Chapter 372: Rank One

Mo Hua was awakened by the bell of Cangyun Sect.

He blinked sleepily, then realized he was taking the Rank-One Array Master qualification exam, and only a cup of tea's time remained before it ended.

Mo Hua checked his answer sheet once more, found no issues, and lay back on the desk, waiting to submit.

The desk surface was smooth, cool and refreshing—comfortable to rest on.

But the examiner kept staring at him, making Mo Hua uneasy.

Still, he was the examiner; doing so didn't seem wrong.

After a cup of tea, the bell rang again.

One by one, array masters sealed their answer sheets and handed them to the examiner.

Mo Hua followed suit, blending into the crowd as he submitted his paper.

Mo Hua thought he'd been low-key, yet along the way, many array masters still stared at him.

"Have you still not filled your quota?"

But his brushwork was too fluent, too spontaneous—and I'm too old, so it only looks like a child scribbling randomly.

Mo Shan hosted a banquet at Qingshan City's dining hall for several fellow Zhisi, both to thank them and to celebrate.

"Was this really drawn by me? Or was it someone else's work?"

"I was granted Rank One because I can determine Rank One, but that child was granted Rank One because you can only determine Rank One…"

"Conservatism is exhausted; spiritual flexibility is abundant. Look how extraordinary it is…"

"He doesn't understand." Cangyun Sect shook his head.

Yan Kenning brought Mo Hua to an empty hall, laid out the array paper, fetched brush and ink, and said to Mo Hua: "Could you please draw another Moluo Array for me?"

Though he'd expected it, Cangyun Sect was still shaken inside.

"With no proctor, how could there be ghostwriting?"

"That elder is someone we know, but his background and array mastery must be profound—we cannot afford to offend him…"

Over the next eight days, examiners from Tianshu Pavilion would grade the answer sheets, review the arrays, and finally determine the Rank-One Array Master candidates.

Eighteen years old—and already at Rank-One array mastery. Extraordinary talent.

The Zhao examiner fell silent for a long while, then sighed bitterly:

"Such deep foundation—must be at least one or two hundred years old?"

"Impossible."

Someone else asked the middle-aged examiner, "If that's so, why did you single him out and exclude him, when he drew so well?"

Later, I only wanted to pull out Mo Hua's answer sheet, see what nonsense he'd scribbled—if it was truly worthless, I'd report it to Tianshu Pavilion and hold Dao Ting Si accountable.

"That means, for the Rank-One array exam, he finished drawing all of them in barely any time, then sat there bored, and fell asleep until the exam ended…"

When Mo Hua had nothing to do, he practiced arrays himself, or accompanied his father Mo Shan to stroll around Qingshan City, buying interesting things to bring home as gifts for his mother.

Mo Hua didn't know what he was thanking him for—he just waved his hand habitually: "No need for such courtesy, Professor."

But he hadn't expected the array to make him feel ashamed…

"One hundred and eighty years still falls short…"

"Professor, is this Mo array master really that powerful?"

And that examiner—serious-faced, ignoring everyone else, only staring at him, even seeming on the verge of speaking but holding back.

One examiner nodded: "Not because others say so—you yourself feel the same."

Seeing this, the others exchanged glances and speculated:

Could it be because he slept during the exam?

The Zhao examiner, solemn and expressionless, said calmly: "It's him."

The next day, when the list was posted, Mo Hua saw his name on the Rank-One list.

Once he becomes a Rank-Seven or lower array master, if he holds grudges, digs up old grievances, and pursues our responsibility—who could bear it?

One examiner, with a rigid face, stared at one answer sheet in silence, utterly bewildered.

"At eighteen, how many arrays could he have drawn? How many array texts could he have read?"

Everyone felt a pang of regret.

"His seventh," he raised his seventh finger and sighed: "That child—we cannot afford to offend him either."

"I am Zhao. I am Professor of Tianshu Pavilion."

"Under one hundred years old? Not impossible—among array masters, prodigies are countless…"

…

Cangyun Sect nodded slightly, eyes filled with approval, then said:

After tidying up, Zhao Xuezhen could return home.

The Zhao examiner gave a bitter smile: "No."

"Therefore," Zhao examiner looked around and said gravely, "we must grant him Rank One!"

Mo Hua's spiritual sense was strong—he sensed every gaze upon him.

"Come with me."

So the surrounding array masters also knew he had passed the qualification and become a Rank-One Array Master.

Everyone was stunned.

The disciple frowned: "He can't be more talented than your Zhao family's Yidu Ye…"

"And he's too young—his future opportunities are countless; he doesn't need to rush this moment."

The middle-aged examiners frowned in unison:

Spontaneous, effortless—this is the manifestation of a Rank-One array master reaching perfection.

Mo Hua stepped down, bowed, and was just about to address him when the examiner said:

The examiner surnamed Zhao, seeing we understood, sighed:

"Counting strictly, there are only seven left."

"That's just one," said the examiner surnamed Zhao, raising his index finger.

"Most of my exam time was spent sleeping..."

Several Zhisi felt honored.

The Dingpin examination had multiple halls, each with one examiner; now these examiners gathered to jointly deliberate on Dingpin assignments:

Mo Hua did not know what position the Xuezheng held, but still bowed respectfully: "Xuezheng."

"At eighteen, to reach first-rank level, he must have had elite instruction."

This disciple surnamed Zhao belonged to the same clan as Zhao Xue, with some connection; thus, Yan Kening brought him along for this Dingpin examination to gain experience.

"Sigh... it's hard on people," sighed one examiner.

Unexpectedly, there truly was no white curtain.

Cangyun Sect said plainly: "I have a request that cannot be refused."

Outside the room, silence fell instantly.

"Brother Zhao, what are you looking at?" asked an examiner curiously.

"With such array mastery, is he truly within the first-rank category?"

At this point, that first-rank rank must be given, whether we like it or not.

"After this parting, I may never see you again!"

After leaving, Mo Hua encountered the examiner who had supervised him.

The examiners pondered carefully, then realized—each felt a sudden constriction in the chest, a chill in the heart.

"The Yang family's foundation is indeed solid, but at forty-eight, he's rather old; better to give fewer slots to older array masters..."

Everyone turned to look, all startled:

The disciple frowned, "What don't you understand?"

The middle-aged examiner hurriedly said: "Eighteen."

"Xuezheng, please speak."

Cangyun Sect's emotions churned; in the end, he could only sigh inwardly:

Mo Hua relaxed, nodded, then took up his brush with a steady hand, flowing like clouds and water—within moments, he completed the Molting Fire Array.

"Such a superb array, and we missed it?"

This trip could be said to have been thoroughly rewarding.

Mo Hua also bowed and took his leave, then boarded the carriage of Dao Ting Si with his father Mo Shan, and slowly departed from Yan Kening, heading home.

The examiners exchanged glances, all stunned into silence, with no words to say.

The list contained only native place and name, no other information.

Two days ago, the answer sheets had still not been fully reviewed.

"How absurd—to sleep during the exam?"

"And he still got one point."

He did not wish to believe it, but the array lay before him—he could not deny it.

"Qingshan City, Yang Xu, forty-eight, profound array foundation, worthy of being called young and accomplished."

The middle-aged examiner frowned: "Brother Zhao, what do you mean?"

"Sleeping?"

"If we grant him first-rank, people will question it, criticize us; if Tian Shu Pavilion investigates, we'll be in trouble."

"You're kidding ghosts?"

Cangyun Sect nodded: "He is the most gifted array master I have ever seen."

The disciple was unconvinced: "Though Elder One was seventy when he achieved first-rank, had our Ancestor not urged him to temper himself, he could have taken the Dingpin exam long ago—not to mention eighteen, even seventeen could have become a first-rank array master."

The disciple was puzzled, following the Xuezheng's gaze, seeing the carriage vanishing into Qingshan, and asked hesitantly:

"Heaven has its heavens, people have their people..."

Mo Hua's heart leapt with joy.

How high was this child's insight? How many times had he drawn arrays...?

Cangyun Sect nodded, but did not move.

"Really eighteen?"

The other several array masters froze.

"What else can we do? High families have already intervened—we can't offend them, and we can't refuse..."

Unexpectedly, the answer sheet was indeed too complex; for him now, achieving first-rank array master was truly difficult.

Mo Hua did not shout loudly: "I passed!"

"Not many left—several great clans have already requested slots, and several sects have reserved some; two slots remain: one donated by a Jin Dan cultivator for a senior."

The examiner surnamed Zhao snapped back to himself, then spread out the answer sheet and hurriedly said:

The middle-aged examiner sighed: "Too old... for array masters under a hundred, we must consider carefully—how much more so, he's only eighteen..."

The examiner pointed to the name field at the top of the answer sheet: "How old do you guess this array master is?"

Cangyun Sect stood beneath Zhao Xuezheng's Shanfeng, watching Mo Hua's carriage depart, lost in thought.

The examiner surnamed Zhao said: "Not giving him first-rank brings us even greater trouble."

"What a pity... that formation was drawn terribly badly; you're just saying you're like..."

Others frowned and asked: "Why?"

"From Xiancheng, Mo Hua, First-Rank Formation Master."

"How old?"

"It's truly wrong!"

But the Zhao examiner said sternly: "Give him First-Rank."

The Zhao examiner added, "The boy's formation talent is even more terrifying than they think."

"If we truly speak of talent and future in formations, that Mo brother may not be inferior to your Yiduo Elder..."

Cangyun Sect shook its head: "Yes, yes, consider it your personal request."

After a while, no Tianshu Pavilion disciple came to summon Cangyun Sect to the Wenxian Hall for discussion.

All those present fell silent.

"Guess two hundred..."

"They're looking at that formation..."

This left Mo Hua utterly baffled.

Who is that person?

My father, Mo Shan, was deeply delighted.

Ate and drank for free, had a pleasant trip, and successfully earned his rank as a First-Rank Formation Master.

One middle-aged examiner chuckled bitterly:

Mo Hua asked puzzled: "Is this the next stage of the First-Rank Formation Master exam?"

After praise, another examiner asked doubtfully:

Someone asked: "Brother Zhao, did you really draw this formation yourself?"

Inside the sealed hall, the papers provisionally rated First-Rank were gathered together.

"What nonsense."

"Excellent brushwork!"

"Fluid and seamless, executed in one breath—there's even a touch of a Grand Master's style..."

"Thank you, Great Friend!"

Although Mo Hua had long known he possessed the ability of a First-Rank Formation Master, official ratification by the Dao Court still carried unique significance.

After the exam, Mo Hua must remain at Zhao Xuezheng's residence for eight days.

The exam itself wasn't tiring; he finished quickly.

Cangyun Sect gazed into the distance, sighed, and said urgently:

When others stared at him, his spiritual sense stirred in response; over time, it became exhausting.

That day, the boy's brush danced like a dragon, truly drawing a formation...

"Who was supervising him?"

"You're the one who eliminated him..."

"His foundation is incredibly solid!"

Everyone froze, then gradually understood.

Overjoyed, Mo Hua felt both proud and strangely uneasy; he thought about it, and still felt uneasy.

Several examiners discussed among themselves.

Cangyun Sect's demeanor suddenly grew solemn, even respectful; he bowed and said:

"Eighteen."

He hadn't done anything special...

"And your Zhao family has deep roots in formation studies, solid foundations; Yiduo Elder learned countless things from childhood, which is why his promotion was so slow."

"That Zhao Cheng from Qingxuan City is one hundred forty-eight years old, his brushwork mature and refined; in your view, could he be granted First-Rank..."

On the scroll, the name "Mo Hua" was written.

Everyone frowned in confusion.

Being stared at by others, however, was tiring.

All the examiners looked stunned.

After submitting his paper, Mo Hua left the Wenxian Hall and suddenly felt weightless.

The Zhao examiner said urgently: "Everyone knows that learning formations requires a master's lineage; without a renowned teacher's guidance, one will make no progress."

"If you really grant him First-Rank, others will say we've been biased..."

One examiner sighed, murmuring:

Is this something a human could do?

The Zhao examiner sighed: "Eighteen."

Where on earth did this prodigy come from...

"Eighteen years old—this is likely the youngest First-Rank Formation Master in Great Baishan's territory in the past thousand years..."

Thank you to readers and Qingchun Liji for the rewards~

I should finish Volume One today~