Chapter 3950: Filling The Patterns

Lin Mu began filling the patterns in the sheet.

A line here, a curve there, a new node in one place and then a connection forming in another. The pattern slowly became complete and then something even stranger happened. The entire structure began resembling a formation.

It was complicated, with multiple layers of spatial runes intertwined together.

Lin Mu’s expression became serious. "This isn’t just a normal diagram."

"No, it is closer to a formation blueprint. " Xukong replied. "Still incomplete, but close."

Lin Mu nodded and the more he looked at it, the more obvious it became. The creator had divided the information into two components. The book provided the foundation and the jade token provided the missing instructions.

Neither was sufficient by itself. Only when combined could the complete structure be understood.

Lin Mu looked at the ancient book. "Then the real test is whether the pattern actually works."

He opened his eyes as the white space returned and the ninety pages were once again separate sheets of old paper.

Lin Mu took a deep breath. "Now to do it for real."

He placed the book before himself and his fingers hovered above the first page. Then he used his fingernail to make a scratch.

Scritch

A tiny mark appeared. Lin Mu carefully reproduced the first missing imperfection then moved to the next location.

Scratch.

He made another mark before continuing the process. Every movement was precise as the marks were incredibly faint. To an ordinary person, they would appear to be nothing more than tiny scratches caused by age.

Lin Mu had no intention of damaging the book excessively and using ink or anything else didn’t even cross his mind as it could cause permanent damage. The entire structure depended upon precision and a mistake could ruin the entire puzzle. If he caused a permanent change that could not be corrected, everything would be for naught.

He worked slowly and did one page at a time. His movements were almost mechanical and his Spatial Perception remained active throughout the process, constantly comparing the physical book against the mental image he had constructed.

If the slightest mark deviated from his mental reconstruction, he immediately corrected it by pressing it in from the back. Soon the first fifteen pages were completed, then he did the next fifteen.

Time passed silently and Lin Mu remained completely absorbed in the task. After several hours, the ninety pages had been altered. Every hidden imperfection had been reproduced and every missing line had been added.

Every pattern that had appeared incomplete in the original book had been completed according to the structure revealed in his mind. Lin Mu finally stopped and stared at the book.

For several breaths, nothing happened as the book remained unchanged. No light appeared and there was no activation of some hidden formation. No spatial fluctuation emerged either which would show he was on the right path.

Lin Mu’s brows furrowed. "Did I make a mistake?"

He immediately began checking his work and compared each mark against the mental blueprint. "Everything matches."

His expression became increasingly puzzled. "Perhaps there is another step."

His gaze shifted toward the jade token. The token was still resting beside the book. The markings on its back seemed slightly brighter than before. Lin Mu picked it up and the instant his fingers touched it, the token vibrated.

Buzz!

A faint spatial fluctuation spread through his hand and Lin Mu froze.

SHUA

The book responded and a tiny point of light appeared on the first page before more of them appeared. Within moments, dozens of tiny lights appeared across the paper and witnessing that, Lin Mu’s eyes widened.

The markings he had recreated began connecting with one another as lines of light slowly spread across the pages.

The book had finally awakened and then the entire ninety pages began to tremble!

HUMM

A low spatial hum echoed through the white space and the pattern continued to pulse for several breaths before the entire book suddenly went still. Lin Mu remained motionless, his eyes fixed upon the pages.

He could feel the spatial energy gathering around the book, though the fluctuation was incredibly controlled. There was no violent eruption, no trap activating, no explosive release of power and no sign that the compressed space was becoming unstable. Instead, the energy seemed to fold inward, concentrating toward the center of the book until the air above the pages began to distort.

At first, Lin Mu thought it was simply a reflection. Then a faint spiral appeared across the paper, resembling the surface of a perfectly still pool after someone had dropped a pebble into its center.

The spiral slowly widened, each ring moving outward before curling back toward the center. The surface soon became reflective, almost like a mirror made from liquid silver. Yet the strange thing was that Lin Mu could not see his own reflection within it.

He leaned closer as the spiral continued rotating.

"Is this a portal?" Lin Mu’s first instinct was to examine the spatial fluctuations.

He extended his immortal sense toward the mirror-like surface, carefully probing it without touching it directly. His expression gradually changed as he examined the structure. There was no spatial passage, or any sort of connection to another location.

There wasn’t even any second layer that he could identify that might signal this was the surface of another dimensional pocket. Instead, the space seemed to fold inward upon itself, creating an incredibly thin boundary between the physical world and a preserved image.

Lin Mu’s brows rose. "A Spatial Memory Formation Array?"

He had seen recording formations before, and some of them could preserve images, sounds and even certain fluctuations of energy. High level cultivators could use them to preserve important information for future generations, while sects sometimes used them to leave messages for disciples.

The highest grade versions were capable of preserving an astonishing amount of detail, including the aura and appearance of the person being recorded. Yet this one was clearly on another level.