Chapter 197

Mo Hua was still cultivating the Grade-One Melt-Fire Control Spirit Compound Array, though his progress was slightly slow.

Sometimes, when he grew tired from studying, he would go look at the large smelting furnace, compare it with his own array diagram, and simulate in his mind the problems he might encounter while drawing the array—this also helped clarify his thoughts.

As Mo Hua watched the smelting furnace, fully absorbed in thoughts of the array, he suddenly looked up and saw Elder Yu standing beside him.

It seemed Elder Yu had been watching him all along while he stared at the furnace, though no one knew how long.

When Elder Yu saw Mo Hua snap back to awareness, he asked gently, "How is your array study coming along?"

"I've learned half of it, but it may still take some time before I fully understand it."

Elder Yu nodded. "Balance work and rest. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Thank you, Elder Yu," Mo Hua smiled, then asked, "Aren't you in a hurry?"

After all, the sooner the array was drawn, the sooner the smelting workshop could begin operations, and everyone could earn more Spirit Stones sooner.

At this point, the Qian family would not let this go. If the smelting workshop opened too late, they might be held hostage by others.

Elder Yu remained calm. "I've been in a hurry for over a hundred years. A few more days don't matter."

Mo Hua didn't understand.

Elder Yu brushed the dust off the ground, sat beside Mo Hua, and said:

"Since I was still a Qi Condensation cultivator, I've never had a good day. The wandering cultivators around me were the same—working hard every day, rushing about, yet earning barely any Spirit Stones. I often wondered: where did all the Spirit Stones go?"

"Until I saw the Qian family—their mansions, their clothing and food, their smelting workshops and pill halls…"

"In the Qian family's smelting workshop, the iron-forgers are wandering cultivators, the quenchers are wandering cultivators, every ounce of labor is done by wandering cultivators—while the Qian family's own cultivators merely sit aside, sipping tea, giving orders, doing absolutely nothing else."

"I often thought: we wandering cultivators bear all the hardship, yet we eat bran and chaff; the Qian family are useless wastes who can do nothing, yet they do nothing—and still feast daily."

Elder Yu sighed. "Later, when I reached Foundation Establishment, I clashed with the Qian family—fighting openly and covertly, relying on my thick skin, sharp tongue, and willingness to risk everything, I barely avoided being crushed, and gradually understood some truths…"

"I wanted wandering cultivators to live better. I wanted to open smelting and pill workshops myself—but I had no Spirit Stones, and I didn't know arrays. Trying to do anything was like walking through mud."

"I lived this way for over a hundred years. I endured it for over a hundred years. I was in a hurry for over a hundred years. Now that this massive smelting workshop is nearly built, and the pill hall is halfway done, I'm no longer in a hurry."

"What I've accomplished these past few months exceeds everything I've done in over a hundred years. Why should I hurry now?"

Elder Yu's expression was satisfied.

Mo Hua looked at Elder Yu—his hair white, his frame gaunt, yet his eyes sharp—and felt deep respect.

"But what if, after the smelting workshop is built, we still can't outmatch the Qian family?" Mo Hua worried.

"Then sell it," Elder Yu said bluntly.

Mo Hua was stunned. "Sell it?"

"Yes!" Elder Yu nodded. "If we can outmatch the Qian family, fine. If we can't, we sell both the smelting workshop and the pill hall together—earn a huge sum of Spirit Stones, divide it among everyone, and we won't lose anything."

"Will it sell easily…?" Mo Hua was uncertain.

Elder Yu raised an eyebrow. "How could such a massive smelting workshop and pill hall not sell? Others may want to build one, but they lack both the time and ability to complete it."

Elder Yu pointed to the arrays inside and out. "And these arrays you drew—could any ordinary array master draw them? Even if they could, how many array masters would they need, and how long would it take?"

"Relax," Elder Yu patted Mo Hua's shoulder. "Just based on these arrays you've drawn, both workshops will fetch a sky-high price!"

"Sky-high price?"

Elder Yu nodded. "I won't sell for less than a sky-high price. Haggling? I'm quite good at that."

Mo Hua looked at Elder Yu and felt he had just shifted from a "cultivation industrialist" to a "cultivation real estate tycoon."

"Then who will buy it?" Mo Hua asked quietly.

"There are many," Elder Yu said. "Best to sell it to the An family—let them clash with the Qian family, while we Hunter Cultivators watch the show and profit from it. Second best: sell it to another Xiancheng family, set a tiger against a wolf, make them fight the Qian family. If all else fails, sell it to the Qian family."

"The Qian family?" Mo Hua exclaimed.

"The world is crowded, all chasing profit. As long as they can pay enough Spirit Stones, selling to them isn't out of the question. I've done business with the Qian family before…"

You held their people hostage and extorted them—that hardly counts as business…

Mo Hua thought silently.

"Of course, all these are last resorts, each carrying the risk of nurturing a tiger that will turn on you. The best outcome is still for us to run it ourselves—so wandering cultivators in Tongxian City can have a lasting livelihood."

Mo Hua nodded, then asked, "Elder Yu, did you plan all this from the beginning?"

"Naturally," Elder Yu said, looking at Mo Hua with patient explanation. "When undertaking something this massive, gambling everything is foolish. You must consider every angle, prepare every contingency—so you move forward with strategy and have an escape route behind you. Especially, you must always leave yourself an exit."

Mo Hua gained much insight and nodded. "I'll remember that!"

Elder Yu gave Mo Hua a satisfied look, then sighed deeply and stood up. "Go on with your work. I won't disturb you anymore."

"Yes, Elder Yu, take care as you leave."

After Elder Yu left, Mo Hua returned to thinking about the array.

Mo Hua still wanted to master the array as quickly as possible—so the smelting furnace could be finished sooner, and the workshop could open sooner.

But mastering arrays was indeed a gradual process—only steady, step-by-step progress, drop by drop wearing away stone, could lead to natural success.

Mo Hua couldn't rush it.

After about half a month, Mo Hua finally mastered the core of the Melt-Fire Compound Array, then spent several more days practicing adding the Grade-One Melt-Fire Array and other arrays onto the core framework.

After that, he spent more time re-verifying the compatibility between the compound array and the furnace's structure.

Only when Mo Hua felt thoroughly prepared and everything was in place did he begin drawing the Grade-One Melt-Fire Control Spirit Compound Array on the large Grade-One smelting furnace.

Elder Yu watched from the side.

Before Mo Hua began drawing, Elder Yu had been calm and composed—but now that Mo Hua had picked up his brush, he suddenly felt tense.

Perhaps it was because his lifelong dream was about to come true…

Elder Yu sighed inwardly.

The large smelting furnace in the courtyard had been taken apart; its scattered parts neatly arranged on the ground, the massive furnace opening wide in the center of the yard.

Mo Hua's first step was to draw the core of the compound array, then overlay it with a Grade-One Melt-Fire Array, and finally inject Spirit Power to test whether the array would activate.

If it failed to activate, that meant the core was flawed—he would need to recheck, re-diagnose, and redraw it.

If the formation can take effect, it means the formation pivot is fine; afterward, just follow Mo Hua's plan and add another Grade-One Melt-Fire Formation along with other related formations.

Mo Hua mixed the spirit ink, arranged the large-hair formation brush, held his breath and focused his spirit, then began to formally trace the formation.

The brush tip, saturated with spirit ink, touched the inner wall of the smelting furnace and flowed downward, outlining the first formation line.

Grade-One Melt-Fire Spirit-Controlling Revival Formation.

This is a formation beyond the capability of an ordinary Grade-One formation master, and the most difficult formation Mo Hua has ever drawn!

It shouldn't count as water.

This kind of plot requires laying down key settings—it's actually quite exhausting to write.

Today is still five updates; it will ease up after a while.