Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 111 - 107: Damaged Array Map, Li Clan’s Invitation (2)
He instantly judged that this person was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator!
"Didn’t they say the Patriarch of the Li Family invited me? Why is it a Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Li Family..."
Zhang Yao became wary in his heart, but on the surface, he reacted with surprise:
"Fellow Daoist Li, who is this elder..."
"Ninth Ancestor."
The red-robed cultivator first bowed respectfully to the elder and then introduced:
"This is my Ninth Ancestor, Li Changlin, one of our Li Clan’s Foundation Establishment Ancestors."
He explained, "The Patriarch asked me to invite Master Zhang here, also under the Imperial Decree of Uncle Nine."
"So it’s Elder Changlin, Mr. Zhang greets you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao immediately bowed in respect.
"Master Zhang, please, have a seat."
Li Changlin smiled and nodded, signaling him to sit down.
Once Zhang Yao was seated, the red-robed cultivator tactfully withdrew, leaving only Zhang Yao and Li Changlin in the hall.
"Master Zhang, I’ve long admired your name..."
Li Changlin was quite amiable in his demeanor, and after a few casual chats, Zhang Yao took the initiative to ask:
"Elder, may I know the purpose of inviting me here?"
"Master Zhang, please be patient."
Li Changlin raised his hand slightly and smiled:
"I have invited others as well. Once everyone is here, we shall discuss in detail."
"Alright."
Zhang Yao nodded and waited patiently, while pondering internally:
"Could it be that man and woman from a few days ago..."
The reason Zhang Yao speculated this was not without reason:
The esteemed Mang Mountain Li Clan consulting him on arrays must certainly be regarding a Second Order Array.
A Second Order Array is rare in the Cultivation Realm of the Li Kingdom and couldn’t suddenly appear from nowhere.
A few days ago, that man and woman sought him out; shortly after, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Li Family invited him. How could this be mere coincidence?
"Either that man and woman were actually from the Li Family, testing my skills."
"Or, they truly harbor some secret, but their actions weren’t discreet, allowing the Li Family to take advantage of them..."
Zhang Yao contemplated silently, calculating his options.
He leaned more toward the second guess since the Li Family controls Mang Mountain Marketplace, where just a word from them could summon him. There was no need for such probing tactics.
He had been running his shop at Mang Mountain Marketplace for nearly twenty years, and as an Array Master, his reputation was well-known. The Li Family couldn’t be ignorant of his expertise.
"We’ll see soon enough."
Having reached this point, Zhang Yao settled his mind and waited silently.
A moment later.
An old man in a purple-red robe, with a ruddy complexion, strode in and saluted Li Changlin:
"Uncle Nine!"
"Yes."
Li Changlin nodded slightly and said:
"Yuanying is here, take a seat first, everyone will be here soon."
"Yes, Uncle Nine."
The red-faced old man addressed as Li Yuanying nodded and sat down opposite Zhang Yao.
Zhang Yao glanced at him, noticing that Li Yuanying was also subtly assessing him, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
"It seems this person must be the Array Master cultivated internally by the Li Family..."
Zhang Yao understood.
As a Foundation Establishment level force, the Mang Mountain Li Clan’s own Array Master must be of high caliber, otherwise they wouldn’t qualify to maintain a Second Order Array.
Yet, as a core member of the Li Clan, Li Yuanying was quite unknown in the outside world, almost anonymous.
Unlike himself, who, due to the advantage of running a shop and the fame that followed his arrangements of Composite Arrays, was hailed as the foremost in array mastery within the Cultivation Realm of the Li Kingdom.
Someone possibly not as skilled being hailed as the foremost in arrays—who could stomach that?
"As the saying goes, ’Fellow tradesmen are like enemies.’"
"As Array Masters, without a real comparison, who is willing to concede the title of ’the first’ to anyone else?"
Zhang Yao reached this point in his thoughts and felt at ease.
After waiting a little longer, a bald old man hurried in, apologizing repeatedly:
"Elder Li, please forgive me! I was delayed by an urgent matter..."
"No worries."
Li Changlin waved his hand, smiling:
"Since Master Zhuo is here, please take a seat."
"Alright, thank you for your understanding, Elder."
The bald old man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly sat down beside Zhang Yao.
"So it’s him..."
Upon hearing his surname, Zhang Yao immediately identified him.
This Master Zhuo was a renowned Array Master for decades, emerged from being a Loose Cultivator, and once worked for the Wanhe Alliance. Zhang Yao had heard of him more than once.
However, after Daoist Wanhe passed away, the Wanhe Alliance disbanded, and he went into seclusion, unseen for years. Surprisingly, the Li Clan managed to invite him here today.
"Now that everyone is here, let’s get straight to the point."
Li Changlin scanned the room and said: 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
"Apart from the Guardian Elder of the Tiandun Sect, Master Zhang, Master Zhuo, and my humble nephew Yuanying should be the most proficient in arrays in the Cultivation Realm of the Li Kingdom."
"I have a damaged array map here, and I hope you can study it and attempt to find a way to break it."
"Even if you can’t provide a complete solution, any potential strategies will be appreciated."
As he spoke, he waved his sleeve, and three Jade Scrolls flew out, hovering in front of Zhang Yao and the other two.
Zhang Yao, Daoist Zhuo, and Li Yuanying dared not delay, quickly accepting the Jade Scrolls and infusing them with magical power to examine them closely.
"Just as I thought!"
A glance into the scroll confirmed Zhang Yao’s suspicions.
The array map inscribed in the scroll coincided about thirty to forty percent with what he had seen a few days ago.
Though there were many new parts, making the entire map increasingly complex, it was overall still significantly incomplete.
