Chapter Fifty: The Substitute Paper Effigy

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"Hmm, what is this?"

Inside the jade box lay a bead the size of a pigeon egg, glistening with a crystalline luster, as clear and pure as a droplet of water. Song Changsheng pinched it between his thumb and forefinger; it felt icy cold to the touch, so light it seemed weightless.

"It looks so familiar. Could it be… the Water-Repelling Pearl?" A flash of insight crossed Song Changsheng’s mind and he blurted out the answer.

The Water-Repelling Pearl was not a magical artifact, but a pearl produced by a clam demon, without a defined grade. Simply holding it in one’s mouth upon entering water allowed the user to move freely beneath the surface. While of little use to higher-level cultivators, for those below the Purple Mansion stage, it remained a handy treasure.

This was a fine start. Song Changsheng proceeded to open the second white jade box. Inside was a shriveled, brown seed. Though not well-versed in spiritual botany, Song Changsheng could tell that all vitality had long since faded from it.

"What a pity. Any spiritual seed kept so close by the owner of this cave dwelling must have been extraordinary. What an opportunity lost." He sighed with regret, though he still put it away, intending to show it to the Grand Elder, a grade-three lower-rank spiritual botanist, who might yet have a solution.

"Only one left. Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint me." Song Changsheng opened the last vermilion jade box. At a glance, his brow furrowed: inside was merely a half-foot-long slip of paper.

He picked it up and discovered it was a carefully cut paper figure, simple features drawn in cinnabar, giving it a comical look. Turning it over, he saw a single bright red character for "Substitute" written on its back.

Song Changsheng’s eyes widened in delight. "Could this be the legendary Substitute Death Paper Man?"

The Substitute Death Paper Man was a treasure crafted by puppet masters of the third rank or higher. As its name implied, it could take a cultivator’s place in death once; the one he held was first rank, suitable for use by a Qi Refining cultivator.

This was a treasure so rare that money alone could not buy it. Even if he had no use for it during his Qi Refining stage, it would make an excellent gift or could be sold within the clan.

"With this, it’s as if I’ve gained another life." Unable to contain his joy, Song Changsheng bit his forefinger, drawing a droplet of his refined blood, the essence of his cultivation. Dripping it onto the paper figure and keeping it close to his body, the effect would be activated.

As soon as the blood touched, the paper man turned crimson. Pressing it to his chest, Song Changsheng felt a surge of reassurance.

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"I wonder what was inside the jade box that Fellow Daoist Zhuang exchanged from me back then. It certainly couldn’t have been ordinary," Song Changsheng mused, though he felt no regret.

After all, he had gotten the better end of the deal with Zhuang Yuechan.

Thinking of this, he drew out the two jade slips. He had already examined the one in his left hand, which contained a second-rank artifact forging inheritance. It differed in subtle ways from the Song clan’s own teachings, allowing him to learn and improve upon both.

He was particularly inspired by a section on crafting gourd-type magical artifacts, which gave him new ideas for refining his own treasure gourd.

But that was merely the icing on the cake; the true surprise lay in the jade slip in his right hand, which contained an inheritance of array formation.

Even a cursory glance had convinced him to secure it at any cost.

Previously, he had been injured and intent on consolidating his mastery of arrays, so he had not yet delved deeply into it. Now, the time was right.

He pressed the jade slip to his forehead. Accompanied by a hazy glow, the contents poured directly into his mind: words, images, and even sounds.

They surged like a tide, ultimately forming the image of a young, ethereal figure—dressed in flowing white, a green sword strapped to his back, smiling serenely at Song Changsheng.

Song Changsheng, in his soul form, was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the fragments of inheritance to coalesce into a human figure within his consciousness.

Was it a phantom, or a lingering remnant of a soul?

"Later comers, do not be alarmed. This is simply a little trick I left within the inheritance; it will not harm you," the white-robed figure suddenly spoke.

"And you are…?"

Before Song Changsheng could finish, the figure continued, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am He Yunxuan, from the Academy of Arrays.

At the age of thirty, I reached the pinnacle of second-rank array masters, but then encountered a bottleneck. To break through, I left the academy to wander the world, eventually arriving in the Daqi cultivation realm.

There, I finally overcame my barrier and became a third-rank lower-grade array master. Just as I was preparing to return, I happened upon a severely injured Purple Mansion-stage demon.

We fought for three days; with the help of arrays and life-saving techniques passed down from my elders, I slew him, but was gravely wounded myself.

Sensing my end was near, I carved out a cave and resolved to leave all I had learned to a worthy successor..."

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Hearing He Yunxuan’s words, Song Changsheng’s heart burned with excitement. The man hailed from the Academy of Arrays, the holy land for all array masters.

Did this mean the inheritance within the jade slip came from the academy itself?

Song Changsheng’s gaze grew feverish as he looked at He Yunxuan.

"However, the academy’s techniques are not to be passed on without permission, so what I have left here are only those inheritances I obtained during my travels," He Yunxuan explained.

Song Changsheng’s fervor quickly faded.

"Yet, by combining all I have learned, I have forged a new path, which I call ‘Inscribing Arrays Upon the Body.’ I believe it will come as a surprise to you.

Should you master this art, I ask that you record a copy and deliver it to the Academy of Arrays, to a person named Gu Yiyi. That is my only wish before death.

Lastly, there are the three jade tokens, which I took from the Purple Mansion demon. They seem related to the secrets of the Blood Demon Cult.

Regrettably, my injuries were too severe and I never solved the mystery. Now, I entrust them to you. Beware—they are dangerous. Do not risk your life if your cultivation is insufficient.

That is all I have to say. The rest you must discover for yourself."

With that, He Yunxuan’s figure grew faint, dissolving once again into words, images, and sounds, swirling within Song Changsheng’s mind.

Song Changsheng was dazed. This senior must have perished long ago, and only now had he truly faded away.

He bowed in silence, paying his respects to the departed master.

After a long while, he began to study the array formation inheritance left behind by He Yunxuan.

Though He Yunxuan had said these teachings did not come from the Academy of Arrays, their depth and refinement far surpassed the Song clan’s traditions, providing him with immense inspiration.

Within them, he found the surprise He Yunxuan had left him—"Inscribing Arrays Upon the Body."

…