In truth, Jiang Chen had nearly been swayed by the offensive potential of the [Wood Spike Volley Array] or the retaliatory nature of the [Thorn Reflection Array].

The former could instantaneously manifest razor-sharp wooden stakes, which, if ignited with Fire Qi, would possess terrifying destructive power. The latter reflected a portion of incoming damage back at the attacker. When paired with his [Ironwood Armor], which also possessed reflective properties, the stacking effect could have been nasty.

On paper, both options seemed like excellent investments.

But after a moment of cold, pragmatic calculation, Jiang Chen dismissed them. They were unnecessary.

Both advanced arrays came with significant tactical drawbacks. One required precise distance management to be effective; the other necessitated getting hit in close-quarters combat.

Why bother? It was far more cost-effective to buy damaged, bargain-bin spell manuals and restore them to perfection using his cheat. Furthermore, his Sect Contribution Points had already surpassed 1,600. With just one or two more missions, he would secure a high-tier cultivation technique or spell before the year was out.

Therefore, he settled on the passive, automated safety of the [Green Wood Body Protection Array].

There was, after all, a certain golden rule of survival he held dear:

Since I’m terrified of pain, I’ll just put all my points into defense.

Jiang Chen tossed the [Jade Green Gourd] through the air.

Tie Xin caught it effortlessly. From her storage pouch, she produced a carving knife. It was miniscule, etched with faint spirit patterns that marked it as a specialized Spirit Tool.

Without ceremony, she began to carve. The blade danced along the gourd’s existing spirit lines, etching the new formation structure directly into the material.

It was delicate, high-stakes work requiring absolute focus. Jiang Chen watched, a frown creasing his brow.

“You’re drunk,” he pointed out. “Your hands aren’t going to shake, are they?”

Tie Xin paused and rolled her eyes, flashing him a look of genuine indignation. “You can question this lady’s liver capacity, but you do not question her professionalism.”

Jiang Chen offered a sheepish, placating smile and wisely shut his mouth.

He decided to provide the quietest environment possible. If his nagging caused a slip of the hand, he’d be the one crying over a ruined Spirit Tool. This was his baby, after all.

Time ticked by in agonizing silence.

Half an hour later, a complex, intricate geometric pattern emerged on the surface of the [Jade Green Gourd]. It resembled the concentric growth rings of an ancient tree, natural yet precise.

Tie Xin didn’t stop. She reached into her pouch and pulled out the second component.

It looked like a jagged crystal of crystallized sap, glowing with a deep, verdant hue. As someone with a Wood Spirit Root, Jiang Chen could feel the dense, vibrant Qi pulsing from it.

“[Green Wood Heart],” Tie Xin explained, not bothering to look up. “Once embedded in the array’s eye, it will resonate with the gourd’s material.”

Jiang Chen nodded. He knew of it. It was an expensive catalyst—buying one on the open market would cost at least thirty mid-grade spirit stones.

The installation process for the heart was far more tedious than the carving itself. Jiang Chen had assumed she would just pop it in like a gemstone, but it took another full stick of incense to complete the fusion.

When she finally finished, the [Jade Green Gourd] had transformed.

The [Green Wood Body Protection Array] was compact, its lines guided and merged seamlessly into the gourd’s original enchantments. The [Green Wood Heart] sat at the epicenter of the spirit lines, throbbing with a faint light.

“It works on a trigger,” Tie Xin said, wiping her brow. “As long as there are spirit stones inside the gourd, or you inject your own Qi, the array remains on standby. Unless the Heart itself shatters, the defense won’t fail.”

“What about the damage threshold?” Jiang Chen asked.

Tie Xin tapped her chin. “Against someone at your current cultivation level… if they have a Metal Spirit Root, it holds for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Against Fire, an incense stick. As for Earth…”

She didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, she suddenly hurled the [Jade Green Gourd] back at him.

Jiang Chen caught it reflexively.

Rumble.

The ambient Earth Qi spiked violently.

Pfft!

The ground between them split open. A yellow earthen spike, sharp as a spear tip, shot upward like a bamboo shoot breaking spring soil, thrusting viciously toward Jiang Chen’s chest.

He didn’t have time to dodge.

A layer of cyan light rippled across the gourd’s surface. The [Green Wood Body Protection Array] triggered instantly.

A thick, square slab of spectral green wood materialized in thin air before him.

THUMP.

The earth spike collided with the barrier. The heavy wood trembled, absorbing the kinetic force, but the spike failed to penetrate. It crumbled into dust.

Tie Xin wasn’t done. She stomped her right foot, channeling a surge of Qi into the soil.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three more spikes erupted around Jiang Chen—from the rear, the left, and the right. Combined with the first attack, every angle except directly above and below was covered.

Yet, Jiang Chen remained untouched.

The moment the hostile Qi approached, the gourd buzzed. Layer upon layer of square wooden shields flashed into existence, boxing him in and intercepting every attack with a dull, reassuring thud.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, impressed. “That is some sturdy defense.”

“It’s a High-level array,” Tie Xin said, a smug look on her face. “Size doesn’t matter. As long as the Core remains intact, you’re safe.”

“And if I run into a Golden Core cultivator?” Jiang Chen asked, his mind always jumping to the worst-case scenario.

Tie Xin curled her lip. “Then you wait for death.”

She shrugged. “Fighting across realms isn’t impossible, but it requires a perfect storm of factors. In reality? A Golden Core fighting a Foundation Establishment cultivator is simple physics. It’s a human stepping on an ant. Absolute suppression.”

Jiang Chen nodded. He was satisfied.

The array ensured he wouldn’t be passive against peers. As for higher realms… well, if he offended a Golden Core expert, he deserved to die for his lack of caution anyway.

Tie Xin lifted her chin, extending a hand. “One hundred and sixty mid-grade spirit stones. No bargaining.”

Jiang Chen wasn’t one to pinch pennies on life-saving measures. He immediately produced the spirit stones and the jar of [Golden Wine], handing them over.

Tie Xin’s eyes lit up at the sight of the wine, her face blooming with pure, unadulterated joy. “Finally. Mama needs a drink.”

She reached for the seal.

“Hey!” Jiang Chen barked.

Tie Xin froze, baring her teeth like a dog guarding its food bowl. “What?”

Jiang Chen took a cautious step back. “It’s late. Go back to the Earth Vein before you start drinking. If you pass out here, you’ll be sleeping outside again.”

Tie Xin frowned, wrestling with the desire to drink immediately versus the logic of his words.

It was autumn. The night air was heavy with a damp chill that was particularly harsh on Earth Spirit Root cultivators. Sleeping in the dirt wasn’t as forgiving as it was in spring or summer.

With a groan of agony, she lowered the [Golden Wine] and swapped it for her open jar of [Spirit Wine].

“Fine,” she grumbled. She took a swig of the lesser wine and stumbled toward her vehicle. “Back to the 38th layer I go. Then I can drink until I drown.”

Jiang Chen stood at the door of his wooden hut, watching her go.

Tie Xin climbed into her scarred, ink-colored flying shuttle. The engine whined, and the vessel drifted upward, swerving erratically toward the Earth Vein.

It didn’t make it far.

Bang!

The shuttle plummeted, dropping like a stone.

A moment later, it wobbled back into the air, engines sputtering. It flew another hundred meters before—Bang!—it dropped again.

Up, down. Up, down. The flight path looked like the heartbeat of a dying man.

Jiang Chen watched the mechanical struggle with a pained expression, shaking his head.

“That poor shuttle,” he muttered. “It is suffering trauma far beyond what it should have to endure at its age.”