Chapter 453 - 407: Lesser Two-Divisions Formation (2)

Chapter 453: Chapter 407: Lesser Two-Divisions Formation (2)

Do not underestimate this one benefit. The deployment of an Array has extremely strict requirements. The more powerful the Array, the more complex it is to set up, demanding precise calculations and measurements.

For Zhao Lin to set up even the simplest Fog Illusion Array, pacing it out by foot still took him one to two hours. Setting up a Mountain Protection Array, on the other hand, was usually measured in years.

Therefore, while Arrays were powerful, they had to be prepared in advance. You couldn’t rely on them for a spontaneous battle.

The Small Tai Chi Array was an anomaly among Arrays. It could be completely set up in just a few breaths!

Realization dawned on Zhao Lin. ’No wonder three Purple Mansion cultivators showed up at once,’ he thought. ’They’re all here for the Small Tai Chi Array!’

Although the Small Tai Chi Array couldn’t withstand an attack from a Purple Mansion cultivator, it could delay one for a moment, and that was enough.

For high-level cultivators, a difference of a few breaths was the difference between life and death.

’This is the Array I’ve been looking for!’

The ninth square on his Spirit Cultivation Map was still empty. Zhao Lin had been hesitating, but now, he felt a sense of clarity. He had finally made his decision.

"As they say, seeing is believing. Everyone, please watch..."

After finishing his introduction of the Small Tai Chi Array, Hong Bu’Er took out an Array Plate and four array flags from a large wooden box.

He took out one of the flags and casually tossed it.

SWISH! The array flag landed, yet it remained perfectly upright as if suspended by an invisible thread, straight as a javelin.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH... ℴ

The other three array flags flew out one after another.

Hong Bu’Er walked into the center of the flags, performed an incantation, and activated the Array.

A flash of white light enveloped the entire area.

Then, the white light faded. The auction stage returned to its original appearance, but Hong Bu’Er was nowhere to be seen, as if he had vanished into thin air.

Although the cultivators below knew it was an illusion created by the Array, they were all still amazed.

Many Arrays contained illusions, but they were usually only visible from within. From the outside, you could typically spot the trick at a glance.

The Small Tai Chi Array, however, created an illusion identical to the original scene, only with the person inside having disappeared.

Furthermore, whether scanning with Divine Sense or observing with the Qi Observation Skill, one could only detect an extremely faint fluctuation of Mana, which could be easily overlooked if one wasn’t paying close attention.

At that moment, another auctioneer on the stage stepped forward and said to the crowd, "Brother Hong is currently inside the Array and can’t demonstrate it himself. Allow me to test it for you all."

With that, he took a cone-shaped magical treasure from his storage bag and forcefully struck at the Array.

BANG!

The magical treasure’s attack was like a stone sinking into the ocean; it didn’t cause the slightest ripple. Instead, the treasure itself was repelled.

"What a fine Array!"

"Amazing!"

A wave of praise rose from the audience.

Most of the cultivators, however, remained calm. They understood that for an Array like this to be the grand finale, it was bound to have a sky-high price. They were just here to watch the show.

When the Array was attacked, it emitted a pulse of Mana that Zhao Lin also sensed. In the ninth square of his Spirit Cultivation Map, four words appeared: Small Tai Chi Array.

However, there were no petals next to the words. Zhao Lin knew this was because he hadn’t experienced the Array Patterns up close.

"The Small Tai Chi Array is the masterpiece of the late Array Master Lu Yunsheng. It is extremely rare. Cultivators who have their eyes on this treasure should not miss this opportunity."

Hong Bu’Er deactivated the Array and walked out with a smile.

Then, he announced the starting price: "Eight thousand Spirit Stones and five thousand merit points."

The crowd erupted in an uproar, stunned by the price. Zhao Lin, however, knew very well that this price wasn’t expensive at all.

Before anyone could make a bid, Zhao Lin shot to his feet and said in a deep voice, "This Array is indeed excellent, but forgive my poor eyesight, for I cannot appreciate its subtleties. Might I be allowed to test it myself?"

Although he couldn’t afford the Small Tai Chi Array, as long as he mastered its Array Patterns, he could replicate it himself.

Hong Bu’Er was taken aback and frowned. "This auction house has always sold only genuine articles, and we have just demonstrated it. Does Fellow Daoist believe it to be a fake?"

Zhao Lin gave a relaxed smile. "It’s not that I don’t believe you. I’ve simply never encountered this type of Array before and wish to experience it for myself."

"For such an expensive treasure, it’s not too much to ask to learn more about it before bidding, is it?"

"This..."

Hong Bu’Er hesitated before saying, "The Small Tai Chi Array comes with a set of incantations. If one is not versed in the way of Arrays, it would require a period of practice."

"The auction for this treasure is about to begin. I’m afraid there’s no time for you to learn on the spot."

Zhao Lin smiled faintly. "What a coincidence. I happen to be an Array Master, and I know a thing or two about controlling Arrays with incantations."

Hong Bu’Er was stunned. The other auctioneer quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "The Small Tai Chi Array is exceptionally intricate. Since Fellow Daoist wishes to experience it personally, please, come up!"

"Alright!"

Zhao Lin didn’t stand on ceremony. He strode to the front of the stage and took the Array Plate and array flags from Hong Bu’Er’s hands.

The Small Tai Chi Array’s Array Plate was about eight inches in diameter, a size larger than that of an ordinary Tier One Array. Its surface was covered in densely packed Array Patterns.

The Array Plate was coated with ink-silver, making it impossible to see its entirety, but even so, its complexity left Zhao Lin dumbfounded.

’No wonder the Small Tai Chi Array can be set up so quickly! So that’s how it works!’

Ordinary Array Plates only have simplified Array Patterns. When setting up an Array, one needs to arrange Spirit Stones or array flags through precise measurement and calculation.

To use a crude analogy, a traditional Array is like an old-fashioned manual camera. The aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity, focal length, white balance, focus, composition... all the parameters need to be adjusted by the photographer to take a satisfactory picture.

But the Small Tai Chi Array has all possible trigram positions carved into its Array Plate, and it can adjust based on the position of the array flags. It’s the equivalent of a point-and-shoot camera. A cultivator only needs to place the flags, and the Array activates itself.

And precisely because of this, the Array Plate was incredibly complex.

Zhao Lin glanced at it and was filled with solemn respect. ’The skill of the Array Master who could inscribe these Array Patterns must be absolutely superb!’

Putting down the Array Plate, he then looked at the array flags. The surface of each flag was inscribed with sixteen Array Patterns—eight on the front and eight on the back.

The Array Patterns on each of the four flags were different.

In other words, the Small Tai Chi Array had a total of sixty-four Array Patterns!

’No wonder the Small Tai Chi Array is so rare. It must be incredibly difficult to create!’

Zhao Lin gently ran his palm over the Array Patterns on the flag, and his Spirit Cultivation Map began to flash...

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a sixty-four-petaled "chrysanthemum" appeared in the ninth square.

’It worked!’

Zhao Lin cheered inwardly, a look of delight spreading across his face.

"Fellow Daoist, didn’t you say you wanted to test the Array?"

Seeing Zhao Lin staring blankly at the Array Plate and flags, Hong Bu’Er couldn’t help but remind him.

"My apologies. This Array is truly so profound that I became completely engrossed in it."

Zhao Lin said with an apologetic smile.

Hearing Zhao Lin praise the Array, Hong Bu’Er felt relieved. ’So he’s not here to cause trouble,’ he thought. He smiled and said, "No matter. Please, Fellow Daoist."

Zhao Lin delayed no longer. He quickly tossed out the four array flags, activated the incantation, and started the Array.

With a flash of white light, Zhao Lin disappeared from the stage.

"Wow, he succeeded on his first try."

"What an eye-opener. The Small Tai Chi Array truly lives up to its reputation."

"If I wasn’t so strapped for cash, I’d really want to buy it..."

The cultivators below murmured in admiration.

Inside the Array, Zhao Lin was perfectly aware of the situation outside.

Seeing this, he deactivated the Array, thanked Hong Bu’Er, and quickly walked off the stage.

Hong Bu’Er placed the Array Plate and flags back into the wooden box, then raised his right hand. "Everyone has seen it," he declared. "The Small Tai Chi Array is worthy of its name. Let the bidding begin!"

"I bid eighty-two hundred."

"Eighty-four hundred."

"Eighty-six hundred..."

The bids climbed steadily in increments of two hundred Spirit Stones, the minimum allowed by the auction’s rules.

The first few bids came from several Foundation Establishment cultivators, but when the price reached nine thousand, the three Purple Mansion cultivators joined the bidding.

By the time it crossed the ten-thousand mark, only the three of them were left.

"Eleven thousand."

"Twelve thousand."

"Thirteen thousand..."

Watching the trio call out these astronomical prices without a change in expression, not even blinking, the other cultivators in attendance were struck by a sense of their own insignificance.

Zhao Lin also sighed with emotion. ’Cultivators of different realms truly possess resources on completely different levels.’

He didn’t know about the other two Purple Mansion cultivators, but as the master of Red Tail Island, Chu Hongtian had an inexhaustible supply of Spirit Pearls. It was no surprise he had this kind of wealth.

After several more rounds of bidding, the Small Tai Chi Array finally went to Chu Hongtian for a final price of eighteen thousand Spirit Stones!