Bai li yue stretched her aching muscles and shook the dew from her clothes. She felt refreshed, ready to face the day head on. 

Grand elder mu was watching her with a displeased look. She'd noticed that the energy was lacking. The girl smiled at her not even bothering to hide it.

'Little ancestor, what is the meaning of this?'

'I got back late yesterday. I decided to borrow it since i have a lot of work to do today. You'll let it go, won't you?'

'You- i'm not paying any spirit stones just so you know.'

' What are you using it for? It's just gathering dust. You should be giving it to a young person like me who needs it more.'

'Little ancestor-'

' are you so frustrated that you can't even talk? Your breakthrough is not going to happened in here. Trust me.' 

' you!' 

Bai li yue stopped teasing the woman. If she went any further, she was afraid, the woman might lose her mind and outright attack her.

'Ok, i was just teasing you a bit. Don't be angry.'

Grand elder mu was pacified by the appeal. Her eyes were still screaming murder.

'If you don't calm down, you'll regret it.'

She only scoffed.

'I'm serious, you'll really regret it.'

' little girl, who doesn't know mount Tai, do you think that i wont strike you where you stand? Do you think you can disrespect me because i call you little ancestor?'

Bai li yue sighed. She had gone too far. Her plan to rile her up in order get some benefit had been derailed by her unruly tongue.

'I admit that i went too far. I apologise to grand elder, but i really was having some fun before i gave you the gift i prepared.'

'Gift? Gift? What gift?'

Bai li yue chuckled at grand elder mu's sudden change of tone. If anything was guaranteed to work, it was the mention of benefits. The ominous atmosphere had vanished in a flash.  

'Follow me.'

Grand elder mu was still miffed, but her curiosity was stronger. She hesitated for only a second before following bai li yue out of the courtyard. 

They were walking out of the sect when she asked the question burning on her tongue.

'Where are we going?'

'You want to break through, don't you?'

Bai li yue's answer was a non answer, but it caused her to speed up. 

They arrived as day was breaking in an area of the forest where bai li yue had spent the better part of the week. The place was quiet, too quiet, as if nature was holding its breath.

' where are we?'

' grand elder mu, can i ask you a question?'

She went ahead to ask, not waiting for permission.

'You were certain that teacher chu built the array in my courtyard. Why didn't you think that i was the one who built it?'

' You?'

Grand elder mu chuckled. The little ancestor had a lot to learn about the world.

'Little ancestor, you overestimate yourself. Do you know what kind of people formation masters are? They are part of the most respected group of people in the whole thousand auroras world while you are just what? a level two initiate? Don't joke around.'

'Actually, I'm a level eight initiate.'

'Hm? Really? Are you sure? Your aura reads like a level two initiate. Anyway, that's beside the point. Formation masters spend decades in training. They are kings by the time they become masters. There is no way you, an initiate, are an array master. Do you understand now?'

'I see.'

Bai li yue didn't know what to make of what she's just heard. Grand elder Mu couldn't believe that a young person like her could cast an array. 

The mistake was entirely grand elder Mu's fault, but it gave her some protection. She enjoyed being underestimated. 

' now that you understand, tell me quickly why we are here?

Grand elder Mu snapped her fingers at her. Bai li yue stopped her reverie and focused on the jib at hand.

' sit down and adjust your condition. I have work to do before we'll be ready to start.'

Bai li yue walked to the different arrays and checked if the array were working correctly. She had left them to gather spirit energy over a period of 3 three days. Combined with the amplification array, there will be more than enough to achieve the breakthrough.

Once she was done, she found a spot equidistant from the other five arrays. She had given her plan more thought. Breaking through to the sage realm was a big deal, especially for their small sect. It was bound to affect the spirit energy in the surroundings and attract curious looks from the purple wind sect situated on the other side of the immortal bamboo forest which separated the two sects. 

The Purple sect was the most aggressive of the new sects. It didn't make any secret of the fact that it was eyeing the thousand bamboo immortal sect. They had moved their headquarters to be the first to arrive when the immortal sect finally breathed its last. They were bound to show up and cause trouble if they sensed anything.

She took a deep breath and started to put measures into place for when people came sniffing around. She placed a cloaking array over the large area and quickly cast the containment array. She spared a look at the grand elder to see her following her instructions to the letter. 

She doesn't even believe i'm a formations master, but she is willing to obey my instructions. She must be very desperate.

The array wobbled during the moment of inattention. She gritted her teeth and concentrated on stabilising it. If it collapsed she'd have restart everything all over again. That couldn't happen on her watch. She poured her energy into it and succeeded after a short fight. 

The array settled on the ground and disappeared when she was certain it was working. She didn't want to repeat her former mistake of leakage due overlap so she went over everything with a fine comb. There were too many arrays so overlap was still an issue. 

She'd tied her hair into a bun when it became a nuisance and took a sip of water before trudging back to grand elder mu's side. The woman opened her eyes upon feeling Bai li yue's presence. 

'Are you ready to begin?'

'Are you going to tell me what we are doing here?'

'Teacher chu considered your situation. He made plans for you in secret before he left. Let's go.'

Bai li yue made her way to the centre of the containment array. It wasn't linked yet to the rest of the network. At the moment, it was just empty space.

'Stand here.' She pointed at the centre of where the array would go. 

'I'll be controlling the array outside, so you'll be on your own. Once you begin your breakthrough, it will certainly draw attention. There are measures in place, but you won't have to worry if they work well. But still, work fast. Take this.'

It was a small stone. Grand elder Mu turned it in her hand, staring at it with curiosity. Bai li yue answered the unasked question.

' this is the key. Crush it and you should be able to get out when you're done.'

She took one last look at grand elder mu and silently wished her luck.

' wait for my signal before you begin.'

She walked away from the woman and watched her for a few seconds. If everything went according to plan, the thousand bamboo immortal sect would have a sage watching its back. The purple wind sect and its cohorts will then become tame wolves before a dragon.

Bai li yue studied her hands. They would be the stars of today's show. She muttered a prayer in the wind as her hands formed the first runes of the linking array. 

The key was speed. Her hands formed different runes and circles in quick succession. 

The rune for direction appeared, followed by stability. It exploded into a thousands tiny runes and rushed to join up to the primary arrays in the network. 

The runes flowed into a new circle containing  the strengthening rune she had previously experimented with. It was simple but effective. 

From this moment on, timing was the key. All the arrays had to form in less than a minute of each other with the last array sealing everything.

If it worked, those who came to check the sudden appearance of overwhelming spirit energy, will find nothing. All traces would be erased before they reached the area.

The isolation array was in the process of forming. She gritted her teeth and changed the hand signs. A small circle appeared.

Not big enough. 

More!

A little bit more.

The circle was the last part of her plan. It was the final measure to cut off the disturbance from the outside. 

She channeled her spirit energy into the large circle.

Still not big enough.

More! Aarghh!

She pushed what remained of her spirit energy into the array. Her right hand had already started creating the final rune.

Prison.

She had found the complex rune while reviewing barrier arrays. The cloaking array was able to cloud the senses but if a person was intent on entering, it was powerless to stop them.

A large rune was forming out of thin air over their heads.

The circle was slowly reaching the limit of her capability.

'Now!' 

She gave the order and slammed the isolation array down a moment after the strengthening array spun into motion. A powerful energy wave hit her, flinging her backwards violently onto the ground. 

'Ouch!' She looked at where the isolation array was vanishing with Grand elder Mu in it. The area around her returned to its previous tranquility. 

'Looks like it worked.'

She muttered in relief. 

''hgnnh!'

She groaned in pain. Her dantian was empty. The last array had leeched all of the spirit energy from her. She didn't have the energy to even stand. That was how weak she was. She dragged her body into a nearby grove and lay in a bed of fallen leaves. 

I'll just rest my eyes for a while. Just a few hours of sleep and i will be as right as rain.

She thought as her eyeslid drooped and darkness took her into the nothingness.