Chapter 22: A Glimmer of Clue
Chapter 22: A Glimmer of Clue
Instructor Yan left the Array Pavilion and returned to Tongxian Gate's Tongming Peak.
Each instructor at Tongxian Gate had their own quarters on Tongming Peak, which consisted of three bedrooms, a living room, and a small courtyard where they could cultivate spiritual flowers and herbs or rear spiritual beasts.
Instructor Yan's quarters were neat and tidy, with the walls neatly adorned with array diagrams, and nothing else in the way of decoration.
He browsed through the basic array technique manuals, prepared the few array patterns he would be teaching in the latter half of the month, and then began correcting the array assignments submitted by the Qi Refining disciples.
There were nearly a thousand Qi Refining disciples in Tongxian Gate's Tongxuan Peak, and Instructor Yan meticulously reviewed and marked each and every one of their assignments.
This task was time-consuming and required a great deal of patience, but Instructor Yan performed it diligently and meticulously.
This was his habit, and it was also in line with his master's teachings over the years.
His master had corrected their disciples' array techniques in the same meticulous and patient manner during his lifetime.
Instructor Yan's master had been a first-grade array master. While he might not have been considered an exceptional array master in the entire cultivation world, he had dedicated his life to passing on the teachings and the principles of the Dao through arrays.
Now that his master had passed away, Instructor Yan, having taken on the role of instructor, could truly appreciate his master's intentions.
As night fell, Instructor Yan lit a lamp and continued correcting the arrays.
After all, Tongxian Gate was still a small and remote sect, with a weak cultivation lineage. Out of the nearly a thousand disciples, only a handful could even draw a basic array pattern properly.
Those who performed better usually had a family background in arrays, or came from wealthy families who could afford to spend spirit stones on their cultivation. This included children of cultivators working in the Dao Court, offspring of sect elders, or disciples from cultivator families within the city.
It was rare to find someone from a truly poor and humble background who could excel in arrays.
However, regardless of background, Instructor Yan treated all disciples equally, focusing solely on their array skills.
For those whose arrays were not up to par but showed dedication, he would leave extra notes to provide guidance. For those who displayed both poor technique and a careless attitude, his comments would be more stern, and their names would be noted.
On rare occasions, when he came across exceptional work, Instructor Yan would feel a sense of relief and encouragement, marking a "Superior" grade next to the array.
Instructor Yan tirelessly continued his corrections, and as he flipped through the assignments, one particular array caught his eye.
The brushwork was skilled and reflected a strong foundation. It even displayed a sense of finesse, and this array pattern would be considered passable even for formal arrays.
Instructor Yan glanced at the name at the top of the scroll, "Mo Hua," and nodded in approval before marking a "Superior" grade next to the array.
This "Superior" mark was written slightly larger than the others.
Instructor Yan flipped to the next page and continued correcting, but soon found himself flipping back to Mo Hua's array, a furrow forming on his brow.
The brushwork of this array pattern was too skilled, to the point of appearing... effortless? For a cultivator at the second or third layer of Qi Refining to be able to flawlessly execute an entire array pattern was already quite remarkable.
Recalling his encounter with Mo Hua at the Array Pavilion earlier that day, Instructor Yan fell into deep thought. Suddenly, a question popped into his mind:
"Does Mo Hua have an older brother?"
"If his brother is skilled in arrays and he has learned from him, then they must have a family background in arrays. But if I recall correctly, Mo Hua comes from a poor and humble background. If they had a background in arrays, their family circumstances wouldn't be so difficult..."
"If his brother is capable of helping the Array Pavilion with arrays, then he must also have a talent for arrays within Tongxian Gate. I've been teaching here for almost a decade, and I don't recall ever teaching someone like that..."
"It's unlikely that he's from another sect. Usually, siblings join the same sect, especially since Tongxian Gate is already the largest sect in the city..."
Instructor Yan tapped his fingers on the table as he pondered these thoughts, temporarily setting them aside to finish correcting the arrays.
The next day, Instructor Yan rose early and sought out the administrator of Tongming Peak to request a record of the disciples' origins. He found Mo Hua's information:
"Mo Hua: Age 10, third layer of Qi Refining, middle-lower grade Small Five Elements spirit root...
Father: Mo Shan, Demon Hunter. Mother: Liu Ruhua, Chef.
Aside from his parents, there were no other relatives listed. There was no mention of any older brother.
The disciples, caught off guard by this sudden assignment, looked as deflated as eggplants left out in the frost.
Mo Hua, however, was unfazed. Having already helped the Array Pavilion with their formations, drawing a few array patterns was nothing difficult for him. What puzzled him, though, was why Instructor Yan had suddenly assigned this extra work. It wasn't like the instructor to do something like this.
Mo Hua was curious.
Soon, An Xiaopan sought out Mo Hua, on the verge of tears. "Mo Hua, you have to help me!!!"
No one knew why the instructor had suddenly assigned this homework. Usually, they would only have to submit their work every few months to be evaluated on their formation skills.
An Xiaopan was caught unprepared. He couldn't draw even a single array pattern, and with the tight deadline, his only option was to beg Mo Hua for help.
Mo Hua didn't mind. These basic array patterns were a piece of cake for him now.
Mo Hua helped An Xiaopan with the formations and only charged him a token fee. A few other disciples from well-off families but lacking in formation skills also sought Mo Hua's assistance, and he agreed to help them as well.
With formations to draw and spirit stones to earn, Mo Hua had no time to think about anything else.
Three days later, the formation assignments were submitted. Instructor Yan picked out the ones drawn by Mo Hua and carefully examined them before putting them away in his storage bag. He then went to You Yuan's study and found the Fat Manager.
Seeing Instructor Yan, Fat Manager became wary. "Are you here for tea this time, or do you have a task for me?"
Instructor Yan said, "Neither. I just want to ask you something."
Fat Manager breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's fine then."
"Do you still have the formations that Mo Hua gave you?"
"Mo Hua?" Fat Manager paused briefly. "Oh, that young fellow. Yes, I do. What's it about?"
"How many do you have?"
"I still have several copies of the Bright Fire Formation and the Solid Earth Formation, kept as backups."
Fat Manager took out a copy of the Bright Fire Formation and the Solid Earth Formation that Mo Hua had previously submitted and handed them to Instructor Yan.
Instructor Yan flipped through them and then took out Mo Hua's formation assignment, comparing the array patterns one by one.
After examining them, Instructor Yan took a deep breath.
Fat Manager craned his neck to look, asking, "What are you looking at?"
Instructor Yan pointed to the array patterns and the formations on the table and asked, "Do you think these array patterns and these two formations were drawn by the same person?"
Fat Manager frowned and studied the array patterns and formations carefully before nodding. "The brushwork looks similar. Unless I'm mistaken, they should be from the same person..."
Fat Manager paused, then suddenly asked, "Have you met Mo Hua's older brother?"
"Mo Hua doesn't have an older brother," Instructor Yan replied.
"No older brother? Then who drew these formations?"
Instructor Yan gave him a meaningful look.
Fat Manager hesitated, "You don't mean to say that he drew them himself, do you?"
Instructor Yan nodded.
Fat Manager fell silent for a moment before letting out a mocking laugh. "Are you joking?
"Putting aside the Bright Fire Formation, it's somewhat believable that he could have drawn it. But this Solid Earth Formation has four array patterns in it! Where would he get so much spiritual sense from? Does he have two heads and two sea of consciousnesses?"
Fat Manager looked at Instructor Yan doubtfully. "Are you trying to tell me that you've taught a genius who can draw formations at the third layer of Qi Refining? Are you trying to boast about your teaching abilities?... I've known you for so many years, and you're not the type of person to do that."
Instructor Yan gave him a cold look and pointed to the formations on the table. "You said it yourself that these array patterns and these two formations were drawn by the same person. These array patterns were indeed drawn by Mo Hua, so who drew these formations then?"
Fat Manager was left speechless.
He stared at the array patterns and formations for a long time before muttering, "No way..."
(End of Chapter)
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