The way things played out was exactly as Lü Yang had foreseen. In the end, Zhao Xuhe still handed over the "Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis" for a mere 1,500 Contribution Points.
People in debt were always like this.
After securing the "Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis," Lü Yang returned straight to his Cave Mansion. He memorized the entire Cultivation Technique line by line before carefully storing it away again.
"Unfortunately, I can't cultivate right now..."
Having transformed into a Blood Shadow, his cultivation was locked—neither rising nor falling—forever stuck at the Late-phase of Qi Refining. He couldn't even start over, let alone advance. He would have to wait until the next life.
Even so, Lü Yang felt no urgency to end this one.
After all, time was precious. Even with the Centome, he wouldn't squander it lightly. If he couldn't cultivate, he could still improve elsewhere.
With that in mind, he pulled out Qingchen Fairy's "Crash Course: Array-Artifacts" from his Storage Bag.
Yes—he was going to learn array.
Mastering this, he would instantly become a high-level asset in the cultivation world and be able to carve out a living anywhere.
In Lü Yang's eyes, Qingchen really was a genius—not only mastering array but also knowing how to integrate it into artifacts as well. It was a shame her taste in men was so abysmal; across two lifetimes, she'd fallen for faithless scoundrels and died with regret.
Opening "Crash Course: Array-Artifacts," Lü Yang let out a long sigh as he read the first page.
[The essence of array artifacts lies in seamlessly embedding arrays into the artifact itself, allowing the two to enhance each other's strengths. The techniques described here are the product of the author's long and meticulous research.]
[Talent and effort are indispensable to learn this art.]
After the preface, the second page was covered with dense patterns, each annotated with its meaning.
[The key of array focuses on its patterns. By sketching them, one borrows the power of Heaven and Earth. Yet the mysteries of the cosmos are infinite and difficult to comprehend, let alone in the form of patterns. Extraordinary enlightenment is required; only by mastering patterns can one learn array.]
[Very well, now you have a certain understanding of the fundamental principles of array.]
[Next, turn to the third page. Let's look at the simple example below and apply what we've just learned in practice.]
On the third page, an impossibly complex pattern stared back at him.
Was this a pattern?
Lü Yang rubbed his chin. Solving a pattern meant identifying the composition of it to deduce its function.
Whether array worked depended on how logically the patterns were arranged and whether they formed a complete operational loop.
"Interesting."
With a self-assured smile, Lü Yang thought it didn't seem that difficult. "With my talent and effort, merely a simple pattern—I am determined to conquer it!"
...
A month later.
Lü Yang sat frozen on his meditation mat, surrounded by stacks of manuscripts overflowing with calculations, looking as if his soul had left him.
Various combinations of patterns lay scattered in his hands.
Then, at some unknown moment, a faint Light flickered at his fingertip.
"Did it work!?"
He leapt to his feet, thrilled, examining the merged patterns he'd created. But after a few breaths of calculation, his expression twisted into confusion.
"This can't be right—how did it work?"
"How does this thing function?"
Even though this was the result of a month's labor, Lü Yang had no idea why it worked, and the uncertainty nearly drove him mad.
Months of grueling practice deepened his understanding of array.
In essence, array were like programming.
Comprehending patterns was akin to extracting usable snippets from numerous lines of code and assembling one's own code from them.
But without talents, you'd end up with nothing but filth—just as Lü Yang had now.
"Regardless, I did find something in this mess."
Sighing, he pushed on relentlessly. After another month, he finally deciphered the pattern in his hand.
"It's a lighting array!"
"Within the range, it illuminates the area, rendering most concealment techniques ineffective. But it has no offensive or defensive capabilities…"
Haggard, bloodshot, but visibly exhilarated, Lü Yang flipped back to the third page of "Crash Course: Array-Artifacts," brimming with a sense of victory.
[Failure to solve it is normal.]
[The main purpose of this third-page exercise is to help you realize the difficulty of array patterns, to approach them with humility, and not to aim too high.]
Lü Yang: "...."
"Bastard! Bastard!"
He shot to his feet and hurled the book to the floor in fury. He had no doubt now—this was absolutely a book written by the Stain Sect's infuriatingly smug array masters!
After pacing for a while, he picked the book up again.
There was no helping it—some things didn't care about your personal preferences. For the sake of survival, he had to grit his teeth and continue.
But after studying further, Lü Yang realized his talent wasn't as terrible as he'd thought.
As the book explained, the third-page diagram wasn't meant for beginners. No wonder he had been stuck on it for two months.
There was a benefit, though: when working through simpler patterns, Lü Yang's learning speed noticeably increased. Occasional obstacles only slowed him down for a few days at most. After the earlier blows to his confidence, this new progress steadied him again.
Within the cave, oblivious to the passing years, twenty years slipped by.
Throughout those two decades, Lü Yang devoted himself entirely to array studies, so much so that he couldn't even muster the energy to pay rent for the Cave Mansion anymore and simply squatted in the Outer Sect.
Unable to cultivate, with no urgent needs, he naturally slacked off in everything else.
During those twenty years, every few years, a new Child of Destiny—much like the former Xiao Shiye—would rise in the outer sect.
But whenever such a Child of Destiny obtained that infamous great opportunity within Stain Sect, they would promptly disappear.
Along with them vanished the unlucky souls who tried to tag along in hopes of fortune.
"There goes that Perfected fishing again…"
Each time Lü Yang heard such news, panic tightened his chest. With Xiao Shiye's tragedy still vivid in memory, he made sure to avoid every Child of Destiny he encountered.
As for Zhao Xuhe, he'd reached the Final-phase of Qi Refining and become a well-regarded Direct Disciple of Stain Sect. But a few years ago, he failed to break through to Foundation Establishment and died.
Lü Yang only sighed at the news and let it pass.
What truly delighted him was that, after twenty years of relentless study, he had finally mastered everything within "Crash Course: Array-Artifacts."
...
Inside the Cave Mansion, Lü Yang focused entirely on the Sword Pill hovering before him. His Blood Shadow form was now too weak to maintain even the faintest semblance of a human shape.
It was the sign of life running out.
The backlash of Heavenfiend Lifeblood Offering Radiance had finally come due, leaving him at death's door at the mere age of forty—his flame nearly extinguished.
Yet none of that concerned Lü Yang. He was completely absorbed in engraving the array. Even on the brink of death, he refused to take any remedial action, afraid it would disrupt this rare moment of inspiration. He wouldn't waste such a precious epiphany.
"I understand now! Wait… no, that's wrong…"
"Oh, that's right! That's right—no, no, that's wrong. Still wrong… oh—yes, that's right!"
Time blurred. At last, when Lü Yang's Blood Shadow was nearly dissolved and he hovered between life and death, his eyes flew open.
"Hahaha! I did it!"
The array he'd carved around the Sword Pill lit up smoothly, flawlessly, and Lü Yang burst into wild laughter.
He collapsed mid-laughter.
"Centome!"