Chapter 69

In the street of the Spirit Materials Merchant, inside Li's shop, Qin Lie pointed a finger at the spirit board, his mental consciousness drifting, and his spirit energy shooting out like electricity.

For over a month, he had not practiced drawing spirit array diagrams. Now, as he started, he felt no stiffness at all; instead, he felt an indescribable joy. His proficient coordination of mental consciousness and spirit energy, with the drawing of the spirit lines, reached a new level.

The world became quiet.

In his eyes, in the world he perceived, there was only the amplification spirit array diagram on the spirit board.

Nothing else.

This was obsession!

—An obsession with spirit array diagrams. Only by reaching the realm of madness could an alchemist enter such a wondrous state.

His mental consciousness, soul, senses, and emotions were all寄托 in the world of the spirit array diagram, making him forget the existence of the real world.

At this moment, he seemed to become a wandering soul within the spirit array diagram. As his soul moved, the spirit lines wound and advanced, and the structure of the amplification spirit array diagram underwent a clear transformation...

Almost without any hesitation, almost without feeling the passage of time, his mind was lost in the process, and the amplification spirit array diagram was quickly formed.

In one continuous motion, he used his mental consciousness and soul to control the spirit energy, perfectly drawing the amplification spirit array diagram on the spirit board.

In one breath.

A faint blue-green light suddenly emitted from the spirit board under his hand, making it become crystal clear and translucent, as if the material itself had changed.

Qin Lie stopped, sensing slightly, and found that his mental consciousness and spirit energy had only been consumed by about half.

He felt hungry and noticed the darkness outside, but he did not know how much time he had spent on the amplification spirit array diagram. He just felt very content and comfortable.

He realized for the first time that drawing spirit array diagrams could actually be an enjoyable experience.

From it, he felt joy and mental satisfaction, a sense of full-body pleasure.

This was a realm of elevation.

From the moment his finger touched the spirit board, he clearly realized that after a month and a half, he had not only not regressed in his practice of drawing spirit array diagrams but had also grown marvelously in the study of spirit array diagrams...

"Sometimes, putting things aside, calming your mind, shifting your attention, and temporarily forgetting, can lead to unexpected gains when you pick them up again."

He suddenly remembered Li Mu's words, and his eyes gradually brightened.

Over a month ago, he had been unable to break through in drawing amplification spirit array diagrams, encountering a bottleneck.

Repeated practice only led to repeated failures, and his mood gradually became irritable, causing more and more mistakes in subsequent practice, including many low-level errors, which made him increasingly frustrated.

When he stubbornly continued, Li Mu came over and told him to shift his attention, to try not to continue, and to focus his energy elsewhere.

Li Mu pointed him in a direction, suggesting he go to the Star Cloud Pavilion and actively apply to work with Yao Tai, learning the most basic parts of alchemy.

He temporarily put aside the drawing of amplification spirit array diagrams and followed the advice.

At the Star Cloud Pavilion, he not only successfully broke through to the Ninth Heaven of Body Tempering but also truly understood the steps of melting and forming spirit materials while working with Yao Tai. He recognized many low-level spirit materials and identified the special effects of each.

Now, returning to Li's shop and resuming the practice of drawing amplification spirit array diagrams, he was surprised to find that after over a month, he had not only not become rusty but had also made significant improvements, completing the amplification spirit array diagram that he had repeatedly failed to draw before in one continuous motion.

"Uncle Li's advice was surprisingly effective, directly solving all the problems that had been troubling me!" In the small room, Qin Lie's eyes shone with surprise. He stroked the spirit board and thought to himself, "Uncle Li's insights are so unique, he must be... not simple."

"Creak!"

The sound of the door opening suddenly came from the courtyard, and Qin Lie suddenly woke up from his trance.

"Who's there?" Qin Lie called out.

"Who else? It's your Uncle Li, of course." Li Mu's lazy voice came from the courtyard. "When I came back, you were focused on drawing the spirit array diagram, so I didn't disturb you and took a nap in the room."

Hearing it was Li Mu, Qin Lie relaxed and walked out of the small room with the newly refined spirit board in his hand.

It was already night, and under the bright moonlight, Li Mu stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back. The large white wolf dog squatted beside him, its intelligent eyes gleaming with a strange luster like moonlight, making it seem smarter than a human.

"Thank you, Uncle Li!" As soon as he came out, Qin Lie bowed respectfully and said sincerely, "Uncle Li's advice last time was very beneficial. Because I listened to Uncle Li, I not only broke through to the Ninth Heaven of Body Tempering but also successfully drew the amplification spirit array diagram and learned valuable knowledge about melting spirit materials from Yao Tai."

Li Mu smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he should not be so formal, then said, "Since you're out, why don't you join Uncle Li for a drink? There's no food today, so we'll just make do. The moonlight is nice, so let's use it as our accompaniment to the drink, hehe."

He invited Qin Lie to sit on a stone bench, took out a small, exquisite wine cup from his pocket, and poured a cup of wine for Qin Lie, and another for the large wolf dog.

"Ever since I drank Uncle Li's wine, I don't know why, but other wines seem tasteless." Qin Lie didn't hesitate, sat down with a smile, took a sip of the wine, and couldn't help but exclaim in enjoyment, feeling the burning heat in his mouth.

"Haha, you little guy, you're a little wine lover too." Li Mu laughed heartily and then said half-jokingly, half-seriously, "But you shouldn't have such thoughts. Drinking is about the mood, not the wine itself. Besides, Uncle Li's wine isn't available everywhere. If you get too attached to my wine, you'll lose the joy of drinking in the future."

"I understand." Qin Lie said thoughtfully.

"Come, let me see your newly refined spirit board." Li Mu extended his hand.

Qin Lie handed over the spirit board.

Taking the spirit board with the amplification spirit array diagram, Li Mu squinted his eyes, seemingly examining it in detail.

After a while, he nodded and returned the spirit board to Qin Lie, saying, "Amplification spirit array diagrams are usually used in conjunction with other spirit array diagrams. A standalone amplification spirit array diagram often cannot show its wonders. You can try drawing the spirit gathering array diagram and the amplification spirit array diagram on the same spirit board to see the true effect of the amplification spirit array diagram."

"Uncle Li, you must know about alchemy, right?" Qin Lie asked in surprise.

Shaking his head, Li Mu smiled and said, "I really don't know about alchemy, and I'm not an alchemist. But I've been exposed to a wide variety of things and have used some spirit tools, so I know a bit about this. But if you ask me to draw a spirit array diagram, hehe, I can't even draw the simplest one. Each has their own expertise, and I haven't seriously studied this, so I'm not as knowledgeable about alchemy as you think."

"You say each has their own expertise, so what is Uncle Li's expertise... in which area?" Qin Lie asked tentatively.

"Running a shop and doing business." Li Mu smiled.

Qin Lie pursed his lips, seeing that he didn't want to say more, and didn't press further.

"Hehe, drink up, drink more, get drunk if you want. A good sleep will help you recover." Li Mu personally refilled his cup and said with a smile, "Tomorrow, try drawing the spirit gathering array diagram and the amplification spirit array diagram together on the same spirit board and see if you can enhance the spirit gathering plate's ability to gather spiritual energy. I believe your amplification spirit array diagram will have a significant effect, and I'm looking forward to it too."

"Alright." Qin Lie drank freely and soon became a mess, passing out on the stone table.

He had completely collapsed, but Li Mu and the large wolf dog continued to drink, seemingly unaffected by the lethal alcohol.

At this moment, the large wolf dog's intelligent eyes looked at Qin Lie, then suddenly at Li Mu, revealing a puzzled and incomprehensible look, as if asking why Li Mu was wasting his energy on Qin Lie.

"Although I don't know about alchemy, I've been exposed to many spirit tools and have seen many spirit array diagrams. The spirit gathering and amplification spirit array diagrams he masters are the most complex and difficult I've ever seen, ten times more complex than any other, and even more so."

Li Mu smiled, slowly swaying his wine glass, his eyes half-closed, and said lazily, "Perhaps, an extraordinary alchemist will emerge under my guidance, hehe. This is actually a very interesting and fulfilling thing. If this alchemist can also become a powerful warrior in the end—then I will be even more pleased."

...

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