Chapter 6: Fascination Array

The grating clang of metallic clashes thundered across the cave walls as the disciples' swords slammed into one another. The five outer disciples each had a ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivation base. Thus, their swords all bounced back...well, all except for the unfortunate goon whose blade met the full might of his Foundation Building leader's blow. His sword snapped, and by the time his face had twisted into a pleading look, Hao Min's blade had sliced its way through his neck, sending his head flying against the cavern walls with a warm gush of blood.

The band turned on one another, lilac mist kept pouring out of Xinzi's forehead—seeping into the five's pores and making the Qi Refinement disciples' eyes glaze over. Hao Min, however, struggled against the mist. His eyes went bloodshot, and as he fought the urge to lop his subordinates' heads off, his limbs shook uncontrollably.

"A Fascination...Array? H-how?" By now, Hao Min had figured out that his merry band of ragtag rogues had fallen into Xinzi's trap. However, though formations enabled their masters to crush hordes of opponents at the same level or above, they all had one glaring weakness: speed. Unless they relied on array disks, tools, talismans or seals, even the most outstanding of Formation Masters couldn't insta-cast a Fascination Formation. Wait...seal?

The inner disciple's eyes locked on Xinzi's forehead, where glowing runic marks cast and maintained the Fascination Array. "With a trifling Qi Refinement cultivation base...he dared engrave a second-layer Formation in his flesh? Lunatic! How could the great elders allow this?" Hao Min muttered while his nearby subordinates indulged in frantic sword dances.

Most formation masters prepared array disks, tools and talismans to insta-cast their formations. Xinzi's Jewel Box was one such tool, and a pricey one at that. Having expected the formation prodigy to carry a bunch of high-grade talismans and array disks, the experienced looters gambled on inexperience and surprise—hoping to use greed to lower Xinzi's awareness and take him down in one breath. Never did they expect that his body carried a Fascination Seal. And who could blame them?

The mastery of seals represented the traditional peak of a Formation Master's art. Regardless of their actual rank, this ability proved that few among their peers could match their prowess when it came to pure skill. Typically, only profound-grade Formation Masters or above could engrave seals in human flesh. But even they wouldn't dare put seals on themselves.

Having a permanent formation in one's flesh was no trivial matter. The seal breathed off the host's Spiritual Qi and would forcefully drain lifeforce, cultivation base or both once the Qi Reserves became insufficient. This forced seal users to drain large quantities of spirit stones or invest in superior Qi Gathering Arrays. Needless to say, the slightest mistake could cripple the body and destroy the cultivation base. Who would bet on that?

Xinzi would. Because what others saw as gambles were nothing more than parlor tricks in his eyes. Seals, arrays, tools, talismans, he'd mastered them all to perfection. And the longer Hao Min confronted the pervading mist, the more convinced he became that all along, Xinzi had been expecting their strike. Worse...

"You...were baiting us!" The truth hit like a loose chariot barreling along the street. Any inner disciple could recognize the worth of Xinzi's Jewel Box. Why then did he show up with such an expensive tool, yet hoist it up for all to see? This was no different from waving honey at the face of ravenous bees. At first, the rogue disciple blamed this on Xinzi's prominent background and inexperience. But as his partners rammed swords into one another and dropped like fleas, Hao Min realized the con.

"The Golden Lotus be praised. How can you blame my humble self for the greed that drew you to my Jewel Box? If anything, your lack of self-control and bloodthirst are the culprits." Lowering his head, Xinzi gave a helpless sigh, then smiled at his foe. By now, only one of the Qi Refinement goons remained—his body torn by sword thrusts and gaping gashes. The goon spun towards his leader, who couldn't move due to focusing his all on resisting the fascination.

"As a monk, don't you feel ashamed from using such mean and despicable tricks on your fellow disciples?" Unwilling to slaughter his last comrade, Hao Min appealed to Xinzi's heart—a terrible move.

"If there is one thing I can say for sure that I do not possess, it is shame," Xinzi chortled and intensified the formation's pressure. With a guttural howl, the last goon set his 90 Spiritual Drops ablaze—pushed his cultivation base to a once-in-a-lifetime limit—and hurtled at his boss. The self-destructive explosion of Spiritual Qi could compare to a peak Qi Refinement expert's strike...but still couldn't faze a Foundation Building superior. The blow bounced against Hao Min's Qi Shield—unable to harm him. Still, at this rate, it wouldn't be long before he either succumbed to Xinzi's formation or exhausted his Qi Pool.

"Hateful! How could I lose to a good for nothing silk pants? I'm not willing!"

The lone leader raged against his impending demise. He had been toiling in the outer sect for six decades, but with neither resources nor outstanding talent, barely reached the Foundation Building stage. Seeing similarly ungifted peers surpass and trample him by relying on their families' net worth, Hao Min realized that unless he built his own wealth, he was destined to die a Foundation Building loser. Gathering a band of like-minded outer disciples, he used the brutal Ice-Fire cave to hunt down the rich and build the wealth he lacked. How could he let it all go to waste?

Raising his storage ring, Hao Min summoned a bag of 1,000 spirit stones in his left hand and a bright red sword in his right. The 1,000 spirit stones burst into berserk waves of Spiritual Qi that fed and over-drafted the lone leader's dantian—pushing it to the brink of destruction.

Bright-white light surged from his Qi Pool, morphing into swirling arcs of Sword Qi as he operated the White Immortal Sword Art. The fascinated goon didn't even have the time to unleash another blade swing that the swirling Sword Qi minced him into pieces—drenching his boss in gushing blood.

From the Sword Qi, six energy swords rose, proof that the rogue Hao Min had reached the sixth level of the White Immortal Sword art—his greatest accomplishment.

"You...forced my hand!" He howled at Xinzi, whose face twisted into unsightly grimaces, and drove his treasure sword in a frontal thrust. The six energy swords merged into a single beam of Sword Qi that pierced through Xinzi's heart!

His blood poured out, but as his eyes widened at his fate, his dying body turned into lilac mist. Instantly, Hao Min was startled to see the sword he thrust at Xinzi now lodged in his chest—driven by his own hand. The sword beam tore his heart and other organs to shreds. His knees buckled, and Xinzi's smiling face peeked over his shoulder.

"If a run-off-the-mill Foundation Building expert could resist my arrays, I wouldn't be the best black-grade Formation Master of the Dongli state," Xinzi whispered in the fallen cultivator's ear—making him realize that from the start, Xinzi reduced the formation's intensity to convince him that with one frenzied qi surge, he could break it down—thereby luring him into self-destruction.

"Not…like this. I can't accept it! A lifetime of cleverness…only to die like a blind monkey!" Rage and unwillingness clouded Hao Min's mind, and he fell in a pool of his own blood. Thus he died, full of grievances!