The black bluestone disc is merely the prototype of an array disc; its core lies in the spirit runes, without which it serves no purpose.

After the chief blacksmith forged this prototype, Lu Ye immediately stepped forward to take over.

A group of people stood curiously watching from the side, not knowing what Lu Ye was about to craft, and Lu Ye himself didn't seem like someone well-versed in such matters.

With a "ding," as the hammer fell, the spirit force was activated, and immediately a tiny, nearly imperceptible basic element appeared on the disc.

Ding dong, ding dong...

Lu Ye's movements were incredibly swift, wielding the hammer with a continuous rhythm, never pausing, each strike precise, birthing a basic element with every blow.

Spirit runes emphasize continuity; the slightest mistake could render all previous efforts useless.

Previously, Lu Ye could refine with ease, relying on vast and pure spirit force, but now he could only use this clumsy method of hammering.

Initially, Zhou Ping and others couldn't discern anything significant, as the Yin-Yang primordial elements were too small. They only sensed Lu Ye's effortless motions, and the sound seemed like a special kind of musical instrument.

But as time passed, everyone expressed astonishment.

As each Yin-Yang Dual Origin gradually embedded and spread out, the outline of array runes slowly revealed itself.

A marvel, hard to imagine without witnessing it firsthand, that someone could craft such intricate and complex patterns on this disc.

No one knew what the pattern represented, as the world's cultivation techniques were still rudimentary, and the concept of spirit runes did not exist.

At this moment, Lu Ye divided his attention three ways: forging the spirit runes, monitoring his spirit force consumption, and activating the Talent Tree's power to replenish himself from the inferior Spirit Stones beneath him.

After more than two hours, Lu Ye delivered the final hammer strike.

The onlookers vaguely saw a glimmer flash across the disc, but it moved too fast to capture, leaving them to assume it was just an illusion.

An array disc, in the time of two hours... Lu Ye was somewhat speechless; something he once crafted effortlessly.

Yet the result was satisfactory, thanks to the Talent Tree consuming Spirit Stones to replenish himself; without this aid, his present cultivation alone could not succeed in creating such an object.

Tossing the crafted array disc aside, Lu Ye began on a second one.

Time passed, as one array disc after another was crafted.

Apart from Zhou Ping, the other two Family Heads showed signs of distress, for Lu Ye's consumption was immense—a basket after basket of inferior Spirit Stones were brought over and soon were completely depleted. No one saw how he refined them, but invariably, no spirit force remained in the transported Spirit Stones.

One must know, a significant portion of these Spirit Stones were provided by their two families, intended for confrontation, not knowing they'd be used this way.

"City Lord, what exactly is the thing Mr. Lu crafted?" one Family Head couldn't resist asking.

Zhou Ping shook his head, indicating he did not know. Taking a glance at Lu Ye who was busy on the other side, he picked up a disc for investigation.

This wasn't a weapon, evidently not for killing enemies, as it couldn't be thrown at foes; hence, Mr. Lu's effort surely wasn't on a futile effort.

Being of this mind, Zhou Ping infused some spirit force into it, and quickly turned to look at the Family Head beside him.

"What is it?" the Family Head inquired, puzzled.

Zhou Ping continued to gaze at him.

The next moment, the Family Head showed astonishment, having sharply sensed Zhou Ping's energy trying to merge with his own breath—acting at once, they exchanged energies.

"Ah?" Both Zhou Ping and the other simultaneously exclaimed, as their energy merging encountered no resistance. Merely this was astonishing, and more so was their awareness of being able to borrow each other's spirit force!

"What happened?" The other Family Head inquired, expression filled with doubt.

Zhou Ping steadied himself, guiding the already intertwined energy towards him, and soon, the third Family Head also wore a startled expression.

Time continued slipping by, and one after another, array discs were completed.

Two days later, a total of twenty discs were produced.

There's no need to continue crafting, as the cultivator population within Ding'an City is limited—under three hundred; with half having only opened one or two orifices, and the other half having opened three or more.

Thus, twenty array discs were absolutely sufficient.

In the plaza, all cultivators in Ding'an with more than 3rd orifice gathered here, per Lu Ye's instructions, grouped in sevens into twenty groups.

Each group had at least one cultivator with more than 5th orifice, holding an array disc.

Zhou Ping, having grasped the substantial value of this array disc, demonstrated slightly, and the cultivators immediately understood, forming arrays to practice enthusiastically.

How could they ever have encountered such magical objects before?

As Lu Ye stepped forward, Zhou Ping hurriedly met him with excitement, clasping his fists, "Master."

The cultivators who were practicing also stopped and looked toward him.

Lu Ye nodded, stretched out his hand, and waved toward the below. At once, a cultivator holding an array disc stepped forward and handed the array disc to him.

Lu Ye held up the array disc: "This As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc, its magical uses I believe you all are somewhat aware of. With this array disc as the core, seven people can link their spirit force, and the effect they can exert is far greater than what seven people can achieve when merely teaming up."

Everyone nodded.

Lu Ye shifted the topic: "Linking spirit forces is just the simplest function of this array disc. Its true purpose is to assist in formation creation!"

"Formation creation?" Zhou Ping showed a puzzled expression.

"Just like..." Lu Ye spoke while stepping forward a few steps with the array disc, arriving beside a few cultivators, where he activated the spirit force to stimulate the array disc.

Under the conduction of the spirit force, six people were enveloped within the formation, their spirit forces interconnecting and their spirit forces converging.

In the next instant, an illusory and ethereal figure suddenly appeared, enveloping all seven people, including Lu Ye.

"...like this!"

"This is..." Zhou Ping couldn't help but widen his eyes. Before today, he had never seen such a bizarre scene. Although the figure was ethereal, on closer inspection, some traces could still be discerned.

It was evidently a large tortoise!

How did this come about?

Not just Zhou Ping, but many cultivators showed expressions of disbelief; it was almost like witnessing a miracle.

Lu Ye was not satisfied, however, because the Black Tortoise's phantom was too faint; mainly due to the current low cultivation, the spirit force manifestation is limited to this degree. But even so, it left everyone present in awe.

"This is the Black Tortoise Array. Under the formation, defense greatly enhances, most suitable for charging and slaying enemies!" Lu Ye's voice resounded again, "Next, I will instruct you on how to create formations!"

Everyone looked expectant.

With the array disc as an aid, as long as they could understand the key points of formation creation, it wasn't difficult to establish formations.

Three days later, the gates of Ding'an City swung open, with Lu Ye at the forefront, accompanied by a hundred riders!

He had roughly grasped what his main task in this training was – to resolve the Black Scarf Army. Although, if they just waited, the Black Scarf Army would certainly invade Ding'an City again, Lu Ye preferred to take the initiative rather than be passively attacked.

Especially since slaying the Black Scarf yielded a substantial bounty of Asura Seals, he was becoming impatient.

In uncharted land, the mirror image reflected the advancing cavalry, with Lu Ye's figure positioned at the center of the scene.

"What a sinful thing, what a sinful thing!" The old Clan Leader beat his chest and stamped his feet, full of worry.

Given the normal progression of affairs, the Black Scarf would indeed invade Ding'an City again in about ten days. By then, the Black Scarf would have been unsuccessfully attacking another city, the troops would be exhausted, and although Lu Ye's current cultivation level made it somewhat challenging to handle, it would not have been too difficult.

This would have been the standard training process.

But now Lu Ye actually took the attack initiative!

This kid... why can't he be a little steadier?

"Clan Leader, actually, actively attacking at this time might be more advantageous for him," said the woman who had been accompanying the old Clan Leader to reassure him.

"What do you mean?" asked the old Clan Leader.

The woman said, "The Black Scarf Army is currently fully attacking Thousand Streams City. If he leads people over now, it could create a pincer situation with Thousand Streams City over there. As long as he achieves some battle success, those in Thousand Streams City will likely see an opportunity. Then, if they leave the city to meet the battle, it's possible to annihilate the Black Scarf and complete the training ahead of schedule."

The worry-laden old Clan Leader, hearing this, pondered briefly and nodded: "Indeed, there's truth to your words!"

The woman continued, "I have interacted with this senior brother; he isn't the reckless type. You see, before setting out, he prepared the array disc. In the midst of a major battle, such units can play a significant role. If he wasn't confident, he wouldn't act this way."

The old Clan Leader finally released some of his worry: "After this, when his next training comes, guide him over promptly!"

Better not let wanton mishaps happen again; his old bones couldn't bear too much upheaval.

The horse team advanced, with Lu Ye leading the charge and twenty squads closely following. After three days of practice, the Ding'an cultivators had become proficient in array disc usage, so even if there were casualties during battle, squads could promptly shift formations.

Zhou Ping didn't come along; he wanted to, but unfortunately, as the City Lord, he had to stay and guard Ding'an no matter what.

This time, Lu Ye's target was Thousand Streams City, located about 300 miles away. According to reliable information received from Ding'an, the Black Scarf was fully attacking Thousand Streams. However, the status of the situation on that side was unknown.

Still, Thousand Streams was considerably stronger overall compared to Ding'an, so anyway, they could endure for some time.

The horses had exotic beast bloodlines, possessing greater endurance than ordinary horses. In three days, Lu Ye and his men had already reached the 300-mile mark.

They did not engage in battle immediately but rested at a spot 50 miles away from Thousand Streams, while also scouting the situation over there.

Aside from him, the endurance ability of others in the entire team wasn't strong. Their spirit force diminished with each use, so this strike needed to achieve decisive results. Otherwise, once the Black Scarf Army regained its senses, a troop of just over one hundred wouldn't be enough to kill them.