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Chapter 391: Drawing on the Earth
Chapter 391: Drawing on the Earth
The connection with the Earth's divine consciousness only lasted for a fleeting moment before it was abruptly severed.
In his mind's eye, the vast expanse of the earth vanished, and the wondrous sight of withering and flourishing, blooming and fading flowers disappeared.
That fleeting insight into the "Tao" of the Earth was but a fleeting dream.
Mo Hua benefited immensely from the experience, but when he turned back, he noticed that the "Stele of the Tao" had turned gray.
Mo Hua was startled.
"Did I overuse it?" he frowned in thought.
He had borrowed the power of the stele to contemplate the divine consciousness of the earth.
It was the stele that directly bore the burden of the ancient and vast divine consciousness.
While the stele was indeed peculiar, it shouldn't have been able to communicate with the earth's divine consciousness and remain unscathed.
Of course, there was also the possibility that Mo Hua's own spiritual sense was too weak.
Therefore, as a medium of communication, the stele had to endure tremendous pressure.
Otherwise, he would never have been able to successfully communicate with the Tao of the Earth and achieve harmony with it.
"It's possibly overburdened and needs some rest..." Mo Hua felt a twinge of guilt.
He caressed the stele gently and said worriedly, "I hope you're alright..."
The stele remained silent and unresponsive, as if choosing to ignore Mo Hua, except for the gray color that now covered its surface.
Mo Hua attempted to draw an array pattern on the stele. The pattern was intermittent, with some parts visible and others fading away.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief. The stele was still functional; it was just that the divine consciousness had overloaded, causing a temporary "malfunction." It needed some time to recuperate.
Mo Hua sighed again, taking the incident as a lesson.
"If I don't have full confidence next time, I'd better not try to communicate with divine consciousness or contemplate the grand Tao at my current level," he thought to himself. "Even if I don't harm myself, damaging the stele is still undesirable."
Feeling a sense of self-reproach, Mo Hua patted the stele again and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Please take a good rest now."
The stele still showed no response, as if deliberately snubbing Mo Hua.
...
After withdrawing his consciousness from his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua felt reinvigorated and began to draw the Thick Earth Array once more.
This time, the experience of drawing the array felt completely different.
Having communicated with the Earth's divine consciousness and contemplated its Tao, his perception of the Earth's essence was now crystal clear.
Although he couldn't further his insight without the aid of the stele and relied solely on his spiritual sense, the clear perception allowed Mo Hua to draw the Thick Earth Array on the earth with ease.
Moreover, he did so with great composure and dexterity.
Previously, even when he could communicate with the Earth's essence through his spiritual sense and draw the array on the earth, it felt like drawing in mud.
The array patterns were not well integrated, and the flow of spiritual energy was sluggish.
But now, Mo Hua could truly treat the "Earth" as "paper," and the array patterns he drew were clear and stable, becoming one with the Earth.
It was as if the patterns he drew were inherently part of the Earth.
Wherever he placed his brush, the land, the array pattern, and the formation coexisted.
This was the benefit of contemplating the grand Tao.
However, the consequence was that the stele had gone on a "strike."
In the short term, he probably wouldn't be able to use the stele to practice formations anymore.
"There's nothing I can do about it now," Mo Hua said helplessly.
For the time being, he could only slack off legitimately.
The next day, Mo Hua went to find Mr. Zhuang again.
Having mastered the Thick Earth Array, he wanted to verify with his master if there were any issues with the array he had drawn.
However, as soon as he entered the courtyard, he noticed that both Mr. Zhuang and Kui Lao were staring at him intently.
Their gazes were sharp, as if they were observing some rare and fascinating phenomenon.
Mo Hua was taken aback and asked in a soft voice, "Master, what are you looking at?"
Mr. Zhuang hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully before asking, "Last night, did you sense something?"
Mo Hua was surprised.
As expected of Mr. Zhuang, nothing could escape his notice.
Mo Hua then briefly recounted the events of the previous night, omitting the part about the stele, just like before.
He explained that while learning the Thick Earth Array, he realized that he needed to communicate with the Earth's essence through his spiritual sense to draw the array on the earth effectively.
But after doing so, he felt a momentary connection to an ancient and immense divine consciousness.
However, it only lasted for an instant before fading away.
Mr. Zhuang's eyelids twitched as he listened.
There was a vast difference between communicating with the Earth's essence and perceiving its divine consciousness.
It was like climbing a mountain—one person standing at the foot of the mountain, having taken only a few steps, would not be able to see the entire mountain.
In contrast, the other person had almost reached the mountain's waist and caught a glimpse of the scenery at the peak.
These two levels of perception were entirely incomparable.
While they might sound similar, there was a huge gulf between them, separated by an immense chasm.
This gulf was the spiritual sense, and this chasm was the grand Tao.
Even Kui Lao, with his stoic demeanor, couldn't hide the clear look of shock on his face.
Seeing their reactions, Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"
Mr. Zhuang sighed and said, "It's a good thing, but it could also be a disaster."
"A disaster?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled bitterly and said, "At such a young age, you're already able to contemplate the grand Tao. If others find out, they will definitely try to capture you and explore your sea of consciousness to see what secrets it holds..."
Mo Hua was startled and instinctively covered his small head with his hands.
"So, remember this," Mr. Zhuang continued patiently, "you only talk about this here, and you must not tell anyone else about it!"
"Yes, yes!" Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.
Mr. Zhuang sighed inwardly.
It seemed like his little disciple was accumulating more and more secrets that couldn't be shared with others.
However, Mo Hua asked curiously, "Master, what exactly was that divine consciousness I sensed? Was it the Earth's divine consciousness? Why does the Earth have its consciousness? Is it alive?"
Mr. Zhuang's eyes flickered as he explained, "All things in heaven and earth have their thoughts, and with thoughts come consciousness.
"Such is the nature of the Earth's consciousness."
"We often refer to this profound divine consciousness, inherent in all things of heaven and earth, as 'Dao Encompassed'," Zhuang said, his voice filled with emotion.
"Dao Encompassed..." Mo Hua whispered, his heart pounding with excitement.
"Yes," Zhuang affirmed. "The divine consciousness you perceived with the help of the Stele, the glimpse of the Dao you witnessed, was the Earth's Dao Encompassed!"
Zhuang gazed at Mo Hua silently, emphasizing the importance of his words. "Remember what I told you."
Mo Hua nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Master. I won't tell a soul!"
Only then did Zhuang nod in satisfaction.
"Master," Mo Hua asked quietly, "does this mean that by understanding the Earth's Dao Encompassed, I can draw the Thick Earth Array?"
Zhuang shook his head. "Not necessarily."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "Really?"
"No," Zhuang clarified. "As long as you can sense the Earth's aura to a certain degree, you will be able to draw the Thick Earth Array."
"If one had to truly understand the Earth's Dao Encompassed, then hardly anyone would be able to draw this array..." Mo Hua scratched his chin, deep in thought.
"Then, wasn't my insight a bit of a waste?" he wondered aloud.
Zhuang couldn't help but tap Mo Hua's little head affectionately. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"Oh," Mo Hua replied, rubbing his head sheepishly and offering a bashful smile.
Zhuang's expression softened, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Gaining insight into the Dao Encompassed doesn't just enable you to draw the Thick Earth Array on the ground. It empowers you to draw any formation on the earth."
"Wherever you draw a formation, it shall exist," he emphasized. "This is an extremely profound technique for formation masters."
Mo Hua's eyes widened in surprise, and after a moment's reflection, he began to understand. "The earth belongs to the Dao Encompassed, and initially, it doesn't allow cultivators to draw formations."
"Since we are strangers, the Dao Encompassed doesn't give face," he reasoned. "Now that I've 'met' it and introduced myself, we're familiar, and it's more convenient for me to act. The Dao Encompassed permits me to draw formations in its domain."
"Is that what you mean, Master?" Mo Hua asked eagerly.
Zhuang was left speechless by Mo Hua's interpretation, and after a long silence, he finally conceded, "If that's how you want to understand it... I suppose it's fine."
Mo Hua's heart leaped with joy.
To be able to draw any formation on the earth! This meant that he could draw formations anywhere in the world, as long as there was soil to act as a medium.
And beneath the heavens, there was soil everywhere.
More importantly...
From now on, he wouldn't need to spend money on paper when drawing formations! In other words, he could save a lot of spirit stones!
"It seems that the Stele taking some damage was worth it..." Mo Hua thought to himself.
He then lowered his voice and asked Zhuang, "Master, this Thick Earth Array, it's quite extraordinary, isn't it?"
Being an ultimate formation, it required communication with the Earth's aura, and one could even gain insight into the Earth's Dao Encompassed through it.
Although the Stele played a crucial role in perceiving the Dao Encompassed, the fact that this formation served as a medium between cultivators and the Dao Encompassed made it remarkable in its own right.
Zhuang also whispered in reply, "It's a secret technique of the Earth Sect. Don't let it slip to anyone."
"But what if someone finds out?" Mo Hua asked quietly.
"Just learn it secretly. Don't worry about its origins," Zhuang advised.
"Is that really okay?" Mo Hua wondered.
...
Standing by, Kui Lao couldn't help but feel speechless as he watched the whispered exchange between master and disciple.
Zhuang continued, "Now that you're here, if you 'accidentally' saw it and 'accidentally' learned it, without stealing or robbing, but rather openly and honestly, what could they do to you? Even if they complain to high heaven, you'd still be in the right."
"Moreover..." Zhuang added, "if you don't tell them, they might not even know that what you're drawing is the Thick Earth Array."
"Why wouldn't they know?" Mo Hua asked, taken aback.
"Because their own formation masters might not be able to learn it," Zhuang replied.
"They can't learn their own technique?" Mo Hua asked, surprised.
"It's not their own technique," Zhuang corrected. "It was passed down by their ancestors, and they are merely benefiting from their ancestors' legacy."
"Furthermore, this is an ultimate formation, a formation secret, and even though it's only a first-grade formation, it contains the principles of the Dao. It's not something that a typical formation master can comprehend."
"If you claim this formation as your own, they might challenge you to draw it for them. If you can't, how can you prove it's yours?"
"While the Earth Sect rose to prominence through formations, most members of the sect are unlikely to know ultimate formations."
"If they can't do it themselves, how can they fault you?"
"Isn't this being a little too thick-skinned?" Mo Hua asked weakly.
"It's fine," Zhuang assured him. "Sometimes, having thick skin is the solution to problems."
Zhuang's demeanor was unshakable, as if unmoved by the collapse of Mount Tai or the rebukes of thousands.
Mo Hua looked at his master with admiration, then reached up to touch his own face. "It seems I need to thicken my skin a bit more..."
Kui Lao, standing beside them, couldn't help but sigh. Such a good child was being influenced...
(End of Chapter)
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