Chapter 524: Keeping Secrets
Chapter 526: Keeping Secrets
Although this was a sect—one founded upon formations, no less—the atmosphere for actual study was abysmal.
These Five Elements Sect disciples didn’t spend their days learning formations at all. They spent them gossiping.
No wonder the Five Elements Sect’s formation arts had declined…
What puzzled Mo Hua even more was that although these female disciples were loudly praising him and his Little Senior Brother, their gazes—clear as autumn water—kept drifting toward his Little Senior Sister.
Mo Hua turned and looked at her.
For convenience, Bai Zixi was dressed in men’s clothing, hair tied into a high ponytail. Her bearing was spirited and sharp, her eyes bright, her lashes long. There was a crisp, frosty beauty about her.
But she hadn’t tried to disguise herself as a man.
Even in men’s clothes, one glance and she was clearly a woman.
“Then why,” Mo Hua wondered, “are all these Five Elements Sect girls staring at my Little Senior Sister?”
Back in Nanyue City’s Jinhua Street, at Hundred Flowers Pavilion, the female cultivators there had shown similar signs.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, deeply perplexed.
At first he thought he was imagining it.
After secretly observing for several days, he confirmed it: these female cultivators could openly admire Little Senior Brother, but when their eyes landed on Little Senior Sister, their cheeks flushed, their gazes turned liquid.
When Little Senior Brother looked at them, they smiled sweetly.
But when Little Senior Sister looked at them, they quickly shifted their eyes away, tucking stray hair behind their ears, lowering their heads shyly.
Later, some even secretly sent invitations, flowers, pastries, jade hairpins—even books and paintings—to Little Senior Sister.
Now Mo Hua was genuinely confused.
Was he too young? Too innocent? Too lacking in worldly knowledge?
What exactly was going on in these women’s heads?
Unable to make sense of it, Mo Hua decided it was best to ask Little Senior Sister directly.
“Senior Sister…”
Taking advantage of a quiet moment, while Bai Zixi sat in a pavilion staring at the fish in the pond, lost in thought, Mo Hua quietly spoke up.
Bai Zixi turned to him, her voice soft: “Hmm?”
Mo Hua hesitated. “Why are those female cultivators only giving gifts to you?”
Bai Zixi looked startled, her expression turning complicated.
“Is it inconvenient to say?” Mo Hua asked in a small voice.
Bai Zixi paused, as though making up her mind. Her eyes brightened slightly as she said slowly:
“I’ve never told anyone this before…”
Mo Hua was about to say, “Then forget it,” but Bai Zixi continued:
“It’s my bloodline.”
Mo Hua blinked. “Bloodline?”
“Mm.” Bai Zixi nodded gently. “My bloodline is… a bit special.”
Special?
Like… it makes girls like her more?
What kind of use was that supposed to be?
Mo Hua’s mind blanked.
“The details… I can’t tell you.”
Bai Zixi’s lips curved slightly in a faint smile as she said softly:
“My mother warned me not to tell anyone about my bloodline, so…”
She glanced at Mo Hua. “You must keep this secret for me.”
Mo Hua nodded rapidly:
“Little Senior Sister, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone even if they beat it out of me!”
Bai Zixi’s eyes shimmered like spring sunlight—bright, charming, breathtaking.
Mo Hua’s heart skipped.
At the same time, he felt complicated.
She had entrusted him with a secret. Shouldn’t he, out of courtesy, share one in exchange?
Secrets ought to be exchanged!
But what secret did he have?
He definitely couldn’t talk about the Dao Monument…
But aside from that, he didn’t have much…
Bloodline…
He didn’t have any special bloodline. His parents were ordinary rogue cultivators.
His congenital frailty didn’t count as a special bloodline either.
After thinking hard for a long time, something finally came to mind. His eyes lit up.
“Senior Sister, I’ll tell you a secret too. I also haven’t told anyone.”
Bai Zixi smiled lightly and leaned closer, curious what he had to say.
Mo Hua pointed toward the sky, face serious:
“Senior Sister, there really are formations in the heavens.”
Bai Zixi blinked, frowned slightly, and said: “Didn’t you tell me that already?”
Mo Hua shook his head. “Not the same.”
“When I told you before, I was repeating what Master told me.”
“Now I’m telling you… because I’ve actually seen them myself!”
Bai Zixi’s beautiful eyes widened slightly. After a moment of thought, she understood:
“During the lightning tribulation?”
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
His Senior Sister was too smart…
He nodded. “Mm. When the tribulation lightning fell and then faded… through the clouds, I saw formation patterns inside.”
This time Bai Zixi was truly shocked.
She hadn’t expected formations to exist above the nine heavens—nor that Mo Hua had actually seen them.
The Heavenly Dao Grand Formation…
She looked at Mo Hua, lips pressed together, then smiled softly.
“All right. I’ll keep your secret too.”
“Mm.” Mo Hua nodded.
Now each had one secret. Fair and square.
Thinking of Mo Hua’s words, Bai Zixi couldn’t resist glancing up at the sky.
The Five Elements Sect’s skies were clear and bright, spotless blue—no hint of formations. Still, she gazed upward.
Mo Hua did the same out of habit.
Whenever he was free, he liked to look up at the sky—thinking of when he might one day comprehend the true Heavenly Dao Formation.
Even without seeing any patterns, just looking at the vast heavens filled him with a faint sense of the Dao’s endlessness.
It broadened the heart.
All gains and losses, all ups and downs—none of it stuck to him.
In the little pavilion, Mo Hua and Bai Zixi sat side by side, both gazing at the boundless blue.
After a while, Bai Zisheng came running over energetically.
He had just sparred with some Five Elements Sect disciples and won by a landslide. He was eager to brag to Mo Hua—only to find Mo Hua sitting on the railing, staring into the sky.
Bai Zixi was doing the same.
So Bai Zisheng copied them, sat down, tilted his head back, and stared upward.
After a long while, the sky still had nothing in it.
Bai Zisheng finally asked, “Junior Brother, what are you looking at?”
Mo Hua replied lazily, “The sky.”
“The sky?”
“There’s nothing there. What are you looking at?”
Bai Zisheng didn’t understand, but still found himself joining his sister and junior brother, staring at the clear sky for a long time…
…
After half an hour, Bai Zisheng couldn’t take the boredom anymore and said:
“Junior Brother, I’ll teach you a Dao technique!”
Mo Hua blinked. “A Dao technique?”
“Mm.” Bai Zisheng nodded proudly. “My own creation. A martial Dao art!”
“Not learning.” Mo Hua said immediately.
Bai Zisheng froze. “Why not?”
Mo Hua sighed. “One, I don’t train the body. Two, I don’t learn martial arts. Three, you created it—so it’s definitely not good.”
Bai Zisheng scowled. “How is something I created ‘not good’?!”
“You’re still in Qi-Refining. What powerful Dao technique can you create?”
“I’ll let you see!”
He grabbed his spear, preparing to demonstrate.
Mo Hua quickly waved his hands. “No, no, take a break…”
“Impossible!”
Mo Hua sighed. “Fine, go ahead.”
They found an open space among rocks and streams, peaceful scenery all around.
Bai Zisheng stood solemnly with his spear, gathering momentum. Wind circled him, grass swayed.
Mo Hua even grew a bit serious.
“This move is a spear strike descending from the heavens!” Bai Zisheng announced.
He finished gathering spirit power, leapt into the air, struck a dramatic pose, and shouted:
“Flying Dragon in the Heavens!”
Then the spear dropped like a rainbow and stabbed the ground—kicking up… a tiny puff of dust.
Mo Hua stared for a long time, overwhelmed by secondhand embarrassment, itching like ants were crawling all over him.
Bai Zixi covered her mouth, struggling not to laugh.
After the demonstration, Bai Zisheng had lost his earlier smugness. He asked nervously:
“Was it… bad?”
Mo Hua sighed helplessly:
“The charge time is too long, the moves have too many openings, the spirit power consumption is huge, and the power is tiny…”
“If you fight a spell cultivator, jumping into the air makes you a perfect target.”
“If you fight a body cultivator, charging up for half a day means you’ll get chopped before you finish.”
“And the name…”
‘Flying Dragon in the Heavens’…
For a Qi-Refining technique, the name alone left Mo Hua speechless.
But Bai Zisheng insisted, “The name is the essence! Criticize anything else, but not the name!”
Mo Hua squinted. “Don’t tell me… you created this flashy, useless technique just because you liked the name…”
Bai Zisheng stiffened. “Impossible!”
…Which meant it was true.
He added defensively, “It’s not that bad! I used this move against the inner disciples of the Five Elements Sect—one strike each! Nobody could last a single exchange!”
Mo Hua facepalmed. “That’s because your cultivation is too high. Even without techniques, they’d struggle against you…”
Though still in Qi-Refining, Bai Zisheng could already fight Foundation Establishment head-on.
Naturally, the Five Elements Sect’s Qi-Refining disciples were no match.
And since the Five Elements Sect was wealthy in spirit stones and lived too comfortably, their disciples had weak Dao hearts and poor combat strength.
Which was the only reason Bai Zisheng could dominate them with this… decorative technique.
After being critiqued, Bai Zisheng sulked.
Mo Hua paused, then comforted him. “It’s not good now. But if you refine it, maybe one day it really could become a technique that shakes the world and lasts a hundred generations.”
Bai Zisheng’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Then I’ll teach you!”
Mo Hua waved quickly. “No need. I’m a spell cultivator—I use spells.”
“More skills never hurt!” Bai Zisheng insisted.
“I already know enough. I can’t afford to scatter my focus…”
“But learning this technique is good for you.”
“What good?” Mo Hua asked warily.
Bai Zisheng looked deadly serious. “It’s very majestic.”
Mo Hua: “…”
“I’m thinking for your future,” Bai Zisheng said earnestly.
“You’ll need to find a Dao companion someday. And although you look decent—clean and white—you’re not from a noble clan. Finding a good Dao companion will be difficult.”
“You don’t know this, but noble clan girls are very picky—they look at background, spiritual root, family wealth, whether you have a cave-dwelling…”
“You’re at a disadvantage in all of that.”
“Also, the techniques you use are concealment arts, Water Prison techniques—kinda sneaky.”
“When you fight, you stay hidden and throw fireballs from afar. It’s effective, but not flashy.”
“And without flashiness, you don’t look impressive. Without looking impressive, you won’t attract girls.”
Bai Zisheng’s gaze sharpened. “That’s why I’m teaching you this move!”
“When you heroically save someone, first blast the enemy with fireballs so they can’t fight back.”
“Then finish them with my move—Flying Dragon in the Heavens—domineering and magnificent!”
“This way, you’re impressive—and cool.”
“You might actually find a Dao companion.”
His plan was very thorough.
Mo Hua looked at him expressionlessly. “Why do you think about this kind of thing every day…”
“I don’t need it.”
Bai Zisheng patted Mo Hua’s shoulder. “This is my heartfelt care for your future!”
Mo Hua still refused.
Bai Zisheng pouted. “You’re my junior brother! I’m only teaching you because you’re you! Anyone else, I wouldn’t!”
Mo Hua ultimately couldn’t win against Bai Zisheng’s persistence and could only force himself to learn it.
The move was called Soaring Dragon in the Heavens.
But in truth, it had nothing to do with dragons, lacked power, and aside from jumping into the air like a very noticeable target and a flashy showpiece… it had no real function…
And since Mo Hua wasn’t a body cultivator, the move was even weaker in his hands.
Still, he didn’t want to reject his senior brother’s good intentions, so he learned it seriously—though not as a true martial skill, but purely as a way to polish his movement technique.
He would use the Flowing-Water Step, leap into the air, then land with his spear.
So when Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng performed it, the results were completely different.
Bai Zisheng was imposing and bold, his movements broad and powerful, like a mighty dragon lifting its head.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, moved lightly—like a startled swan, graceful as a swimming dragon.
On the beautiful meadow—
Bai Zixi took out a book and quietly read, occasionally lifting her head to watch the two of them, their figures reflected clearly in her eyes…
…
Time drifted by like a gentle mountain breeze—slow and unhurried.
A few days later, Mo Hua had visited every place in the Five Elements Sect that could be visited.
What remained were either the living quarters of inner disciples, the elders’ caves, the Scripture Pavilion, the Pill Repository, the Formation Repository—places not open to outsiders.
Or they were classified forbidden grounds, locked and heavily guarded.
Aside from those, what stood out were the formations of the sect.
If Mo Hua wasn’t mistaken, the Five Elements Sect had a grand formation set within!
And this grand formation was ancient, deep in aura, and tightly woven with dense formation runes.
Mo Hua tried to deduce it—but couldn’t deduce anything at all.
So he ran to ask Mister Zhuang:
“Master, is there a grand formation inside the Five Elements Sect?”
Mister Zhuang nodded. “Yes.”
“Isn’t it first-grade?”
A flicker passed through Mister Zhuang’s eyes. “It’s second-grade.”
A second-grade grand formation!
Mo Hua was shocked.
Up until now, he’d barely seen any second-grade formations—and now he was facing an entire second-grade grand formation!
The fact that the Five Elements Sect’s ancestors could build such a formation showed how deep their foundations once were, and how profound their formation arts used to be.
“Master, what’s the grand formation called?” Mo Hua asked curiously.
Mister Zhuang’s gaze grew a touch more solemn. “Five Elements Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation.”
“Five Elements Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation…”
Five elements…
Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart. “Master, is this grand formation related to the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Formation?”
Mister Zhuang froze for an instant, then chuckled. “Calling them related isn’t wrong…”
“The Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Formation is offensive. The Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation is defensive. Both rely on the Five Elements, and both have ties to the Five Elements Sect…”
“Predecessors of the Five Elements Sect once deployed the Demon-Slaughtering Grand Formation to eradicate a demonic sect and annihilate its demon cultivators.”
“But the current Five Elements Sect likely has no such capability.”
“When a sect is flourishing, it can attack. When a sect declines, all it can do is guard…”
Mister Zhuang sighed softly. “This Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation is essentially the legacy of the Five Elements Sect’s ancestors…”
“In a third-grade prefecture, a second-grade grand formation can basically ensure that the Five Elements Sect stands unshaken amid the chaos of the cultivation world.”
Ordinarily, that was the case.
But even the strongest formation only defended against outsiders.
If decay began from within, nothing could be done…
Mister Zhuang’s gaze flickered thoughtfully.
Mo Hua also fell silent in contemplation.
“Mo Hua, let me test you,” Mister Zhuang suddenly said.
Mo Hua straightened. “Master, please.”
“Spend some time and try deducing the structure of the formation’s core.”
Mo Hua blinked. “Master… that’s a second-grade formation…”
Mister Zhuang nodded slightly. “You can start approaching second-grade formations.”
Mo Hua froze.
Approach second-grade formations… starting from a second-grade grand formation…
Learning to walk by first attempting to fly?
Was his master perhaps… overestimating him a bit?
Mister Zhuang saw exactly what Mo Hua was thinking and smiled gently.
“A second-grade formation differs from a first-grade formation in the nature of its runes, but the core structure still shares similarities.”
“You don’t need to deduce the runes—just observe the structure and grasp the overall framework.”
Mo Hua suddenly understood. “Alright, Master!”
After the instructions, Mo Hua ran off excitedly, dragging his senior brother and senior sister along to study the Five Elements Sect’s second-grade Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation.
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Grandpa Kui emerged, frowning.
“You’re really not in a hurry at all.”
Mister Zhuang’s gaze shone brightly as he looked out at the distant mountains, the rows of cave dwellings, and the grand formation hidden among them. Calmly, he said:
“Let’s wait—until I finish setting up everything I need to set up…”
Then he glanced in the direction Mo Hua had run, and silently murmured in his heart:
“And let me spend a little more time with these children…”