Chapter 37

Shi Anxu grabbed the message, closed his eyes, and read its contents.

The message was brief, and Shi Anxu quickly opened her eyes.

Upon seeing this, Mu Yi asked, "What did Mu Qingzhou say in the message?"

Shi Anxu replied, "Junior brother said he has evacuated most of the cultivators from the peak, and we can go over to check the formation."

"Then let's go." After saying that, Mu Yi waved his wide sleeves and disappeared with Shi Anxu.

Before Shi Anxu could even react, he had already appeared in front of the reading area on Qin Nian Peak.

As if they had a telepathic connection, Mu Qingzhou emerged from the reading area the moment they arrived.

Seeing Mu Qingzhou emerge from the reading area, Mu Yi asked, "Did you find anything in there?"

Mu Qingzhou replied respectfully, "This junior has just evacuated the cultivators from the reading area and has not yet checked the formation inside."

Mu Yi used his divine sense to cover the entire reading area. He carefully inspected every corner. The array in the reading area was indeed an array to prevent cultivators from stealing cultivation techniques, and he did not find anything unusual.

"Let's go in and take a look. I need to examine the formation diagram to see if there's a problem."

After saying that, he went into the reading area first, followed by Mu Qingzhou and Shi Anxu.

Inside the reading area, the three stood in a circle around the open space.

Mu Yi said to Shi Anxu, "Make the formation diagram appear."

Shi Anxu nodded and did as instructed. He placed his hands in front of his chest and formed a hand seal. The golden array diagram on the ground of the reading area gradually appeared.

Mu Yi carefully examined the array diagram on the ground, which was shimmering with golden light, trying to find where the array went wrong.

Mu Qingzhou still felt that Shi Anxu's actions were his fault, so he would not make the same mistake again in this second chance.

So this time he looked at it with extra care, not missing a single detail.

He looked at the entire array diagram over and over again, but still couldn't find anything wrong. On the contrary, the more Mu Yi looked at it, the more his brows furrowed.

Unable to discern anything himself, he could only ask the more powerful individuals present, "Uncle-Master, have you noticed anything?"

Mu Yi replied, "There's nothing wrong with this formation diagram, but the more I look at it, the stranger it feels. An Xu, go and find the formation you saw and let me take a look."

Shi Anxu nodded, left the reading area, and went to the adjacent library to look for the book on formations he had read.

He couldn't remember if he had put it back on the shelf after reading it, so he went to the place where he practiced drawing array diagrams to see if he had it.

When they arrived at the location, they found that the table where he was painting was completely empty, with nothing on it.

Looks like I still have the habit of tidying up after reading, not bad at all.

If there's no place to practice, then it must be on the bookshelf.

Just like last time, Shi Anxu took out all the books about formations and flipped through them one by one, looking for the one he had read last time.

However, after searching through all the books on formations, he could not find any trace of the formation he had set up.

"That shouldn't be the case. If it's not in the library, where would it be?" Shi Anxu muttered to himself.

Then he suddenly remembered that after he finished practicing the formation diagram that day, he seemed to have taken the book back with him.

But he also clearly remembered that he went back to the library to practice the next morning. Could it be that he forgot to bring the book back that morning?

Never mind, let's go look for it in the spirit house first.

Shi Anxu sent messages to Mu Qingzhou and Mu Yi, saying that he had left the book at Lingju and asked them to wait for him a little longer.

After sending the message, he left the library and headed towards the Spirit Residence.

Lingju is not far from the library, but it will still take some time to get there.

When Shi Anxu moved out, he didn't pack up all his belongings, only taking the essentials (mainly because he was too lazy to move), so that cultivation manual should still be where Mu Qingzhou is sleeping.

He would go inside to look for something, and after he finished, he would restore the places he had messed up to their original state.

He had searched everywhere, but still couldn't find the manual.

Shi Anxu quickly sent a message to Mu Qingzhou, asking if he had seen the array book in the spirit residence.

Mu Qingzhou replied quickly, saying he had not seen it.

Shi Anxu had no choice but to go back to his sleeping place to look for it, and finally found the book of formations under his pillow.

"I've finally found you. Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" Shi Anxu muttered to himself as he looked at the array book.

He returned to the reading area and handed the book on formations to Mu Yi.

Mu Yi opened the book of formations and quickly found the page containing the formation set up by Shi Anxu.

After reading a few lines, he understood why Shi Anxu's spiritual power was leaking out. He asked, "Did you set the array's core on your own body?"

Shi Anxu nodded, then asked in confusion, "Yes, what's wrong?"

Mu Yi handed the book to Shi Anxu and said, "The reason your spiritual power is leaking out is precisely because of this. Take a good look at it yourself."

Shi Anxu took the book and carefully read through the contents of the formation.

The book explains that if the array's core is placed on the person who sets it up, the core will absorb the setter's spiritual power to enrich itself until the setter develops consciousness and breaks free from the setter.

"This formation can actually do this?" Shi Anxu asked in surprise.

"This is a relatively advanced formation, so it's normal for the formation's core to develop sentience," Mu Yi explained.

When Mu Yi pointed out that the problem lay with the array's core, Mu Qingzhou guessed the reason. He asked Mu Yi, "Wouldn't it be enough to just transfer the array on Senior Brother now?"

Mu Yi nodded, "That's right, you extract the array core for your senior brother, and I'll protect you."

Mu Qingzhou walked up to Shi Anxu and said, "Senior brother, it might hurt a little during the process, please bear with it."

Shi Anxu replied, "It's alright, Junior Brother, feel free to draw."

"Alright, senior brother, I'll start drawing now," Mu Qingzhou reminded him.

After saying that, he made a claw with his fingers and placed it on Shi Anxu's chest.

Shi Anxu immediately felt something tearing away from his flesh and blood inside his body, a very unpleasant sensation.

When Mu Qingzhou saw Shi Anxu's face turn pale instantly, his heart ached. He controlled the spiritual power in his hands and slowly pulled out the array eye to reduce Shi Anxu's pain as much as possible.

Shi Anxu realized Mu Qingzhou's intention and said, "Junior brother, just pull it out quickly, there's no need to do this."

Mu Qingzhou ignored Shi Anxu's advice and slowly helped Shi Anxu remove the array core.

The array's core had been absorbing spiritual energy within Shi Anxu's body for two days, and had begun to develop a rudimentary, unknowing intelligence. Even after being pulled out by Mu Qingzhou, it was still wriggling around in Mu Qingzhou's hand.

Mu Qingzhou directly activated the spirit of the array's core, and the core instantly stopped moving in his hands.

Then he slapped the array eye onto the array diagram on the ground, and the array diagram instantly shone with golden light.

Shi Anxu was so blinded by the light that he couldn't open his eyes, so he covered them with his wide sleeves.

When he opened his eyes again, the array diagram had disappeared. He asked, "Junior brother, have you reintegrated the array core into the array?"

Mu Qingzhou nodded and replied, "Yes, Senior Brother's health problem has now been resolved."

Mu Yi witnessed the whole process and said with satisfaction, "As expected of Qin Yi who values ​​you so much, you are a good prospect. Although I am a medical cultivator, there are commonalities in cultivation methods. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can come and ask me."

Mu Qingzhou bowed to Mu Yi and thanked him, saying, "Yes, junior thanks Uncle for saving senior brother. If there is anything you can do to help me in the future, please feel free to ask."

Shi Anxu also chimed in without hesitation, "As for me, if there's anything my senior uncle can do for me, just tell me."

"You've all been very kind. I'll definitely come to you if I need anything." A smile spread across Mu Yi's face. "Alright, the matter is resolved. I'll head back now. You must all cultivate diligently."

"Yes." Shi Anxu and Mu Qingzhou bowed to Mu Yi together, "Respectfully seeing off Martial Uncle!"

Mu Yi turned and walked out of the reading area, summoning his sword and flying away.

After Mu Yi left, Mu Qingzhou said to Shi Anxu, "I'm going to cultivate," and then disappeared in a flash.

Shi Anxu smiled and shook his head, very satisfied with Mu Qingzhou's behavior. It seemed that his martial uncle's words had a great effect on Mu Qingzhou. Should he praise him more in the future to motivate him to work hard and reach the pinnacle of life?

No, he's always praised him before, but it hasn't had any effect. It seems he still needs a senior to praise him. He needs to make a good plan.

The days that followed were peaceful and uneventful. There was no news from the sect leader about Zhang Xuexin's situation, and the reading section continued to thrive.

Shi Anxu's daily routine consisted of counting money and delivering resources to Mu Qingzhou. He would occasionally praise Mu Qingzhou, and he always found it extremely amusing to see Mu Qingzhou's shy expression.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and Mu Qingzhou's cultivation level rose higher and higher, heading straight for the peak of the Integration Stage.

Mu Qingzhou has been at the peak of the Integration Stage for a long time, and is now at a critical juncture for a breakthrough. Therefore, Mu Qingzhou has begun to go into seclusion.

Shi Anxu only collected a lot of things for Mu Qingzhou to use during his seclusion before he went into seclusion. Mu Qingzhou's breakthrough still depended on himself. He could only try his best not to disturb him and create a good environment for him.

Without Mu Qingzhou, Shi Anxu felt extremely bored and could only focus his attention on the reading area.

These past few days have coincided with the opening of the reading area, and Shi Anxu is preparing to hold some events to give back to the cultivators who have been subscribing to cultivation techniques here over the years.

However, the deeper reason is that he seems to have gotten used to having Mu Qingzhou around.

It's only been a few days, and he already seems to miss Mu Qingzhou...

Organizing events was also a way for him to keep himself busy and not think about Mu Qingzhou.

As Shi Anxu wished, once the event was started, he became extremely busy.

He explains the rules of the activities to the cultivators, helps them find the cultivation manuals they need, and mediates disputes between cultivators...

Due to the large number of people at the event, Shi Anxu was constantly busy, and he would fall asleep as soon as he got back to his accommodation.

He was no longer thinking about Mu Qingzhou, but it was not good for his body.

After the event, Shi Anxu had only one thought in his mind—never again would he hold an event when he was all alone.

In the following days, the number of customers didn't decrease much, and Shi Anxu was still in the store watching over things and counting the money he earned.

"Everyone, stop spending money to subscribe! This is a shady business. I used their cultivation method and it went wrong. Now my cultivation level is stuck here, and I can't advance any further!" At this moment, a cultivator entered the reading area and started shouting.