Chapter 623: Unspoken Inheritance
Chapter 623: Unspoken Inheritance
Xiao Yu'er's life as a disciple of the Tai Xu Sect had begun.
Every day, he ate and lived alongside Mo Hua, though they couldn't attend classes together.
Mo Hua had just started cultivating, and he needed to nourish his meridians and establish a solid foundation.
This method of consolidating one's foundation was costly, requiring a vast array of heavenly resources and precious elixirs. The specific methods varied from person to person, and each family had their own unique inheritance techniques, which Tai Xu Sect did not teach.
So, while Mo Hua attended classes in the Propagation Pavilion, Yu'er stayed in the disciples' residence, working on his foundation and cultivation, doing his assignments, and receiving guidance from Wen Ren Wei on various Taoist scriptures.
When Mo Hua returned from class, he found Yu'er waiting for him in the disciples' residence, holding a small bowl and sitting beside him, ready to eat together.
The other disciples were stunned by the tiny Yu'er.
He wore a tiny Tai Xu Sect robe, resembling one of their disciples, but his age made it impossible.
Cheng Mo asked, "Mo Hua, who is this little one?"
Yu'er pouted and replied in a childish voice, "I'm not little! I'm Shangguan Yu!"
"Shangguan Yu?" Cheng Mo furrowed his brows. "The Shangguan family?"
Yu'er ignored him and started eating his rice, imitating Mo Hua.
Cheng Mo was left helpless. He couldn't very well stay angry at such a young child, so he turned back to Mo Hua and asked, "Your younger brother?"
Mo Hua patted Yu'er's head affectionately. "Something like that..."
Cheng Mo stared at Mo Hua for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Yu'er, muttering, "He does look quite similar..."
"The Shangguan family..." Another disciple whispered in surprise, "Mo Hua, do you have the bloodline of the Shangguan family?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "No."
Cheng Mo scolded the disciple in a low voice. "You fool! How could you ask such a thing? Of course, it's something to be kept secret. I believe Mo Hua must be the illegitimate child of the Shangguan family, hidden away from the world."
Mo Hua's expression soured. "If you have time, you should focus on your assignments and practice your array techniques. I think you should use your limited time to study the Bagua arrays instead of gossiping here."
At the mention of array techniques, Cheng Mo's head hurt, and he immediately fell silent, offering a sheepish smile. "Never mind, 'Little Senior Brother.' I was just joking around..."
Yu'er watched as Mo Hua effortlessly made the tall and sturdy disciple obedient with just a few words, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
"It seems that Mo Gege is also very powerful in the Tai Xu Sect!"
Yu'er, who had been a little anxious after entering the sect and encountering so many strangers, straightened his small waist with newfound confidence.
He snuggled closer to Mo Hua, contentedly holding his bowl and eating his meal.
From then on, Yu'er lived in the disciples' residence.
With his adorable looks and pure-hearted nature, he became something of a beloved mascot.
Yu'er and Mo Hua grew close, especially since Mo Hua was considered their "Little Senior Brother."
With this connection, the other disciples took good care of Yu'er.
Moreover, he always had a guard by his side—a man with a profound and concealed aura, as steady as a deep pool and as majestic as a mountain, indicating an extremely high level of cultivation.
The fact that Yu'er had been admitted to the sect despite not meeting the usual requirements and that he had a guard with him indicated that he was no ordinary child.
Some disciples had connections to the Shangguan family and inquired with their elders, learning of Yu'er's identity, which left them shocked.
They now understood the significance of the name "Shangguan Yu," and their glances toward Mo Hua became even more meaningful.
The Shangguan family had sent the heir apparent of the next family head to the Tai Xu Sect to be Mo Hua's "little follower."
This must have required an incredibly deep "connection" and an extremely powerful "backer."
Who said you didn't have a background? That's a load of nonsense!
The disciples became even more polite to Mo Hua.
However, Mo Hua was a little perplexed by their behavior...
...
After Yu'er moved into the disciples' residence, Mo Hua's life underwent some changes, but he soon adapted and regained his peace.
During the day, he continued to attend classes, cultivate, and study.
Occasionally, he would substitute for Old Master Xun.
It was supposed to be a rare occurrence, but Old Master Xun seemed to be getting lazier, claiming that his age and lack of energy made him want to step back and let Mo Hua take the lead in teaching array techniques.
Whether this was true or not remained uncertain.
After class, Mo Hua would return to the disciples' residence and spend time with Yu'er, working on their assignments together.
He would ponder spells and practice array techniques, while Yu'er diligently focused on his basic introductory lessons.
Yu'er found it hard to concentrate during the day, feeling anxious and uneasy, but in the evenings, when he was with Mo Hua, he felt calmer and more focused on his studies.
At midnight, Yu'er went to sleep.
Mo Hua also retired for the night, remaining vigilant for any demons that might disturb Yu'er in the neighboring room, while his spiritual sense delved into his sea of consciousness to continue studying array techniques.
Fortunately, no demons caused any trouble for Yu'er.
However, it was a shame that no demons brought him "food" either...
Thus, the daily life in the sect continued peacefully and serenely, busy yet fulfilling.
During the break, Mo Hua would go out with Murong Jie and the others to take on bounty missions.
Mo Hua's original plan was to choose a task himself, have Gu Shen issue it, have Murong Jie accept it, and then tag along to capture the guilty cultivator, thus obtaining both the inheritance and the merit points.
However, this plan was a bit too idealistic.
Mo Hua sighed. He could only hope to come across Gu Shen later and think of another way.
For now, he had no connections to the Dao Court, so he could only continue to take on bounty missions as they came.
He would have to be vigilant and keep an eye on the Tai Xu Orders, contacting Murong Jie whenever he came across a mission that seemed "suspicious" so that she could accept it first.
After spending some time together, Mo Hua discovered that Murong Jie's status within the Tai Xu Sect was even higher than he had imagined.
She had high prestige, good relationships with others, and her family background, innate talent, and abilities were all top-notch, making her the true "Big Senior Sister" among their peers.
As a result, she also had a high level of authority when it came to accepting missions.
If Mo Hua wanted to take on a mission, Murong Jie could make it happen.
Thanks to this, even though Mo Hua was only taking on missions as they came, he often managed to capture wanted cultivators and acquire their techniques, accumulating more and more merit points.
Murong Jie also gradually grew accustomed to having this little junior brother tag along on her missions.
Since she was the one accepting the missions, she would usually bring Mo Hua along, and thus, she came to know him better than most.
Although Mo Hua's physical body was weak and his spiritual power was lacking, making his individual combat capability rather low, he excelled in stealth and had exquisite movement techniques, which were more than enough for self-preservation...
Intelligence-gathering, scouting, tracking, setting traps, ambushing, and controlling spells... he was adept at them all.
He was also a master of array formations, capable of deploying all sorts of strange, obscure, and even unheard-of arrays.
Aside from his slightly lacking offensive power, he was like a walking treasure chest of arrays, a versatile junior brother...
Having Mo Hua along on missions was always a reassuring presence.
However, there was one thing that Murong Jie regretted, and that was the Five Elements Amplification Array.
Although she didn't say anything about it, she couldn't forget the feeling of having her spiritual power amplified, boiling with the array's enhancement.
She yearned to experience once more the feeling of her spiritual power surging through her as her spells dealt devastating damage to her foes.
Unfortunately, there were few opportunities to use it afterward.
Against weaker opponents, she didn't need the Five Elements Amplification, and against stronger foes, it was best to avoid direct confrontation.
Even against evenly matched opponents, Mo Hua's reconnaissance, ambushing, and control techniques would weaken them significantly, again making the amplification unnecessary.
There was no need to expend a large amount of high-level spiritual power to decide the victor.
Unless they encountered a true powerhouse or a life-or-death battle where they had no choice but to go all out...
...
Time passed, and two more months went by as Mo Hua continued to take on missions.
He completed numerous bounties, capturing seven or eight wanted cultivators and acquiring several Five Elements techniques, causing his merit points to soar to 1,130 points.
Among them, 500 points had come from the mission involving Yin Lao'er.
The mission itself hadn't offered that many points, but Yin Lao'er was a wanted criminal in the Dao Court, skilled in stealth and assassination with numerous lives on his hands.
All these miscellaneous crimes added up to a substantial amount of merit points.
Mo Hua was thrilled.
The subsequent captures were of ordinary wanted cultivators, and thus, they only added a hundred points or so each, with the least valuable being only a few dozen points.
Nevertheless, Mo Hua was content.
No matter how small the amount, it was still better than slowly accumulating points by drawing first-grade arrays.
With 1,130 points, Mo Hua felt rich!
These merit points were hard-earned, and he was a little reluctant to spend them. However, he also understood the concept of making the most of what he had, and saving them without using them would defeat the purpose of earning them.
So, he went to the Merit Hall, where the Merit Elder watched in astonishment as Mo Hua spent a large sum of 1,000 points all at once on six second-grade sixteen-pattern arrays.
The Merit Elder stared at him for a while, unable to believe his eyes, and asked, "Did you rob someone?"
Mo Hua shook his head.
"Then did you murder someone and steal their possessions?"
"Or did you steal someone else's Tai Xu Order?"
"Or did you... secretly tamper with the Tai Xu Order?!"
Mo Hua was speechless. "Elder, do I look like that kind of person?"
The Merit Elder stared at Mo Hua's picturesque brows and eyes, shook his head, and said, "You don't seem like it, but who knows what you're like behind closed doors..."
"Robbery, tampering with the Tai Xu Order... I guess I could do those things if I wanted to..." Mo Hua said helplessly.
The Merit Elder thought about it and nodded. "You're right, I may have overestimated you..."
The Merit Elder pondered for a moment longer.
The Tai Xu Order system had been in use for many years, and it was unlikely to be wrong. Since Mo Hua had earned these points legitimately and was now using them openly, he probably didn't have any ill intentions.
As for the specific source of the points...
Since they had been recorded in the Tai Xu Order, they must have been obtained through proper means, and there was no need to make things difficult for a young child.
"Wait a moment..."
The Merit Elder turned around and retrieved several array diagrams from the layers of jade cabinets behind him. He sealed them together, made a record, and handed them to Mo Hua.
However, he was still curious.
"The Eight Trigrams Kan Water Array, the Floating Cloud Xun Wind Array, the Gen Earth Mountain and Lake Array..."
"These are all second-grade sixteen-pattern arrays, but you're only at the early Qi Refining stage. What use do you have for them?"
"Mmm!" Mo Hua acknowledged Elder Merits' concern with a nod. "Elder, rest assured, Old Master Xun knows about this."
Once again, Mo Hua invoked Old Master Xun's name.
The mere mention of Old Master Xun's name was enough to ease Elder Merits' worries, and he relaxed his stern expression. "Alright then, go ahead. Follow Old Master Xun's guidance and learn well."
"Yes, Elder!" Mo Hua replied respectfully before taking his leave.
Back at the disciples' residence, Mo Hua joined Yu'er for their studies. He laid out the six second-grade sixteen-pattern arrays and began examining them with great interest.
There were six in total.
All of them were eight-trigram-based arrays, consisting of sixteen patterns, which were relatively common designs but ones that Mo Hua was less familiar with.
However, the principles behind array techniques were interconnected.
Having already spent a significant amount of time studying eight-trigram arrays, Mo Hua had developed his own insights, and even with his limited experience, he could grasp the essence of these new arrays.
After the hour of the Rat (midnight)
, he would practice them repeatedly on the Dao stele.
It took him about a month to master them to a reasonable degree.
It was only then that Mo Hua realized he had been too preoccupied and had forgotten about something important: the second-grade sixteen-pattern arrays were meant for the assessment of a second-grade lower-tier array master, and his current rank as a first-grade array master was far too low.
"I wonder if I should get a second-grade Sky Pivot Ring to wear instead."
"I wonder how a second-grade Sky Pivot Ring would look."
These thoughts occupied Mo Hua's mind as he made his way back to the Elders' Residence.
With the numerous influential families and complex power dynamics in Qianzhou, Mo Hua felt it prudent to seek counsel from Old Master Xun before making any decisions regarding his rank assessment.
In the Elders' Residence, Old Master Xun was leisurely sipping tea.
Now that he had handed over the array classes to Mo Hua, he had more free time to compile his lifelong insights into teaching array techniques.
He intended to pass this compilation to Mo Hua, allowing him to manage the array classes independently.
This wasn't Mo Hua's first visit to Old Master Xun's quarters.
The little attendant at the door didn't stop him.
The interior was simple, neat, spotlessly clean, devoid of decorations, and exuded a sense of returning to the basics.
Upon entering, Mo Hua greeted Old Master Xun with a bow and asked in a soft voice, "Master Xun, do you think it's appropriate for me to be assessed for the second-grade initial-tier array master rank?"
"Rank assessment..." Old Master Xun took a sip of tea and pondered briefly before nodding. "Yes, go ahead and take the assessment..."
As if remembering something, Old Master Xun put down his teacup and asked, "How far have you progressed in your studies?"
"About sixteen patterns..." Mo Hua replied.
"Sixteen patterns..." Old Master Xun nodded. "In that case, you're indeed close. If you learn a bit more and solidify your understanding, you'll be at the second-grade middle-tier."
Old Master Xun paused, his brow furrowing as he asked, "How many patterns?"
"Sixteen..."
Old Master Xun stared at Mo Hua, unable to speak for a long moment.
It was then that Mo Hua recalled he hadn't informed Old Master Xun about his sixteen-pattern spiritual sense.
After all, the elders of the Tai Xu Sect wouldn't pry into the disciples' seas of consciousness.
"Master Xun..." Mo Hua spoke softly.
Old Master Xun snapped out of his daze, his eyebrows twitching. "When did this happen?"
It was quite some time ago...
That night at the Shangguan family's residence, while guarding Yu'er, he had slain a horde of demons and devoured a Horned Enforcer demon sheep. After digesting it, his spiritual sense had expanded to sixteen patterns.
However, Mo Hua was concerned that Old Master Xun might not take the news well, so he said gently, "Just a couple of days ago..."
"Mmm."
Old Master Xun nodded, trying to maintain his composure, but inside, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath...
Sixteen patterns!
In such a short time, his spiritual sense had reached sixteen patterns!
At the early Foundation Establishment stage, with a sixteen-pattern spiritual sense, it was unclear if he had even reached his limit yet! What kind of little monster was this?
The Tai Xu Sect had been accepting disciples openly for over a thousand years, and they probably hadn't encountered such a prodigious little demon genius!
Old Master Xun felt the urge to visit the ancestral hall in the forbidden area behind the mountain.
He needed to check if there was any smoke coming out of the ancestors' graves!
Old Master Xun forced himself to calm down, his brows furrowed as he suddenly recalled something, and he understood.
No wonder...
"That's why you came to ask me about the sixteen-pattern Blazing Fire Primordial Magnetism Array before..."
"You wanted to consult me in advance because your spiritual sense was about to reach sixteen patterns, making it easier for you to comprehend it afterward..."
"A steady and thorough approach, with foresight to prepare in advance. Good..."
Seeing the rare fluctuations of emotion on Old Master Xun's usually stern and rigid face, Mo Hua asked, "Master Xun, can I go for the rank assessment?"
Old Master Xun was taken aback, his eyebrows shooting up.
Of course!
If you can't take the assessment, who else could? With a sixteen-pattern spiritual sense and such profound array mastery, if you can't be assessed, I'll go and yank the noses off those assessment officers!
But just as Old Master Xun was about to give his consent, he hesitated again, a hint of worry appearing between his brows.
Sixteen patterns...
That was simply outrageous...
If he were to take the assessment now, it would undoubtedly create a huge stir.
He had only joined the sect less than a year ago, and if he were to showcase such remarkable talent so soon, he would inevitably attract jealousy and covetousness from others.
Xun Lao-xian's expression turned solemn as he said, "You should know that a strong spiritual sense only indicates a good foundation for studying array techniques. It doesn't necessarily mean that your array skills will be strong."
"Array techniques depend on talent, understanding, and practice."
"Here in Qianzhou, there are countless geniuses and array prodigies as numerous as the stars in the sky..."
"You must maintain a humble heart..."
"...and not underestimate others."
"Some people may not have a spiritual sense as strong as yours, but they may have been exposed to arrays from a young age, coming from families with deep roots and extensive knowledge, and their experience and understanding of arrays may not necessarily be inferior to yours..."
Mo Hua pondered his words, nodding in agreement as he felt that Xun Lao-xian's words made sense.
He couldn't underestimate the array geniuses of Qianzhou!
Mo Hua sincerely said, "I understand, Lao-xian. The concept of 'there's always a bigger fish' is clear to me."
Xun Lao-xian glanced at Mo Hua silently, thinking that while others could say such things, he shouldn't be so quick to say them himself.
After all, who knew who that 'bigger fish' might be...
However, he didn't elaborate further.
Xun Lao-xian thought for a moment, then sighed again, adding, "There's also one more important point..."
"Even if you have the ability to be assessed, the Dao Court's assessments depend on quotas and recommendations, and with your young age and lack of experience, it's not convenient to recommend you just yet..."
"The assessment process is quite rigid and exam-oriented, with a set of cumbersome procedures, requiring you to learn a lot of standardized and formulaic, yet hollow things..."
"This will waste a lot of time, and to be frank, it won't enhance your array skills."
"Your current task is to focus on studying arrays, working hard, and improving yourself, instead of wasting time on these rigid and exam-oriented things."
"In the future, when your skills are high enough, and you have a need, then you can consider getting an assessment."
"In the face of absolute array mastery, those trivial and exam-oriented hurdles will be insignificant..."
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, showing his agreement.
However, he also had a concern: "Lao-xian, if I can't get an assessment, I won't be able to take on second-rate array missions, and it will be slow to accumulate merit points..."
In fact, he was already accumulating points at a decent pace.
But he wanted to go even faster...
"Merit points..."
Xun Lao-xian stroked his beard, nodding slightly.
Indeed, that was a problem.
He had overlooked it before.
With a sixteen-pattern spiritual sense, Mo Hua naturally had to study sixteen-pattern arrays.
But to exchange for a sixteen-pattern array, one needed a substantial amount of merit points, and if he relied on those "entry-level" missions, it would take forever to accumulate enough.
This would greatly hinder Mo Hua's progress in studying arrays.
It also went against his original intention.
The reason Xun Lao-xian wanted Mo Hua to accumulate merit points was to let him gain some experience, make friends with his fellow disciples, help each other, and develop a sense of belonging to the sect, not to make things difficult for him.
After some thought, Xun Lao-xian said, "It's alright, I'll modify your permissions. Within the Tai Xu Sect, you will be considered a second-rate array master."
Mo Hua was taken aback.
Could that be done?
Mo Hua asked softly, "If you change it to second-rate, will it be treated as second-rate?"
"Of course..." Xun Lao-xian replied, "Once you've been assessed and recognized by the sect, you will be given the corresponding permissions. Even though you haven't been assessed yet, with my recognition, you can still be granted the permissions..."
"Sect permissions are a form of authorization."
"With this authorization, you will be able to take on missions."
"Otherwise, if you want to take on a second-rate array mission, would you need to present a second-rate Sky Pivot Ring?"
"Oh, I see."
Mo Hua nodded, indicating that he understood.
"Give me your Tai Xu Token..."
Mo Hua handed his Tai Xu Token to Xun Lao-xian.
Xun Lao-xian took the token without hesitation and began to modify its permissions in front of Mo Hua...
Mo Hua watched, and suddenly, he was stunned.
His heart was filled with shock and awe.
Changing permissions was simple and quick, but modifying them was a different matter.
If it weren't for his recent insights, Mo Hua wouldn't have understood what was happening.
But now, things were different. He had already learned the Yuan Magnetism Array and, through his cunning calculations, he had grasped the essence of the magnetic patterns—the Sub-Thunder Patterns.
He had even accumulated a "Sub-Thunder Pattern Library" and used the Sub-Thunder Patterns to decipher the Seal Patterns and the Secret Patterns.
Now, he could clearly sense...
That the so-called "modifying permissions" was essentially Xun Lao-xian using a very special type of Sub-Thunder Pattern to influence the array, altering the dual magnetic patterns and thereby modifying the underlying permissions of the Tai Xu Token!!
Mo Hua was astonished.
It felt like...
Someone was demonstrating right before his eyes, using a golden key to open a hidden treasure vault...
(Apologies for the delay, something came up.
(End of Chapter)
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