https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-381-The-Spirit-Fields-End-of-excerpt-/12541366/
Chapter 380: Plans
Chapter 380: Plans
Bai Zixi decided to take a break from cultivation. She sat comfortably on her bed, listening to her senior martial brother and junior martial brother chat as she relaxed on a soft blanket.
Bai Zisheng and Mo Hua continued their hushed discussion.
"The Sun family is incredibly wealthy!" Mo Hua whispered.
"How so?" Bai Zisheng asked, perplexed.
"Just look at the size of their mansion, the number of servants and maids, and even the guest rooms are lavishly furnished," Mo Hua marveled. "Most of the items here are spirit artifacts, and they even have arrays engraved on them. Although the arrays are a bit crude, they're still very expensive..."
Mo Hua couldn't help but be amazed by the extravagance on display. Such displays of wealth would be more fitting in a large celestial city than in the remote Thousand-House Town. Even the Qian family's mansion in Tongxian City couldn't compare to the Sun family's opulence.
Bai Zisheng nodded, but being his usual carefree self, he didn't pay much attention to spirit stones.
However, Bai Zixi seemed deep in thought, her eyes narrowed in contemplation.
"So, what should we do now?" Bai Zisheng asked.
Mo Hua, lounging on the soft blanket, thought for a moment before replying, "I want to find the ultimate array hidden in this town."
"What kind of ultimate array?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "Master didn't tell me, and I don't know yet either."
"Does Master know where it's hidden?" Bai Zisheng asked curiously.
Mo Hua lowered his voice and whispered, "I guess Master must know, but he's not telling me. He probably wants me to find it on my own."
Bai Zisheng frowned. "That's troublesome..."
Then he asked, "Mo Hua, do you really need to learn that ultimate array?"
Ultimate arrays were notoriously difficult to master, requiring a lot of time, effort, and spiritual sense. Moreover, some ultimate arrays had obscure effects and limited applicability.
The standard set by the Dao Court for first-grade arrays didn't even include ultimate arrays. Most array masters wouldn't bother learning them.
But Mo Hua nodded seriously. "I have to learn it."
He started counting on his fingers. "First, I'll learn the ultimate array of eleven patterns. Then I'll temper my spiritual sense to reach twelve patterns, find an ultimate array of twelve patterns to comprehend, and temper my spiritual sense to thirteen patterns. After that, I'll look for an ultimate array of thirteen patterns..."
Bai Zisheng's scalp tingled at the mere thought of it.
Even Bai Zixi, usually calm and collected, wore an expression of surprise as she stared at Mo Hua.
"Do you think you can really learn it?" Bai Zisheng asked, concerned.
First-grade arrays of ten patterns were already outrageous, but Mo Hua intended to go all the way to thirteen patterns...
"Even if I can't, I have to try," Mo Hua said with determination. "As long as I keep trying, I'll eventually succeed."
He nodded firmly and added, "Besides, my spiritual root is not that good, and I can't practice body refining. This is the only path left for me."
Bai Zisheng felt a headache coming on just thinking about it. He glanced at his junior martial brother with a mix of sympathy and protectiveness. As the senior martial brother, he patted his chest and said, "Then I'll help you!"
After saying that, he snuck a glance at his sister, Bai Zixi.
She nodded in agreement.
"I and Zixi will help you together!" Bai Zisheng declared.
"There's no need to trouble yourselves," Mo Hua protested modestly.
Bai Zisheng was slightly annoyed by his modesty. "You're our junior martial brother. Don't be so polite. Just tell us what you need."
"Alright..." Mo Hua conceded.
"This ultimate array is either hidden in the Sun family's mansion or somewhere in Thousand-House Town," he explained. "Let's split up and investigate. You and Senior Martial Sister can inquire about the Sun family, while I'll go to the town and see if I can find any clues."
Mo Hua laid out his plan.
The Sun family had been very hospitable to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, probably because they sensed the aura of sect disciples around them and wanted to curry favor due to their exceptional talents.
It would be much easier for Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi to make some requests and probe into the Sun family's background.
As for Mo Hua, being younger, he was likely to be brushed off or treated lightly by the Sun family, and he might not be able to gather any useful information.
Bai Zisheng nodded, but then asked with a puzzled expression, "How did you figure all this out?"
"I calculated it!" Mo Hua replied.
"How did you calculate it...?" Bai Zisheng was intrigued.
"By perceiving the spiritual energy of the array and using it to derive the array patterns, and then inferring the location of the array from there..." Mo Hua explained.
Bai Zisheng furrowed his brows. This sounded incredibly complicated.
"Are you sure your calculations are accurate?" he asked, still unconvinced.
Mo Hua sighed. "That's why I need your help... If I could calculate it accurately, I would already know where the array is, and I wouldn't have to go looking for it."
"So, you only learned it halfway, huh?"
"Even if it's halfway, it's still incredibly difficult!" Mo Hua asserted, his voice filled with conviction.
Bai Zisheng paused, then nodded in agreement. While Mo Hua had only learned it partially, he, Bai Zisheng, hadn't even reached that level.
He didn't know anything about using spiritual sense for calculations, and if it weren't for Mo Hua and Master Zhuang mentioning it, he wouldn't have even heard of such a technique, despite his family's relatively deep roots in array techniques.
Bai Zisheng's eyes dimmed as he felt a bit dejected, but then they lit up again as a thought occurred to him. "Can I learn that calculation technique?"
Mo Hua considered for a moment before replying, "You can learn it after you've established your spiritual sense foundation. Master will probably teach you then."
"Alright," Bai Zisheng sighed.
He still had some time before he reached that stage.
Suddenly, Mo Hua remembered something and turned to Bai Zisheng with a question. "You two became Master Zhuang's disciples because you wanted to learn some arrays, right?"
But upon further thought, it seemed that Master Zhuang had also given him special attention, which made him feel slightly better.
Bai Zisheng spoke with a hint of apology:
"Master said that you can't learn this type of array, so I couldn't let you see it..."
"Why can't I learn it?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
Bai Zisheng shook his head, "Master didn't say."
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
Bai Zisheng thought he might be harboring some resentment, so he offered, "How about I secretly teach you?"
After saying this, he stole a glance at Bai Zixi.
Bai Zixi blinked innocently, feigning ignorance.
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback, feeling a warmth in his heart, but he still shook his head:
"Master must have his reasons. If I were meant to learn it, he would have taught me. Since he hasn't, there must be a concern."
After all, Master Zhuang had already taught him incredibly advanced array techniques like reverse spirit arrays, spirit sense calculations, and array dismantling.
If he was withholding this particular array, there must be a genuine reason.
Even if Master Zhuang didn't teach him, it wasn't a big deal...
Master Zhuang had already treated him exceptionally well, and the knowledge he had imparted was more than enough. He shouldn't be too greedy.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi exchanged glances, both looking at Mo Hua with surprise, before letting out a sigh of relief.
They were fellow disciples, and they had felt guilty for learning something behind Mo Hua's back. Now that everything was out in the open, they felt much more at ease.
Bai Zisheng vowed, "Rest assured, as for the ultimate array you want to learn, I will definitely help you find it. As for the Sun family, tomorrow I will turn their place inside out!"
Bai Zixi sighed helplessly.
Mo Hua gave him a playful glare, "If we're searching for something, we should be more low-key about it. We can't let them realize what we're up to..."
Bai Zisheng scratched his head, "Oh, that's true."
Then, the three of them huddled together again, whispering and planning.
They discussed how to gather information, what excuses to use, what the array was, its effects, and where it might be hidden.
Most of the time, Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng did the talking while Bai Zixi listened quietly...
Meanwhile, in the next room, Master Zhuang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a mix of melancholy and satisfaction.
The next day, after breakfast, Mo Hua and his companions set out on their separate tasks.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi revealed their backgrounds as scions of prominent clans.
Sun Ze was thrilled and eagerly offered to give them a tour of the Sun family mansion, answering their questions and showing them around. However, it was unclear how much of what he said was true.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, claimed that he wanted to go out and look for better food for Dabaima.
The Sun family offered their own grass, but Mo Hua turned it down, claiming it wasn't good enough.
When the Sun family suggested sending someone to accompany Mo Hua, he refused, rejecting all other offers of assistance as well. Eventually, they had no choice but to watch as Mo Hua walked out of the Sun family's front door alone.
Sun Yi frowned and turned to Master Zhuang, "This young brother is still young and may encounter danger going out alone."
Master Zhuang merely replied, "It's fine."
The only Foundation Establishment cultivator in all of Thousand-House Town was Sun Yi, the head of the Sun family.
With Mo Hua's current abilities, aside from the Sun family, there weren't any cultivators in the area who could pose a threat to him.
As Mo Hua left the Sun family residence, he felt like he had stepped into a different world.
The Sun family's mansion was opulent and luxurious.
However, the streets outside were desolate and worn down, bearing the marks of sun and rain.
It was like stepping between two different worlds.
Mo Hua let out a soft sigh.
He strolled down the main street, taking in the sights of the town.
Thousand-House Town wasn't very large, and within half an hour, he had surveyed all the arrays in the area.
These arrays were extremely basic, most of them consisting of only three or four array lines, suitable for beginner apprentices.
Aside from these, there weren't any other notable array traces.
"Is it not here...?" Mo Hua muttered to himself, thinking:
"Could the ultimate array be hidden within the Sun family's mansion?"
The head of the Sun family seemed to be an array master as well, so it would make sense for him to possess some ancient and lost arrays.
Additionally, the Sun family was quite wealthy, so it wouldn't be surprising if an ultimate array had been passed down through the generations.
Mo Hua was about to turn back when his eyes caught sight of the distant spirit fields.
One by one, they were neatly arranged between two mountains.
At this time, the spirit fields were filled with spirit rice, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.
The wind rippled through the fields like waves on a verdant green lake, creating layers of ethereal ripples.
And above the spirit fields hung a faint aura of spiritual energy.
Mo Hua swept the area with his spiritual sense and let out a soft exclamation. He took a step towards the spirit fields, which shimmered like a sea of green.
(End of Chapter)
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