Chapter 23: Talent
Chapter 23: Talent
"Are there really cultivators at the third Qi Refining Layer who can draw formations?" Instructor Yan asked.
"Well, of course, there should be." Uncle Fat pondered for a moment before continuing, "The cultivation world is vast, and there are countless prodigies with exceptional talent. I believe that there are those who are born with the ability to create formations, although I've never seen one myself. Even that extremely talented but unfilial and ungrateful disciple who abandoned his master and defected from his sect... Cough, he came from a formation lineage and started learning about formations from a young age. By the time he reached the third Qi Refining Layer, he could already create simple formations with three lines."
"As for the major aristocratic families and sects, their heritage is undoubtedly dozens of times more extensive. There must be geniuses among their disciples when it comes to formations, but they usually keep a low profile."
Instructor Yan said, "Since that's the case, it's not impossible for Mo Hua, at the third Qi Refining Layer, to be able to draw formations."
Uncle Fat was reluctant to admit it, but he had to at this point.
This Senior Brother Yan, though stubborn, was always meticulous in his thoughts and had good judgment.
"If that's true, it's incredible. Don't you want to take on a disciple?"
Uncle Fat thought for a moment and continued, "In my opinion, this child is indeed a good seedling. Why don't you formally accept him as your disciple? That way, you can pass on the formations your master taught you."
The idea of taking on a disciple had never crossed Instructor Yan's mind, but he was obviously tempted by the suggestion. However, after careful consideration, he shook his head and said, "Our sect is in ruins, and the remaining formations are nothing but fragmented lines. What's the point of passing them on? Taking on a disciple would only mislead him. Besides, my master's dying wish remains unfulfilled, and there's still no clue about that person. I'm not in the mood to worry about anything else."
Uncle Fat wanted to persuade him further, but Instructor Yan just waved his hand dismissively.
Uncle Fat sighed, "Forget it, I won't try to convince you anymore. You won't listen anyway. As for Mo Hua..."
"Don't tell anyone about him for now," Instructor Yan said. "The tallest tree catches the most wind—that's a timeless truth. Moreover, he's still young, and we must not let him develop a haughty heart, or he will surely stray from the right path in the future."
"That's true," Uncle Fat agreed.
Instructor Yan continued, "Don't let him take on any more formation drawing tasks from here. Just make up some excuse about poor business or something."
Although it was true that business was poor, Uncle Fat still felt ashamed to hear it spoken aloud. He corrected, "This is not called poor business; it's called 'Zen' business. All transactions are left to fate!"
"Besides, this child is drawing formations calmly and earning spirit stones to support his family. Why shouldn't we let him continue?"
Instructor Yan frowned and said, "At the third Qi Refining Layer, even if he can draw formations, how much spiritual sense can he have? Drawing too many formations will lead to excessive spiritual sense consumption and will undoubtedly leave a hidden danger, damaging the foundation of his sea of consciousness."
"Moreover, he's still young and should focus on building a solid foundation for his cultivation. He should have a basic understanding of not just formations but all aspects of cultivation, especially his cultivation base. He must not neglect it for the sake of minor gains..."
"The circumstances of a lone cultivator's family are not that wealthy," Uncle Fat said. "They don't even have enough spirit stones."
"Even if the family is poor," Instructor Yan said, "we can't ignore the future..."
"Do you know how poor an average lone cultivator is?" Uncle Fat's expression turned rare solemn.
Seeing Uncle Fat's expression, Instructor Yan's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Uncle Fat spoke earnestly, "I know that your childhood was not ideal. Although you had a family, you were born to a concubine and were not valued by them. Later, you joined the sect and received your master's guidance, working hard on your own to improve in formations. Only then did your situation improve slightly. But even if your circumstances were difficult, you still had the support of your family, ensuring you had food, clothing, and a worry-free life, even if you didn't live as comfortably as you would have liked."
"People often say that the path of cultivation is arduous," Uncle Fat sighed. "I've been in Tongxian City for over a decade since leaving the sect, and I've interacted with quite a few lone cultivators. Only then did I realize that while cultivation is indeed challenging, the degree of hardship varies immensely."
"Ordinary lone cultivators struggle to make a living, earning meager profits. If they can support their families, they're already doing well. Artificers have their bodies burned by furnace fires, hunters have their arms eaten by demons, and those who sell their spiritual power to do odd jobs for others end up with more or less damaged meridians. When they fall ill or get injured, they don't have spirit stones for treatment, and whether they can pull through depends entirely on luck."
"It's best if they can make it through," he continued. "If not, they perish. The worst-case scenario is that they cling to life with half a soul, draining their entire family's spirit stones in the process. What can they do? They're just trying to survive."
"Cultivators indeed can't afford to neglect their future," Uncle Fat said. "But these lone cultivators at the bottom are so focused on survival that they can't even think about the future."
Uncle Fat took a breath after his speech and poured himself a cup of tea, gulping it down.
Instructor Yan fell silent for a moment before sighing and apologizing, "I was being shortsighted."
Uncle Fat rolled his eyes at him.
Instructor Yan thought for a moment and then said to Uncle Fat, "Give me the list of formations you have here."
"What do you want the list for?" Uncle Fat asked, puzzled, but he still obediently got up and took a book from behind the counter, handing it to Instructor Yan.
Instructor Yan took the formation list and browsed through all of them before picking up a pen and marking several formations, numbering them sequentially.
"What are you doing?" asked Uncle Fat.
Instructor Yan explained, "The next time Mo Hua comes, let him draw the formations I've marked on the list in the order they're numbered. This way, he can progress step by step, and his learning will be more solid. Later, when I'm back at the sect, I can give him some guidance, which is better than him learning blindly."
"This way, he can earn some spirit stones by drawing formations to support his family, and he'll also be able to learn formations in a more structured manner."
Instructor Yan added, "There's one more thing. Don't let him draw too many formations. Accept three or four from him every half a month. Otherwise, if his spiritual sense is overly consumed and his sea of consciousness is damaged, it will leave a severe problem."
Uncle Fat looked at the list in his hand and then at Instructor Yan, his expression complex. "You really don't plan on taking him as your disciple?"
Instructor Yan just shook his head and stood up. Before leaving, he repeated, "Don't forget to let him draw the formations in the order I marked."
With that, he turned and left without looking back.
Uncle Fat watched his departing figure, unable to speak for a long time. He could only sigh helplessly.
Suddenly, Uncle Fat remembered something and called out to Instructor Yan.
Instructor Yan turned to look at him.
Uncle Fat thought for a moment before speaking, "There's one thing you might have gotten wrong..."
Instructor Yan frowned, "What's wrong?"
"When Mo Hua brought the Fire Formation, he was only at the second layer of Qi Refining. If these formations were indeed drawn by him, then..." Uncle Fat paused, choosing his words carefully, "It's possible that he could already draw formations at the second layer of Qi Refining!"
Instructor Yan's pupils contracted, and he looked at Uncle Fat with disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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