Chapter Fifty-Three: Ambition

Now that he had reached the middle stage of Qi Refining, He Song’s resources were still limited. In the coming years, unless his combat prowess rose to a certain level, he would not invest his spirit stones into cultivation. Talismans, spells, and magical tools—these three means of self-preservation were what He Song urgently needed now.

Thus, the speed at which the Spirit Gathering Array enhanced his cultivation became especially crucial. Training within the array daily would allow him to keep pace with other cultivators possessing four spiritual roots, those who supplemented their practice with spirit stones and pills. In fact, compared to those four-root cultivators whose resources were not abundant, He Song’s progress might even surpass theirs. After all, he was enveloped by the Spirit Gathering Array every day, while others could not always rely on spirit stones or pills.

This ensured that He Song’s cultivation speed remained within normal bounds. He would not stand out among other four-root cultivators, nor attract unwanted attention. To outsiders, He Song would appear as nothing more than an ordinary cultivator with four spiritual roots. With nothing unusual about him, who would bother to take notice of such a common figure?

Having made up his mind, He Song took five spirit stones from his storage pouch and placed them into the Spirit Gathering Array. The array required a steady supply of spirit stones to function, demanding five stones per year; once the year was over, the stones needed replacing to keep the array running.

After setting the stones in place, He Song began his meditation. It was worth mentioning that the array’s effect was not optimal immediately after its setup. After training through the night, he only felt a faint increase in spiritual energy within his body compared to practicing without the array. Yet He Song was unconcerned. This phenomenon had been described in the introductory texts on array mastery. The Spirit Gathering Array needed about ten days to reach peak efficiency after being established. By then, the concentration of spiritual energy inside the array would far exceed that of the surrounding area.

Even when set up in the mundane world, the spiritual energy within the array could rival that found in the immortal market. In other words—

As long as one was an array master, one could independently establish another immortal market anywhere. However, whether the sect occupying the region would cause trouble, or if rogue cultivators would prey upon the newly created market, was unpredictable.

Moreover, to cover a region as vast as the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, a single Spirit Gathering Array would not suffice. At the very least, it would take eight or ten arrays working in concert to saturate such a large area.

He Song had no intention of founding an immortal market outside on his own. But he had long planned to open one or several spiritual fields exclusively his own. Becoming an array master was only the first step in his plan. Only by mastering array techniques could he set up the Spirit Gathering Array. Only with the array could he harness its gathered energy to nurture farmland and transform it into spiritual fields. Once the fields were transformed, He Song could plant spirit rice himself, harvest it, and sell it at high prices to amass vast numbers of spirit stones.

Establishing his own spiritual fields outside the immortal market had always been a part of He Song’s plan. Being a plantation worker in the market held no future. Only by farming his own land could he earn more spirit stones and smooth his path in cultivation.

In other words, He Song had never regarded the identity of a market plantation worker as his true profession. It was merely a stepping stone. To truly acquire a wealth of resources, he had to rely on his own hands, not spend year after year tending someone else’s fields in the market.

“Sigh, the matter of opening spiritual fields must be carefully planned. At the very least... I must fully master the Maze Array and the Five Elements Array from the introductory texts before I can truly begin.”

The introductory text on array mastery described three arrays for study. First was the Spirit Gathering Array, which collected spiritual energy to nourish the cultivator or the fields—He Song had already learned and set this up. Second was the Maze Array, which shrouded an area in mist, obscuring reality and confounding the mind, causing mortals and even cultivators to unwittingly avoid it. This was essential for hiding spiritual fields, but He Song had not yet studied it. Third was the Five Elements Array, which combined offense and defense, capable of both slaying intruders and barring enemies. The five elements generated one another, providing endless power. Should the spiritual fields be discovered, He Song would rely on this array to defeat or escape adversaries, but he had not studied it either.

Only by mastering and deploying all three arrays could He Song safely establish his own spiritual fields. The three arrays worked in concert: the Spirit Gathering Array nurtured the fields, the Maze Array concealed them, and the Five Elements Array provided defense. With these, He Song could ensure the safety of his fields.

His plans flashed through his mind. He Song shook his head and rose, leaving the room. Now was not the time to dwell on these matters. When his strength improved, he could reconsider them.

He stepped outside and quickly arrived at the spiritual fields he managed. After leisurely casting the Rain of Spirits spell for half an hour, He Song did not head towards the Spirit Construction Pavilion, but instead turned toward the market stalls.

The stall area of the immortal market—He Song had not visited it for a long time. Having lived in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market for nearly ten years, he had already explored every corner, and knew that there were no treasures to be found among the stalls. He was no Chosen One—just an ordinary cultivator. So, knowing there was nothing to gain, he stopped seeking luck in the stalls.

Walking through the streets of the market stall area, He Song’s gaze swept over his surroundings. Unwittingly, he noticed that some familiar faces had vanished, replaced by new ones. For example, the old man he first encountered when buying rice after crossing over was now gone. In his place stood a burly middle-aged man.

He Song paused and observed for a moment, then shook his head and walked on. That old man—who knew if he had died or was enjoying a quiet retirement at home?

If He Song remembered correctly, he had once envied the old man for possessing a storage pouch. But now, he himself had one, while the old man had disappeared.

A faint, indescribable emotion flickered through his heart. He Song quickened his pace, soon arriving at his destination—the Spirit Technique Pavilion.

No sooner had he stepped inside than he sensed someone beside him. At the same time, a waft of fragrance brushed past.

“Fellow Daoist He, it’s been three years since we last met. I must congratulate you on your progress in cultivation—the Foundation Establishment Realm is within reach.”