Chapter 316: Farewell Banquet

But… was it really that simple?

Mo Hua ran off again to ask Mister Zhuang.

“Teacher, when performing Formation Derivation, must it be completed all at once?”

“No need.”

“So I can calculate a little each day?”

Zhuang nodded. “You can.”

As he thought.

Mo Hua sighed—he’d trapped himself in his own assumptions. Had he just come earlier to ask, he could’ve saved himself a lot of confusion…

He continued, “Then, by that logic, collapsing a formation doesn’t seem that difficult either…”

Zhuang’s expression turned subtle, and he couldn’t help but mutter,

“Best not say things like that outside. Someone might punch you.”

“Huh? Why?”

Zhuang sighed. “The greatest difficulties in formation collapse lie in two things: the Spirit-Reversal Formation and Divine-Sense Derivation.”

“The Primary Spirit-Reversal Formation alone contains ten formation lines, far exceeding the specifications of ordinary formations. Even among all formation masters, those who can truly master this formation are few and far between.”

“And Divine-Sense Derivation requires an immense Divine-Sense foundation. Ordinary formation masters simply don’t have enough. If they try to force it, their Sea of Consciousness will dry up instantly.”

“True, derivation doesn’t need to be done in one sitting—it can be done piece by piece—but even so, it consumes vast amounts of Divine-Sense and an enormous amount of time.”

“So for most formation masters—without mastering the Spirit-Reversal Formation, they can’t even begin to collapse formations. Even if they do learn it, they might not have enough Divine-Sense to derive. And even if they do, they might not have enough time to finish. Without derivation, there can be no collapse.”

“So it’s that hard?” Mo Hua was astonished. “I thought if derivation didn’t need to be done in one go, it’d be simple…”

Zhuang looked at him and sighed. “You, child… you’re starting to sound like someone who doesn’t know how lucky he is.”

Not everyone had such a powerful Divine-Sense.

Mo Hua scratched his head awkwardly.

Then he asked softly, “Teacher, is it dangerous to collapse a composite formation?”

Zhuang glanced at him in surprise. “You’ve already collapsed a formation?”

Mo Hua knew there was no hiding it, so he admitted honestly, “I collapsed a First-Grade Earthfire Formation.”

Zhuang’s eyelid twitched slightly.

He’d suspected the boy would learn quickly, but he hadn’t expected this quickly.

He had only mentioned the method of collapse briefly, yet Mo Hua had already figured it out on his own.

For a while, Zhuang hesitated, uncertain whether to keep teaching him further.

Divine-Sense Derivation… Formation Collapse…

These were well beyond what a novice should be touching.

He’d never thought he’d one day teach such things—and to a Qi-Refining stage registered disciple, no less.

After a long pause, Zhuang’s eyes flickered with some inner decision.

“Teacher?” Mo Hua asked softly.

Zhuang came back to himself, thought a moment, then said:

“Collapsing a composite formation works the same way. Just be careful not to get yourself killed.”

“Not get myself killed?” Mo Hua blinked. “Can’t I just run farther away?”

“Either that,” Zhuang said, “or leave yourself a Life Gate.”

“Life Gate… what’s that?”

“Do you remember what I told you about the Dao of Birth and Destruction?”

Mo Hua nodded.

“The Great Dao has birth and death. Where there is death, there is also life. Formation collapse is death; deriving the Life Gate is life. A formation master may use formations to kill enemies—but if he fails to leave a Life Gate and dies to his own formation, then he’s a fool.”

Mo Hua certainly didn’t want to be that fool, so he humbly asked,

“How do I leave a Life Gate?”

“When deriving with Divine-Sense, carefully sense the weakest point in the formation’s core flow—that’s the Life Gate. Never draw the Spirit-Reversal Formation near it.”

Mo Hua nodded. “Then for single formations, is there also a Life Gate?”

“Single formations are too weak; the collapsing force too small. There’s a Life Gate, but its area is tiny—almost meaningless. Only with composite formations and above should you bother keeping one.”

“Understood, Teacher!”

Mo Hua had no more questions, so he didn’t disturb Mister Zhuang further and took his leave.

After Mo Hua left, Zhuang sat silently on his bamboo chair for a long time.

Old Kui appeared behind him soundlessly and said in a low voice, “If you keep teaching him, you won’t be able to leave.”

Zhuang gave a helpless smile. “I didn’t expect he’d learn so fast.”

“How much longer?”

Zhuang’s expression dimmed slightly. “Soon… very soon.”

“Won’t you wait for the boy to master composite collapse before you go?”

Zhuang shook his head. “That’s already far beyond his current scope. Whether he learns it or not doesn’t matter.”

“I only taught it early because I feared no one else would teach him once I’m gone. I just didn’t expect—everything I teach, he truly learns—and learns it well…”

Zhuang’s gaze grew complicated, tinged with reluctant admiration.

“But collapsing a composite formation is different,” he continued. “It consumes an enormous amount of Divine-Sense. Mo Hua shouldn’t be able to learn it in a short time.”

“Really?” Old Kui asked tonelessly.

Zhuang nodded… but the words caught in his throat.

Really?

He hesitated.

Thinking of everything Mo Hua had accomplished so far, he suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.

This disciple of his truly couldn’t be judged by ordinary logic…

After returning home, Mo Hua eagerly began experimenting with composite collapse and the derivation of Life Gates.

The harder the formation, the more fascinating it was.

And a collapsed composite formation could even kill Foundation Establishment cultivators!

However, after some attempts, Mo Hua quickly realized how much Divine-Sense it required.

Even with the Dao Monument letting him restore Divine-Sense afterward, the time and effort it demanded were tremendous—it wasn’t something that could be completed overnight.

Mo Hua felt a twinge of regret, but quickly steadied his mind.

If composite collapse was truly that powerful, then spending more time and Divine-Sense was worth it.

He thus began patiently deriving it, one formation rune at a time.

A few days later, Mo Hua was sitting in an eatery, absorbed in his calculations, when a tall, broad-shouldered cultivator with square features entered.

Sensing with his Divine-Sense, Mo Hua looked up in surprise. “Commander Yang?”

Yang smiled warmly. “Little Mister Mo, drawing formations again?”

“Mm.” Mo Hua nodded, then motioned for him to sit. “Commander Yang, please.”

Yang sat beside him and said with mock annoyance,

“I told you not to be so formal—call me Uncle Yang.”

“Oh, right.” Mo Hua chuckled. “Uncle Yang.”

Yang beamed and nodded with satisfaction.

Mo Hua asked, “Uncle Yang, did you come looking for me for something?”

“I’m about to leave town,” Yang said. “So I’m hosting a farewell banquet and came to invite you personally.”

Mo Hua blinked. “Uncle Yang, you’re too polite. Isn’t it our job to host the farewell banquet for you?”

How did it become his banquet inviting him?

Yang waved it off. “Just a small matter. Don’t think too hard about it.”

Mo Hua frowned slightly, studying him. “You’re not… in some kind of trouble, are you?”

“Nothing major,” Yang said, smiling. “We’ll talk at the banquet.”

Since he wouldn’t say more, Mo Hua didn’t press.

He remembered another matter and asked quietly, “Did you catch the First Chief and Third Chief?”

When Black Mountain Stronghold fell, most of the evil cultivators were either killed or captured. The small fry who fled weren’t a real concern.

But those two were different.

One was the stronghold’s founder—the ringleader who gathered the evil cultivators and terrorized the region for centuries.

The other was a genuine First-Grade Evil Formation Master, at Foundation Establishment level, skilled in sinister formations—and who knew what hidden tricks he still had.

Until they were caught, Mo Hua couldn’t rest easy.

Yang’s expression darkened slightly. In a low voice, he said:

“We searched the mountains for days. Most of the evil cultivators have been dealt with, but there’s not a single trace of those two.”

Mo Hua’s eyes narrowed. “Could they have some hidden refuge deep in the mountains?”

Yang nodded. “That’s what I suspect too. But the mountains are vast, and there are Second-Grade demon beasts. We don’t know the terrain, and can’t risk a large-scale sweep.”

“And since both are Foundation Establishment, it’s all too easy for them to hide from us.”

He sighed. “The deployment term for the Dao soldiers is nearly over. We can’t keep searching indefinitely.”

“The rest will have to be left to the Dao Court Division—and Elder Yu.”

Mo Hua nodded. “Understood. Thank you, Uncle Yang.”

Yang chuckled. “Thank me? For what?”

Mo Hua said earnestly, “Without you leading the Dao soldiers, Tōngxiān City’s rogue cultivators would’ve suffered heavy losses in the Black Mountain campaign. The victory belongs largely to you.”

“Just doing my duty,” Yang said lightly—but the corner of his mouth betrayed a proud smile.

After chatting a bit more, Yang rose to leave.

“Tomorrow at noon, at the Spirit Banquet Pavilion in the North City—don’t you dare forget!”

Mo Hua grinned. “I’ll definitely be there!”

(End of Chapter)