Chapter 570: "Windfall"
Chapter 570: "Windfall"
Master Luo chose not to delve further into the topic and left it at that. As the saying goes, one must endure the bitterness of bitter to become a man above others. If Mo Hua were to rely on the power of a aristocratic clan sect in the future, becoming akin to an "elite" and sharing the same aspirations, then these words would be of no use.
If Mo Hua remained true to his heart and did not waver from his initial aspirations, with his intelligence, he should understand what needed to be done and naturally, he would have his own plans.
Master Luo looked at Mo Hua and saw his slightly furrowed brows, deep in thought. Knowing that he had understood his implied meaning, he gave a slight nod and refrained from adding anything further.
The group then returned to the topic of array formations.
Master Luo explained, "Second-grade array formations are divided into three tiers: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. This classification is based on the stages of foundation establishment and the corresponding spiritual consciousness: ten, eleven to thirteen, and fourteen to sixteen strands, respectively."
"At the initial stage of foundation establishment, a ten-strand array is considered a basic second-grade array formation..."
"The entry-level array formations are relatively simple. Although they are second-grade, they are not classified as tiered..."
"During the early stage of foundation establishment, eleven to thirteen strands are considered second-grade beginner array formations."
"At the middle stage of foundation establishment, fourteen to sixteen strands are categorized as second-grade intermediate array formations."
"And in the late stage of foundation establishment, seventeen to nineteen strands fall under the category of second-grade advanced array formations..."
"The same classification applies to second-grade array masters. They are categorized as beginner, intermediate, and advanced."
"The requirements to become a first-grade array master are exceedingly high. While there is no differentiation between tiers, in reality, all first-grade array masters should be considered 'first-grade advanced array masters.' However, these finer distinctions have been obscured by the Dao Court..."
"When it comes to second-grade array formations, the classifications become more intricate and stringent."
"It is not easy to become a second-grade array master, and advancing to the next tier is even more challenging. Each advancement requires an assessment..."
Master Luo frowned and sighed.
Master Qian shared his sentiment and felt helpless about the situation.
Even the assessment for the first grade was not easy, let alone the second grade...
Mo Hua pondered for a moment before asking, "So, for a second-grade beginner array master, is it sufficient to know how to draw a second-grade beginner array formation?"
Master Luo shook his head and smiled bitterly, "It's not that simple. Second-grade beginner array formations encompass eleven to thirteen strands, and the difficulty varies greatly within this range..."
"With each additional strand, the complexity and challenge of the array formation increase significantly."
"You must master the most difficult thirteen-strand array formation among the beginner tier, and you can't just know one or two formations."
"According to the Dao Court's regulations, you must learn at least four or five thirteen-strand array formations before you can apply for an assessment to be recognized as a second-grade beginner array master..."
"The same principle applies to the subsequent tiers."
"To advance to the second-grade intermediate tier, you must master the sixteen-strand array formations, and to reach the second-grade advanced tier, you need to be proficient in the nineteen-strand array formations..."
"Therefore, those who successfully pass the grading assessment and gradually advance to the second-grade advanced tier are extremely rare and exceptional array masters with an extremely high level of proficiency in second-grade array formations..."
Mo Hua nodded and asked, "So, does that mean that one can usually become a second-grade beginner array master during the early stage of foundation establishment?"
His question was slightly conservative, as his current spiritual consciousness had already reached fourteen strands. If he followed the array formation standards, learning a fourteen-strand second-grade array formation would put him at the threshold of a second-grade intermediate array master...
However, Master Luo shook his head, "Not necessarily..."
"Typically, one can aspire to become a second-grade beginner array master during the middle stage of foundation establishment. At the late stage, one might achieve the intermediate tier. As for the advanced tier..."
Master Luo paused and sighed, "...either the cultivator has already broken through to the Golden Core stage, or they have stagnated at the late foundation establishment stage for too long, unable to progress further. In such cases, they might spend a century or two diligently studying array formations to advance to the second-grade advanced tier..."
Mo Hua opened his mouth in surprise, "Is it that difficult...?"
"Yes, it is..."
Master Luo's brows furrowed deeply, forming the character for "river" (chuan)
.
He glanced at Mo Hua, thinking that while this young man might not conform to conventional standards, it was essential for him to understand some of the "common sense" in cultivation.
After all, each person is unique. Not everyone is a prodigious cultivator like Mo Hua.
"Even if one's array formation skills lag behind their cultivation level by a minor stage, such a cultivator can still be considered an exceptionally talented array master. It is normal for ordinary cultivators to study first-grade array formations during the foundation establishment stage and only venture into second-grade array formations at the late foundation establishment stage or even the Golden Core stage..."
Mo Hua asked, "Is it because their spiritual consciousness is insufficient?"
Master Luo nodded helplessly, "Yes, their spiritual consciousness is lacking..."
"While blood essence and spiritual power can be enhanced through cultivation techniques, spiritual consciousness is different. Most cultivators cannot train their spiritual consciousness. Aside from those with inherently exceptional spiritual consciousness, the level of spiritual consciousness is generally aligned with one's cultivation stage, and it rarely exceeds expectations."
"During the early foundation establishment stage, the maximum spiritual consciousness strands are typically thirteen. If one wants to become a beginner array master, they must learn the thirteen-strand array formations..."
"Learning under such circumstances is extremely demanding."
"The spiritual consciousness consumption is immense, and the recovery is slow. Moreover, learning array formations in this manner is akin to feeling one's way across a river—one must proceed with caution and avoid making mistakes. A single lapse in attention could even lead to the danger of spiritual consciousness depletion."
"Even with a full day's effort, you might only be able to practice two or three times at most..."
"The thirteen-strand second-grade array formations are intricate and profound. With only two or three practices a day, how could that be enough?"
"It would take an eternity to truly master them," Master Luo said bitterly.
Mo Hua couldn't help but nod in agreement.
With the help of the Dao Monument, he had practiced array formations countless times, sometimes even twenty or thirty times in a single night.
Indeed, two or three practices a day were far too few and hardly sufficient for him...
With such limited proficiency, it would be challenging to comprehend the intricacies of array formations.
Moreover, cultivators also had to focus on their cultivation and earning spirit stones.
Even cultivators from aristocratic clan sects would likely be occupied with various sect affairs, leaving them with little time to devote entirely to array formations.
"Therefore..."
Master Luo continued, "It's essential not to neglect the sharpening of one's tools. By first improving your cultivation level and enhancing your spiritual consciousness, returning to study array formations will become more manageable."
"I see..."
Mo Hua nodded his little head, and suddenly his eyes lit up as he asked, "So, if I were to become a second-grade beginner array master during the early stage of foundation establishment, wouldn't that be considered... quite remarkable?"
"Early foundation establishment... second-grade beginner..."
Master Luo hesitated, feeling a bit reluctant to continue the conversation with Mo Hua.
However, upon further thought, he realized that such an achievement might not be entirely impossible for Mo Hua.
Master Luo's heart stirred with anticipation.
"However..."
Master Qian sighed, feeling a bit disappointed, "The resources and teachings for second-grade array formations are quite scarce in Transcendental City."
Array formations were rare, and the ink, paper, and brushes required for their practice were costly.
With Mo Hua's family background, it would be challenging for him to continue his studies in this field.
Master Luo also felt a sense of regret for Mo Hua's circumstances.
After chatting some more about array formations, the group enjoyed their tea.
As noon approached, the disciples from the school began to leave one by one, bidding farewell to Master Qian with respect before heading home for lunch.
Suddenly, a child of five or six years old, who was among the crowd, caught sight of Mo Hua. His eyes lit up, and he rushed into Mo Hua's arms, calling out in a babyish voice,
"Brother Mo!"
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback before realizing that the child was none other than Zhou'er.
Zhou'er's surname was Chu, and he was the son of the trap-savvy hunter, Uncle Chu, who had taught Mo Hua how to use traps.
Zhou'er's mother, Jiang Yi, was the one who helped out with cooking at Mo Hua's restaurant.
A few years ago, Uncle Chu had suffered severe injuries and was no longer able to hunt. He had asked Mo Hua to teach his son some array formations so that he could make a living without having to risk his life.
Later, when Mo Hua went on his journey, he entrusted Zhou'er to Master Qian.
Seeing Zhou'er's behavior, Master Qian shook his head and said, "No manners at all. It's unacceptable."
Zhou'er hid behind Mo Hua, peeking out with his small head.
Although Master Qian's words were strict, his expression was not unkind, and it seemed that he had a soft spot for this little disciple.
Mo Hua gently patted Zhou'er's head and asked Master Qian, "Master Qian, how is Zhou'er progressing in his array studies?"
Master Qian replied, "He's still young and has just started learning. For now, he's memorizing some texts and understanding the basics of array formations. He's learning one or two of the simpler array patterns."
Mo Hua nodded in understanding.
As noon had arrived, and Mo Hua had asked all his questions, he took his leave.
Zhou'er clung to Mo Hua, so Mo Hua brought him home and fed him some delicious and easily digestible food from the restaurant before letting Jiang Yi take him back home.
...
From then on, Mo Hua began to focus all his attention on practicing second-grade array formations.
Every night, as darkness fell, Mo Hua would sit upright on his bed, sinking his spiritual consciousness into his sea of consciousness and practicing array formations on the Dao Monument.
The array formation he had been practicing during these days was the "Second-Grade Thorn Array."
The Thorn Array was a wood-elemental array formation. Once triggered, it would give rise to vines and thorns, entangling and trapping enemies, making it a type of Five Elements Trap Array.
The Thorn Array consisted of eleven array patterns, making it a relatively simple second-grade beginner array formation.
This was an array formation that Mo Hua had reverse-engineered and deciphered from the "Five Elements Array Stream Diagram."
It was also the only usable second-grade array formation that Mo Hua had deciphered from the diagram so far...
The "Five Elements Array Stream Diagram" was a mysterious diagram that used a unique "Five Elements Source Pattern" to encapsulate all the array formations of the Five Elements Sect.
However, these array formations had been condensed into a single "Source Pattern," which was quite bizarre and dangerous. But ever since it had been suppressed by the Dao Monument, it had become much more docile...
Even so, it was no easy task for Mo Hua to decipher the array formation heritage of the Five Elements Sect from the Source Pattern.
Firstly, this reverse-engineering process was extremely taxing on his spiritual consciousness.
Mo Hua still needed to study array formations, and while his spiritual consciousness was strong, it was not infinite. So, he could only work on deciphering the Source Pattern during his free time or when he needed a break from drawing array formations.
Secondly, the array formations that were deciphered from the Source Pattern were random...
Mo Hua had no idea how the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect had condensed their array formations into the Source Pattern, what rules they had followed, or what principles they had used.
As a result, the array formations that he reverse-engineered were chaotic and disordered.
It was like drawing a lottery...
The five elements were distinct, and the first and second grades were mixed.
Mo Hua had no way of knowing what kind of array formation he would decipher—which element it would belong to, whether it would be first or second grade, or how many array patterns it would contain.
He could only guess.
The only thing he could deduce was that the upper limit of the array formations he could decipher was related to the strength of his spiritual consciousness.
The number of strands of spiritual consciousness he possessed was the maximum number of array patterns he could potentially decipher.
With fourteen strands of spiritual consciousness, Mo Hua should theoretically be able to decipher a fourteen-pattern Five Elements array formation at most.
However, theory and reality were two different things.
Thus far, the best array formation Mo Hua had deciphered was the one he was currently practicing—the second-grade eleven-pattern Thorn Array.
That was still acceptable, but what Mo Hua found truly outrageous was that this "Source Pattern" had no minimum guarantee!
In fact, the lower limit was appallingly low!
Most of the array formations he had deciphered so far were first-grade, including a large number of inferior ones, and there was even one that was the most basic Fire Array with only three array patterns!
While it was true that the Five Elements Source Pattern encompassed array formations of all five elements, the inclusion of such low-level array formations still felt like they were just making up the numbers.
Mo Hua sighed, feeling a bit helpless.
He could only practice the array formations he had while hoping that he would get extremely lucky one day and be able to decipher...
No, not just decipher, but master a fourteen-pattern second-grade Five Elements array formation! Until then, he could only make do with practicing these ten- and eleven-pattern array formations...
Mo Hua put aside his thoughts and continued practicing array formations on the Dao Monument for the entire night.
When he woke up the next day, he felt like he hadn't had enough practice.
Unfortunately, the few bottles of second-grade spirit ink that Masters Luo and Qian had given him were already used up, and he couldn't afford to buy more at the moment.
Seven bottles were simply not enough for Mo Hua's needs, and even with careful use, they wouldn't last long.
"Apply what you learn..."
Mo Hua kept in mind Master Zhuang's teachings.
With the Dao Monument, he had no issues with "learning."
He could sink his spiritual consciousness into his sea of consciousness and practice array formations on the Dao Monument without the need for ink, brushes, or paper. Moreover, his spiritual consciousness could backtrack, allowing him to practice ten or even dozens of times more than others.
With this thought, Mo Hua felt a sense of relief.
"It's a good thing I have the Dao Monument..."
Not only could he practice array formations, but he could also temper his spiritual consciousness.
"Second-grade spirit ink is made from second-grade demon beast blood..." Mo Hua thought back to the tiger. Taking blood from his tiger companion was out of the question; their relationship was too amicable for him to consider it.
Perhaps...
He could team up with the tiger to hunt other second-grade demon beasts in Great Black Mountain. The tiger could feast on the meat while he collected the blood?
Mo Hua silently nodded to himself, satisfied with this plan.
Suddenly, he paused, remembering the gifts the tiger had given him—those mysterious storage bags whose owners he knew nothing about.
With all the visitors he'd had to greet since returning home, he had completely forgotten about them.
"I wonder what's in those storage bags..." Curiosity piqued, Mo Hua retrieved the bags from under his bed and opened them one by one.
Some were still stained with blood, some were exquisitely ornate, and others were plain and dusty, with an air of eeriness about them.
As he emptied the contents, he realized that some bags belonged to orthodox cultivators, while others had been owned by demonic cultivators.
Aside from the expected spiritual stones, spiritual artifacts, and pills, there were also demonic cultivation techniques for absorbing blood, spiritual energy, and corpses, as well as techniques for capturing souls and refining corpses.
These demonic techniques, undoubtedly harmful to others, would have to be destroyed to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
There were also some orthodox cultivation techniques and spells.
Since he was already practicing the Heaven's Dao Technique, the cultivation techniques were of no use to him...
Most of the spells were martial arts for body refinement, with only a small portion being actual spells. They were second-grade, but they seemed rather ordinary. Nonetheless, Mo Hua wasn't picky, and he planned to study them in his free time.
There was a substantial number of spiritual stones, totaling several tens of thousands. If not for the limited capacity of the storage bags, there might have been even more.
The pills were also diverse, including pills for restoring spiritual energy, replenishing blood, detoxifying poison, dispelling miasma, and even second-grade Small Returning Pills that could save one's life in dire situations.
Mo Hua's eyebrows furrowed as he considered the implications of this unexpected windfall.
This was indeed a substantial sum, and he felt both excited and puzzled.
Who were the original owners of these storage bags? Why had they come to Transcendental City, and how had they met their demise? How had the tiger come across their bags?
Mo Hua searched through the bags, hoping to find some clues. Finally, he discovered several scrolls with messages like "To be opened by the clan head only" and "For the sect leader's eyes only." Upon reading these, he finally understood.
"So, these cultivators came to Transcendental City because of Master..."
Some were from families or subordinate families affiliated with the Dao State, sent to gather information about Master Qian's whereabouts.
Others were from demonic sects, but they didn't seem to be from any major powers, just minor factions.
Once they arrived in Transcendental City, the two sides clashed in Great Black Mountain.
In the fierce battle, some perished, while others were severely injured, only to be finished off by the tiger.
A few of the storage bags bore tooth marks, indicating that the tiger had torn them open to consume the spiritual objects inside, which likely contributed to its breakthrough to the second-grade demon beast realm.
Out of gratitude, it had left the rest of the bags untouched for Mo Hua.
Mo Hua surmised that this was most likely what had transpired, or at least something close to it.
"Since they harbored ill intentions towards Master, their deaths are their own doing..." With a clear conscience, Mo Hua decided to keep the windfall.
He proceeded to sort through the items, categorizing them neatly. In the process, he stumbled upon a map.
This map was quite unique, depicting all nine states of the cultivation world.
At the center of the map was the "Dao State," the core of the cultivation world and the location of the Central Dao Court.
The eight states surrounding the Dao State were named after the eight trigrams: "Qian," "Kun," "Kan," "Li," "Gen," "Zhen," "Dui," and "Xun." They were positioned according to the trigrams' directions, safeguarding the heavens and earth, and ultimately, the central Dao State.
"A map of the Nine States?" Mo Hua was intrigued as he examined the map closely.
While the map encompassed all nine states, the details varied. The mountains and rivers of the other states were only roughly outlined, and their state boundaries were unclear.
Only the "Qian State" was meticulously depicted, with its state boundary clearly marked.
Within the Qian State, a particular boundary was circled in vermillion ink, with a small annotation:
"Qian State, Dragon Dao Mountain Range, Fifth-Grade Qian Scholastic State Boundary.
A premier learning destination for cultivators from the Nine States.
Numerous sects, each with their own unique heritage in formations, pills, artifacts, talismans, techniques, martial arts, and spells.
It is the foremost state in the cultivation world, renowned for its unparalleled scholastic opportunities."
(End of Chapter)
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