Chapter 17: Learning in Secret

Returning once again to the mysterious bar, Li Mingxing immediately heard a voice, "Isn't this the expert who sacrificed forty-nine young women in one breath? Why have you brought such a batch of corpses this time? Are you planning another sacrifice?"

Li Mingxing looked up and saw one of the four-member group standing before him, with the one he had been watching closely coldly staring at him from behind. From their demeanor, Li Mingxing could tell that during his absence, they had gathered a large number of people to attempt a sacrifice to transform the Demon Pool, but judging from their current state, the outcome was clearly unfavorable for them.

Still, Li Mingxing feigned ignorance, casually asking, "What happened? Is something wrong here?"

The man seemed about to say something, but his friend behind him tugged at his sleeve, and the two retreated to their usual spot.

Li Mingxing glanced over and noticed that their numbers had grown from four to six, and the two new faces were entirely unfamiliar to him.

Just as Li Mingxing was about to observe further, the beautiful bartender called out, "Hey, over there, take these corpses to the supply warehouse. Don’t leave them lying around here."

The mention of the supply warehouse made Li Mingxing’s eyes brighten. After asking the bartender for directions, he hurriedly carried the corpses to the warehouse.

He quickly found the supply warehouse as directed. After depositing the corpses inside, Li Mingxing began searching the warehouse in haste. Those sorting supplies inside paid him no mind. Soon, Li Mingxing discovered that the warehouse held exactly the three types of measuring tools Raymond had described.

Examining them, he saw that beneath each measuring tool were over a dozen imitations crafted in their likeness, a testament to the warehouse’s capabilities.

While Li Mingxing was wandering, a warehouse guard suddenly remarked, "Young man, you’re quite strange. Others come here, finish their business, and leave. Why are you lingering?"

"It’s nothing, just helping my mentor deliver some things. I’m waiting for him," Li Mingxing replied, eyeing the old guard. For some reason, Li Mingxing felt the old man was exceptionally powerful.

The old man said nothing, dragging over one of the corpses Li Mingxing had brought. After a glance, he shook his head and said, "Too late. Half the soul has already dissipated, the blood is gone. The flesh is only good for feeding beasts, but the bones can still be used for something."

Without ceremony, the old man started stripping sinew and skin from the corpse. In just a few swift motions, he separated the body into piles of sinew, flesh, and bone.

As he picked up a second corpse, Raymond arrived. He glanced at the old man and smiled, "So you’re here too. With you around, I didn’t need to hurry."

Upon seeing Raymond, the old man put down his tools and pointed at Li Mingxing. "So, you’re the one brought in this time?"

"Yes, I’m his mentor this time," Raymond answered, picking up the skull the old man had just separated. "Your craft is still as impressive as ever. I wish I could study under you for a few more years."

"Study under me? Better not. I don’t have the energy for students anymore," the old man replied, shaking his head.

Raymond then introduced the old man to Li Mingxing, "Let me introduce you. He’s my mentor. He lost a battle on his home planet and was rescued by our Dark Alliance, ending up as the warehouse keeper. I didn’t expect to find him here."

Li Mingxing respectfully bowed to the old man. Though he knew the old man had lost much of his status, out of respect for Raymond, Li Mingxing made sure to show proper courtesy.

As expected, Raymond was quite pleased with Li Mingxing’s gesture and began talking with the old man about the Dark Forest.

When the old man heard mention of the Yin Talisman faction, he paused, picked up a corpse yet to be dissected, pressed it to his head, studied it for a while, then nodded. Selecting a leg bone from his pile, he began carving.

The old man worked swiftly, and soon a white bone statue appeared in his hand. Once finished, he tossed it to Raymond.

The moment Raymond infused the statue with dark energy, he realized the old man had mastered the Yin Talisman faction’s methods of creating talisman carvings and runes.

Raymond was about to speak, but the old man cut in, "This isn’t enough. I need schematics for the formation."

Before Raymond could respond, Li Mingxing volunteered, "Leave that to me. I’ll be back soon."

With that, Li Mingxing dashed out of the mysterious bar. Watching his departure, Raymond shook his head in resignation.

The old man remarked, "Looks like you’ve chosen a good disciple."

"It’s just luck. Whether he can see things through remains to be seen. Hopefully he won’t end up like me, stuck in limbo," Raymond sighed.

As they conversed, Li Mingxing returned, bringing sand and dirt to sketch the layout of the grand formation he had seen in his neighborhood.

Raymond couldn’t make much sense of the formation, but the old man studied it intently and commented, "The one who set this up is remarkable. Every aspect is considered. With such a grand formation, it truly can keep everyone in or out, as claimed."

"Besides blocking outsiders, does it have other functions?" Li Mingxing was concerned for the safety of his city.

"That’s it. Achieving even this is impressive. But its primary purpose is to gather dark energy. Soon enough, the concentration there will reach significant levels," the old man affirmed.

Hearing this, Li Mingxing ceased his questioning and instead sought to learn some Yin Talisman techniques from the old man.

Seeing Li Mingxing’s eagerness—and perhaps wanting a subject to experiment on—the old man agreed, teaching him everything he had learned from the Yin Talisman faction.

The faction’s skills boiled down to three basics: crafting talismans, using talismans, and arranging formations.

Crafting talismans came in two forms: paper talismans, where dark energy is inscribed onto paper, and wooden talismans, which require intricate carving—a skill Li Mingxing would need much more practice to master.

Using talismans was simpler. Paper talismans acted like magical scrolls, activated by infusing dark energy. Their power depended entirely on the maker’s skill. Wooden talismans, on the other hand, functioned as dark energy reservoirs. The user must have their own intent to draw out the energy within.

Arranging formations was the most complex of the three, requiring knowledge of both talisman types and mastery of dark energy manipulation, as well as understanding the interplay of formation elements—a subject beyond Li Mingxing’s grasp.

Neither the old man nor Raymond could manage this either; their grasp of Eastern principles was limited, and they could only rigidly apply diagrams they had obtained, lacking flexibility or creative ability.

Even so, Li Mingxing felt he had gained considerably. At last, he possessed an attack skill usable in the real world, no longer having to rely solely on his physical strength in battle.

After helping Li Mingxing make dozens of wooden talismans and a batch of paper talismans, the old man sent him off, keeping Raymond behind to study further.

Li Mingxing realized their aim was to transform the mysterious forest into a Dark Forest. If successful, the Light Alliance’s power would be greatly diminished. Perhaps the old man could seize this opportunity to become a hero again.

Returning to the real world, Li Mingxing naturally appeared back in his neighborhood. As soon as he arrived, he felt an overwhelming surge of dark energy—the concentration had multiplied several times since his first visit.

Li Mingxing saw Zheng Yuanyi in the center of the neighborhood, arranging the final layer of the formation, much more complex than the earlier ones. Watching for a while, Li Mingxing felt dizzy from the intricacy.

Zheng Yuanyi noticed Li Mingxing’s reaction and smiled. He had anticipated Li Mingxing would try to learn the Yin Talisman techniques from him, so he deliberately added some mental stimulants to the core formation, ensuring that just watching would leave Li Mingxing with a headache for days.

Seeing Li Mingxing’s state, Zheng Yuanyi was quite pleased, though he remained suspicious—Li Mingxing could disappear right in front of him, a fact that made the once-excited Zheng Yuanyi furrow his brows in concern.