Chapter 376: Supreme Divine-Sense
A few days later, Mo Hua and his companions arrived at Shangtai City.
Shangtai City was only a small immortal city, even smaller than Tōngxiān City, with few Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The streets weren’t bustling either; the passing cultivators wore shabby robes and bore faces full of worry and exhaustion.
Mo Hua sighed softly.
It seemed that not only the itinerant cultivators of Tōngxiān City lived in hardship — most wanderers across the world were the same.
Perhaps, in some places, their suffering was even worse.
The group entered the city and found an inn to rest.
Mister Zhuang kept Mo Hua behind to speak privately.
Mo Hua sat respectfully on a small stool, listening intently.
Mister Zhuang asked gently, “Do you know the purpose of this journey?”
Mo Hua thought for a moment and replied,
“To learn formations?”
“And besides that?”
“Hmm…” Mo Hua pondered for a bit before adding, “To reach Foundation Establishment?”
Mister Zhuang nodded. “You are different from others — and different from ordinary formation masters. The art you cultivate is the Celestial Evolution Art, and its bottleneck lies in formations.”
“Your cultivation and your formation arts are one and the same.”
“If your mastery of formations falls short, you cannot unravel complex arrays, cannot break through bottlenecks, and your cultivation will stagnate.”
“If your cultivation doesn’t advance, you cannot grasp higher-grade formations.”
“More importantly, the formations you must learn are far more complex than what others study. With ordinary arrays, you’ll never decipher the maze arrays or shatter your bottlenecks.”
Mo Hua nodded — he had already expected as much.
If he wanted to become a grand formation master, he must first become a powerful cultivator. And if he wanted to become a powerful cultivator, he must also become a grand formation master.
“Master, before I reach Foundation Establishment, should I keep studying formations?” Mo Hua asked.
Mister Zhuang inclined his head. “Exactly.”
“But… what formation should I study?” Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
He had already learned the Spirit-Reversal Array of First Grade Ten Runes, and also mastered the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Formation.
Suddenly his eyes lit up. “Can I learn Second Grade formations now?”
Mister Zhuang saw through his thoughts and smiled, shaking his head. “You cannot.”
Mo Hua looked disappointed.
Mister Zhuang explained, “The spiritual composition of a Second Grade formation differs completely from that of a First Grade one. Without Foundation Establishment, without the mercury-like spiritual power of that realm, you cannot learn Second Grade formations.”
“Then… should I still study grand formations?”
Mister Zhuang chuckled faintly.
“There aren’t that many grand formations for you to learn. Even among First Grade arrays, true grand formations are rare, and most are top-secret legacies. I don’t have many myself.”
“Besides, even if you learned them, how would you construct one? The manpower and resources needed are enormous.”
“If it hadn’t been for the Great Demon’s emergence, the crisis in Tōngxiān City, and the fact that everyone trusted you enough to unite with you, even the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Formation would have been impossible.”
Mo Hua froze, then nodded after thinking it through.
Indeed, the cost and risk of building a grand formation were immense. Within an entire prefecture, only a handful of powers could muster such resources.
And those powers either already had grand formations, or if they were to build one anew, they certainly wouldn’t appoint a thirteen-year-old formation master as the chief array designer.
They wouldn’t believe in him.
Nor would they entrust him with such responsibility.
Mo Hua scratched his head. “Then what can I still learn?”
Mister Zhuang said, “Do you remember what I told you about Absolute Formations?”
Mo Hua thought for a moment and nodded.
“Formations of First Grade Nine Runes or above, that surpass Dao Court standards, require Divine-Sense beyond grade, and knowledge exceeding formal doctrines — these are called Absolute Formations.”
Mister Zhuang nodded. “To other formation masters, Absolute Formations are distant dreams. But for you, they are compulsory — you can learn them, and you must learn them.”
Mo Hua had originally intended to study harder formations, but after a thought, he hesitated and asked softly,
“Master… if I don’t learn Absolute Formations, can I still reach Foundation Establishment?”
Mister Zhuang gave a faint smile. “Ordinarily, your current Divine-Sense and formation skills are already sufficient for Foundation Establishment.”
Mo Hua’s eyes brightened.
But Mister Zhuang continued, “…Yet merely establishing your foundation isn’t enough.”
Mo Hua blinked. “Because my Divine-Sense isn’t strong enough?”
Mister Zhuang nodded. “Compared to others of your realm, your Divine-Sense is already exceptional — but still not strong enough.”
Mo Hua frowned. “Then how strong must it be?”
Mister Zhuang’s gaze deepened.
“At least above Thirteen Runes.”
Mo Hua’s mouth fell open. “Above Thirteen Runes… that’s the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment?”
“Indeed,” Mister Zhuang said gravely. “The early stage spans Ten to Thirteen Runes. Beyond Thirteen Runes is mid-stage.”
After a pause, he added,
“Do you remember what I told you about establishing one’s foundation through Divine-Sense?”
“I remember.” Mo Hua nodded.
Mister Zhuang’s tone grew solemn.
“Foundation Establishment is the first great breakthrough in cultivation. Once you break through, your spiritual power transforms in quality — and your Divine-Sense multiplies.”
“Therefore, before Foundation Establishment, you must lay a firm foundation.”
“If you fall behind before Foundation Establishment, you’ll fall far behind afterward. The gap only widens with time.”
“Many cultivators rush to establish their foundation, chasing progress over substance. Though dazzling at first, they soon fade into mediocrity. So it’s not enough to simply build your foundation — you must find your Dao, establish your root, and forge your Dao Foundation.”
“My Dao… is Divine-Sense, right?”
Mo Hua still remembered when Mister Zhuang spoke of Proving the Dao through Divine-Sense.
Mister Zhuang nodded. “Your physical body and spiritual root are lacking — they can never compare to those born prodigies. But your Divine-Sense may surpass all of them, leaving every peer far behind…”
“That’s why I want you to strengthen your Divine-Sense to its utmost before Foundation Establishment.”
“If your Divine-Sense reaches the mid-stage — above Thirteen Runes — then upon breaking through, its multiplication might propel you directly into the late stage of Foundation Establishment!”
Even Mister Zhuang felt a tremor in his heart as he said this.
To enter Foundation Establishment with a Divine-Sense comparable to the late stage — that was the mark of a true monstrous genius.
Divine-Sense might seem subtle, not as direct or forceful as spiritual power or blood energy, but only because most cultivators’ Divine-Sense was too weak.
Once Divine-Sense reached its apex, it became utterly terrifying — the power of supreme consciousness, enough to make heaven and earth, all beings, tremble and bow in fear.
Mo Hua didn’t fully grasp how powerful that was, but the sheer thought left him speechless.
Then, full of anticipation, he asked,
“Then how can I strengthen my Divine-Sense beyond Thirteen Runes?”
Mister Zhuang’s eyes flickered. “The same old way — the clumsy way… keep drawing formations.”
Comprehending formations refines the Divine-Sense.
Other formation masters couldn’t do it this way, but Mister Zhuang knew Mo Hua could.
Mo Hua possessed some hidden opportunity that even Zhuang couldn’t see through.
He practiced formations far more than any other formation master — surely training day and night without rest.
That was something most formation masters couldn’t achieve.
And when Mo Hua practiced formations, his Divine-Sense grew faster than others’, as if guided by an unseen truth.
Thus, as long as he continued to study profound formations that consumed large amounts of Divine-Sense, his consciousness would keep advancing.
“The Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Formation is a First Grade Eleven Rune grand formation,” Mister Zhuang continued.
Mo Hua froze, then thought — so it was true.
He had long suspected that Mister Zhuang hadn’t been entirely honest.
Not quite a lie, perhaps — but certainly a hidden truth.
Mister Zhuang said, “In other words, your current Divine-Sense is also at Eleven Runes.”
“An Eleven Rune Divine-Sense surpasses even that of some newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
“You’re already past the point where the Spirit-Reversal Array of Ten Runes can provide much growth.”
“You can practice Eleven Rune formations, but without the chance to construct them, the gains are limited.”
“Besides, drawing an entire grand formation’s core takes too long — inefficient for refining Divine-Sense.”
“So you must study Absolute Formations of Eleven Runes and above. They’ll deepen your understanding of formations, and in doing so, further temper your Divine-Sense.”
“The only bottleneck of the Celestial Evolution Art lies in formations — and the key to formations lies in Divine-Sense.”
Mister Zhuang’s gaze grew profound.
“The stronger your Divine-Sense, the deeper your formation mastery. The deeper your mastery, the smoother your cultivation. And the further you’ll go on the path of immortality.”
“Therefore, you must refine your Divine-Sense to its utmost.”
“In the future, use your Supreme Divine-Sense to prove your own Dao!”
(End of Chapter)