Chapter 300: Reluctance

Mo Hua was slightly surprised, but after thinking, he felt it wasn't that likely:

"I'm just asking about the difference between evil arrays—it's not like I'll learn it just from that…"

Bai Zisheng thought for a moment, then nodded firmly:

"Others might not, but you? You'll grasp it instantly!"

Whether evil arrays or demonic arrays, they are inherently deviant, opportunistic techniques that defy the Dao.

Proper Dao arrays are extremely hard to learn.

To master them, one must proceed step by step, build solidly, redraw the arrays repeatedly, gradually strengthen the spiritual sense, and after years of persistent effort, achieve mastery naturally.

Some impatient demonic cultivators, unwilling to endure hardship yet eager for rapid progress, resort to heretical, cruel methods to forcibly enhance array power.

Evil and demonic arrays are easier to learn than proper Dao arrays.

Moreover, since proper and evil arrays are exact opposites, ordinary array masters might never comprehend them—but someone as gifted as Mo Hua would grasp them at a glance.

At the same time, evil thoughts would arise, multiply, and disrupt Mo Hua's inner peace.

After mastering the Reverse Spirit Array, Bai Zisheng said he would teach me other things.

He learned orthodox arrays so quickly—how much faster would he learn demonic heresies?

"Even a registered disciple is still a disciple!" Mr. Zhuang insisted.

The room remained noisy.

Bai Zisheng's recent demeanor seemed off.

"As long as he knows what he's doing, it's his own life."

"His injuries have worsened."

"Huh?"

"He's your junior brother! A special cultivator—even the direct heirs of the Zhao, Li, or Shen Tu clans would be honored to be your junior brother!"

Mr. Zhuang couldn't accept it!

I'm currently at Qi Condensation Level One, and I've already broken through two major realms—each breakthrough should have strengthened my spiritual sense somewhat.

Mr. Zhuang was stunned, then blurted: "You're bluffing!"

As dusk fell, the group returned home, and the mountain dwelling grew quiet.

Mo Hua could barely draw it—his brushwork was unrefined, the array patterns insufficiently precise, his understanding of the array core shallow, and his spiritual sense barely adequate; there was still much to practice, and many repetitions needed before he could fully master it.

Mo Hua was deeply shocked and intensely curious—just how powerful was the collapse of this array, to make Bai Zisheng find it unbelievable?

"Truly!" Xin Youbo's expression was solemn.

The Puppet Elder frowned, "Stay too long in one place, and your location will be calculated—you may not survive."

"It was already that bad," Xin Youbo said, toneless, showing no emotion.

Mo Hua remembered Bai Zisheng saying:

In short, after achieving Foundation Establishment, your spiritual sense must be refined to be as strong as possible—before Foundation Establishment, your spiritual sense must double, laying the foundation for your future path of Dao through spiritual sense.

"I'm younger than you—I'm the senior brother!"

Without Bai Zisheng's guidance, I could never have learned arrays so well, or so quickly—let alone become a Grade-One Array Master, or even learn arrays below Grade-One.

First, I must cultivate—keep cultivating until Qi Condensation Level Four.

Learning the Reverse Spirit Array and practicing with the Dao Stele will steadily increase my spiritual sense.

"Can't you let go?" The Puppet Elder's voice was flat.

On the large locust tree, crisp voices chattered noisily—both serene and harmonious.

Xin Youbo said nothing.

Mo Hua lost interest, scoffed, "I'm not interested."

"Really?" Mo Hua was skeptical.

Xin Youbo tried hard to persuade Mo Hua.

After some time, Bai Zisheng spoke:

The Grade-One Ten-Stripe Reverse Spirit Array is hard to learn—and even harder to practice.

I've already learned this array; now I practice it again—not only to refine my spiritual sense, but also to improve my familiarity, so I can master it better.

Since Xin Youbo and Bai Zi Xi both said so, I'll stop worrying—for now, and I can reconsider later.

If I master a Grade-Seven array, will I be the youngest Grade-Seven Array Master?

After finishing one drawing, my spiritual sense was nearly exhausted, so I sat in quiet meditation to restore it.

The cultivation world is vast, and talents are few—among Grade-Seven Array Masters, I may be the youngest, but at least I'll be among the youngest group.

"Don't get too entangled in karmic ties," the Puppet Elder reminded again.

"If his injuries worsen, we should leave."

Finally, there was the visualization diagram.

After mastering these, Bai Zisheng would probably find other Dao anomalies for me to contemplate.

"Calling me 'Big Brother' is enough—reluctantly addressing me as 'Senior Brother' is also acceptable, but now not only can I not be called Senior Brother, I might actually end up as 'Junior Brother'!"

Inside the bamboo chamber, Bai Zisheng suddenly opened his eyes, gazing at the mountain scenery bathed in moonlight, lost in thought.

"By the way, how did you get out of Great Baishan Village?" Mr. Zhuang asked curiously.

The Puppet Elder didn't know where he was, whether he was there or not, whether he heard or not—so he didn't answer; or perhaps he heard, but didn't know how to answer, so he still didn't answer.

Beside them, Bai Zi Xi, seeing their endless argument, picked up her book again and read calmly and gracefully.

Bai Zisheng glanced at Mo Hua and quickly warned:

Previously, Mo Hua wanted to delay Foundation Establishment, so his mindset was relaxed; now, to refine his realm and solidify his spiritual sense, he was no longer so casual.

"Wait a while longer," Bai Zisheng pondered, sighed, "Once I've taught you everything I can… leaving like this, I'm not entirely at ease."

The puppet elder fell silent, while the one before him said coldly:

Thinking of this, Mo Hua furrowed his brow again, knowingly or unknowingly.

"When the formation collapses, the spiritual energy within its framework reverses chaotically through the formation patterns, clashing, endlessly arising and perishing, producing an extremely faint spiritual energy fluctuation—with ultimate and unimaginable power…"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked: "You're all registered disciples of Xin Youbo; shouldn't you count as fellow sect brothers?"

So Mo Hua recounted again the "feat" of having the Eighth Master lead him from behind, while he himself walked out the small gate of Shanzhai with upright, swaggering confidence.

"You absolutely mustn't ask Mr. Zhuang—otherwise you'll surely anger him! Such demonic formations aren't fit for polite discourse; better not ask at all."

Without the Dao Stele suppressing it, the risk should be smaller than imagined.

Mr. Zhuang seemed to sleep even more, growing more weary and listless than before; no one knew whether something had gone wrong in his cultivation…

Mo Hua began to feel a flicker of admiration, born from gratitude toward Xin Youbo.

"You entered before him—he must call you senior brother!"

The bamboo chamber sank into profound silence.

Once a wicked thought arises, do not fear or flee; let the mind be a clear mirror, reflect upon yourself, neutralize the wicked thought, and simultaneously, amid the clutter of desires, slowly hesitate toward your true heart.

Mo Hua recounted the previous events in detail, including how he tricked and killed those demonic cultivators.

Bai Zisheng continued staring at the endless, pitch-black mountain hues, saying nothing.

Mo Hua very much wanted to know whether other Tian Dao anomalies in formations also exceeded the bounds of ordinary cultivators' abilities.

But eating the diagrams was only a last resort—first, the contemplation diagrams were exceedingly rare; Mo Hua couldn't find any, nor did he know where to look.

If the demonic entities in the contemplation diagrams possessed weak spiritual natures, could he truly rely on "eating the diagrams" to strengthen his spiritual awareness?

"Isn't what he refuses to give those very things?"

Eat the diagrams to refine the spirit; refine the heart with wicked thoughts.

Bai Zisheng's gaze was deep, and he smiled faintly, almost self-deprecatingly.

Mr. Zhuang was again stunned: "Brother, you don't find it rare?"

Even if he relied solely on contemplation diagrams to complete the tasks below, Mo Hua would still be sufficient to refine his spiritual awareness one step further beneath Foundation Establishment, polishing it into greater strength.

Night was quiet; moonlight spilled down, gilding the mountain scenery and the bamboo grove with a faint silver sheen.

The puppet elder spoke indifferently, then said no more.

At some point, the puppet elder appeared without a sound, his voice as dry and hoarse as ever:

In cultivation, the most important thing is spiritual awareness.

Night deepened; the moonlight grew clearer and colder.

Seven could not discern the true form; Mo Hua did not know whether the spiritual consciousness within the diagram was demonic or ghostly, weak or strong—he dared not act rashly.

Mo Hua's expression didn't seem feigned; Mr. Zhuang hesitated, then asked: "And then?"

Mo Hua lay sprawled on the desk, utterly focused, gripping the brush with both hands, struggling slightly as he drew the Reverse-Spirit Formation.

Afterward, he had merely wished for Foundation Establishment, but didn't know how to achieve it or what preparations were needed.

"Let's talk about the contemplation diagrams later…"

Although Bai Zisheng unwillingly admitted it, Mo Hua was the most absurdly gifted in formations among all cultivators of roughly his age he had ever seen.

Mo Hua returned home, ate dinner, went to his room, and lay sprawled on the large desk, beginning to draw the Reverse-Spirit Formation.

Mo Hua felt some concern.

"I have a sense of it—the time is still there," Bai Zisheng said, still calm.

If Mo Hua's guess was correct, it should be about how to use the Reverse-Spirit Formation to cause the formation to collapse.

I don't truly wish to learn demonic formations—only to have a response ready if I encounter them again, so I won't be helpless and trapped.

With strong spiritual awareness, learning seventh-rank formations would become effortless; becoming a seventh-rank formation master would be just around the corner.

Listen to advice, eat your fill.

Mo Hua followed Xin Youbo's instructions and refined his heart with wicked thoughts.

"Given your courage and deeds, I've decided—I'll take you as my senior disciple."

Bai Zisheng stretched lazily and gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, the scenery here is nice, life is leisurely, with food and drink—leaving now would truly be hard to give up."

"Then don't believe it."

After asking Xin Youbo, his understanding became somewhat clearer.

Though outwardly he still appeared lazy, calm, and reserved as ever.

How powerful are seventh-rank formations? What effects can they produce?

Mo Hua practiced another Reverse-Xin You, then rested for a while, beginning to plan for Foundation Establishment.

"Puppet Elder, you said… how much longer can you hide?"

…

Once one falls into demonic corruption, there is no turning back.

But Mo Hua was perceptive, and after spending so long with Bai Zisheng, he could still sense certain unease in Bai Zisheng.

"Alright."

Maintain a steady mind, practice daily without interruption; when the time comes naturally, it will be good—no need to rush for results.

After meditating thus for a while, the wicked thoughts faded, and Mo Hua's spiritual awareness gradually filled again.

Xin Youbo's expression turned solemn; he pondered long, then finally made up his mind and said seriously:

"Is there nothing rare about it?"

"That's right—I entered first; by right, I am the senior brother, and you are my junior."

Even if Mr. Zhuang merely offered a few hints on the principles, he might figure out the demonic formation himself.

Xin Youbo was stunned, unable to help leaping to his feet: "Impossible!"

"He can level up through generations and become your junior brother!"

What difference is there, really, between learning these arrays, the Reverse Xin arrays, and other special Grade-One arrays?

"Mr.... I have something to say..."