A single cultivator’s abilities were limited.
Not just that, but cultivators might feel that their powers were lacking even if they worked together as a group.
While cultivators would eventually be able to improve their abilities through consistent cultivation and reaching greater heights, it was never an easy task to advance in cultivation levels.
Some took years just to improve by a single boundary, while others took centuries.
That was why cultivators constantly sought out new methods to do more with what they currently had.
These methods included coming up with the concept of using energy efficiently, creating various techniques, using temporary strengthening pills, as well as utilising arrays.
Killing arrays.
Concealing arrays.
Illusion arrays.
Sealing arrays.
Energy gathering arrays.
These were some of the most commonly used types of arrays. But they were still only a part of the countless forms of arrays that various cultivators had come up with over the course of history, each created to serve cultivators in any way that they required.
But no matter what kind of array it was, there was one hard downside that governed them all – arrays had to be set up in advance, and thus could not truly be used as and when a cultivator wanted.
“As a hunter, you have the luxury to decide the time and location of the confrontation,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “By setting up an array in advance, you can create a favourable condition for yourself when things come down to it. Even if you don’t wish to rely on an array to help with your hunt, you should still set one up to provide you with a backup plan in the worst case scenario.”
By now, it was no longer just Huang An and Lu Zhiying who were listening intently.
Everyone had fallen silent as they carefully took in Zhao Yunxiao’s words, and Nie Hanchang was no exception.
While he had more hunting experience than Zhao Yunxiao, Nie Hanchang had to admit that he had not approached it with nearly as much meticulousness.
To Nie Hanchang, the hunting trips were merely ways of honing his combat capabilities.
By setting up an escape route, it would be creating a nagging thought in the back of his mind that it was fine to lose as long as he tried his best, since he would always have something to fall back on.
But that was not what he wanted.
What he wanted was to win!
However, he had to admit that moving forward, he could probably consider changing up his approach at times, instead of stubbornly sticking to what he always did.
Rather than thinking that he always had to go into a fight with no choice but to win, perhaps having an escape route would allow him to challenge even tougher enemies to gain combat experience as well.
There were indeed benefits to both approaches.
“Every array comprises various array nodes, connected together to form a web of energy flow. Be it the method, order, or timing at which these array nodes are set up, all of them could have an impact on the resulting effect of the array,” Zhao Yunxiao explained. “When you are out hunting, you will not be operating on flat ground, so you need to take everything in the environment into consideration. You can even use the existing terrain as a node. But make sure not to rely too much on things that are likely to be moved or destroyed in the process.”
“Everything in the world has its own source of energy, and every source of energy could impact the overall structure of the array...” Huang An recalled something that she had read in the past.
“That’s right, you have learnt well,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded in approval. “And when sources of energy within the array are disrupted to a sufficient extent, so too would the array itself. That is, unless the array nodes are stable enough.”
Beside Huang An, Lu Zhiying listened quietly without interrupting.
Even though she had only joined the sect for slightly more than a month, she had already assisted Zhao Yunxiao in setting up preparations more than just once, and these preparations included arrays as well.
However, she had always just been going through the motion and mindlessly following instructions.
This was the first time that she was learning about the various underlying concepts, so she could not help but feel excited!
“Arrays tap into the world laws and align with the world origin energy in the surroundings. With enough preparation and sufficient expertise, you might even be able to take down monsters that are well beyond your cultivation level,” Zhao Yunxiao said.
“The underlying concept sounds simple enough,” Huang An said. “However, I don’t know if I will be able to apply them in an actual situation...”
“That’s only natural. For starters, you can just focus on perfecting one or two simple arrays that can be used in most situations for now,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “Do you know of any killing or concealing arrays?”
“Yes! I have looked into the Summer Blizzard Concealing Array!” Huang An answered excitedly.
Summer Blizzard Concealing Array – it was a concealing array named as such due to its effect of creating a curtain of heavy snow around an area, effectively hiding the area from prying eyes.
“Hmm, that might not be too suitable in a forest,” Zhao Yunxiao mused. “I assume that Junior Martial Sister Huang is intending to hunt in the wilderness of Purple Plum Mountain?”
“Yes...” Huang An replied hesitantly, realising the problem here.
The dense vegetation of the forest would serve as an obstacle to the falling snow.
That was not to say that the concealing array would be rendered completely useless. However, its effect would definitely be reduced by a certain extent.
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“Can you teach Senior Martial Sister Huang another one that will be of greater use, then?” Lu Zhiying suggested, her eyes shining brightly in anticipation.
“Are you asking me to teach her, or are you asking me to teach both of you at the same time?” Zhao Yunxiao saw through her intentions immediately.
“Haha, Senior Martial Brother Zhao is wise!” Lu Zhiying was not embarrassed to admit it. “But isn’t it the same thing? If you will be teaching Senior Martial Sister Huang anyway, what’s the harm in letting me listen while you are at it?”
“Yeah, why don’t you share a thing or two, Junior Martial Brother Zhao?” Bo Fei did not miss the chance to chime in immediately.
Among the members of the Flying Shell Performance Group, Zhao Yunxiao’s attainments in the path of arrays were definitely the highest.
If he was willing to share a little, the rest would all be more than willing to listen!
“Since we have time, I don’t see why not,” Zhao Yunxiao agreed immediately. “Let me see, what would be suitable here?”
He had never been someone who felt competitive towards those whom he regarded as his close companions.
To Zhao Yunxiao, teaching them what he knew would only benefit their group as a whole, and perhaps even benefitting himself through a form of revision.
After all, people often said that the best way to consolidate your understanding of a particular subject was by trying to teach it to others!
Zhao Yunxiao thought about it for a little before deciding on two particular arrays.
Red Devil Weapons Array – a killing array that allowed cultivators to conceal all sorts of weapons, firing them at their enemies when they least expected it.
Lu Zhiying’s eyes lit up in surprise as she listened on, quickly recognising this as the array that Zhao Yunxiao had used back when they were hunting nightspirit rats at Gu Qiansi’s garden plot.
Zhao Yunxiao had seemed like a god of spears at that time, firing spear after spear at the nightspirit rats throughout the course of the battle.
It was only now that Lu Zhiying finally knew the name of the array!
However, she made sure to refrain from making any relevant comments, especially since their actions that night were supposed to be a secret to Gu Qiansi.
After this was the Twelve Spectres Array – a concealing array that allowed cultivators to hide their presence within any relatively complicated terrain that involved tall structures. By relying on twelve main array nodes that are usually converted from items in the surroundings, cultivators could reduce their presence to a minimum, allowing them to avoid potential threats or even sneak up on their prey.
This array, however, was something that Lu Zhiying was not familiar with.
She tried comparing it to the various concealing arrays that Zhao Yunxiao had created in the past, but none of them seemed to fit the description.
It was a little disappointing, but Lu Zhiying still tried her best to learn it from scratch.
“Remember, array nodes are the key to the successful activation of an array,” Zhao Yunxiao reminded. “It might be tedious, but always make sure that you do not neglect the fundamentals.”
But immediately after saying this, Zhao Yunxiao suddenly remembered something.
What he just said only served to describe the contemporary ways of arrays.
However, he had recently learnt from Cha that there were ancient arrays that followed a completely different concept.
Back when he was at the Origin Lake Sect, Zhao Yunxiao had witnessed for himself the wonderful usage of archaic characters in the ways of ancient arrays.
Under the influence of these archaic characters, rather than carefully setting up array nodes as the foundation to form an array, it was more like an array had been formed before being made to conform to the existing array nodes!
Nevermind, he should not confuse the others with such complicated stuff that even he had yet to fully grasp.
For now, it was more important to just teach them the fundamentals.
But Zhao Yunxiao decided that when he had time, he really had to clear his mind of distractions and properly study these archaic characters.
It was already wonderful enough to understand how to utilise them as they were.
If he were to somehow figure out how to assimilate them into the contemporary methods of arrays, Zhao Yunxiao was certain that it would greatly increase the means at his disposal!
“In the end, arrays can only be of help when in range,” Zhao Yunxiao continued after shaking those thoughts out of his mind. “When thinking of where to set up an array, you need to think about how or whether you would be able to use it in that particular location in the first place.”
“I understand, Senior Martial Brother Zhao,” Huang An nodded. “I will make sure to practise hard and only go after I am able to do this with certainty.”
“I will practise with you, Senior Martial Sister Huang!” Lu Zhiying volunteered.
“T-Thank you, Junior Martial Sister Lu!” Huang An was relieved to hear that.
In the end, the concept of arrays might sound straightforward, but it was actually extremely complicated in practice due to the various considerations required during application.
Every little nuance in the environment could alter the effect of the array, so it was not uncommon for novices to struggle to get their arrays activated with absolute certainty.
With Lu Zhiying practising along with her, Huang An could at least have someone to discuss or consult with.
“That said, arrays are only there to help. You should still rely more on your personal capabilities to get the most out of the trip. That is always the safest approach,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “Here, take this.”
Zhao Yunxiao picked up a talisman from the items that had been laid out on the floor, handing it over to Huang An.
“This is...?” Huang An asked.
“A spatial escape talisman,” Zhao Yunxiao explained. “Try not to use it unless absolutely necessary. But when needed, it can be considered a life-saving trump card.”
“A spatial escape talisman?!”
This time, it was not just Huang An who exclaimed in surprise. Nie Hanchang, Gu Qiansi, and Bo Fei were all similarly shocked.
“How did you get something like that?” Gu Qiansi questioned. “They don’t even sell these things at the Sect Market!”
Spatial escape talismans referred to talismans that were capable of ripping through the fabrics of space and sending their users to a different location in an instant.
Since it was a direct displacement through space, it was extremely difficult to prevent such an escape.
Therefore, even though spatial escape talismans were consumables that would be expended with a single use, they still remained highly sought after life-saving trump cards for cultivators.
Unfortunately, such talismans could only be created by powerful masters who had already come into contact with the concept of space, making them extremely rare commodities.
That was not because it was difficult for powerful cultivators to create something like this. On the contrary, someone who understood the concepts of space would usually be able to create such talismans with ease.
The materials required were not unreasonably expensive, either.
The only problem was... why would such powerful cultivators deign to waste their time on producing talismans like this unless absolutely necessary?
Due to the scarcity of it, even most inner disciples would not hesitate to go on an all out bidding war to get their hands on a spatial escape talisman, so just how did a mere outer disciple like Zhao Yunxiao manage to do so?
“It’s just a mere spatial escape talisman. Is there really a need to be this amazed?” Zhao Yunxiao smirked upon noticing everyone’s attention falling upon him. “If you are already acting like this when you see that I have a spatial escape talisman, how would you feel when you realise that I actually have two?”
With a flick of his wrist, another identical looking talisman appeared in his hands.
Everyone’s eyes widened even further in shock.
Zhao Yunxiao was actually not bluffing.
He did not possess just one spatial escape talisman, but two of them instead!
Zhao Yunxiao’s smirk deepened upon seeing their reaction.
He had obtained these two talismans from Elder He as a reward for serving him good tea and snacks on the way to the Origin Lake Sect.
Zhao Yunxiao did not want to use up these talismans until he had absolutely no choice. Considering that, perhaps this way of showing off was not a bad way to make use of them either!