Chapter 197: Brilliance (Five Watches)
Chapter 197: Brilliance (Five Watches)
Mo Hua understood.
A tree that stands out will inevitably be battered by the wind.
He had been debating whether or not to bother with the appraisal, but now that Mister Zhuang had advised against it, he decided to put it off for the time being.
Mister Zhuang was experienced and well-traveled; if he suggested that Mo Hua shouldn't rush the appraisal, then the timing was probably not right at the moment.
As a freelance cultivator with relatively low cultivation, drawing too much attention to himself by going to the Dao Court for an appraisal might not be a wise move.
For an array master, their skill in array formation was the foundation of everything. As long as he focused on studying arrays, everything else would fall into place in due time. There was no need to rush.
Mister Zhuang saw the comprehension in Mo Hua's eyes and nodded inwardly.
Indeed, this young man had a good temperament. Not all array masters at his age could remain so dedicated and single-minded, devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the study of arrays.
Moreover, he was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining. If he were to undergo the appraisal and succeed, how would the elderly array masters, who had dedicated their lives to the craft, feel about it? Exceptional talent often invited jealousy.
Mister Zhuang sighed inwardly and suggested, "How about going for the appraisal when you reach the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refining?"
"Yes, Mister," Mo Hua nodded.
After bidding Mister Zhuang farewell, Mo Hua dedicated all his attention to arrays. He solidified his foundation, studied various array formations, contemplated their intricacies, and practiced tirelessly.
As Mister Zhuang had advised, he needed to "settle and consolidate" his knowledge.
Currently, Mo Hua's most important task was to draw the composite array on the pill furnace.
The First-Rank Molten Fire Spirit-Controlling Composite Array was intricate, encompassing two First-Rank arrays and several other types of arrays, along with a special array core that regulated the spiritual power of the formation.
Mo Hua had to integrate all these components into a single composite array while also ensuring it matched the internal structure of the large pill furnace, a task that was exceedingly challenging.
At the midnight hour, within the ethereal sea of consciousness, an ancient and profound Daoist stele emerged.
Mo Hua began to study the composite array on the stele.
The most difficult part of this composite array was the array core.
Due to the need to accommodate two First-Rank arrays, the array core required a higher level of spiritual sense intensity. Moreover, its function was unique, involving the opening, closing, and control of spiritual power—a type of array core that Mo Hua had not encountered before.
The array cores in the composite arrays he had drawn before only served to link single arrays, so they were relatively simple. Now that the function had become more complex, the structure of the array core naturally became more difficult as well.
Mo Hua started to draw the array core on the Daoist stele.
The first two attempts failed because his spiritual sense was insufficient, preventing him from completing the array core.
Mo Hua sighed.
Spiritual sense always presented the first hurdle. If one's spiritual sense wasn't strong enough, it would be impossible to draw arrays no matter what.
Mo Hua could only resort to his previous method: erase the array core, recover his spiritual sense, and then start drawing again.
Mo Hua drew the array core over and over, familiarizing himself with its structure while also enhancing his spiritual sense through practice against the Daoist stele and the array formations.
By now, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was sufficient to support his study of most First-Rank arrays and a majority of simple composite arrays.
It had been a long time since he had encountered a situation like this, where he could clearly sense the inadequacy of his spiritual sense and needed to continually practice and strengthen it using the Daoist stele.
Mo Hua even felt a bit nostalgic about it.
He kept Mister Zhuang's words in mind: as long as he kept drawing and drawing, he would always make progress in arrays and eventually master them.
It was the simplest principle, yet the hardest to carry out.
Mo Hua calmed his mind, focused his attention, and began to practice the array core of the First-Rank Molten Fire Spirit-Controlling Composite Array again and again.
When he made a mistake, he would erase it and draw it again. If his spiritual sense was insufficient to complete it, he would erase it once more and start over.
The night passed in this manner, and while Mo Hua gained a deeper understanding, he had not yet fully grasped the array core.
However, Mo Hua was not anxious. When one couldn't achieve success in one go, one had to display tenacity like a dripping stone eventually penetrating stone—persevering without arrogance or impatience.
Moreover, in his future studies of array formations, Mo Hua knew he would encounter many obstacles, and the First-Rank Molten Fire Composite Array was just one of them. If he backed down now, he would develop a habit of giving up.
Seeing that Mo Hua would need more time to master the array, Elder Yu began the second phase of constructing the Pill Refinery.
The refinery was built adjacent to the Artifact Forge, with a similar architectural style and layout. With the experience gained from constructing the forge, the refinery was built much faster, and the allocation of manpower and resources was more efficient.
As for the array formation, it could wait until Mo Hua had the time to fill it in later.
Meanwhile, at the Qian Family...
Qian Dashan had inscribed the First-Rank Molten Fire Array on all three of the First-Rank Artifact Furnaces.
As soon as he finished inscribing the array and put down his brush, Qian Hong immediately ordered his men to send the furnaces to the Qian Family's Artifact Forge and instructed his disciples to supervise the forge's artisans, telling them to work day and night to craft spiritual artifacts.
He had to forge and stockpile a large number of standard spiritual artifacts before the demon hunters' forge became operational, thus gaining an advantage over Elder Yu in the upcoming competition.
The Qian Family's artisans hammered away at the refined iron, refining spiritual artifacts day and night, their bodies glistening with sweat.
One by one, the spiritual artifact embryos were tossed into the furnaces, heated to a bright red, and then retrieved. The artisans skillfully forged and shaped them using special techniques before allowing them to cool and polishing them, resulting in perfectly crafted spiritual artifacts that were then neatly arranged in the courtyard.
The artisans worked tirelessly, their bodies drenched in sweat, and Qian Hong watched with great satisfaction.
With these three First-Rank Artifact Furnaces inscribed with the First-Rank Molten Fire Array, coupled with the artisans' relentless labor, the output of spiritual artifacts was considerable.
Even when Elder Yu's Artifact Forge was completed, he wouldn't be able to compete with the Qian Family.
Moreover, those demon hunters might not even be able to afford a First-Rank Artifact Furnace, and even if they did, they wouldn't possess a First-Rank Molten Fire Array.
The Artifact Furnace was the heart of an Artifact Forge, and without a comparable furnace, they would have no leverage in the competition and could only slowly decline.
The Qian Family's Artifact Forge was bustling with activity, but the artisans were exhausted.
Among these artisans, a small minority were distant relatives of the Qian Family, but most were ordinary loose cultivators hired by the family.
These loose cultivators had learned the art of artifact crafting but couldn't afford their own Artifact Furnaces or establish their own forges, so they had no choice but to work for the Qian Family, earning a meager living under their roof.
However, this livelihood came at a cost of great hardship.
One of the supervisors approached Qian Hong and suggested, "The weather is scorching, and the heat from the furnaces is unbearable. The artisans are exhausted and overworked. Perhaps we should let them rest for a while?"
Qian Hong remained unmoved.
The supervisor persisted, "Please reconsider, Master Qian."
Qian Hong shot him a cold glance, "If they don't work hard, how can our Qian Family prosper? If they don't endure hardship, should we bear the burden instead? Our family's current status is built upon their sweat and toil."
The supervisor fell silent for a moment before voicing his concern, "I fear they may harbor resentment and become difficult to manage."
"It doesn't matter," Qian Hong replied nonchalantly, "Pass on my message: the artisan who crafts the most spiritual artifacts this month will receive an additional reward of 300 spirit stones. They will work themselves to the bone for this reward, and even if they suffer, it will be of their own volition, and we won't be blamed."
The supervisor pondered this for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your wisdom is unparalleled, Master Qian!"
(End of Chapter)
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