Chapter 400: An Uninvited Guest
Qianjia Town, Dongshan Village.
Not long after Mo Hua left, a group of uninvited visitors appeared outside the village.
They stood atop the hill, looking toward Dongshan Village from a distance, then took out a golden compass, seemingly searching for something.
The needle on the compass wavered, pointing in no clear direction.
Frowning, they found nothing and quietly left.
These cultivators came quickly and left just as quickly, without disturbing the local practitioners.
The spiritual farmers of Dongshan Village remained unaware that outsiders had been observing them.
They continued tending to their spiritual fields, worrying about the harvest and livelihood, and thinking of ways to counter the Sun family.
A few days later, three more cultivators arrived.
One was a gaunt old man, another a refined-looking middle-aged cultivator holding a paper fan, and the last a fair-featured youth in white robes.
The gaunt old man took out some copper coins, tossed them into the air, and caught them in his palm.
After reading the divination on the coins, he muttered something under his breath, then sighed after a long while:
“Seems like it’s here… but it’s hard to be certain…”
The middle-aged cultivator said, “Grand Elder, if your calculation is correct, that person is indeed within this prefecture. Finding him should only be a matter of time.”
The gaunt old man snorted, “Finding what? What are you thinking?”
The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback.
The old man sighed, “Great sound is rarely heard, great form is formless.”
“At his level, not only within the same prefecture, even if he’s in the same minor immortal city, if he conceals his trail, you won’t detect it.”
“Silent, and it cannot be heard; formless, and it cannot be seen; without Dao, and it cannot be known.”
“If he hides his qi flow, there’s nothing we can do.”
“The Heavenly Secret Derivative Algorithm is not something cultivators like us can truly comprehend.”
The middle-aged cultivator frowned:
“But what about the Three Talents Divination Coins given by you, Grand Elder?”
The old man weighed the coins in his hand and sighed:
“These Three Talents Divination Coins are indeed useful, but it depends on who is using them and for whom.”
“My own Dao cultivation isn’t enough; using them on others is fine, but using them to calculate him… would be like showing off an axe at a master carpenter’s door…”
The middle-aged cultivator frowned, puzzled: “But didn’t you say his Sea of Consciousness is shattered, his dantian destroyed, and his qi and blood are void? How can he still be so troublesome?”
The gaunt old man glanced at him, “Because he’s a formation master, and a prodigious one at that. His formations are near perfect.”
The middle-aged cultivator’s eyes revealed deep caution, then he sighed:
“Then why has he ended up in such a situation?”
“Don’t concern yourself with that. Better yet, don’t ask. That’s not something we’re qualified to meddle in.”
The gaunt old man said lightly, “All we need to do is carry out the tasks assigned from above.”
The middle-aged cultivator sneered, “So if you’re saying we can’t calculate his movements, we might never find him in our lifetime?”
“The lion also takes naps,” the old man replied.
“Besides, we’re not the only ones pursuing him.”
“If we fish in troubled waters, we might not find him, but we must ensure no one else does either.”
He then turned to the white-robed youth and said:
“Young Master, I didn’t want to bring you along, but your father insisted you gain experience, and you wanted to see the world. So I reluctantly brought you.”
“But unless absolutely necessary, do not act.”
“Be cautious in everything, even if you plant your Life-Long Talisman, don’t take it lightly.”
“This is far too complicated, too many forces involved; I can’t guarantee your safety…”
The gaunt old man spoke gravely to prevent the young master from acting rashly or trying to outsmart anyone. Otherwise, things could go wrong.
Then he regretted it inwardly.
This young master was only twenty-three, early Foundation Establishment, already a Second-Grade formation master—immense potential.
Why expose him to danger instead of keeping him safe at home?
Cultivation is treacherous, not something to ‘train’ easily. Poor wandering cultivators endure hardships; if they fail, they starve.
But a child from a wealthy family, not worried about food or cultivation, why risk him in these muddy waters?
And how deep these waters are, even he doesn’t know.
If something major happens, even the Life-Long Talisman might not save him.
Thinking this, the gaunt old man wanted to smack his own mouth.
It was his own foolishness—he’d been tricked into drinking by the boy’s father, got drunk, and foolishly agreed.
Sober now, he regretted it.
But it was too late…
The white-robed youth, unaware of the gravity, said solemnly:
“Don’t worry, I’ll remember your advice.”
The gaunt old man looked at the pale, paper-white youth and sighed, unable to say more.
The youth’s gaze, however, showed determination.
He came to gain experience, to see the cultivation world beyond his family, and to meet the rumored Mister Zhuang.
Within his family, he was recognized as a prodigious formation talent.
At a young age, he had already become a Second-Grade formation master.
He had once been complacent, thinking formations were simple, and even stronger masters wouldn’t surpass him.
High-grade masters were only older, with more formations under their belt.
Given time, he would surpass them all.
Until he accidentally saw Zhuang’s early formation works and learned of his deeds, realizing his own insignificance and ignorance.
There is always someone higher, someone more skilled.
The world contains formations and masters beyond his knowledge.
The path of formations is vast and profound.
What he had learned so far was only the tip of the iceberg.
Beneath the surface lies the essence of formation art, and the Dao embedded within.
The youth focused even more on formations; at his age, he had become a Second-Grade formation master.
The youngest Second-Grade formation master in his family in eight centuries.
He felt both admiration and curiosity for Mister Zhuang, wanting to know what kind of talent he truly was.
Was he as legendary as the rumors suggested—supremely gifted, arrogant, unparalleled, looking down on all others?
Could he even speak with Mister Zhuang…?
He pondered this silently.
The gaunt old man tossed the coins several more times.
Still no result.
All they knew was that the person had been here.
Why he came, what he did, and when he left—completely unknown.
With no further clues, the three prepared to leave.
Suddenly, the white-robed youth exclaimed, “Huh?”
The middle-aged cultivator asked:
“What is it?”
The youth pointed to the distant spiritual fields: “There’s a formation there.”
The middle-aged cultivator frowned, “That’s a spiritual field; of course it has formations…”
The youth shook his head, “It’s different.”
The middle-aged cultivator paused, extended his Divine-Sense, and frowned further.
Indeed, it was different…
But why does a First-Grade spiritual field exude such vibrant vitality?
This seemed beyond what a First-Grade formation could achieve…
The gaunt old man noticed the anomaly but wasn’t proficient in formations, so he asked:
“What did you find?”
The young master had exceptional talent; and with Zhuang being a formation master, perhaps he had detected a clue.
The youth frowned, shaking his head:
“I can only tell this formation in the spiritual field is extraordinary, but I can’t see exactly why yet. I’ll need some time to study it.”
The middle-aged cultivator asked the old man, “Do we have time?”
The old man said: “Time or not has nothing to do with us. It depends on his mood. If he allows it, we have time; if not, we don’t.”
After some thought, he added:
“Since you want to study it, go ahead. It doesn’t matter over these few days anyway.”
The youth brightened, “Thank you, Elder.”
For the next few days, the three stayed in Qianjia Town.
The youth often went to the spiritual field, eager to uncover the formation.
But after several days, he made no progress.
The formation seemed simple—just a Soil Cultivation Array—but the entire field radiated a completely different vitality.
The youth was baffled.
Until one day, climbing the hill and viewing the entire spiritual field, he suddenly realized—the whole field was itself a formation!
He reported this to the old man and the middle-aged cultivator.
Both were astonished.
The gaunt old man nodded:
“Indeed, such an incredible formation is likely the work of that person.”
The middle-aged cultivator asked the youth, “Do you know what kind of formation it is?”
The youth shook his head.
“Isn’t it a First-Grade formation?” the middle-aged cultivator asked.
“Yes, First-Grade,” the youth replied.
The middle-aged cultivator was surprised, “You’re a Second-Grade formation master; there’s a First-Grade formation you don’t know?”
The youth said cautiously: “It should be a First-Grade Absolute Formation.”
“Absolute Formation?” The middle-aged cultivator was completely lost. “Even if it’s an absolute formation, isn’t it still just First-Grade?”
The youth shook his head, “It’s different.”
He didn’t explain further.
For non-formation cultivators, explaining obscure aspects of a formation was impossible.
“What do we do now?” asked the middle-aged cultivator.
The gaunt old man said: “This formation proves that person was here. We just need to keep searching.”
He muttered inwardly:
“To be pursued by so many and still have time to draw a formation? Truly, a master’s actions are hard to fathom…”
The middle-aged cultivator, feeling disappointed, said: “After all this searching, it’s like we found nothing. What does a single formation prove?”
He brushed off his sleeve and left.
The old man said to the youth:
“He’s impatient; don’t mind him. Finding an Absolute Formation is already a great achievement, and it may very well be one personally laid by that person—truly significant…”
“Carefully record the formation patterns without error, then we can move on.”
“Yes,” the youth nodded.
He spent a day recording the field’s formation patterns, then, out of curiosity, attempted to learn it himself.
But he soon found he couldn’t grasp it…
“Surely this is Mister Zhuang’s work…”
He sighed and set it aside for the time being.
The next day, the three departed Qianjia Town, following the direction indicated by the old man using the Three Talents Divination Coins.
The coins might not be precise, but they were their only clue.
…
Some time after the three left, a strange figure appeared on the mountain path to Qianjia Town.
He wore a bamboo hat, hiding his face.
No trace of aura surrounded him.
His footsteps were uneven, like someone unaccustomed to walking on stilts.
Passersby ignored him, as if he didn’t exist.
He walked through Qianjia Town, Dongshan Village, and arrived at the spiritual field, then removed his hat and cloak, revealing a Daoist’s attire.
At the same time, a peculiar aura emanated from him.
A bit tired, wanting to slack off and take a break, but seeing everyone cast monthly tickets, he felt embarrassed…