Chapter 1437: Earth Coffin Formation
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Chapter 1435: Earth Coffin Formation
After returning to the minor blessed land, Mo Hua shut himself in his room, took out the Jade Slip, and began studying the Array Formation.
Third-grade High-tier Formations were something Mo Hua had not formally learned before.
The time since he had stepped into the Golden Core realm was too short. Before coming to the minor blessed land, he had been constantly on the run in the Great Wilderness, with no time for anything else, and had no foundation in Third-Grade Formations at all.
Now, he was purely relying on spending every day with his little senior sister. The two of them would sit together, studying Array Formations, and gradually, he systematically grasped the basic framework of Third-Grade Formations.
Without his little senior sister, Mo Hua could have studied on his own, but it would have been too fragmented.
Given his Divine-Sense and comprehension, most ordinary Third-Grade Formations were not difficult for him.
The real challenge was constructing a complete knowledge system for Third-Grade Formations, understanding the composition of their power, and the higher-level logic of Formation Pattern evolution.
This kind of purely theoretical knowledge was a heritage possessed only by great clans—a theoretical foundation built upon the summarization and induction of a vast number of Array Formations.
Back in the Great Void Sect, Mo Hua had laid his foundation under Old Mister Xun.
But in the minor blessed land, Mo Hua learned from his little senior sister.
Bai Zixi’s Array Formations were typical of the “academic school,” deeply inheriting the true teachings of great clans, and with the finishing touch of the Immortal Heaven Formation Flow, they represented the most orthodox tradition of Array Formation Dao.
Rigorous, meticulous, flawless.
In comparison, Mo Hua seemed too “wild,” like a veritable “omnivorous” Taotie of Array Formations.
The first one he studied was the Twenty-Seven Rune Earth Coffin Formation.
Twenty-Seven Runes was the threshold for Third-grade High-tier Formations, making it the most suitable starting point.
Mo Hua copied the Formation Diagram from the Jade Slip onto paper, first carefully examining each Formation Pattern on the diagram one by one.
The improvement in the grade of an Array Formation is fundamentally based on the enhancement of its Formation Patterns.
Third-Grade Formation Patterns were clearly larger in scale, more complex in structure, denser, and had fuller strokes compared to Second-Grade ones.
Within the heavy brushstrokes, they were imbued with vast amounts of spiritual power and Divine-Sense, exuding a more powerful sense of beauty.
This was a high-grade Array Formation.
Mo Hua gazed at it, slightly entranced.
A moment later, he snapped out of it, then focused intently. Following the method he had learned for studying Array Formations, he began to dissect and decompose this Twenty-Seven Rune Earth Coffin Formation at the structural level, from the Formation Eye, to the Formation Pivot, and then to the Formation Patterns.
This was the deconstruction of the “form.”
Afterwards, Mo Hua used Derivative Algorithm to outline the flow trajectory of the formation’s power and the traces of simple Laws.
This was the comprehension of the “spirit.”
Then came the process of unifying form and spirit, combining the form of the Array Formation with the internal flow of its power and the changes in Laws, to comprehend their connections and transformations.
Mo Hua memorized every word and sentence firmly in his heart, but for a long time, his understanding remained rather shallow.
It was only now that he could wield it with ease.
He thought to himself that he probably hadn’t let down his master’s well-intentioned efforts.
However, Mister Zhuang likely hadn’t anticipated that Mo Hua would be able to learn Array Formations to this extent.
Back then, Mister Zhuang hadn’t even mentioned the word “Laws” in front of Mo Hua.
Because for a Qi Refining Cultivator, especially one like Mo Hua who came from a Rogue Cultivator background, these concepts were far too profound.
Yet in just over twenty years, this little disciple taken in by Mister Zhuang had truly managed to approach, step by step, the essence of unity between form and spirit in array formations.
And even more astonishingly, he was doing so by unifying knowledge and action, using this profound framework to deconstruct and comprehend formations from their very foundations.
And he was only at the Golden Core stage.
Third-grade high-tier formations were indeed much more difficult.
It took Mo Hua half a day just to sort out the relationships between the formation’s physical medium, spiritual energy structure, and the changes in the Laws.
Afterward, he practiced it himself several times.
That night, he practiced dozens more times on the Dao Stele, feeling he had largely mastered it.
Then, quite naturally, Mo Hua thought about “applying what he had learned.”
He had used Second-Grade formations far too often, but Third-Grade formations were different—he had only just learned them and had very few opportunities to apply them.
Not to mention, this was a Third-grade High-tier Formation.
To this day, Mo Hua had never used one himself, and he couldn’t help feeling a bit eager.
After all, whether a formation was useful or not could only be known by trying it out. Only after using it once could all sorts of issues be discovered.
But then came the question: where to use it?
Mo Hua pondered.
There was certainly no place to practice it in Houtu City.
Moreover, land in the city was extremely expensive, and he couldn’t afford to rent a space.
If he left Houtu City, the journey would be a bit far, and going back and forth would take too much time.
After thinking it over, Mo Hua decided he could only conduct his formation “experiments” in the minor blessed land.
This matter would have to be reported to True Person Rong.
Mo Hua went to look for True Person Rong again, but she wasn’t there.
True Person Rong, who usually loved sitting in the study researching the basics of the Causality Technique when she had nothing to do, was nowhere to be found this time.
Mo Hua also felt a bit embarrassed to ask his little senior sister about such trivial matters.
Ever since that incident last time, for some reason, Mo Hua felt a little afraid to look into his little senior sister’s eyes.
The atmosphere between the two of them had also become a bit strange.
Mo Hua had no choice but to ask Xiao Ju.
Xiao Ju said, “True Person Rong went to the Earth Sect.”
Mo Hua asked, “What did she go to the Earth Sect for?”
Xiao Ju shook her head, “How would I know? True Person Rong wouldn’t tell me either. But I could see that True Person Rong’s expression was clearly not good, so I guess something happened in the Earth Sect, and she went to deal with it.”
The Earth Sect… what could have happened?
Mo Hua’s heart stirred slightly.
Xiao Ju, however, looked quite relaxed.
She didn’t care at all whether something happened in the Earth Sect or not.
All she knew was that True Person Rong was out, so she was free—no one in the entire minor blessed land could boss her around now.
Seeing Mo Hua lost in thought, Xiao Ju asked, “Do you need something?”
Mo Hua didn’t hide it from Xiao Ju and said, “I want to find a piece of land to test a formation.”
Xiao Ju’s eyes lit up, “A formation for growing oranges?”
Mo Hua shook his head, “This time it’s different—it’s another formation.”
Xiao Ju asked, “Is it fun?”
Mo Hua sighed, “It’s not about whether it’s fun or not.”
Xiao Ju said, “Take me! I want to play!”
Mo Hua felt a bit helpless and asked, “Have you finished all your own tasks?”
Xiao Ju quickly nodded, “I’ve finished everything. The tea is brewed, my homework is done, and I’ve already sorted out the herbs Sister Zixi will use for alchemy later. I’ve been very diligent.”
Mo Hua said, “But True Person Rong…”
Xiao Ju replied, “True Person Rong isn’t here, so I dare to play! If True Person Rong were back, I wouldn’t be able to play.”
Mo Hua was still somewhat hesitant.
Xiao Ju said, “Didn’t you say you were going to teach me array formations? Now that you want to test one, aren’t you going to take me along and nurture my interest in formations?”
Mo Hua was momentarily speechless.
When children want to play, they come up with excuses very quickly.
Mo Hua sighed, “Alright then.”
Xiao Ju immediately perked up and asked, “Where are we going? What are we playing?”
Mo Hua replied, “Help me find a quiet place.”
Xiao Ju nodded, “Leave it to me!”
With True Person Rong absent, Xiao Ju seemed to become the “master” of the minor blessed land, confidently leading Mo Hua around the mountains, roaming freely and without restraint.
A flock of Immortal Cranes and Luan Birds had to make way for Xiao Ju.
Usually, it was Xiao Ju who fed them, and since they owed her favors, they had to give her face.
After wandering around for a while, Xiao Ju picked a secluded spot at the foot of a small hill with a pleasant environment and asked Mo Hua, “Is this place okay?”
Mo Hua nodded, “Yes.”
Xiao Ju immediately sat on a rock, swinging her legs as she watched Mo Hua, waiting to see how he would “play.”
Mo Hua took out his Formation Brush and Spirit Ink.
This Formation Brush and Spirit Ink were both Third-Grade, but they could only be used to draw Third-Grade low-tier formations, and even then, they were only for “practice purposes.”
But for now, they would have to do.
He began drawing the Earth Coffin Formation.
As he drew, Mo Hua glanced at Xiao Ju.
Xiao Ju was watching him with great interest.
After a moment of thought, Mo Hua said, “Xiao Ju, I’ll teach you the Divine Sense Brush Control technique.”
“Divine Sense Brush Control” was something more skilled Formation Masters also knew.
However, they only used it when drawing simpler formations, often with an element of showing off in front of others.
After all, the process of controlling the brush with Divine Sense consumed extra Divine Sense Thought Power.
But for Mo Hua, this technique was actually a way to conserve Divine Sense—at least compared to directly controlling the ink with Divine Sense, it was much simpler and didn’t look as exaggerated.
Xiao Ju watched from the side, marveling inwardly.
She felt that this Mo Hua, while drawing a formation, seemed more like he was performing a juggling act… and it looked quite fun.
Xiao Ju stared intently at the brush he was using to draw the formation for a long time.
Even after Mo Hua finished drawing the entire Earth Coffin Formation, Xiao Ju still felt it wasn’t enough.
After completing the formation, Mo Hua said to Xiao Ju, “Step back.”
He was afraid the formation might go out of control and hurt Xiao Ju. After all, a Third-Grade high-tier formation, if its spiritual power became disordered, could be quite powerful even with just the residual effects.
Xiao Ju nodded and ran far away.
Mo Hua then began to activate the formation.
As he pointed with his fingers and channeled his Divine Thought, the Formation Pattern of the Earth Coffin Formation emitted a faint yellow glow, then instantly dimmed, and the aura of spiritual power dissipated.
Nothing happened.
Mo Hua was stunned.
Seeing that nothing had occurred, Xiao Ju, who was watching from a distance, quietly crept back up and hid behind Mo Hua. She peeked at the formation, then looked up and whispered: “Did you mess up?”
Mo Hua shook his head and said softly, “That shouldn’t be the case.”
He used his Divine Sense Thought Power to cut off the “opening and closing” of the Formation Pivot and then stepped forward to inspect it again, but still found no issues.
The Formation Pattern was correct, the flow of spiritual power was correct, and his understanding of the Laws should also be correct.
If none of these were the problem, then… perhaps the medium carrying the formation was at fault?
Was it the Formation Medium?
But if the Formation Medium was unsuitable, it would have shattered directly. Since it hadn’t shattered and the formation simply wouldn’t activate, that meant the Formation Medium wasn’t the issue.
While Mo Hua was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Xiao Ju say, “Your ink is too poor.”
Mo Hua was taken aback.
“I’ve seen others draw high-end formations,” Xiao Ju pointed to the ground and continued, “No one uses ink like yours. It looks very cheap.”
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment before gradually understanding and nodding, “That makes sense.”
The Spirit Ink in his hand was of insufficient grade. Although it was also Third-Grade, it was specifically for drawing Third-Grade beginner-level formations.
Moreover, it was a typical “practice-use” Spirit Ink.
It was specially supplied to Third-Grade Formation Masters for practicing formations on paper.
Because this Spirit Ink was intended for practice, its consumption was high, so it naturally couldn’t be too expensive.
The ink itself didn’t need to carry too much of the formation’s power; it only needed to ensure the formation could “light up” after being drawn.
Using this kind of Spirit Ink to draw a formal Third-Grade Formation would definitely not work.
The “spiritual essence” it contained was too low.
Mo Hua had always been frugal when drawing formations.
Because his practice volume for formations was enormous, and his Spirit Ink consumption was massive, he had developed a habit of thriftiness—making do with what he had. He had almost forgotten this point.
Whenever a formation had issues, his first thought was always about “complex” problems.
In contrast, Xiao Ju’s formation skill level was low, so her considerations were simpler.
Mo Hua sighed softly, “No wonder people say, ‘Even the wise can err, while the foolish may occasionally succeed.'”
Xiao Ju nodded, but after pondering for a moment, she suddenly frowned and said, “Are you saying I’m a fool who just happened to figure it out by luck?”
Mo Hua smiled and said, “No, I’m praising you for being clever.”
Only after receiving Mo Hua’s approval did Xiao Ju nod.
Having roughly understood the problem, Mo Hua was about to change to a different bottle of Spirit Ink when he reached into his storage bag and froze.
Where would he get Third-Grade high-tier Spirit Ink?
The reason he used practice-grade Spirit Ink to draw Third-Grade formations was because that was all he had.
He didn’t have any other high-quality Third-Grade Spirit Ink at all.
Mo Hua clicked his tongue, never expecting that his formation experiments would be hindered by “Spirit Ink.”
But where could he get Third-Grade high-tier Spirit Ink?
Go to Fortune Pavilion and buy it from Manager Zhao?
But it was a bit late to go now, and would Manager Zhao even sell it to him? Even if he did, wouldn’t he become suspicious?
While Mo Hua was hesitating, Xiao Ju immediately saw his predicament and asked, “Do you not even have ink?”
Mo Hua nodded, “You could say that.”
Xiao Ju muttered, “I don’t know how you manage it. Sometimes you seem quite wealthy, and other times, you’re so poor you don’t even have ink to draw formations.”
Mo Hua asked, “Do you have any?”
Xiao Ju shook her head, “I don’t, but True Person Rong does.”
Mo Hua was startled, “True Person Rong?”
Xiao Ju nodded, “To draw formations for Sister Zixi, True Person Rong keeps extra high-quality Spirit Ink in the Repository. If you need it, I can get it for you.”
Mo Hua hesitated, “Won’t True Person Rong blame you?”
Xiao Ju sneered, “Would the great Xiao Ju ever fear True Person Rong?”
She was clearly boasting.
After saying this, she felt a bit guilty and whispered to Mo Hua, “Just don’t tell anyone… Later, when you’re rich, buy ink to repay me, and I’ll secretly return it.”
Mo Hua chuckled, “Alright.”
Xiao Ju nodded, then suddenly looked conflicted, “If this gets exposed and True Person Rong finds out…”
Mo Hua smiled and said, “I take full responsibility for my actions. If True Person Rong gets angry, you can just blame it all on me.”
Xiao Ju was immediately overjoyed, her worries completely gone. She put on an air of assurance and declared: “Just wait, Lady Xiao Ju will fetch you the finest Spirit Ink.”
With that, Xiao Ju dashed off excitedly.
Watching Xiao Ju’s retreating figure, Mo Hua couldn’t help but smile, feeling a touch of warmth in his heart.