Chapter 594: Second-Rank
Chapter 594: Second-Rank
Mo Hua tirelessly studied the array patterns day and night, mastering all of them, including the chaos of the two instruments, the three talents and four symbols, the five elements and eight trigrams, the six unions and seven stars.
He was already very familiar with the five elemental array patterns.
As for the eight trigrams, he had some level of familiarity.
The three talents and four symbols, as well as the six unions and seven stars, were new to Mo Hua, and they seemed quite foreign at first glance.
The chaos of the two instruments was an ancient array with some incomplete and disjointed patterns, which made it even harder for Mo Hua to comprehend.
However, regardless of his level of familiarity or understanding, even if he had to resort to rote memorization, Mo Hua committed all the array patterns to memory.
Within half a month, he had become quite adept.
But Teacher Xun didn't test him.
It wasn't until a month later, when Mo Hua had practically worn out his writing tools, that Teacher Xun decided to conduct a random inspection.
"Draw out all the array patterns of the five elements and eight trigrams from the Tai Xu Men Array Compilation," Teacher Xun instructed. "For the three talents and four symbols, six unions, and seven stars, draw two array patterns for each category..."
Teacher Xun gave his instructions, then glanced at Mo Hua, slightly raising his long eyebrows as if to say, "You can draw them at random."
Mo Hua immediately nodded to indicate his understanding.
Thus, he proceeded to draw out all the array patterns, from the chaos of the two instruments to the six unions and seven stars.
Due to the large number of array patterns, he couldn't finish within an hour, so by the time the other disciples had handed in their work and left, Mo Hua was still drawing.
With a focused expression on his young face, his brush moved swiftly and confidently as he continuously drew the array patterns. The stack of array papers in front of him grew taller and taller...
Teacher Xun's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and he couldn't help but wonder in disbelief:
"Just how much has this child learned..."
Could it be that he has finished learning everything in just one month...?
After an unknown amount of time had passed, when Mo Hua finally stood up and respectfully placed a thick stack of array papers, almost as thick as a lecture manual, in front of Teacher Xun, the latter finally snapped out of his daze.
He pondered briefly before waving his hand to flip through the thick stack of array papers. With a subtle movement of his profound spiritual sense, he took in all the array patterns, and he couldn't help but draw in a slight breath of cool air.
In that thick stack, every single array pattern had been drawn out...
Moreover, the handwriting was meticulous and neat, demonstrating a mastery of the brush. There were no corrections or errors, as if they had been printed, not a stroke out of place.
Just how many times had he practiced to achieve such a solid foundation in his brushwork...
Teacher Xun was so stunned that he remained speechless for a long while.
"Teacher Xun?"
A crisp voice rang out.
Teacher Xun lifted his head and saw the sparkling eyes of Mo Hua, and after a long while, he sighed softly and nodded, "Your progress is commendable."
Mo Hua's face lit up with a smile, and he politely said, "Thank you, Teacher Xun, for your guidance."
Seeing Mo Hua's cheerful and composed expression, Teacher Xun pondered silently:
"Perhaps I've been teaching too slowly..."
...
Thus, in the next lesson on array formations, Teacher Xun finally began teaching the second-rank formations to give Mo Hua a bit of a challenge.
"Second-rank formations differ from first-rank formations," Teacher Xun explained solemnly. "The second-rank array patterns that make up the formation are more complex and powerful, as they are formed by combining and transforming first-rank array patterns."
"Second-rank array patterns are, to a certain extent, a distillation of first-rank array patterns. Conversely, first-rank array patterns are derived from the decomposition of complex second-rank patterns..."
...
Teacher Xun's expression was solemn as he lectured meticulously.
The other disciples frowned, finding the lesson challenging.
Some of them were even more perplexed.
Teacher Xun was known for his conservative and gradual approach to teaching array formations, always emphasizing a step-by-step process...
So why, all of a sudden, was he teaching second-rank formations?
Only Mo Hua listened with keen interest, already capable of drawing second-rank formations and comprehending their principles to some extent.
Some of the knowledge Teacher Xun imparted was already known to him, but there were also principles of array formations that he had never encountered before, so he benefited greatly from this lecture.
After Teacher Xun finished speaking, he distributed a formation diagram.
It was a diagram of a second-rank, ten-pattern Golden Light Formation.
"Try to understand it on your own first, and then attempt to draw it. Hand it in before the end of the next lesson..."
Teacher Xun had intended to say, "Hand it in during the next lesson."
But as he spoke, he suddenly paused, noticing Mo Hua looking at him expectantly.
Teacher Xun pondered for a moment, understanding Mo Hua's intention, and after hesitating briefly, he reluctantly changed what he was about to say.
"Hand it in to me before the end of the class," he said, his expression complex. "Draw as much as you can, and don't force yourself..."
The other disciples looked troubled.
But Mo Hua's brush danced across the paper with ease.
By the end of the class, Mo Hua had submitted a complete set of the second-rank, ten-pattern Golden Light Formation to Teacher Xun.
Although he had expected as much, seeing the formation, which Mo Hua had just learned but already seemed to have a good grasp of, caused Teacher Xun's heart to tremble slightly.
Only then did he understand.
"So that's how it is..."
"At such a young age... he's already capable of drawing second-rank formations... No wonder..."
A sharp glint appeared in Teacher Xun's eyes.
"It seems we can proceed even faster..."
...
Two days later, Mo Hua went to the class on array formations with high expectations. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Teacher Xun waving at him.
Mo Hua was a little puzzled.
Teacher Xun pointed to a small table next to him and said, "From now on, you will sit here."
Mo Hua was taken aback and whispered, "Teacher, is this appropriate?"
Teacher Xun nodded, "It's very appropriate!"
Mo Hua sat down uneasily at the small table, which was now exclusively his, feeling a little apprehensive about being so close to Teacher Xun from that day forward.
"Poor Mo Hua..."
"He's caught Teacher Xun's attention..."
"He's in for some tough times..."
"From now on, he'll be under the old teacher's gaze every day. Just thinking about it makes my heart shiver..."
Teacher Xun's eyebrows twitched, and his gaze sharpened as he called out a few names, "Cheng Mo... Si Tu Jian, Wen Xuan..."
"...If you wish, you can also sit next to Mo Hua."
Cheng Mo and the other disciples shuddered, immediately closing their mouths and burying their heads in their desks, pretending to be turtles.
Teacher Xun let out a soft cold hum.
Then, the lesson began.
Mo Hua realized that the lecture notes in his hands were different from those of the other disciples.
While the others were still focusing on first-rank formations, gradually progressing to understand the second-rank, Mo Hua had a genuine second-rank eleven-pattern Bagua formation in front of him.
These lecture notes were extremely detailed.
Teacher Xun's lecture was mainly directed at the other disciples.
However, he would occasionally touch on second-rank formations and briefly explain some key concepts to Mo Hua.
In this way, he could cater to both the ordinary disciples and Mo Hua, who was severely "beyond the syllabus."
Mo Hua felt touched and developed a deep respect for Teacher Xun.
From then on, Teacher Xun continued teaching in this manner.
The others studied first-rank formations.
Mo Hua studied second-rank.
Starting from eleven patterns, encompassing both Five Elements and Bagua second-rank formations, Teacher Xun proceeded steadily and solidly, introducing one formation after another for Mo Hua to learn thoroughly.
Seizing the opportunity, Mo Hua sat beside Teacher Xun and dedicated himself to studying the second-rank formations beyond eleven patterns.
Teacher Xun, who had been observing Mo Hua closely, was increasingly astonished.
Too fast...
Teacher Xun knew that Mo Hua had not studied Bagua formations before, so he focused on teaching that type of second-rank formation.
But to his surprise, even though Mo Hua had never seen or studied these formations, he seemed to grasp the underlying principles after just a few reviews.
After practicing a few times, his brushstrokes demonstrated a sense of order and structure.
If he spent an entire night practicing, his brushwork would become extremely skilled the next day.
After some time, it even seemed to have a touch of "forged through a thousand refinements" and "mastery through rigorous practice"...
And this was just with the Bagua formations; the Five Elements formations were even more outrageous.
Teacher Xun knew that among the eight categories of formations, Mo Hua had only studied and excelled in the Five Elements formations.
But "excelled"... that wasn't quite the right word...
With the Bagua formations that he had never studied before, Mo Hua would at least furrow his brows and ponder for a while before he could produce something decent.
However, with the second-rank eleven patterns and the Five Elements formations that were new to him, Mo Hua only needed a glance to grasp the framework, and his brushstrokes already displayed a certain level of proficiency...
This was a result of his familiarity and practice.
Because he had practiced a large number of first-rank Five Elements formations, his understanding of the Five Elements principles was extremely profound, and his foundation was exceptionally solid. As a result, his progress in learning the second-rank Five Elements formations was remarkably fast.
But just how many "large number" of first-rank Five Elements formations were there?
How many first-rank formations could a fifteen-year-old cultivator have drawn, and how deeply could he have understood them?
Even the main formation master who had built a first-rank Five Elements grand formation would probably only have this level of comprehension...
Could this child have built a Five Elements grand formation before...?
Teacher Xun wondered, frowning inwardly.
What puzzled Teacher Xun the most was Mo Hua's spiritual sense.
For a cultivator at the early Qi Refining Stage, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was unusually profound, and it seemed extremely resilient, with a hint of... unending vitality...
It was as if he had an endless supply when drawing formations.
This wasn't reasonable.
There seemed to be something obscuring this child's spiritual sense, making it hazy...
Teacher Xun was extremely curious and even contemplated, for the first time in a long while, breaking the sect's rules and using his spiritual sense to forcibly probe into Mo Hua's background...
But in the end, he restrained himself.
This was the sect's rule and bottom line.
After some inner turmoil, Teacher Xun calmed down.
In this world, there were always cultivators with exceptional talents or profound blessings, or those with extraordinary wisdom who, as long as they dedicated themselves to the path and maintained pure intentions, would achieve great things without straying onto the wrong path.
Teacher Xun glanced at Mo Hua's clear eyes, filled with a desire to learn, and silently nodded in approval.
Thus, Teacher Xun allowed Mo Hua to continue learning at his own pace.
Mo Hua, too, was wholeheartedly focused, diligently studying one second-rank Five Elements or Bagua formation after another.
His foundation in formations became increasingly solid, and the number of second-rank formations he mastered continued to grow...
There was one thing that Teacher Xun didn't mention.
These formations were supposed to be exchanged for contributions to the sect.
But Teacher Xun wanted to see how fast Mo Hua could learn, and a few second-rank formations were a small matter in his eyes, so he didn't bring it up to Mo Hua.
As Mo Hua learned more and faster, the difficulty of the formations gradually increased from eleven patterns to twelve patterns...
Finally, he completed learning the common twelve-pattern Five Elements and Bagua formations.
And next was... thirteen patterns.
"Thirteen patterns..."
Teacher Xun was a little dazed.
Was it that fast...?
This... was already at the threshold of a second-rank formation master...
This was the limit of spiritual sense and formations for a cultivator at the early Qi Refining Stage...
Teacher Xun's gaze toward Mo Hua completely changed.
He realized that he had once again underestimated this little guy...
Teacher Xun frowned in thought, and finally, he silently made up his mind.
Since things had come to this point, he really wanted to see if Mo Hua would go on to master the second-rank thirteen-pattern formations.
"Thirteen patterns, appraisal assessment arrays!" Mo Hua's spirits lifted at the mention of new thirteen-pattern arrays, especially those used for the appraisal assessment.
The most intricate array he had mastered thus far was the Second-Rank, thirteen-patterned Earthfire Array.
Mo Hua's curiosity got the better of him as he studied the arrays, and he asked, "Elder Xun, these arrays don't seem to have much offensive capability..."
Unlike his Earthfire Array, which could take down a dozen slave traders in an instant...
Elder Xun nodded, "These arrays are for cultivation and production purposes. They are either used for nurturing spiritual plants or as catalyst arrays for pill or tool refinement."
"The Court of Daoism discourages the use of arrays for killing," Elder Xun sighed. "Hence, the appraisal assessments mostly focus on cultivation-related utility arrays."
"However, these arrays are still not widely disseminated..." Elder Xun added.
Mo Hua couldn't help but agree.
Not just Transcendent City, but every low-tier city he had visited during his travels had a very rudimentary understanding and application of arrays.
Arrays were meant to benefit all living beings.
Yet, the majority of cultivators in this world were excluded from this benefit.
Noticing the furrowed brows and the thoughtful expression on Mo Hua's face, as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, Elder Xun offered a rare smile and instructed, "Study them well."
"Yes, I will," Mo Hua nodded.
While the thirteen-pattern arrays were the most complex that Mo Hua had encountered in his studies, they were not beyond the limits of his fourteen-patterned, transformed spiritual sense.
He lacked array diagrams, not spiritual sense.
The Five Elements Array Stream Diagram could have solved this problem, but deciphering it relied too much on luck. The most intricate array Mo Hua had managed to decipher from it was the thirteen-patterned Earthfire Array.
Everything else was mediocre at best.
Ever since Elder Xun started teaching him arrays, Mo Hua had set aside the Five Elements Array Stream Diagram, letting it gather dust in a corner of his storage ring.
He would decipher it in his free time, whenever that might be.
For now, he was occupied with studying the thirteen-patterned appraisal assessment arrays.
And since these Second-Rank, thirteen-patterned common arrays were not ultimate arrays, they did not involve profound and abstruse insights into the Dao. Thus, while they were challenging, they were not impossible.
This was especially true for Mo Hua, who had an abundance of spiritual sense.
All he needed was time.
By practicing these arrays dozens or even hundreds of times until they became second nature, he would naturally master them.
Mo Hua started with the Five Elements arrays: the 'Downpour Array' and the 'Moist Soil Array'.
Having an easier time with the Five Elements arrays, Mo Hua grasped them preliminarily within a day or two and then spent another five to six days mastering them completely.
He even went as far as inscribing these arrays on the ground with his spiritual sense at the back mountain of the disciples' residence, bringing them to life.
The gentle rain nourished the soil silently.
Mo Hua could faintly sense the moist and nourishing aura of the mountain, as well as the underlying essence of the earth, which could be perceived no matter where one stood.
The earth's essence was becoming clearer in his spiritual sense.
Mo Hua nodded, satisfied with his progress.
Next up were the Bagua arrays: the 'Small Blazing Fire Array' and the 'Water Marsh Array'.
The Small Blazing Fire Array was similar to the Molten Fire Array and was inscribed within pill or tool refinement furnaces to enhance the extraction of medicinal properties and tempering of spiritual artifacts.
As for the Water Marsh Array, Mo Hua guessed it was used for crocodile farming.
The Bagua arrays were a bit more challenging.
However, as the saying went, "Draw the array a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself."
There was no array that couldn't be mastered with enough practice.
If ten attempts didn't work, then a hundred would, and if a hundred didn't, then a thousand would.
After all, he had unlimited attempts on the Daoist stele.
Moreover, these Bagua arrays were not ultimate arrays, so they were far from being impossibly difficult.
After half a month, Mo Hua could inscribe them with ease, even when using his spiritual sense to set them up.
Thus, he had mastered all four of the Second-Rank, thirteen-patterned arrays.
Mo Hua shared this news with Elder Xun.
Elder Xun's reaction was noticeably delayed, and the look in his eyes as he regarded Mo Hua held a hint of disbelief.
"You've... mastered them?"
He knew Mo Hua learned quickly and expected that given time, he would be able to learn one or two arrays.
But he never imagined that in a short time, Mo Hua would have learned all four of the Second-Rank, thirteen-patterned beginner arrays.
He had learned them all...
This meant that after some revision and preparation, he could even take the appraisal assessment...
The appraisal assessment for a Second-Rank beginner array master.
At fifteen years old, in the early Qi Refining Stage, he would be a Second-Rank beginner array master...
This was the pinnacle of what one could achieve at the early Qi Refining Stage.
At most, he could learn a few more thirteen-patterned arrays.
Beyond that, there was nothing left to teach.
Mo Hua revealed his small ambition, "Elder, do you have any fourteen-patterned arrays to teach?"
Mo Hua's eyes sparkled with anticipation, like a kitten longing for a tasty fish.
After spending time with Elder Xun, Mo Hua knew that he was a profound and unfathomable expert, a highly respected elder.
And since Elder Xun had been teaching him arrays and imparting the Dao, there was no need to hide his intentions.
"Do you have any fourteen-patterned arrays to teach?"
Elder Xun's body visibly trembled at Mo Hua's question, and his cloudy eyes widened in shock.
Fourteen patterns?!
Had this child's spiritual sense surpassed his cultivation stage?!
(End of Chapter)
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