Chapter 263

Some major sects in the world have had a heritage for thousands of years, and their protective mountain arrays have also been operating for thousands of years. After the array is established, it has been operating for thousands of years. Some sects' protective mountain arrays were even taken from the original owners and then borrowed and used. Therefore, when some array plates are activated again, magic tools are needed to unlock the activation method set previously, or to reconnect the original spiritual sense imprints or cultivation technique imprints.

In addition, many array plates left behind by ancient cultivators will also be found in some ancient cultivators' cave dwellings. If one wants to use these array plates, in many cases, such magic tools are needed.

This kind of magic tool is what array masters commonly call an array plate key.

The business Liu Daoran received was to refine such an array plate key.

After reading the description and requirements on the paper, Liu Xiaolou was a bit surprised: "Brother Daoran is capable. You can actually receive such business. This is an order issued by a major sect, right? I remember that only major sects would have such a demand for this kind of spatial array plate."

Liu Daoran was a bit embarrassed: "I don't know about that. Many things, we are not good at getting to the bottom of. We are only responsible for refining it and delivering the goods."

Liu Xiaolou nodded: "Understood. I really haven't come into contact with this kind of array. Let's study it together."

As an array master, he naturally had great interest in arrays he hadn't seen before, and Liu Daoran was the same. The two immediately put their heads together to study it, as if they had returned to the days of refining array plates on the Fanghe Peak of Jin Tingshan years ago.

"The 'Seven Changes Dancing Heaven Scripture' has descriptions of void arrays. With the changes of the four poles, it is transmitted in order, using the stones of Mount Meng, filling the river of accumulated night, suffering the test of wind blades, and receiving the rotation of the four seasons. I think we should start from here."

"Brother Daoran, what are the stones of Mount Meng? What is the river of accumulated night? This language has no conclusion yet. Like the explanation in 'Xuan Du Shang Pin', it is completely different from the 'Seven Changes Dancing Heaven Scripture'. How should we start?"

"Is it in 'Xuan Du Shang Pin'?"

"Yes, look for it. I remember seeing it."

"Okay, okay..."

"Brother Daoran, found it. Look, it's different. Huh? This 'Xuan Du Shang Pin' of yours is different from the one I've seen."

"What version have you seen?"

"The one from Mount Siming, given to me by Master Diao Daoyi at the time. Although it's different, the general explanation is the same, and it's just different from the 'Seven Changes Dancing Heaven Scripture'..."

"Then let's look at the 'Five Talismans Scripture'."

"I don't have the 'Secret Essentials of the Five Talismans Scripture' here..."

"I'll recite it for Brother Daoran. I think this paragraph can be referenced: At the mouth of the path, there are golden cities and jade houses, all directions up and down, all decorated with green stones, five or six zhang square, all equal. West out a thousand miles, re-engrave the underworld time... Look, this is a description of a void crack..."

The two studied like this, exploring the array plate key that needed to be refined from various array books, and the refining plan gradually took shape.

The refining of an array plate key is actually not complicated, and it doesn't consume too many spiritual materials. It mainly uses jade, and the key is to make it match the array plate, so after the plan comes out, one must see the original array plate.

But Liu Daoran couldn't get the original array plate.

This is also very normal, indicating that the origin of the original array plate is mostly not something that can be seen in the light.

The solution is to keep trying. Of course, the spiritual jade for trial refining is provided by the buyer.

Seven days later, the first array plate key was refined and handed over to the buyer by Liu Daoran for trial use.

The next day, the feedback came back. This array plate key was completely wrong, and at the same time, several phenomena that were not on the right track were fed back.

"The mouth of the pot is broken, indicating that the center of this jade is fragile and cannot bear the power of the array. We need to strengthen the etching of the talisman imprint in the center."

"There are grass holes and miscellaneous acupoints causing confusion. This is the interference of the talisman imprints we etched before. Is there a problem with the spiritual jade?"

"Sharp and rushing, ending without rest. What does this mean?"

"Need to add five-colored warm fragrance leaves? To adjust its sharp energy..."

According to these phenomena, they re-conceived and improved, refined the second array plate, and after handing it over to the buyer for trial use, they obtained new feedback.

This time, they added hidden storage talismans and flying turtle diagrams, and made improvements on the balance of the five elements.

After handing it over to the buyer for trial use, they obtained the third feedback...

Refining an array plate key is a quite interesting thing, just like solving a problem. In the process of constantly obtaining feedback and constantly improving, they gradually produced some basic judgments about the array plate to be unlocked, outlining the general appearance of the array plate.

Liu Daoran drew his guess in his heart on the paper: "Xiaolou, look, this array plate is probably like this: top, bottom, left, right, and middle, composed of five sub-array plates. The center is earth, the top is north water, the bottom is south fire, the left is west metal, and the right is east wood."

Liu Xiaolou agreed with this, but what he couldn't figure out was, if the five elements were determined, why the several array plate keys refined before could never connect these five elements.

Liu Daoran suggested: "Why don't we refine the jade into a spherical shape and make it roll constantly in the five elements?"

This creative idea was very good, so the two made the sixth array plate key and refined the jade into the shape of a jade ball.

After this finished product was handed over, the feedback showed that it was ninety percent successful, but the last hurdle of "guiding the flow of the five constants" could not be solved.

Liu Xiaolou raised a question: "Brother Daoran, since it requires the completeness of the five elements and the flow of the five constants, could it be that these five sub-array plates are actually the same material?"

Liu Daoran thought for a moment and asked in confusion: "If it is made of the same material, then it should be rotating endlessly, and they can replace the five elements with each other. What kind of diagram is this?"

This problem troubled the two for many days, and they couldn't think of it at all.

It suddenly rained this day. Seeing Liu Daoran worried, his wife summoned him back to the back courtyard to observe the illusion in the array in the rain. Since Liu Xiaolou moved into Liu Family Manor, he privately gave Liu Daoran an inch of illusory fragrance tendon, which Liu Daoran refined into the array, making the illusion more "physically present."

Just as the couple was watching, Liu Xiaolou's loud shout suddenly came from outside the house: "Brother Daoran, I know, I know!"

The wife rolled her eyes and had to let Liu Daoran out of the house: "Brother Xiaolou, why are you standing in the rain in the courtyard? Quick, hurry in... Uh, let's go to the side room to avoid the rain. What do you know?"

Liu Xiaolou grabbed him and said: "Brother Daoran, I just saw a maid opening an umbrella and going out, and I suddenly realized something. Look at this umbrella!" As he spoke, he opened and closed the oil-paper umbrella and turned it to demonstrate. The rainwater on the umbrella splashed everywhere, forming a rotating curtain of rain.

Liu Daoran suddenly woke up: "The five sub-array plates are a combination method like an umbrella!"

Liu Xiaolou laughed: "Yes, so the array plate key is not square, not spherical, it's like an umbrella shaft!"

So the two immediately started refining, and three days later, they refined a new array plate key.

Turning this jade with his fingers, Liu Daoran sighed: "I never thought it would look like this. It looks like a... jade hairpin?"

Although it hadn't been given to the buyer for trial use yet, intuition told the two that this array plate key was mostly successful!

Liu Xiaolou also looked at this jade hairpin-like array plate key happily. As he laughed, his smile suddenly became dull.

For some reason, a "crack" suddenly rang in his ears, and a picture appeared in his mind: a jade hairpin being crushed by Zuo Gaofeng with his foot.

That jade hairpin was exactly the same as this one, but Liu Xiaolou finally understood at this moment that it was clearly an unfinished array plate key, because there were no talisman imprints etched on it.