On the way back to his room.
Following by his side, Meng Ran is walking in a close proximity that can be said to be only practiced by couples. Keeping quiet as he walks, Zhang Wu Ji looked at her expression.
"Are you following me?" he asked.
"My room is just beside you, mister Think-a-lot," she replied.
"Oh..." Zhang Wu Ji finally realized the person that stays beside him is actually this young lady he brings back from the Heavenly South County. No wonder there are buckets of soil and some weird looking items.
"What is those stuff outside of your room?" he asked. He might know some of them, but instead of guessing, he prefers to ask directly to know what are they used for.
"The bucket and the few pieces of stones? That's the ingredient to make the Formation Clay. Do you want to see how it was done?" she noticed that Zhang Wu Ji was asking about those thing littered outside of her door and answered him.
"Sure." Zhang Wu Ji answered.
Heading to the same direction, the two walk until they reach the small open area outside of their room, and taking her lead, Meng Ran seated herself before the tool as she took a few stone slabs as thick as a cigarette box and insert a few strands of Inner Qi into one stone slabs to withdrew the item hidden inside.
Shuaa!" a stack of mineral ores in their powder form is taken out and forms a small mound on the ground. Repeating the same action, she continues until all eight pieces of Stone Slabs are used. Putting it aside, the stone slab that looked greyish in color turned whitish and decayed until it turns into ashes.
"The stone slab is gone. What happened?" Zhang Wu Ji asked.
"It is a temporary spatial storage. The process to make them is simple, basically, you need something like stone, clay, or gemstones that you can engrave the formation inscription into it. Look, I just got a few from the Blacksmith Department, so I will make one for you." she shares the information with Zhang Wu Ji and taking out a few more pieces of Cigarette box size stone slab out from the last piece of usable stone slab.
Taking out a very special pen that was similar to a sculpting chisel, Meng Ran begin to follow the inscription she remembered in her mind. It wasn't too hard, but the work to get one done is not easy. It seems that in this world of Ping An Continent, the usage of Inner Qi in many parts of life is an important matter, like what she's doing now.
The chisel pen works like Qi absorbing tool that sucks her Strands of Inner Qi like water as it engraves the piece of stone slab until it was filled with inscriptions circling like a mosquito repellent ring. But that was from the eyes of an public and not fellow cultivators.
"Here you go. Let me give you this as a gift." she toss that piece of the stone slab into his hand.
Ungraded Spatial Stone
-Capacity: 10 Items | 1KG
-Usability: One-time usage | Inner Qi Consumption Rate: 10
-Durability: 1/1 | Quality: Ungraded
-Information: The most basic and simple Spatial Product made from (1) Spatial Formation Inscription. This Spatial Stone can only be used for a simple storing tool to reduces the difficulties from moving an item from one side to another.
-Warning: If the item weren't completely taken out before the stone decayed, the item will be lost in Spatial Realm Forever.
"I see... No wonder she took eight of them to collect the powder then comes back. Based on how many she got, most probably it cost her around 40 strands of Fighter Qi to craft one of them. I wonder what will be the differences if I put two sets of Spatial Formation Inscriptions into the rock? I should ask where to get those tools." he speaks by himself in mind and considered about asking her a question.
But he was a little too late because the lady already started to work with her own things.
With her finger pointing at the tools before her, she delivers the strands of Inner Qi to the formation plate in the middle between the mineral ore powder and buckets of water. The formation started to activates when it receives the supply of Inner Qi, and begin its operation.
Like a clay mixer in the air, the powder and water came together evenly and mixed to create a small amount of white and beautiful clay. Although the mineral ores contain many like of metal substance within, it wasn't an issue for the formation plate, as it continues to mix the two together until it completely formed into a ball of beautiful white clay.
It was more beautiful than the whitish Kaolin Clay and softer than the raw Mined Bone. In fact, it seems to be like a dough made from fine flour with a good amount of water to make it so soft and pearly white. But it was still yet to complete the making process.
After rolling in the air without a support for a period of time, the water substance that kept the mineral clay wet started to dry up. Following from the drying process, the clay amazingly maintained their elasticity. Moments later, like a body that releasing its excretion, four pieces of stones is spat out from the dough before it stops rolling.
Meng Ran's attention is all at the piece of clay that falls into her hand, but Zhang Wu Ji was different. He stares at the four pebbles it spat and took them for an inspection.
Unfired Sentient Iron
-Weight: 11gm | Usage: To be used in Blacksmithing or Formation Profession.
-Durability: 14/14
-
Unfired Pure Iron
-Weight: 19gm | Usage: To be used in Blacksmithing or Formation Profession.
-Durability; 19/19
-
Unfired Crystal Iron
-Weight: 3gm | Usage: To be used in Blacksmithing or Jewellery Making Profession.
-Durability: 18/18
-
Unfired White-Obsidian
-Weight: 1gm | Usage: To be made into jewelry that able increase the luck with opposite sex.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
-Durability: 4/4
"Why are you playing with the waste? Come to help me, I'm teaching you how to create the Formation Clay." Meng Ran said while paying her attention in separating the clay into four pieces. Soon, she placed them aside and picked one of them to be positioned in the clay turning wheel, where potters use them to shape their clay into pottery.
But the differences between the Formation Clay and normal clay makes them separated from one another. To shape a clay, they need to be wet, positioned in the middle of the turning wheel, and an ample amount of water. As for the Formation Clay, one needs to continuously inject Strands of Inner Qi into the clay to let them begun to take shape.
The water gives flexibility to the normal clay, while the Strands of Inner Qi hardened the Formation Clay.
One after another, Meng Ran created four circle plates in the size of her palm and put them right in front of Zhang Wu Ji for him to inspect. Without further ado, Zhang Wu Ji started to examine them one by one but noticed that...
Their quality is just tolerable through his evaluation. It can be utilized as a practice piece, but not worth to be sold in the store if any of them exist.
Basic-Quality Formation Plate (Formation Clay)
-Usage: Allowed a formation to be engraved into the plate to activates their inscription power.
-Limitation: One inscription only.
-Durability: 2/2
-Special: Shattered Formation Clay is a good replacement of fertilizer for Sun-Facing Fruit Tree.
"Their quality is tolerable. They made good practice but not considerable if it was to be used in battle." Zhang Wu Ji gave her his honest comment. Since this Meng Ran is quite a stubborn lass, he decided to not run around the bushes with his words.
"Of course... Do you know how long a Formation Master has to practice with making the Formation Clay before they can make a proper Formation Plate? I barely learn for two years without teacher and resources, but if I grow up in our Meng Clan, my results will absolutely be better than this." Meng Ran retaliates his words.
"Should we compete and see who can make a better Formation Clay?" Zhang Wu Ji challenged her in her most experienced topic.
"Sure! I'll see what is so amazing about the Master Senior Ninth praised by everyone in the Apprentice Hall. We should make a bet too. What you want to bet?" Meng Ran accepted the challenge, and suggest that it should come along with a bet to make thing more interesting.
"Oh! Come on! Tell me, what you want if I lose?" Zhang Wu Ji bumps his fist together as he accepted her suggestion.
"If I win, I want the Flying Sword!" she said.
"Heavens! You're greedy. Fine. I'll make you a Qiyue Flying Sword if you win. And how if you lost?" Zhang Wu Ji make an unwilling expression to fake his laughter when hearing about the bet.
If she wanted his wealth and others, it might be difficult for him to do so. But a Qiyue Flying Sword? Zhang Wu Ji can easily forge them as he still keeps seven High-Quality Elemental Crystals in his room.
"If you win, I'll let you learn the four formation Inscriptions Engraving I possess! Even your master said this four engraving is treasure amongst the treasure!" she replied.
"Sure, but for now, you will have to give me the note on how to prepare my own set of tools. Do you have a book for revision?" Zhang Wu Ji asked again. He was blank of knowledge related to Formation, so what can he take to complete?
"Here, this book is the basic of Formation Master Training and how to prepare your stuff. I'll give it to you to practice for a while, but three days later, let us see who's formation plate and engravings are better!" she took a book out and pass it to Zhang Wu Ji before she left with the four Formation Plate.
Without uttering a word, Zhang Wu Ji returned to his room as well. Taking out a few rolls of the Double Xuan Paper and arranged them on his writing table, Zhang Wu Ji is surprised by the conciseness of the information given by the book.
Although the contents inside the book are nothing out of ordinary, this is the most difficult book for him to copy and refine their contents. The sixteen pages of manual come with eight pages of drawing, with one page to describe each of the drawings as he flips the book.
Formation Master's Essential (Formation Phase)
-Usage 1: Allow the user to craft his own Formation Engraving Chisel
-Usage 2: Guide the user to Engraving and arrange formation
-Usage 3: Allow the user to learn Spatial Formation Inscription (Ungraded)
-Usage 4: Guide the user to activates the formation
-Usage 5: Allow the user to craft his own Ingredient Mixing Plate
-Usage 6: Guide the user to prepare his own Formation Clay
-Usage 7: Allow the user to craft Formation Flag
-Usage 8: Guide the user to arrange his own Flag Formation
-Durability:2/2
"Seems like each of the content written in the book is extremely important. I wonder how much will it changed if I tried to Knowledge Unlocking it." without knowing will it succeed or fail, Zhang Wu Ji still went forth and refine the book and its words. Starting from the first page of drawing and notes, he draws the Formation Engraving Chisel all over again to see which part did it mistakenly designed.
Then, he moves to the words. Later on, the way engraving works, and a sample the book provides. he continued, until the part of Ingredient Mixing Plate to Formation Flag is covered. The process is simple, but the effort of making one after another is commendable, with each time he managed to found one to two mistakes.
At his tenth copy, Zhang Wu Ji is satisfied with his end result. Although the descriptions that came out from the new copy of Formation Master's Essential is not different from one another, the results that came out from following the instruction given by the content is a completely different story.
The Formation Engraving Chisel and the method to efficiently engrave and arrange the formation starting from the Spatial Formation Inscription surprised him for the first time, with the results came from the ten times Knowledge Unlocking.
After being given the blessing from ten attempts of Knowledge Unlocking, the Spatial Formation Inscription is now different from how it was done by Meng Ran. His effort allows the Spatial Formation Inscription to carries an additional twenty-one lines from the original inscription, making it much more effective compared to Meng Ran's earlier version.
With the first surprise is there, Zhang Wu Ji can't wait, and went through the content of making his Ingredient Mixing Plate, the way to prepares Formation Flag, and arranging a formation. The basic of this three was given, but it was improvised by Zhang Wu Ji. This end up making the Sample Formation Flag carries tremendous energy but lacking a formation to utilize them.
This ends up leaving the few Formation Flag he simple created lit into flames and burnt until not even the ashes remain.
As a Master Senior, Zhang Wu Ji reserve the right to summon or direct the disciples from the department to follow and do his bidding. After summoning for two Blacksmithing Department members, Zhang Wu Ji ordered them to prepare him with a few different ingredients.
For starter, it's the grounded powder from the Mineral Ores. Following from behind, Zhang Wu Ji ordered them to bring him two additional ingredients.
Charcoal Fur and Firestone.
With this two additional material that was initially black, Zhang Wu Ji combined all of them together before he prepares three wooden buckets filled with water. Copying exactly how the Formation Master's Essential described, Zhang Wu Ji repeats all the steps that previously shown by Meng Ran when she was forming her own Formation Clay.
Only differences are his Formation Clay formed beautifully like a ball of wall plaster solution. The end product is extremely soft to touch, without any hint of impurities within. Similar to her piece of Formation Clay, it spots a few pieces of metal rocks before it completed.
Zhang Wu Ji followed the instruction written in the guidebook and start to form his own Formation Plate. At the end of the work, he obtained three Formation Plate instead of four like Meng Ran, but better.
Advance-Quality Formation Plate (Formation Clay)
-Usage: Allowed a formation to be engraved into the plate to activates their inscription power.
-Limitation: Three inscriptions only.
-Durability: 5/5
-Special: Shattered Formation Clay is a good replacement of fertilizer for Sun-Facing Fruit Tree.
"Instead of allowing one Inscription, I can put three inside now. I wonder if I put three Ingredient Mixing Formation Inscriptions into the plate, what will happen. Or should I make my attempt using the Spatial Formation Inscription first?" Zhang Wu Ji considered his option as he only possesses two different inscriptions at the moment.
"Let's start with the Spatial script... Master Senior!" Zhang Wu Ji tried to finish his words, but a shout came from the outside of the room, forcing him to make his appearance.
"What happened?" Zhang Wu Ji questioned them.
"Orchid Mountain Bandits! The bandits are grouping themselves together to try and attack the northwest section of the Wen Wu City! They already started to build their base at the outskirt under the help from one of the Celestial Designer they kidnapped!" the member of the hall reported.
"Celestial Designer? Kidnapped? What kind of food just entered their plate? Does this matter related to the news that I heard from Liu Xiang and his members?" Zhang Wu Ji felt that more problem started to appears. Fighting the bandits is not an issue, but the more he participates in the attack against the bandits, the more he felt there is something wrong going on.
As a group of bandits, how can they maintain their supplies of manpower, food, weapons, and cultivation resources? Even if the Lan Shan Clan possess an unimaginable amount of resources, it will not last long, especially when the Orchid Mountain is no longer in use by the traders and merchants due to the danger lurking around the mountain.
"Bring me there." Zhang Wu Ji activated his Qiyue Flying Sword and took the member up onto the sword. After confirming their direction, Zhang Wu Ji controlled the sword and fly towards the direction.
"How long has this been going on? Why is there no reports at all?" while flying, Zhang Wu Ji questioned the disciple to know more about what happened.
"Dear Master Senior, nobody noticed this changes until a villager noticed a group of bandits is moving some materials into their base. From the look of it, they're still inside the base in my opinion." the disciple reported his findings and tell him what happened up to date.
"This is good. Monitor them and their movement, I will go inside and see what they're doing." Zhang Wu Ji finished his words and vanish from the disciple's sight.
"Where did Master Senior goes?"
.
.
.
Using his Orchid Assassination Art, Zhang Wu Ji sneaks into their base built right on the side of the slopes. The base they built is about 200 square meter wide, but instead of building a base upwards, they dug deep into the soil to create an underground base.
Sneakily, Zhang Wu Ji entered their base with soft steps and reaches their first underground chamber. It was connected to three tunnels, two unlit and one lit. He found nothing in the first chamber except articles of clothing and sacks of food and entered the first unlit tunnel.
Hearing a few snores at the end of the tunnel, Zhang Wu Ji assumed that it must be the living cell for the bandits. It was similar to the second tunnel, so he went straight to the only tunnel with lights.
"Holy Shit! Am I dreaming?" Zhang Wu Ji rubbed his eyes as he steps closer to the table not far from the tunnel's exit. On top of the table placed three scrolls looked similar to his blueprints!