The next morning, Lu Haotian left the Lu Family through a side path.
His aura remained suppressed at the 5th layer of Qi Condensation.
The city was already alive. Vendors called out loudly. The smell of cooked food drifted through the streets.
Cultivators and mortals moved side by side.
Lu Haotian did not rush.
He passed several stalls before stopping at a food vendor.
Simple grilled meat skewers, still hot.
"How much?" he asked.
"Two copper coins each."
He bought a few and ate as he walked.
He hadn't done something this normal in a long time.
Only after that did he head deeper into the market.
The further in he went—
The fewer mortals he saw.
More cultivators.
Eventually, he found what he needed.
A stall displaying neatly arranged items:
Refined stones.
Thin metal plates.
Carved wooden tokens.
The shopkeeper glanced at him.
"Looking for array materials?"
Lu Haotian nodded.
"These are beginner anchors," the man said, tapping the table. "Refined already. Easier to channel qi through."
Lu Haotian picked up a metal plate.
Cold.
Dense.
He sent a faint strand of qi into it.
It responded immediately.
Smooth.
Stable.
Better than anything he had used before.
He checked a few more.
Lu Haotian nodded and picked up a metal plate, checking its quality.
"How much for a full set?" he asked.
"Seven hundred gold coins," the shopkeeper replied.
Lu Haotian frowned slightly.
"That's too much. I'll give you four hundred."
The shopkeeper shook his head.
"Impossible. These are already refined. You won't find cheaper ones of this quality."
Lu Haotian put the plate down.
"Then forget it."
He turned and started to leave.
"Wait," the shopkeeper called out.
Lu Haotian stopped and turned back.
The shopkeeper looked at him carefully.
"You didn't even try to argue more. Most people would keep talking."
Lu Haotian said nothing.
The shopkeeper continued, "You don't look like someone short on money. More like someone testing prices… maybe a young master from a noble family?"
Lu Haotian replied calmly, "You're overthinking."
The shopkeeper chuckled.
"Maybe."
He paused, then said, "Fine. Four hundred gold coins. But only this once."
1 low-grade spirit stone ≈ 1000 gold coins.
Seven hundred gold coins…
Cheap.
For him.
Expensive.
For someone at the 5th layer.
Perfect.
Lu Haotian took out a small pouch.
From it—
He took out a low-grade spirit stone.
The moment it appeared—
The shopkeeper's eyes flickered slightly.
"Straight to spirit stones, huh…"
Lu Haotian said nothing.
The man smiled faintly and accepted them.
"Pleasure doing business."
Lu Haotian collected the materials and remaining gold coins calmly and stored them.
But he didn't leave immediately.
Instead—
He continued walking.
He stopped at another stall.
Bought dried meat, grain cakes, Basic supplies.
He moved through the market slowly.
Snippets of conversation drifted through the air.
Only after some time, Did he finally turn back.
Back in his courtyard—
He laid the materials out carefully, Metal plates, Refined stones and Wooden tokens.
This time—
He picked up a metal plate. Placed it down and infused into it.
The response was immediate. A node formed.
Lu Haotian's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Much easier."
He placed a second, Then a third. Nodes formed faster. More stable and less resistance.
He connected them. The lines held longer than before and they flickered less.
He didn't rush.
He adjusted spacing. Tested distance and immediately their connections weakened.
Days passed.
Morning—
Cultivation.
Afternoon—
Practice.
Every three days—
The Array Hall.
The next lecture came.
Lu Haotian sat in his usual spot and listened to the lecture after that he went back to his courtyard.
That night, he practiced again.
This time with proper materials.
He connected three nodes, and shifted one slightly.
The structure trembled but held.
He adjusted the flow and stabilized it.
A faint exhale.
"…Good."
He sat back slightly.
Looking at the formation.
For the first time—
It didn't feel fragile.
It felt—
Reliable.
Lu Haotian closed his eyes briefly.
Then raised his hand again.
Now the next step is to look for a good array techniques so he can have his own unique way of using arrays.