Chapter 145: Grading

When Mo Hua saw Mr. Zhuang again, his small face wore a hint of grievance.

"Mr., weren't you saying there's a threshold?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled casually. "There is a threshold—you probably crossed it without realizing."

"So does that mean I'm already a first-grade array master?"

"It's not that simple."

Mr. Zhuang settled into a more comfortable position on the bamboo chair and explained to Mo Hua:

"Being able to draw nine array lines only means you've crossed the threshold of first grade. You must study more, draw more, learn more first-grade array techniques, and fully master the method of summoning all nine lines in a single thought—only then can you truly possess the strength of a first-grade array master."

Mo Hua sensed there was more to Mr. Zhuang's words. "So I have the strength of a first-grade array master, but not the title?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded. "The title is determined by the Dao Ting."

"Dao Ting? Isn't it Dao Ting Si?"

"Dao Ting Si is under Dao Ting's jurisdiction. It doesn't even have any array masters—how could it possibly grade them?"

Mr. Zhuang's gaze grew deep. "Dao Ting sits at the center of the Nine Provinces, in Daozhou, and governs seven pavilions named after the Seven Stars. Among them, Tian Shu Pavilion is responsible for determining the grades of all array masters above first grade. Every few years, Tian Shu Pavilion sends cultivators to the various prefectures to grade array masters."

"Tian Shu Pavilion…"

Mo Hua was shaken inside.

Dao Ting was lofty and distant, unreachable. He had heard the name Tian Shu Pavilion for the first time.

"Is grading difficult?" Mo Hua couldn't help asking.

Mr. Zhuang nodded. "It's difficult, both because of the examination and because of the quotas."

Mo Hua didn't quite understand.

Mr. Zhuang said, "The examination depends on array skills; the quotas depend on connections."

Mo Hua frowned. "Don't array masters get graded based on their array skills? Why do connections matter?"

Mr. Zhuang sneered. "Array master grading is based on skill—but the people who grade you are human. Whenever humans are involved, connections naturally come into play."

"So what kind of connections do I need…"

"Either you come from a prominent family, or your parents are extraordinary, or you have plenty of spirit stones to grease the wheels—then your connections will naturally broaden."

Mo Hua froze. So a cultivator like him—with no influence, no power, and few spirit stones—would never be graded?

Mo Hua asked timidly, "Do hermits even get any quotas?"

"There can't be none at all—there are always a few. Whether you get selected depends on your fate."

Saying it depends on fate was really just saying it depends on luck.

Mo Hua frowned. "If that's the case, then all array masters must be within the Shijia Sect, right? Then there'd be a complete gap among lower-level cultivators…"

Mr. Zhuang's gaze grew profound as he looked at Mo Hua and said softly:

"Exactly."

Mo Hua was stunned, a faint chill rising in his heart.

Mr. Zhuang gently rubbed Mo Hua's head. "These are all external matters—don't dwell on them too much."

But Mo Hua couldn't help worrying. After a pause, he couldn't resist asking:

"Then, Mr., what if I'm unlucky and never get graded?"

Mr. Zhuang slowly sat up, his laziness gone, a faint edge of brilliance showing through his calmness:

"Array masters seek the Dao, comprehend all truths—they are not defined by any worldly affairs, nor judged by any cultivator."

"Dao Ting can grade, but it grades only its own grade—the grade of power and profit."

"What array masters truly seek is not the rank of authority, but the character of Heaven and Earth's Great Dao!"

Mo Hua was stunned; for a moment, his spirit was clear, and everything felt suddenly illuminated.

"Thank you for your teaching, Mr."

Mo Hua rose respectfully and bowed deeply to Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang nodded, then added casually: "Still, you should get graded by Dao Ting if you can."

"Huh?" Mo Hua was stunned.

"Once Dao Ting has graded you, your status changes—you can speak with more authority, do things more easily, and those insignificant fools won't jump around you anymore. Plus, there's free spirit stones—why not take them?"

Mo Hua was stunned again—he realized Mr. Zhuang was actually quite… pragmatic.

"What if I can't get graded at all?" Mo Hua asked timidly again.

Mr. Zhuang glanced at Mo Hua indifferently. "No rush."

"Not eager to be graded?"

"Even if you're unable to be graded, no rush."

"Uh…"

Mr. Zhuang said, "How old are you? The others taking the exam with you are either middle-aged cultivators or white-haired elders—they're the ones in a hurry. Why are you in a rush?"

"Oh." Thinking about it, Mo Hua indeed felt much lighter.

"But what if I never get graded at all?"

Mo Hua pressed the point.

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help rubbing Mo Hua's hair again. "If you never get graded, just go straight for second grade."

Mo Hua froze. "Second grade?"

"First grade gets blocked; second grade doesn't. Tian Shu Pavilion isn't full of fools—they'll let first-grade candidates get stuck, turn a blind eye. But second grade is different: if your array skill truly reaches second grade, even without a prestigious background, you're no ordinary person—Tian Shu Pavilion dares not provoke you lightly."

Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly. "If you truly have second-grade array master level and Tian Shu Pavilion still refuses to grade you, you can stand at their gate, point at their signboard, and curse their pavilion elders for being blind."

Mo Hua asked quietly, "What level are the pavilion elders of Tian Shu Pavilion…?"

"Hard to say—but at least Void-Opening, maybe higher…"

Mo Hua opened his mouth wide. What Cave Void? He had never even heard of it.

Mo Hua glanced at Mr. Zhuang and asked quietly, "Mr., you haven't cursed the Cabinet Elder, have you?"

Standing at someone's door, cursing their Cabinet Elder.

If Mr. Zhuang hadn't done it, how would he know so well?

"I never curse people," Mr. Zhuang said.

Mo Hua took another look at Mr. Zhuang.

An immortal bearing and Daoist poise, with an elegant air about him—even lying down, he carried a natural ease and洒脱.

Mo Hua thought to himself: Mr. Zhuang, looking like that, really doesn't seem the type to curse people, but what he's actually like is hard to say.

Then Mo Hua's head was lightly tapped by Mr. Zhuang.

"Are you making up stories about me in your head?"

Mo Hua grinned sheepishly, then said:

"But Mr., for me to become a second-grade array master—how many years and months would that take?"

Mr. Zhuang said, "A first-grade array master is difficult, and there's only one grade. A second-grade array master is different—it's divided into three stages: beginner, intermediate, and Gao San. Each step you cross, your array mastery differs vastly."

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua. "Given your ability, as long as you can reach Foundation Establishment, with some effort, becoming a beginner second-grade array master shouldn't be hard."

Mo Hua's spirits lifted, feeling he had a new pursuit.

But he still had one question: "Why does the second grade divide into beginner, intermediate, and Gao San, while the first grade doesn't?"

By Mr. Zhuang's reasoning, actually the first grade could also be divided into three stages.

Unranked apprentices, array masters, and a graded first-grade array master.

Today's first-grade array master could actually be counted as a first-grade high-stage array master.

"What do you think?" Mr. Zhuang asked.

Mo Hua frowned and thought for a moment. "Is it the threshold?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded and said lightly, "Raise the threshold, and the cultivators below won't be able to step over it."