Chapter 315: Farewell Banquet

But is the matter really this simple?

Mo Hua went again to ask Mr. Zhuang.

"Mr., must the array's calculations be completed all at once?"

"No."

"Can you calculate a little each day?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded. "Yes."

So it is.

Mo Hua sighed; he had been biased from the start, trapped in a misconception—he should have asked Mr. Zhuang earlier, then he would have understood this sooner…

Mo Hua added, "Then in that case, the collapse of the array doesn't seem so difficult…"

Mr. Zhuang's expression subtly changed, unable to help saying:

"Mr.?" Mo Hua said loudly.

For a moment, Shen Yi Yan's spiritual sense hardened slightly, unsure whether to continue teaching further.

"You're leaving, aren't you? You came to invite him to a farewell banquet."

Moreover, collapsing a reverse array cannot harm Foundation Establishment cultivators!

But the Big Boss and the Eighth Boss are different.

"You're afraid that after you leave, someone else will teach me these things, and you'll regret it, so you've delayed teaching me everything. But you didn't realize that whatever you teach me, I truly can learn—and I learn it well…"

Shen Yi Yan shook his head, "That isn't beyond your level—it's exactly what you should be learning now. Whether you learn it or not doesn't matter."

How did it become him throwing a banquet to invite me…

The Shanzhai was destroyed; most of the evil cultivators were either killed or captured, and the remaining major figures, even if they escaped, could no longer cause any significant trouble.

"Moreover, both of us are Foundation Establishment cultivators—it's far too easy for you to track us down."

"What does 'life gate' mean?"

Mo Hua had only briefly mentioned the method of array collapse, yet he had independently figured out how to do it.

No one else has such weak spiritual sense.

Mo Hua didn't understand.

Then he asked loudly: "Mr. Zhuang, if I collapse the array, will there be any danger?"

After returning, Mo Hua eagerly began trying to collapse the array and calculate the life gate.

Mo Hua asked, "Uncle Yang, did you need something?"

Commander Yang smiled and nodded.

"Good, Mr.!"

Shen Yi Yan's eyelid twitched slightly.

"But collapsing a reverse array is different—it consumes enormous spiritual sense, and within a short time, Mo Hua shouldn't be able to learn it."

"How do you leave a life gate?"

"Collapse Sun Qingwei—the method is the same; just be careful not to kill yourself."

If the power of reverse array collapse were truly this weak, less spiritual sense and time should be needed.

Mo Hua patiently endured, calculating the reverse array one array line at a time.

"Don't be so formal—just call me Uncle Yang."

Shen Yi Yan's expression was simple, yet tinged with reflection; he continued:

The other was a genuine first-rank evil array master, Foundation Establishment realm, capable of drawing evil arrays, and possibly possessing undisclosed techniques.

My provisional disciple truly cannot be judged by ordinary standards…

Sun Qingwei nodded, but the words stuck in his throat and he fell silent.

Commander Yang smiled warmly. "Young Master Mo, how's array drawing going?"

A few days ago, Mo Hua was sitting in a restaurant calculating arrays when a tall, broad-shouldered cultivator with square features walked in.

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded and greeted, "Commander Yang, please sit."

Mo Hua blinked. "Why?"

Sun Qingwei hesitated, staring at Mo Hua, lost in thought; then his eyes brightened slightly, as if he had made a decision.

Commander Yang stated his purpose.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened; he frowned. "In the Shenshan—do they still have hiding places?"

Mo Hua thanked him: "This campaign to destroy Great Baishan—without your leadership of the Dao troops, the free cultivators of Xiancheng would have suffered many casualties. Now that we've successfully breached Great Baishan, we owe you great thanks, Uncle Yang."

These two weren't caught; Mo Hua still felt uneasy.

The Puppet Elder appeared silently before Shen Yi Yan and said calmly, "If you keep teaching him, you won't be able to leave."

"Tomorrow at noon, at the Spirit Banquet Hall in Beicheng—don't forget to come!"

"Spiritual sense calculation doesn't need to be completed in one thought—it can be done gradually, but even this gradual method requires immense spiritual sense and vast amounts of time."

Commander Yang pretended indifference, but upon receiving Mo Hua's gratitude, he was inwardly delighted, his eyebrows betraying his pride.

"Either run far away, or leave yourself a life gate," Shen Yi Yan said.

Mo Hua nodded.

Even with the aid of the Dao Stele, after completing the calculation and recalling his spiritual sense, he still needed considerable time—it couldn't be done overnight.

Mo Hua nodded. "Absolutely, absolutely!"

"Is it really that hard?" Mo Hua was surprised. "I thought Sun Qingwei could be collapsed with a single thought—that the array collapse was simple…"

Commander Yang didn't want to say more; Mo Hua didn't press further.

"A first-rank Reverse Spirit Array has ten array lines, exceeding standard array specifications—same for second-rank and above. In this world, the number of array masters who can learn this array is few indeed."

If Mo Hua wanted to be this fool, he humbly asked for guidance:

Mo Hua smiled without any shame.

The two exchanged a few more casual words, then Commander Yang rose to take his leave.

Commander Yang's expression darkened slightly as he lowered his voice to Mo Hua:

"You've searched outside the mountains for days. Other cultivators of evil have been captured, but as for the First and Eighth Chiefs, not a single trace has been found."

"Don't kill yourself?" Mo Hua blinked. "Run farther away, can't you?"

"Really?" Old Puppet said blankly.

"Spiritual sense calculation requires immense spiritual sense as a foundation. Most array masters lack sufficient spiritual sense and aren't even qualified to perform calculation; if they force it, their spirit sea will instantly dry up."

Spiritual Sense Calculation hesitated slightly, recalling Mo Hua's actions so far—he suddenly felt uncertain.

He was a high-ranking leader of Great Baishan, the mastermind who founded Great Baishan, gathered cultivators of evil, and ruled the region for centuries, committing countless atrocities.

That's already way beyond the limit…

"Therefore, for array masters, if you don't know Reverse Spirit Array, you can't even begin to dismantle an array; even if you learn Reverse Spirit Array, you may still lack the spiritual sense to calculate; even if you have the spiritual sense to calculate, you won't have enough time to do so. Without calculation, you naturally cannot dismantle…"

Sun Qingwei glanced at Mo Hua in surprise. "You've dismantled an array before?"

Mo Hua paused, eyeing Commander Yang suspiciously. "Aren't you hiding something?"

"Say this only here—don't say it outside, or you'll get beaten up…"

"The Dao has birth and death; death gives rise to birth. Dismantling an array is death; calculating the life gate is birth. Array masters may use arrays to kill enemies, but if they leave no life gate, and die by their own array, they're just fools."

Commander Yang sat beside Mo Hua, feigning displeasure:

Spiritual Sense Calculation looked at Mo Hua and sighed. "This kid of yours… now he can even stand and speak without his back aching…"

Commander Yang sighed. "The deployment of Dao soldiers has a deadline. The deadline is nearing—we can't keep searching any longer."

After Mo Hua left, Spiritual Sense Calculation sat silently on the bamboo chair for a long time.

Array dismantling through Reverse Calculation.

Mo Hua knew he couldn't hide it from Spiritual Sense Calculation, so he admitted honestly: "I dismantled a Grade-One Earth-Fire Array."

"Oh oh." Mo Hua finally remembered and called out, "Uncle Yang!"

Spiritual Sense Calculation sighed helplessly. "I never thought you'd learn so slowly."

I had guessed Mo Hua would learn slowly, but I never thought he'd learn this slowly.

Commander Yang waved his hand. "These aren't big matters—don't worry about them."

Mo Hua felt a hint of regret, but quickly calmed his mind.

"It's my duty—what's there to thank for?"

"Wait until this kid Mo Hua learns to dismantle arrays?"

Mo Hua nodded, then added: "Even a single array has a life gate?"

"Big matters—deal with them later."

Mo Hua had no more questions, so he didn't disturb Mr. further and rose to take his leave.

"The rest must be entrusted to Dao Ting Si and Elder Yu."

"For a single array, the spiritual structure is too strong, the dismantling force too great—it has a life gate, but the range is large, so it's nearly the same as having none. For arrays below Grade Two, consider leaving a life gate."

I remembered another matter and asked loudly: "Have the First and Eighth Chiefs been captured?"

"Why thank me?"

Sun Qingwei snapped back to attention, thought for a moment, then said:

Master Zhuang sighed. "The greatest difficulty in array dismantling lies in two things: Reverse Spirit Array and spiritual sense calculation."

Sun Qingwei's expression darkened slightly. "It should… be too late…"

Commander Yang nodded. "I thought the same—only Shenshan is so vast, and already holds seventh-grade beast beasts. We're unfamiliar with the terrain and dare not search too openly."

"Do you remember what I told you about the Dao's birth and death?"

The harder the array, the more interesting it is.

"When performing Reverse Array Calculation, sense the point where the central spiritual force is weakest—that's the life gate. Do not draw the Reverse Spirit Array near the life gate."

"How much longer?"

I never thought I'd ever teach these things to a disciple—especially a Qi Condensation-level provisional disciple…

But after Mo Hua tried it, he realized that calculating complex arrays truly requires immense spiritual sense.

Can he really not learn?

Mo Hua nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Uncle Yang!"

Mo Hua stirred his spiritual sense, looked up, and said in surprise: "Commander Yang?"

"You're too kind, Uncle Yang," Mo Hua said, then realized he'd spoken wrongly: "Shouldn't it be us who host the farewell banquet and invite you?"