Chongshan Hall library.
Several strands of sunlight passed through the high windows, illuminating the floating dust and also falling upon a small table by the window.
The library elder was leisurely sipping tea from a rough ceramic cup in the sunlight. He had just put down his teacup when he spotted Chen Yu entering.
"Kid, this old man sees you glowing with health, full of vigor and spirit. It seems your cultivation path is going quite smoothly, you're doing well."
Chen Yu performed a salute and sat down opposite the elder.
"Thanks to the elder's blessings, I'm barely getting by."
"Elder, this disciple has come today to inquire about something."
"I wonder if this library contains records of... formations with extremely great power that can be activated using only spirit stones?"
The old man's hand stroking his beard stopped moving.
"Then... if it just doesn't require rare treasures, and other things can substitute for the formation foundation, formation patterns, and formation eye." Chen Yu pressed further.
"Hmm..."
The library elder narrowed his eyes, showing a contemplative expression.
"This isn't entirely without methods. Formation structure is nothing more than foundation, patterns, and eye. Rare treasures are certainly good, but if using specially made formation flags, formation tools, or even talismans, their functions can also be substituted to set up formations."
"Talismans?"
He was extremely familiar with those.
Practically his professional domain.
Seeing Chen Yu's interest, the old man smiled while stroking his beard, flicked his whisk, and a dark-colored beast skin scroll flew down from above into his hand.
"Here, this."
The elder spread the scroll on the table, pointing at the complex lines and talisman patterns on it.
"Seven Lights Armor-Breaking Formation, primarily a killing formation. Use seven spirit stones arranged in the Big Dipper positions as the formation foundation, use 'Energy Gathering Talisman', 'Spirit Guiding Talisman', and 'Truth Condensing Talisman'—these three talismans to build the framework, then use one 'Pivot Mechanism Jade Talisman' engraved with the formation pivot as the formation eye."
"When activated, it can gather into a killing spiritual light, swift as lightning, with extremely strong penetrating power. Even mid-stage cultivators would suffer if hit unprepared."
Chen Yu leaned in to examine the formation diagram details closely—gathering, guiding, compressing spiritual energy for final explosion...
Hmm...
Wasn't this thing basically a laser cannon? Making it sound so elegant.
Seeing his interest, the old man suddenly lowered his voice, mysteriously leaning closer.
"Kid, tempted aren't you? This old man will tell you, this 'Seven Lights Armor-Breaking Formation'... hehe, it's actually a sub-formation."
"If you can gather one hundred spirit stones, this old man here still has its main formation diagram—Greedy Wolf Piercing Rainbow Formation."
"Requires one hundred eight spirit stones as foundation, arranging the Heavenly Stars Guiding, Earthly Fiends Locking Energy pattern. Once this formation is completed, Greedy Wolf's power serves as the tip, surrounding starry sky as the blade, gathering spiritual energy into a piercing rainbow strike."
"Within the formation domain, black clouds press down, spiritual energy stagnates and mind shakes, with Greedy Wolf's killing intent hidden within, stellar might concentrated at one point, piercing through air and sun."
"Even late-stage cultivators would be pierced through if caught off guard. What do you think?"
Chen Yu listened dumbfounded.
If not for the last sentence, he would have thought this thing could destroy Foundation Building cultivators.
But being able to kill Qi Training late-stage cultivators was enough to demonstrate its power.
Truly worthy of being called a cultivation cannon.
Looking at the library elder's face smiling like an old chrysanthemum, Chen Yu knew his spirit stones were doomed.
Soon, he returned to the thatched hut.
Closing the door, he took out two newly acquired beast skin scrolls from his chest and placed them on the table.
Sunlight shone through the window, making the formation diagram's lines and symbols clearly visible.
The formation principles and structure inside weren't extremely profound or complex. After careful study, Chen Yu quickly understood the key points.
The core difficulty lay in the three key talismans serving as the formation pattern framework—Energy Gathering Talisman, Spirit Guiding Talisman, and Truth Condensing Talisman. Everything else was secondary.
Other things he wasn't good at, but talisman drawing was indeed something he could manage.
Considered professionally aligned.
"Seven Lights Armor-Breaking Formation, Greedy Wolf Piercing Rainbow Formation..."
If something has a name like a cannon and power like a cannon, then what is it.
Of course it's a cannon.
Chen Yu nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good, from now on you shall be called Goblin Shredder-Type I and Goblin Shredder-Type II."
"The expansion of the great Slime Kingdom's territory shall be entrusted to you."
...
Western Swamp.
The rain had unknowingly stopped.
The sky appeared washed clean, showing a clear gray-blue color. Several strands of sunlight pierced through the thick cloud layers, struggling to sprinkle down.
Arthur silently led his undead warhorse, trudging through the muddy Western Swamp forest.
As he walked, the mud beneath his feet gradually became firmer.
The tree canopy above was no longer sky-blocking branches, replaced instead by spreading broad leaves that appeared particularly vibrant and green after the rain.
The suffocating rotting scent in the air was also replaced by fresh earthy fragrance and moist vegetation aroma.
Arthur stopped walking, gazing at this tranquil, peaceful forest full of vibrant life.
Unknowingly, the accumulated anxiety and confusion from getting lost these past few days quietly dissipated.
Indeed... all of this was His Majesty's trial.
Did His Majesty want him to ultimately comprehend nature's own beauty and tranquility after endless darkness and slaughter?
The soulfire in Arthur's eyes flickered, feeling like he had gained new understanding of nature.
Suddenly, his sharp perception caught subtle movements from behind the bushes ahead, where several short green figures were moving about.
Goblins?
The dim blue soulfire that had just calmed in Arthur's eyes flickered again, instinctive disgust toward those life-defiling, nature-order-disrupting evil creatures welling up.
He tightened his grip on the bone lance, stepping forward to eliminate these impurities.
However, when he approached closer and clearly saw the scene behind the bushes, his movements abruptly halted.
Those were indeed several small green figures, but they were much shorter and thinner than ordinary goblins.
Their skin wasn't dirty dark green or gray-yellow, but rather leaned toward soft gray-green, even carrying some delicate silver-gray luster, looking quite clean.
Large eyes round and clear, like pure amber, currently filled with extreme terror and unease, like frightened fawns.
They had been crouching behind the bushes, carefully picking fresh wild berries that emerged after the rain, placing them into delicate small baskets woven from fine grass stems at their waists.
When Arthur's tall figure emitting cold death aura suddenly appeared, they trembled violently, berries in their hands scattering across the ground.
The little ones immediately huddled together, tightly embracing each other, shivering while fearfully watching the terrifying death knight.
Glimmerlings.
From the depths of Arthur's fragmented memories, a dust-covered term emerged.
Legendary cursed branch of goblins.
They lost the goblins' brutality and destructive desires, becoming extremely timid and shy, but gained perception of nature and beauty.
Simultaneously gained male-female differentiation, receiving nature-given reproductive rights.
They were the "abnormalities" in goblin society, the bullied bottom layer, yet like small flowers quietly blooming in the forest.
The lance in Arthur's hand unconsciously lowered.
His tall body froze in place, watching those little ones scared almost to fainting, an emotion called "awkwardness" surged in his heart.
He wanted to explain, wanted to comfort, but clumsy thinking left him only able to stand there foolishly like a giant silent statue.
She grabbed a wet wild berry from the ground, throwing it toward Arthur with all her strength.
Plop.
The soft wild berry hit Arthur's cold breastplate, leaving an insignificant purple juice stain before weakly rolling to the ground.
The Glimmerling screamed with a tearful voice, her small face flushed red from fear and exertion.
"Evil... undead, leave... our forest."
In the Glimmerlings' eyes, this skeleton knight emitting death aura was undoubtedly the most terrifying invader.
Arthur felt even more awkward.
He tried raising his hand, wanting to express he meant no harm, but this movement instead made the Glimmerlings think he was launching an attack, immediately emitting more terrified screams, covering their heads and huddling tighter.
Just at this extremely subtle moment, a roar with heavy local accent came from deep within the forest.
With hurried footsteps, a figure quickly rushed over, blocking in front of those shivering Glimmerlings.
The arrival... or rather, the arriving "skeleton", wore coarse linen clothes, a worn wide-brimmed straw hat tilted on his head, tightly holding a hayfork in his hands.
Most notably, beneath that straw hat revealed a similarly gray-white gleaming...skull.
"Quick! Hide behind old Bloom, little ones!"
This self-proclaimed Bloom the skeleton farmer waved his hayfork, shouting to the Glimmerlings behind him.
Those Glimmerlings as if receiving amnesty, immediately scrambled to hide behind him, tightly clutching his mud-stained pants legs.
"Return to wherever you came from."
Arthur: "..."
He was actually being scolded by an undead.
Just as Arthur stood silently, unsure what to do, a slime head emerged from his chest.