Chapter 199: The Art of Arrays
Chapter 199: The Art of Arrays
Array brushes are typically categorized into four sizes: micro, small, medium, and large. The larger the brush, the bigger the array pattern it can create, resulting in a more expansive array formation. However, the effectiveness of the array doesn't change qualitatively.
For large-scale alchemy furnaces, a large brush is required to inscribe the array patterns, demanding a greater quantity of spiritual ink and a more substantial consumption of spiritual sense.
This was the first time Mo Hua had attempted to create such a large array, and at the beginning, he felt a bit awkward. But he soon calmed down and, following the previously designed array diagram, started to inscribe the patterns stroke by stroke.
Gradually, Mo Hua's brushstrokes became more confident and fluid.
Although the medium might be different, the essence of the array remained the same.
And this set of compound array formations was something Mo Hua had already practiced numerous times on array paper and the Dao stele.
Elder Yu watched quietly from the side, holding his breath and not disturbing Mo Hua.
Master Chen also dared not breathe too heavily, still unsure if Mo Hua could truly create a first-grade array. Witnessing Mo Hua inscribing the array on the massive alchemy furnace left him astonished and filled with emotion.
With such a large furnace and an equally large array, the flames required would be enormous...
Just the thought of it excited Master Chen.
However, Mo Hua was not having an easy time with the array.
Although he could already inscribe the Fire-Control Spirit Compound Array on the Dao stele in his sea of consciousness, he now realized that inscribing it on the alchemy furnace required a little more spiritual sense.
This tiny bit seemed like the straw that broke the camel's back, causing Mo Hua to fail several times.
Mo Hua had no choice but to ask for help, using Spirit-Eliminating Liquid to wash away the failed array hubs and then starting over.
While others worked, he meditated to restore his spiritual sense to its full capacity.
Mo Hua tried again, only to fail once more.
This back and forth continued throughout the day, with the array hubs being washed away and redrawn multiple times, yet there was still no progress.
Seeing that it was getting late, Elder Yu consoled Mo Hua, "Take a good rest and try again tomorrow. There's no need to rush."
Mo Hua had made no progress after a full day's work and indeed felt a bit weary, his spiritual sense not as clear as before, so he nodded in agreement.
After Mo Hua left, Master Chen asked Elder Yu, "Is this array particularly difficult?"
He had never seen Mo Hua fail so many times in a row before.
"The fact that Mo Hua hasn't succeeded after so many attempts definitely indicates its challenge!"
Master Chen thought about it and felt that it made sense.
As dusk settled in, the sky was not yet completely dark, and Master Chen could still make out the remnants of the array patterns on the alchemy furnace. These patterns were not only gigantic but also intricate, profound, and complex.
He couldn't understand them at all.
Shaking his head, Master Chen, who had only been observing and not actually drawing the array, felt his spiritual sense fatigued. He could only imagine how Mo Hua must have felt after attempting it over and over.
Mo Hua did feel somewhat weary, but even more so, he felt unresigned.
He was so close...
After returning home, Mo Hua ate the dinner prepared by his mother, then retired to his room to rest and refresh his mind.
Once he felt reinvigorated, Mo Hua began replaying the process of drawing the array from that day in his mind, contemplating his gains and losses.
As soon as midnight arrived, Mo Hua lay down on his bed, closed his eyes, and his spiritual sense sank into his sea of consciousness.
The Dao stele appeared within his consciousness.
Mo Hua started practicing the compound array formations again on the stele.
Because of the challenges he had faced during the day and the fact that he was drawing a large-scale array on the inner wall of the alchemy furnace, it could be considered a form of "weight-bearing" training. Now, drawing the array on the stele felt much easier.
The array patterns that had initially felt awkward now flowed smoothly from his brushstrokes.
Mo Hua spent another night practicing the array on the Dao stele.
In addition to committing the structure of the array hubs and the patterns to memory, he also managed to strengthen his spiritual sense a little.
This slight improvement was enough for Mo Hua to cross the critical threshold, allowing him to successfully inscribe the Fire Compound Array.
The next morning, Mo Hua woke up early, enjoyed the delicious breakfast prepared by Liu Ruhua, and then set off for the alchemy shop.
After all, Mo Hua was still a child. Having spent the entire previous day drawing and erasing the array without any progress, his morale must have taken a hit.
As they were worrying, they saw Mo Hua striding towards them with his bag slung over his shoulder, looking determined not to let this alchemy furnace get the better of him.
Only then did Elder Yu and Master Chen feel that their concerns might have been unnecessary.
Mo Hua, with his renewed spirit and high morale, didn't say a word. He quickly took out his brush and ink again and continued to draw the array.
This time, Mo Hua found the process much smoother.
However, he still made some minor mistakes and ultimately failed to draw the array hub.
On the third day, Mo Hua finally succeeded in drawing the array hub.
The array hub was the core structure of a compound array and the spiritual sense threshold. As long as he could draw the array hub in one go, it would mean he had succeeded in a large part, and the rest would be much simpler.
Mo Hua heaved a sigh of relief.
"Are you done?" Elder Yu asked softly when he noticed.
"Not yet, but I've finished the array hub, and the rest should be quick," Mo Hua replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a smile.
His face was smudged with red and black spiritual ink, making him look a bit messy.
Elder Yu used his sleeve to wipe Mo Hua's face and offered some words of encouragement.
Master Chen also praised him, saying, "You're doing a great job!"
Even though he didn't really understand what was so good about it.
Mo Hua ate something, meditated to restore his spiritual sense, took a stroll to relax his mind, and then continued to draw the array.
With the array hub completed, the structure of the compound array was established.
The next array to be drawn was the First-Grade Melting Fire Array.
Among first-grade arrays, the Melting Fire Array was a bit more challenging, but compared to the First-Grade Compound Array, it was a breeze.
Mo Hua didn't take long to finish drawing the First-Grade Melting Fire Array.
The subsequent arrays couldn't be drawn yet. The next step was to test whether the array hub could function with the help of the First-Grade Melting Fire Array.
If it didn't work, Mo Hua would have to erase and redraw it.
Thinking of this, Mo Hua repeatedly drew and erased, erasing and redrawing, wasting a lot of spiritual ink in the process.
Mo Hua felt terrible about the waste.
Indeed, the Dao stele, which allowed him to draw arrays without ink and brush, was the best!
When drawing arrays on the Dao stele, he didn't have to worry about wasting ink.
Mo Hua sighed and began to verify whether the array hub was functional.
"Oh, right, there's also the Spirit Gathering Array," Mo Hua suddenly remembered.
The Spirit Gathering Array was the focal point of the compound array, necessary for absorbing spirit stones, providing spiritual power, and activating the array.
In the arrays Mo Hua had drawn before, the effects weren't particularly strong, and most of them were one-time use or had limited reusability. So, there was no need to draw a separate Spirit Gathering Array.
For those arrays, he only needed to draw a single spirit-gathering array line or utilize the spirit-absorbing effect of the array lines themselves.
But now, things were different.
A large-scale alchemy furnace required an extremely powerful fire, which meant consuming a large number of spirit stones to supply an immense amount of spiritual power. This power would then be converted into fire through the complex array.
At the same time, the alchemy furnace had to be durable, reusable, and capable of providing fire efficiently and stably.
This meant that the array on the alchemy furnace must include a stable spiritual power supply cycle with a focal point, array hub, array lines, and array medium.
The focal point provided spiritual power, the array hub controlled it, the array lines converted it, and the array medium carried it.
This was the true array cycle system and the most fundamental spiritual power cycle structure within an array.
Only by constructing and applying this spiritual power cycle compound array could one truly grasp the basic logic of spiritual power flow in arrays and truly enter the hall of the array path!
(End of Chapter)
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