Artisan Palace

Concealment arrays were often considered the most versatile among basic arrays due to the fact that what was to be concealed was decided by the array master at the time of construction. Unlike a sealing array, which focused on imprisoning a target, or a suppression array which focused on weakening a target, a concealment array had no overt effect on whatever it was applied to. A concealment array didn't reduce the presence or size of an entity, it instead blocked aspects of perception from the outside. 

For this case, Shui decided to make the concealment array block others from seeing the hills. Although the protection array in place was a good one, it was better to avoid all fights that could be avoided. Furthermore, although it would be useless against Shui, since there were no landmarks nearby it would hard even for those who knew of the hills' location to find it.

As there was a chance that Artisan Palace would move in the future, Shui decided to create array flags instead of fixing the array to this point. He chose adamantine as the core material due to its sensory-restricting properties, but intended on getting back the same volume of adamantine from the crafters afterwards. Although he was invested in this project, his adamantine reserves weren't very large so they had to be replenished.

Shui selected a few pieces that he had taken from the qilin's cave, and shaped them into eight, three feet long rods, each with the thickness of a finger. Using the Four Elements Technique, any material was like clay in Shui's hand so it didn't take very long to shape them. The other crafters were already in awe as they could tell that he was using adamantine, which was an extremely hard metal, but this was only the beginning of Shui's artistic display.

Once the rods were made, he sent them to equidistant points surrounding the hills and buried them deep enough so that they couldn't be seen at ground-level. Before he could begin drawing the concealment array, Shui had to ensure that it was in tune with the other arrays, but prior to giving the instruction, he sensed the arrays deactivate and was able to get a deep look into their foundations. With a nod of approval, Shui created a suitable mixture of evolved beast blood and mutated flora sap to use draw the array.

Although Shui usually laid arrays without array flags, it was common to use them in practical settings as they reduced the time and effort required to make arrays, in addition to providing a method of translocating an array. Once the rods were embedded, the array was drawn by connecting the rods one by one until the shape of the array was complete. Right as the concealment array was done, Shui moved on to the next array.

There was already an spirit gathering array in place, but to prevent the area from drawing attention, it could only support the passive activation of the arrays present, so Shui planned to improve it. The spirit gathering array was only at tier 3, but upgrading the array wasn't very difficult with the right process. It would be a different matter entirely if he was trying to change a spirit gathering array into a divine gathering array, despite them both being energy gathering arrays, but that wasn't the case here.

The basic arrays increased in complexity with every tier, but every lower tier version was a component of all higher tier versions. The original materials were a bit insufficient, but with his knowledge of the five elements and his insights from witnessing the qilin's miracle, Shui was able to add a few ingredients to draw out more energy from nature and amplify the array's effect.

By the time the spirit gathering array was upgraded, the sky had darkened considerably but none of the crafters moved from the site. Some time before that, the other cultivators who had been frozen, also woke up and left the cave. When they saw the crafters standing behind Shui as he worked, they tried to ask them what had happened, but all they received was a hateful glare for their efforts so they stood back and didn't interfere.

After the spirit gathering array, Shui rested for an hour before adding a new type of array. For the rare case in which an enemy had broken through the outer arrays or had managed to slip through them like Shui, Shui decided to add a bewildering array which was a type of illusion array. A bewildering array confused the senses and severely limited directional awareness. Spiritual sense would also be ineffective so unless one had a special means of detection like the Sage God Eyes, it would be nigh impossible to move as intended except for those allowed by the array.

For this array, Shui used volatile liquid made from creatures with spiritual abilities. As some of the liquid would evaporate once it made contact with the air, he had to move quickly to complete the array. He forgot to warn those nearby about the gas, but they were all knowledgeable about various types of materials so they were able to recognize the gas' properties. Well, most of them but the gas only knocked out the rest.

Once Shui had completed the bewildering array, a mystical fog covered the hills. Even without the concealment array, it would only be possible to see the outlines of the hilly area from outside. From the entrance of the cave, there was a better view, but the environment was still hardly visible. However, as they looked at Shui, who turned to face them, there was only admiration in their eyes. Although only some of them understood the art of arrays, Shui's steady focus was something they appreciated. In total, Shui had worked for close to twenty hours, which was a feat that they could all mimic, but they doubted whether they would be able to do as much as he did in that time. Especially not while only using mental control and spiritual sense.

For Shui, using mental control to draw arrays only came with an additional burden, but for any other tier 4 array master it would be difficult to complete even a tier 3 array with this method. While soul strength was a factor, by directly using the soul to draw an array, a deeper understanding of the natural laws and the fundamentals of arrays was necessary. This was because to draw arrays with mental control, one must not only understand the surface, but also what lies beneath.

Shui didn't comment on their admiring gazes as he handed Rufus the array controller he made for the bewildering array so that he could freely add and remove who would be stopped by the mist.

"You should be able to handle the rest yourselves, but I figured it would be easier if you had this beforehand."

"We are honoured to receive your favour! It will certainly not be forgotten."

In synchronization with Rufus, the crafters gave Shui sincere bows of respect. Rufus was now more certain that Shui couldn't be as young as he appeared since the art of arrays wasn't one that could be understood without rigorous time and study. 

"Just ensure that you don't forget what you promised me. I know that you have a lot of reorganization to do so I'll leave for now, but come find me in Silver City when you're done."

"Very well. We had already lain the groundwork so it shouldn't be long before the Artisan Palace is in operation."

"That's good to hear. I'll look forward to it then."