Chapter 205: Dan Jade

The alchemy furnace he forged was large, but slightly smaller than the big smelting furnace in the courtyard, its appearance more ancient, its cloud patterns more elegant, and its structure somewhat more complex.

The arrays inside the alchemy furnace resembled those in the smelting furnace, yet also differed.

The similarity was that both required the fire-supplying Meltfire Array as a foundation; the difference was that smelting relied more on the intensity of the fire, while alchemy emphasized precise control of the flame and harmonization of spiritual energy attributes.

Mo Hua planned to inscribe on the alchemy furnace a composite array called the Grade-One Fire-Wood Twinborn Composite Array.

This composite array consisted of two Grade-One arrays: the Grade-One Meltfire Array and the Grade-One Wood Spirit Array, along with other functional arrays such as the Spirit Gathering Array and the Cold Air Array.

The array's core served both to regulate the opening and closing of spiritual energy and to harmonize elemental attributes.

Overall, whether in terms of spiritual awareness requirements, the difficulty of array replication, or the complexity of adaptation to the alchemy furnace, this composite array was slightly more demanding than the previous Grade-One Meltfire Spirit Control Composite Array.

But it remained within Mo Hua's control.

Especially after casting the smelting furnace, Mo Hua had already become familiar with and applied the Grade-One Meltfire Spirit Control Composite Array; now learning this similar, advanced composite array came naturally to him.

The only challenges were spiritual awareness strength and mastery of the composite array.

Both could be resolved with time.

Mo Hua had already planned ahead, so after completing the Meltfire Composite Array on the smelting furnace, he began practicing the one for the alchemy furnace.

After several more days, Mo Hua finally mastered the drawing technique of the Grade-One Fire-Wood Twinborn Composite Array and began inscribing it.

In the courtyard of Nancheng Alchemy Shop, the large alchemy furnace had been disassembled and laid out flat on the ground, sorted by component.

Mo Hua squatted beside the inner furnace, frowning, drawing the array.

At first, progress was uneven; he had redrawn the array core several times, each time with errors or omissions, forcing him to erase and redraw patiently.

Master Feng arrived, saw Mo Hua fully absorbed in drawing the array, and did not disturb him, instead watching silently from the side.

Mo Hua's expression was intensely focused, his eyes bright and sharp, glowing with luminosity as he drew the array.

The array he drew was intricate yet elegant, clearly methodical.

Master Feng watched, gradually entranced.

He sighed inwardly; no matter how many times he saw it, it still seemed unbelievable.

That child, born frail, with clear eyes and a innocent smile—he had watched him grow, and now he was barely ten or so, yet already capable of drawing a Grade-One array.

A Grade-One array…

Many white-haired veteran array masters, when drawing a single Grade-One array, must meditate in deep concentration, exhaust their spirit, and afterward turn pale and drenched in sweat.

Yet Mo Hua drew these Grade-One arrays with ease; even when tired, after a brief meditation, he was refreshed and energetic again.

Had he not watched Mo Hua grow up since childhood, he might have suspected the boy had been possessed by some ancient demon…

Mo Hua, exhausted from drawing, exhaled and sat down heavily on the ground, rubbing his aching little arms.

Master Feng stepped forward, massaged several acupoints on him, and gently guided spiritual energy to unblock Mo Hua's blood and qi.

Mo Hua felt as if bathed in spring wind, his whole body noticeably more comfortable.

"Thank you, Grandpa Feng!" Mo Hua smiled in gratitude.

"I should be thanking you," Master Feng brushed dust from the ground and sat beside Mo Hua, kindly saying:

"Without you, I might never have used such a furnace in my lifetime."

"I'll make you an even better one later," Mo Hua vowed earnestly.

Master Feng chuckled, "This one is good enough."

Saying this, Master Feng pulled out a jade pendant and handed it to Mo Hua. "This is my gift to you."

The pendant was pale white, faintly containing hidden azure-green spiritual patterns; its jade type was unknown, it carried no spiritual energy, its design was simple, its carving ordinary, yet upon gazing at it, one felt a serene aura and inner calm.

"What kind of jade is this?"

"This is Dan Jade," Master Feng said.

"Dan Jade?"

Master Feng turned the pendant over; Mo Hua saw, indeed, a single character "Dan" carved in bold, angular strokes.

"Alchemy masters usually carry a Dan Jade on their person, nurturing it long-term with wood-element spiritual energy; over time, the jade becomes like a spiritual artifact, calming the breath and stabilizing the mind, free from distracting thoughts."

"This Dan Jade was given to me by my master years ago. For all these years, as I diagnosed illnesses and brewed medicines to save lives, I've carried it with me. Now I have no further use for it—I give it to you."

Master Feng said.

Mo Hua shook his head. "I can't accept such a precious thing."

But Master Feng personally hung the Dan Jade around Mo Hua's neck. "A senior's gift cannot be refused."

"But…" Mo Hua felt unworthy. "I'm not an alchemy master—why give it to me?"

Master Feng paused, then said: "Alchemy masters save lives, but cannot save many. Array masters do not directly save lives, yet they can save many."

Mo Hua paused, then nodded slowly, understanding dawning.

Master Feng looked at Mo Hua, his eyes filled with hope:

"There's another saying: alchemy masters heal and save lives, accumulating merit; the Dan Jade they carry embodies that merit. I give it to you because I hope it will protect you from misfortune, ensuring your safe growth."

Mo Hua's heart jolted. "Then if you give it to me, what will you do?"

Master Feng smiled. "The concept of merit is vague and elusive—it's merely for peace of mind. All these years, I've brewed medicine and treated patients not because I believed in such things."

Mo Hua asked: "But what if merit truly exists?"

Master Feng's smile grew even gentler. "If merit truly exists, then giving you this Dan Jade—and if it truly protects you from misfortune—might be greater merit than all the years I've spent healing and saving lives."

Mo Hua, slightly embarrassed, could only accept humbly. "Thank you, Grandpa Feng!"

The cool, icy Dan Jade hung around his neck; Mo Hua felt inner calm, yet also a warmth in his heart.

Whether due to the Dan Jade's effect or not, Mo Hua's mind became tranquil, his focus sharper while drawing arrays, his brushwork smoother and more fluid.

Two days later, Mo Hua completed the Grade-One Fire-Wood Twinborn Composite Array.

Mo Hua invited Master Feng to come and ignite the furnace; accompanying Master Feng were several other alchemy masters.

These alchemy masters had been invited by Master Feng to join the alchemy shop, jointly studying alchemy and brewing medicines.

Mr. Feng placed the spirit stones, lit the furnace, and instantly the crimson flame roared to life.

Though he had anticipated it, Mr. Feng still paused in slight astonishment upon seeing such pure furnace flame.

This was flame beyond the ordinary Qi Condensation stage's spiritual energy.

The other alchemists, upon seeing this, were deeply shaken, then erupted into excitement.

Mr. Feng then attempted to harmonize the furnace's fire and wood spiritual energy to refine a batch of pills.

The pills were the common Blood-Qi Pill, used to stop bleeding and restore qi—one of the pills cultivators always carried for home, travel, or hunting demons.

Though the pills were ordinary, their quality was extraordinary; the pure furnace flame increased their efficacy by more than ten percent.

Mr. Feng was deeply satisfied, and could not help glancing at Mo Hua beside him, nodding with quiet approval.