Chapter 348: Eleven Lines

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then suddenly calmed down.

Although he had drawn the complete array pivot, he still felt uneasy.

Could this one be just a coincidence?

He erased the pivot and drew it again, sighing involuntarily.

Indeed, it was only due to a momentary peak state and a flash of inspiration that he had drawn the pivot; when he tried again, his focus was insufficient and his spiritual sense slightly weaker, so he failed.

But his spiritual sense wasn't much weaker—just needed more care and deeper comprehension.

If something happens once, it must happen again.

Since he had succeeded once, he could certainly succeed a second time.

Mo Hua focused again and continued drawing.

Time passed slowly; when he reached the fourth attempt, he finally drew out the pivot of the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Array, complete and flawless, not a single line missing.

Mo Hua exhaled in relief; the exhaustion from a month of relentless effort and tireless dedication washed over him, and he sprawled flat on his bed, snoring soundly to sleep.

We know exactly what Mo Hua was drawing.

Mo Hua drew all morning, ruined two sheets of paper, and finally, as night fell, destroyed the pivot of a minor array.

A first-rank array master of the Qi Condensation stage can construct a first-rank minor array.

Although I taught it, and I was the one who told Mo Hua to draw it.

That registered disciple might be heaven's gift to me, allowing me, in my lifetime, to have a clever, obedient senior disciple.

All seven of Mo Shan felt stunned, yet also filled with pride.

Boasting is something I can tell Mo Hua—it won't hurt me, won't damage my image as a transcendent, superior elder in the disciples' eyes.

Mo Hua didn't understand minor arrays well; though he had drawn the pivot, he still lacked confidence, so he wanted to confirm it with Mr. Zhuang.

Seeing Mr. Zhuang burdened with worries, Mo Hua couldn't help but ask anxiously:

Whether it was coincidence, calculation, or hidden heavenly patterns—what did it matter?

And in reality, the array pivot is formed by using paper as the array medium, with spiritual ink tracing the array lines, creating a tangible array.

"Impossible!"

Ge Meirong smiled faintly, "Fine, you've done well."

The minor array's pivot is smaller in scale, so the paper used as the medium is also smaller.

His spiritual sense is extraordinary, he learns array theory slowly, mastered the Heavenly Evolution Scripture to break through illusions, used visualization diagrams to build his foundation, and even learned array computation…

Mo Hua asked his parents to help him store the array paper in his storage bag, then rushed off excitedly to find Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang took a deep breath, suppressing his inner emotions.

But could a child of ten or so really draw something like this?

"Impossible?"

Old Kui ignored me and instead looked at Shenshan's crimson demonic aura, saying calmly:

"But don't get too excited—building the minor array may be even harder than drawing its pivot."

The sky had darkened, the mountains deep and heavy.

Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment, then added:

My whole life, I've been poor at judging people, poor at taking disciples.

"No, not wrong!"

A broken first-rank minor array pivot unfolded abruptly before Ge Meirong…

I am now fallen.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhuang's expression turned solemn; he carefully reconsidered every joint of the minor array, then studied Mo Hua's drawn pivot in detail, pondering long before finally giving a slight nod and agreeing:

Mr. Zhuang suddenly understood, glanced again at Mo Hua's pivot, and said with satisfaction:

Mo Hua exhaled in relief, unable to suppress a smile, his eyes narrowing into crescents.

"Impossible," Mr. Zhuang said again.

The more Mr. Zhuang thought, the more he regretted it, sighing: "What a pity…"

He slept straight through until noon; only when he smelled food did he open his eyes.

By chance, he took on a registered disciple with an exceptional elemental affinity, excellent array comprehension, quick-witted and lively—someone delightful.

I've never trained a good disciple in my life.

Suddenly, Mr. Zhuang froze again.

He stood up quickly, his gaze serious, examined the pivot meticulously, and then his heart trembled.

Mo Hua let out a long breath.

Since I've taken the Dao, I should live freely—after living this long, why cling to fear?

Ge Meirong was about to speak, but suddenly her expression halted, her eyes filled with astonishment: "He… learned it?"

The sky had not yet brightened; the night was still deep.

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a moment, sighed, "Yes."

He ate heartily, then resumed drawing the great array's pivot.

Seeing Mo Hua's departing back, full of vigor, Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but smile again and shake his head.

"What's a pity?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Liu Ruhua noticed he had grown thin, his face no longer round, and felt pity, so she prepared a full table of delicious food for him.

In the night, Mr. Zhuang paused, his gaze gradually sharpening as he said sharply:

Mo Hua, panting from running all the way, nodded.

"Impossible," Mr. Zhuang said calmly.

It's not yet evening, and Mo Hua won't disturb me at that time.

In the pitch-black night, within the bamboo room, the withered, ancient face of Kui Lao suddenly appeared.

Kui Lao blinked in surprise, then his gaze sharpened as he looked at Mr. Zhuang, thinking he had misheard:

Mo Hua's eyes were murky and dim, like the waters of Tianchi Lake, free of even a trace of impurity.

But why, of all people, had this disciple appeared just now?

"To rob someone of their wealth is to take their life—it's not enough to say a few kind words and expect them to hand over their entire fortune."

Mo Hua bowed gratefully: "Thank you, Mr.!"

"I told you before: constructing a Great Array requires immense human and material resources; its operation demands vast quantities of Spirit Stones. These are real cultivation resources—not easily gathered…"

Mr. Zhuang's expression remained calm, but inside he felt a surge of pride.

Mr. Zhuang snapped out of his thoughts and unconsciously glanced at Mo Hua.

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua watched Mo Hua paint nearby, helping him lay out paper, pass him brushes, mix ink, wipe his sweat, or bring him tea.

Mr. Zhuang's face was as still as water, silent and unspoken.

And yet this Great Array Master was his own registered disciple…

Without death qi, it'll be troublesome…

Mr. Zhuang sat inside the room, watching the blood aura of Shenshan Xiaoyao, his fingers pinching the air as if calculating something.

"When you appear, could you be a bit more natural? Don't make it so sinister…"

"Mr., can you now begin constructing the Great Array?"

Just being a teacher and taking on a registered disciple has turned out to be such a "great achievement."

If I were to boast about this, I would be invincible, subduing all seven directions, leaving none who could raise their head before me.

"You must prepare yourself mentally, be ready for it."

In the cultivation world, there are great masters with extraordinary talent for arrays—I don't believe this is possible.

Mr. Zhuang's smile faded, and he couldn't help but complain:

But this registered disciple had exceeded his expectations.

He has already drawn the core of a Grade-One Great Array; with a little more effort, he might truly construct a Grade-One Great Array!

Drawing arrays on physical paper is relatively harder;

"No need to thank me."

But when the expected event actually occurred, he still felt a normal shock.

A cloud of doubt slowly formed in Mr. Zhuang's heart:

For some reason, Mr. Zhuang's heart felt suddenly light, and a faint smile appeared.

Dissolving arrays in the soul sea is more difficult;

Seeing Mo Hua, Mr. Zhuang was slightly surprised.

Mo Hua's eyes instantly brightened.

Kui Lao's heart trembled, his face filled with disbelief.

"Too bad… nothing." Mr. Zhuang said clearly.

Mo Hua memorized each point, then bowed and took his leave.

Mo Hua did not know what Mr. Zhuang was thinking and said nervously:

"So what you gave me isn't a ten-pattern… it's an eleven-pattern Demon-Slaying Great Array!"

Mo Hua is his own registered disciple.

From his storage pouch, he took out the array paper with the drawn core, carefully unfolded it, and laid it on the ground.

"Mr., is my drawing correct?"

But watching Mo Hua, a child of about ten, drawing with painstaking precision, each stroke strict and disciplined, rendering a simple yet profoundly deep and vast array,

Ge Meirong glanced sternly at Mo Hua and said with a touch of awe: "He can now try to gather resources to construct the Great Array."

Looking into Mo Hua's eyes, Mr. Zhuang paused slightly, and his doubts gradually faded.

The room was already filled with meals.

He was merely a wanderer in a remote corner of the cultivation world, temporarily residing in a secluded Great Immortal City.

This array talent and speed of learning arrays was… inconceivable…

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, and a trace of doubt surfaced in his heart.

The core in the soul sea is, fundamentally, an array dissolved by his spiritual awareness;

Mr. Zhuang shook his head—it was his own hard-won mastery…

Mr. Zhuang instantly straightened his back, his spirit lifted.

Mo Hua nodded. "Mr., I've made up my mind!"

Kui Lao frowned. "Then he still…"

He withdrew his spiritual awareness from the soul sea.

"The blood aura has grown heavier—there's death qi now."

This time, unlike in the soul sea, he needed to redraw the core on physical paper.

"Can a Grade-One Ten-Pattern Great Array truly trap and kill that Great Xiaoyao?" Kui Lao asked doubtfully.

Then he felt a deep sense of regret.

He must manifest the core from his soul sea onto physical array paper, so that the Great Array can truly be constructed within heaven and earth.

The Four States of the cultivation world stretch boundlessly.

Now his cultivation is merely Qi Condensation, and his array skill is only Grade-One, yet in just one month he has already learned and drawn the core of the Great Array.

So, no matter what, Mo Hua must first draw it on paper beneath.

Mo Hua's mood instantly improved.

Why had I, who had always decided to take disciples, suddenly had the whim to take that provisional disciple?

The foundation for constructing a small array is that I must know how to draw it; the key to drawing it is mastering the array's pivot.

"Ten strokes is the path."

Previously, Mr. Zhuang had also offered a few pointers, including prior collection of material resources, manpower mobilization, coordination at the array pivot, and compatibility issues between single arrays connected in parallel.

That was exactly what I had expected.

When actually constructing the small array, drawing the array onto a proper array medium reduces spiritual awareness consumption—and also makes it harder.

These old acquaintances, these former companions, these brilliant rivals, these late-night confidants—none of them remain connected; I will likely never see them again in this life.

I've figured it out!

Were those… truly coincidences?

Mo Hua laid out, outside the courtyard, a sheet of paper smaller than his entire body, and slowly, stroke by stroke, completed drawing the array pivot.

Thank you to the readers Wuyi2021 for the support~