Chapter 529: Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow
Chapter 531: Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow
The Dao Debate concluded.
Mo Hua triumphed across the board.
The Five Elements Sect was utterly defeated.
Mister Zhuang calmly left the Array Repository Pavilion, his expression as always: aloof, with a hint of serene nonchalance.
It was as if such a small display of skill was not worth moving his heart.
But Mo Hua knew his master well. He could tell that although Mister Zhuang appeared calm, he was undoubtedly pleased inside.
When his master was happy, Mo Hua felt that the journey had been worthwhile. He straightened his back and followed proudly behind Mister Zhuang.
Seeing his junior brother gain recognition, Bai Zisheng nodded slightly, a look of shared pride on his face.
Bai Zixi also glanced at Mo Hua, her gaze serene like water, a faint smile playing on her lips.
…
The master and disciples returned to their guest chambers from the pavilion.
Mister Zhuang praised Mo Hua:
“Well done.”
Mo Hua smiled, “All thanks to the master’s excellent guidance!”
Mister Zhuang’s mood was warm and content. Having a compliant disciple really made a difference.
He continued:
“Rest today. Tomorrow, we will begin learning the Five Elements Spiritual Array.”
“Understood!”
Mo Hua nodded vigorously, eyes full of anticipation.
Then a thought occurred to him, and he looked a bit worried.
“Master, will the Five Elements Sect even let me learn the Five Elements Spiritual Array?”
Mister Zhuang’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Out of respect for the elders of the Five Elements Sect, I’ve already given them plenty of face… the rules were theirs, the test was theirs, yet they still lost clearly without outside help.”
“If they try to stall or renege on that agreement, then don’t expect me to show any leniency…”
Mo Hua relaxed, though he still had some concerns:
“Even if they let me learn, they’ll probably make things difficult.”
Mister Zhuang nodded.
“Naturally. But as long as their underhanded tricks aren’t excessive, I won’t bother with them.”
He glanced at Mo Hua and lightly patted his small shoulder.
“You’ll encounter plenty of schemes like this in the future. Learn to handle them yourself.”
Mo Hua nodded.
“Yes, Master.”
Mister Zhuang’s expression grew a bit tired. He closed his eyes for a moment to rest his mind, then opened them again and continued:
“Tomorrow, you and your senior brother and sister will go to the Array Repository Pavilion and see if you can comprehend the Five Elements Spiritual Array.”
He then looked at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi:
“Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense is sufficient to learn arrays with thirteen patterns. Your Divine-Sense is insufficient, so just try using the methods I taught you.”
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded respectfully.
Mo Hua’s expression flickered. He seemed about to speak but ultimately remained silent.
Mister Zhuang noticed the look in his eyes.
After giving his instructions, he paused as the disciples were about to leave and called Mo Hua back.
“Mo Hua.”
Mo Hua, at the threshold, turned with a hint of confusion.
“Master?”
Mister Zhuang beckoned him over.
Mo Hua approached.
Mister Zhuang was silent for a moment, then asked:
“Do you… have something you want to ask?”
Mo Hua hesitated, then shook his head.
Mister Zhuang’s gaze softened, seeming to read his thoughts.
“Then ask whatever you want.”
Knowing he could not hide anything from his master, Mo Hua spoke quietly:
“Master, what exactly are my senior brother and sister?”
“Curious, are you?”
“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded. His curiosity was genuine.
Mister Zhuang’s eyes lingered thoughtfully. Instead of answering directly, he asked:
“Then why didn’t you ask me before?”
Mo Hua answered honestly:
“Master is wise and always has plans. If it were something I could know, you would have told me. Since you didn’t, it must be that I’m not meant to know yet.”
Mister Zhuang was slightly taken aback, then felt warmth, like a spring stream bathed in sunlight slowly flowing through his heart.
His gaze softened as he spoke gently:
“Don’t you feel that I favor your senior brother and sister?”
Mo Hua shook his head.
“Master already treats me wonderfully! Whatever should be taught, has been. Even some beyond the standard, or things that shouldn’t be taught, you’ve given to me. I ask the most questions, and you always answer meticulously. My senior brother and sister respect you, but you are closer to me.”
Indeed, thinking of it this way, Mo Hua felt his master favored him slightly more.
He looked at Mister Zhuang with clear, untainted eyes, amber-like, full of trust and dependence.
Mister Zhuang’s eyes softened, a feeling difficult to describe stirring within him.
He took a deep breath, expression solemn:
“Mo Hua, what I’m about to tell you, you must remember well, but never speak of it to anyone.”
Mo Hua’s heart tightened, and he nodded seriously.
Mister Zhuang formed a hand seal and lightly swept it.
Nothing seemed to change around them.
Yet Mo Hua vaguely felt that the space within the room, several feet around, was isolated—sound cut off, causality blocked.
Mister Zhuang’s voice grew serious:
“Strange Daoist…”
Mo Hua’s expression changed, pupils narrowing.
Nothing happened externally, and he relaxed slightly.
Seeing Mo Hua understood, Mister Zhuang continued:
“I told you before, our lineage has a sect. Strange Daoist, Zixi and Zisheng’s mother, and I all came from the same sect, senior siblings of the same order.
“Now, you, Zisheng, and Zixi are also disciples of this sect.
“This sect has a long-standing tradition. I am its forty-ninth head.
“But what it is called, I cannot tell you, nor can you know.
“Within its traditions, the most important and orthodox teachings—only the direct line of the head may learn—are an array legacy. It is what I taught your senior brother and sister…
“This legacy is called—”
Mister Zhuang’s expression became solemn, and he spoke each word carefully:
“Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow!”
Mo Hua was stunned.
“Xiān-tiān Formation Flow?”
Mister Zhuang shook his head.
“Not xiān-tiān… Immortal-Heavens.”
He took a brush and wrote the character “仙” on paper.
“Immortal-Heavens…”
Mo Hua could hardly believe it.
“The ‘immortal’ xiān?”
Mister Zhuang nodded slightly.
“This legacy is top secret. Outsiders have only heard of it, never seen its writings. So it has long been thought to be ‘Innate Formation Flow,’ but its true name is Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow.
“Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow is the source of all celestial arrays.
“Since the creation of Heaven and Earth, when immortals attained the Dao and engraved the Dao’s essence, celestial arrays were formed. All worldly arrays derive from the Dao and return to it, unified in their source.
“Innate Formation Flow is a summary of the source of all arrays in the world.
“Learn one, and you know many; all arrays return to one.
“Mastering Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow allows comprehension of the source of most worldly arrays. Learning other arrays afterward becomes far easier, even enabling insight into arrays requiring extreme Divine-Sense…”
Mo Hua’s mouth fell open.
This wasn’t just a legacy—it was like a cheat code granted by the Heavens.
“Of course,” Mister Zhuang continued, “Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow is extraordinarily powerful, but equally difficult to learn, demanding high aptitude and innate quality.
“Your senior brother and sister can learn it, but you cannot.”
“Because my spiritual root is weak?” Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
“Yes, but not entirely,” Mister Zhuang said.
“A weak root means learning poorly, not impossibly. But you—cannot learn it!”
Mo Hua was taken aback.
Mister Zhuang’s gaze darkened, and he warned again:
“Remember, you must never learn it! The causality involved is too great. With your current cultivation, you cannot touch it. Even in the future, if you reach Foundation Establishment or Golden Core, you still cannot touch this causality!”
Not even at Golden Core…
Mo Hua’s eyes hardened. He nodded solemnly:
“Master, I will remember!”
Mister Zhuang looked into Mo Hua’s eyes, confirming he understood and memorized it, then exhaled slightly in relief.
“There is another reason…”
Mister Zhuang continued,
“You cannot, or rather, need not learn Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow.”
Mo Hua was genuinely puzzled.
Mister Zhuang sighed:
“Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow unifies all arrays, comprehending creation, allowing insight into all array sources…
“These words were passed down by our sect’s ancestors…”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. He understood: “The ancestors lied!”
Mister Zhuang’s gaze was satisfied, and he nodded:
“This phrase was passed down, but whether true or false—how much truth, how much fiction—is unclear.
“So far, Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow does enhance array comprehension, connecting all arrays—this part is correct.
“But beyond that, at deeper understanding, higher insight, what it truly is, no one knows.
“Even though it encompasses all worldly array sources, ultimately, it is someone else’s summary of the Dao.
“That ‘someone’ may well have been an immortal.
“Whether truly an immortal, or which immortal, is uncertain…”
Mister Zhuang’s eyes glimmered with expectation:
“Zisheng and Zixi need Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow to learn arrays because their innate quality is sufficient but Divine-Sense is lacking, so they need this method to grasp higher arrays.
“You are different.
“Your Divine-Sense surpasses all.
“You can learn, practice, and comprehend arrays entirely on your own. It will be harder, take more time and effort, but what you attain will be yours, and your understanding deeper.
“Do not rush into learning Immortal-Heavens Formation Flow.
“Do not seek to grasp all array sources before mastering the arrays themselves.
“Otherwise, your understanding will be like a castle in the air; the sources you perceive may not be the true sources.
“You must learn your own arrays, walk your own path…”
Walk your own path…
Mo Hua felt enlightenment, his eyes shining.
He said nothing, only saluted Mister Zhuang quietly.
Mister Zhuang’s gaze was satisfied, a sense of emotion rising within him.
Finally, in his life, he had a worthy disciple…
Even if half a lifetime had been turbulent, the rest drifting, Heaven had treated him fairly.
Memories surfaced, emotions mingling.
Mister Zhuang sighed, looking at Mo Hua, his mind gradually calming.
…
The next day, Mister Zhuang brought the three disciples to the Array Repository Pavilion.
By now, it was far less crowded.
The vast hall was quiet and solemn.
Between the carved beams and painted rafters, countless formation texts and diagrams were displayed, giving an impression of rigorous beauty.
Receiving Mo Hua and his companions were only the Grand Elder of the Five Elements Sect and Sect Master Liao.
The Grand Elder’s expression was sour.
Yesterday’s scene still lingered vividly in his mind.
He could even hear Mo Hua in his dreams asking, “Still comparing what?” “Who’s next?”…
The Grand Elder’s eyelids twitched.
This little array disciple, though appearing innocent, was a genuine formation prodigy!
A “miniature” Mister Zhuang.
Even more insufferable than Mister Zhuang himself.
The Grand Elder felt a pang of anguish.
The Five Elements Sect had lost, and its core inheritance was about to be learned by someone else today.
Although the First-Rank Thirteen-Pattern Five Elements Array was difficult to master,
faced with Mister Zhuang and the unpredictable Mo Hua, the Grand Elder felt uneasy, his pale face tinged with apprehension.
Sect Master Liao, meanwhile, appeared completely unfazed.
It seemed that whether the sect’s absolute formation was learned or not mattered little to him.
Once everyone had gathered, the Grand Elder, scowling, reluctantly addressed Mister Zhuang:
“Please.”
Mister Zhuang nodded faintly.
The group ascended the stairs to the upper floors of the Array Repository Pavilion.
The Five Elements Sect’s hall had four floors in total.
The first floor was spacious, with a main hall, tables, and bookshelves, primarily for storing First-Rank formations and allowing disciples to borrow, study, and contemplate the formation texts and diagrams, as well as for gatherings and debates.
The second floor was smaller, less luxurious but more austere, mainly housing Second-Rank diagrams, generally not open to the public.
The third floor was even smaller, storing Third-Rank formations.
The furnishings were somewhat old, even a little shabby, but the atmosphere—ancient and weighty—was far more imposing than the flashy first-floor hall.
Third-Rank formations!
Mo Hua clicked his tongue.
The Five Elements Sect’s foundation was indeed deep.
He had seen very few Second-Rank formations, let alone Third-Rank.
He was eager to browse the Third-Rank diagrams, to see what these formations looked like,
how many lines they contained, how the formation pivots circulated, how the formation core was constructed, how to learn them, and what effects they produced…
Unfortunately, Mo Hua knew the Grand Elder of the Five Elements Sect was stingy.
With his miserly nature, there was no way he would allow anyone to peruse the Third-Rank formations in the hall.
Sure enough, not only was browsing forbidden, they weren’t even allowed to linger.
The Grand Elder led Mo Hua and the others up the stairs, dense with formation inscriptions, unlocking each level with the Elder’s Seal, passing the second and third floors, and finally reaching the fourth.
First floor—First-Rank, second floor—Second-Rank, third floor—Third-Rank.
The Five Elements Sect likely had no Fourth-Rank inheritance, so the fourth floor must hold the sect’s crown jewel: a complete set of five First-Rank absolute formations—the Five Elements Array.
Mo Hua peeked out from behind Mister Zhuang, glancing around.
The fourth floor was even more cramped.
The surroundings were simple, with only wooden beams and windows.
In the center stood a shrine.
Beneath it lay five meditation cushions.
The walls and floor were inscribed with formations, but the patterns were concealed, the aura profound and obscure—at least Second-Rank, possibly Third-Rank…
Even Fourth-Rank, Mo Hua did not doubt.
A sense of awe rose in Mo Hua for the Five Elements Sect.
Though the sect now was little more than a gilded shell,
its ancestral lineage was truly profound.
Even using ordinary wood as formation media, the arrays on the fourth floor commanded respect, not to be underestimated.
The Grand Elder, slightly sighing, calmed himself after a moment and said to Mo Hua and the others:
“The Five Elements Array is stored within this shrine.”
“Sit upon the meditation cushions, visualize the shrine—if your comprehension is sufficient, you will perceive the formation diagram of the Five Elements Array.”
Visualize?
Mo Hua paused, glancing at the shrine.
So this shrine is an unconventional visualization diagram?
Visualize the shrine, and with sufficient insight, one can learn the Five Elements Array?
It couldn’t be that simple…
Mo Hua secretly glanced at the Grand Elder, and indeed, a faint glimmer of mockery and cunning flashed in his eyes.
Not just a miser, but an old fox…
Mo Hua muttered to himself.