Chapter 263: Concealment Array

Mo Hua thought for a moment and decided that having multiple identities was better.

The Nine Continents of the cultivation world were vast and boundless.

If one day he ventured outside and encountered trouble, having another identity meant another path.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang!"

Mo Hua said sincerely.

"Also, thank the Chief Officer when you get the chance—he didn't approve, you wouldn't have this token," Zhang Lan said.

"Then thank him for me—I'll help again next time there's something."

Time to pluck some wool—Mo Hua's enthusiasm rose sharply.

Zhang Lan chuckled, "Alright, I'll tell the Chief Officer when I get back."

Soon after, Jiang Yun brought them the dishes—five or six plates, a mix of meat and vegetables, plus fine wine.

Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow. "Not bad—you're being generous now."

Mo Hua grinned. "Eat your fill—it's all on me."

Over a thousand spirit stones—Mo Hua could treat Zhang Lan to a month of meals without issue.

"Alright, then I won't be polite."

Having been on the road for days chasing the bald monk and Kong Sheng, enduring wind and dew, his mouth had been bland—he truly wanted to treat himself.

As Zhang Lan ate, Mo Hua sat beside him with a small bowl, picking out his favorite dishes.

They ate and chatted; after they were full and drunk, Zhang Lan left.

Mo Hua pondered the map issue for a while but still had no insight, so he set it aside for now.

Let's see if Zhang Lan can extract anything from One-Eye.

Mo Hua shifted his focus back to the Concealment Technique.

He really wanted to master the Concealment Technique.

The Concealment Technique could hide, scout, protect oneself, and ambush others.

On the surface, concealment seemed useless, but used skillfully, it was a technique combining offense and defense.

Advance and attack, retreat and defend.

Advance to strike when unprepared, retreat to vanish a thousand li away.

Even if the Concealment Technique was detected, he still had the Flowing Water Step as backup—he wouldn't end up trapped like Diao Laosan, caught between advance and retreat.

Even in the chaos of cultivator battles, he could handle himself with ease.

Mo Hua remembered Guilao's words: "Countless techniques, each with its own merit—the art lies in the mind."

The Concealment Technique truly matched Guilao's saying.

But Mo Hua's elemental affinity wasn't suitable, so what he cultivated was only a half-baked Concealment Technique.

Mo Hua frowned in thought.

Cultivators' elemental affinities varied; their abilities differed, with strengths inevitably accompanied by weaknesses.

Since the Concealment Technique was incomplete, was there another way to compensate?

After much thought, the only solution he could think of was arrays.

And that was what he was best at.

He took out Master Zhuang's "Thousand Array Records" from his storage bag, flipped through it for a long time, his eyes aching, yet found no array related to concealment.

Mo Hua scratched his head and went to ask Bai Zisheng first.

"Concealment Array?" Bai Zisheng looked surprised, glanced around, then lowered his voice. "You planning to be a thief?"

Mo Hua rolled his eyes. "I'm a proper cultivator!"

"Then why learn this array?"

"Of course for self-protection," Mo Hua said.

And to ambush others…

But he didn't voice this reason—it sounded too unorthodox.

Bai Zisheng was straightforward and didn't suspect ulterior motives; he nodded.

"True—the Concealment Technique is excellent for self-protection."

"Do you know the array diagram for the Concealment Array?"

Bai Zisheng shook his head and turned to Bai Zixi. "Zixi, do you know?"

Bai Zixi also shook her head. "It's a rare array—the Bai family's Scripture Hall should have it, but I didn't bring it out."

Mo Hua felt disappointed—he'd have to bother Master Zhuang after all.

Then he grew puzzled. "Why is the Concealment Array so rare? Because the Concealment Technique is rare?"

"Yes," Bai Zixi said clearly, nodding.

Seeing Mo Hua didn't understand, Bai Zixi patiently explained:

"Special elemental affinities, scarce lineages—such techniques are hard to learn, and arrays achieving the same effect are correspondingly rare."

Mo Hua understood.

The Concealment Technique's lineage was hard to obtain, and its elemental requirement was strict: only a single Water elemental affinity could learn it.

If any other elemental affinity was mixed in, one would end up like Mo Hua—a half-baked version, water-form clinging to the body but unable to fully vanish.

Thus, cultivators who could use the Concealment Technique were few, making concealment arrays equally precious.

Mo Hua nodded, grateful, and asked Bai Zixi, "Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Bai Zixi hesitated, then took out a cookbook from her storage bag, flipped to a page with a folded corner, and pointed to a dessert named "Flowers in Bloom, Moon Full."

"This one."

Mo Hua glanced at it; it was called "Flowers Full, Moon Bright," resembling a mooncake filled with flowers.

It included osmanthus, peach, locust, and begonia blossoms, among others.

The floral scent was strong, but he wondered if mixing so many flowers together might taste strange.

Mo Hua took the menu, tucked it into his storage pouch, and said, "Alright, I'll ask my mother to make it and see."

"Mm." Bai Zi Xi's gaze was clear, sparkling brightly.

Mo Hua was about to seek out Mr. Zhuang when he turned and saw Bai Zixi staring at him with longing eyes; he sighed helplessly:

"What do you want to eat now?"

Bai Zixi blurted out: "Rabbit meat!"

"That's troublesome."

"No rush," Bai Zixi said. "If you get any, just bring me some."

"Fine."

Bai Zixi also gratefully said, "I'll fight for you from now on."

"Alright," Mo Hua nodded. "I'll definitely call you when I need a fight."

But Snow Aunt might not let you go.

Proper scion families place heavier emphasis on Dao cultivation, with more rigid rules, leaving them less free.

Like Qian Xing and Kong Sheng—they're free, but also lawless.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, then went to pay his respects to Mr. Zhuang and asked about the concealment array.

Mr. Zhuang replied, "You can't learn it yet."

Mo Hua asked weakly, "Is it hard to learn?"

"It's somewhat difficult," Mr. Zhuang said, then glanced at Mo Hua. "But not for you."

After all, you drew that complex restoration array quite well…

Mr. Zhuang thought silently.

"Is it because of my spiritual sense?" Mo Hua guessed.

"Correct," Mr. Zhuang nodded.

Mo Hua exclaimed, "This concealment array won't have ten array lines too, will it…?"

"Can every array have ten lines? Ten-line arrays aren't this cheap."

Mr. Zhuang chuckled, shook his head, and added:

"The concealment array has only nine lines, but the lines are unusual—drawing them consumes more spiritual sense, requiring more than a standard Grade One, Nine-Line array."

"Its spiritual sense requirement is above nine lines, but below ten."

Mo Hua asked again: "Exactly how much more?"

Above nine lines, below ten.

It seems like just one line short, yet the spiritual sense needed is doubled.

As Mr. Zhuang previously said, Qi Condensation has nine lines, Foundation Establishment has ten—crossing from nine to ten lines means bridging the gap between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment, with a vast disparity in spiritual sense.

Mr. Zhuang smiled: "Didn't I give you a Nine-and-a-Half Reverse Spirit Array before?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Master that, and your spiritual sense will be sufficient to learn the concealment array," Mr. Zhuang said.

"So the concealment array requires about nine-and-a-half?"

"Nine-and-a-half, just a bit short," Mr. Zhuang said precisely.

"Disciple understands. Thank you, Mr."

Now that he had a goal, it was simple; and nine-and-a-half spiritual sense wasn't so distant for Mo Hua.

After Mo Hua took his leave, Mr. Zhuang frowned in thought, lost in contemplation.

Inside the bamboo chamber, the Puppet Elder's form gradually appeared.

Mr. Zhuang said to the Puppet Elder: "You're right—it's indeed difficult for a Qi Condensation cultivator to possess Foundation Establishment-level spiritual sense."

"This child Mo Hua's spiritual sense grows quite fast, doesn't it?" the Puppet Elder said coolly.

Mr. Zhuang's gaze was deep. "It is fast, but not fast enough."

The Puppet Elder's eyes turned blankly toward him.

Mr. Zhuang continued: "Among all cultivators I've seen, his spiritual sense growth is the fastest—but it's still far from enough to break through the limit of Qi Condensation spiritual sense."

"How long will it take?"

"Hard to say," Mr. Zhuang shook his head. "At this pace, at least five years, up to ten. And spiritual sense growth slows the further you go; if anything goes wrong, it could take decades to reach Foundation Establishment."

The Puppet Elder frowned; silence settled in the room.

"Is there any way?" the Puppet Elder asked.

Mr. Zhuang tapped his fingers on the bamboo chair's armrest, his gaze shifting uncertainly; after a long while, he sighed. "Let me think."