Chapter 533: The Meditation Cushions
Chapter 533: The Meditation Cushions
The next day, the Elder opened the door and lit some incense.
Above the shrine, tendrils of smoke curled upwards.
Mo Hua and his two juniors sat cross-legged on their meditation cushions, just as they had the day before, calming their minds and focusing their attention on the shrine.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi quickly entered a meditative state, continuing their contemplation of the array patterns.
But for Mo Hua, nothing had changed. He still couldn't perceive any array patterns, no matter how hard he tried.
The shrine remained just a shrine.
In the training ground, the gathered formation masters were as lifeless as wooden sculptures.
The array disc was enveloped in smoke, with not a hint of an array pattern to be seen.
Mo Hua sighed and lay down on the ground, watching his senior male and female juniors as they focused on the shrine.
Half an hour passed, and Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi opened their eyes, exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's eyes glinted, "So, what did you see?"
Bai Zixi said, "It's the same as yesterday. I still see the Wood Spirit Array. Even after learning it, the only array that appears in the training ground is the Wood Spirit Array. There's no sign of the other Five Elements Arrays."
Bai Zisheng nodded, "I only see the Fire Spirit Array. I didn't quite master it yesterday, but today I finished learning it."
Mo Hua furrowed his brows.
The Five Elements Spirit Arrays consisted of five ultimate arrays, one for each element—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
Now that they had discovered the Wood and Fire Spirit Arrays, where were the other three hidden?
Mo Hua surveyed the fourth floor of the Array Pavilion once more, and his gaze fell upon the meditation cushions on the floor.
Five meditation cushions... Five Elements Spirit Arrays...
Bai Zixi also noticed the correlation and asked, "Could it have something to do with the cushions?"
Mo Hua nodded, "That stingy old man... Before he let us in, he specifically instructed us not to damage anything in this room, not even a brick or a piece of wood. He said we must not move any of the furnishings."
"We must not move any of the furnishings..."
"He must have been talking about these meditation cushions, right?"
"There's definitely something odd about these cushions," Bai Zixi said.
Mo Hua looked at the cushions again, his eyes gradually lighting up, "It makes sense. Since we're learning different arrays, it must be because... we're sitting on different cushions."
"By sitting on different cushions, we perceive different Five Elements Spirit Arrays."
"There are five cushions, corresponding to the five array formations!"
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi's eyes lit up as well, "Let's give it a try!"
Bai Zixi sat on the cushion farthest to the left, while Bai Zisheng took the one on the far right.
They calmed their minds once more and focused their gaze on the shrine, contemplating the array patterns.
An hour later, Bai Zisheng was still in deep concentration.
Bai Zixi, on the other hand, had finished her contemplation. She exited her meditative state and turned to Mo Hua, "It's the Metal Spirit Array."
Mo Hua instantly understood.
His guess had been correct. The Five Elements Spirit Arrays corresponded to the five meditation cushions. By sitting on different cushions, they could perceive different arrays.
However, Mo Hua was still surprised.
"Little Senior Sister, you've already mastered the Metal Spirit Array?"
In just one hour of contemplation, she had learned an entire array?
Bai Zixi nodded, "Once you understand one array, the others become easier to grasp."
Mo Hua finally understood.
This must be what their Master meant when he spoke of the supreme inheritance—the Source Flow of the Celestial Array.
With the aid of the Celestial Array Flow, they could comprehend some of the most profound array formations.
And Bai Zixi's flawless root bone, combined with the supreme Celestial Array Flow, complemented each other perfectly.
That was why she was able to learn the Five Elements Spirit Arrays so quickly.
Bai Zixi turned to Mo Hua and said, "Move aside for a moment."
Mo Hua was taken aback.
Bai Zixi pointed to the cushion he was sitting on.
Only then did Mo Hua realize that each cushion corresponded to a specific array, and the only array left to learn was the one associated with the cushion he was currently occupying.
So, he got up and moved aside.
Bai Zixi gracefully walked over and sat down in front of Mo Hua.
With Little Senior Sister sitting so close, Mo Hua could smell a faint, pleasant fragrance. A crisp and elegant scent lingered in his nose and swirled in his heart.
Mo Hua's face turned slightly red, and he suddenly felt awkward.
Bai Zixi looked at him with her beautiful eyes, confusion evident, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Mo Hua shook his head and came up with an excuse, "I feel embarrassed because I can't seem to learn the array formations."
Bai Zixi remained silent for a moment, then hesitated for a long while before finally mustering her determination. She slowly reached out and patted Mo Hua's shoulder, exuding the aura of a senior sister, "It's alright. I'll help you learn it."
Warmth spread through Mo Hua's heart, and he smiled brightly, "Thank you, Senior Sister."
As Bai Zixi looked at Mo Hua's clear and cheerful smile, strange emotions stirred within her, causing her expression to turn solemn. She steadied herself and said, "I'm about to learn the array formation. Don't disturb me."
"Yes, yes," Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, then sat down behind Bai Zixi, assuming a proper posture as he pretended to 'protect the law' for his senior sister.
Bai Zixi knew that Mo Hua was staring at her, and her heart felt a little uneasy.
In that moment, she felt as though Mo Hua's gaze was like the winter sun, shining on her body. It was clear and warm, comforting yet making her feel a little uncomfortable, as if she had been chilled for a long time.
She closed her eyes, and it took her a while to calm her emotions. Then she opened her eyes, her gaze as calm as water, and focused her mind on the shrine, contemplating the last of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays—the Water Spirit Array.
Mo Hua sat quietly, watching his dedicated senior sister, and he didn't feel the slightest bit bored.
The shrine remained quiet, and time passed slowly...
Two hours later, the incense burned out once more.
The shrine and the training ground fell silent.
The Elder opened the door, glanced at the three of them, and said indifferently, "Your time is up."
Mo Hua and his seniors left the Array Pavilion and returned to their guest room. They huddled around the table and discussed their findings.
"I've learned the Earth Spirit Array!"
"I've mastered the Metal Spirit Array, and I've almost finished learning the Water Spirit Array. I've memorized the array pattern, but I still need to deepen my understanding of the array's principles."
Mo Hua nodded.
"But... could it be that simple?" Mo Hua frowned.
It was unlikely that they had truly mastered the ultimate array with thirteen intricate patterns so easily...
"Why don't we test its effects?" Bai Zisheng suggested.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and nodded.
The essence of array mastery was to apply it in practice.
By drawing the array and witnessing its practical effects, one could confirm their true understanding of the array.
If the array was ineffective or failed to activate, it meant that they had not truly grasped the essence of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
The Five Elements Spirit Arrays could enhance the attributes of the five elements, amplify their respective elemental spiritual powers, and thus increase the might of spiritual tools, spirit machines, Taoist techniques, and spells of the same element.
Bai Zixi took out a spirit sword embryo.
It was a blank spirit sword, freshly forged without any arrays, something she had played around with in her spare time to practice her artifice.
Bai Zixi drew the Metal Spirit Array on the sword embryo and then channeled her spiritual power to activate the array, performing a sword technique.
Golden sword light condensed at the tip of the sword and slashed towards the ground.
When the sword light touched the ground, the array on the ground was damaged, the bricks shattered, and a sword mark appeared, leaving behind traces of brilliant golden spiritual power.
"How is it?" Mo Hua asked.
Bai Zixi shook her head, "It's slightly enhanced, but the effect is negligible."
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed.
"Let's try the others," Bai Zixi suggested.
Mo Hua nodded.
Subsequently, in addition to the Metal Spirit Array, they tested the Wood Spirit Array, Fire Spirit Array, Water Spirit Array, and Earth Spirit Array as well.
Those who knew the corresponding elemental spells used them for the test.
However, there were also those who didn't.
For example, neither Bai Zisheng nor Bai Zixi could use wood-attribute or earth-attribute spells due to the limitations of their spiritual roots. In this case, Mo Hua quickly learned two Five Elements spells, "Sand Flow Technique" and "Wood Poison Technique," to aid in their experimentation.
He had a minor five-elemental spiritual root, allowing him to learn spells of all five elements.
Since he was learning them for the first time, his control was not proficient, and the power was minimal, making them impractical in actual combat. However, they were sufficient for testing the arrays.
After everyone had tried, they were ultimately disappointed.
The Five Elements Spirit Arrays seemed to be working, but their effects were insignificant.
Mo Hua sighed softly.
Although disappointed, this outcome was within their expectations.
The reason why the Five Elements Spirit Arrays were considered ultimate arrays was not only because they had thirteen intricate patterns and high consciousness requirements but also because they involved some fundamental changes in spiritual power or unique array legacies.
One had to grasp certain rules to truly comprehend an ultimate array.
The Reverse Spirit Array required derivation calculations.
The Thick Earth Array needed to sense the Earth's elemental essence.
The Spirit Pivot Array required insight into the central structure of spiritual power, turning it into threads, thus allowing for meticulous control.
So, what about the Five Elements Spirit Arrays?
How could they comprehend the essence of the spiritual power of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays and truly master this ultimate array?
The three of them were puzzled and confused.
At midnight.
Mo Hua lay on his bed, his consciousness immersed in his sea of consciousness.
The Daoist stele appeared before Mo Hua.
Mo Hua practiced the Five Elements Spirit Arrays over and over again on the Daoist stele.
Mo Hua's consciousness was thirteen-patterned.
The Five Elements Spirit Arrays were also a threshold for the thirteen-patterned consciousness.
Additionally, while the Five Elements Spirit Arrays were considered an ultimate array, their foundation lay in the five elements, and Mo Hua, having practiced the grand arrays of the five elements before, had a deep understanding of the five-elemental arrays, making it not too difficult for him to learn.
After practicing more than a dozen times, Mo Hua could draw the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
However, he could only draw the patterns, connect the array hubs, and construct the array eyes.
He had only grasped the form, without understanding the deeper intricacies.
It couldn't be considered true mastery yet.
The Five Elements Spirit Arrays must have held deeper secrets.
"Where are these secrets hidden?"
Mo Hua hugged his knees, resting his head on them as he lay on the blank ground of his sea of consciousness, thinking through everything about the Five Elements Sect from start to finish...
The Elder who adhered to the legacy, the indifferent Liao Sect Master, a bunch of elders with no sense of presence, so much so that one couldn't tell who was who, and the disciples who were failing to uphold the legacy of array formation...
Establishing the sect based on arrays, undertaking massive construction projects...
The second-grade Five Elements Mountain Protecting Grand Array...
As he thought about it, Mo Hua's thoughts began to diverge.
He always felt that there was something incongruous about the Five Elements Sect.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was...
Mo Hua shook his head, refocusing his attention on the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
The Five Elements Spirit Arrays were the most important thing.
According to his master, only after learning the Five Elements Spirit Arrays and establishing a foundation for himself could he proceed to build his foundation.
The Five Elements Spirit Arrays were hidden in the Array Pavilion.
Within the Array Pavilion, there was a shrine.
In front of the shrine were five meditation cushions.
The Elder's intention was clear; he didn't want Mo Hua, his senior male and female juniors, or even their master to learn the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
He didn't want the Five Elements Spirit Arrays to be spread beyond the sect.
Conversely...
It meant that within this shrine, there truly existed the legacy of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
If the Elder hadn't obstructed them, someone might have indeed learned it and taken it away.
Mo Hua then tried to think from the perspective of the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect:
If he were an ancestor of the Five Elements Sect...
The first priority would not be to worry about someone learning their legacy but to find a way to ensure that his disciples could truly comprehend the sect's legacy.
If they couldn't learn it, the sect would eventually perish.
That shrine was likely the handiwork of the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect.
The sect's legacy was sealed within the shrine.
The younger disciples of the Five Elements Sect, by contemplating the shrine, would be able to grasp the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
If that was the case, then this legacy included not only the array patterns of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays but also the true secrets within them.
These secrets might be a Daoist essence, a type of spiritual consciousness technique, or perhaps an understanding of certain array rules.
The array patterns of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays were merely the shell.
These secrets were the true essence of the legacy.
And these secrets must be hidden within the shrine.
Otherwise, even fewer people from the Five Elements Sect would be able to learn the Five Elements Spirit Arrays!
--Though currently, it seemed like no one from the sect could learn them anyway...
Mo Hua pondered this further and nodded.
It had to be so!
It wasn't that he was arrogant.
When it came to studying and comprehending supreme arrays, few could match his experience, and there were likely few Formation Masters whose spiritual consciousness surpassed his.
Yet, he still couldn't learn it.
So how could the younger disciples of the Five Elements Sect hope to do so?
Therefore, there had to be something else hidden within the shrine...
...
On the third day, the Elder, as always, lit some incense and offered his respects before closing the door.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi took turns sitting on the meditation cushions, contemplating the array patterns within the shrine.
It was to consolidate what they had learned before, filling in any gaps, as well as to check if they had missed any details.
Mo Hua, as usual, neither meditated nor contemplated.
Because he couldn't perceive anything no matter how hard he tried.
It was as if the shrine didn't want him to see anything.
Mo Hua was doing something else instead.
He was examining the layout of the entire fourth floor of the Array Pavilion, the formations, and the specific structure and purpose of the shrine.
As he examined it, Mo Hua thought to himself:
"If I were an ancestor of the Five Elements Sect, how would I set up the formations, construct the shrine, and design the form of the legacy, so that my disciples could learn the orthodox legacy of the Five Elements Sect?
How could I prevent disciples from other sects with ill intentions—like myself—from stealing the legacy?"
First of all, there would definitely be defensive formations, sound-blocking formations, and formations that hindered spiritual consciousness.
Mo Hua looked around.
There were some extremely abstruse, profound, and powerful formation auras around, which were likely the means employed by the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect.
Mo Hua lacked experience, but he guessed that these formations were at least third-grade or higher.
Third-grade formations were beyond Mo Hua's ability to understand.
So, he could only ignore them for now.
Secondly, there was the shrine.
Mo Hua stared at the shrine for a long time. Combined with his thoughts from yesterday, he gradually understood some things:
The shrine built by the Five Elements Sect might not be for worshipping their ancestors.
In a family shrine, the ancestors were worshipped, and the bloodline was revered.
In a sect, the lineage of masters and apprentices was revered, so what was worshipped should be the legacy.
So, while there were the names of ancestors and wooden sculptures of Formation Masters in the shrine, its core was the 'dao field'.
The implication of the dao field was the transmission of the Dao.
Its purpose was to allow all disciples of the Five Elements Sect to venerate the shrine, as if they were personally in the dao field, listening to the teachings of the ancestors, comprehending the true mysteries of formations, and understanding the profound truths of the Dao.
But how could one listen? Mo Hua looked at his senior male and female juniors.
They were sitting on the meditation cushions, looking at the shrine, and contemplating the array patterns that appeared within the dao field.
Meditation cushions...
Mo Hua then examined the meditation cushions more closely.
These cushions were just ordinary cushions.
Although the material was unusual, and Mo Hua couldn't identify it, there were no formations within them, and his spiritual consciousness detected nothing unusual. This meant that the cushions themselves were not the key.
"But when contemplating, one must indeed sit on the meditation cushions..."
Mo Hua then recalled the Elder's words:
"Do not move any of the furnishings..."
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
'Do not move' meant that the cushions must not be repositioned, which implied that the crucial aspect of the cushions was their location...
His master had once said that all things in the world had an outward appearance and an inner truth, a physical form and an essence.
The meditation cushions were the outward appearance, and their location was the essence.
The physical cushions were superficial, while the locations they occupied were substantial.
It wasn't that sitting on the meditation cushions allowed one to contemplate the shrine and understand the supreme array.
Instead, sitting in the locations occupied by the cushions allowed one to see the true essence of the shrine.
The five locations corresponding to the five elements...
These five locations were used to learn the array patterns of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
But were there other locations?
By sitting in these locations and contemplating the shrine, could one uncover the true secrets of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays and comprehend the Daoist essence hidden within the array patterns?
Mo Hua's spirit stirred, and he took out some paper and a brush, marking down the entire layout of the fourth floor of the Array Pavilion, including the shrine and the five meditation cushions corresponding to the five elements.
As he looked at the diagram, his eyes narrowed.
The meditation cushions corresponded to the five elements.
Each cushion corresponded to one of the Five Elements Spirit Arrays.
There seemed to be a special formation relationship between these arrays and the shrine, a relationship that contained formation principles that could perhaps be calculated using spiritual consciousness...
(End of Chapter)
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