Chapter 386: Profound Mystery
Chapter 386: Profound Mystery
Sun Ze, looking disheveled, nodded, "Yes..."
Sun Yi stood there, lost in thought. After a long while, he murmured, "I misjudged him..."
He had initially thought that the most inconspicuous young cultivator was merely a menial disciple, tasked with serving tea and attending to his master.
But he never expected that not only was he well-versed in array formations, but his magic was also exceptionally powerful.
Moreover, he was quick-witted, capable of holding his own against a group, and his experience in magical duels was quite remarkable.
Sun Ze, filled with hatred, said, "Father, we must avenge this grudge!"
Sun Yi didn't respond but instead gave his son a cold look. "Did you reveal all of our Sun family's secrets to him?"
"No! Father, you have to believe me!" Sun Ze vowed.
Sun Yi coldly humphed.
He had trusted this son too much and believed he had told the boy everything he should and shouldn't have.
Sun Yi's eyes flickered as he pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Let's hold our troops for now."
"But Father, I can't swallow this insult," Sun Ze said through gritted teeth.
He had gone to consult a dan master, who told him that his arms had been severely burned by the flames, and it would take some time before he could use his spiritual power again. Other parts of his body had also sustained minor injuries.
The worst of it was the blow to his head. It had been struck several times by Mo Hua's brush, and it still rang with a buzzing sound.
And the most important thing—his face had been disfigured.
The fireball spell had struck directly at his face, and even though Sun Ze had covered it, the heat had left several burn marks.
Sun Ze couldn't swallow this humiliation.
"If you can't swallow it, then hold it in," Sun Yi coldly retorted.
Sun Ze's anger remained unabated, and he furrowed his brows.
This wasn't like his father's usual style.
In Qianjia Town, the Sun family had always sought revenge for the slightest grievance. When had they ever let something slide?
"Father, do you have some other plan in mind?" Sun Ze asked.
Sun Yi stroked his chin and countered, "You tell me, can this little brat really find our Sun family's ancestral array formation?"
Sun Ze immediately scoffed, "Impossible!"
Sun Yi gave him a cold glance.
Sun Ze calmed down and began to think rationally. His heart skipped a beat as he realized, "It seems... there's a possibility."
Sun Ze thought carefully, "This little brat has an unusual identity, unusual magic, and his array formation prowess seems extraordinary as well."
"I destroyed all the formations he drew, but thinking back now, those formations were actually quite remarkable. He drew them quickly and skillfully, even better than you, Father..."
Sun Ze stopped halfway, not daring to continue.
"Speak," Sun Yi said with a cold humph.
"Better... than you, Father," Sun Ze finished reluctantly.
Surprisingly, Sun Yi didn't get angry. Instead, his heart skipped a beat as he secretly acknowledged the truth of his son's words.
This little brat with an innocent face was actually a rare array formation genius.
Perhaps, among this group, this little brat was the key figure.
And he was so young, too.
"There's always someone better out there," Sun Yi sighed.
"Then, Father... should we just let it go?" Sun Ze asked tentatively.
"Why should we?"
"An array formation genius... it might not be wise to provoke him," Sun Ze said.
"So what if he's an array formation genius?" Sun Yi coldly smiled. "This cultivation world is vast, with countless cultivators. Geniuses are a dime a dozen. Even with exceptional talent, if one doesn't grow to their full potential, they're no different from a mediocre cultivator."
Sun Ze was confused. "Father, what are you planning to do?"
Sun Yi's eyes narrowed. "We wait."
"Wait?"
"We wait for that little brat to find our Sun family's ancestral array formation, and then we'll capture them all and reap the benefits of their labor."
Sun Yi smirked, "By then, our Sun family's array formation will be returned to its rightful owners, and that little brat who knows how to draw formations will also be of use to our Sun family."
Sun Ze still had some concerns. "But what if there's a Foundation Establishment cultivator among them?"
"I've been planning this for a few days now," Sun Yi said. "Even if there's a Foundation Establishment cultivator among them, there can be at most one..."
"And our Sun family has me, a Foundation Establishment cultivator as well. In addition, we have hundreds of Qi Refining disciples."
"When the time comes for action, I will hold down that Foundation Establishment cultivator, and our hundreds of Sun family disciples will be more than enough to capture the remaining Qi Refining cultivators."
Sun Yi humphed coldly again. "Even if that little brat's magic is powerful, he can at most defeat eight or nine opponents. Against dozens or even hundreds of cultivators, even if he's just being stalled, his spiritual power will be exhausted."
"Once his spiritual power is depleted, he won't be able to escape even if he grows wings."
Sun Ze still had some misgivings. "But even if we capture him, will he listen to our Sun family?"
Sun Yi smiled faintly and continued, "We will capture them all and use his master or his senior and junior fellow disciples as leverage. He won't dare to disobey us."
"When he grows older, we'll choose a woman from our Sun family to forcibly marry him. Once they have a child, he will be bound to our Sun family."
"With our blood running through his child's veins, a blood connection will be established. Naturally, he will have to dedicate himself to serving our Sun family..."
Sun Ze was deeply shocked. "Father, you're truly... brilliant!"
Sun Yi smiled proudly. He turned his head and looked toward the distant spirit fields, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Search well, and find that lost array formation for our Sun family..."
...
Mo Hua was indeed searching for the array formation, but after half a day, he still had no clue.
So he ran to ask Zhuang Xian:
"Master, is the array formation in the spirit fields?"
Mr. Zhuang set up a bamboo chair in the courtyard and sat on it leisurely, gazing at the lush mountains and clear waters, and the blue sky with floating clouds.
Hearing Mo Hua's question, Mr. Zhuang smiled mysteriously, "What do you think?"
Mo Hua nodded, "I think so too."
"Since we have a suspicion, let's be patient and keep looking."
Mr. Zhuang replied casually, showing no signs of urgency.
Mo Hua frowned, feeling a bit perplexed. He had been searching for several days, yet he still had no clues.
All he could find in the spirit fields were the nurturing soil array with six array lines and some other water and earth-related arrays.
There wasn't even a trace of a first-rate nine-line array, let alone an extraordinary array beyond that.
Seeing Mo Hua's furrowed brow, Mr. Zhuang offered some guidance, "What are the essential components of an array?"
"Array medium, array lines, array pivot, and array eye." Mo Hua answered fluently as these were basic array concepts.
"Then, think from these perspectives, but don't limit yourself to the knowledge of existing arrays." Mr. Zhuang advised, his gaze shifting to the distant sky as he added, "The world of arrays is profound and vast. What you've seen and learned so far is just the tip of the iceberg; there are still many mysteries to uncover."
"You need to learn to utilize your existing knowledge in your contemplations without being constrained by it." Mr. Zhuang instructed.
Mo Hua nodded slowly, as if he had gained some insight.
In the following days, Mo Hua continued to search the spirit fields every day.
The little sprout followed him everywhere, running around like a lively companion.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, with nothing else to do, also joined Mo Hua in his search, offering their help.
Bai Zisheng, in his free time, would wander around, hoping to encounter someone from the Sun family looking for trouble.
Xue Yi was strict with him, usually not allowing him to fight with others.
Otherwise, when they were in Tongxian City, he would have loved to join Mo Hua in hunting demons in the Great Black Mountain to showcase his skills.
Now that Xue Yi wasn't around, Mr. Zhuang neither indulged nor restricted him. Bai Zisheng was eager to find someone to spar with and test his abilities.
Especially as the senior disciple, it was only natural for him to fight for his junior disciple, and Mr. Zhuang wouldn't blame him for that.
So, Bai Zisheng was eager to test his might, wandering around the spirit fields daily, occasionally glancing up to see if any Sun family cultivators would show up and cause trouble, giving him a chance to try his hand.
Unfortunately, the Sun family didn't take the bait and never showed up.
With no disturbances from the Sun family, Mo Hua could search in peace.
However, after several days of searching, he still made no progress. He sat down by the field, propping his chin with his hand, deep in thought.
Array medium, array lines, array pivot, array eye...
If there really was an extraordinary array hidden in the spirit fields, the field ridges should serve as the array medium.
The ridges were made of hard stones, ideal for carving array patterns.
The array lines should also exist on the ridges.
Yet, Mo Hua had searched almost every corner of the spirit fields and found no traces of an extraordinary array.
Additionally, there was the array pivot.
The array pivot of an extraordinary array should be significantly different from that of an ordinary array.
But Mo Hua couldn't find any evidence of a special array pivot in the spirit fields.
Most importantly, there was no array eye.
Arrays required an array eye to provide spiritual power, but there was no sign of an array eye that could power an extraordinary array in the spirit fields.
Mo Hua scratched his head, perplexed and unable to find a solution.
Based on the fundamental framework of arrays, it seemed unlikely that there was another array hidden in the spirit fields.
However, judging by Mr. Zhuang's attitude, Mo Hua was certain that there must be an extraordinary array hidden somewhere...
Mo Hua's thoughts were in disarray.
A gentle breeze blew through, rustling the rice stalks and carrying a hint of the sweet fragrance of rice plants.
Mo Hua calmed his mind and picked up a twig, beginning to draw something on the ground.
He sketched out all the arrays present in the spirit fields, including the nurturing soil array, water storage array, pest control array, and more.
He wanted to find some connection or pattern among these arrays.
However, no matter how he examined them, the arrays remained ordinary, with nothing out of the ordinary.
Mo Hua sighed and looked up, only to see Ding Miao'er sitting on the ground as well, holding a twig and trying to imitate Mo Hua's drawings, creating something of his own.
Miao'er's drawing resembled an array yet didn't quite fit the definition.
Mo Hua watched with a puzzled expression and asked, "Miao'er, what are you drawing?"
Miao'er pointed forward, "I'm drawing the spirit fields."
He saw Mo Hua drawing arrays, so he wanted to try it himself.
But arrays were complex, with intricate lines, and Miao'er couldn't replicate them, so he started drawing other things.
He had drawn cows, chickens, and now he was drawing the spirit fields.
Miao'er's drawing depicted the spirit fields, but the way he drew it, influenced by Mo Hua's style, made it look like an array yet not quite.
Mo Hua nodded slightly, then suddenly froze.
Array... Spirit fields...
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, a realization slowly forming in his mind.
At that moment, another gust of wind blew through, rustling the rice plants and creating waves of lush green that connected all the spirit fields, rippling into the distance.
The fields seemed to merge into one, responding to each other in harmony.
Mo Hua abruptly stood up, his heart pounding with excitement.
(End of Chapter)
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