Chapter 535: Out-of-Body

But this kind of derivation involves absolute arrays; though it can't be said to be very difficult, it is very time-consuming.

Until two hours had passed, Mo Hua still hadn't figured out any clue.

The three of them left the shrine again and returned to the guest rooms of the Wuxing Sect.

Mo Hua briefly sat in meditation, rested for a moment, and once his divine sense was full, continued to derive the relationship between the Five Elements Spirit Array and the shrine.

On the shrine diagram, Mo Hua drew five Five Elements Spirit Arrays according to their orientations.

Then, based on the results of his derivation, he sketched and drew between the spirit arrays.

Lines upon lines, intersecting, connecting, interweaving…

Although Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi knew the Xiantian Array Style, they didn't know derivation, so they could only watch Mo Hua calculate and draw by himself.

Mr. Zhuang also watched silently, giving no hints and saying nothing.

Obviously, he wanted Mo Hua to be independent, to rely on his own ability to solve problems, to unravel mysteries, and to comprehend arrays.

Because he knew clearly in his heart that he couldn't help Mo Hua for a lifetime.

In fact, he couldn't even help him much longer…

Mo Hua neglected sleep and food, deriving arrays, and at night his divine sense sank into the sea of consciousness, continuing to calculate on the Dao Stele.

Within the Dao Stele, divine sense could be rewound.

Thus the efficiency of derivation was higher.

Finally, the next morning, Mo Hua derived the array relationships within the shrine's Five Elements Array Diagram.

In the shrine's structural diagram, with the shrine as the core and the Five Elements Spirit Arrays as radiating wings, the array patterns were rigorous, and the spiritual power trajectories interwove, forming a complex and profound spirit-path diagram.

These spiritual power trajectories had a total of six confluence points.

Five of them were the positions of those five cushions, and one was a hidden orientation.

This orientation was on the fourth floor of the Hidden Array Pavilion, hidden, with no cushion and no other markings whatsoever.

Mo Hua even suspected that the Grand Elder of the Wuxing Sect might not know this position either…

Because calculating it was too complicated.

Moreover, it had to be extremely precise; not a fraction of deviation could be allowed.

The method of divine-sense derivation, deriving the spirit-paths of absolute arrays, might have been nothing special for the Wuxing Sect of the past.

But times had changed; for the current Wuxing Sect, it might really be just like a "divine scripture."

Mo Hua let out a slight breath of relief.

Regardless, calculating this orientation brought him one step closer to the essence of the Five Elements Spirit Array…

……

The fourth day.

After the Grand Elder finished burning incense and left, Mo Hua, who had been pretending to meditate, immediately stood up, took out the derived shrine Five Elements Diagram, and then, comparing it against the derived spirit-paths, searched for the correct orientation.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were also helping search.

The entire floor of the fourth floor of the Hidden Array Pavilion was paved with a single complete slab of brick and stone.

The stone was smooth, with no patterns and not the slightest point of reference, so determining the orientation took some time.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Mo Hua placed a drop of ink at a position that looked extremely ordinary.

This drop of ink marked the confluence point of the Five Elements spirit-paths.

It was also the sixth "cushion" for visualizing the shrine.

Mo Hua sighed. "The ancestors of the Wuxing Sect really had a lot of cunning tricks up their sleeves."

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi glanced at Mo Hua without speaking, but in their hearts both muttered:

"No matter how many tricks, they still aren't as many as yours…"

The ancestors of the Wuxing Sect set up so many measures and hid such deep secrets, yet you still dug them all out…

"Try visualizing it."

Bai Zixi urged.

There wasn't much time; this was already the fourth day, and the five-day deadline was very close; not a moment could be wasted.

"Mm."

Mo Hua nodded, then sat cross-legged in meditation at the Five Elements confluence orientation, "sitting" on the sixth, invisible cushion, and visualized the shrine.

This time, what he saw was no longer the ritual ground.

Instead, it was a great door.

The great door of the shrine!

The door was deep and ancient, with five kinds of complex patterns carved upon it.

These patterns were very familiar to Mo Hua—they were precisely the array patterns of the first-grade thirteen-pattern Five Elements Spirit Array.

But… the door was tightly shut…

Mo Hua sighed.

He finally understood how the Wuxing Sect's Five Elements Spirit Array had been lost.

This door guarded against villains, and also against gentlemen.

It guarded against outsiders, and also against one's own people…

The patterns on it were clear and plain to see; at one glance you could tell it was a puzzle array.

The array's spirit-paths had been tampered with, as if "encrypted."

One had to undergo derivation to solve the array and open the door.

How could an ordinary array master possibly calculate this out?

Was this Five Elements Spirit Array perhaps never meant for first-grade array masters to learn in the first place?

The ancestors of the Wuxing Sect must have had some issues in their heads…

They wrapped their own lineage like a zongzi, tightly and securely.

Mo Hua felt a bit speechless.

But now was clearly not the time for silent criticism.

He immediately spread out paper, took out brush and ink, and meticulously, stroke by stroke, copied down the complete Five Elements puzzle array on the gate.

After finishing the copying, about two hours had passed.

Mo Hua then erased the ink mark he had made.

Indeed, not long after, the Grand Elder arrived.

"Time's up. Please return."

The Grand Elder's tone was still polite, but his eyes held a faint sneer.

Mo Hua and the other two could only return.

Mo Hua could calculate and solve the Five Elements puzzle array on the shrine gate himself, but it would take time.

But before that, he still went to ask Mr. Zhuang.

Mo Hua showed Mr. Zhuang the array diagram he had copied.

Mr. Zhuang was slightly surprised, but not startled.

Mo Hua then understood:

"My master must have seen this puzzle array before—possibly even solved it himself and entered the shrine."

But my master certainly wouldn't give me any guidance.

Mo Hua then asked about other things:

"Master, were these methods set up by the ancestors of the Wuxing Sect?"

Mr. Zhuang sighed, "In a sense… yes…"

"Why make it so complicated?"

Mr. Zhuang said with interest, "To keep thieves out."

"Thieves?" Mo Hua blinked, then said, "You mean… me?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly, "Yes. You count too."

"But… even if you're keeping out thieves, this is too much trouble—isn't this overkill?"

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, "No. They were guarding against generations of our own sect's disciples—not overkill at all! Our… sect's cultivators, since ancient times, have all been of exceptional talent and extraordinary brilliance…"

Mr. Zhuang glanced at Mo Hua and paused, startled.

Mo Hua had self-awareness: "Master, except for me… everyone else is of exceptional talent and extraordinary brilliance…"

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a moment, then said gently:

"Your innate constitution is somewhat lacking, but in array techniques, you're still… extraordinarily brilliant…"

"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua nodded, "Master, please continue."

Mr. Zhuang recalled where he had left off and continued:

"If the ancestors of the Wuxing Sect didn't set a high threshold or make the puzzles difficult enough, the array would be easily seen through…"

"Used to guard against us, it's actually reasonable…"

"But this way, the later generations of the Wuxing Sect suffer instead."

"Once the sect declines, if the later disciples are unworthy, hardly any of them can break through the illusions and learn the legacy."

"These arrays would simply be lost…"

As Mr. Zhuang spoke these words, he glanced at Mo Hua and gave earnest instruction:

"In the cultivation world, sects and clans that establish themselves through arrays always hide their legacies deeply."

"The Wuxing Sect's method of concealing arrays is particularly distinctive."

"It appears simple, yet is obscure."

"Though obscure, all of it conforms to the principles of arrays."

"Pay close attention, study diligently. Once you break it, you'll be able to draw analogies. Later, when you encounter similar array legacies, with the Wuxing Sect as a reference, you'll be able to solve and comprehend them yourself."

Mr. Zhuang's tone grew slightly somber: "In the cultivation world's tens of thousands of years, noble families rise and fall, sects flourish and decline…"

"Some forces may seem insignificant, but their ancestral legacies must not be underestimated."

"These legacies are often hidden in unremarkable things."

"Cultivation relies on fate—some people's fate comes from luck."

"But some people's fate comes from insight…"

"Luck is innate and unpredictable; insight is acquired—you can learn it, observe it, and think about it yourself…"

"The Dao favors those with determination. In the future, you must pay close attention…"

Mr. Zhuang's gaze was restrained and subtle, hiding deep emotion.

"Yes!" Mo Hua nodded solemnly.

He understood: his master was using the Wuxing Sect's legacy to teach him a method.

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him to fish.

His master hoped that one day, Mo Hua would rely on his own vision, understanding, and insight to seek out fate, discover arrays, and explore the Dao…

Mo Hua looked at the faintly breathing Mr. Zhuang, his heart filled with melancholy and complexity.

…

That night, Mo Hua still neglected sleep and food, calculating array patterns and solving the Five Elements puzzle array.

Thanks to the Dao Stele, Mo Hua's calculations grew faster and faster…

And at this moment, within the Array Repository.

The Grand Elder lit three incense sticks before the shrine.

One stick had burned one-third, another one-quarter, and the middle stick remained unlit, utterly motionless.

The Grand Elder felt a measure of relief, yet also surprise.

He was relieved that the Wuxing Sect's lineage had been preserved!

Only one day and two hours remained.

They could never possibly comprehend the Wuxing Sect's supreme sect array—the Five Elements Spirit Array!

What surprised him was that the young array master had indeed not gleaned even a single clue to the Five Elements Spirit Array from the shrine…

The Grand Elder sneered.

Early brilliance does not guarantee later greatness.

To be talented in youth is nothing more than that—potential exhausted, what future remains?

"I overestimated that young array master…"

The Grand Elder turned and left.

He did not notice that within the shrine's ritual chamber, the wooden elder carving had also smiled strangely…

…

The puzzle array on the door, though complex, shared the same origin as the Five Elements Convergence array pattern before the shrine—only one converged, the other diverged.

Mo Hua, familiar with the path, spent one night and successfully deduced the array's spiritual pathways.

On the fifth day—the final day stipulated by the Wuxing Sect for comprehending the Five Elements Spirit Array—Mo Hua felt uneasy, yet still entered the fourth floor of the Array Repository as usual, alongside his junior brother and junior sister.

The Grand Elder burned incense, closed the door, then ascended to the third floor to drink tea with Mr. Zhuang.

Before the shrine, all was silent.

Mo Hua reconfirmed his position, then began meditating on the shrine.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi stood to his left and right, guarding him.

The instant Mo Hua meditated on the shrine, the door, densely covered in array patterns, reappeared.

Mo Hua used his spiritual sense to activate the array, following the spiritual pathway diagram he had deduced the previous day, slowly restoring the array patterns, redirecting the converged spiritual paths back to their original positions.

Soon, the complex array diagram upon the shrine door became clear and distinct.

It was five clearly separated Five Elements array diagrams.

In the center of the diagrams, surrounded them, was a Taiji-shaped lock.

Mo Hua's spiritual thought stirred—the Taiji slowly rotated, the shrine door turned with it, the Five Elements flowed in a vortex.

Within the vortex, utter darkness.

Mo Hua's heart tightened slightly.

Before he could think further, he felt a suction arise from the void, pulling at his spiritual sea, as if attempting to draw his spiritual sense out of his body.

Mo Hua immediately calmed his mind and stabilized his spirit.

The instant his true form manifested, his spiritual body was sucked through the door, torn from his spiritual sea, and pulled into the shrine.

The moment his spiritual sense left his body, Mo Hua's eyes dimmed and slowly closed, his body slumping limply to the ground.

Bai Zixi immediately caught Mo Hua, then frowned, testing his breath—his frown deepened.

Bai Zisheng was startled, asking urgently: "What happened?"

Bai Zixi's gaze sharpened. "It seems… his spiritual sense has left his body?"

Bai Zisheng gasped. "He's only Qi Refining! Spiritual sense departure can kill him!"

Bai Zixi immediately said: "Anhun Pills and Shouqi Pills!"

"Oh, oh!" Bai Zisheng frantically rummaged through his storage pouch, then pulled out two vials of pills, took one from each, and handed them to Bai Zixi.

Bai Zixi's pale fingers pinched the pills and placed them into Mo Hua's mouth.

Mo Hua's previously fading complexion gradually regained its ruddy hue.

His breath through nose and mouth slowly steadied.

Bai Zixi exhaled in relief.

Bai Zisheng wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered: "How did his spiritual sense leave his body?" He glanced at Bai Zixi and asked:

"What do we do now?"

Bai Zixi looked at the shrine and said calmly:

"Wait…"

Bai Zisheng had no other option; he sighed. "There's nothing else we can do…"

Bai Zixi laid Mo Hua flat on the ground, took out a soft blanket, placed it beneath Mo Hua's head, then sat beside him, hugging his knees, silently watching Mo Hua.

…

Mo Hua felt a sharp pain in his spiritual sea, then a sudden lightness.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast square, surrounded by ancient masters—all carved from wood and molded from clay.

Beyond them, spiritual beasts competed in splendor, a hundred flowers vied in brilliance, carriages and horses flowed like water, palanquins rose like clouds.

Precious vases held flowers, painted beams and carved rafters adorned the scene.

Every step revealed a new view, breathtakingly beautiful.

Mo Hua had seen all these scenes upon the shrine.

This square was the ritual chamber within the shrine.

Yet from outside, every scene, every pavilion, every person, every object appeared as carved reliefs.

Now, they were vividly alive—nearly indistinguishable from reality.

Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, surveyed his surroundings, and suddenly frowned.

No, something's wrong!

Everything here is fake—but one thing isn't!

He turned his gaze upward toward the cultivation ground.

Above the cultivation ground stood an old man.

The old man was a wooden carving, his features rigid, clad in a wooden robe, his beard and hair all carved with wood grain patterns.

But the instant Mo Hua looked at him, his appearance changed.

His wooden robe gained color, his stiff face came alive, his beard and hair turned white, his gaze deepened, and from above the cultivation ground, he gazed steadily at Mo Hua.

After a moment, a hoarse voice echoed from above the cultivation ground:

"Someone… still manages to enter…"

Mo Hua did not know his identity, but seeing his age and his of high virtue and great prestige, he respectfully bowed and said:

"Your humble servant Mo Hua greets the elder; may I ask who you are…?"

The old man slowly rose, his expression growing ever more vivid, his robe shifting into vibrant hues until it formed five colors—like a Wuxing Sect robe.

His voice, solemn and commanding, rang out clearly:

"I… am the Twenty-Third Generation Transmission Elder of the Wuxing Sect!"

(End of Chapter)