"Doctor, what should we do?" Magu asked.
After thinking for a moment, the old doctor finally said, "Let's turn back and go back to Yunzhou to choose another route."
If it were just him and Lu Qing, the old doctor might have chosen to abandon the car and continue on his way.
After all, neither he nor his disciple were ordinary martial artists; if they traveled on their own, they would be much faster than a carriage.
However, considering the presence of Xiaoyan and Wei Zian, this approach is not feasible.
So the only option was to turn back and find another way.
"Okay, I understand."
Magu nodded and prepared to lift the carriage and turn it around.
"Master, don't rush back. Let me try to see if there's any way."
At this moment, Lu Qing suddenly spoke.
"Ah Qing, do you have a solution?" The old doctor looked over in surprise.
"We've only just gotten a clue. Let's find a place nearby and stay for a day to see if my method works."
If it's useful, whether we move forward or turn back to find another way, our speed might increase significantly.
Lu Qing did not make his statement completely.
However, the old doctor understood his disciple's temperament and knew that since he had said that, he was obviously quite confident.
Without hesitation, he nodded and said, "Alright, in that case, let's do as you say. We'll stay here for a day."
Perfect timing! It's afternoon now, and there's only a little over an hour before it gets dark.
They rested early today.
So Lu Qing and the others lifted the carriage out of the pit, walked back, and after leaving that section of the mountain road, they found a relatively spacious place nearby and set up camp.
Lu Qing had Ma Gu disassemble the carriage, then paced around it to examine it, pondering slowly.
"Aqing, what idea have you come up with?" the old doctor asked.
“Master, I was thinking that if we could inscribe a few simple formations on the carriage, perhaps we wouldn’t have to worry about the uneven ground,” Lu Qing replied.
"Inscription formation?" The old doctor was genuinely surprised. "Aqing, can you do that?"
"I'm not sure yet, let me think about it first," Lu Qing said, also unsure.
As for Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an, the master and apprentice, they were completely bewildered.
Array formations? Lu Qing knows such mysterious and unpredictable things?
Moreover, isn't this the kind of supernatural magic that only exists in those supernatural tales?
Wei Zian, in particular, suddenly remembered what Lu Qing and the old doctor had discussed in the carriage—something about breathing techniques and qi-absorbing methods.
Could it be that this is also a legendary method used by immortals?
Lu Qing didn't notice Ma Gu and the others' expressions and continued to wander around the carriage, observing it carefully.
He was able to think of inscribing formations on the carriage, except for the fact that Wei Zian's words had enlightened him.
Furthermore, witnessing firsthand that the Flowing Cloud Sect had set up two large-scale formations, both of which were operational, brought him to his senses.
With the changes in the world and the revival of spiritual energy, those cultivation techniques that were once unusable can now gradually regain some of their power.
Since that's the case, he can try out some of his ideas.
After circling the carriage for a while and imprinting all the details of its frame in his mind, Lu Qing sat down cross-legged.
"Master, Master Ma, I need to do some calculations first. I'm afraid there won't be time to make dinner. You'll have to work hard."
“It’s alright, you go ahead with your work, I’ll make dinner,” Magu quickly replied.
His cooking skills, though a bit rough, were still barely edible.
These days, when Lu Qing is busy with other things, Ma Gu is usually in charge of cooking.
Lu Qing nodded, then closed his eyes, focusing his mind on the acupoint between his eyebrows, and entered a meditative state.
After entering a meditative state, Lu Qing's mind was completely at peace, and he began to ponder.
First, he pondered what kind of formation should be engraved on the chariot.
Having inherited two great cultivation techniques, Lu Qing knew quite a few formations; in fact, he knew quite a lot.
The Divine Talisman Sect is alright. This lineage adheres to the idea of learning from heaven and earth and all things. Their array formations emphasize adapting to local conditions, being unconventional, and doing whatever they please.
There weren't many specific formations left behind, and they were all extremely powerful formations that required the support of the forces of heaven and earth to set up.
Lu Qing is unable to set it up yet.
But inheriting the skills from the Fire Cauldron is different.
The Li Huo Sect has profound and unique expertise in the Way of Fire, and is also very skilled in weapon crafting and alchemy.
In the art of weapon crafting, formations are indispensable.
After all, no matter what kind of magical artifact or magic weapon it is, it must be engraved with a magic array in order to possess a powerful force that exceeds the material itself.
Therefore, the array formations passed down by the Li Huo Sect are quite abundant.
Records exist for everything from the most basic introductory magic arrays to top-grade magic arrays capable of crafting spiritual artifacts.
With Lu Qing's current abilities, he can forget about those advanced formations.
He couldn't even set up a medium-level formation.
So he ultimately set his sights on the most basic magic arrays in the inheritance.
After a period of mental contemplation within the inheritance, Lu Qing finally selected three basic formations.
【Light and Agile Array】, 【Gentle Breeze Array】, 【Solidification Array】.
The first two of these formations, as their names suggest, are designed to make the carriage lighter, while the last one, the 【Solidification Formation】, is used by Lu Qing to reinforce the carriage.
With lighter carriages, their speed will increase accordingly, and naturally, the carriages will need to be more sturdy.
Otherwise, if you encounter any special accident while driving at high speed and the car rolls over, that would be a real problem.
After selecting the formations, Lu Qing immediately activated his supernatural abilities and entered a cultivation state to comprehend the formations.
In a state of near-enlightenment, Lu Qing quickly and thoroughly understood those formations.
At this moment, the image of the carriage frame that he had previously memorized came to mind, and he then calculated how to inscribe the formation on it.
Not long after, he calculated the most perfect seal engraving scheme, checked it repeatedly, and only after finding that there were no mistakes did he exit the cultivation state and open his eyes.
Outside, it was getting dark.
The master and the others were eating around a fire.
"Aqing is awake? Come on, have something to eat."
The senior doctor was the first to notice that Lu Qing had woken up.
"Thanks."
Lu Qing walked over and took a naan bread from Ma Gu.
"So, have you got any leads?" the old doctor asked.
"The calculations are almost complete. We can start inscribing the formation first thing tomorrow morning," Lu Qing nodded.
Hearing him say that, Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an, master and apprentice, immediately became very excited.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qing actually knew the array formation techniques from the folk tales.
They were really eager to see it for themselves.
Even the senior doctor was filled with anticipation.
He was also very curious about how Lu Qing would inscribe the array.
Although he had seen real formations in Liuyun Town before, they were too profound and he couldn't understand them at all.
Being able to see Lu Qing's seal engraving formation with his own eyes might allow him to grasp some of its mysteries.
Excited, Magu and his companions barely slept that night.
Wei Zian was so confused by this that he had a very strange dream in which he became an immortal who could summon wind and rain, and with a wave of his hand, he could fly to the sky, which was incredibly magical.
So much so that when Lu Qing woke up early in the morning, he was followed by two pairs of eyes, and no matter what he did, those eyes were glued to him.
Especially during breakfast, Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an's gazes were incredibly intense and full of passion, leaving Lu Qing feeling quite helpless.
"Alright, after I finish this bowl of porridge, I'll start inscribing the array, okay?" Lu Qing sighed.
"It's alright, it's alright, you eat first," Ma Gu and his apprentice said in unison.
But his gaze remained burning.
Lu Qing sighed again, quickly finished the porridge in the bowl, then stood up and walked towards the carriage.
Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an followed closely behind, their curious expressions making the old doctor chuckle.
Arriving at the carriage, Lu Qing took out a carving knife and a bottle of vermilion ink.
The most basic array formations don't require high-quality materials; all you need is spirit ink.
This bottle of vermilion ink was the one Lu Qing had prepared before.
Speaking of which, the materials for making the spirit ink were collected by Wei Shanhai on his behalf.
Originally intended for use in the medicinal herb field of the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, but unexpectedly, Master suddenly decided to go to Zhongzhou, so this spiritual ink has not been used for the time being.
I wonder how that thousand-year-old ginseng in the medicinal herb garden of the hillside courtyard is doing now.
Looking at the bottle of spirit ink, a thought suddenly came to Lu Qing's mind.
He originally wanted to set up a small spirit-gathering array in the medicinal herb field in the small courtyard halfway up the mountain to nourish the medicinal herb field.
As a result, the formation hasn't been set up, and they're not home.
That thousand-year-old ginseng will probably no longer be willing to stay obediently in the medicinal herb field.
Shaking his head gently to clear his mind, Lu Qing opened the ink bottle and picked up the carving knife.
Looking at the carriage, I focused my mind and waited until my emotions were completely calmed down.
Immediately, a surge of spiritual power coursed through his body, and the carving knife in his hand suddenly moved. He lightly dipped it into the ink bottle, then began to carve on the carriage body.
Having observed yesterday and calculated with his spiritual senses, Lu Qing already knew the entire structure of the carriage by heart.
Therefore, the engraving of formations is quite fast.
Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an's eyes widened the moment Lu Qing started moving.
Lu Qing's hand, holding the carving knife, traced strange arcs as the knife carved mysterious runes onto the carriage.
Even more miraculously, after each rune is engraved, a radiant light first illuminates the rune, then slowly fades into the car body.
The two had never seen such a strange sight before. As they stared, not only their eyes but also their mouths slowly opened wide.
Only the old doctor, with a solemn expression, had a gentle surge of spiritual power flowing within his brow acupoint, as he comprehended the profound meaning revealed by Lu Qing's inscribed array.
Lu Qing spent more than an hour carving this seal.
When he finished engraving the last array rune and connected the last stroke to the first rune, the entire carriage suddenly shone brightly, and mysterious red silk runes appeared in the air before disappearing into the carriage body.
Once the radiance completely disappeared, the carriage returned to its original state, with no apparent changes except for some additional patterns on its body.
However, Magu and the others could sense that compared to before, there was a noticeable strange aura on the carriage, making it much more mysterious.
"Brother Lu Qing, is it finished now?" Ma Gu asked.
"Yes, I inscribed three formations on the carriage. If nothing unexpected happens, they should allow us to reach Zhongzhou soon."
Lu Qing nodded.
It wasn't that he didn't want to inscribe more formations, but that he couldn't.
Although this carriage was built by the Wei family at great expense, using many precious materials.
But those were just ordinary materials, unable to withstand too much power from the magic array.
Moreover, he didn't have much spirit ink left, so he needed to keep some for emergencies.
Lu Qing was quite satisfied to feel the faintly fluctuating array power on the carriage.
Although he had practiced before, this was actually his first time truly carving an array.
I never expected it to be completed so perfectly.
The legacy of the Divine Talisman Sect is indeed formidable.
Lu Qing was amazed.
Indeed, this time he was able to engrave three formations flawlessly without making a single mistake.
It wasn't because he had incredible luck or exceptional character.
And all of this was because he possessed a divine soul talisman.
The engraving of formations is not simply a matter of carving out the formation runes.
In the process of seal carving, one must use one's spirit as a guide and spiritual ink as a means to connect each rune, so that they can be linked together to form an array, thereby drawing upon the strange power of heaven and earth and transforming it into the power of the array.
Lu Qing sensed it while the magic array was being engraved.
Through the Divine Soul Talisman, he possessed a strange and wondrous control over the array runes he had carved.
It was as if the divine soul talisman was the master, allowing him to manipulate those runes at will and arrange them arbitrarily.
"The Divine Soul Talisman truly lives up to its reputation as the foundation of the rune cultivation path. Its control and enhancement effects on runes and talismans are even stronger than I imagined."
"My understanding of it is still lacking." A sudden realization dawned on Lu Qing.
But you can't really blame him.
The Divine Talisman Sect inheritance he obtained was, after all, just something left behind casually by the mysterious being who created the Jade Transformation Cave.
This is not the entirety of the Divine Talisman Sect's heritage.
Aside from the methods of cultivating runes, there isn't much other information available.
It is far less rich and complete than the legacy left on the Li Huo Ding.
Therefore, regarding the divine soul talisman, apart from cultivation methods, Lu Qing needs to slowly comprehend and explore its specific powers.
"Not bad, it's not bad as it is now."
Lu Qing didn't feel regretful; on the contrary, she accepted it gladly.
The path of spiritual practice sometimes needs a little surprise to make it more enjoyable.
"Brother Lu Qing, now that the formation is inscribed, why don't we try it out now?"
At this moment, Magu looked at Lu Qingdao expectantly.
Lu Qing pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, although the formation has been successfully engraved, we still need to test it to know how effective it is."
"Then I'm riding a car now!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Gu immediately ran to fetch the horse.
