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Chapter 132: The Heart of the Formation (Part Five)
Chapter 132: The Heart of the Formation (Part Five)
Mo Hua began to draw the Compass Mother and Child Formation on the Dao stele, starting with the formation's heart.
For a single formation, one would begin with the formation matrix and then use the heart of the formation to connect and link the independent matrixes together. However, for a composite formation, one would start with the heart and use it to coordinate and harmonize the various individual formations.
When drawing a single formation, one could pause for a moment, but their spiritual sense must remain unbroken.
If one's spiritual sense wavers, they will lose their grasp of the heavenly secrets contained within the formation, causing the formation to fail and the matrix to be rendered useless.
According to Mr. Zhuang, formation masters call this concept "accomplished in a single thought."
It means to maintain continuous spiritual focus and complete the formation in one fluid motion.
A single formation must be accomplished in a single thought, but a composite formation is different; it does not require the entirety to be completed in one go.
Otherwise, for a composite formation that contains multiple individual formations, which could amount to dozens of matrixes, it would be impossible for a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage to draw so many matrixes at once.
Composite formations are ancient creations conceived by primordial cultivators to circumvent the limitations of their spiritual sense and enhance the efficacy of their formations.
When cultivators could not increase their spiritual sense any further and were unable to comprehend more complex matrixes, they devised ways to interconnect individual formations to achieve stronger effects.
This is the essence of composite formations.
Therefore, composite formations are designed with the principles of separation and combination in mind. Within a composite formation, only the continuity of spiritual sense in the heart of the formation and each individual formation is required; it does not necessitate the entire composite formation to be accomplished in a single thought.
Mo Hua's spiritual sense projection stood before the Dao stele, using his finger as a brush to begin drawing the heart of the Compass Mother and Child Formation.
The brushstrokes for the heart of the formation differed from those of the matrixes. Since it needed to guide spiritual energy and govern the entire formation, the strokes were bolder, the structure more stable, and it required a greater amount of spiritual sense.
The Compass Mother and Child Formation incorporated the highest number of matrixes, amounting to eight, and as the heart of this composite formation, it required a comparable amount of spiritual sense to manage.
Although it fell short of nine matrixes, it demanded slightly more spiritual sense than a typical eight-matrix formation.
Mo Hua's spiritual sense was just barely sufficient to draw the heart, but it was still a strenuous task.
After completing the heart, he still needed to draw the subsequent formations, and there was no room for error or retracing his steps. Mo Hua could only meditate and wait for his spiritual sense to recover gradually.
This was Mo Hua's first time using meditation techniques within his sea of consciousness.
It was easier to enter a meditative state and calm his mind here than outside, and vaguely, he felt a sense of resonance with the Dao stele.
Within his spiritual sense, he could perceive an ancient and boundless aura of the Dao.
However, when he probed deeper, he found nothing.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, perplexed by this phenomenon.
After a moment, he stopped pondering and focused on meditating to restore his spiritual sense.
Soon, his spiritual sense was replenished, and it recovered much faster than when he meditated externally.
He wasn't sure if it was due to the nature of his sea of consciousness or the influence of the Dao stele.
With his spiritual sense rejuvenated, Mo Hua continued to work on the formation.
After completing the heart, the next step was to draw the mother formation and child formations of the compass at specific locations based on the framework provided by the heart.
The Compass Mother Formation consisted of eight matrixes and was a metal-attributed formation, following the common structure of the Five Phases formations. It wasn't particularly challenging, and after a few reviews, Mo Hua could draw it without issue.
The Compass Child Formation, on the other hand, only had three matrixes, making it even simpler. Mo Hua only needed a quick glance to understand how to draw it.
With confident strokes, Mo Hua completed the Compass Mother and Child Formation in half an hour.
The entire formation was more complex than any he had drawn before, and it exuded a sense of intricate and profound beauty.
This was the allure of composite formations...
Mo Hua stared at it in a daze, unable to tear his eyes away as he marveled at his creation.
Indeed, the more challenging formations were far more intriguing when successfully executed.
The principle behind the Compass Mother and Child Formation was the interplay between the mother and child formations. When the child formation sensed fluctuations in spiritual power, the mother formation would react.
Mo Hua's spiritual sense stirred slightly as he activated the child formation, and after a brief moment, a point on the mother formation began to glow. The glowing point corresponded precisely to the activated Compass Child Formation.
Success!
Mo Hua's spirits lifted, and his face lit up with joy, but soon, his brows furrowed again.
"It seems I'll have to ask Mr. Zhuang about these questions."
Mo Hua made up his mind and, taking advantage of the early morning hours before dawn, he continued to practice the Compass Composite Formation on the Dao stele.
The next morning, Mo Hua brought some cakes, wild fruits, drinks, and pine nuts to visit Mr. Zhuang.
Lately, Mr. Zhuang had been favoring a simpler diet, preferring vegetarian meals as he claimed it helped him maintain a "pure heart and few desires."
But wasn't the desire to eat vegetarian also a form of desire?
Mo Hua didn't quite understand, but he wisely refrained from asking.
"Have you mastered it?" Mr. Zhuang asked casually, sipping his wine.
Mo Hua nodded, "Yes!"
Mr. Zhuang's eyelids twitched slightly.
He had learned it so quickly...
It had only been one night.
"Disciple still has some questions and would like to seek guidance from Master," Mo Hua asked respectfully and obediently.
Mr. Zhuang's curiosity was piqued, "What do you want to ask?"
Mo Hua selected the most important doubts he had encountered while drawing the Compass Composite Formation the previous night and presented them to Mr. Zhuang.
Leaning back in his bamboo chair, Mr. Zhuang tapped his slender fingers on the armrest thoughtfully before asking in return, "What do you think the pivot of a formation is?"
Mo Hua pondered for a moment and replied, "Is it a structural component of the formation?"
"That's correct, but also not entirely accurate," Mr. Zhuang said.
Mo Hua was perplexed.
Mr. Zhuang explained, "The pivot of a single formation is indeed a structural element, but the pivot of a composite formation is more akin to a formation in itself."
"A formation?" Mo Hua asked.
"Indeed," Mr. Zhuang affirmed. "You can think of it as a special type of formation that possesses a specific directional and functional structure."
Mo Hua pondered this new information and slowly nodded, then asked, "I understand the concept of direction, but what specific effects does the pivot of a formation entail?"
"The pivot of a formation is the linchpin of a composite formation," Mr. Zhuang elaborated. "It can control the spiritual energy within the formation, connect different individual formations, and coordinate all the formation patterns. Its specific effects vary, but the most common ones include controlling the opening and closing of spiritual energy, establishing sequence, repulsion, augmentation or suppression, and aggregation or dispersion."
Mo Hua's head spun with all the information, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but smile at his expression, "To put it simply, the pivot of a formation controls the sequence of spiritual energy flow within the composite formation, its activation and cessation, attraction or repulsion, augmentation or suppression, and concentration or dispersion."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he understood, and he continued, "Just like the Compass Mother and Child Formation, it utilizes the magnetic properties of the metal-attributed spiritual energy, so when the child formation is activated, the mother formation responds accordingly..."
An idea struck Mo Hua, and his eyes sparkled with excitement, "When I repaired Mr. Feng's alchemy furnace, the formation inside was a Wood-Fire Control Spirit Composite Formation. Wood generates Fire, and by using a wood-attributed individual formation to amplify the fire-attributed one, would this be considered 'augmentation' in the 'augmentation or suppression' effect of the pivot of a formation?"
Mr. Zhuang nodded approvingly.
Mo Hua thought for a moment but couldn't come up with any more questions, as he hadn't encountered any other composite formations.
Frowning slightly, he paused for a moment before remembering another question, "Master, what about grand formations?"
Mr. Zhuang's eyes sharpened, and his expression turned solemn, "Do you wish to learn about grand formations...?"
Mo Hua's confusion grew, "Can't I learn about grand formations?"
Mr. Zhuang paused, then laughed softly as he raised his eyebrows, "Of course, they are all formations, and there's no reason why you can't learn about them."
Mo Hua's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Mr. Zhuang gently tapped Mo Hua's forehead, "Don't be overly ambitious. Focus on mastering what's in front of you first; grand formations can wait."
"Oh," Mo Hua said, rubbing his head.
"Go on, study hard," Mr. Zhuang said gently, waving his sleeve lightly.
"Yes! Master, please rest well. Disciple bids farewell," Mo Hua nodded and bowed respectfully before leaving the bamboo room under Mr. Zhuang's watchful gaze.
(End of Chapter)
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