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Chapter 535: Imparting Wisdom
Chapter 535: Imparting Wisdom
Elder Mentor of the Five Elements Sect?!
Mo Hua was shaken by this revelation.
The Elder Mentor, entrusted with teaching and guiding disciples, held a unique position within the sect. While they might not wield the greatest power, their status was unquestionably exalted, and they were the most knowledgeable and profound interpreters of the sect's legacy.
This wooden statue before him was the Elder Mentor of the Five Elements Sect...
Mo Hua's thoughts raced.
The Elder Mentor fixed his gaze on Mo Hua, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You are not a disciple of my Five Elements Sect!"
Intrigued, Mo Hua asked, "How did you discern that?"
The Elder Mentor's eyes held a mysterious gleam. "Powerful divine sense, manifestation of spiritual will..."
"My Five Elements Sect is not what it once was. Our legacy has declined, and we are no longer capable of nurturing a disciple like you..."
Mo Hua nodded, finding this explanation reasonable. He then inquired, "As the Elder Mentor, you impart the 'Way,' which is the Five Elements Spirit Formation, am I right?"
The Elder Mentor did not hide the truth. "Indeed..."
His gaze drifted towards the center of the dojo, where the formation plate lay. "I reside here, guarding the spirit shrine. If a disciple, with the approval of the Five Elements Sect, sits on the meditation cushion and contemplates the shrine, I will manifest the Five Elements Spirit Formation in the center of the dojo and impart the formation patterns and their essence."
Mo Hua acknowledged this with a nod and asked, "Have you seen me before?"
The Elder Mentor slowly nodded. "Yes, five days ago. I saw you when you first came here."
Mo Hua inquired further, "Then why didn't you teach me when I was contemplating the spirit shrine that day?"
Upon hearing this, the Elder Mentor's expression turned cold, and he replied with a hint of annoyance, "Don't you know that already?"
Mo Hua was taken aback.
The Elder Mentor's eyelid twitched. "Your divine sense is too strong. You saw through the formation plate. How could I teach you after that?"
"Oh."
Mo Hua scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The Elder Mentor sighed, "In all these years of guarding this dojo, you are the first cultivator to see through the formation plate, leaving me wanting to teach but unable to do so..."
"Even though I'm not a disciple of the Five Elements Sect, do you still want to teach me?" Mo Hua asked.
The Elder Mentor replied with a grand gesture, "Anyone who can come before this spirit shrine and contemplate the dojo is either a disciple of the Five Elements Sect, has a connection to the sect, or is destined by the heavens with a special opportunity."
"Regardless, it is all a matter of fate."
"As the Elder Mentor, it is my duty to teach without discrimination."
"As long as the 'Way' of my Five Elements Sect can be passed on, that is all that matters."
Mo Hua felt a sense of reverence and asked without further pretense, "Then, can you teach me the Five Elements Spirit Formation?"
The Elder Mentor pondered for a moment before sighing, "Very well..."
"In these past few hundred years, not only has no one entered the spirit shrine, but the number of disciples qualified to enter the Formation Pavilion and contemplate before the shrine has also dwindled..."
"There is no path to impart..."
"If this continues, I, as the Elder Mentor, will truly become a lifeless statue, rotting away here, never to see the light of day again."
The Elder Mentor looked at Mo Hua once more and nodded in approval. "You have excellent talent, strong divine sense, and a pure heart. The legacy of the Five Elements Sect will not be disgraced if it falls into your hands."
"However, there is one thing..."
The Elder Mentor's expression turned solemn. "If you learn the Five Elements Spirit Formation, you must promise me that you will promote and carry on this formation if given the opportunity."
"Should the Five Elements Sect face adversity in the future, you must lend your aid and repay this karmic debt."
Mo Hua's expression turned serious as he vowed, "I promise!"
"Good!" The Elder Mentor was relieved and asked, "Have you mastered the formation patterns of the Five Elements Spirit Formation?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded.
The Elder Mentor was surprised. With a flick of his sleeve, brush and ink appeared in the dojo.
"Show me what you've learned. Draw it for me."
"Certainly."
Mo Hua dipped the brush in ink and drew the Five Elements—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—each in a separate formation.
The Elder Mentor's pupils contracted, but he managed to suppress his shock and nodded in praise. "Excellent! In such a short time, you have mastered the formation patterns of the Five Elements Supreme Formation so skillfully and accurately. This is truly remarkable..."
"However..."
The Elder Mentor continued, "...you should also be aware that the Supreme Formation transcends the ordinary categories and breaks free from conventional constraints."
"Learning the formation patterns does not mean you have mastered the Supreme Formation."
"To truly comprehend the Five Elements Spirit Formation, merely knowing how to draw the patterns is far from sufficient..."
Mo Hua humbly replied, "I understand, Senior. Please guide me."
The Elder Mentor nodded with satisfaction, stroking his beard. "A worthy student indeed. I shall teach you how to truly grasp the Five Elements Spirit Formation, so listen carefully..."
Mo Hua nodded attentively.
The Elder Mentor's expression turned solemn as he slowly spoke, "The Five Elements Spirit Formation is the pinnacle of formations within the category of the Five Elements!"
"In terms of complexity, depth, and the breadth of formation techniques it encompasses, the Five Elements Spirit Formation can even rival grand formations!"
"The Five Elements Grand Formation excels in grandeur, while the Five Elements Spirit Formation triumphs in profundity."
"In the past, it was through this Five Elements Spirit Formation that our Five Elements Sect enhanced the Five Elements, aided our battles, increased the power of spiritual tools, and amplified the might of our spells, thus earning our place among the top formation sects."
"The essence of the Five Elements Spirit Formation's power amplification lies in comprehending the intrinsic nature of the Five Elements spiritual power."
"This essence can be summarized in one word: 'strengthening'."
"By channeling Five Elements spiritual power through the formation, you can increase its potency by as much as one-fifth. Consequently, the power of your spiritual tools, martial arts, and spells will also rise by a similar margin."
Mo Hua frowned, "But how do I truly comprehend it?"
The Elder Mentor explained, "It's simple to explain but challenging to execute. I can impart the principles of the formation to you, but ultimately, you must rely on your own understanding."
Mo Hua nodded.
The Elder Mentor continued, "The essence of the Five Elements enhancement lies in the transformation of spiritual power..."
"You must use the formation patterns to decompose the spiritual power and then reconstruct it, giving birth to new power. Afterward, you apply the principle of the mutually generative relationship between the Five Elements to amplify it."
"In this way, the spiritual power itself becomes strengthened."
"It is a process of spiritual transformation..."
"One becomes two, two becomes three... an endless cycle of creation."
"Within this process lies the principle of 'creation'."
"With 'creation,' there is naturally unceasing growth and strengthening."
...
The Elder Mentor's words were profound and thought-provoking.
Mo Hua's brows furrowed even deeper as he struggled to grasp the concept immediately.
The Elder Mentor nodded slightly, "Remember these words and ponder them carefully. Meditate on them deeply, and when you think you understand, try drawing the Five Elements Spirit Formation again, integrating the principles with the formation patterns. Only then will you gradually unravel its mysteries..."
"Take your time and think it through."
Mo Hua secretly extended his hand, casting a Fireball jutsu, which struck the Elder Mentor.
Caught off guard while in his meditative state, the Elder Mentor was knocked over by Mo Hua's fireball.
He stood up, his face contorted with fury. "What are you doing?"
Mo Hua's gaze intensified as he ignored the Elder's anger, his fingers moving swiftly to cast fireballs one after the other.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The fireballs bombarded the Elder Mentor relentlessly.
"Stop... Stop it!"
"Ignorant child..."
The Elder Mentor's anger turned to rage.
"Arrogant!"
"How dare you..."
"Disrespectful wretch, disrespecting your elders! I'll make sure you die a miserable death!" The Elder Mentor threatened.
Far from being intimidated, Mo Hua scoffed and retorted coldly, "What makes you think you can deceive me?"
"Spouting nonsense right in front of me?"
"I've seen your tricks a thousand times. Your petty skills, and yet you dare to show off?!"
The Elder Mentor tried to say something, but Mo Hua's rapid and fierce fireballs kept him from catching his breath.
Soon, he was riddled with holes from the relentless fireballs.
His face, his body, and his robe were all damaged.
But moments later, he transformed into a pool of golden liquid metal, reshaping and reforming back into his original form.
It was no longer the Elder Mentor.
Instead, it was a bizarre-looking little demon.
The only similarity was that they both wore the five-colored robe.
The five-colored robe symbolized the Five Elements.
This was a Five Elements demon.
The demon glared at Mo Hua, its eyes filled with anger and disbelief.
"How did you see through my disguise?"
Within the dojo, it had the innate advantage of blending with the atmosphere, becoming one with the surroundings. Others, be it ghosts, demons, or divine beings, and even all sentient beings, should not have been able to see through its true form.
Centuries of resonating with the qi of this place.
It was both the Five Elements demon and the Elder Mentor.
Mo Hua scoffed, "Because you're spouting nonsense. You don't understand the Five Elements Grand Array, and yet you dare to claim to be the Elder Mentor?"
The demon snorted, "If I don't understand, then what about you? If you truly understood, why would you be here to learn?"
Mo Hua calmly replied, "I may not comprehend the Five Elements Spirit Array, but I know a thing or two about Grand Arrays..."
He began to critique the demon's claims:
"In a Grand Array, spiritual power is not simply decomposed. To be precise, it is reverse decomposition."
"Ordinary decomposition does not qualify as a Grand Array."
"However, reverse decomposition is an entirely different concept in Grand Arrays."
"Spiritual power reconstruction involves the spirit pivot, and it is a type of spiritual power control array, not an attribute array of the Five Elements."
"Spiritual birth is merely one of the Five Elements, a Grand Array of the Earth element, but it is completely different from the Five Elements Spirit Array. What is born from this Grand Array is not one's own spiritual power. This Grand Array is not meant to strengthen spiritual power but to nurture all things..."
"'Strengthening' and 'birth' in array principles are different concepts, though they are related and should not be confused."
"The Five Elements Array is about 'strengthening,' not 'birth.'"
"Also, spiritual power does not increase by itself."
"Your understanding of 'one begets two, two begets three' is incorrect."
"The form of spiritual power may change, but its essence remains constant."
"The Five Elements enhancement does not create spiritual power out of thin air..."
"Even if the Five Elements Spirit Array amplifies power, it doesn't generate more spiritual power or become stronger by itself. Instead, it should rely on some external force to strengthen itself."
...
Mo Hua spoke eloquently and without pause.
The Five Elements demon, on the other hand, was completely bewildered.
What was this little demon talking about?
What was reverse decomposition? What was a spirit pivot? What was spiritual birth?
How were 'strengthening' and 'birth' different?
What did it mean for spiritual power to be conserved?
The Five Elements demon pondered deeply, and its heart sank.
It was in trouble; it had met a true expert in arrays.
This little demon actually understood the chaos of Grand Arrays!
The Five Elements demon was astonished.
The explanations about the Five Elements Spirit Array were something it had pieced together from various sources.
It had used these explanations to deceive others for many years, be they humans or demons. It had never encountered any issues because Grand Arrays were incomprehensible to most.
At best, others might be skeptical and unable to understand, but they wouldn't dare question it.
However, it never expected to be exposed today.
Who was this little array master, and how did he become so familiar with Grand Arrays?
The Five Elements demon stared at Mo Hua, shaken.
Mo Hua, however, had no intention of wasting time. He pointed at the demon, locking it in place with his spiritual sense, as crimson flames swirled around his fingertips. "Where is the inheritance of the Five Elements Spirit Array?" he asked coldly.
The demon sneered, "Arrogant! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Mo Hua's fingertip glowed, and a crimson fireball shot out.
The demon wanted to dodge, but it found itself locked in place by Mo Hua's spiritual sense. Unless it could move faster than the fireball, there was no escape.
Once again, it was struck by the fireball.
The spiritual sense manifested as a fireball that exploded on the demon, the flames burning its flesh. Although it was a fire created by spiritual sense, the searing pain it caused was very real.
With limited time, Mo Hua showed no mercy.
Fireball after fireball bombarded the Five Elements demon, leaving it helpless.
It wanted to charge at Mo Hua, but it had to endure the relentless fireballs.
Occasionally, when it managed to break free from the fireballs, it would be trapped by the Water Prison jutsu.
If it didn't get close to Mo Hua, it would be worn down by his long-range fireballs.
Moreover, these fireballs were peculiar; they were fast, accurate, and packed a considerable punch.
After a dozen or so exchanges, the Five Elements demon's spirit was crushed.
It realized it was no match for Mo Hua.
It was a minor demon.
But the young demon before it was a "monster."
Just as human strength had limits, so did demons.
Those who understood the times were heroes, and those who understood the times could also be "demon heroes."
The Five Elements demon, the former "Elder Mentor," knelt down with a thud and cried out, "Spare me, young friend!"
Hearing the demon's loud voice, Mo Hua knew it still had ample spiritual energy, so he didn't stop his attack, intending to deplete its strength further.
Seeing that the demon had resorted to calling him "little ancestor," Mo Hua reluctantly stopped his attack, but asked again, "Where is the inheritance of the Five Elements Spirit Array?"
The demon hesitated, reluctant to answer.
Unamused, Mo Hua sent another Fireball jutsu flying towards the demon.
Faced with Mo Hua's relentless assault, the demon finally relented, "I... I don't know..."
Mo Hua's expression turned cold, a glint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.
The demon hurriedly added, "Little ancestor, I'm telling the truth! I really don't know!"
"You've been here in this dojo for so long, pretending to be the 'Elder Mentor.' How can you not know?" Mo Hua clearly didn't believe the demon.
The demon explained, "I was just an ordinary demon, inhabiting a broken painting, wandering aimlessly. Later, I was captured by the former sect leader of the Five Elements Sect, who sealed my evil intentions and threw me into this shrine to pretend to be the 'Elder Mentor,' deceiving cultivators who wanted to learn the Five Elements Spirit Array..."
"While I've been in this dojo for a long time, I know very little about formations."
"As for the Five Elements Spirit Array, an extremely profound and supreme formation, I know nothing about it."
"Little ancestor, please believe me!" the demon pleaded.
...
Mo Hua narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharp.
The demon's story seemed too simple and casual—something about it didn't sit right with Mo Hua.
He recalled the first contemplation diagram he had seen, which depicted a green-faced little demon.
In the fragments of memory, that demon had transformed from a human into a ghost, deceiving and devouring the spiritual sense of cultivators.
This Five Elements demon before him was likely no different.
It had probably committed countless misdeeds!
However, the priority now was the Five Elements Spirit Array; other matters could be dealt with later.
Mo Hua's expression turned solemn as he scanned the surroundings. His eyes narrowed as he asked, "Was this dojo the same before you came here?"
The demon nodded.
"Was there also an 'Elder Mentor' here then?" Mo Hua continued.
The demon shook his head. "No, not that I know of."
"So, the position where you sat and pretended to be the 'Elder Mentor' was originally empty?" Mo Hua pressed.
The demon's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded slightly.
Mo Hua walked slowly to the center of the dojo and noticed the cushion where the demon had sat while impersonating the Elder Mentor.
Another cushion!
Mo Hua's spirits lifted, and he sat down on the cushion, examining it closely. He realized that this cushion was almost identical to the one outside the shrine.
The meditation cushion for imparting the Dao!
Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he sat on the cushion and focused his gaze forward, suddenly feeling as if everything in the shrine was within his sight.
He could even see outside the shrine, where his senior martial brother and sister were.
His senior martial brother looked bored and a little worried.
His senior martial sister sat on the ground, hugging her knees and silently watching as her spiritual sense left her body, leaving only her physical form lying on the ground.
Additionally, Mo Hua could see the position of the cushion outside the shrine.
Or, to be more precise, the location of the cushion.
Each cushion's location, between the real and the illusory, had a formation inscribed on it.
It was the Five Elements Spirit Array, even more complete and meticulous than the one he had seen before.
It differed slightly from the array patterns he had already obtained.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment and quickly understood.
It seemed that this fake "Elder Mentor" had tampered with the array patterns, so that when cultivators contemplated the shrine, they would learn array patterns that were slightly flawed compared to the true Five Elements Spirit Array.
The intention was clear: to prevent others from mastering the genuine Five Elements Spirit Array.
Mo Hua immediately compared the array patterns in his mind with the ones he was currently seeing, and through his spiritual sense and calculations, he derived the authentic Five Elements Spirit Array.
But this was still not enough...
The array patterns were just the framework; they lacked the crucial final touch.
He needed to find that final touch to truly comprehend the Five Elements Spirit Array.
But what was that final touch? Mo Hua frowned in thought.
Imparting the Dao... Meditation cushion...
Manifesting the formation...
Mo Hua's eyes sparkled with insight, and he immediately manifested the complete Five Elements Spirit Array on the formation plate in the center of the dojo.
He wanted to see if there was something he could discern from doing so.
As he manifested the true Five Elements Spirit Array, the cushion beneath him suddenly emitted a faint spiritual sense.
This spiritual sense had no owner or consciousness; it was like an empty, pure thought form.
The spiritual sense flowed into the formation plate, merging with the Five Elements Spirit Array.
The array shone brilliantly with five-colored radiance, dazzling and mesmerizing.
Mo Hua was taken aback.
What did this spiritual sense mean? What was it trying to tell or show him?
After a long moment of contemplation, Mo Hua suddenly looked at the Five Elements demon and asked urgently, "Where did you hear those things about supreme formations?"
The demon, sensing Mo Hua's deep concentration, tried to sneak away. But just as it took a step, Mo Hua asked this question.
Not wanting to arouse suspicion, the demon replied, "Many people..."
"Who?"
"The sect leader, elders, some disciples during their idle chats, and other external cultivators and formation masters who were qualified to learn the Five Elements Spirit Array..." The demon listed them one by one.
"Were there any words spoken by the former sect leader or elders of the Five Elements Sect?" Mo Hua probed further.
The demon frowned in thought and then nodded. "Yes!"
"Which one?"
The demon paused, its expression turning solemn. "This sentence was spoken by the oldest and most low-key elder of the Five Elements Sect..."
"When no one was around, he once stood before this shrine and slowly said these words: 'Spiritual sense... becomes the Dao!'"
(End of Chapter)
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