Chapter 223: Reversed Five Elements Formation

As some cultivators quickly ran low on spirit stones, they began to offer rare and increasingly expensive and uncommon items, leaving Han Li utterly dazzled.

"I'll trade a set of the Five-Element Inversion Array Restriction Artifacts for this spirit herb!"

Someone, in a moment of desperation, suddenly shouted, causing the other boisterous cultivators to fall silent instantly. This wasn't due to the person's loud voice, but because the "Five-Element Inversion Array" he mentioned was simply too famous, almost universally known. In some respects, it was even more highly valued by cultivation families and sects than the millennium spirit herb.

This miraculous restriction array, dubbed the "Small Abyssal Array," apart from its limited coverage and lack of offensive capabilities, possessed the ability to conjure illusions to conceal sect entrances and trap enemies—abilities that were in no way inferior to the protective arrays of major sects! If one's family or sect had such a wondrous array protecting them, wouldn't it be a significant safeguard?

However, logically speaking, such a powerful restriction array could not be deployed unless a formation master skilled in this array diligently worked for a year or two in a specific location, expending vast amounts of manpower and resources. Transforming this wondrous array into an artifact was even more inconceivable! If it were truly possible, this auction would indeed be full of wonders, an eye-opener!

Upon hearing this, Han Li's eyes gleamed, and he felt a surge of energy. He turned his head to look at the speaker. It was a young cultivator in the Qi Condensation stage, wearing a tiger-head mask. He was short and stout, extremely unassuming, and didn't look like someone who could possess such a rare item. However, the anxious look in his eyes seemed to suggest otherwise.

"Do you possess an artifact set for the Five-Element Inversion Array?" After an initial shock, the tall, thin man calmed down. He scrutinized the young man with a skeptical gaze. Although he highly doubted the truth of the claim, if the other party truly possessed such a set of restriction artifacts, then the millennium spirit herb would undoubtedly belong to him.

Hearing this, the other cultivators all fixated their attention on the young man's reply.

"Yes, I do," the young man stammered, feeling flustered by so many eyes on him, "but it's not entirely complete yet. It can only unleash one-tenth of the array's full power! However, if you are willing to give me this herb, I can guarantee that within a few years, I will definitely increase the power of this array artifact set by several times, reaching at least half of its intended power." He spoke despite his stammering because the millennium spirit herb was truly crucial.

"So it's not truly complete; it's still a partial product in testing!" Many cultivators were greatly disappointed upon hearing this. They had originally intended to commission a set, even if it meant spending a massive amount of spirit stones, if the other party truly had the complete artifact set. But now that it was a partial product, they naturally lost interest!

Formation masters in the cultivation world were exceedingly rare, even more so than alchemists and artifact refiners! This was because once one decided to delve deeply into formations, it essentially meant abandoning the possibility of achieving the Great Dao. After all, human energy is limited, and it's impossible to simultaneously focus on cultivation and deeply research advanced formations within a finite amount of time.

Therefore, some also considered approaching the formation master behind this young man once the exchange ended. After all, a formation master capable of researching and artifactizing this wondrous array would certainly also be able to physically deploy it! For some families and minor sects, as long as this wondrous array could protect their vital locations, whether it could be artifactized or carried around was irrelevant!

"Are you perhaps joking, sir? This is an auction; there's no logic in waiting years to see the effect! This time, seeing as you are young, I'll let it go! Next time, if you still make random bids or false claims, don't blame our establishment for being impolite!" The tall, thin man, hearing that it was indeed a false claim, immediately darkened his expression and spoke stiffly.

Seeing this, the short, stout young man opened his mouth under his mask, seemingly about to say more. But the auctioneer turned his head and ignored him, causing the young man to sigh deeply and reluctantly sit back down.

Han Li, witnessing this scene, narrowed his eyes. After observing the young man carefully for a few moments, he firmly committed his attire and appearance to memory.

At this moment, the millennium spirit herb went to a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had offered two thousand spirit stones plus several Illusion Moon Stones!

With that, the Secret Store's auction concluded. The remaining time was for the attending cultivators to engage in free exchanges. If they found nothing worth exchanging, they could, of course, exit through the newly opened stone door and leave.

The burly, tall man who had traded refined iron for a puppet beast did not rush to leave immediately; instead, he leisurely remained seated, seemingly intending to participate in the free exchange. In contrast, the mysterious person with a cloth bag over their head immediately rushed away as soon as the stone door opened wide, leaving some observant individuals among the onlookers puzzled.

Han Li didn't bother pondering these matters; he had enough to worry about regarding his own affairs! He had originally planned to immediately seek out the short, stout young man as soon as the time came, to see if he could acquire the array from him. Although that set of so-called "Five-Element Inversion Array" restriction artifacts possessed only one-tenth of the original array's effectiveness, for Han Li, that was sufficient! After all, he had long heard of the great reputation of this wondrous array. He believed that even this limited power would be more than enough for his incredibly simple cave dwelling; in fact, it would be quite luxurious and ample to protect his small plot of land, with plenty to spare!

However, Han Li hadn't expected that just as he identified the young man's direction and intended to approach, the young man was immediately surrounded by four or five other cultivators, seemingly wanting to discuss something with him. This unexpected turn of events made Han Li feel a bit stifled! He also worried, "Could these people be like me, also trying to acquire that array artifact?"

However, Han Li's concern proved unfounded! After those individuals conversed with the young man for a few moments, they suddenly exchanged glances, then shook their heads a few times and dispersed. Only the short, stout young man remained, standing dejectedly in place.

Han Li was delighted. He walked over in a few steps, cleared his throat, and was about to speak. But before he could utter a word, the short, stout young man glanced at him indifferently, then spoke listlessly: "If you don't have a millennium spirit herb, don't bother me! The formation master behind me needs a spirit herb to save his life right now! It's impossible for me to design grand arrays for you now!"

Han Li was greatly surprised upon hearing this, but then he chuckled softly. "What if I have a millennium spirit herb, but I'm not looking for a formation master to set up an array?" he said playfully to the young man. The young man was only around the tenth layer of the Qi Condensation stage, so Han Li didn't need to be overly cautious with him, which is why he spoke so casually.

"Senior, you have a spirit herb?" The young man immediately brightened up and looked at Han Li with a joyful expression.

Han Li didn't answer him immediately. Instead, he glanced around. It seemed no one was paying attention to them. The other cultivators were all looking at the person demonstrating an interactive artifact at the front.

"How about we talk over there? There are too many people here!" Han Li pointed to an inconspicuous corner of the hall and spoke softly.

"Alright, of course!" The short, stout young man agreed without hesitation. He then walked with Han Li to the vicinity of that corner before stopping. At this point, the nearest cultivator was still five or six zhang away, but after Han Li casually set up a sound-insulating barrier, he no longer feared others eavesdropping on their conversation.

Speaking of which, ever since Han Li successfully established his Foundation, some minor spells he couldn't use before became immediately learnable and masterable! This was a world of difference from his previous clumsy self who could never learn them and had made Han Li very happy for quite some time. This sound-insulating barrier was one of the more common minor spells he had casually learned.

"Senior, do you really have a spirit herb? It must be over a thousand years old! Herbs of seven or eight hundred years are useless!" As soon as the young man saw Han Li set up the barrier, he spoke impatiently. It seemed he was truly anxious!

Han Li glanced at the other party indifferently, without speaking. Instead, he directly took out the box containing the spirit herb from his storage pouch. Although it wasn't the thousand-year-old Polygonatum he had previously sold, it was a thousand-year-old Purple Osmanthus, which was no less valuable. Since the other party hadn't specified the type of herb needed, it seemed any herb over a thousand years old would suffice. Han Li estimated that the young man was most likely using the millennium spirit herb as a medicinal primer, which explained his lack of pickiness.

"Is this..." The young man stared intently at the box, his face full of anticipation.

"Indeed, inside is a millennium spirit herb! But before I open the box for your inspection, shouldn't we discuss what you intend to offer in exchange for this spirit herb?" Han Li said coolly. Since the other party sought his help, he naturally intended to make them pay handsomely! For such rare array artifacts, Han Li wanted to acquire several sets to keep as spares.

"Senior, what would you like? Apart from that artifact set, this junior truly doesn't have anything presentable!" The young man paused slightly after hearing Han Li's words, then said with some difficulty.

"Do you think a mere incomplete array artifact set can be exchanged for a millennium spirit herb?" Han Li showed no disappointment after hearing the other party's words; his tone remained as flat as before.

"This..." The short, stout young man scratched his scalp, feeling that it was indeed inappropriate.