Chapter 35: Completeness
Chapter 35: Completeness
Sixteen days had passed since Mo Hua learned the Molten Fire Array from the ancient tablet.
On this day, Mo Hua woke up early. The morning sun shone on the table, its light fresh and pleasant without the midday heat.
Mo Hua spread out paper on the table and prepared a pot of red ink before beginning to draw the Molten Fire Array.
This had been his daily routine for over ten days now.
But today was different. Today, Mo Hua would be drawing a complete Molten Fire Array.
The night before, in his spiritual sea, Mo Hua had successfully drawn the array on the fragmented stele, indicating that his spiritual sense was strong enough to support the creation of five array patterns.
Through repeated practice and restoration on the forge at the Refiner's Shop, he had committed the array patterns of the Molten Fire Array to memory.
Mo Hua worked carefully and meticulously. After an hour, as he began to feel a tingling sensation in his spiritual sense, indicating its gradual depletion, he laid down the final stroke of the array.
Mo Hua infused a bit of spiritual power, and it flowed along the red array patterns, moving slowly from the first stroke of the first pattern to the last stroke of the fifth, eventually connecting the entire array without any hindrance.
Success!
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of accomplishment that had come from persistent effort over time.
"An array with five patterns!"
To be able to create an array with five patterns at the third level of Qi Refinement was impressive.
Mo Hua knew that cultivators at the same level would typically be able to create arrays with only three patterns. Disciples from major sects and families, with their superior talents and better teachings, would likely be more skilled in array formation at the same cultivation stage.
But even then, their skill probably wouldn't be significantly better.
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
Moreover, the more he practiced, the stronger his spiritual sense would become, making it easier to learn arrays. Becoming a first-rate array master was only a matter of time.
Once he achieved that status, even without official recognition, he could still earn a substantial income as a regular array master, and his parents wouldn't have to work so hard anymore.
The thought brought a smile to Mo Hua's face.
Then, the fatigue from repeatedly practicing arrays over the past few days caught up with him, and he fell asleep on the bed.
Liu Ruhua walked into the room, carrying some freshly washed wild fruits. Seeing the recently completed array on the table and Mo Hua sleeping soundly on the bed, she tidied up the table and covered him with a fur blanket, gazing at him for a while.
As she watched him sleep peacefully, a strand of crystalline drool hanging from the corner of his mouth, she couldn't help but smile. She wiped his mouth with her sleeve before leaving the room.
A few days later, Da Zhu came to inform Mo Hua that the stove was also ready.
Da Zhu was Chen Lao's chief disciple, tall and robust, with a hearty smile.
Mo Hua followed Da Zhu to the Chen Family Refinery and saw a stove standing about a person's height. It had a simple yet sturdy design, with three legs and a round body.
The stove's lid was open, waiting for the array to be inscribed inside before it could be sealed.
"The stove has been forged. Take a look, young brother, and tell me if you're satisfied."
Mo Hua circled the stove, examining it from different angles and running his hand over its surface. He could feel the solid craftsmanship and tell that only the finest materials had been used, with great attention to detail in the finishing.
Mo Hua nodded in approval. "As expected of Master Chen. This is the best spiritual artifact I've ever seen."
Of course, he hadn't seen many spiritual artifacts to begin with.
Master Chen stroked his beard. "Of course. When it comes to your requests, young brother, only the best will do."
"Thank you, Master Chen!" Mo Hua said happily, then took out a storage bag. "There are sixty spirit stones in here as payment for your work."
For over twenty days of labor, the standard rate would be over a hundred spirit stones, but Mo Hua gave a fifty percent discount and added a little extra.
But then, Master Chen hesitated and said, "This stove still needs to be inscribed with an array before it can be used. Who were you planning to get to draw the array?"
Mo Hua patted his chest and said confidently, "I'll do it myself!"
Master Chen felt both surprised and yet, not so surprised.
After all, Mo Hua had repaired the array on the refining furnace at the Refiner's Shop, and the processes for crafting a refining furnace, a pill furnace, and a stove were quite similar. The core arrays for each were also alike, so it made sense that Mo Hua would want to draw the array himself.
However...
Master Chen offered some kind advice, "Drawing and inscribing arrays are different things, you know. I've heard that inscribing arrays consumes a lot more spiritual sense, and with your current cultivation level, your spiritual sense might not be sufficient. Don't force yourself to inscribe the array and end up damaging your spiritual sea."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Mo Hua assured him.
Master Chen didn't say anything more. When it came to arrays, he wasn't any more knowledgeable than this young cultivator before him.
Since Mo Hua was short in stature, Master Chen took the assembled stove apart again and laid out the pieces on the ground so that Mo Hua could inscribe the array more easily.
Da Zhu and the other disciples also pitched in, then stood to one side, craning their necks curiously as they watched Mo Hua inscribe the array. They rarely saw cultivators inscribing arrays, and they found it fascinating, especially since the one doing it was much younger than they were.
Mo Hua first dipped his brush in water and practiced drawing the array lines on the inner wall of the stove to get a feel for the brush and to adapt to the sensation of actually drawing an array on a spiritual artifact.
He also visualized the potential problems he might encounter while inscribing the array.
It was always better to be prepared and plan ahead to increase the chances of success.
Once he was ready, Mo Hua spread out the Molten Fire Array diagram, placed it to one side for reference, and took out his brush and a small bottle of ink.
The ink was a bright red color and had a thick consistency. It was said to be made from the blood of fire-attribute tiger-type magical beasts. Although it was only of medium quality, it was the best ink Mo Hua could afford, and it was better than what he had used before.
This small bottle of ink cost ten spirit stones and was only enough for inscribing two Molten Fire Arrays, so he had to be extremely careful to avoid making any mistakes.
If he failed, the wasted ink alone would be a painful loss.
Mo Hua calmed his breath and focused his mind, then began to inscribe the array. His initially innocent and youthful expression gradually turned serious, and his clear, bright eyes seemed to shine with starlight.
Master Chen and the disciples stood quietly, holding their breaths so as not to disturb him. They looked even more nervous than Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's small, fair hand held the brush, and his wrist moved nimbly, guiding the brush tip across the surface of the stove. He drew vivid array lines with a steady pace and impeccable technique.
Although the onlookers didn't understand arrays or the lines' meanings, they were captivated by the wondrous lines that seemed to flow effortlessly from the tip of Mo Hua's brush.
After some time, Mo Hua finally put down his brush and exhaled deeply.
For some reason, the others also breathed a sigh of relief.
Master Chen asked tentatively, "Little brother, did you... succeed?"
The seriousness faded from Mo Hua's face, replaced by his usual cheerful smile.
"Yes, I succeeded!"
(End of Chapter)
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