Chapter 22

The four spirit array diagrams hovered high in the vast space inside the Soul Suppressing Pearl, like four majestic and grand mountains.

The intricate and mysterious patterns, with their intersecting and connecting lines, were complex and intricate, exuding an indescribable sense of mystery.

Qin Lie's spiritual consciousness drifted among them, examining one of the giant spirit array diagrams. After a while, he felt his spirit wane, and a strong sense of fatigue set in.

He quickly withdrew a thread of his spiritual consciousness.

The space containing the four spirit array diagrams, after the seal was broken in the new world, could be entered by releasing a thread of spiritual thought. He could then enter the broken space to observe the mysterious spirit array diagrams.

However, as soon as he carefully examined one of the spirit array diagrams, he would soon feel spiritually exhausted and greatly drained.

This was different from the state of no thought and no desire.

In the state of no thought and no desire, his soul consciousness would slowly drift away from his mind, eventually seeming to merge into the outer space of the Soul Suppressing Pearl.

The outer space was boundless, and his soul would never tire or become listless in it, seemingly able to remain eternal, like being in a deep sleep, with the added benefit of nourishing the soul and calming the mind.

The inner space containing the spirit array diagrams could be entered with just a thread of spiritual consciousness, but once inside, it would consume spiritual energy. If he focused on the spirit array diagrams, the speed of his weakening and listlessness would increase several times, and in a short while, he would exhaust the spiritual energy that had entered, making his soul feel powerless.

Spiritual energy is a very mysterious force, an intangible energy that only the soul can perceive and touch. It is said that only high-level warriors can truly understand and cultivate it.

Spiritual energy is the force cultivated by the soul, while spirit energy is the force cultivated by the physical body.

However, low-level warriors find it difficult to perceive spiritual energy, let alone use or cultivate it.

Qin Lie was also at a low level, but for some reason, he had always been able to deeply perceive the existence of spiritual energy. This might be related to his ten-year memory seal, or perhaps to the Soul Suppressing Pearl itself...

"These four spirit array diagrams, could they have been left by Grandfather? Grandfather was also an artificer... No, Grandfather once wrote in a letter that he could not discern the mysteries of the Soul Suppressing Pearl, so it couldn't have been left by him. Then... it must be something originally inside the pearl."

His spiritual consciousness was withdrawn, and Qin Lie's face was somewhat pale. His handsome face was full of confusion, unable to figure out the origin and mysteries of the four spirit array diagrams.

Spirit array diagrams are the core of an artificer, determining the grade and power of a spirit artifact. The fundamental factor is the spirit array diagram carved inside the spirit artifact. A mysterious and divine spirit array diagram can greatly enhance the power of a spirit artifact, bringing out the strongest aspects of the material!

In a sense, the spirit array diagram is the soul of the spirit artifact, the foundation of an artificer's craft, and the standard for measuring an artificer's level!

After resting for a while, he gathered another thread of spiritual energy and continued to delve into the vast space, focusing on the giant spirit array diagram he had been observing, trying to memorize it.

His spiritual energy, like a faint light, probed the giant spirit array diagram, observing it in detail...

Through the various lines representing the spirit energy channels, he connected them with his grandfather's words about basic spirit array diagrams. He gradually realized that the purpose of this spirit array diagram was to "gather spirit energy."

According to his grandfather, there are four basic spirit array diagrams: gathering spirit energy, storing spirit energy, amplifying spirit energy, and strengthening resilience.

Gathering spirit energy allows the "artifact" to gather spirit energy, enabling warriors to infuse spirit energy into the artifact.

Storing spirit energy allows the "artifact" to store the infused spirit energy. After many storages, the release of the spirit energy can be extremely powerful.

Amplifying spirit energy uses the material of the "artifact" to enhance the infused spirit energy.

Some special materials can turn one part of the infused spirit energy into two parts, or even three parts.

Amplification can also be achieved through compressing the spirit energy, refining it cycle by cycle, making it extremely refined and sharp, like a steel needle, which is another form of amplification.

Many blade and sword-type spirit artifacts can release blade and sword auras because they have this compressed form of amplification spirit array diagram inside.

Strengthening resilience enhances the "artifact's" toughness and resilience, making it less likely to break, able to hold more spirit energy, and withstand stronger amplification.

Gathering spirit energy, storing spirit energy, amplifying spirit energy, and strengthening resilience are the four basic spirit array diagrams that an artificer must master. However, each artificer's understanding of these four spirit array diagrams is slightly different.

A simple amplification spirit array diagram may have dozens of ways to be carved, and while they may all achieve the effect of amplifying spirit energy, their power can vary greatly.

Some amplification spirit array diagrams can only amplify one percent of the spirit energy, while others can double or even multiply it by several times or dozens of times!

Similarly, the gathering, storing, and strengthening spirit array diagrams, based on the differences in each artificer's lineage and mentor, may have their own understanding and interpretation, leading to different carvings and vastly different powers.

Of course, the more powerful the artificer, the more their understanding of the world's spirit energy and the rules of nature, the more powerful and perfect the spirit array diagrams they carve will be, becoming more in line with the rules of nature, achieving divine and mysterious effects.

"Gathering spirit energy, this is gathering spirit energy! Let's look at the other three spirit array diagrams!"

Qin Lie focused his spiritual energy, temporarily not delving into the mysteries of the array, but using the basic knowledge of artificing that his grandfather had forcibly instilled in him over the years to determine the functions of the other three spirit array diagrams.

"Storing spirit energy! Amplifying spirit energy! Strengthening resilience! Indeed, these are the three spirit array diagrams! However, the most basic four spirit array diagrams, why are they so intricate and complex? They look like gibberish, making one's head spin, and it's very difficult to remember even one of them. I wonder who carved them in..."

He quickly withdrew a thread of his spiritual energy, determined the names of the four spirit array diagrams, and his confusion deepened.

In the following period, on days of thunder and lightning, he would use the electrical grid in the cave to temper his body, diligently practicing the Heavenly Lightning Strike.

After breaking through to the seventh level of Body Tempering, his progress in practicing the Heavenly Lightning Strike was very fast, and he could guide lightning to penetrate his bone marrow and internal organs.

With each lightning tempering of his five organs and six viscera, he felt his body's strength advancing to a higher level. He sensed that the foundation of the Heavenly Lightning Strike was about to be firmly established.

The Heavenly Lightning Strike, when practiced to the point where his bone marrow and internal organs can withstand the hammering of lightning, would allow him to practice without relying on the electrical grid in the cave, directly using external lightning.

On days without lightning, he would gather spirit energy, opening the spirit sea while continuing to connect his ten fingers, making his main attack points capable of releasing spirit energy.

Whenever his body's training reached the point of exhaustion, he would gather his spiritual energy to observe the four spirit array diagrams inside the Soul Suppressing Pearl.

In a month, he had only managed to memorize one-third of the "gathering spirit energy" spirit array diagram. He dared not look at the other three spirit array diagrams for too long.

Just the gathering spirit energy array diagram alone consumed a lot of his mental and spiritual energy, leaving him spiritually exhausted each time he observed it.

However, when he recovered, he often noticed a slight increase in his spiritual energy, as if using his spiritual energy to observe the spirit array diagram could also help him cultivate his spiritual energy.

It was because of this discovery that he persisted in this extremely tedious and difficult task.

Spiritual energy is the force that broke the seal of the Soul Suppressing Pearl. Whether he could uncover the mystery of his past and recover his ten-year memory would depend on the strength of his spiritual energy.

Therefore, as long as something could enhance his spiritual energy, no matter how bitter or difficult it was, he would grit his teeth and persist.

Time passed quickly, and another two months went by.

His unwavering and diligent practice had clearly enhanced his spiritual energy, and the foundation of the Heavenly Lightning Strike was firmly established.

Now, he could release surging spirit energy from his ten fingers, palms, and shoulders. In a state of deep concentration, he felt that he was about to reach the threshold of the eighth level of Body Tempering, realizing that his cultivation had advanced very rapidly recently.

Moreover, the intricate and difficult gathering spirit energy array diagram had been forcibly memorized by him.

Although he had memorized it, he did not understand the mysteries of the array diagram and was unclear about the actual use of this basic spirit array diagram.

One day, as he returned to the stone house in the evening, he suddenly saw Ling Yushi, who had been missing for a long time, smiling and waiting for him.

"Three months without seeing you, you're still the same. Really, you don't even show a happy expression when you see me. I'm your fiancée, you know."

Ling Yushi, dressed in a dark blue warrior's outfit, looked neat and tidy. Her black hair flowed like a silk shawl, her face was rosy, and her beautiful eyes sparkled, indicating that her cultivation had improved.

"Thanks to you, I've broken through to the eighth level of Body Tempering!" Seeing that Qin Lie didn't react, she couldn't help but laugh first. "I originally just wanted to refine the Hundred Meridian Pill, but the pill's effects were so great, and with the help of two sixth-grade ordinary spirit stones, I broke through in just three months. It's amazing!"

Qin Lie was secretly happy for her, knowing that her talent, though slightly inferior to Ling Xuanxuan, was not much different. Moreover, she had been stuck at the seventh level of Body Tempering for a long time. With the help of the Hundred Meridian Pill and sixth-grade spirit stones, breaking through after three months of hard practice was reasonable in Qin Lie's view.

"Come over, I brought you some delicious food, all made by me." Ling Yushi smiled and waved at him, then laid out the food.

There were four dishes and a soup, all looking quite appetizing. Qin Lie didn't hesitate, picked up the chopsticks, and started eating, finding the taste really good.

"The Star Cloud Pavilion has discovered a fire crystal mine in the Tianlang Mountains. They have issued instructions for the Ling, Feng, and Gao families to each send ten Body Tempering realm warriors to mine together, with the Star Cloud Pavilion providing low-grade spirit stones as compensation. I just broke through to the eighth level, and my father asked me to lead the team, taking Ling Feng, Ling Ying, and others to mine the fire crystals with the Feng and Gao families."

Ling Yushi said softly while he was eating. "My younger sister is still at