Chapter 175

Over the past month, Tang Song's main energy had been focused on crafting the array eye. The array plate in his hand was the core of the entire mountain-protecting array and had to be crafted together with Elder Zhao. All the control hubs within it required Elder Zhao's personal participation, and even independent completion under Tang Song's guidance.

When crafting, it was not convenient to use earth fire fixedly. He had been running back and forth between Fanghe Peak and Jin Tingshan, using his unique skill as a Golden Core cultivator—Dragon Scale Pill Fire. Having reached the Late Golden Core stage, as an array master, if one did not master a fire technique, how could one dare to call oneself a master?

But crafting this way was indeed tiring, and the consumption of true qi was immense. After a month, Tang Song's face was red—the internal fire was too heavy!

By controlling the array eye, Elder Zhao could manage all five sets of sub-arrays, twenty-eight sets of micro-arrays, and hundreds of array plates. Part of the control authority also had to be made transferable, allowing several senior elders of the Zhao clan to control part of the array's functions. It could be said to be quite complex.

After the array eye was crafted, Tang Song immediately summoned Liu Xiaolou to his side, letting him run between Yangma Slope, Zhidun Ridge, Stone Valley, and Qionghan Pool to summarize the crafting progress of the earth fire vents at each location—of course, this also included Half-Ban Shanping.

However, Half-Ban Shanping was not the main crafting site, and he had complete mastery of the progress there, so he mainly ran between the other four locations. After a few days, his legs were truly exhausted.

"Jiang Feihe has completed the Qian-1, Dui-2, and Zhen-3 palaces of the Northern Mysterious Water Array; the Lingming Fire, Youming Fire, and Xuanming Fire of the Southern Li Fire Array; the Ten Thousand Pines and Ten Thousand Vines of the Eastern Green Wood Array; and is currently crafting the Ten Thousand Bamboos..."

"What Fu Conglin has already crafted are the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird of the Western Four Spirits Array, and the Ten Thousand Flowers of the Eastern Green Wood Array; he is currently crafting the Azure Dragon..."

"Diao Daoyi has completed the Gen-8, Kun-2, and Xun-4 palaces of the Northern Mysterious Water Array, the Mysterious Turtle of the Western Four Spirits Array, and the Metal Geng, Wood Xu, and Water Gui of the Central Thick Earth Array; he is currently crafting the Fire Xin..."

"Xing Bujiu has completed the Kan-1 and Qian-6 palaces of the Northern Mysterious Water Array, the Earth Jia of the Central Thick Earth Array, and the Ten Thousand Lotuses of the Eastern Green Wood Array; he is currently crafting the Pill Fate Fire..."

Tang Song asked: "The seven array plates sent for verification earlier—have they all been corrected?"

Liu Xiaolou nodded: "They have all been corrected, and Master Jiang has personally verified them again."

Tang Song nodded: "That's good... Plus the Dispersed Jiugong you and Liu Daoran crafted at Half-Ban Shanping, the nine Northern Mysterious Water arrays, four Western Four Spirits arrays, four Southern Li Fire arrays, six Eastern Green Wood arrays, and five Central Thick Earth arrays will soon be completed! Good, with this, the array can be assembled and test-deployed. You keep an eye on all locations. The ten-day deadline must be met. For whichever side cannot submit, for every day of delay, one spirit stone will be deducted from each person!"

Such punishment was quite severe. Array masters participating in the crafting of the great array, after three or four months of hard work, would only earn a dozen or several dozen spirit stones in remuneration.

Liu Xiaolou did not know the earnings of the three Golden Core masters—Master Tang, Master Jiang, and Master Long—but high-level masters like Diao Daoyi would earn thirty spirit stones, and ordinary array masters below the Foundation Establishment stage would earn about fifteen. Deducting one stone for each day of delay was a significant loss.

But Tang Song had no choice; the time the Zhao family gave him was only one hundred and twenty days. Whether early or late by a day, the rewards and penalties had to be calculated from the total basket, so he could only demand this.

Liu Xiaolou immediately announced the penalty decision. All the earth fire vents were working desperately, and the scene was bustling with activity.

After notifying Yangma Slope and other places, he rushed back to Half-Ban Shanping and asked Liu Daoran first: "Brother Daoran, how is it? How are the Three Treasures True Qi Talisman and the Dispersed True Fire Talisman array plates coming along?"

Liu Daoran rubbed his somewhat numb cheeks with both hands and replied: "The Three Treasures True Qi Talisman array has just been finished."

Liu Xiaolou breathed a sigh of relief and took the array plate he handed over, examining it up and down: "Is Brother Daoran that fast? That's good. Our Dispersed Jiugong array plate should be completed very soon, right?"

Liu Daoran shook his head: "How could it be that fast? The Dispersed True Fire Talisman hasn't been crafted yet."

Liu Xiaolou said: "Right, ten days to fuse the Dispersed True Fire Talisman—isn't that just right? Master Tang ordered that it must be submitted within ten days..."

Liu Daoran was stunned: "Within ten days?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "One spirit stone deducted for every day of delay."

Liu Daoran screamed: "Terrible!"

Liu Xiaolou was startled: "What's wrong?"

Liu Daoran started running around the earth fire vent, as if searching for something, but found nothing—or rather, he didn't know what to look for. He said in a panic: "It's over, it's over, alas!"

Liu Xiaolou grabbed him: "What exactly is wrong?"

Liu Daoran said with a mournful face: "The Scenery Cloud Talisman hasn't been fused yet!"

Liu Xiaolou was dumbfounded: "What have you been doing all these days? You only completed one array plate? Does fusing spiritual materials take that long? You're an old hand, Brother Daoran!"

Liu Daoran beat his chest and stamped his feet: "I was crafting the Scenery Cloud Talisman array plate!"

Liu Xiaolou was even more confused: "And you just said the Scenery Cloud Talisman hasn't been fused?"

Liu Daoran said sadly: "I did craft the Scenery Cloud Talisman, but I crafted the kind that can't be shown to people. I just suddenly had a small idea, so I added it in and re-adjusted it. The Scenery Cloud Talisman that can be submitted hasn't been crafted... My spirit stones, how many will be deducted? It was all for nothing. How can I face my wife when I get home?"

Liu Xiaolou let go of him and sat on the ground: "It's over, I've been ruined by you this time."

Liu Daoran was speechless: "Little brother, how many will you get this time?"

Liu Xiaolou shook his head: "It wasn't said. Master Tang didn't discuss it with me, but it should be seven or eight stones... How long will we be delayed this time?"

Liu Daoran endured the immense heartache and said: "I... will compensate you, but it will take a year. Is that okay?"

Liu Xiaolou was very surprised and looked up at Liu Daoran in disbelief, thinking how he could have such a thought and actually want to compensate him.

Suddenly, he was very moved. He stood up and said: "Let's hurry. One day earlier means one less spirit stone deducted."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Liu Daoran felt ashamed and hurried to start: "I'll fuse the Scenery Cloud Talisman, and you fuse the Dispersed True Fire Talisman, little brother?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "Let's fuse the Dispersed True Fire Talisman together first. I've seen them fuse an array plate with two or even three people at Diao Daoyi's place; it can save a lot of time."

"Fuse together? How?"

"Place the array plate on the fire vent, you and I sit opposite each other. You fuse the plant spiritual materials, and I fuse the beast spiritual materials. Our true qi is different, so there will be a repulsive effect when they get close. The spiritual materials won't easily fuse together, keeping them distinct, which is much faster."

"Understood. Like a carpenter using a ruler to draw lines?"

"That's the principle."

"Good, good, good! Let's start now!"

By the fourth day of crafting, they estimated they had saved at least a day and a half. The remaining part would take about two days to complete. They left it all to Liu Daoran, while Liu Xiaolou withdrew to quickly process new jade pendants and etch the talisman seals first.

But he had to go to Tang Song's side every day to listen to orders for a while, which made things even tighter, forcing him to work through the night. Seeing that the Dispersed True Fire Talisman array plate was also fused, they worked together to craft the Scenery Cloud Talisman array plate.

On the tenth day, Liu Xiaolou returned from Tang Song's side again and saw Liu Daoran still busy. He asked: "How many more days?"

Liu Daoran sighed: "Five days..."

Liu Xiaolou sat down powerlessly, looking at the sweat beads on Liu Daoran's forehead. He knew these weren't from busyness, but from shame and nervousness. After thinking for a long time, he said: "Stop crafting for now!"

Liu Daoran stopped his work and said dejectedly: "Then what should we do?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "Use the one you crafted to report back."

Liu Daoran's heart jumped: "The one that can't be shown to people..."

Liu Xiaolou said: "Report back first. If Master Tang is dissatisfied after the final inspection, we can just take it back and re-craft it. But then it won't be a matter of delay, and there will be no need to deduct spirit stones."