Upon pushing open the only remaining door in the ruins, the others were struck with wonder at the sight of the giant compass in the center of the hall.
However, as a renowned array cultivator in the current cultivation world, the Danxia Valley Master immediately grasped why Wen Qixue referred to this ancient sect ruin as the “Compass Hall.” As soon as she stepped into the hall, the aura of formation laws grew thick and heavy. The area outside had long ago crumbled into ruins, leaving only faint traces of the laws of formation, but this hall relying on the compass was still functioning normally.
She couldn’t help but take a few quick steps toward the light-whirls orbiting the compass, exclaiming in admiration: “This compass formation is truly extraordinary; it is worthy of being an ancient sect ruin.”
Seeing her about to touch the light-whirls around the compass, Wen Qixue immediately intervened: “Wait…”
But it was too late. The instant her hand brushed against the light, she was teleported to an unknown location.
Wen Qixue: “…”
“Disastrous.”
However, he reflected, the Valley Master is an array cultivator; she should be able to extricate herself. I only hope she does not wreak havoc on the formations inside. The array within this Compass Hall is not something I can restore.
Jiang Che supported his Valley Master unconditionally: “The Valley Master should be able to restore it, no?”
Wen Qixue remained silent. In reality, he believed that even the Danxia Valley Master might not be capable of fully restoring the array within this hall. The formations here were layered one atop another, chaotically tangled yet exquisitely fused together. As the master of the ruins, Wen Qixue possessed the “answer key,” yet he had still failed to thoroughly unravel the layers of formations. For an array novice, this was simply too difficult.
All he could do now was pray: I hope the Valley Master does not get lost inside the formation.
Jiang Che approached the compass. Though he was not an array cultivator, having spent so many years in Danxia Valley which was replete with the strange formations laid by the Valley Master he could discern a few things. Not daring to touch the light-whirls, he pointed at the compass itself: “It looks like a teleportation array. Where does it send one?”
Wen Qixue pointed at the needle on the compass and explained: “The places the needle points to are all spaces within the hall. But if one is carried away by the light-whirls rather than the needle, I have no idea where they might be sent.”
He fell silent for a moment and sighed: “We can only pray the Valley Master did not end up somewhere… peculiar.”
No sooner had Wen Qixue finished speaking than the Danxia Valley Master reappeared in the hall. Even now, she could not stop marveling: “It is a truly powerful array—stunningly so.”
Yun Zhong stepped forward: “Valley Master, what did you encounter inside?”
The Valley Master made no secret of it: “I traversed several spaces and even found the place where the ancient sect nurtured their precious spiritual treasures. Although there are no treasures hidden there now, I believe Danxia Valley could establish a similar repository in the future.”
She looked at Wen Qixue: “Was Little Wen’s Mystic Water Pure Lotus found in this hall?”
To her surprise, Wen Qixue shook his head: “No. When I discovered these ruins, they were already in ruins—even more so than they appear now. They could not have nurtured a Mystic Water Pure Lotus. Its current state is a result of my having invested certain items to restore some of its functions.”
The Valley Master was consumed by curiosity regarding the Compass Hall: “What functions did you restore?”
Wen Qixue pointed at the compass: “I restored the functionality of this compass.”
Danxia Valley Master: “…”
“This compass was also not functioning before?” She had originally assumed the interior of the hall had survived by sheer luck. If that were the case, perhaps this hall was not a complete entity, but merely functioning again. Yet, even so, she could sense the rich aura of the laws of formation on the compass. If this hall were one day made complete…
With this thought, she made a firm decision: “Little Wen, how about this: I shall serve as the town-guarding Elder for your city, what do you think?”
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. She slapped Wen Qixue on the shoulder: “You are all still low in cultivation, and the initial stage of establishing a city is the most troublesome; you might be bothered by outsiders. Therefore, I shall guard the city for you. Others have sect-guarding elders, why shouldn’t we have city-guarding elders?”
“I require nothing else; simply let me study the formations within the compass when I am idle.” She gave her word to Wen Qixue: “Rest assured, I shall not touch the contents inside. In fact, you may be completely at ease; given my current level, I could not disturb the core formation of the compass even if I wanted to.”
Yun Zhong’s mouth hung open: “Valley Master, are you not returning?”
The Valley Master waved a hand dismissively: “With you all in the Valley, I am at ease.” By comparison, the laws of formation she could derive from this ancient sect ruin were far more precious.
The functionality of the Compass Hall was not yet fully complete, so Wen Qixue could only guide them through a few spaces he was familiar with, such as the storage hall and the library.
Upon entering the library, Wen Qixue asked Yun Zhong: “Elder Yun, could you help me check if there are any cultivation techniques here that match a Star Spiritual Root?” If he had to search himself, even with Su Xuanlin’s help, in such a gargantuan library, he would have no idea how long it would take. It was better to ask Yun Zhong; high-level cultivators surely had methods for locating suitable techniques.
Yun Zhong surveyed the library, feeling a bit troubled: “There are quite a lot.”
“Even I cannot discern the attribute of a technique at a glance. I must sense them, unless they match my own attribute. For instance, I could instantly find the technique most suitable for me, but I do not have a Star Spiritual Root.”
The Danxia Valley Master laughed and said: “A Star Spiritual Root, is it? That root is quite rare. I shall try. Since Little Wen has provided me with the Compass Hall, I can surely help him with this small favor.”
As she spoke, she took out talisman paper and a brush from her storage ring. Using spiritual energy as ink, she held the brush and drew profound golden strokes on the paper—fluid and natural. In the span of a single breath, the talisman was complete.
She put away the brush and handed the talisman to Su Xuanlin: “Try channeling your spiritual energy into it?”
“I have not drawn a talisman in a very long time, but it should be useful.”
Wen Qixue had no deep expertise in talismans, studying them only tangentially while unraveling formations, but this talisman felt different. It felt familiar, yet somehow unlike any talisman he had encountered. “This appears to be an ‘Attraction Talisman’? But it does not feel entirely correct…”
The Valley Master replied: “That could be one way to count it. An Attraction Talisman is meant for cultivators struggling with drawing Qi into their bodies, helping them sense the state of spiritual energy circulating within them. I have simply modified it.”
“If I am not mistaken, it can analyze objects that are closest in spiritual resonance to the energy within the talisman. Whether the technique it finds will be suitable for Su Xuanlin is another matter, but it should at least locate a technique suitable for a Star Spiritual Root.”
Su Xuanlin followed the Valley Master’s instructions and channeled his spiritual energy into the talisman. The next instant, the talisman emanated several strands of dark red energy. The thickest of these pointed straight upward.
Wen Qixue asked: “Is this where the energy from Xuanlin’s roots is directed?”
The Valley Master nodded: “Quite right. This is impressive; who would have thought this library would contain so many Star-attribute cultivation techniques?”
“It seems our Danxia Valley library does not have many Star-attribute techniques.”
Jiang Che added: “Valley Master, we do not have a single Star Spiritual Root cultivator in the Valley, so it is highly probable that we do not have any Star-attribute techniques at all.”
The Valley Master clicked her tongue, looking somewhat deflated: “Is there no one who replenishes the library?”
Yun Zhong pouted: “Star Spiritual Roots are not exactly common, and Star-attribute techniques even less so. How could they be easy to find?”
Ignoring the other strands of energy, Wen Qixue ascended the stairs: “I shall go upstairs and take a look.”
The others exchanged looks: “Should we follow?” Items placed on the upper level could hardly be trivial. They were, after all, not the masters of the library; entering the lower level was already presumptuous entering the upper level would be even more so.
The Valley Master spread her divine sense, and after a moment, said: “The upper level, or perhaps not.”
“In truth, unless one is the master of these ruins, one cannot ascend—there are defensive formations in place.” If she were to force her way in, she could, but there was no necessity.
Before long, Wen Qixue returned from the upper floor, clutching a book. It appeared quite ancient, with leaves that had yellowed significantly. However, upon closer inspection, the entire volume was shrouded in a faint, blue-purple luster.
The characters on the cover were still legible.
Star-Thunder Inner Canon.