Chapter 30: Molten Fire Array Diagram

Mo Hua braved Xiong Xiong's scorching sun on his way home, picked up the teapot on the table, and gulped down several big mouthfuls of tea before feeling the heat finally ease, then returned to his room, took out paper and brush, and began planning.

First was the stove.

A stove was a type of spiritual artifact.

The spiritual artifacts used by cultivators covered a wide range of types, including offensive weapons like blades, swords, spears, and staves; defensive gear like armor and Daoist robes; spell-type ornaments like hairpins and jade pendants; and daily necessities like pots, bowls, and stoves.

Mo Hua's understanding of artifact refining was limited to some straightforward theoretical knowledge learned in the Tongxian Sect's "General Principles of Artifact Refining" course, such as the key points of needing a refining furnace, forging iron, and quenching.

But when it came to actually refining artifacts, he was at a loss.

Tongxian Sect's artifact-refining course also required disciples to refine artifacts by hand, but because Mo Hua was physically weak and couldn't even swing a hammer, he couldn't manage the basic iron forging, so the instructor didn't push him.

Now that he needed to refine a stove, which was no ordinary spiritual artifact, he could only go and ask a specialized artifact refiner to make it.

Next was the array. The Molten Fire Array contained five array lines, which was quite a stretch for the current Mo Hua.

The arrays Mo Hua had drawn before contained at most four array lines.

For Qi Refining stage arrays, each additional array line made a significant difference in effect. And for an array master, the gap of one array line was the gap of one threshold.

Mo Hua drew arrays every day and honed his skills through the stone stele, so his divine sense had strengthened considerably. Drawing arrays with four lines was well within his ability, but five-line arrays were harder to say.

Another difficulty was that this Molten Fire Array had to be drawn on the stove.

The wall of the refining furnace was made of refined iron, which had poor adsorption for ink. Drawing arrays on refined iron was far more difficult than on paper, and the consumption of spiritual power and divine sense would also intensify.

According to Instructor Yan's "Introduction to Array Canon," the carrier of an array—that is, the medium that bore the array—was generally called the array medium by array masters.

The most commonly used array medium for array masters drawing arrays was paper, followed by iron, wood, earth, stone, and so on.

Mo Hua had always drawn arrays on paper before. Now drawing arrays on a refining furnace, he didn't know if there would be any problems.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, sighed, and decided to take it one step at a time.

The immediate priority was to find a way to obtain the complete array diagram of the Molten Fire Array.

The next day, after getting up and eating, Mo Hua went to find Steward Mo first.

Steward Mo was slightly plump and afraid of the heat. He lay listlessly on the desk, with a fan beside him, carved with an array and driven by spiritual power, waving nonstop.

But in such hot weather, the breeze it stirred up was also hot air.

Mo Hua said, "Steward Mo, I see other merchant houses have ice-type arrays painted on their walls to cool things down. Why don't you get one too?"

Steward Mo glared at Mo Hua weakly. "That whole set of arrays is so expensive! You give me spirit stones and I'll go get one!"

Mo Hua chuckled, then sat down at a side table, poured himself a cup of tea, and slowly sipped it.

In this quiet Fate Hall, Mo Hua was practically the most familiar regular customer. Steward Mo didn't stand on ceremony, letting him do as he pleased, then buried his head back into the desk.

After finishing his tea, Mo Hua said, "Steward Mo, do you have the array diagram for the Molten Fire Array?"

Steward Mo raised his head and said unhappily, "This is a merchant house specializing in arrays. What array diagram don't we have?"

Mo Hua pressed, "Even second-grade array diagrams?"

Steward Mo angrily knocked on the table and said, "Child, don't learn to argue with people!" Then he asked suspiciously, "What do you want the Molten Fire Array diagram for?"

"I saw this kind of array painted on the stoves at the Dining Hall, got curious, so I'm asking," Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said:

"Steward Mo, do you know if there are any special considerations for painting the Molten Fire Array on a stove?"

Steward Mo said listlessly, "It's just a Molten Fire Array, what special considerations could there be? Earlier this year, several Dining Halls needed to build stoves, and they bought the arrays from me. I have all the array diagrams for their stove designs."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Can I take a look?"

"No!"

"Just one look!" Mo Hua said.

Steward Mo wanted to keep refusing, but after hesitating, he sighed helplessly, rummaged through a cabinet in the back, and pulled out a large array diagram, placing it on the desk.

"You can only look at it here. Strictly speaking, these are supposed to be kept confidential and not shown to people casually."

Mo Hua opened the diagram and found that it contained the design of the stove, with dense annotations all over it—materials for the stove, the positions of the matching array lines, even the dimensions of the array were marked, which strokes needed to be changed and how, and so on.

Mo Hua asked curiously, "Are these arrays different from ordinary ones? Do they need to mark the brushwork and array dimensions?"

"Of course," Steward Mo explained. "The array lines themselves are standardized, but the specific applications differ. Some standard spiritual artifacts are identical in scale and size, so naturally they can be drawn uniformly. But some specially customized spiritual artifacts require changes and modifications based on the artifact's form."

"Take this stove, for example. It was specially customized by the Dining Hall, different from any other. Naturally, the Molten Fire Array inside also needs to be modified according to the stove's size, shape, and construction to match it..."

"I see..." Mo Hua nodded.

Mo Hua carefully studied the diagram again, trying to memorize the key points for reference.

Once Steward Mo figured Mo Hua had looked enough, he put the diagram away.

Mo Hua asked again, "Steward Mo, can you lend me a copy of the Molten Fire Array diagram?"

Steward Mo, who had expected Mo Hua to say this, took out a Molten Fire Array diagram and said, "Normally this diagram costs ten spirit stones to buy. I won't charge you, but you must return it after you read it, and don't damage it."

Mo Hua said in surprise, "Ten spirit stones? That's expensive?"

"Of course it is. You think it's like those low-grade arrays with only two or three lines? Those arrays are a dime a dozen, you can get the diagrams anywhere. But diagrams with four lines, especially five or more, are quite rare. The more array lines included, the stronger the array's effect, so naturally the diagram is more expensive."

Steward Mo fanned himself with his hand and continued, "Some diagrams containing ten array lines are even the secret core transmissions of certain sects and clans. Forget spending spirit stones to buy them—you wouldn't even get a single look!"

Mo Hua clicked his tongue in amazement. To delve deeply into arrays was indeed extremely difficult. Without some inheritance, even if one wanted to learn arrays, there was nowhere to start.

Mo Hua took the Molten Fire Array diagram and sincerely thanked Steward Mo.

Steward Mo said verbally, "It's nothing, no need for thanks, so formal." But judging by his expression, he was quite pleased.

Before Mo Hua left, Steward Mo added:

"Researching is fine, but don't aim too high or be stubborn, throwing yourself into it single-mindedly. Once divine sense is over-consumed and the consciousness sea is damaged, the consequences for an array master are endless."

After speaking, Steward Mo paused, coughed, and continued: "Pass these words along to your elder brother..."

Mo Hua smiled, bowed to Steward Mo, and then left Fate Hall.

After leaving Fate Hall, Mo Hua went home first and copied down the stove diagram from memory.

There was a lot of information on the stove diagram. Mo Hua hadn't memorized all of it, only the key parts, but that was enough.

He didn't need to copy the Dining Hall's stove design exactly. Besides, even if he wanted to, he didn't have enough spirit stones to commission it.

Mo Hua had memorized most of the diagrams, then went out again and came to a weapon-refining shop at the end of the street.

The weapon-refining shop was rather shabby, but quite spacious, with all kinds of spiritual weapons and household implements displayed on the walls and on the floor—candlesticks, teapots, cookware, hairpins, bracelets, even blades, swords, and armor—somewhat cluttered.

A sign hung in front of the weapon-refining shop, reading "Chen's Weapon-Refining Shop." The sign was very old, still stained with black ash, and had already been used for many years.

This weapon-refining shop was one Mo Hua had learned about from Brother Da Hu and the others; it was said to be the longest-running in the area, and its craftsmanship was also the best.

The weapon-refining master of Chen's Weapon-Refining Shop was surnamed Chen; everyone called him Master Chen.

Master Chen had no sons or daughters; his whole life he had only known how to forge iron and refine weapons. Although he had never become a first-rank weapon-refining master, the spiritual weapons he crafted had always enjoyed a fine reputation, and many demon hunters came to him to have rattan armor and blades forged.

When Mo Hua entered, Master Chen was just leading several disciples in swinging large hammers with a "clang-clang-clang" rhythm.