Chapter 978: Gu Mountain's Formation
Chapter 978: Gu Mountain's Formation
On top of Gu Mountain, a massive Spirit Machinery towered, its enormous arms resembling a giant's limbs, carving into the mountain and excavating a mine. It was reconstructing the collapsed Gu Mountain, leveling the ground according to Mo Hua's plan and creating a foundation for the formation.
Mo Hua intended to rebuild a grand formation on Gu Mountain.
This formation, of course, was not yet on par with a Great Formation.
Even with Mo Hua's spiritual awareness, it was still far from sufficient to construct a Second-Rate Great Formation.
Additionally, the enormous manpower, resources, and lengthy time required, along with the massive consumption of Spirit Stones and Spirit Ink, were beyond Mo Hua's means.
Mo Hua was only building a large Compound Formation.
However, this Compound Formation was immense in scale, covering most of Gu Mountain, with diverse formation types and a complete set of Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. It needed to accommodate various array engravings, and in a sense, could be considered a "prototype" of a Great Formation.
This was Mo Hua's way of practicing his skills.
He couldn't construct a Second-Rate Great Formation yet, so he had to settle for a large Compound Formation, creating a pseudo Great Formation through its sheer size and complexity.
Despite being a "pseudo Great Formation," its size and difficulty were extremely high.
It required an incredibly profound understanding of formations, extensive formation knowledge, and the ability to control numerous Second-Rate formations.
Moreover, constructing a large Compound Formation demanded a formation master with a grand vision, an understanding of the overall formation's framework, the central hub, the core formation eye, and the compatibility of formations, all while managing and controlling the formation on a macro level.
The number of formation masters with such capabilities or relevant experience could be counted on one hand.
Ever since leaving Gu Mountain and returning to the sect, Mo Hua had been constantly thinking about this matter.
Whenever he had free time, he would work on planning this grand Compound Formation for Gu Mountain.
After pondering for a while, Mo Hua finally managed to draw out the formation diagram.
Once the Compound Formation diagram was planned, Mo Hua still felt uneasy, so he specifically sought Xun Lao Xin's opinion.
When Xun Lao Xin saw the large-scale Gu Mountain formation diagram, his emotions were indescribable.
He realized that it was indeed a "prototype" of a Great Formation.
It was only due to limited abilities and the lack of manpower, resources, and funds that it was changed to a secondary Compound Formation.
However, the grand design and the framework of the Great Formation were evident.
Especially in the eyes of a knowledgeable Fifth-Rate formation master like Xun Lao Xin, it was clear at a glance that it incorporated the techniques of a Great Formation.
Xun Lao Xin recalled the news he had heard in Tongxian City, and his heart was suddenly filled with awe and amazement.
"Could this child have possibly been the main formation master of a First-Rate Great Formation back then?"
The main formation master of a First-Rate Great Formation...
How old was he at that time?
Xun Lao Xin was so shocked that he became absent-minded.
He sighed slightly and then carefully examined Mo Hua's Gu Mountain formation diagram. After pointing out a few mistakes, improving several nodes, and removing a few formation hubs, he made the entire diagram more concise and perfect.
Mo Hua carefully studied Xun Lao Xin's revisions and gained profound insights, further admiring Xun Lao Xin's formation mastery.
With Xun Lao Xin's "edits," Mo Hua finally put his mind at ease.
He officially began implementing his plans according to this formation diagram, putting his grand Compound Formation concept into practice, and gradually laying the foundation for constructing a genuine Second-Rate Great Formation in the future.
With Mo Hua's overall coordination, the large-scale Gu Mountain Compound Formation officially commenced.
This was specially approved by the Dao Ting Si.
Such a large-scale Dao Quest Engineering project was considered a significant political achievement, and the Dao Ting Si of Gu Mountain was naturally pleased to see its success.
Even Xia Inspector used his supervision power to allocate a portion of Spirit Stones to support the construction of the Gu Mountain Compound Formation.
Additionally, the Gu Family contributed a significant amount of resources.
The Second-Rate large Spirit Machinery was mostly borrowed from the Gu Family.
The Gu Family was willing to help because they indeed had a small casting industry in Gu Mountain.
Although this industry was meager, it had become the "backbone" of Gu Shan Cheng thanks to Gu Master's efforts.
Without the Gu Family's casting workshop, a large number of people in Gu Shan Cheng would starve.
The Gu Family had an upright family tradition, so they wouldn't turn a blind eye to this situation.
Moreover, this was a "formation engineering" project overseen by Mo Hua. They couldn't ignore him, so they decided to do him this favor.
Wen Ren Wan was wholeheartedly devoted to Mo Hua and also helped a lot.
As the eldest daughter of the Wen Ren Family and the young wife of the Shang Guan Family, she even spent her own money to cover part of the expenses for constructing the Compound Formation.
As for manpower, most of it came from the wandering cultivators in Gu Shan Cheng.
The wandering cultivators in Gu Shan Cheng were very poor, often going hungry.
Mo Hua decided to provide them with work by engaging them in the construction of the large-scale Gu Mountain Compound Formation.
As long as they helped, regardless of the amount of effort, they would have food to eat.
Even those who were physically weak and lonely orphans could earn a meal by helping to move a few stones.
The next issue was the formations.
The large Compound Formation incorporated numerous formations, not as many as a Great Formation but still far more complex than a typical formation engineering project.
Even for Mo Hua, drawing these formations would take a considerable amount of time.
However, he didn't have that much time and couldn't stay on Gu Mountain for too long.
Hiring other formation masters would also cost a lot of Spirit Stones, which made Mo Hua uneasy.
After much deliberation, Mo Hua came up with a great idea.
He went to find Xun Lao Xin again and said he wanted to give his junior brothers and sisters a chance to practice formations.
Xun Lao Xin understood Mo Hua's intention and, after pondering for a moment, his eyes lit up, and he readily agreed.
This was indeed a great opportunity.
Formations couldn't be learned solely through theory; the most important thing was to apply knowledge in practice.
However, there were few opportunities to do so within the sect.
Gu Shan Cheng presented a perfect opportunity.
At the same time, this was a highly meaningful endeavor that benefited the region, aligning perfectly with the principles of the Tai Xu Clan.
Xun Lao Xin nodded and said, "You handle all the arrangements."
A few days later, during class time, Mo Hua brought a group of Tai Xu Clan's junior disciples to Gu Mountain for an "extracurricular formation practice."
These junior disciples were all talented in the art of formations and aspired to become exceptional formation masters.
Although they came from prestigious families and had studied formations on paper, this was their first time participating in the construction of such a grand-scale Dao Quest Engineering project. They found it both novel and fascinating.
This project was led by Mo Hua, the "little senior brother."
Mo Hua even allocated a portion of his abundant merits, which seemed inexhaustible at the moment, as a "reward" for their formation drawing efforts.
As a result, all the disciples worked diligently.
With their solid family background, being accepted into the Tai Xu Clan, and being the outstanding members of their respective families, they were formation geniuses. They had studied formations diligently within the Tai Xu Clan, and their formation drawing skills were both fast and excellent.
Many disciples secretly competed with each other, trying to outdo one another in speed and quality.
Everyone was filled with enthusiasm.
However, they soon witnessed Mo Hua's true formation drawing skills.
In the sect, they had drawn formations on paper, one after another, and even though Mo Hua drew quickly, it didn't seem that impressive.
But here at Gu Mountain, in the construction of such a large-scale formation project, when a vast number of formations were required, they truly experienced Mo Hua's "terrifying" skills.
Mo Hua held his brush, and his strokes flowed like a flowing river and a moving dragon and snake. While others had just drawn a few formation patterns, he had already outlined a series of formations.
His brushwork was flawless, and the formation patterns were precise and exquisite, as if copied directly from a formation diagram, without a single mistake.
He had memorized countless formation diagrams, and his skill was so refined that he didn't even need to glance at them.
His speed was astonishing, and regardless of the formation, as the spirit ink flowed, within a few breaths, a formation would take shape under his brush.
A natural aura permeated the formations, leaving everyone in awe.
All the disciples were stunned.
They realized that the little senior brother had been low-key, and his formation skills were far more formidable than they had imagined.
All the junior disciples felt a bit disheartened.
However, after this initial disappointment, their fighting spirit emerged.
With the "little senior brother" as their role model, they were determined not to fall too far behind, even if they couldn't catch up, so as not to be looked down upon.
All the disciples, watching Mo Hua's back, focused intently and gave their all, striving to draw the formations assigned to them as quickly and accurately as possible.
Mo Hua took a break, pausing to catch his breath. He had wanted to encourage everyone, but when he turned around, he saw that they were all working diligently on the formations with great concentration. He was surprised but also felt relieved.
"They are all talented individuals..."
With Mo Hua, the "great genius," leading a group of "little geniuses" from the Tai Xu Clan, the construction of the Gu Mountain Compound Formation proceeded at an unusually fast pace.
In less than ten days, the main structure of the formation was completed.
Mo Hua could easily handle the remaining minor formations himself, and he planned to return to the Tai Xu Clan with these junior disciples.
As they descended from Gu Mountain and arrived in Gu Shan Cheng, the scenery along the way was not impressive.
The mountain was desolate, and the city was dilapidated.
On the streets, there were wandering cultivators in tattered clothes, their faces pale and gaunt, and orphans as thin as charcoal.
Zheng Fang frowned, hesitated for a long time, and finally asked Mo Hua, "Little senior brother, how did these cultivators end up so poor?"
When they had arrived, they traveled by carriage, and Gu Mountain was closed for construction, so they hadn't seen the city's true state.
The other Tai Xu Clan disciples also looked at Mo Hua, their eyes filled with pity.
Mo Hua was taken aback and asked, "You haven't seen cultivators like this before?"
Zheng Fang nodded, and the others did the same.
Mo Hua's gaze paused for a moment, and then he understood.
Zheng Fang and the others were all from aristocratic families. Even if their backgrounds weren't the best, they still had the support of their families and lived in comfort. They associated with other aristocratic youths, and the places they frequented were either great aristocratic families, major sects, or prosperous immortal cities.
They had seen poor people before.
In both large and small immortal cities, there were impoverished cultivators who wore simple clothing, ate plain food, couldn't afford expensive spiritual artifacts, and had few spirit stones for cultivation.
In their understanding, these were already considered very poor cultivators.
However, the reality of "poverty" far exceeded their imagination.
"Understanding the Dao and blessing all life..."
These words resonated deeply with them, planting a seed in their hearts that slowly took root and sprouted.
...
After seeing Zheng Fang and the others off, Mo Hua did not return to Tai Xu Men but instead went to the casting workshop in Gu Shan City.
The grand compound formation on Gu Mountain was just the first step.
The mountain's ore had been almost entirely mined, but the Shen Clan disregarded everything and blew up half of the mountain. This exposed some of the ore that was buried deep underground or previously difficult to mine.
These ores, while not as precious as the Yellow Bronze Ore, would still yield considerable profits after refinement, enough to sustain the wandering cultivators in Gu Shan City.
The key, however, lay in the refinement process.
The grand compound formation on Gu Mountain was designed for reconstructing the mine, just like the one Mo Hua had created in Nan Yue City.
But Gu Mountain was already barren, so the mined ore needed to undergo further refinement.
This refinement required even more advanced formations.
All these formations were high-level second-rate formations, and some were even second-rate formations with nineteen array engravings.
Among the disciples of the same generation in Tai Xu Men, only Mo Hua could create such formations.
These formations were engraved inside a large furnace.
From then on, the ore mined from Gu Mountain would be sent to the casting workshop, where it would undergo refinement in this massive furnace, transforming into purer spirit ore for further casting.
Master Gu led all the casters to complete the initial construction of the furnace.
The enormous furnace resembled a beast capable of devouring ore, occupying nearly half of the casting workshop's space.
Mo Hua then proceeded to engrave the required formations on the furnace, one by one, until the task was complete.
The nineteen-array formation was the pinnacle of second-rate formations within the public domain. For an ordinary second-rate formation master, creating such a formation was an extremely challenging task.
However, Mo Hua's Shen Nian had already reached the Jiedan stage, making the creation of these formations as effortless as eating or drinking for him.
Although the furnace was large, its size couldn't compare to the compound formation on Gu Mountain.
Consequently, while the number of formations involved was significant, Mo Hua, the "monster" of formations, could handle them alone.
After spending some time engraving the formations on the furnace, Mo Hua asked Master Gu to dismiss the crowd so he could remain alone in the furnace to work on the final formation.
This was an absolute formation.
A second-rate formation with twenty array engravings, the Secondary Thunder Current Formation.
This was the Yuan Magnetic Absolute Formation that Wen Ren Wan had secretly obtained from the Shang Guan Family and given to Mo Hua—the first second-rate absolute formation he had mastered.
Perhaps it was because Mo Hua had returned to the origin of the Thunder-Magnetism Array and gained some insight into its essence.
Unexpectedly, learning this Secondary Thunder Current Absolute Formation was incredibly smooth for him, and it didn't take much time at all.
The function of this Secondary Thunder Current Formation was simple: it generated a directed Secondary Thunder Current through the formation.
However, the Secondary Thunder Current had a wide range of applications.
Mo Hua specifically sought advice from Elder Zheng, and only then did he understand that this Secondary Thunder Current Formation was a production-type absolute formation.
The Secondary Thunder Current it generated had only one purpose: to magnetize ink-like ores and produce Magnetic Ink.
Magnetic Ink was extremely valuable.
Consequently, formations for producing Magnetic Ink were also extremely rare.
However, Mo Hua had never imagined that the Shang Guan Family's Secondary Thunder Current Formation was used for producing Magnetic Ink.
Major aristocratic families often managed various industries, so it wasn't surprising that the Shang Guan Family possessed such industry-related formations.
This formation seemed to have been bestowed by the Dao Ting, and there might be other reasons behind it, but Mo Hua had no way of knowing since it involved the Shang Guan Family and the Dao Ting.
All he needed to do was learn the formation and put it to use.
Moreover, this absolute formation was given to him by Wan Auntie.
Now, he was using this absolute formation in the Gu Family's casting workshop, and a portion of the profits would be returned to Wan Auntie as a gesture of gratitude.
After contemplating, Mo Hua began to engrave the Secondary Thunder Current Formation with twenty array engravings on the final furnace.
With this, the last small furnace transformed into a Magnetic Ink Furnace.
However, this was not apparent on the surface, and no one knew that Mo Hua had secretly engraved an absolute formation inside the furnace at the Gu Family's casting workshop.
Even Master Gu was unaware.
Mo Hua only told him that this final furnace could produce a small amount of precious Magnetic Ink.
There were many methods for producing Magnetic Ink, and they were highly confidential. Master Gu didn't understand much about them, and he was amazed by Mo Hua's extraordinary formation skills that could turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Mo Hua further instructed Master Gu, "Behind this Magnetic Ink Furnace, there's a place for magnetizing ink stones. There's a jade tablet there that needs to be replaced approximately once a month. Remember to keep the replaced jade tablets and give them to me when you have time."
"A jade tablet?" Master Gu didn't quite understand but didn't ask further.
Although Mo Hua had only reached the Zhu Ji stage, in Master Gu's eyes, he was already a profound and unfathomable "expert."
After the trip to Gu Mountain, Mo Hua became even more enigmatic in Master Gu's eyes.
Master Gu assured him, "Rest assured, young master. I'll remember."
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.
He had a significant use for these jade tablets.
The Magnetic Ink Furnace used spirit stones to power the formation, generating a Secondary Thunder Current to magnetize the ore and produce Magnetic Ink.
With the presence of the Secondary Thunder Current, Secondary Thunder Patterns would naturally form.
These Secondary Thunder Patterns were generated and reacted within the Magnetic Ink Furnace, and Mo Hua would record them one by one on the jade tablets.
These Secondary Thunder Patterns were entirely different from ordinary array engravings.
Mo Hua would use these Secondary Thunder Patterns on the jade tablets to deeply return to the origin of the Thunder-Magnetism Array from another perspective.
In other words, once this Magnetic Ink Furnace was operational, it would not only produce Magnetic Ink and increase the casting workshop's profits but also continuously generate a large number of Secondary Thunder Patterns for Mo Hua.
These Secondary Thunder Patterns would provide abundant Thunder-Magnetism materials, allowing Mo Hua to more quickly and conveniently return to the origin of the Thunder-Magnetism Array and strengthen his Thunder-Magnetism Elementals.
(End of Chapter)
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