Chapter 210: Disassembling the Spirit Pattern

On Mingxin Peak, in the library, Lu Ye knelt before Lady Yun. He spread his palm, and with a slight surge of spiritual power, a Yin elemental force, even smaller than a grain of rice, rapidly took shape. It then transformed into a Yang elemental force, before changing back to Yin, repeating the transformation over ten times in just a few breaths. The transformations were effortless, and the fundamental elements remained stable.

Lady Yun was inspecting his progress before him.

"That's good enough," Lady Yun said.

Lu Ye then dissipated his spiritual power.

"I must say, there's a reason you received the Spirit Tattoo Master's inheritance; you possess remarkable talent in this field," Lady Yun remarked, looking at him with approval.

When the Sect Master first brought Lu Ye here, Lady Yun's initial intention was merely to prevent the predecessor's inheritance from being wasted in Lu Ye's hands. She thus felt inclined to guide him, suggesting he visit Mingxin Peak when he had time, hoping to help him make the most of that inheritance.

However, after these two sessions, she was astonished to find that although the ancestor had passed, their discerning eye for choosing an inheritor remained sharp.

Lu Ye, a complete beginner, had achieved in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn what had taken her two days to accomplish in her youth. This time was even more extraordinary; he met her requirements for switching between Yin and Yang elements in merely five days.

It had taken her a full month to reach that level back then. Comparing the two, she realized Lu Ye's talent in the path of Spirit Tattoos surpassed hers by a significant margin.

This young man before her was truly worth her dedicated effort and cultivation. Instantly, her gaze towards Lu Ye softened considerably.

Perhaps... possibly... maybe, she could consider snatching this young man from that old fellow and taking him on as her own disciple? She doubted that old fool would dare say much.

However, this matter shouldn't be rushed; a gradual approach would be best.

Dismissing these thoughts, she flipped her delicate hand, and a transparent crystal chip, roughly the size of an egg, appeared in her palm. The crystal was flat and clearly carved deliberately into that shape. Its surface had many hollowed-out parts, which, judging by their patterns, strongly resembled arrangements of Yin and Yang elements.

Lady Yun tossed the transparent crystal chip to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye took it and examined it. "Is this a Spirit Tattoo?"

"This is a Spirit Tattoo," Lady Yun nodded. "Anything that can be constructed and exists stably using Yin and Yang fundamental elements is considered a Spirit Tattoo."

Lu Ye immediately recalled that exact sentence. He had read it a couple of days ago in a book authored by someone named Mu Xiaoyao.

This Mu Xiaoyao must have been an extraordinary Spirit Tattoo Master.

According to Mu Xiaoyao, for a Spirit Tattoo to be called a Spirit Tattoo, it must be stable after construction.

Yin and Yang fundamental elements cannot be arranged haphazardly. They must follow a subtle principle. Ninety-nine percent of randomly arranged fundamental elements would fail to form; even if they managed to form, the elements would clash, and in severe cases, could trigger a spiritual power rampage.

Therefore, creating new Spirit Tattoos was no easy feat and could easily lead to self-inflicted injuries.

"But Spirit Tattoos also fall into two broad categories: useful Spirit Tattoos and useless Spirit Tattoos."

"There are useless Spirit Tattoos?"

"The one in your hand is an example," Lady Yun explained. "Useful Spirit Tattoos produce various miraculous effects, while useless ones serve no purpose; they simply form. Try to deconstruct this Spirit Tattoo and tell me how many fundamental elements it contains in total, and how many Yin and Yang elements are among them."

"Yes," Lu Ye replied, meticulously examining the transparent crystal chip in his hand and mentally simulating the Spirit Tattoo's construction.

For him, this was no simple task. The lines within the Spirit Tattoo looked incredibly similar, and the combinations of Yin and Yang elements were seamlessly integrated. This made some patterns appear to be two fundamental elements when they were actually three or even four elements interlocked.

This tested not only his eyesight but also his mental processing.

However, Lady Yun's approach of teaching him by having him deconstruct a Spirit Tattoo first would undoubtedly make it easier for him to grasp it. Only by accurate deconstruction could he clearly understand the Spirit Tattoo's complete structure.

Lu Ye recalled many famous great figures who had risen to prominence by starting with dismantling things.

An incense stick's time later, after repeated confirmation, Lu Ye looked up and said, "To answer you, Madam, this Spirit Tattoo has a total of thirty fundamental elements, with twelve Yin and eighteen Yang elements."

Lady Yun nodded with a smile. "Excellent. This is the simplest Spirit Tattoo in the path of Spirit Tattoos. The first step for a Spirit Tattoo Master teaching a disciple is to construct this Spirit Tattoo Thirty."

"Spirit Tattoo Thirty?"

"Useless Spirit Tattoos are only named by numbers."

"I see. The predecessor who created Spirit Tattoo Thirty must have been a heaven-sent genius."

More fundamental elements are not always better for a Spirit Tattoo. While more elements certainly allow for more variations and potentially very powerful Spirit Tattoos, creating a stable Spirit Tattoo using only thirty fundamental elements is a true test of one's mastery.

This is comparable to how stir-fried shredded potatoes are considered the ultimate test of a chef's skill. While Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, with its complex ingredients and long cooking time, is certainly delicious, a chef capable of making it might not be able to stir-fry a plate of shredded potatoes that everyone praises.

"It's rare for you to think that way."

For the rest of the time, Lady Yun questioned Lu Ye about the contents of the dozen or so books he had read earlier. Lu Ye took the opportunity to ask some of his own perplexing questions, and Lady Yun then explained some fundamental knowledge of the path of Spirit Tattoos.

Time flowed by, and in the library, one meticulously taught, and the other diligently learned, creating a pleasant and harmonious atmosphere.

Before they knew it, darkness had fallen.

Lady Yun stood up. "Let's stop here for today. Your cultivation is still low, so you should focus primarily on improving yourself. The path of Spirit Tattoos is vast and profound, not something one can learn in a day or two. Go back and diligently study Spirit Tattoo Thirty; come see me again when you can successfully construct it."

As she spoke, she waved her hand, summoning about a dozen books and handing them to Lu Ye to take with him.

A moment later, Lu Ye walked out, escorted by the maidservant.

He turned around, thanked her, and then asked, "May I ask for your name?"

Lu Ye had seen this maidservant every time he came but didn't know her name. Since he would surely interact with her more in the future, he wanted to ask.

However, the maidservant merely smiled faintly at Lu Ye, offering no reply.

Lu Ye watched her for a moment, then cupped his fist. "Farewell!"

Such a nice young girl, yet she was deaf. How pitiful.

Riding Amber back to Shouzhen Peak, Lu Ye found the Sect Master standing on the plaza, gazing up at the golden flame flag on a blood-red background, the symbol of the Azure Blood Sect.

"Sect Master," Lu Ye stepped forward and saluted.

The Sect Master seemed to have just noticed him and turned around. "Back from Mingxin Peak?"

"Yes."

"Mm, learning the path of Spirit Tattoos is not bad." The Sect Master nodded, then glanced around and lowered his voice. "Did Lady Yun mention me to you?"

Lu Ye immediately felt conflicted, unsure how to answer, but ultimately replied honestly, "She did not."

The Sect Master's expression visibly fell.

After a few more exchanges with the Sect Master, Lu Ye departed.

Entering his dwelling, he secluded himself in the cultivation room. As usual, Lu Ye first constructed a small funnel in his spiritual aperture, switched cultivation techniques, and consumed spirit pills.

Only then did he begin to construct Spirit Tattoo Thirty.

The Spirit Tattoo surged in his palm, forming the first Yin elemental force, then interlocking with a Yang elemental force...

Constructing a Spirit Tattoo required a single, continuous flow; any interruption would lead to failure. It also demanded extremely precise control over one's spiritual power to succeed.

While Lu Ye had previously been able to switch between Yin and Yang fundamental elements freely, those were just individual elements. Now, as he began constructing Spirit Tattoo Thirty, he immediately felt the difficulty.

This was different from how he had constructed Spirit Tattoos before. Those Spirit Tattoos he received from the Talent Tree would instantly take shape with a single thought, because all their profound mysteries had been imprinted into his mind through the leaves' transmission.

This was also why he could quickly complete the tasks Lady Yun assigned. He possessed an advantage other Spirit Tattoo Masters lacked: he had successfully constructed many Spirit Tattoos before, giving him a very unique foundation in the path of Spirit Tattoos.

On his first attempt, he failed after constructing only three fundamental elements because his spiritual power wasn't stable enough.

Then came the second attempt.

The third...

Half an hour later, he reached his breaking point.

Even though he repeatedly told himself to remain calm and not be impatient, the constant failures inevitably stirred an impulse to hit someone.

He forced himself to persist for another half an hour, but his mindset completely crumbled.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled two items from his storage bag: a Rest Fruit Core and the Mountain Crushing Blade.

Pests, your daddy's here for a visit!

He spent fifty merit points to enter the Mirage Realm, ready to slaughter!

These past few days, Lu Ye had entered almost daily, refining his combat skills through repeated bloody battles. He discovered that the monsters he encountered in the Mirage Realm were not just mantises; there were also man-sized ants, half-human-tall locusts, spiders, and other strangely shaped, unnamed insects.

Basically, the monsters he encountered each time were different. Every time he faced these new monsters, he would suffer some losses because each monster here possessed unique abilities. For instance, the blood of the ant-like monsters was highly corrosive after death. Being wounded by locusts was even more troublesome; parasitic insect eggs would hatch in the wounds, and soon small locusts would emerge.

There was also an insect that could spray venom, and a porcupine-like insect covered in bone spurs that, when activated, had extremely strong destructive power.

This led to Lu Ye almost always dying when surrounded by nine monsters. In his best attempt, he killed five but was ruthlessly overwhelmed and slain by the remaining four, dying a gruesome death.

This time, he encountered the porcupine-like insects. In the final phase, when all nine monsters appeared, a barrage of bone spurs flew everywhere, and even with Lu Ye continuously activating his Defense Spirit Tattoo, he couldn't block them all.

Nevertheless, he managed to kill six monsters before he died.

He was making gradual progress, and Lu Ye felt that with a couple more attempts, he should be able to clear this stage.

Emerging from the Mirage Realm, his head ached, but his pent-up frustration had significantly eased.

The best way to vent frustration was to either punch people or get punched.