Chapter 535: Formation Flow
Chapter 537: Formation Flow
In the Array Repository, in front of the Divine Shrine.
The incense had burned down, leaving only ashes behind.
Bai Zixi and Bai Zisheng watched over Mo Hua’s “out-of-body” form, both uneasy.
“Time’s up… why hasn’t Mo Hua woken up yet?” Bai Zisheng asked worriedly.
Bai Zixi frowned.
At that moment, “Mo Hua” murmured and opened his eyes.
Bai Zixi and Bai Zisheng’s expressions brightened.
Bai Zixi softly asked, “Are you alright…?”
The gaze of “Mo Hua” was briefly dazed, then gradually cleared. He slowly sat up, nodded, and smiled:
“I’m fine.”
“Mo Hua” smiled, but Bai Zixi’s expression turned cold. With a swift hand strike, she knocked the back of “Mo Hua’s” head, rendering him unconscious.
Bai Zisheng was shocked. “Zixi! Why did you hit Mo Hua?”
Bai Zixi shook her head. “Something’s wrong with him.”
“Wrong?”
Bai Zisheng paused, then scrutinized Mo Hua carefully. His brow furrowed as he noticed something.
Mo Hua’s aura had changed…
His face was no longer as cute as before.
Even his previous smile felt off.
This wasn’t his little junior disciple.
Bai Zisheng recalled some earlier instructions from Mo Hua:
“When you notice something’s wrong, knock me out immediately!”
He nodded slightly, then asked in puzzlement, “An evil spirit invading the Sea of Consciousness?”
“Possible…”
“But… why would there be an evil spirit in the Divine Shrine?”
Bai Zixi shook her head. “Not sure…”
“And Mo Hua?”
She turned to gaze at the shrine, her eyes like deep glass, profound.
Bai Zisheng opened his mouth. “Could he still be inside…?”
He grew anxious. “The incense is burned, the shrine is closed, how could my junior brother get out?”
“Or…” Bai Zisheng frowned, thinking, “Should we find the Elder, have him burn another incense, open the shrine, and release him?”
Bai Zixi shook her head slowly. “No.”
The shrine involved the Five Elements Sect’s core inheritance; the Elder would never agree.
Their junior brother being trapped inside meant he had discovered the shrine’s secret…
Otherwise, given his cleverness, he wouldn’t still be inside.
“Let’s wait a bit longer,” Bai Zixi said calmly.
Bai Zisheng worried. “But the time’s already up…”
Bai Zixi’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing. “Time’s up, but the Elder hasn’t come. Our master must have foreseen some change and delayed him.”
“Master is buying time for our junior brother.”
“We wait here, guard our junior brother, and wait for him to emerge…”
Her voice was crisp and calm.
Bai Zisheng, accustomed to listening to his sister and knowing she was smarter than him, nodded in agreement.
…
Inside Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness.
The Five Elements Imp was stomping in anger.
“What’s going on?”
“How was I discovered?”
It had only spoken a few words, smiled, and was immediately seen through—then promptly knocked out…
Why?
Why could that little girl tell he was an imposter at a glance?
Even senior disciples spending day and night together wouldn’t see through each other so quickly…
Creepy…
The Five Elements Imp felt wary.
This sect, from top to bottom, from junior brothers to senior sisters, were no ordinary folk—good roots, high comprehension, and all had clever, discerning hearts.
At this rate, there was no way to escape…
It hadn’t intended to occupy Mo Hua’s body permanently, because that was impossible.
The little imp’s master was terrifying.
Any minor detail of itself would be immediately seen through.
It only intended to borrow Mo Hua’s body to escape the shrine and Array Repository.
But it never expected to be discovered not by the master, but by the little senior sister.
The Five Elements Imp was baffled.
It pretended to be the Transmission Elder and was seen through by this young disciple.
It pretended to be this young disciple and was seen through by his senior sister.
Was its acting really that bad?
Frowning, the Imp grew restless.
Now it was trapped.
Inside Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness.
It couldn’t leave if it wanted to, couldn’t stay if it tried.
It didn’t think it could truly deceive the world.
But it had to try…
The Imp sat cross-legged, scanning the surroundings, murmuring in admiration:
“This young one’s Sea of Consciousness is truly a hidden paradise—vast, resilient, with a pure and deep aura. Even with the Divine Sense out, the residual consciousness is incredibly pure and profound…”
“This isn’t the Sea of a Qi-Refining disciple… It rivals, no, far surpasses, a Foundation Establishment disciple…”
“Truly a prodigy…”
The Imp shook its head.
Suddenly, its expression changed.
No, this isn’t right!
Something was off with this Sea of Consciousness!
It sniffed the aura inside, its pupils trembling.
The aura of the Dao!
This… was a primal Daoic aura, closer to the origin than even the Five Elements’ energy!
Something ancient and terrifying was hidden in this young one’s Sea of Consciousness!
A flash of greed passed through its eyes, then was replaced by deep fear.
It had dwelled in the shrine for centuries, seen countless formations evolve, and had a faint warning from Heaven’s Mechanism.
Now, that warning made it shudder.
If it stayed any longer, once midnight arrived, whatever “awakened” would gradually crush it to dust, completely erasing it, never to reincarnate!
The Five Elements Imp trembled, limbs weak.
“I’m doomed! I’m going to die!”
“I have to find a way to escape!”
“If I don’t run, it’s over…”
This was a chance, but clearly, it wasn’t worthy.
The Imp forced itself to calm down.
It still had time…
Once it controlled the young disciple’s body, as long as it could move, it would immediately escape, run out of the Array Repository, and find any other Five Elements Sect disciple to inhabit, finally leaving this terrifying Sea of Consciousness.
Once outside, the world would be vast and free.
It wouldn’t be confined to the shrine and could feed on disciples’ Divine Sense, living freely.
And if it consumed enough, its Divine Sense grew strong, absorbing the Five Elements’ energy—it could one day attain the Dao, ascend to a position of Heavenly Demon, or even reach the ranks of an Evil God…
The Imp’s ambition flared as it steadied its mind.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Divine Shrine, within the true Daoist training ground.
A world upside down, all things reversed.
Mo Hua opened his eyes, regaining his Divine Sense.
The Daoist training ground remained, but everything had changed.
The surrounding wooden carvings seemed alive—each mechanically, meticulously following a rule, endlessly drawing formation patterns.
All the shrine’s decorations, spirit beasts, carriages, exotic plants, beams, painted rafters, and magical treasures…
All had shed their outer forms, revealing the formations within.
All appearances were false; only the formations were real.
Mo Hua was both shocked and puzzled:
“So this is… the Five Elements Sect’s inheritance Daoist ground?”
Was that Five Elements Imp lying to him?
The Daoist ground existed, but was the true inheritance of the Five Elements Sect really here?
What was the true inheritance of the Five Elements Sect?
A formation rarer than the Five Elements Absolute Formation?
Surely not…
Mo Hua was confused.
And that Five Elements Imp, tricking him into being trapped here—was it trying to escape the shrine?
How do I get out?
Around the Daoist ground, there seemed to be no exit.
Two hours had probably passed, but outside the shrine, who knew what had happened…
Mo Hua shook his head, calming himself.
Worrying now was useless.
Since I’m here, I’ll stay.
First, I need to understand the Daoist ground’s true nature.
Mo Hua expanded his Divine Sense, carefully observing the Daoist ground to see whether it was truly an inheritance ground and whether it really contained the Five Elements Sect’s true inheritance…
After inspection, he thought:
First, there wasn’t a single living being in the inheritance Daoist ground.
No living Divine Sense, consciousness, or even ghosts.
The surrounding wooden formation masters, though resembling humans and endlessly drawing formations, were still just wood carvings, or rather, puppets.
The formations they drew were varied but all belonged to the Five Elements.
Their patterns were rigid and meticulous.
Mo Hua stared at them for a while, puzzled:
“Rather than drawing formations…”
“It’s more like they’re recording formations…”
“Meticulously documenting the process of drawing formations…”
He examined the patterns further, growing more puzzled.
These formation patterns, though falling under the Five Elements, differed from standard patterns. They seemed to have undergone special treatment—gradually evolving, then being summarized and refined…
And beyond the formations drawn by the wooden array masters, the entire Dao-platform, every scene and object around it, even the great formation circle in the center, all contained this type of special formation.
These were “inductive” kind of pattern.
Mo Hua frowned.
What kind of formation was this?
Or perhaps the formation itself wasn’t the key—maybe the method of “induction” was the focus?
Mo Hua carefully examined everything one by one.
As he did, he was startled.
He realized that many of these formations were completely beyond his understanding.
Because these were not first-grade formations!
They were second-grade, third-grade, even above third-grade formations!
These formations contained more complex strokes, thicker and more substantial brushwork, more obscure techniques, and far more patterns than first-grade formations.
Even a brief glance and slight contemplation made Mo Hua feel his Divine-Sense pouring out like water.
Mo Hua’s heart tightened, and he quickly steadied his mind, warning himself:
“Don’t reach beyond your grasp, don’t reach beyond your grasp…”
Once his mind calmed and his Divine-Sense was replenished, he continued studying, this time wisely focusing only on first-grade formations.
He was thoroughly familiar with first-grade Five Elements formations.
His understanding of Five Elements formation principles was deep.
So it didn’t seem difficult.
Mo Hua compared the Five Elements formations he knew and had comprehended with the special, modified formations in the Dao-platform, examining them carefully.
Over and over, he studied the techniques used by the wooden array masters…
Trying to grasp the extensions of the same formation, the evolution of the patterns…
After an unknown amount of time, Mo Hua suddenly paused, then realized with a start, exclaiming:
“Could this be… Derivative Calculation?!”
Unlike the Divine-Sense derivative calculation his master had taught him, this was a completely different method!
His master’s method derived the essence of spiritual energy through the patterns, inferring the underlying trajectory of the formation’s operation.
Conversely, it could also derive the specific patterns from the spiritual traces of the formation.
The first method went from surface to essence, deepening comprehension;
The second went from essence to surface, discerning the true patterns.
But the derivative calculation method in the Five Elements Sect’s inheritance Dao-platform was entirely different.
It did not seem concerned with the relationship between pattern and spiritual trace.
Instead, it was purely inductive calculation of pattern transformations and formation variants.
From complexity to simplicity, from multiplicity to unity, it deepened understanding of the commonalities between different formations and patterns.
Mo Hua’s mind brightened.
Could this method of calculation be the true inheritance of the Five Elements Sect?
Though Mo Hua only partially understood it, he felt it was profound and remarkable.
This was derivative calculation…
He had to master it!
As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
The formations were the “fish,” derivative calculation was the “fishing.”
Learn derivative calculation, and one could better study and comprehend formations.
Mo Hua’s eyes gleamed.
A special method of derivative calculation!
No wonder this had been a long-standing, first-class formation sect!
Mo Hua was thrilled.
But soon he hesitated. How was this derivative calculation supposed to be learned?
He expanded his Divine-Sense, searching every corner of the Dao-platform, inside and out.
Inside, there were only formations—no other methods of inheritance.
No manuals, texts, writings, or insights of any kind.
Mo Hua rested his chin on his hand, thinking:
Judging from past events, the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect were somewhat rigid, somewhat obstinate, and a bit obscure.
They disliked teaching directly, preferring to simplify complexity.
They didn’t favor words or writing, preferring demonstration.
“Demonstration…”
Mo Hua’s eyes brightened as he watched the wooden array masters tirelessly drawing formations, and he suddenly understood.
These wooden array masters were demonstrating.
What they were demonstrating was how this derivative calculation should be done.
Step by step, from low to high, from easy to difficult, from basic patterns to variants, gradually evolving, transforming, and merging…
In other words…
One had to watch and learn for oneself.
Learn as much as one could.
Comprehend fully only when one truly understood.
What others said was not yours—only what you comprehended yourself was truly clear.
Mo Hua felt admiration.
The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect were indeed masters!
Wasting no time, Mo Hua observed the wooden array masters, summarizing and learning this special derivative calculation method of the Five Elements Sect.
The wooden array masters’ formations were not limited to first-grade.
But Mo Hua could only learn first-grade.
He was not greedy. A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step—master first-grade first, higher grades could come later.
Meals must be eaten bite by bite, as much as one could…
Time passed slowly in the Dao-platform.
Mo Hua concentrated fully, immersed himself, following the wooden mechanisms step by step, learning the derivative calculation method of the Five Elements Sect.
One formation after another was transformed and derived in his mind…
After an unknown time, Mo Hua finally grasped the method.
He tried deriving a few patterns himself, then compared them with those in the Dao-platform—no errors. He nodded in satisfaction.
With his already strong Divine-Sense and the derivative calculation method taught by Mister Zhuang as a foundation, he could effortlessly calculate formations, large formations, Absolute Formations, mastering derivative calculation with remarkable skill…
Although the Five Elements Sect’s derivative calculation was special, it was not especially difficult.
Mo Hua learned quickly.
For first-grade formations alone, he had mastered roughly seventy to eighty percent, with minor flaws to refine over time.
His eyes shone brightly.
A special method of derivative calculation!
That little Five Elements ghost had been deceitful, but not about this—there truly was a higher level of formation inheritance in this Dao-platform!
Learning this derivative calculation alone made the trip worthwhile.
Mo Hua nodded.
Then curiosity struck again:
What exactly was this derivative calculation for?
What use did these derived patterns have?
Study to apply… if one could not use it, what was the point of learning?
Mo Hua rested his chin and pondered:
“Did I miss something?”
He carefully reconstructed the derivative calculation in his mind from beginning to end:
Divine-Sense derivative calculation, formation variants…
Transforming the complex, different Five Elements formations and diverse patterns, unifying the variants into a single, summarized pattern…
Simplifying complexity, merging multiplicity into one…
Then what?
Merging multiplicity into one… understand all from one?
Mo Hua paused, then felt as if struck by lightning, his mind shaken.
One understanding… a hundred understandings?!
Wasn’t that… the Immortal Heavens Formation Flow?
No—more accurately, the Five Elements Formation Flow?
Five Elements Formation Flow?!
Mo Hua’s pupils constricted.
So this derivative calculation he had just learned was the method for summarizing the source flow of formations?
The result of the derivative calculation was a Formation Flow?
The true inheritance of the Five Elements Sect was a Formation Flow?!
Mo Hua gaped, utterly shocked.
He had never imagined it!
The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect had such ambition!
They built this Dao-platform to emulate the Immortal Heavens Formation Flow, intending to calculate it personally and pass down, generation after generation… the source flow of the Five Elements formations?!