Chapter 269

Mo Hua revealed his form, surprised: "When did you see me?"

Elder Yu smiled faintly. "Since the moment you walked in."

Mo Hua's expression grew gloomy—he still couldn't fool a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Was it your spiritual sense that detected me?" Mo Hua asked again.

Elder Yu shook his head slightly. "No, I heard you."

Mo Hua blinked. "Heard me?"

"That's right," Elder Yu said. "I've been a beast hunter for decades, living deep in the mountains, hunting demons. Any rustle, any whisper—I notice it."

"Besides, this is my home. I often sit here in the parlor drinking tea. When the room is empty and suddenly a stranger's aura appears, how could I not notice?"

Elder Yu looked at Mo Hua and explained with a kind smile.

Mo Hua nodded, finding it reasonable; then he thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up.

"What if the environment were noisier, and I crouched motionless, making no sound—could you still find me?"

"That…?"

Elder Yu stroked his beard, hesitating.

To say he couldn't find him would make him, a Foundation Establishment elder, look foolish.

But to say he definitely could—he wasn't entirely sure.

When Mo Hua had entered earlier, he hadn't noticed him at first.

Only when Mo Hua moved, though quietly, did the faint sound of footsteps reach his ears.

He identified the location by sound, then swept his spiritual sense—and only then spotted a faint, blurred human shape: a hidden young cultivator.

The aura was familiar.

And who else, besides Mo Hua, would be young enough to use concealment, bold enough to sneak into his parlor?

So Elder Yu pretended not to see him, playing along for a while.

But now he realized: if he hadn't heard the sound and hadn't deliberately scanned with his spiritual sense, he might never have found Mo Hua.

Elder Yu frowned, thought it over, then finally spoke honestly:

"In that case, it's hard to say."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Elder Yu, shall we try it?"

Elder Yu was about to say, "I have other matters," but seeing Mo Hua's bright, earnest eyes, he stayed silent.

"It's not important anyway. Might as well rest a bit and play with Mo Hua."

He silently thought to himself—he wanted to know just how effective Mo Hua's concealment technique really was.

"Alright, find a spot. Let's see if I can find you," Elder Yu nodded with a smile.

The two went outside Xiancheng and found a quiet spot at the foot of a hill.

Trees stood thickly, grass and foliage lush.

"I'll go hide in the woods first. You come find me."

Mo Hua stepped into the woods, crouching behind a large tree in the undergrowth. He activated his concealment technique, vanishing his form—motionless, silent.

After silently counting fifteen breaths, Elder Yu entered the woods and released his spiritual sense—his brow furrowed.

At first glance, Mo Hua truly seemed impossible to locate.

Elder Yu forced himself to be patient, starting from the forest's edge, searching one patch of undergrowth after another.

After a full cup of tea's time, he finally sensed, faintly, a small figure behind the large tree.

Elder Yu raised an eyebrow, relief easing his tension.

Finally found him—if not, he'd lose face.

Elder Yu cleared his throat, looking at the undergrowth where Mo Hua hid, feigning casualness: "Come out."

Mo Hua revealed himself, not disappointed but expectant, asking Elder Yu:

"Elder, how good is this concealment technique?"

Being found was expected—Mo Hua only wanted to test how far this technique could hide him from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Good," Elder Yu nodded approvingly. "If you stay still and silent, most Foundation Establishment cultivators won't find you unless they deliberately extend their spiritual sense to inspect closely."

Mo Hua's face brightened.

"But," Elder Yu added, warning him, "Foundation Establishment spiritual senses vary in strength. Just because I can't find you doesn't mean others can't. Stay cautious."

Mo Hua nodded seriously. "I understand, Elder."

Elder Yu nodded, then felt a quiet awe.

To hide this well was impressive—just how strong is Mo Hua's spiritual sense now?

Could it be nearly matching Foundation Establishment level…?

As Elder Yu pondered this, he suddenly remembered something and asked:

"How did you learn concealment?"

He'd been curious before, but hadn't had the chance to ask.

If he remembered correctly, concealment was a technique only single Water Spirit Root cultivators—or exceptionally rare Yin Spirit Root cultivators—could learn.

Mo Hua had a minor Five Element Spirit Root, with muddled Water affinity—he shouldn't be able to learn concealment at all.

Mo Hua smiled mysteriously. "I painted a formation."

"Ah," Elder Yu realized.

Mo Hua was a formation master—he solved problems with formations.

"Is this formation rare?" Elder Yu asked.

In his memory, no formation master had ever painted a concealment formation, nor had he ever seen a spirit artifact capable of concealment.

I've only seen a few cultivators who know the Concealment Technique, like Diao Laosan, but such cultivators are very rare.

Mo Hua nodded. "Yes, it's hard to learn."

The Concealment Array is a Nine-Stripe Array, but its brushwork is unique; the spiritual awareness needed to draw it is nearly nine and a half stripes.

Most first-rank array masters cannot reach this threshold, so naturally they cannot learn it, making it exceedingly rare.

Elder Yu nodded slightly.

If Mo Hua says it's hard to learn, then this array must truly be difficult—no wonder I've never seen it before.

Elder Yu found it intriguing and asked:

"With this array covering you, can you really not be seen at all?"

Mo Hua activated the Concealment Array alone; his body became invisible, but his hands and small head still retained faint outlines.

Seeing this, Elder Yu was somewhat disappointed:

"This array still has flaws; its concealment effect isn't good."

"Yes," Mo Hua agreed, "that's why I learned only a half-baked Concealment Technique, combined with this flawed Concealment Array, to achieve invisibility."

Both concealment methods, used separately, are ineffective; only together can they render one invisible.

"This is double concealment… hmm, maybe one and a half layers," Mo Hua said.

Elder Yu stroked his chin, pondering: "Your combination seems even better than pure Concealment Technique, especially at night."

At night, the darkness is deep; even if someone pierced one layer of concealment, Mo Hua still had another layer, undetected.

Normal cultivators would never imagine someone could wear two layers of concealment.

Mo Hua smiled slightly, proud.

Even a Foundation Establishment Elder like Yu praised his concealment effect—his effort hadn't been in vain.

As they chatted, night fell; Elder Yu suddenly slapped his head. "I forgot—I still have something to do."

"Something important?"

"A small matter," Elder Yu chuckled. "It's late; let's head back."

"Mm."

Elder Yu led Mo Hua back; at the southern street intersection, he gave Mo Hua a few instructions, then turned toward the Artificer's Shop.

Mo Hua walked home alone, his mood cheerful.

Now that he'd learned the Concealment Technique, whether for ambush, escape, or trickery, he had more options in advance or retreat.

After all, no one could see him.

Mo Hua couldn't help laughing, humming a tune, when suddenly he stopped, his heart jolting.

Not visible…

Elder Yu's earlier words echoed in his ears:

"With this array covering you, can you really not be seen at all…"

Covered by the array… not visible…

In Mo Hua's mind, the cliff and the abyss beneath it suddenly surfaced.

"Could it… have been concealed by the array…?"

Mo Hua's pupils shrank slightly as he murmured to himself.