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Chapter 532: The Shrine
Chapter 532: The Shrine
"The Five Elements Sect keeps its word. We accept our loss."
Elder Zhang hesitated as he glanced at Mo Hua before continuing, "You three may learn the highest legacy of our sect here—the Five Elements Spirit Formation."
"The Five Elements Spirit Formation, a top-tier formation with thirteen patterns of the first rank."
"I need not explain the value of this formation any further."
"However, there are some rules that must be followed if you wish to learn this art."
"First, you will only have five days, two hours each day. If you can master it within this time, we of the Five Elements Sect will have no further objections. But if you cannot, then you are on your own..."
"Second, during the learning process, you must not damage a single brick or wood carving in this room. Nothing must be moved."
"Third, you must show respect to the shrine and our ancestors of the Five Elements Sect."
"Fourth, whether you learn this formation or not, and regardless of how much you learn, you must never pass on what you've learned to outsiders!"
"Fifth..."
Elder Zhang continued to ramble on, laying out a long list of rules.
Mo Hua found it tedious, but for the sake of the Five Elements Spirit Formation, he endured it.
After Elder Zhang finished speaking, he glanced at Mr. Zhuang and politely said, "We have prepared some precious Lisanyunwu tea on the third floor. Please feel free to take a break and enjoy it."
This was clearly a subtle way of asking them to leave.
No outsiders were allowed in the shrine while the formation was being studied.
Mr. Zhuang nodded, his gaze sweeping over Mo Hua and the others as he instructed, "Study hard." Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he headed downstairs for his tea.
Elder Zhang followed closely behind Mr. Zhuang and left as well.
Before leaving, Elder Zhang lit the incense burner and gave Mo Hua a cryptic look. Then, he locked the door and departed.
In the quiet and solemn atmosphere before the shrine, only Mo Hua and his two companions remained.
They had only five days, two hours each day, to unravel the mysteries of the Five Elements Sect's thirteen-patterned spirit formation.
They had to make the most of their time.
There were five meditation cushions placed before the shrine.
"Sit on the cushions, contemplate the shrine, and gain insight into the formation."
This was Elder Zhang's instruction.
He had also specifically mentioned that the way to sit was to kneel.
However, kneeling was out of the question.
The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect had no connection to Mo Hua, and they did not deserve his reverence.
So, Mo Hua crossed his legs and sat on the cushion.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi glanced at Mo Hua and followed his example, sitting cross-legged on their respective cushions.
Mo Hua sat in the middle, with Bai Zixi on his left and Bai Zisheng on his right.
The three of them focused their minds and began to contemplate the shrine.
The shrine was made of black wood with a rich, golden lacquer finish, exuding a sense of grandeur and ancient solemnity.
It was adorned with intricate gold carvings depicting ancestor statues, spiritual beasts, exotic flowers and plants, elaborate roof beams, and all sorts of magical treasures.
Mo Hua's eyes darted across the intricate details, but he couldn't quite understand the purpose of these carvings...
Only the center of the shrine seemed to hold a clue.
There appeared to be a dojo, and in its center was a massive formation disk.
Formation masters gathered around it, their expressions reverent.
Above the dojo stood an elderly man with a solemn demeanor, pointing upward as if imparting wisdom and doctrine.
The shrine preached.
The dojo held the formation disk.
This was the place on the entire shrine most closely related to the formation art.
"Could the Five Elements Spirit Formation be inscribed on the formation disk in the center of the shrine?"
Mo Hua speculated, calming his mind and focusing his thoughts on the central formation disk.
Indeed, after a moment, the sound of a distant bell seemed to ring out.
The incense burner before the shrine emitted curling tendrils of smoke that floated before Mo Hua's face. The smoke then enveloped the shrine, condensing into intricate patterns that manifested on the formation disk.
Mo Hua's spirit stirred.
"Just as I thought!"
Just as he was about to focus and examine the formation patterns, a frail, elderly voice rang out in his ear:
"I shall impart the formation art to you..."
This feeling was all too familiar.
Back in Nanyue City, when Mo Hua had obtained Zhang Quan's ancestor portrait and contemplated it, he had heard a similar ethereal, elderly voice muttering things like, "I shall impart the Great Path to you," "I shall aid your ascension," and "I shall grant you longevity"...
Instinctively, Mo Hua felt a sense of rejection.
Another scam!
His eyes narrowed, and with a subtle shift of his spiritual sense, he cleared his mind, dispelling the illusion.
In an instant, everything vanished.
The incense burner emitted only ordinary smoke.
The smoke held no formation patterns, no illusions.
The elderly voice in his ear disappeared as well.
The shrine returned to its original state.
The formation disk was blank.
It seemed that everything had dissipated due to Mo Hua's rejection...
When Mo Hua looked at the shrine again, it was just a shrine.
There was no formation art, nothing at all...
Mo Hua froze.
No matter how long he contemplated, there were no further changes.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then muttered to himself:
"Did I overthink it?"
"Was that voice truly trying to impart the formation art to me?"
"The smoke from the incense burner did indeed condense into profound Five Elements formation patterns..."
"But did I offend the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect by seeing through the illusion, and now they refuse to teach me?"
"No, that can't be..."
Mo Hua tried several more times, but to no avail.
It seemed that the shrine truly did not want to teach him the formation art anymore.
The smoke was just ordinary smoke now, no longer condensing into formation patterns...
Mo Hua sighed in resignation.
Could it be that his spiritual sense was too strong, his resolve too firm, and his perception of spiritual fluctuations too keen?
Their eyes shone with the light of formation patterns, as if they were in the midst of a profound realization.
It seemed that they were learning the Five Elements Spirit Formation.
Mo Hua didn't want to disturb them.
He turned his head to the right to glance at Bai Zisheng, and then turned to the left to stare at Bai Zixi for a while, his heart filled with emotion:
"Little Senior Sister is so beautiful!"
Her skin was fair, her features delicate, and her eyes resembled the stars in the sky, serene and sparkling.
And this was after she had altered her appearance to conceal her true looks.
If this was her original appearance, she would be even more stunning...
Mo Hua stared for a while longer before snapping back to his senses.
"Almost forgot, I need to focus on the important task at hand, the Five Elements Spirit Formation..."
Mo Hua once again concentrated, directing his full attention to the shrine.
But no matter how hard he contemplated, the shrine remained unchanged.
Even when he tried to "pretend to be foolish" by sealing his spiritual sense and silently chanting, "Come and delude me, I won't see through you," it was to no avail.
The shrine continued to ignore him.
Mo Hua sighed. After gazing at the shrine for a while longer, a question floated into his mind:
"Is there any connection between this shrine and the contemplation diagram?"
Contemplation diagrams often contained residual thoughts.
These thoughts could be varied.
They might include insights into the Great Dao, understandings of the Heavenly Dao, remnants of a cultivator's thoughts after death, or even evil intentions from ghosts and zombies.
Mo Hua had never encountered a proper contemplation diagram before.
The ones he had seen were all improper.
And the beings within those diagrams were unclean and evil.
"Could this shrine be a unique type of 'contemplation diagram'?" Mo Hua recalled his master mentioning that the term 'contemplation diagram' was just a general name. Not all objects of contemplation were necessarily 'diagrams'. Even a single blade of grass, a brick, a spiritual artifact, or a magical treasure could potentially contain the secrets of the Great Dao or be imbued with thoughts or parasitic evil spirits.
"So, could this shrine be an alternative form of a 'contemplation diagram'?"
"It's just that instead of a 'diagram', it takes the form of a 'shrine'?"
"Could there be something residing within this shrine?"
"Is it a divine thought or the secret to the Five Elements Spirit Formation?"
"Regardless, it's definitely something good..."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up with excitement, only to dim with disappointment.
"It's a shame it's too big to move..."
"And the Five Elements Sect would never allow me to take it away."
Mo Hua mused to himself:
"If only I could take the shrine with me. That would solve everything. If I could study it day and night, I'd definitely be able to master the Five Elements Spirit Formation..."
But that was just wishful thinking.
Stealing the ancestral shrine of the Five Elements Sect was simply too outrageous...
However, the current problem was how he could learn the Five Elements Spirit Formation...
Mo Hua frowned, staring blankly at the shrine.
The smoke from the incense burner gradually dissipated.
Time ticked by...
Before they knew it, the allotted time had come to an end.
The incense in the burner had burned out.
Mo Hua suddenly realized that two hours had passed, yet he hadn't learned even a single formation pattern...
It felt like taking an exam and being about to hand in the paper, only to realize that he hadn't written a single word...
Mo Hua's little heart trembled.
Then he remembered that the test would last for five days, and even though he hadn't learned anything today, there were still four days left, which slightly eased his anxiety.
As the incense burned out, all the ethereal traces of smoke vanished.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi came back to their senses, blinking as their eyes regained focus. They had both been immersed in the state of contemplating the formation. They glanced at Mo Hua simultaneously, surprised to find him looking like someone who had just attended a lesson, learned nothing, and then given up altogether.
Just then, Elder Zhang opened the door.
His gaze swept over the three of them without a word, and he merely said indifferently:
"Today's time is up. Come back tomorrow."
Mo Hua and his companions politely bowed and followed Mr. Zhuang out.
Once they returned to their room, Mo Hua spoke with a hint of guilt:
"Master, I didn't learn anything..."
Mr. Zhuang was a little surprised and curious, and he asked with interest:
"What did you see?"
Mo Hua replied honestly, "I saw the formation patterns on the formation disk, and I heard an old man speaking. Then, out of habit, I discarded all distracting thoughts, and after that... I couldn't see anything at all..."
Aside from spending a little time secretly glancing at Little Senior Sister, he had used the rest of the time to ponder the contemplation diagram and daydream...
"Master, why is that?" Mo Hua asked.
Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment and sighed, "Perhaps your spiritual sense is too strong..."
With a strong spiritual sense, one could see through to the essence.
A pure heart in the Dao, unmoved by distractions.
But because of this, he couldn't see the illusory diagram in the shrine and thus couldn't receive the Five Elements Sect's legacy.
Mo Hua grumbled, "The Five Elements Sect is too unreasonable. How could they use such a bizarre method to pass on their ultimate formation?"
Mr. Zhuang silently glanced at Mo Hua, thinking that it wasn't the Five Elements Sect that was unreasonable, but rather, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was too extraordinary.
At the first level of Qi Refinement, he already had thirteen strands of spiritual sense.
The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect probably couldn't have anticipated this...
Mr. Zhuang then asked Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, "What about you two?"
They both nodded.
Bai Zisheng said, "We both learned it. When we sat on the meditation cushions and contemplated the shrine, formation patterns appeared on the formation disk in the center of the dojo..."
"There was also an elderly man who provided guidance and shared key points for learning the Five Elements Spirit Formation..."
Mr. Zhuang said, "Draw it out for me to see."
"Mmhmm." Bai Zisheng nodded and took out some paper and a brush to begin drawing the Five Elements Spirit Formation he had seen on the shrine.
Bai Zixi, with her graceful posture, also started drawing with an elegant brushstroke.
Once they were done, they handed their drawings to Mr. Zhuang together.
Mr. Zhuang only needed one glance before nodding in approval. "Indeed, it's the top-tier thirteen-patterned Five Elements Spirit Formation."
Mo Hua leaned in to take a look as well.
Bai Zisheng's drawing depicted a fire-based absolute formation, incomplete but seemingly a part of the Five Elements Spirit Formation—the Fire Spirit Formation.
Bai Zixi's illustration showcased a wood-based absolute formation, a complete set of thirteen patterns, an entire Wood Spirit Formation.
Evidently, Bai Zixi's talent in formations far exceeded that of her brother.
A complete top-tier thirteen-patterned Wood Spirit Formation...
Even with the aid of the Celestial Array Stream, it was impressive that she had memorized it within two hours.
Mo Hua couldn't help but praise, "Little Senior Sister, you're amazing!"
Bai Zixi nodded, accepting Mo Hua's compliment, her eyes sparkling.
Bai Zisheng pouted, feeling somewhat displeased with Mo Hua's "sweet talk," but he still voiced his concern:
"But, won't you be unable to learn the Five Elements Spirit Formation if you can't see the dojo formation chart, Brother Hua?"
The Five Elements Spirit Formation was more of an embellishment to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi.
They didn't rely on formations.
However, the same couldn't be said for Mo Hua.
He had to follow the path of formations and constantly learn new ones while strengthening his spiritual sense.
The Five Elements Spirit Formation was of utmost importance to him.
Mo Hua sighed again.
He didn't have any better ideas.
If the shrine refused to reveal the formation chart, then he was truly helpless.
He couldn't very well smash the ancestral shrine, could he...
Bai Zixi pondered for a moment, her beautiful eyes sparkling with an idea, "Brother and I can teach you!"
Bai Zisheng paused, then understood:
"That's right. I'll go learn it with Zixi, and then we'll teach you afterward."
Mo Hua was taken aback for a moment before he mulled it over, and his eyes lit up.
It seemed like... that might work.
After all, learning from his junior and senior disciples was only natural.
"But, won't this be considered external transmission?"
According to the Five Elements Sect's Great Elder, they could only learn and practice it themselves.
Bai Zixi shook her head, "It won't be considered external transmission."
Mo Hua thought about it and nodded, feeling that it made sense. They were all from the same sect, and they all had the qualifications to learn the absolute formation. Exchanging knowledge within the sect wouldn't be considered external transmission.
Thus, Bai Zixi and Bai Zisheng began teaching Mo Hua the Wood Spirit Formation and the Fire Spirit Formation.
Bai Zixi maintained a calm demeanor, while Bai Zisheng was brimming with excitement, as it was rare for him to have the opportunity to teach Mo Hua formations.
As they taught him the patterns, they also shared the key insights and tips they had learned from the old man.
Mo Hua listened attentively, memorizing the patterns while also understanding their intricacies, asking questions whenever he had any doubts.
By the evening, Mo Hua had finally grasped the basics of the Wood Spirit Formation and the Fire Spirit Formation.
However, these formations were just patterns to him, lacking any real power.
Like the other absolute formations, they seemed to be missing something crucial—they had the structure but none of the essence.
This was within Mo Hua's expectations.
But there was another issue that concerned him: "Why are there only the Wood Spirit Formation and the Fire Spirit Formation? Where are the other three Five Elements Spirit Formations?"
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi exchanged glances, both shaking their heads.
"I only saw this one formation..."
"Do we learn them one by one, and only after mastering one can we move on to the next?"
"If that's the case, then why is the order different? There's Wood and Fire, but how was this order determined?"
The three of them were puzzled.
Mo Hua sighed, "Looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out..."
"That's all we can do," Bai Zisheng agreed.
Bai Zixi also furrowed her brows, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Mr. Zhuang watched them, a slight smile on his face, but he remained silent.
...
At that moment, on the fourth floor of the Array Pavilion, in front of the ancient and majestic shrine, the Great Elder lit three sticks of incense and placed them in the incense burner.
The fragrant smoke curled upward.
After a while, two of the three sticks of incense were shorter than the other, one on the left being the shortest, but still leaving a long stub.
The incense on the right was partially burned, but not by much.
The incense in the middle remained untouched.
The Great Elder was delighted and nodded, "Good... they didn't learn it."
Not only had they not learned it, but they hadn't grasped a single thing! The Great Elder felt relieved and yet somewhat sentimental.
They had the talent and a solid foundation in formations, and they were indeed qualified. But their age was a factor, as learning too much at once could lead to confusion, and their comprehension abilities fell short...
As for the Five Elements Absolute Formation, they hadn't understood a thing.
It seemed his guess was correct.
His senior and junior disciples were indeed stronger than him.
However, even with stronger talents and higher comprehension, truly understanding the Five Elements Spirit Formation was still a far cry...
The three sticks of incense in the burner, aside from the one in the middle, still had a long way to go before they were completely burned out...
The Great Elder breathed a sigh of relief.
He bowed respectfully toward the shrine and sincerely prayed:
"... Bless the Five Elements Sect, may our legacy endure, and our array path prosper!"
There was no response from the shrine.
However, the eyes of the wooden sculpture of the old man in the dojo opened.
(End of Chapter)
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