Lu Yu input Spiritual Qi into the array diagram on the paper, allowing the Spiritual Qi to follow the paths depicted on the array. For this, Lu Yu specifically used an Earth Spirit Pearl, as the Spiritual Qi within it was much easier to control than his own.
Once the Spiritual Qi completed a circuit around the array diagram, it started to glow and the array patterns flashed briefly before all the lines disappeared. A closer inspection revealed that these lines had merged within the paper itself.
"?" Lu Yu stared blankly at the paper in his hand, not feeling any effect.
"Could it have failed? It shouldn’t be! According to the Basic Principles of Array Magic, I clearly activated the array. Why is there no effect?" Lu Yu flipped through the paper in his hand, unable to find any peculiarities after the activation of the array.
"Damn it! Absorbing so much of my blood, yet it’s completely useless." In a fit of rage, Lu Yu tore the paper apart.
To Lu Yu’s surprise, despite using all his strength, the paper did not tear. He remembered he had used ordinary white paper.
Putting aside the fact that it’s just white paper, even a piece of rhino hide wouldn’t withstand Lu Yu tearing it in two.
Holding the white paper, Lu Yu rubbed the back of his head, "Could this be the effect of the magic array on the wood block?"
"Making items tougher? Hardening them?"
Suddenly, Lu Yu smelled a charred scent as the white paper in his hand ignited and quickly turned into a pile of ashes.
Lu Yu knew that this was because the lifespan of the array had reached its end.
He had only used the crudest method to draw the array, managing to barely manifest some of its power, but the array’s lifespan was extremely limited. If the Spiritual Qi within any of the array patterns became stagnant, the entire array would be destroyed.
The result would be like the white paper, destroyed by the burst of Spiritual Qi from within the array patterns.
Looking at the wood block on the table, Lu Yu fell into contemplation. He believed there was potential in this matter, as even the most ordinary white paper, under the effect of an unknown array, displayed such hardness and toughness to withstand his strength.
This demonstrated that the power of the array was formidable.
The destruction of the white paper was likely due to the overload of the array after Lu Yu pulled it, causing issues with the flow of Spiritual Qi and resulting in the array’s destruction and its transformation to ashes.
Picking up the wood block, Lu Yu pondered his next step, which should be analyzing the flow of Spiritual Qi within the array, the abundance of Spiritual Qi at each node, the distribution of the restriction switches, the thickness of the array patterns, and so on.
Scratching his head forcefully, Lu Yu realized that analyzing the construction method of an array from scratch was terribly complicated!
More critically, he hadn’t learned how to analyze the flow of Spiritual Qi within an array, analyze the Spiritual Qi nodes, analyze the restriction switches of the array... all of this needed to be learned, and the Basic Principles of Array Magic only briefly mentioned, in theory, how to decipher the deployment process of an already known array diagram without providing practical examples.
The Basic Principles of Array Magic were equivalent to fundamental textbooks like language, mathematics, physics, and chemistry, whereas the methods to analyze arrays were akin to advanced calculus, linear algebra, statistical analysis, engineering mechanics, and materials mechanics, all requiring Lu Yu to study further.
Just thinking about it brought despair. Studying was impossible.
However, the array effects recorded on the wood block were incredibly tempting to Lu Yu.
Lu Yu considered whether to let a professional analyze the array because relying on himself to learn it wasn’t clear how long it would take to fully decipher the array.
But if he did that, the array would be exposed.
It’s human nature to instinctively want to keep good things for oneself, and Lu Yu didn’t want to share it with others.
Hesitating, Lu Yu inadvertently noticed a system notification from last night.
[Detected player studying ??? array, loading skill template 1%...]
Last night, after using blood to draw the array diagram, his head was a bit fuzzy, and he didn’t notice this system notification until this morning.
The progress bar for loading the template was stuck at 1% without moving further.
Lu Yu boldly speculated that maybe if he drew the array diagram 99 more times, he could finish loading the skill template, but using blood to draw the array again was not an option.
After drawing one array diagram, Lu Yu felt he had lost too much blood, his head dizzy. Drawing the array 99 more times would practically take his life away.
"I need to find another method. If blood can be used as a medium to draw an array, there must also be other ways. It can’t be that every Array Master only starts learning arrays after reaching the Qi Harnessing Realm."
Bzz bzz bzz~ His Identity Token vibrated and rang. Checking the time, Lu Yu found it was already 8:57 AM. He quickly put the wood block into his backpack and ran towards his mentor’s cave dwelling.
Because he was always thinking about the array, he had forgotten that his mentor would be giving a lecture today.
Li Qiuyang didn’t require all disciples to attend his lectures. Last time Lu Yu attended one of Li Qiuyang’s lectures, there were people who didn’t come.
The key point was that Kui Defa had agreed to give Lu Yu a Perspective Mirror today.
The Perspective Mirror was a Spiritual Treasure invented by Kui Defa himself, not made public, nor sold in the system store.
Lu Yu could only obtain the Perspective Mirror from him, and he had never actively sought out any other Spiritual Treasures with similar effects.
Upon arriving at the cave, seeing that the lecture hadn’t started, Lu Yu let out a sigh of relief, took his seat, and waited for the lecture to begin.
Lu Yu was still looking forward to Li Qiuyang’s lectures.
Once seated, Li Qiuyang didn’t say much, just glanced at the five disciples below, then unleashed a wave of Sword Intent, allowing everyone to experience the insights from a realm he once cultivated in.
After sitting down, Lu Yu felt a blinding sword light obscure his vision, then he lost consciousness. His body swayed slightly but didn’t fall, as this time he was prepared.