Chapter 166: Testing

At the foot of Fanghe Peak, Liu Xiaolou handed over a list. Steward Zhao looked at the seven types of materials listed on the list for a moment, and a look of difficulty appeared on his face: "This kind of Xuanbird Stone... is not easy to find."

Liu Xiaolou didn't explain, nor could he answer. This was the third batch of spirit material list opened by Tang Song. Whether the Zhao family could gather them or not had nothing to do with his own family. For those that really couldn't be gathered, he would naturally tell Tang Song.

Steward Zhao also knew that he couldn't talk to him, so he could only sigh and say: "Please tell Master Tang that we will do our best."

Liu Xiaolou turned and left. After walking for a while, he turned back to look at the three peaks of Fanghe, which were wrapped in jade belts and had waterfalls falling down, and couldn't help but feel a sense of yearning: if only he could go to the top of the peak to see.

Returning to the mid-mountain terrace, he said to Tang Song: "The Zhao family promised to do their best to collect these materials."

Tang Song withdrew his gaze from a "Five Symbols" book and frowned, asking: "Do their best?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "It seems that Xuanbird Stone is relatively difficult to find."

Tang Song closed the "Five Symbols" and got up to leave: "This is not a matter of doing their best or not... I will go see Elder Zhao. There may be array masters coming up the mountain today; you can test them as you see fit."

Liu Xiaolou was stunned: "With my shallow attainments, how can I test others?"

Tang Song said: "For those above Foundation Establishment, no need to test. For those below Foundation Establishment, you can set questions as you like."

Liu Xiaolou secretly groaned, thinking to himself, what questions can I set? He suddenly caught a glimpse of the "Five Symbols" left by Tang Song. Watching the direction Tang Song left, seeing his figure disappear under the hillside, he was like getting a treasure, and hurriedly opened it to read.

If it really doesn't work, find questions from the book.

He had heard Qingzhu mention this array book several times. When Qingzhu explained the "Golden Slip Array Essentials," she would occasionally use the scriptures in the "Five Symbols" to explain. He knew this array book was broad and profound, but when he wanted to read it at that time, Qingzhu said that this array book was very rare in the world, and even she didn't have it, so it had been "wasted" until now.

But since there was an opportunity now, he naturally picked up the "Five Symbols" without hesitation and hurriedly made up for the lesson.

The entire "Five Symbols" had more than 1,800 characters, fifteen or sixteen pages, all in fly-head regular script. Between the lines, there were several annotations. Looking at the handwriting, it should be Tang Song's own insights. These dense words and sentences were extremely obscure, like the words of tigers and wolves, making Liu Xiaolou's scalp tingle.

It took a whole day for Liu Xiaolou to barely finish reading it. Fortunately, he had refined array plates twice before, especially after cultivating arrays with Qingzhu day and night for three months, so he had a certain foundation. Combined with Tang Song's annotations, he read it in a vague and half-understood way.

The benefit of cultivation is that it clears the brain and brightens the spirit, and the memory is relatively good. Since he couldn't understand it, he started to memorize it by rote. It took two hours, and he managed to memorize seven or eight out of ten.

With his level that couldn't even be considered half-baked, how could he test others? So he was very much looking forward to Tang Song returning quickly after seeing Elder Zhao, so as to avoid making a fool of himself.

But the affairs of the world are just like this; what you fear is what comes. By evening, Tang Song hadn't returned, but the steward at the foot of the mountain brought up an array master who had come to apply.

This array master looked to be in his thirties and was also from Liu Xiaolou's own clan, named Liu Daoran. He claimed to be a cultivator from Bazhong and was a fellow townsman of Tang Song, but he was not recommended by any high family. He belonged to a cold family and had traveled thousands of miles to apply after hearing that Tang Song was presiding over the refining of the great array. When asked, his cultivation was at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, and he claimed to have studied arrays for thirteen years.

Liu Xiaolou very politely delayed the time: "You just came up the mountain, you must be hungry. Use some food first, take a rest, and then we will decide whether to..."

Liu Daoran shook his head and said: "Many thanks for your kindness, no matter. I have studied the path of arrays for many years and dare not say I know everything, but generally, it won't stump me. You can set the questions as you like. I am determined to get this spirit stone!"

Seeing him so confident, it shocked Liu Xiaolou. Liu Xiaolou smiled calmly on the surface, but he was extremely empty inside. He coughed dryly, thought about it, and simply chose the content from the end of the "Five Symbols," setting a question: "The Heaven of the Three Qi of Zhu Dan, what is its shape?"

Liu Daoran was stunned: "The Heaven of the Three Qi of Zhu Dan?"

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Liu Xiaolou nodded: "Yes, please explain it."

Liu Daoran was stunned for a long time, his face gradually turned red, and he asked back: "Do you know how to explain it?"

Liu Xiaolou recited Tang Song's annotations by rote: "Its Qi is like the bud of a crimson cloud covering the white sun, its light is like the reflection of black jade in a flowing abyss, below there is a pool of red springs, above there is a long-lived vermilion palace, and in the room there is a Great Cinnabar Jade Maiden, dwelling above the Three Mountains of the Sun."

Liu Xiaolou roughly understood the literal meaning of these annotations, but he didn't know how to achieve them in an array, nor what effect they had. He didn't even know what the so-called "Great Cinnabar Jade Maiden" meant. After reciting it, he actually had some expectations, expecting Liu Daoran to explain it to him along the way.

Unfortunately, Liu Daoran didn't explain, but frowned and thought hard. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly cupped his hands: "Farewell!"

Liu Xiaolou was stunned: "Fellow Daoist Liu..."

Liu Daoran looked ashamed: "It is that I have never seen a master before and was arrogant, like a frog in a well. I was talking big and made a fool of myself. After going down the mountain, I will work hard to cultivate, and when I have made progress, I will come to seek advice again."

Liu Xiaolou had no bottom in his heart before, and he had no bottom after stumping someone. He secretly thought, am I setting questions randomly?

"Fellow Daoist, wait! I have another question here. Consider it after answering... In the Heavenly Plate, if one explains the array with a person, how should it be explained?"

This was the content in the "Golden Slip Array Essentials." If he couldn't answer this either, then it wasn't that he was setting questions randomly.

This time Liu Daoran answered: "The head is round like the sky, the feet are square like the earth, the hair is the stars, the eyes are the sun and moon, the eyebrows are the Big Dipper, the ears are the Sheji, the nose is the hills and mountains, the mouth is the rivers, the teeth are jade and stone, and the four limbs are the four seasons. The five internal organs follow the five elements, above are the five stars, below are the five sacred mountains, rising are the five clouds, transforming into the five dragons. This is the same as the array; both head and tail, inside and outside, must be taken into account."

This answer was close to what Qingzhu taught that day. Although the wording was not exactly the same and the sentences had many changes, the general meaning was the same. Qingzhu once said that if one understands this principle and its changes, one can create arrays.

Liu Daoran's answer showed that he had understood the principle; it just depended on whether he understood the changes. But that was a matter for when one truly started refining array plates. Now, what he needed to decide was whether to let him stay?

Liu Xiaolou gritted his teeth and decided to let him stay. After all, there were very few people like himself who dared to come and apply openly with only a half-understanding. Liu Daoran probably still had some weight.

"Um, being able to answer this question is not easy. You can stay."

"Then... many thanks..."

Liu Daoran also knew that he had spoken too full before, and the slap in the face was really ugly, but he had come thousands of miles for a reward, so even if he went back on his word, he could only get fat first.

"Fellow Daoist can go to Zhidun Ridge to settle. The main array setter there hasn't arrived yet. You need to wait for a few days. While waiting, Fellow Daoist can memorize this list by heart. If possible, you can also deal with the spirit materials on the list first."

Liu Daoran had lost his arrogance and seemed a bit restrained in front of Liu Xiaolou. He nodded and agreed, then asked: "I don't know how to get to Zhidun Ridge?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "Go, I will take you there right now."

"How dare I, how dare I..." Liu Daoran was a little terrified and carefully inquired: "May I ask for your honorable name?"

Liu Xiaolou smiled: "You and I are of the same clan. I also have the surname Liu, Liu Xiaolou. I am Tang Master's... assistant... um..."

Liu Daoran immediately became solemn: "Disrespect! Disrespect!"

Please visit the latest address. ===== CHAPTER 167 =====