Chapter 48: Ten Years

A series of crisp mechanical clicks echoed through the vast, empty hall, reverberating off the stone pillars. A tiny puppet, less than half a finger high, clumsily rose to its feet and, under the clear command of the young maiden, flew unsteadily toward the upper corner. Soon, it found its rhythm amidst its chaotic flight, circling smoothly through the hall. At last, a smile bloomed on the weary face of the girl kneeling at the center.

Ten years had passed. Aside from the art of deduction, she had mastered three of the four grand techniques of the Sect of Crafting. After studying the principles and patterns of arrays, she had discovered yet another hidden miniature formation within the hall. Unlocking it, she found several storage rings, each containing a wealth of items: materials for array construction, tools for crafting array plates and flags, and even ample supplies for puppet-making. No doubt, these were deliberately left by her predecessors for future disciples to study, including several exquisitely made high-grade array plates and puppets.

It was thanks to these resources that her mastery over arrays had advanced so swiftly. Now, as she used the last set of materials for crafting a low-tier puppet, she finally succeeded in creating a miniature puppet capable of free flight. This device was never mentioned in the inherited techniques; it was a spark of her own inspiration. Compact and lightweight, it could be activated simply by inserting a spirit stone, making flight exceptionally convenient. She even engraved a searching array onto its body and equipped it with a storage space. Once released, it would autonomously seek out spirit herbs and stones, gathering any objects with spiritual energy fluctuations into its pouch. She named it the Patrol Soldier Little Walnut—her fifth creation. The other four were combat puppets with enhanced offensive attributes.

It had not been easy to produce even this one Patrol Soldier, having consumed much of the remaining materials. What was left were precious resources, now hard to find, or those suited only for high-grade puppets—too valuable to waste. Besides, with her array skills perfected and her cultivation reaching a certain height, she felt the urge to leave this place and stretch her wings.

To say she had mastered all three arts perfectly in such a short time would be an exaggeration. Even standing on the shoulders of giants, with all the learning laid before her, it had still drained much of her intellect. Yet, she was not without talent; in just ten years she had grasped the fundamentals of each and even learned to combine them, something perhaps her predecessors had not anticipated. Otherwise, they would not have required five disciples to enter.

Though she could not yet leave the secret realm, the prospect of departing this hall that had confined her for ten years and wandering its hidden corners was a delight. After gathering the scattered items, she paid her respects to the statues of her masters, casting a long, lingering look at the hall that had both imprisoned her and bestowed countless legacies. Then she effortlessly unlocked the binding array—now second nature to her.

As expected, beyond the hall lay the medicinal valley where the Amaranth Grass had once grown in abundance. Ten years before, the four great sects had harvested it, leaving only a few saplings less than a century old. She drew a deep breath, inhaling the pure spiritual energy until her body felt lighter than air. Within the hall, the energy had been so thin that even this simple act was impossible. Thus, she had often secluded herself in the Immortal Palace to meditate and recover, not daring to set up a spirit-gathering array within the hall. Once a disciple entered, the hall would seal itself off from the outside world, its spiritual energy slowly depleting with no replenishment. Setting an array to hasten the process would be akin to drinking poison to quench one’s thirst—quickly draining the hall and leaving little of worth behind.

This was why she had prepared to leave so soon. With her departure, the hall would conceal itself and gradually absorb spiritual energy from the outside once more, nourishing itself until it could welcome another fortunate soul—though not for at least a thousand years. She returned the jade slips and other items, taking with her only the array-breaking puppets. She had sworn that once her array skills reached new heights, she would collect rare materials and craft new puppets to enshrine in the hall, ensuring that the brilliant arts of her elders would not fade into oblivion.

After stepping out of the array, she glanced back. The once grand and imposing inheritance hall was already fading into the mist. Clouds gathered, thickening, then slowly dissipated, but the hall that had illuminated a decade of her life had vanished without a trace. A gentle wave of nostalgia stirred her heart, but she turned resolutely and left the valley.

Ten years earlier, she and her senior sister Lin Xiu had been transported directly into the Forest of Four Seasons, gathering spirit herbs and battling beasts until they reached the medicinal valley. Now, with her array inheritance secured and her cultivation much improved, she realized she had not moved from this place in a decade. She drew out her map of the He Stream Secret Realm, determined her bearings, and decided to head south.

After all, twenty more years awaited her in this realm—why not use this time to temper herself, sharpen her combat skills, and hone her adaptability, lest she become a burden to herself once more?

With her goal set and direction chosen, she did not hesitate. The He Stream Secret Realm was truly worthy of its reputation—a grand training ground for disciples, encompassing more than ten kinds of terrain. The beasts and spirit herbs growing within were as diverse as she could wish.

This time, she spent another ten years traversing the entire secret realm. She crossed the Boulder Mountains, fought the invulnerable Peerless Ridge Stone Apes, journeyed through the Thread Grass Meadows and hacked her way past the twin Iron-Patterned Thread Grasses that tangled the feet, climbed the Spotless Mountain, and slew the stealthy Frostdew Flame Foxes.

Those ten years brought her far more than just advances in cultivation—her horizons expanded, and her heart grew calm and deep. She hunted nearly every type of beast below the fourth rank within the realm, but, intent only on testing her skills, she bore no malice. Gradually, the beasts no longer fled from her; some even came to challenge her, drawn by her fighting spirit.

In the beginning, she relied on her magic tools and spiritual power to duel the beasts. Over time, she adapted her techniques to exploit their unique traits, weaving array knowledge into her combat, and found endless joy in the process.

The mutual generation and overcoming of the five elements, binding arrays, concealment arrays, and spirit-sealing arrays—all these she practiced and perfected in battle, learning to set them swiftly and adapt on the fly, growing both in cultivation and experience.

Soon, battling third-rank beasts no longer satisfied her; she turned her eyes to fourth-rank beasts, whose power rivaled that of human Nascent Soul cultivators.

But though fourth-rank beasts were as strong as Nascent Souls in theory, their intelligence lagged far behind human cultivators and their fighting skills were closer to the Golden Core stage. With her arrays as support, she quickly discovered she could defeat almost any fourth-rank beast—and perhaps, if fortune favored her, even challenge a fifth-rank one.

Yet reality proved harsher than her ambitions. One day, acting on impulse, she provoked a fifth-rank Executioner Flame Thunder Bird. As the name implied, this bird wielded both fire and mutated lightning attributes, capable of spitting flames and unleashing thunderbolts, its body nigh indestructible. Though her ice spiritual root gave her some advantage, the gulf in power was vast. She deployed every array and puppet at her disposal, even summoned Snow Spirit to contest the bird in a duel of breath, and only barely escaped with her life from the furious creature’s talons.

It was the first time in ten years she had retreated into the Immortal Palace. Ever since she had hidden there out of cowardice and been stranded in the secret realm, she was painfully aware of how dependent she had become on that sanctuary.

The immortals had forged the palace as a portable abode, for cultivators often traveled with their treasures and might need them at a moment’s notice. She, however, had turned it into a tool for survival—understandable, but only justified in the direst emergencies.

If she grew too reliant, she would flee at every sign of danger, stunting her growth and ultimately risking her life. So she forced herself to exercise restraint.

Since then, her focus had been on array studies within the inheritance hall. Though she often entered the Immortal Palace to replenish her energy, her heart remained with her arrays. Thus, despite her cultivation advancing and her ability to refine more restrictions, she had left the matter aside.

In the ten years since leaving the hall, she battled beasts every day. At her current level, she no longer needed sleep, so she rarely rested except to meditate behind the safety of an array. She never once set foot in the Immortal Palace, even when danger arose, always choosing to face hardship head-on, breaking through barriers in moments of crisis.

This time, however, her opponent was simply too powerful. Only under the cover of her puppets and Snow Spirit did she escape into the Immortal Palace—though Snow Spirit was struck by lightning twice (thankfully, not heavily injured), and out of five puppets, two were badly damaged and would require considerable effort to repair.

Upon entering the Immortal Palace, she noticed that, although she had not refined it for some time, her increased cultivation had caused changes within. The hot spring lake had expanded, now bordered by a faint ring of ice. In the main hall at the lake’s center, the once-misty ice staircase was now fully visible—she could ascend to the second floor at last!

Leaving Snow Spirit on the first floor, she sent her Patrol Soldier puppet ahead to scout the second level, then followed up the crystalline stairs herself.