Chapter 396: Seizing the Formation

Mo Hua finished drawing the Profound-Earth Array and, satisfied, nodded in contentment.

Mastery of formations comes not from theory alone, but from practical application.

He stood amidst the vibrant spirit fields.

The mountain breeze brushed his cheeks, and the spirit rice gently grazed his palms.

Even the land seemed to be expressing its gratitude.

Mo Hua felt his perception of the earth’s energy—the essence of the Earth Dao—growing ever clearer.

Though exhausted, it had all been worth it.

He smiled faintly, eyes narrowing slightly.

With the formation complete, it was time for him to leave.

All that he needed to do had been done. Next, he would move on to another place, to study other formations.

They didn’t have much, so packing up was quick.

After resting for the night and organizing their belongings, the next day they rode in the carriage, ready to depart.

Before leaving, the spirit farmers of Dongshan Village came to see Mo Hua off.

They didn’t have many spirit stones, so they could only offer local specialties: some spirit grains, some fruits and vegetables, and a few farmed chickens and ducks.

Mo Hua couldn’t refuse, so he packed them into a storage bag and placed it in the carriage.

With these ingredients, he could experiment with cooking a few dishes along the way, for Mister Zhuang to taste.

Ding Miaor tugged at Mo Hua’s sleeve, reluctant to part.

Mo Hua reminded him, “Practice diligently. Don’t be lazy. And make sure to learn well from what I’ve given you.”

“Mm!” Ding Miaor nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, brother!”

Then, a little dejected, he added, “Will I see you again?”

Mo Hua offered some encouragement, painting a hopeful picture: “As long as you train well, you will see me again in the future.”

Ding Miaor’s small face lit up instantly, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Mo Hua waved farewell to the villagers of Dongshan Village, then climbed into the carriage.

Old Kui drove the horses, while Da Bai pulled the cart leisurely down the road.

But they hadn’t gone far before a group of cultivators blocked the way.

Leading them was none other than Sun Yi, head of the Sun family.

Behind him stood hundreds of Sun family cultivators.

They fanned out, encircling the carriage and blocking the entire road.

Mo Hua glanced at Mister Zhuang.

Mister Zhuang closed his eyes in meditation, saying nothing, seemingly unaware of the situation.

Mo Hua understood.

His master was letting him handle this entirely on his own.

He lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out, standing atop the carriage, calmly and composedly facing Sun Yi.

Even facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator and hundreds of Qi-Refining disciples, he remained confident, showing no hint of panic.

Sun Yi couldn’t help but think inwardly:

“What composure!”

So young, yet so brave and calm in the face of trouble. No wonder he had such proficiency in formations.

Sun Yi glanced at his son, Sun Ze.

The moment Mo Hua appeared, his son trembled, nearly wanting to hide his face and flee—if not for the support of the others.

Perhaps he had been traumatized by the Fireball Technique. Or maybe the Thousand-Pound Staff had scrambled his brain.

Now, Sun Ze’s gaze wandered, unwilling to meet Mo Hua’s eyes.

Sun Yi’s eyelids twitched in anger.

At home, Sun Ze had been all excited, loudly shouting about seeking revenge on this boy. Now that they were face to face, he had turned into a weakling.

And he was more than twenty years older than this little array master.

Truly, comparing people is fatal, comparing goods is wasteful.

Sun Yi glared at Sun Ze, frustrated by his lack of backbone.

But now wasn’t the time for that.

The crucial matter was the Sun family’s ancestral formation.

Since sensing the energy in the spirit field yesterday, he hadn’t slept, summoning the Sun family disciples overnight to seal every road in Qianjia Town.

The goal was to block Mo Hua, preventing their departure.

And when he secretly approached the spirit field, feeling its abundant vitality up close, he was astonished, then overjoyed.

Such a spirit field could yield more than fifty percent extra spirit grains in a year—meaning the Sun family could also gain fifty percent more spirit stones.

This spirit field was a treasure land!

Even more precious than the field was the formation itself.

It enriched the land and increased spirit output.

A formation like this was truly a top-secret legacy, exactly what their Sun family ancestors should have passed down!

Previously, he had hesitated.

Though he was a Sun family member and a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he wasn’t sure he could learn the ancestor’s formation.

But now his thinking had changed.

If even this seventh-level Qi-Refining boy could learn it, how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him fail?

This formation was his for the taking!

Sun Yi, with the Sun family disciples, surrounded Mo Hua’s carriage.

Mo Hua faced them without fear.

He recalled his master’s teaching: pretending to be powerful is itself a cultivation skill.

So he said nothing.

He had to appear as the expert.

Experts never speak first; speaking first diminishes one’s status. Only underlings open their mouths first.

Sure enough, Sun Yi spoke first:

“Little brother, hand over the Sun family’s formation.”

Mo Hua had expected this. He was about to respond when he paused and looked behind him.

But there was nothing there.

Sun Yi frowned. This boy was being mysterious, he thought, and followed Mo Hua’s gaze. Soon, he too was startled.

Behind Mo Hua appeared a group of spirit farmers.

They carried farm tools and simple spirit devices, forming a protective circle around the carriage—and around Mo Hua.

Leading them was Ding Dachuan.

Remembering the elder’s instructions, he faced the Sun family head, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with some fear but firm resolve:

“You Sun family shouldn’t go too far! We won’t let you harm the young master!”

“Exactly! Protect the young master!”

The other spirit farmers raised their assorted spirit devices and shouted in agreement.

Sun Yi sneered. “Bold, daring to rebel?”

Though outwardly calm, he felt a chill. Things weren’t looking good…

He had avoided confronting the Dongshan villagers to prevent this exact scenario.

He wasn’t worried about the farmers. There were no Foundation Establishment cultivators among them, and Qi-Refining ninth-level disciples weren’t much more numerous than the Sun family’s.

If a fight broke out, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

His concern was the wrath of the masses.

The Sun family relied on these spirit farmers to cultivate the land and provide for them.

If the farmers revolted and stopped working, the Sun family would lose their source of spirit stones—and the luxurious lifestyle that came with it.

They couldn’t have their sons and daughters toil in the fields.

Moreover, once the people’s anger flared, the Dao Court wouldn’t tolerate it.

The Dao Court maintained stability above all. As long as things were stable, they might turn a blind eye to the hardships of the Qianjia Town cultivators.

But if unrest erupted, the Dao Court wouldn’t hesitate to make an example of the Sun family.

If ruthless, the Dao Court could even seize the Sun family entirely—profiting and demonstrating justice to the spirit farmers.

This was a win-win.

And the worst part was the generational resentment that would follow from angering the masses.

Currently, the Sun family was powerful enough to suppress the farmers.

But if in the future the family declined and no Foundation Establishment cultivators were present, accumulated resentment could lead desperate farmers to wipe out the family entirely.

This had happened before.

Cowardly farmers, if they had enough food, wouldn’t fight to the death.

Hence, though the Sun family exploited them, they left the farmers enough to survive.

The young man surnamed Mo had helped the farmers.

Sun Yi hadn’t acted directly in Dongshan Village, waiting instead to intercept Mo Hua near Qianjia Town.

But he hadn’t anticipated that the timid farmers would chase after them to protect this boy.

Sun Yi’s expression turned grave, eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want swords drawn or large-scale chaos.

Mo Hua didn’t want that either.

Unity in facing outsiders can itself be a deterrent.

It doesn’t have to be a fight to the death.

These farmers had hard lives; even if they resisted, it should be for themselves and their families.

Impulsive bloodshed would only harm their loved ones.

Mo Hua considered this and asked, “Sun Yi, what do you want?”

Being addressed so directly by a junior cultivator embarrassed Sun Yi.

But Mo Hua stood among the spirit farmers, who clearly followed his lead.

Even though he was young, he had the right to negotiate.

Sun Yi forced himself to ignore pride and said coldly: “My demand is simple. Hand over my Sun family’s ancestral formation, and I’ll let you go unharmed. No one else will be troubled.”

He waited for Mo Hua to haggle.

But Mo Hua simply said, “Fine!”

Sun Yi’s plan was interrupted.

He didn’t know how to proceed. Did this boy never bargain? Agreeing so straightforwardly?

Sun Yi paused before saying: “Don’t try any tricks.”

Mo Hua scoffed: “You’re an adult, capable of cunning. I’m a child, honest in my actions. I have no need for tricks.”

Sun Yi didn’t know how to respond and frowned: “Are you really going to give me the formation?”

“Promise kept!” Mo Hua’s voice was crisp and resolute.

Sun Yi still didn’t believe it. “Why?”

Mo Hua thought Sun Yi, being a family head, shouldn’t be so petty…but patiently explained, raising his little finger:

“First, it’s originally your Sun family’s formation. By learning it, I merely accepted your ancestor’s favor. Returning it is just giving it back to its rightful owner.

Second, formations aren’t meant to be hoarded, but to benefit all beings. Especially a formation that nourishes the land—it’s better the more people know it.

Third, I don’t fear trouble, but I don’t seek it either. If we both yield a little, leaving a path open, we can meet again in peace.”

Mo Hua spoke clearly and logically.

Sun Yi sighed, glancing at his son, who hadn’t uttered a word.

Indeed, comparing goods makes some dispensable—his son wasn’t worth keeping.

Mo Hua finished and asked, “Well?”

Sun Yi hesitated, still undecided.

Mo Hua’s frankness left him at a loss. After a moment, he said slowly: “How do I know you’re not deceiving me with a fake formation? Show me your ancestor’s formation first.”

Mo Hua nodded casually. “Fine.”

He took a booklet from his chest and tossed it to Sun Yi.

Sun Yi was stunned, unable to believe it.

He really gave it to him? This clever boy—always doing things so guilelessly?

Sun Yi scanned it with his divine sense, confirming it was genuine, then cautiously opened the booklet.

He stared, utterly dumbfounded.

The booklet indeed contained a formation.

Its array patterns were intricate, the structure of the formation core utterly unfamiliar, the annotations dizzying. The entire formation had eleven array patterns—truly bewildering…

Inexperienced Sun Yi felt a chill on his scalp.

What is this? He couldn’t understand a thing…