Chapter 572: Drawing a Formation on the Ground
Chapter 572: Drawing a Formation on the Ground
Mo Hua was well aware of his own limitations. With only a lower-middle grade Small Five Elements Spirit Root, his journey to study in the Qian Xue Province would likely be challenging, even with the Entry Sect Order. He expected obstacles and setbacks along the way.
However, he knew that he had to go to Qian Province, no matter what.
The path of cultivation was never meant to be smooth sailing. One must face challenges head-on, undeterred by setbacks, forging ahead with determination. Hesitation would only lead to a wavering heart, making it difficult to progress.
And so, as he prepared for his journey to the Qian Xue Province, he knew that he had to be ready for anything.
The Qian Xue Province was a hub of influential sects and exceptional talents.
As a lone cultivator with no background or connections, and with an inferior spirit root, Mo Hua knew that he would likely face scorn, disdain, and exclusion if he tried to join a sect in Qian Province.
Physically weak, unable to temper his body, with a mediocre spirit root and meager spiritual power, he would be at a significant disadvantage in direct confrontations.
Therefore, he needed to find an alternative approach...
Mo Hua recalled his master's instructions:
"In the Nine Provinces of the Cultivation World, geniuses abound..."
"Your main focus is on killing techniques, which means you will be competing with these geniuses and becoming their enemy. They will not treat you kindly."
"But if you can assist them in their killing techniques, you can help them compete with other geniuses, and they will have to rely on you."
"The stronger your abilities to assist them, the more they will dare not offend you."
"In this way, even without a sect background, any sect can become your ally..."
"...and without a powerful family, any influential family can become your support."
"In the world of cultivation, where self-interest and cliques prevail, and where spirit roots, cultivation techniques, and profound teachings abound, you will still have your place and not be looked down upon!"
Mo Hua stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Assisting in killing techniques... that means amplifying spiritual power, which is the Five Elements Spirit Formation."
The Five Elements Ultimate Formation he obtained from the Five Elements Sect would be his foundation for survival in the Qian Province, a place teeming with exceptional talents and influential sects.
He didn't need to compete with the best and be at the very top.
His spiritual root talent didn't allow for such attention-seeking behavior anyway.
As long as he could stand his ground in the Qian Province's academic world, not be bullied, and focus on cultivating and studying formations to make up for his shortcomings, that would be enough to lay the foundation for his future—condensing the Golden Core and eventually reaching the Ascension to Immortality state.
Five Elements Spirit Formation!
Amplifying spiritual power and assisting in killing techniques! As long as he mastered the Five Elements Ultimate Formation and had the ability to assist in killing techniques, even if he wasn't a genius himself, the other geniuses would have to respect him.
Mo Hua nodded in agreement.
However, the name "Five Elements Spirit Formation" needed to be changed.
That was something his master had instructed him to do as well.
The Qian Xue Province was steeped in history and culture, and as a fifth-grade province, it was home to many senior and experienced cultivators.
If he used the name "Five Elements Spirit Formation," they would immediately know its origins.
It would be difficult to keep the fact that he had obtained the inheritance of the Five Elements Sect a secret from them.
And since his master had ultimately been trapped in the Five Elements Sect, someone with a keen eye might be able to connect the dots and discover his relationship with his master.
That would spell trouble.
So, a name change was imperative.
Mo Hua pondered for a long time before finally deciding to rename the "Five Elements Spirit Formation" to the "Five Elements Origin Formation."
If anyone asked about its origins, he would say that he had picked it up somewhere.
If they asked how he learned it, he would say that he had stumbled upon it by accident.
And if they didn't believe him and pressed for more answers, he would reluctantly admit that he was a once-in-a-century formation genius...
After all, the Qian Province was probably teeming with geniuses anyway, so one more wouldn't hurt.
Mo Hua pondered this in his heart.
The Five Elements Origin Formation.
Derived from the Five Elements Origin Pattern, it involved the source of the Five Elements and amplified their spiritual power.
After learning the second-grade formation, Mo Hua compared it to the first-grade ultimate formations, and he found that they were equally effective for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the power of the formations did not diminish significantly compared to the second-grade formations.
The first-grade Five Elements Origin Formation was no exception.
Mo Hua thought about it and speculated that the reason might have something to do with the number of formation patterns.
Although the ultimate formations were first-grade, the number of formation patterns fell within the scope of second-grade formations.
Therefore, the ultimate formations were also applicable to the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, this presented another issue.
The second-grade formation patterns were derived from the fusion and transformation of two first-grade formation patterns, and as a result, they consumed twice the amount of spiritual sense as the first-grade formation patterns.
If that was the case, then for the same number of formation patterns, the spiritual sense consumption of the first-grade ultimate formations should only be half that of the second-grade formations.
Because the first-grade ultimate formations used first-grade formation patterns, while the second-grade formations used second-grade formation patterns.
However, when Mo Hua actually drew the formations, he found that the spiritual sense consumption of the first-grade ultimate formations was not less than that of the second-grade formations with the same number of formation patterns.
Mo Hua was perplexed.
Why? Where was the excess spiritual sense consumed by the ultimate formations going?
With Mr. Zhuang absent, Mo Hua had to rely on his own reasoning to find the answer.
After much contemplation, he began to piece things together.
If his guess was correct, the additional spiritual sense consumed by the ultimate formations was used for comprehending, visualizing, or communicating with some kind of grand dao rule or powerful dao essence.
Half of the spiritual sense was used for the formation patterns, while the other half was used for the rules.
That was why the ultimate formations were so special and challenging...
That was also why the first-grade ultimate formations could almost rival the second-grade formations, and their effects did not diminish...
"The grand dao is indeed relatively fair," Mo Hua thought to himself. "The ultimate formations are difficult, but they are worth the effort."
Mo Hua had also tried using the Five Elements Origin Formation to amplify the power of his spells.
The only offensive spell he knew at the moment was the Fireball Technique.
The Fireball Technique was a Five Elements fire-type spell that needed to be amplified by the Fire Source Formation.
With the amplification of the Fire Source Formation, the power of the second-grade Fireball Technique increased by nearly 20%.
Increasing the power of spells was challenging and demanding.
A 20% increase was already quite impressive.
It was equivalent to raising the level of the Fireball Technique by one notch, turning a low-grade spell into one with the power of a mid-grade spell.
In the wars between sects, when cultivators clashed, the support of the Five Elements Origin Formation could turn a losing battle into a stalemate.
It could transform a stalemate into victory and even a crushing triumph.
No wonder the Five Elements Sect had held an extraordinary status in the past.
With this amplification, even though Mo Hua had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and was not yet proficient in the second-grade Fireball Technique, his attack still packed a considerable punch.
Mo Hua had tested this technique on a peak first-grade demon beast from Big Black Mountain.
Generally, a single Fireball Technique amplified by the Fire Source Formation was enough to slay a peak first-grade demon beast. For those with tougher hides, even if they weren't killed outright, they would still be severely wounded and left on the brink of death.
As for second-grade demon beasts...
Mo Hua's movement techniques were still lacking, so he didn't dare to disturb a second-grade demon beast single-handedly.
Now that the issue with the Five Elements Origin Formation had been resolved, the next problem was finding the right tools: brush, ink, and paper.
Without ink, a brush, or paper, Mo Hua couldn't put his knowledge of the second-grade formation into practice, even if he diligently studied and memorized it by heart in front of the stele.
It was always better to be prepared.
If he waited until he arrived in Qian Xue Province to address this issue, it might be too late.
Moreover, as a fifth-grade province, the prices in Qian Xue would undoubtedly be higher, and Mo Hua was certain he couldn't afford the cost of brush, ink, and paper there.
"Ink is indispensable..."
"In that case, I need to consider a method of drawing formations that doesn't require a brush or paper and can save a lot of spirit stones."
Mo Hua pondered.
"Just like in the sea of consciousness..."
"Without a brush, I'll use my spiritual sense as a brush, and without paper, I'll use the earth as my canvas..."
This was the method of drawing formations that Mo Hua had been contemplating for a long time.
Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his spiritual sense had doubled, and his divine thought was strong enough to manipulate objects.
Although Mo Hua's spiritual sense hadn't doubled, his fourteen spirit patterns and mid-stage Foundation Establishment spiritual sense were already quite powerful.
Furthermore, due to the benefits of the Tian Yan Formula and the reconfiguration of his divine thought through the Mystery Heaven Great Formation, his spiritual sense had undergone a qualitative change.
Therefore, "manipulating objects with spiritual sense" was not a difficult task for Mo Hua.
What Mo Hua wanted to do now was not just "manipulating objects with spiritual sense" but to further refine it into "manipulating ink with spiritual sense."
Generally, when Foundation Establishment cultivators manipulated objects with their spiritual sense, they controlled solid and sharp objects for movement and combat.
For example, flying swords.
The strength of a sword cultivator at the Qi Refining stage was usually average.
However, once they reached the Foundation Establishment stage and could manipulate their flying sword with their spiritual sense, their combat strength would undergo a qualitative change.
Even without a flying sword, controlling spiritual weapons like flying daggers or needles could still result in formidable attacks.
But sword artifacts were also expensive, so Mo Hua temporarily set this idea aside.
What he wanted to do now was to use his spiritual sense to replace the formation brush and directly manipulate the spirit ink, condensing it into a formation.
Spirit ink was like water, flowing and formless, ever-changing.
Typically, a Foundation Establishment cultivator could manipulate a sword or a dagger with their spiritual sense, but they wouldn't be able to control water, let alone spirit ink.
Mo Hua was an exception.
With his powerful spiritual sense and the qualitative change in his divine thought, he could manipulate the ever-changing spirit ink with precision.
Mo Hua's spiritual sense was capable of controlling the spirit ink, making it flow like water and take on various shapes.
It was still quite challenging, though, and his spiritual sense felt stiff when attempting to do so, indicating a need for more practice.
Additionally, he needed to use the earth as his canvas.
Mo Hua had learned the Thick Earth Formation, which was drawn on the ground and could communicate with the earth's innate essence.
Before this, Mo Hua had practiced the Thick Earth Formation every day, gradually enhancing his perception of the earth's innate essence and deepening his harmony with it.
Now, he could also draw other Five Elements formations on the ground.
However, this method of drawing formations required a lot of practice as well.
Using his spiritual sense as a brush and the earth as his canvas, Mo Hua could draw formations anywhere under the heavens and above the earth.
With his spiritual sense manipulating the ink, he began to draw formations on the ground!
As Mo Hua's finger glided through the air, the ink trailed behind, gradually winding and flowing until it formed intricate array patterns, eventually constituting a complete array!
Without a brush or paper, a fully formed array emerged on the ground.
A faint glow flashed, and the array activated!
Mo Hua's eyes widened, and he was thrilled with his success.
But he quickly suppressed his excitement, maintaining a calm and composed mindset.
"It's still just a simple first-grade Melting Fire Array..."
He needed to continue practicing...
Starting with basic first-grade arrays, he would progress from shallow to deep and from simple to complex, step by step, array by array, manipulating the ink with his spiritual sense and using the earth as his canvas.
He wanted to master this skill and eventually reach a state of effortless mastery.
Given time, he would be able to point at the ground and create arrays at will!
Mo Hua smiled at the thought of one day being able to replicate the actions of his divine sense incarnation in his sea of consciousness, creating arrays with a mere point of his finger.
His face beamed with joy, but he soon refocused his mind and began to concentrate fully, continuing his practice.
He wanted to master this technique thoroughly and refine it to perfection!
Mo Hua crouched on the ground, drawing arrays.
Beside him, the giant tiger lazily chewed on a large fish jerky, occasionally stealing glances at Mo Hua with curiosity. It tilted its head, wondering what Mo Hua was so intently focused on.
On the ground, the array patterns twisted and turned, forming complex designs.
The tiger watched for a while, its eyes filled with confusion, before it shook its head and went back to gnawing on the fish jerky...
In the secluded depths of the mountain range, the boy and the tiger coexisted peacefully and harmoniously.
...
After more than half a month of relentless practice, Mo Hua had become extremely proficient in manipulating the spirit ink with his spiritual sense, and drawing arrays on the ground had become second nature to him.
Among the "painting arrays on the ground," he had mastered not only first-grade arrays but also the Five Elements Origin Array, which consisted of thirteen array patterns.
This was the most advanced array Mo Hua had encountered so far.
However, manipulating the spirit ink with his spiritual sense to draw the Five Elements Origin Array consumed a significant amount of spiritual sense, and the process was rather slow.
The speed fell far short of Mo Hua's expectations.
While high spiritual sense consumption was manageable due to his abundant reserves, the slow speed was more problematic.
It would be impractical to use this method during actual combat unless he had ample preparation time and could remain hidden.
"How can I draw arrays faster?"
Mo Hua's thoughts stirred as he began to ponder this dilemma.
After much contemplation, the only solution he could think of was the "Heavenly Mystery Calculation."
However, he had no idea how to utilize the Heavenly Mystery Calculation to manipulate his divine sense and employ the enigmatic methods of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, just as his master had done.
After all, he was merely copying what he had seen, without any formal instruction.
Grasping the underlying principles on his own was extremely challenging.
Mo Hua thought about it for a long time but couldn't find a solution, so he decided to set this problem aside for the moment.
Since he already understood the basics of the Heavenly Mystery Calculation, he could slowly figure out the rest over time. Eventually, he would unravel its mysteries.
The duck in his pot would eventually cook; it wasn't going anywhere!
The most troublesome issue now was the second-grade arrays.
He needed to find and learn more second-grade arrays to add to his repertoire.
However, second-grade array diagrams were almost non-existent in Tongxian City.
The only second-grade arrays Mo Hua currently possessed were the ten-pattern Blazing Fire Array and the eleven-pattern Thorn Array.
He had practiced these two arrays extensively.
It would be ideal if he could obtain more challenging second-grade arrays and then figure out a way to obtain second-grade spirit ink to test his "manipulating ink with spiritual sense and drawing arrays on the ground" technique.
He wanted to discover the limits of his current abilities and see what grade of arrays he could create using this method.
The only way for Mo Hua to obtain a second-grade array at the moment seemed to be through the "Five Elements Array Stream Diagram" and its "Five Elements Origin Pattern."...
Whenever he had free time, Mo Hua worked on deciphering the origin pattern, but even now, the best array he had obtained was a second-grade eleven-pattern Five Elements Array.
His spiritual sense had undergone a "qualitative change," and he possessed fourteen patterns.
In other words, his limit should be fourteen patterns!
Mo Hua was a little dissatisfied.
No matter how bad his luck was or how unlucky he was, after all this time, he should have derived a decent second-grade array by now...
He didn't ask for much; twelve patterns would be enough...
Mo Hua decided to give it another try.
Before beginning, Mo Hua lit incense and washed his hands as a sign of respect. He then closed his eyes and silently recited:
"Second-grade array, second-grade array, second-grade array..."
"Twelve patterns, twelve patterns, twelve patterns..."
After finishing his recitation, Mo Hua started his calculations.
The origin pattern underwent profound transformations, and array patterns began to unravel. One by one, array after array, they were derived...
After an unknown amount of time had passed, a dazzling light suddenly flashed before Mo Hua's eyes, and an array that was distinctly different from the others emerged from the origin pattern. It shone with a bright red light, capturing his attention.
Mo Hua held his breath as he examined it closely.
It was an array that he was extremely familiar with, yet it was also intricate and somewhat foreign to him.
"Earthfire Array..."
Second-grade... Thirteen patterns!
(End of Chapter)
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