Chapter 64: Bizarre
Chapter 64: Bizarre
"This is not meant for leisure and entertainment."
Master Gui appeared at some point, speaking softly before glancing at Master Zhuang. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "At least, not for normal people."
Master Zhuang furrowed his brows slightly. "Have you seen this cultivation technique before?"
Master Gui shook his head gently. "I've seen stranger techniques, but never one as peculiar as this..."
"I've encountered cultivation techniques that require spirit stones, spiritual roots, spiritual objects, meridians, bloodlines, killing demons, and even the essence, spiritual power, and divine sense of humans and demons as catalysts. But this is the first time I've come across one that has a puzzle array as its bottleneck."
Master Gui continued in a flat tone, "Only ancient and obscure sects like yours would possess such antiquated and niche cultivation techniques."
Master Zhuang sighed softly. "This complicates matters."
"I've told you before, there's no need to be so unique and learn techniques that no one else practices. Mo Hua's spiritual roots are already inadequate, and now with this obscure technique, his cultivation progress will be greatly hindered, and he'll fall far behind." Master Gui's tone carried a hint of reproach.
"I always see things through to the end. I'll find a solution," Master Zhuang asserted.
"What are your plans? Don't forget that you can't stay here for too long," Master Gui said, his gaze turning slightly cold.
"I'll have to teach him how to unravel the array and let him figure out how to solve the puzzle array in his sea of consciousness on his own. With Mo Hua's comprehension, it shouldn't take too long. After that, it's up to his destiny..." Master Zhuang trailed off.
"What about the two children from the Bai family? Aren't you going to guide them anymore?" Master Gui inquired.
"Accepting them as named disciples was already an exception. I can't take them on as personal disciples. That sister of mine is too cunning, scheming against me my entire life. I can't let her have her way with everything," Master Zhuang replied.
"True. Your choice of disciples has always been questionable, and the same goes for your selection of cultivation techniques," Master Gui agreed.
Master Zhuang wanted to retort, but upon considering Master Gui's words, he found them to be true, so he swallowed his rebuttal.
Mo Hua eagerly began perusing the jade slip he had received from Master Zhuang.
"Array formations originate from the patterns of heaven and earth, capturing the essence of all things. They possess the power to alter the heavens and the earth and wield might that even ghosts and gods cannot fathom. By understanding the ways of heaven and earth and the principles of array formations, one can both create and unravel arrays."
"An array is composed of the array medium, array patterns, array pivot, and array eye. Destroying the array medium and ruining the array eye is known as breaking the array; unraveling the array patterns and reversing the array pivot is called solving the array."
"Just as all things in nature counter each other, so do array patterns. Yin and yang counter each other, the Three Talents inverse each other, the Four Symbols restrain each other, and within the Five Elements, metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, and fire overcomes metal..."
...
The jade slip went on and on, elaborating extensively on the topic of unraveling arrays.
Mo Hua seemed to grasp the basics, but upon further contemplation, he found it rather confusing. As he furrowed his brows in thought, Bai Zisheng sneaked a curious glance at him. "Hey, why are you reading a book about unraveling arrays?"
"The Master told me to," Mo Hua replied.
"Oh."
"Do you know how to unravel arrays?" Mo Hua asked.
"A little, but I'm not particularly skilled at it," Bai Zisheng admitted.
Knowing a little was still better than knowing nothing, and it was certainly more than what Mo Hua could claim.
Mo Hua pointed to a passage in the book and asked humbly, "What's the difference between breaking an array and unraveling an array as mentioned here?"
Bai Zisheng readily explained, "Breaking an array usually refers to destroying the array medium that sustains the array and the array eye that allows it to function, forcibly dismantling the array. Without the array medium, the array struggles to exist, and without the array eye, it cannot operate, thus breaking the array..."
"Unraveling an array is more complicated. It involves understanding the counter relationships between the array patterns and then drawing the patterns to unravel the existing ones. When the array patterns are neutralized, the array is effectively dissolved."
"No," Mo Hua replied shyly, "I'm just a bit unclear about the differences between the array eye, array pivot, and array medium..."
Bai Zisheng exclaimed, "How can you not know these things?"
Mo Hua countered, "If I knew everything, why would I be asking you? I'm giving you a chance to show off your knowledge."
Bai Zisheng stroked his chin, "That makes sense."
Then, noticing his sister Bai Zixi's subtle smile, he realized something and added, "But wait, I can't just give away my knowledge for free!"
"Then what do you want in return?" Mo Hua asked.
"Bring me a plate of beef tomorrow," Bai Zisheng demanded.
"Hmph, do you know who I am? I'm a direct descendant of the Bai family, a proud scion of heaven. Do you think you can just bribe me with a plate of beef?" Bai Zisheng scoffed.
"Then how about two plates?" Mo Hua negotiated.
"Fine, that will do." Bai Zisheng nodded in satisfaction.
"So, what are the differences between the array eye, array medium, and array pivot?" Mo Hua quickly asked.
Having secured his payment of two plates of beef, Bai Zisheng began his explanation with a content smile, "The array eye is the core of a formation's operation, providing spiritual energy. Usually, the array eye of a single formation is a single spirit-gathering formation pattern, while more complex formations composed of multiple single formations will have a spirit-gathering formation as their array eye. The more powerful the formation, the more spiritual energy is required, and some clans' protective formations even use an entire spiritual mineral vein as their source of energy."
"The array pivot is the linchpin and structure of the formation. It's more complicated because it involves concepts like 'heaven and earth,' 'the three talents and four symbols,' and 'the eight trigrams and their orientations.' Formation patterns of different attributes must be drawn in their corresponding orientations, or else the formation won't work."
"Different sects and different lineages have variations in their array pivots, and explaining them all would be too complex. Given our current level of understanding, it's unlikely that we can unravel formations based on their array pivots..."
"The array medium is simply the carrier of the formation, like formation paper, stone tablets, copper, iron, wood, or soil. Once the formation patterns are drawn on these materials, they become the array medium. Spiritual artifacts that need to be imbued with formations can also be considered array media."
Seeing Mo Hua's confused expression, Bai Zisheng gave an example, "To put it simply, think of the array eye as the heart's pulse, the array pivot as the main channels for the flow of qi and blood, and the formation patterns as the branches through which qi and blood flow. Spiritual energy is supplied by the array eye, channeled through the array pivot, and infused into the formation patterns. It's like how blood flows from the heart through the main channels and then branches out through the network of blood vessels in the body."
After his lengthy explanation, Bai Zisheng felt thirsty, and Mo Hua promptly poured him a cup of tea.
"Are these... basic formation concepts?" Mo Hua asked timidly.
"Well, they are considered common knowledge for anyone studying formations in the Bai family," Bai Zisheng replied with a hint of pride.
Mo Hua was glad he had asked beforehand, as he would have felt embarrassed asking Master Zhuang about such basic things.
"I'll bring you a jar of osmanthus wine tomorrow," Mo Hua offered.
"Yes, yes!" Bai Zisheng eagerly nodded in agreement.
Mo Hua then asked about other things, such as the usual methods for unraveling and breaking formations and the specific schools of thought regarding array pivots.
As they chatted, the day gradually turned to dusk, and Mo Hua bid farewell to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, preparing to head home.
"Mo Hua," Bai Zisheng suddenly called out, his expression turning serious, "Don't forget the most important thing..."
"What is it?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
"The beef must be spicy!" Bai Zisheng said with a straight face.
(End of Chapter)
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