and worry, he gave a helpless smile and greeting, then turned and went straight to his room to bathe and change clothes. The guards were dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on. They never expected the Young Master to be capable of such destruction. When had he become so powerful? Not long ago, he was only at the late-stage Spirit Movement Realm, yet he had shattered a rockery, something even veteran guards and the captain, who was at the early-stage Spirit Wheel Realm, couldn't do.
Mu Chen bathed and cleaned himself, then emerged from his room, observing the servants tidying the messy backyard. These past few days, he had been confined to the backyard, losing sleep and appetite while researching and practicing the Fiery Flame Array, which had indeed left him quite exhausted.
Mu Chen strolled leisurely through the Mu Manor, then slipped into the council chamber area. Seeing a light still on in the room, he wondered, "It's already so late; who is Father still discussing things with?"
Mu Chen pondered, when suddenly a loud "Thump!" startled him. The sound was very familiar; it was the sound Mu Feng made when he lost his temper and slammed his hand on the table. Heavens, how many tables had he smashed to pieces already?
"It's been a long time since Father was this angry. What could be the matter?"
Mu Chen mused, then crept closer to the door and pressed his ear against it to listen.
Inside the council chamber, Mu Feng, his face ashen, looked at the table in front of him, which he had just shattered. He stood up abruptly, his voice filled with extreme rage: "Those rotten turtle eggs from the Liu Territory dare to secretly obstruct me?"
Zhou Ye, standing beside him, also glared, then sighed, "That fellow heard rumors that we are constructing a Level 2 Spirit Gathering Array. Not only has he raised the prices of raw materials everywhere, but he has also spent money to bribe many Array Masters. Now, our remaining raw materials won't allow for a second attempt."
Mu Feng clenched his fist, looking at the four other people sitting in the room. Those four were Wen Ling and three other middle-aged men, likely the three Level 1 Array Masters that Old Feng had invited.
"Mister Wen Ling, what difficulties are there currently in constructing the Level 2 Spirit Gathering Array?" Mu Feng asked, slowly lowering his voice.
Wen Ling sighed and said, "Territory Lord, we have tried twice. The failures resulted in the loss of quite a few raw materials, but we also gained some insights. We have discussed it, and if we had one more Level 1 Array Master to assist, it would be much more certain."
Zhou Ye frowned and said, "All the Array Masters in the Mu Territory are already here. But the Liu Territory is playing dirty tricks behind our backs. Finding a Level 1 Array Master from elsewhere would indeed be a bit troublesome."
Wen Ling also sighed. He knew it was very troublesome, but there was no other solution at present. Relying only on the four people here was indeed still not enough.
"Zhou Ye, spread the word outside. Entice those Array Masters bribed by the Liu Territory. Tell them that as long as they can come and assist our Mu Territory, whatever conditions the Liu Territory offered them, the Mu Territory will offer double!"
Zhou Ye was shocked. He would have to bleed twice as much! But if they did that, those cunning Array Masters might seize the opportunity to make exorbitant demands. If so, it would be a bit unfair to the three Array Masters sitting here, easily causing them to feel resentment.
Thinking this, Old Zhou subtly glanced at the three Array Masters and indeed saw that their expressions were a little unnatural.
"The Territory Lord should not say that. On the contrary, it will cause us to disrupt our own formation," Wen Ling said with difficulty.
Mu Feng also calmed down, cupped his hands in apology to the three Array Masters, then gritted his teeth and sat down. The matter of the Mu Territory wanting to construct a Level 2 Spirit Gathering Array was no longer a secret. If it failed, not only would they lose money, but they would also become the subject of gossip and ridicule for everyone in the marketplace.
The council chamber once again fell into silence, the atmosphere quite oppressive.
"Creak."
While everyone was still silently contemplating, the tightly shut door slowly pushed open. Mu Feng frowned in annoyance, about to scold whichever servant had entered at such an inopportune moment when he was irritated, but when he looked up and saw Mu Chen, he involuntarily broke into a loving smile.
Mu Chen also smiled as he looked at Mu Feng, then at Wen Ling, and gently and unhurriedly said:
“Mister Wen, you said you needed an additional Spirit Array Master, so let me handle that, alright?”