SWDnovel 59. Guards! There's an assassin!
59. Guards! There's an assassin!
Xu Yan slept until evening. When he opened his eyes, the golden-red sunset shone through the window and shone on Master Cheng's face, making it half bright and half dark.
He immediately scrambled to his feet, smiling sheepishly, "Senior!"
Master Cheng said nothing, simply tossing a jade inscription onto the table: "Carve!"
"Second tier?" Xu Yan asked tentatively.
Master Cheng gave Xu Yan a look that said, "You'll understand on your own," and the latter immediately understood, picking up the jade scroll and beginning to draw the array diagram.
Master Cheng's eyes twitched, and he forcibly suppressed the urge to stop him.
If he were a modern person, he would definitely denounce the evil cultivator without hesitation.
Xu Yan checked repeatedly to make sure all the lines were in order before officially starting the refining process.
Despite having gained some experience last night, he still dared not be careless and meticulously crafted each step, striving for perfection.
After the first layer of array symbols was inscribed, Master Cheng pursed his lips and remained silent.
After the second layer of array symbols was inscribed, Master Cheng couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.
Seeing that Xu Yan hadn't connected the two layers of formations, but instead began inscribing the third layer of runes, he finally couldn't help but call out, "That's enough!"
Xu Yan immediately stopped and looked at Master Cheng in confusion.
He was just a little short of starting, but once he began carving, he couldn't stop halfway, otherwise the jade manual would be ruined.
Elder Cheng's teeth were aching slightly.
He originally intended to urge Xu Yan to lay a solid foundation and gradually delve deeper into the subject.
Unexpectedly, in just a few days, this kid figured out the technique of carving three arcs simultaneously, completely messing up his teaching plan.
Now he's caught between punishing someone and not punishing them, feeling a chaotic sense of helplessness, like a mouse trying to pull a turtle.
After hesitating for a long time, Master Cheng sighed and said, "Never mind, figure it out yourself."
Everything that needed to be taught has been taught, and everything that wasn't taught has been tested and figured out. What else is there to say?
Having a high level of comprehension has its downsides; it makes teachers and mentors feel a lack of accomplishment.
Master Cheng slowly walked outside, looked up at the gloomy sky without a single star, just like his mood at that moment.
He let out a long, melancholy sigh, clearly feeling frustrated that he, as an incompetent teacher, had let down the young man.
Xu Yan hurriedly chased after him outside, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but after hesitating for a while, he couldn't come up with anything coherent.
What could he say?
You taught exceptionally well, but I'm just too smart?
Your teaching is correct, it's just that I'm different from others?
This doesn't sound like an explanation, it's more like Versailles!
They are particularly prone to being attacked.
Forget it, so be it.
After seeing Master Cheng off, Xu Yan returned to his room and, unable to suppress the impulse in his heart, began to carve the third layer of array symbols with great anticipation.
However, it was soon discovered that not only did the power of the third-tier jade talisman increase exponentially, but the difficulty of its crafting also increased exponentially.
Accurately inscribing the third layer without damaging the original array symbols is much more difficult than imagined.
His stubbornness and unwillingness to admit defeat resurfaced. He racked his brains, thinking hard, pausing for longer periods than he spent sketching, and daring not to be careless in any of his movements.
After more than three hours of continuous refining, Xu Yan finally carved the last stroke, and the three layers of array symbols were connected to each other and became a whole!
He was so exhausted that he was dizzy and had no energy left to try the talisman, so he collapsed onto the bed.
The third-tier jade talisman is his current limit, and the array talisman cannot be too complicated.
To go further, one must put in a lot of hard work on single-arc depiction; this is not something that can be done in a day or two.
However, Xu Yan also felt that he had gained a lot and even began to reflect on his previous underestimation of the situation he would face after returning.
If only we had brought a 3D printer, we could just print the talisman array onto the jade scroll and skip the initial preparation work... Hmm, this seems like a good business opportunity. Would it be worthwhile to sell jade scrolls with the talisman array printed on them?
learn by analogy.
If the jade can be engraved, what about the spirit pearl?
Since it can provide light, can it also do other things?
He wanted to try it right away, but he was so tired that he fell asleep without realizing it.
I slept soundly through the night, and as soon as I woke up the next day, I couldn't wait to start the experiment.
The spirit orbs must be large, and the formations must be simple!
After much deliberation, they finally chose the Thunder Talisman.
Not only because thunder talismans are relatively simple, but more importantly because thunder talismans are the best match for his true essence and are easy to use.
However, the spirit pearl was too small, making it extremely difficult to carve. Xu Yan tried seven times without success.
After rubbing his temples and resting for a while, the great writer Xu had a sudden inspiration. He took out his phone, turned on the macro camera mode, and held the spirit pearl against the camera. By magnifying the field of view, he finally managed to successfully engrave the thunder talisman into the spirit pearl.
After finishing the last stroke, the spirit pearl immediately emitted a faint blue light, as if there were wisps of electric light emanating from it!
Xu Yan smiled broadly, glanced around, and spotted a big tree outside the house, intending to use the tree to test the power of the Thunder Pearl.
If the tree had a spirit, it would surely weep bitterly: "Do we tree people have a grudge against you? Why can't you try testing it with that stone over there?"
Xu Yan, his playful nature aroused, flicked his finger to grasp the thunder pearl and uttered a low shout: "Flick of the Finger—Power!"
With a flick of his middle finger, the thunder pearl was released.
However, he had only read about it in novels and had never practiced this skill in real life. The bead was not as easy to control as true energy. It did fly out, but it did not fly towards the tree. Instead, it split open like a stubborn bull that did not know how to repent, heading straight for the dark corner covered with moss on the side of the tree.
Xu Yan immediately deflated; this was way too crooked!
Online, you can find tons of short videos of people shooting water droplets with slingshots, slicing cucumbers with playing cards, or even plucking flowers and leaves with flying motions. But the "finger flicking magic"... it seems like no one has ever filmed it, which is enough to show just how difficult this skill is!
If all else fails, just get a composite bow that can shoot steel balls... *snap*!
The lightning bolt struck the corner, and a burst of lightning exploded, like a high-voltage line leaking electricity, bursting out with crackling sparks.
Xu Yan smiled with satisfaction.
It's already quite remarkable that such a small thunder bead possesses such power. In the future, it can be used to cover up the Finger Flicking Divine Thunder...
"what!"
A short, sharp scream suddenly came from the corner, startling Xu Yan: "Who's there?!"
Before the words were finished, a gaunt figure, completely black and exuding a sinister aura, suddenly leaped out of the shadows.
Xu Yan's mind was a bit of a mess: I just tried out a thunder bead, how did it turn into a living person?
Without uttering a sound, the man's figure flashed, transforming into a black shadow and disappearing into the shadow of a large tree. With another flash, he vanished into the shadow of the courtyard wall.
Xu Yan didn't know which school or sect this technique belonged to, but he could tell at a glance that it wasn't a good one. He secretly thought to himself that something was wrong and immediately activated the Golden Armor Talisman.
A thick layer of golden light enveloped his entire body, making him feel exceptionally safe.
At the same time, he made a sword incantation with his right hand, and the flying sword jumped out of the Qiankun bag and stabbed straight at the courtyard wall.
He had no idea where the enemy was; the thrust was purely instinctive.
Suddenly, a tentacle-like shadow emerged from the shadows beneath the wall and instantly seized the flying sword.
Xu Yan completely ignored the flying sword and immediately turned and ran, shouting, "Help! There's an assassin!"