Chapter 332: Change

Outside a dark, deep-seated second-grade beast den, Mo Hua sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and extended his spiritual sense to its limit, sensing the spiritual traces within the den.

After a cup of tea's time, Mo Hua opened his eyes and shook his head. "Nothing."

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators clustered around Mo Hua and, following the map's markings, headed toward the next beast den.

After searching several dens like this, Zhang Lan finally couldn't hold back—he lowered his voice and quietly asked Yang Commander:

"How did you figure that out?"

Zhang Lan had come along too.

Though he was a Qi Condensation cultivator, he was still a Gu Diansi of the Dao Ting Si, and came from a prominent clan; even if he encountered a second-grade beast, he had some means of self-preservation, so he came along as well.

"How else could you figure it out?" Yang Commander whispered back. "Obviously with spiritual sense."

"Of course I know that," Zhang Lan snapped. "I'm asking how spiritual sense can detect array traces!"

"Just have strong enough spiritual sense."

It really wasn't there!

Yang Commander froze, unable to help himself: "You're damn ruthless! How can you say something so cruel?"

It was just Mr. Zhuang—and during the ambush on the Qian family's elder ancestor, the young ones suffered varying degrees of injuries.

Zhang Lan glanced at him. "Lying will make you spend your whole life single."

Elder Yu then chuckled bitterly:

"Probably picked up some strange, bizarre thing again..."

Other array masters, even if weaker than me, wouldn't be that weak.

That mockery had no effect on Zhang Lan anymore.

"What about the two children of the Bai family?" Master Puppet asked.

Suddenly his brow twitched; he reopened his eyes, looked up at the sky, and stared for a long while.

How is it calculated?

We've never heard that arrays can be "calculated"?

Elder Yu silently thought to himself.

Meanwhile, in Nanshan's Zuowang Pavilion.

Elder Yu's brow gradually furrowed; his tone became solemn:

After searching a few more dens, they arrived at a desolate cave. Mo Hua released his spiritual sense—and suddenly froze.

Yang Commander also rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then blurted: "Because Mo Hua is an array master?"

Elder Yu said nothing, but his expression grew even more forlorn.

That means his spiritual sense had probed the den with perfect clarity, and his perception of the array's presence was as clear as day.

"Forget it. Old history, fleeting clouds. Everything's gone now—thinking about it is useless."

"No," Xuan Yunbo shook his head, his tone decisive:

Elder Yu tucked the scripture jade slip away into a storage pouch, then lay back down, leisurely.

Mo Hua nodded, watching nervously as the others advanced into the den's depths and vanished into darkness.

So many array masters—whether low or high grade, learned or specialized—had never once mentioned the word "calculate."

We never imagined such an obscure array term would come from Mo Hua, a mere Qi Condensation Level One cultivator, with only a Level One array skill, and no more than a dozen years old.

Xuan Yunbo smiled nervously. "I've opposed the Qian family for so many years—I never dreamed I'd drive their elder ancestor to this point. If I can kill him, even if I lose both arms, or even my life, it's worth it."

"Wait a moment," Mo Hua said. "Let me look."

With my Foundation Establishment spiritual sense, I couldn't even tell what was inside the den.

For the first time, we felt the profound mystery of the one who had guided Mo Hua in array arts.

"He really took us as disciples?" Master Puppet asked.

Not every place has a senior disciple named Mo Hua...

"If not spiritual sense, then what else could it be?"

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded, glancing at Mr. Zhuang's arm, concerned: "Elder, is your injury serious?"

"Can other array masters really perceive it?"

Zhang Lan's expression remained calm, then he suddenly frowned:

For a moment, no one spoke. Xuan Yunbo shut his eyes tightly, trying to rest again.

"Hide it well. Be careful."

"Of course..." Yang Commander said, sounding guilty.

Yang Commander replied honestly: "I can't tell..."

An hour later, Mo Hua opened his eyes again, took out paper and brush, and carefully drew the cave's several passageways and the arrays laid along them.

"A mere Qi Condensation cultivator—ashamed of it, yet proud? Good for you, Zhang Lan—you truly have no shame!" Yang Commander sneered.

"Mm." Xuan Yunbo didn't even look up, still reading the scripture in his hand. "Compile some array insights for me. After I leave, you'll have to learn array arts on your own..."

But now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.

Everyone's expressions turned solemn. "What did you find?"

He added, surprised: "I never thought my selfish younger sister would raise such a pair of sons."

"Heaven's Dao has changed?"

Yang Commander returned his scornful look. "You couldn't see it either."

"Is this meant for Mo Hua?"

Zhou Zhangsi pointed at Mo Hua's drawing: "These passages lead deep into the den—Wen Yunbo of the Qian family must be hiding out there..."

Who is Mo Hua following? What has he learned?!

Especially under the array, I could still "advise" Mo Hua a few words after finishing, but now, compared to Mo Hua, I haven't even reached the level of a "illiterate" under arrays yet…

"But," Yang Commander muttered to himself, puzzled:

Old Kui fell silent.

"What counts as strong enough?"

"I hope nothing goes wrong…"

I'm an illiterate myself—how could Yang Jiyong possibly think, unless he's just a little illiterate too?

Zhang Lan and Yang Commander exchanged a glance; neither showed surprise.

That was a beast den, where demonic aura surged skyward, mixed with all kinds of blood qi and demonic power, enough to mask any spiritual energy signature.

We come from prominent families; even if our array studies are poor, with our family's foundations, through constant exposure, we still know some basic array knowledge.

At the same time, in our eyes, the towering Mo Hua now seemed profound and inscrutable…

"Time is short; you haven't finished, but the array should still have flaws—just take a look for reference."

Yet from childhood to now, we've encountered so many array masters—some from families, some from sects, some hermits.

"You're not even Foundation Establishment—how can you tell?" Zhang Lan questioned.

"A direct disciple has never seen him so diligent," Old Kui said coolly.

Even though the path ahead is hopeless, everyone still pressed forward without hesitation.

Zhang Lan raised his estimation of Yang Jiyong again, and only then did he feel somewhat better.

"Foundation Establishment… isn't this child's spiritual sense already Foundation Establishment?"

Mr. Zhuang gave me a heavy pat on the shoulder and sighed:

"They may not give up."

"Not only are you unworthy to be a teacher, you're even unworthy to be a disciple—if not, you wouldn't…"

"Don't worry—you have your limits."

Zhang Lan looked at Yang Commander with contempt.

Elder Yu's tone was calm, yet for some reason, faintly carried sorrow.

Everyone nodded, each choosing a path; before departing, Mr. Zhuang turned back and gently instructed Mo Hua:

"That's…"

Zhang Lan nodded slightly; he too felt it made sense.

But Mo Hua was different—the den held no arrays, yet his expression was not just likely, but certain.

Upon hearing this, Elder Yu paused slightly; memories of past events surfaced in his mind, and a faint bitter smile appeared on his lips:

Wen Yunbo suddenly rose to his feet, fingers pinching as he mentally calculated, his face gradually showing disbelief.

"Those two… are indeed good kids."

Yang Commander weighed it long in his heart; compared to lifelong matters, the petty pride he'd argued for before Zhang Lan was truly not worth mentioning.

"This is merely a small Xiancheng in Sizhou—how could a heavenly Dao anomaly possibly arise here?"

Zhang Lan had long grown accustomed to it.

"You're Qi Condensation—you can't see it, fine; he's Foundation Establishment—if you can't see it, you're humiliated!" Zhang Lan declared confidently.

Old Kui paused slightly, then looked toward the horizon, his expression suddenly shaken.

Mo Hua's worry deepened further.

"What's wrong?" Old Kui asked.

Old Kui appeared silently, his voice wooden:

Elder Yu was not resting on his bamboo chair as usual; instead, he sat upright and elegant at the table, organizing scrolls and jade slips.

Elder Yu pondered for a moment, then sighed softly:

"Split up and search. If you encounter anything, don't act rashly—send a signal; others will rush to join you. Only after regrouping should we act together."

Everyone's expressions brightened, and they asked: "What kind of array?"

Zhang Lan's seven men feigned panic, but inside, their hearts churned with turmoil.

"You really can see it?" Zhang Lan asked again.

Mo Hua concealed his form, hiding quietly aside, and sighed inwardly:

"The sky is wide, the water vast—once we part, we may never meet again. Such fortune doesn't come at any time…"

Seeing Elder Yu had made his decision, Old Kui said no more.

"Why is the heavenly Dao's aura so pure?"

After speaking, Mo Hua released his divine sense, and following the spiritual energy trajectory of the formation, he deduced the formation patterns, sketching out the broken formation lines stroke by stroke in the void-white sea of consciousness, in order to determine the type of formation.

Because he was an array master, constantly dealing with arrays, drawing array patterns daily, it was normal for his spiritual sense to perceive array traces.

At this moment, the Qian family's ancestral elder's power was unknown; if they truly met, the outcome would likely be dire.

"I've lived long enough already; after burial, I naturally wish for peace—why add more karmic entanglements, why take on more worries?"

Mr. Zhuang and the others knew nothing of arrays, so they heard nothing unusual—only felt Mo Hua was truly reliable, able to solve any array problem.

Elder Yu's heart trembled; he pinched his fingers and calculated again, his expression growing even more incredulous.

"How is this possible…" Elder Yu murmured, lost in thought:

Later, Mr. Zhuang ambushed Qian family's Wen Yunbo and was wounded by the Qian family's ancestral elder, losing an arm; though treated by Master Feng, a lingering injury remained, impairing his mobility.

Zhang Lan frowned, thought for a while, still couldn't understand, so he gave up and muttered:

Mo Hua looked up, eyes brightening: "There's an array!"

What does "calculate" mean?

"What if we don't give up?" Wen Yunbo's face was expressionless; his gaze passed through the courtyard, over the layered mountains, toward the distant horizon, and he said softly:

Two formations, "Illiterate," considering such an issue is truly overestimating oneself.

"You have always been a qualified master..."

It's more important to capture the Qian family's Ancestor.