Cultivation Nerd: Chapter 25 (Patreon)

Chapter 25 - Array Conjurer

The new book on arrays opened up a new world of techniques.

Initially I had assumed Arrays were merely barriers and convenient tools in xianxia stories. That only scratched the surface of what arrays could do. Arrays were a branch of cultivation itself, akin to alchemy.

If alchemy was similar to cooking, arrays could be compared to mirrors and windows… Or microwaves? Or an all-purpose key for problems?

After purchasing a bag of salt from the servants at a higher-than-market price, I slung the bag over my shoulder and proceeded to my training spot. Which was just some land beside a boulder and surrounded by broken trees.

“C’mon, little guy,” I coaxed Speedy out of my pocket and settled him on the rock, ensuring I always had a clear view of him.

The last thing I wanted was for him to wander off into the grass.

Speedy had grown a bit since I acquired him, and could move around a bit faster. He was now almost the size of my fist, “Stay put, and try not to doze off. Too much of anything is bad for you, even sleep.”

He glanced at me, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of understanding in his eyes as if he comprehended my words. But then he leaned against the rock and promptly drifted off to sleep.

Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

I opened the salt bag, scooped up a handful of salt, and distanced myself from the rock where Speedy was. This way, in case of mishaps, Speedy would not be caught in the crossfire.

Carefully sprinkling the salt on the ground, I formed a circle around me, dusted my hands, and clasped them together as if in prayer. "Shield of sunrise, four directions of defense, hungry beasts of howling! Barrier!"

Ritual, hand seals, and chant.

These were the fundamentals of array-making. Once someone mastered the basics and attained a high enough level, they could add inscriptions to maintain arrays even when they were absent.

Despite following the instructions outlined in the book, I felt nothing. There was no buzz or movement around me, only the rustling of leaves in the air. Perhaps I had made a mistake in some way? It was my first attempt, and learning required more than a single try. So I wasn't too disappointed.

Before I could reset the ritual, the salt scattered around me sizzled, and a dark slime emerged from the ground, came together, and formed into a dark mass of stretchy liquid that enveloped me in darkness.

This world never ceased to amaze me.

How did such a phenomenon work? It defied all conventional understanding. There was no drain on my energy. How could the simple act of sprinkling salt, reciting prayers, and uttering random words conjure such an effect? How did someone even discover this sequence would yield such a result?

So many questions, yet I hadn't felt this satisfied in a long while.

Once again, the laws of this world proved to be utterly foreign. What was commonplace here, such as the formation of a barrier through chanting and ritual, was as natural as gravity on Earth. If I dropped a ball, it fell to the ground. Here, chanting and performing a ritual could create a protective barrier around me.

One day, if I had the luxury of more free time or attained immortality, I decided to try and understand this nonsensical phenomenon.

Basic level 1 barriers didn't require Qi; they utilized the Qi in the surrounding environment to materialize. This suggested that even non-cultivators could erect them.

Allegedly, the barrier could also ward off evil spirits, whatever that entailed.

By this point, the existence of ghosts wouldn't surprise me.

As I stood, the dark barrier nearly touched the ceiling. Taking a step forward, I reached out and encountered something stretchy. The space around me shifted, and I grasped what felt like elastic black slime.

"A failure. The barrier is meant to be solid," I muttered to myself, seizing the barrier with both hands.

I stretched it to its limits, akin to a piece of rubber. Until it burst like a balloon. As the barrier began to dissipate, the dark remnants in my hand disintegrated into ash and then nothingness.

Mastering the simple barrier technique meant creating a translucent spherical barrier around oneself. I was far off from that.

How could one control a process they couldn't sense or comprehend? Would relentless repetition eventually lead to mastery?

Such questions plagued my mind as I grappled with the fundamentals of array-making. For now, I focused on creating simple barriers. A process requiring nothing more than salt. Specialized salts could enhance the barrier's strength, but I didn't need them for now.

What I really needed was guidance from someone experienced in the craft. Someone capable of demystifying the complexities inherent in array conjuring.

But for the moment, I reveled in the newfound power at my fingertips. Following the familiar sequence—laying a circle of salt, assuming a prayer-like stance, and reciting the chant—I conjured another barrier. Like before, it materialized as a murky sludge-colored mass, albeit now taking on a semblance of spherical form rather than a writhing mass.

Ripping the barrier apart with my hands was enjoyable also, akin to realizing childhood fantasies of breaking through imaginary obstacles. Yet, this was no fantasy; it was tangible and true.

Repeated iterations of barrier creation and subsequent dismantling ensued, each cycle refining my technique. Gradually, the barrier transitioned from a murky mass to a translucent semblance, resembling frosted glass in a bathroom window.

How was I improving? I had no idea.

Despite the progress, how I was improving was still a mystery. I wasn't learning anything new. Yet, with each repetition, my chants flowed more fluidly, and hand movements became second nature.

I stopped training only when the crimson hues of the setting sun kissed my face.

The barrier was now a pale smudge color. Though not yet fully translucent, it was still pretty okay progress.

I punched at the barrier and felt the crystal-like harness on my knuckles as cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. Yet it held firm—a testament to its resilience.

"Oh, nice!" I smiled.

Although I hadn't exerted full force in that punch, it still packed considerable strength.

The cracks on the barrier started healing, releasing a strange sound like grinding glass as it mended. After some time it ended up returning to how it was before.

I retracted my fist and, this time, unleashed a Piercing Fang Fist. My fist effortlessly tore through the barrier with minimal resistance, creating a hole surrounded by countless cracks that spread across the dome until it shattered like glass.

Amazing! Yet, I had only scratched the surface of what it meant to be an Array Conjurer.

While the simple barrier was elementary, mastering it would require time and effort. Moreover, delving into other arrays would demand additional ingredients and intricate rituals.

Despite the challenges that lay ahead, a smile crept onto my face. This aspect of the world was what I cherished—the simple joys amidst a world of chaos and bloodthirsty cultivators.

Contemplating the practicality of arrays in battle, I couldn't help but find them cumbersome. Battles unfolded swiftly, unlike the leisurely pace of array preparation. My enemies wouldn't wait patiently as I traced circles of salt and chanted incantations, let alone performed more complex rituals detailed in the book.

Did I need to carry a pocketful of salt at all times?

It was moments like these when I wanted a storage ring.

Becoming adept at array manipulation in combat demanded meticulous preparation. For now, adopting the same approach I had with martial arts seemed prudent. Immersing myself in memorizing arrays would be futile, requiring months, if not years, to master the intricate chants and rituals.

In this body, I had a pretty good memory. But even that would still take a long time.

I secured the bag of salt under the shade of a nearby tree, ensuring it stayed dry in case of rain. The bag was now half empty but still good for another training session.

Like martial arts, indulging in the mastery of every array would prove impractical. However, one particular array had piqued my interest—one that complimented my fighting style.

The array I had in mind was called Bind. A relatively simple array, yet very useful for my fighting style. It also sounded like something fun to learn. But to have a chance at learning the Bind Array required skill past just creating plain barriers to the point of being able to change their shape.

After gathering everything I needed, I made my way to the library. Upon entering, I headed straight for the counter and greeted the librarian with a polite smile, “Can you give me some advice on arrays?”

“What makes you think I would know anything about that?” he countered with a question.

“Because you literally gave me the book I am learning from right now, and it looks like you know things,” I replied.

“What do you want to know about?” Despite his usual demeanor, I sensed that deep down, he welcomed any diversion from his monotonous day. Having worked in fast food before, I could relate to his plight.

“Well, the Bind Array caught my eye. I wondered if there was any advice you could give me on it,” I explained, detailing what I knew about it.

It was hard to tell whether he was not impressed or just generally bored with the nonchalant look on his face.

"And why are you so interested in the Bind Array?" he asked in the most monotone voice imaginable.

“Because it would help me a bunch and work very well with the rest of my techniques,” I replied with a generic answer. "Also, it sounds cool as hell, it is cheap to practice, and the ritual isn't complicated."

The librarian suddenly pointed at the ceiling without a word, prompting me to follow his gaze. But as I attempted to move, I could not and found myself frozen in place, unable to speak or even blink. It felt as though I was encased in transparent, hardened concrete. Strangely, I could still breathe.

“I'm currently using a Bind Array on you,” the librarian said, anticipating my unspoken question.

What? When had he performed the ritual, executed the hand seals, or chanted the incantation? Did he whisper the chant?

Regardless, it defied logic; Foundation Establishment cultivators may be fast, but they were not the Flash. I should have seen his hands blurring if he went through the hand seal and complete ritual.

I wanted to ask, but unable to move, I could only breathe heavily to indicate my desire to ask something.

"People who can make arrays are called Array Conjurers, though the slang term for it would be something like Array Master. But that would be very incorrect," he started explaining. "Array Conjurers are ranked from level 1 to 9. With the latter being the highest rank. From levels 1 to 3, one is called an Array Practitioner, from levels 4 to 6 is an Array Expert, and from 7 to 9 is an Array Master. As you can see on that last one, people call Array Conjurers as Array Masters, but that would be wrong in a professional environment."

Then, the old guy joined us with two cups of tea and put one on the counter.

"This is not for you. It is for the brat," the old janitor clarified.

The librarian glanced at the tea and then at the old goat. He was too used to talking with the old janitor to fall for any of his tricks. Instead, the librarian continued speaking as if nothing had happened, "Basic arrays might seem too complicated to learn for the meager results. However, they are the building blocks for stronger arrays in the future."

"I would trust his word on this. He made all the arrays here. That's why he has this job, he was the only one qualified to keep a lookout on the arrays," the old janitor added some context. "Though if that is a blessing or a curse, well...I would lean more toward the latter."

"Someone being at a higher cultivation stage doesn't necessarily mean they're a better Array Conjurer. Though it does help to be at a higher cultivation stage since one can make up for the lack of a ritual, chant, and hand seals by just using a lot of Qi," the librarian glanced at the old man and narrowed his eyes, they seemed to be having a silent conversation between each other. "Of course, you also need to be skilled. The better one gets, they understand that chants, rituals, and hand seals are just crutches. If I wanted to stop someone stronger than me, I would have to go through the full ritual and use high-level materials as a sacrifice. Dusing the first level, no complex rituals are needed as the level one arrays are nothing groundbreaking yet."

That was such a detailed explanation. I would have to write that down later, just in case I forgot something. I wished someone would explain cultivation like that. It would make things so much easier.

“This is the definition of favoritism,” the old man whispered, breaking the moment.

The old guy said such things silently enough that no one else would have heard him. But we were both Xin Ma and I were cultivators, so we easily heard him.

But despite the pointed look the librarian sent him, the old man shrugged, “What? You are teaching him like the kid is your personal disciple, and I just had to point that out.”

In response, the librarian removed his glasses and started cleaning the lenses. Something I had learned he did when angry or stressed at something... or someone.

By now, I could move my head somehow, so I signaled the old goat with my eyes that maybe he should try and keep it down. But the old janitor shrugged and said, “The reason this guy,” he pointed at the librarian, “Even keeps me around is because I'm honest. If he wanted someone to kiss his ass and lie to his face, he would only have to take one step out of the door, and people would line up. But he knows better than that.”

The old man sipped tea and continued as if he wasn't talking to an elder, “If it wasn't for lies and deceit, Xin Ma wouldn't be stuck in this dead-end position. He would probably be an inner elder.”

“Enough,” said the librarian, putting on his glasses.

Though he hadn't raised his voice when he spoke, the look in the man's eyes made it clear that was enough talk about the subject. Despite the old janitor usually liking pushing people's buttons, it seemed like even he had a limit as he sipped on his tea silently.

However, I was a bit curious about what the old man meant by deceit leading to the librarian being here. Yet, I was also socially competent enough to know that sometimes asking these questions wasn't the best idea. It was clearly a sore spot for him.

Still, at long last, I was fully released from the Bind. I grabbed the tea the old guy had brought me and drank it as we sat in awkward silence.

“I think it was kinda cool how you were able to use the Bind Array so seamlessly,” I admitted out loud.

Sometimes people only need a compliment from someone to get out of their bad mood. But it was hard to tell whether it worked on him since he always had a strict look on his face.

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Author Note: Here are some nice tid-bits I didn’t put in the chapter since it was more fun to show than tell.

▪︎Basic Barrier—A basic dark barrier around user, that forms by the user pouring salt in a circle around himself. It is a basic learning skill. Can turn the barrier translucent. There isn’t much room for growth of the array’s power, as at most it can grow to cover up to ten feet, but the bigger it is the weaker it becomes and at that size it is extremely thin and weaker than glass.

Chant: Shield of sun rise, Four directions of defense, Hungry beasts of howling! Barrier!

Fun Fact: There are countless variations of the barrier, the kind that with a different chant can make the barrier stronger by using moonlight. It can also ward against evil spirits.