Chapter 19: The Earth-stabilizing Array
Chapter 19: The Earth-stabilizing Array
The deposit for the Earth-stabilizing Array was twenty spirit stones. Mo Hua took out ten spirit stones from his previous earnings and handed them to the plump steward, receiving the array diagram and ten sets of paper and ink materials. The deadline was twenty days.
After leaving the shop, Mo Hua went to the cake shop and spent two spirit stones on ten colorful cakes. He then returned straight to the sect and shared the cakes with Dahuhu and the others.
The food at the sect was not particularly good, and the three of them often craved delicacies, but they didn't have access to any treats.
Mo Hua's purchase of the cakes was meant to satisfy their cravings.
A few evenings later, after finishing his classes for the day, Mo Hua was in his disciple's residence, engrossed in studying the Earth-stabilizing Array, when he heard a knock on the door.
As soon as Mo Hua opened the door, he saw Shuanghu standing there, looking rather sneaky.
Shuanghu secretly handed Mo Hua an oiled paper package and whispered, "This is specially for you. Don't tell anyone else."
After looking around cautiously, he ran off like a thief.
The disciple's residence, provided by Tongxian Gate for its disciples, was a dormitory with two people to a room. The rooms were not spacious, each containing two simple wooden beds and two somewhat shabby wooden tables—just enough for the disciples' daily living.
There were also more luxurious and comfortable disciple residences within Tongxian Gate, but they required additional spirit stones to rent.
Mo Hua originally had a roommate who was from the same sect, but he had dropped out this year, not because he couldn't afford the tuition fees, but simply because he found the cultivation practice boring and lost interest in studying. So now, Mo Hua had the room to himself.
Mo Hua closed the door and opened the still-warm oiled paper, finding a freshly roasted chicken leg inside.
The chicken leg was the size of a fist, steaming hot, and slightly charred. It exuded a tempting aroma, and faint spiritual energy could be seen rising from its surface.
It was the meat of a spiritual beast.
"This... it wasn't stolen, was it...?"
With the spiritual energy it contained, it was something that Shuanghu and the others could never afford. And seeing the sneaky way Shuanghu had acted, it could only have been stolen.
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, then took a bite. It had a slightly burnt taste, but also a savory aroma. However, it wasn't cooked through, and it lacked seasoning, resulting in a rather bland flavor.
Cooking in the cultivation world was a delicate art. Without proper training, it was difficult to create delicious meals.
The ingredients used in the cultivation world were often challenging to prepare. For example, meat tended to be very tough, and some types of meat, like that of grass-eating Demon Beasts, would not soften no matter how long they were cooked unless a large amount of spiritual energy was used to fuel the flames or for prolonged steaming.
While the meat of spiritual beasts was more tender, it still required careful cooking techniques.
In addition to meat, other vegetables and fruits also carried varying amounts of spiritual energy, which, when mixed with the natural flavors of the ingredients, could create odd tastes if not properly balanced.
The chicken leg in Mo Hua's hand was simply roasted, probably done quickly over a small fire to avoid detection. As a result, it wasn't particularly tasty.
But after over a month without meat, Mo Hua wasn't in a position to be picky. He was just happy to have something to eat.
Mo Hua finished the chicken leg with some effort, then lit a fire to burn the oiled paper, disposing of the bone in a small stream outside, thus destroying all the evidence.
After his meal, Mo Hua spent some time refining the spiritual energy contained in the chicken meat before returning to his study of the array.
Sure enough, a couple of days later, Mo Hua heard that several disciples in the Qi Refining stage had stolen a golden pheasant that belonged to one of the elders. They plucked its feathers and roasted it to eat.
The elder was furious and managed to catch the culprits, punishing them severely.
A couple of days after that, Mo Hua saw Dahuhu, Xiaohu, and Laohu, their faces bruised and swollen, with two large bumps on their heads.
Since they all lived in Tongxuan Peak, the elder could easily trace the theft back to them. They couldn't escape punishment.
However, the three of them only looked miserable; most of their injuries were superficial. The elder wouldn't have truly harmed them.
It was likely a light punishment to serve as a warning to the other disciples.
Dahuhu, Xiaohu, and Laohu looked pitiful, but they held their heads high and even seemed a bit proud. After all, not just any disciple could steal a chicken from under an elder's nose.
When they saw Mo Hua, they pretended not to know him, and Xiaohu even secretly signaled for Mo Hua to act like he didn't recognize them either.
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. He thought to himself that during the next break, he would buy more cakes for them to cheer them up.
There were still seven days until the next break, and thirteen days had already passed since Mo Hua had received the array materials from the plump steward. However, his understanding of the Earth-stabilizing Array was not progressing smoothly.
Mo Hua found it relatively easy to draw the array formations, but when he practiced on the stone tablet, he consumed significantly more spiritual sense, and mistakes were more frequent.
Either the array formations would fail to combine into an actual array, or the formations he drew were simply ineffective, unable to conduct spiritual power.
After ten days of fruitless experimentation, Mo Hua was still clueless. Sometimes he thought he understood, but as soon as he put brush to paper, he would make a mistake.
Finally, with no other options, Mo Hua decided to seek guidance from Yan Jiaoxi.
One day, after Yan Jiaoxi finished teaching a class, he was packing up the books on his desk while the disciples left in small groups.
Mo Hua approached him with several basic earth-style array formations in hand and respectfully asked, "Teacher, I'm afraid I don't quite understand these earth-style array formations. May I seek your guidance?"
Yan Jiaoxi examined the array formations that Mo Hua presented and said, "These are basic five-element array formations, specifically earth-style ones, and they are quite standardized and widely used. They shouldn't be too difficult for you. If you're having trouble drawing them, just practice more."
The earth-style array formations taught by the sect were indeed basic, and Mo Hua had no trouble with them. However, he wanted to ask about something else.
Mo Hua took out several earth-style array formations from the Earth-Stabilizing Array and said, "I came across these array formations by chance, and I noticed they are somewhat different from the ones in our textbooks, but I can't quite pinpoint the difference. Moreover, I tend to make mistakes when drawing them. I'm not sure what the problem is."
Yan Jiaoxi looked at them and was slightly surprised. "These are modified five-element array formations. They are different from the ones formally taught by the sect, and they are neither standardized nor widely used. To draw these array formations, you need to change your brushstrokes and the order in which you draw them. Basically, you need to modify the order of these few strokes..."
Yan Jiaoxi took a piece of paper and quickly sketched out a few array formations while explaining.
Mo Hua finally understood after hearing this.
Drawing array formations was somewhat similar to calligraphy. Apart from the standardized formations, there were also distinctive formations that varied slightly in brushstrokes.
These modified array formations were numerous and couldn't be easily categorized, which was why the sect only taught the standardized ones.
"No wonder they say that the art of arrays is profound and intricate," Mo Hua thought to himself. "There are so many pitfalls along the way. If I hadn't asked Teacher, I would never have figured this out even with two brains."
"Now, if you want to link these array formations together to form an array, like this one, for example..."
Mo Hua took out the array diagram of the Earth-Stabilizing Array.
Yan Jiaoxi glanced at it and immediately recognized it. "This is the Earth-Stabilizing Array," he said, surprised. "But it's too advanced for you right now. You shouldn't be trying to understand this yet."
"I'm just curious and want to clarify my doubts," Mo Hua said earnestly.
"Well, that's true. It's good that you're eager to learn," Yan Jiaoxi said, his spirits lifting. He usually only taught basic array formations, which could get monotonous. Now, he finally had the opportunity to discuss a more substantial array, and his enthusiasm was evident.
"Array formations are created by combining and linking multiple array formations together," he explained. "Simple arrays consist of fewer and simpler array formations. As the complexity of an array increases, it incorporates more array formations, and the sequence, spatial arrangement, and linkage of various formations become more intricate and exquisite. The Earth-Stabilizing Array comprises four array formations, which must be drawn in a fixed order and direction. As for the remaining 'Heaven' and 'Earth' positions..."
Yan Jiaoxi lectured with great interest, and Mo Hua listened intently. Even after finishing, Yan Jiaoxi seemed reluctant to stop and added a word of caution. "The path of arrays is profound and vast. It's good that you're learning about it in advance. What the sect teaches is merely the basics of the basics and doesn't even count as the beginning. If you want to become a true master of arrays, the challenges and dedication required are beyond your imagination..."
He paused for a moment and continued, "At the same time, you must not aim too high and try to draw arrays that are beyond your current abilities. It's fine to look at them, but if you actually attempt to draw them without the necessary skills, you may easily exhaust your spiritual sense. Always remember this!"
Mo Hua bowed and said, "I understand, Teacher."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
