Chapter 403: Lesser Lingyin Sect

During the rest of the journey, Mo Hua would poke his little head out the window from time to time, watching the scenery of heaven and earth.

He looked between the mountain ranges, at Xiancheng, and among ruined temples, searching for any trace of a formation.

If he saw some sign, he would release his divine sense to sense it.

Then he would carefully derive and calculate.

If he calculated the spiritual power trajectory of a formation, he would stop the carriage, get down, and personally investigate.

He would ask the local cultivators, visit the local formation masters, or go to rarely visited mountain peaks to look at an ancient stone stele standing upon them…

Walking and stopping like this, two months passed.

Mo Hua did indeed find some special formations, and even two absolute formations.

But one was incomplete, and the other had only ten patterns, and it was a simple ten-pattern one, with very simple contained Dao essence.

Even without the aid of the Dao Stele, Mo Hua learned it in just a few days.

After that, there was no trace of any absolute formation.

There were no first-grade ten-pattern ones, let alone first-grade eleven-pattern ones, much less first-grade twelve-pattern formations.

Mo Hua sighed.

The Dao Stele in his sea of consciousness had "gone on strike" and hadn't recovered yet, so he practiced formations far fewer times each day.

He could only rely on drawing the Thick Earth Formation to enhance his formation comprehension and temper his divine sense.

But his divine sense was already at twelve patterns.

Drawing the eleven-pattern Thick Earth Formation was well within his abilities and could no longer really temper his divine sense.

Over these days, his divine sense had grown extremely slowly.

He was still far from thirteen-pattern divine sense.

Compared to this, his cultivation progress was actually much faster.

It was very likely that until the peak of Qi Refining Layer Nine, his divine sense would still be stuck at twelve patterns, unable to reach thirteen, let alone the mid-Foundation Establishment divine sense above thirteen patterns.

Building his foundation with twelve-pattern divine sense…

Mo Hua sighed again; this was much worse than expected.

It seemed he had to think of a way…

Mo Hua thought briefly, then ran off to find Mr. Zhuang again and asked:

"Master, are twelve-pattern formations really very rare?"

Mr. Zhuang sipped his tea and said leisurely:

"Any absolute formation is very rare. Whether you encounter one depends, first, on fate, and second, on discernment."

"Without fate, you won't encounter one; without enough discernment, even if you encounter one, you won't recognize it."

"Being able to encounter the Thick Earth Formation already counts as deep fate; you can't expect an absolute formation at every place you go."

"Searching for formations requires long time and patience."

Mo Hua nodded, then frowned and sighed:

"But if this keeps up, before I build my foundation, I'll only have twelve-pattern divine sense…"

Mr. Zhuang tapped Mo Hua's forehead and said with a smile:

"If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't play these little tricks with your master."

Mo Hua grinned and said, "I've heard of a twelve-pattern formation."

Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly. "Tell me about it."

"Master, do you still remember Instructor Yan?" Mo Hua said.

Mr. Zhuang's gaze shifted slightly. "The Lingshu Formation Diagram?"

Mo Hua was startled. "Master, you even know about this?"

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua's shocked expression, a hint of a smile in his eyes:

"I had a chance encounter with Instructor Yan, and it was precisely because of this formation."

Mo Hua thought it over and gradually understood.

Mr. Zhuang was unfathomably deep, living in seclusion in the mountains, concealing his tracks; ordinary cultivators could never meet him at all.

The cultivators in Xiancheng, apart from himself, had never seen Mr. Zhuang at all.

Even Mo Hua's parents, Seeing Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua, only knew Mr. Zhuang's name but had never met him, nor knew what he looked like.

But Instructor Yan was different.

Mo Hua had always believed Instructor Yan's formation skill was extraordinary.

But that was only because he had once been a disciple of Tongxian Sect, had received Instructor Yan's guidance in formations, and felt grateful in his heart.

In reality, Instructor Yan was merely a Qi Refining cultivator, and not even a first-grade formation master.

Such attainment in formations, in a small Xiancheng like Tongxian City, was already considered profound.

But in Mr. Zhuang's eyes, it was probably not worth mentioning.

Based on formation skill alone, Instructor Yan might not have been able to get to know Mr. Zhuang.

Back then, it was even less likely that he would have recommended Mo Hua to become Mr. Zhuang's registered disciple.

Looking at it now, Mr. Zhuang knew that Instructor Yan carried the karmic inheritance of an absolute formation, and only then regarded him differently.

And only by such a fortunate coincidence was Mo Hua able to enter Mr. Zhuang's tutelage.

Mo Hua could not help but ask, "Master, is the Lingshu Formation very powerful?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded:

"Every absolute formation has some extraordinary effect; what they uphold are spiritual power rules that are uncommon and close to the Dao."

"The Reverse Spirit Formation is like this, the Thick Earth Formation is like this, and the Lingshu Formation is the same."

"The Reverse Spirit Array is destruction, the Thick Earth Array is life; the key to the Spirit Pivot Array lies in the character 'pivot.'"

"The Spirit Pivot is the spiritual core, concerning the fundamental structure of spiritual power..."

Mr. Zhuang was about to say more, but suddenly fell silent.

Mo Hua listened, unsatisfied, and hurriedly asked:

"Master, why won't you continue?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled, "The rest, if you can obtain this array diagram, you may discover it yourself; if you cannot obtain it, speaking of it would be pointless."

Mo Hua thought to himself: "Master is being cryptic again..."

As soon as he thought it, he was startled—he looked up and saw Mr. Zhuang watching him with a half-smile.

Mo Hua chuckled awkwardly.

Damn it, I just mentally criticized my master—and he caught me.

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, his gaze tender, but said nothing.

Mo Hua then asked: "Master, what is the origin of this Spirit Pivot Array diagram? And what lineage does Teacher Yan belong to?"

Mr. Zhuang paused to think, then spoke slowly:

"Teacher Yan's sect is called the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect."

"The Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect traces its roots to the Great Spirit Seclusion Sect, an array sect that had already declined a thousand years ago."

"A thousand years ago, the Great Spirit Seclusion Sect was destroyed; its disciples scattered, and its teachings fell into many hands."

"They did not wish for their sect's name to vanish, yet dared not boldly claim 'Great Spirit Seclusion,' so they changed one character and called it the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect."

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and added:

"Besides the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect, other sects that appear impoverished but carry the words 'Spirit Seclusion' in their names—such as Lesser Spirit Seclusion Mountain, Spirit Seclusion Gate, Spirit Seclusion Valley—may all be connected to the Great Spirit Seclusion Sect."

"If the opportunity arises, pay them a visit, make connections, and see if any lost teachings remain."

Mo Hua nodded, memorizing the words 'Spirit Seclusion.'

Mr. Zhuang sighed slightly, then continued:

"The reason I agreed to meet Teacher Yan in the first place was to see the Spirit Pivot Array diagram of the Spirit Seclusion Sect."

"Unfortunately, the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect has been destroyed, and the array has been stolen and lost."

"Yet though I never saw the diagram, Teacher Yan himself has an upright character and teaches without concealment—he embodies the spirit of the Great Spirit Seclusion Sect's array masters of old."

"I greatly admired him, which is why I allowed him to visit me whenever he had need..."

After speaking, Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua's clear eyes and silently sighed:

"Who knew that when he came again, he brought me a young disciple—extraordinarily gifted, clever, and well-behaved..."

Mo Hua did not know what Mr. Zhuang was thinking; he furrowed his brow in thought, then asked:

"What happened that caused the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect to be destroyed?"

Mr. Zhuang said: "Since you now know of the Spirit Pivot Array diagram, you must have heard of the destruction of the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect."

"Yes." Mo Hua nodded. "They say a traitor murdered his master and ancestors and stole the array diagram."

Mo Hua felt angry.

Teacher Yan was kind, diligent, earnest, and responsible in teaching—he was a good instructor.

His master must surely have been a good array master and a good teacher who valued the transmission of array knowledge.

Such a man was killed by a heartless, ungrateful disciple.

And that disciple stole the sect's sacred array diagram, causing the once-great sect to collapse...

Mr. Zhuang sighed: "Human greed leads to forgetting righteousness; there are many cultivators like this in the world..."

"Do not assume all cultivators are like this just because the people of Immortal City are simple and honest, and hermits help each other."

"Among cultivators, there are good people, evil people, and those who shift between good and evil depending on their interests."

"The Dao is unpredictable; human hearts are treacherous and inscrutable."

"You must guard not only against evil people, but also against good people who become evil under the lure of profit..."

Mr. Zhuang patiently and earnestly imparted his teachings.

Mo Hua listened, nodding repeatedly:

"Master, I understand. Whoever treats me well, I treat well; whoever treats me badly, I treat badly."

Hearing this childish remark, Mr. Zhuang couldn't help laughing, then asked:

"But what if the one who treats you well is evil, and the one who treats you badly is good?"

"As long as I never do evil, then those who treat me badly are naturally evil, and those who treat me well are naturally good."

Mo Hua said clearly.

Mr. Zhuang nodded and smiled:

"Indeed, that is the logic."

Mo Hua smiled too.

Mr. Zhuang continued: "Since you brought this up, have you learned any clues?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Before I left, I went to see Master Mo..."

"He is also from the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect—technically Teacher Yan's junior brother."

"He told me Teacher Yan went to the Small Wilderness Region, Nan Yue City—he must be searching for the sect's traitor."

"And that traitor must possess the Lesser Spirit Seclusion Sect's secret transmission: the Grade-One, Twelve-Emblem Spirit Pivot Array diagram!"

Thank you to the readers for your support~

(End of Chapter)