Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Array Master
"To the southwest, about half a kilometer away, someone in a tree knocked over a gray dove’s nest. A male and a female are circling in the sky, cursing him out!"
"To the northwest, dozens of zhang away, two people are searching in this direction. They snatched prey from a mountain wolf, and now the wolf is telling its mate how terrifying those two humans are!"
"A search party of more than ten people has been spotted to the southeast, and they’re closing in..."
On the rock, the dark-faced man wore a miserable expression, licking his dry lips as he chattered on, reporting every detail with wooden precision.
The handsome youth, his black hair draped over his shoulders, had sword-like brows and star-like eyes. He was lazily basking in the sun, nodding from time to time. The terrifying part was the dozen or so bodies lying around the rock beneath him.
Each corpse emanated a powerful aura. A tiger retains its majesty even in death, and it was clear that none of these people had been weak in life.
The dark-faced man stole a glance at the bodies piled up at his feet, his heart pounding in terror. In life, these people had been the backbone of the Qin Family, elites of the Law Enforcement Hall, all of them Martial Artists at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer.
Within the Qin Family, they had been imperious and powerful. Wherever they went, other disciples looked upon them with envy. Even some of the young masters from the family’s Direct Lineage would show them a healthy dose of fear.
Yet now, they were all dead!
In a way, they had died by his hand! He had become Qin Feng’s greatest accomplice, the executioner responsible for the slaughter of the Qin Family’s elite, yet he didn’t dare voice the slightest complaint!
He couldn’t afford to complain. He was completely trapped. Following Qin Feng down this dark path to the very end was his only option.
Qin Shou’s face was a mask of bitterness. He faithfully recited the information, but a complicated feeling churned within him. He had never imagined that he would one day raise a butcher’s knife against his own family.
Qin Feng ignored the dark-faced man’s listless expression. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, scanning the surroundings. He peered through the mountain pass, surveying the forest canopy and searching for his next target. With Qin Shou’s ability to communicate with birds and beasts, Qin Feng was like a tiger that had grown wings. It was as if he had an extra pair of eyes in the sky; not the slightest movement in the forest could escape his notice.
From the scattered fragments of information Qin Shou provided, he could always piece together the most useful intelligence. Relying on Qin Shou’s "forecasts," he had evaded the Law Enforcement Hall’s experts several times and even managed to turn the tables and kill their elites.
After relaying the information, Qin Shou hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile. "Young Master, can’t we just... not fight them? We’ve killed enough people. After all, we share the same blood..."
"We can’t!" Qin Feng cut him off decisively before he could finish. He rolled over, walked up to Qin Shou, and stared at the dark-faced man with a cold sneer.
"What, getting soft on me now? Where was this soft heart when you were hunting me?"
"That..." Qin Shou’s dark face instantly flushed crimson.
"Have you forgotten what they did to Aunt Lan? How they brutally retaliated!" Qin Feng’s voice was frigid. "Do you really think I’m still that same piece of trash you all knew? Someone to be trampled underfoot, someone you can crush and mold however you please?"
"I’m not their livestock, to be fattened up for the slaughter! They think they can control my Destiny, stand high and mighty, and look down on me as if I’m just meat on their chopping block? Well, I’m going to kill my way through them until their courage shatters. I won’t stop until the day I can stomp them under my heel, grind their faces into the dirt, and use them to wipe my shoes!"
Qin Feng let out a sinister, chilling laugh. Qin Shou felt a terrifying coldness well up from the depths of his being, making his whole body tremble. A wave of despair washed over Qin Shou. ’Hasn’t the Qin Family shed enough blood? No fewer than three hundred elite disciples have died. The family’s strength has been grievously wounded.’
Qin Feng shot the dark-faced man an icy glare and reprimanded him sharply.
"You’d better get rid of that useless sympathy. If I ever hear you say anything like that again, I’ll kill you myself!"
"Yes!" Qin Shou stood frozen in place, his head bowed, not daring to meet those ink-black eyes. In that moment, Qin Feng was like a treacherous and venomous longsword in his eyes. He knew that with one wrong move, that blade could very well sever his neck.
After a long silence, Qin Feng glanced at Qin Shou, who stood with his head bowed, and suddenly asked, "Tell me about these Mystic Masters. Earlier, when you all found out that I understand Profound Arrays, you looked like you’d seen a ghost. Is it really that rare to know about them?"
At these words, Qin Shou jumped in surprise. He looked at Qin Feng with an astonished expression and said, "Young Master, you... you truly understand Profound Arrays?"
Qin Feng nodded, his expression calm. Qin Shou, however, began to tremble with excitement. His face went through a range of expressions as he stared at Qin Feng as if looking at a walking treasure trove. The bizarre look made Qin Feng’s eyebrows twitch uncontrollably.
"It’s just knowing about Profound Arrays. Why are you so excited?" Qin Feng asked, puzzled.
Qin Shou was so flabbergasted by Qin Feng’s words that he almost rolled his eyes. Suppressing his excitement, he said, "Young Master, you’ve probably never been outside of Shanghe Town. Out there, Mystic Masters who understand Profound Arrays and Pill Masters skilled in alchemy are the two most sought-after professions. People who understand Profound Arrays and alchemy are as rare as a phoenix’s feather. No matter where they go, they are held in the highest esteem!"
Qin Shou trembled with excitement, all his earlier dejection swept away. He never expected this ruthless new master of his to be a Mystic Master. ’Following a Mystic Master...’ Just the thought of it made Qin Shou’s legs go weak.
"I understand the reverence for Alchemists. Martial Artists have a great need for external resources. A single elixir can not only help one break through a Realm, but can even save a life at a critical moment and reverse the outcome of a battle. But why do these Mystic Masters command such status?" Qin Feng asked, a curious expression on his face.
Qin Shou was right. The original "Qin Feng" had never left Shanghe Town, so his worldly knowledge was extremely limited.
Qin Shou’s spirits lifted, and he eagerly recounted everything he knew about Mystic Masters. As Qin Shou spoke, Qin Feng had an epiphany. In the End of Dharma Era, when Primordial Qi was scarce, techniques like Profound Arrays that depended on it as a foundation were naturally of little use and had faded into obscurity.
But this was the dawn of the Golden Era. Primordial Qi was surging back into the world, growing denser by the day. As a result, the Dao of Profound Arrays was naturally experiencing a great resurgence.
The rise of the Dao of Battle Arrays, in particular, had given Mystic Masters a pivotal role on the Spirit Sea Continent.
Every Official Xuan Master would go to the Mystic Master Hall to be certified and appraised.
’According to Qin Shou, the Mystic Master Levels range from low to high: Apprentice Xuan Master and Official Xuan Master. The Official Xuan Masters are further subdivided into First-Grade Xuan Master, Second Grade Xuan Master... all the way up to Ninth Grade Xuan Master...’
’According to the standards published by the Mystic Master Hall, anyone who can lay out more than nine Basic Xuan Arrays is considered an Apprentice Xuan Master.’
’Anyone who can completely inscribe and manifest a First-level Mysterious Array through meditation is a First-Grade Xuan Master.’
’Anyone who can completely inscribe and manifest a Second Grade Profound Array through meditation is a Second Grade Xuan Master.’
’Anyone who can completely inscribe and manifest a Third Grade Profound Array through meditation is a Third-grade Xuan Master.’
...
’Generally, Advanced Profound Array Maps are incredibly precious and possess an inconceivable Dao Rhyme, making Official Xuan Masters extremely rare.’
As for what abilities an Official Xuan Master actually possessed, Qin Shou’s knowledge was limited, and he could only explain it in vague, uncertain terms.
Qin Feng stroked his smooth, beardless chin, a peculiar look in his eyes. He currently had countless Profound Arrays in his mind, including several sets of High Level Profound Array Maps and even the legendary Heavenly Extreme Xuan Array Dao Maps, which were said to be capable of trapping and killing God-Demons. As for manifesting them through meditation, that was even less of a problem.
However, the more Advanced the Profound Array, the more troublesome it was to deploy. Their creation was also constrained by the availability of Spiritual Materials and the surrounding terrain; they couldn’t just be set up on a whim.
Qin Feng was quite curious. ’If I were to be judged by the Mystic Master Hall’s standards,’ he wondered, ’what level of Mystic Master would I be?’
