Chapter 3: Chapter Three: Array Master

Mo Hua rose at the hour of the Hare and began his routine cultivation.

An hour later, he ended his practice and went to the lecture hall to wait for the instructor.

"Instructor" is a general term for teaching Mr. in the sect, responsible for instructing outer sect disciples in cultivation, array techniques, pill refining, weapon forging, and other practical subjects, as well as supervising and guiding their cultivation progress.

Like other sects in the cultivation world, Tongxian Sect divides its disciples into three categories: direct heirs, inner disciples, and outer disciples.

The outer sect is open to the public, primarily to transmit the Dao and teach cultivation, earning income through entrance fees paid by disciples. Outer disciples learn only the sect's publicly shared teachings; after graduation or withdrawal, they retain a sense of goodwill toward the sect but have no actual ties to it.

The inner sect is the sect's core body; inner disciples are bound to the sect and manage its various industries—spiritual mines, spirit lands, grottoes, trading houses, and more—besides their own cultivation.

Inner disciples can learn the sect's esoteric cultivation methods and spells, bound by master-disciple ties that make them inseparable from the sect. If an inner disciple commits offenses outside, the sect may be held accountable; if they betray the sect, they are seen as gravely treasonous, with severe consequences.

Direct heirs are the main line among inner disciples, either blood relatives of the sect master or elders, or those with exceptionally deep master-disciple bonds. They are the sect's core, often destined to become the next sect master or elder.

Direct heirs learn the sect's most central cultivation methods and other forbidden ultimate techniques; if a direct heir betrays the sect, he will be hunted to the death.

The Dao Code forbids cultivators from meting out private punishment or indiscriminate killing; pursuing a traitorous direct heir violates the Dao Code and invites retribution from the Dao Ting. But most cases of betrayal fall under the jurisdiction of local Dao Ting Si. The Dao Ting holds the greatest power, yet its subordinate departments overseeing each province, realm, and city do not always have powerful cultivators stationed.

A direct heir's betrayal concerns the sect's core legacy and is of great importance; ordinary Dao Ting Si rarely intervenes. Especially against major sects led by powerful magnates, local Dao Ting Si dare not interfere.

But all this has little to do with Mo Hua.

He is merely an outer sect disciple of the First Rank Tongxian Sect—he is neither inner nor, let alone, a direct heir; even if he wanted to be hunted down, no one would bother with him…

Mo Hua wanted to enter the inner sect, but he had no spirit stones and no connections; it was unlikely he ever would, let alone become a direct heir.

Mo Hua calmed his mind and sat quietly for a while, when Instructor Yan entered with a stern expression.

Instructor Yan, around forty or fifty, was a serious man with cultivation at Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

Within Tongxian Sect, Instructor Yan held high status, for among all instructors, only he taught array techniques, and it was rumored he might pass the rank evaluation to become a First-Rank Array Master in a few years.

All Qi Refining disciples in Tongxian Sect, whether from noble families or lone cultivators, received their array instruction from Instructor Yan, who treated everyone equally—no one's face was spared; if you erred, you were scolded, punished without mercy.

Thus, Tongxian Sect disciples both respected and feared Instructor Yan.

The sect's tuition is paid annually, and instruction is likewise held once a year.

Today was the final day of the annual cultivation cycle; after today came a half-month-long annual break. The results of all disciples' assessments would also be released today.

Instructor Yan held a stack of result slips.

The disciples were anxious; Mo Hua himself had been calm, but seeing his fellow disciples look as if facing imminent doom, he too grew tense.

Soon, Mo Hua received his sect assessment results.

The array assessment was, as always, Grade A—Mo Hua's strongest subject. Among Tongxian Sect disciples, few achieved Grade A in arrays; Mo Hua was one of them.

Mo Hua's cultivation level was rated only Grade B—not because he lacked effort, but because his innate constitution was limited: a mediocre, low-grade Five Elements spiritual root; no matter how hard he cultivated, he could never rise far, nor sink far below.

For other subjects—those learnable through time alone, like Dao History and Qi Refining Fundamentals—he generally earned Grade A. But for subjects requiring spirit stones to buy materials, such as pill refining or talisman crafting, he received only Grade B or C.

Mo Hua came from a poor family; he couldn't even borrow a pill refining furnace, so he learned poorly. During assessments, he could only guess and fumble his way through, success depending entirely on luck—his results were unpredictable and unstable.

Overall, however, his results were still decent. As the saying goes, one excellence can hide a hundred flaws; since arrays were hard to master, achieving Grade A in arrays was already quite impressive.

Instructor Yan spoke a few words, then left abruptly. The disciples began flipping through each other's results, whispering among themselves.

"Mo Hua, you got another 'A' in arrays!" A disciple glanced at Mo Hua's slip and sighed.

"Another A…"

"I've always been B…"

"I'm still C."

"Arrays are so hard—I get a headache just looking at them…"

"…"

Disciples gathered around Mo Hua.

"Hmph!" A Qian family disciple in silver-white Dao robes sneered, "What's so great? You only get an A because you're drawing these simple sect arrays."

"Then what did you get?" A disciple retorted.

"Why should I tell you?" The Qian disciple scoffed.

Another disciple secretly glanced at his slip and burst out laughing: "He got a C!"

The disciples froze, then erupted in laughter.

"You got a C and still laugh at someone who got an A? Your face is thicker than a cultivation furnace!"

"Thicker than a pill furnace!"

"You're from the Qian family, yet you're dumber than me—I got a B!"

The Qian disciple flushed with rage: "So what if it's Grade A? Don't you understand? Lone cultivators have no Array Masters!"

He pointed at Mo Hua and the others: "You lot, lone cultivators, frogs at the bottom of a well—no lineage, no heritage. Listen well: you'll never, not in a lifetime, produce a single Array Master. Pfft—Grade A? Remember this: among lone cultivators, a true Array Master is impossible! If you don't understand, I'll say it again."

He pointed at Mo Hua and the others with his finger. "You bunch of loose cultivators, frogs at the bottom of a well, without any inheritance — for your entire life, listen carefully, your *entire* life, you will never produce a single array master. Pah, and you call yourselves Grade A! Remember this: among loose cultivators, a true array master will *never* appear! If you didn't hear clearly, I can say it again."

The surrounding disciples fell silent.

Mo Hua stared at him as if he were an idiot, then stood up, bowed respectfully behind the Qian disciple, and said:

Mo Hua looked at him as if he were an idiot, then rose and bowed toward the Qian family disciples from behind them, saying:

The Qian disciple froze as if struck by lightning, his head turning stiffly—there stood Instructor Yan, face dark as iron, right behind him.

"This sect exists to transmit the Dao and cultivate the Dao—not for you to compete and slander your fellow disciples!"

"Your own array skills are abysmal, yet you dare mock others?"

"Go stand outside until nightfall."

"Then draw the basic Five Elements array patterns one hundred times. Bring them to me next year—if you can't draw them, don't bother coming back…"

The Qian disciple turned ashen, but dared not utter a word.

Instructor Yan's status was high—he could reprimand even Qian family direct heirs, let alone this lowly branch member.

The Qian disciple slunk off to stand outside.

The Qian family disciples slunk off to stand as punishment.

Instructor Yan stood before Mo Hua, silent for a moment, then reached out and patted Mo Hua's thin, small shoulder, sighed, and said, "Don't mind what others say. Just study hard."

Mo Hua's expression was as usual. He bowed respectfully to Instructor Yan and said, "This disciple will keep it in mind."

Instructor Yan nodded, then walked to the instructor's seat, gave the disciples a few instructions, and announced the sect's annual break, saying they could go home.

The disciples, suppressing their excitement, bowed to the instructor, thanked him for a year of teaching in their cultivation, and then with a whoosh scattered like birds and beasts.

The sect's annual break — the disciples were overjoyed.

Mo Hua watched, but his heart was complicated.

These Qi Refining disciples were still young for the most part, carefree and without worries, far from knowing the hardships of cultivation life.

Thinking of the scars all over his father's body after hunting yao and his mother's haggard face, Mo Hua's heart ached, and he couldn't help sighing.

Becoming a first-rank array master was still a distant goal, but within the limits of his ability, he wanted to let his father and mother live a little better.

Mo Hua put away his report card, tucked twelve spirit stones into his embrace, and after leaving Tongxian Gate, instead of going home, he headed toward the market town.