Chapter 538: Array Flow

In the Chamber of Hidden Arrays, before the divine altar.

The incense had burned to ash, leaving only residue.

Bai Zi Xi and Bai Zisheng guarded Mo Hua's body, his spirit having astral-projected, both deeply worried.

"Time's up—why hasn't Mo Hua woken yet?" Bai Zisheng fretted.

Bai Zi Xi frowned.

At that moment, "Mo Hua" murmured softly and opened his eyes.

Bai Zi Xi and Bai Zisheng's expressions brightened.

Bai Zi Xi asked softly, "Are you alright…?"

"Mo Hua"'s gaze was momentarily confused, then gradually cleared; he slowly sat up, nodded, and smiled:

"I'm fine."

"Mo Hua" smiled—but Bai Zi Xi's eyes turned cold. In an instant, she delivered a sharp palm-strike to the back of his skull, knocking him unconscious.

Bai Zisheng gasped in shock, "Zixi! Why did you strike Mo Hua?!"

Bai Zi Xi shook her head. "He's not right."

"Not right?"

Bai Zisheng froze, then scrutinized Mo Hua closely; his brow slowly furrowed as he noticed something amiss.

"Mo Hua"'s aura had changed…

His face no longer looked as cute as before.

The earlier smile felt unnatural.

This wasn't his little brother.

Bai Zisheng suddenly recalled Mo Hua's earlier instructions:

"If you notice anything wrong with me, knock me out immediately!"

Bai Zisheng nodded slightly, puzzled. "A malevolent force invaded his mind-sea?"

"Possibly…"

"But how could a malevolent force be inside the divine altar?"

Bai Zi Xi shook her head. "I don't know…"

"Then where's Mo Hua?"

Bai Zi Xi turned, gazing at the divine altar, her eyes like polished glass, deep and unreadable.

Bai Zisheng opened his mouth. "Could he still be inside…?"

He grew anxious. "The incense is gone, the altar is sealed—how will Little Brother get out?"

"What if…" Bai Zisheng frowned in thought, "we go find the Grand Elder, ask him to light another incense, open the altar, and release our brother?"

Bai Zi Xi slowly shook her head. "No."

The divine altar is tied to the Wuxing Sect's core heritage—the Grand Elder would never agree.

Little Brother was sealed inside because he discovered the altar's secret…

Otherwise, with his wit, he'd never have gotten trapped.

"Let's wait," Bai Zi Xi said calmly.

Bai Zisheng worried. "But the time's already up…"

Bai Zi Xi's beautiful eyes narrowed as her thoughts raced. "Time's up—but the Grand Elder hasn't come. Master must have foreseen trouble and delayed him."

"Master is buying time for Little Brother."

"We wait here. Guard our brother. Wait for him to emerge…"

Bai Zi Xi's voice was clear and cold.

Bai Zisheng always listened to his sister—he knew she was smarter than him—and nodded obediently.

…

Inside Mo Hua's mind-sea.

The Five Elements Imp danced in fury.

"What happened?"

"How was I discovered?"

Just said two words, smiled—and was spotted instantly, then knocked out without hesitation…

Why?

Why could that girl see through him at a glance?

Even among fellow disciples who'd trained together daily, no one could spot a deception so quickly…

This was suspicious…

The Five Elements Imp grew wary.

This sect—from top to bottom, from brother to sister—was clearly no ordinary group. Not only were their roots exceptional and their insight sharp, but their minds were all finely tuned.

If this continued, he'd never escape…

It never intended to permanently possess Mo Hua's body—it was impossible.

The boy's master was terrifying in origin.

Its true nature would be exposed at a single glance.

It only wanted to use Mo Hua's body to flee through the divine altar and the Chamber of Hidden Arrays.

But it never imagined it would be unmasked by the boy's little sister—before even his master could expose it.

The Five Elements Imp was utterly baffled.

I impersonated the Transmission Elder, and this young cultivator saw through me.

I impersonated this young cultivator, and his senior sister saw through me.

Is my acting really this bad?

The Wuxing Spirit frowned, its heart filled with irritation.

Now it was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

It was trapped within Mo Hua's mind sea.

It wanted to leave but couldn't; it wanted to stay but knew it couldn't hold on.

It didn't believe it could truly deceive heaven and earth.

Still, it had to leave—figure out another plan later…

The Wuxing Spirit sat cross-legged, glanced around once more, and couldn't help but murmur in awe:

"This little spirit's mind sea is truly a paradise of heaven and earth—vast, resilient, its qi clear and pure; even though its spiritual awareness has departed, the residual spiritual essence remains astonishingly pure and profound…"

"This is not a mind sea a Qi Condensation cultivator could possess… it rivals Foundation Establishment, no—it surpasses ordinary Foundation Establishment…"

"Truly a little demon prodigy…"

The Wuxing Spirit shook its head.

Suddenly, its expression changed.

No, no—something's wrong!

This mind sea… is unnatural!

It sniffed the qi within, its pupils contracting violently.

Dao qi!

This… is Dao qi closer to the primordial source than even the Five Elements qi!

What ancient and terrifying thing lies hidden within this little spirit's mind sea!

A flicker of greed passed through the spirit's eyes, then instantly gave way to deep terror.

It had dwelled within the shrine for centuries, witnessed countless iterations of arrays, and in some ineffable way, gained a faint premonition of heavenly fate.

This premonition now filled it with inexplicable dread.

As if, if it stayed any longer, once midnight arrived, something would "awaken," and that ancient, mighty Dao qi would crush it bit by bit into ash, utterly erasing it, condemning it to eternal oblivion.

The Wuxing Spirit trembled violently, its limbs going weak.

"We're done. We're going to die!"

"We must find a way to run!"

"If we don't run, we're finished…"

This may be a chance, but clearly, I'm not worthy of it.

The Wuxing Spirit forced itself to calm down.

It's fine…

There's still time…

Later, when I control this young cultivator's body, as soon as I can move, I'll flee immediately—out of the Array Storage Pavilion, find any Wuxing Sect cultivator to possess, and escape this terrifying mind sea entirely.

Once outside, the heavens will be wide, the seas boundless.

No longer bound within the shrine, I can feast on cultivators' spiritual awareness and live a carefree, unrestrained life.

And if I consume enough, strengthen my spiritual awareness, and digest the Five Elements qi, one day I too will attain Dao.

I might even ascend to the rank of Heavenly Demon, the tier of Demigod…

The Wuxing Spirit calmed its emotions, its gaze now brimming with ambition.

…

And at this very moment, within the shrine's true altar.

After heaven and earth inverted, all things overturned.

Mo Hua opened his eyes, regaining his spiritual awareness.

Before him stood the same altar, yet everything was different.

The wooden carvings and clay statues seemed to have become living beings, each mechanically, meticulously, endlessly drawing array patterns according to some fixed rule.

All decorations within the shrine—the spirit beasts, chariots, exotic flowers and rare grasses, carved beams and painted rafters, all manner of magical artifacts…

All shed their forms, revealing the arrays hidden within.

Every surface was illusion; arrays alone were real.

All was false; only the arrays were true.

Mo Hua felt both awe and deep confusion:

"Is this… the Wuxing Sect's transmission altar?"

Did that Wuxing Spirit lie to me?

The altar certainly exists—but does it truly contain the Wuxing Sect's genuine transmission?

What, then, is the Wuxing Sect's true transmission?

An array rarer than the Five Elements Ultimate Array?

That can't be…

Mo Hua was thoroughly baffled.

And that Wuxing Spirit—tricking me in, trapping me here—was it trying to escape the shrine?

How do I get out?

There seemed to be no exit around the altar.

Two hours have passed; outside the shrine, who knows what has happened again…

Mo Hua's thoughts churned, but after a moment he shook his head and settled his mind.

Worrying about these things now is useless.

Since you're here, make peace with it.

First, find out the truth about this cultivation ground.

Mo Hua began to extend his spiritual sense, carefully examining the cultivation ground, wondering whether this was truly a "legacy" cultivation ground, and whether it truly held the true inheritance of the Wuxing Sect…

After probing, Mo Hua fell into thought:

First, there was not a single person in this legacy cultivation ground.

Or rather, not a single "living" spiritual thought, spiritual sense, or even ghostly presence.

The wooden carvings of the array masters around him, though seeming alive as they continuously drew arrays, were still merely wooden carvings—or rather, more like puppets.

The arrays they drew were numerous in type, but all belonged to the Five Elements category.

The array patterns they traced were rigid and precise.

Mo Hua stared at them for a moment, his gaze slightly puzzled:

"Rather than saying they are drawing arrays…"

"It's more like they are recording arrays…"

"Meticulously recording the process of drawing arrays…"

Mo Hua looked again at the array patterns they had drawn, his expression even more confused.

These array patterns, though within the Five Elements domain, differed from standard array patterns, as if specially processed, gradually evolving and finally summarized…

And apart from the arrays drawn by the wooden carvings, every scene and object throughout the cultivation ground—including the great array platform at its center—were these special arrays.

These were "summarizing"-type array patterns.

Mo Hua frowned.

What kind of array is this?

Or perhaps the array itself isn't the key—what matters is the method of "summarization"?

Mo Hua looked again, carefully and thoroughly.

As he did, he was startled.

He realized many of these arrays were completely beyond his understanding.

Because these arrays were not first-grade arrays at all!

They were second-grade, third-grade, even arrays above third-grade!

These arrays contained far more complex strokes, thicker brushwork, more obscure techniques, and vastly more array patterns than first-grade arrays.

Mo Hua glanced at them briefly, attempted to comprehend them, and immediately felt his spiritual sense draining like water.

Mo Hua's heart tightened; he quickly stabilized his mind and warned himself:

"Don't reach too high, don't reach too high…"

Once his thoughts calmed and his spiritual sense replenished, Mo Hua resumed his observation—this time, with self-awareness, focusing only on first-grade arrays.

First-grade Five Elements arrays were second nature to Mo Hua.

His understanding of Five Elements array principles was profound.

So observing them required no effort.

Mo Hua compared the Five Elements arrays he knew and the array patterns he had comprehended with the special, variant Five Elements arrays within the cultivation ground, carefully analyzing them.

Again and again, he observed the wooden carvings' methods of drawing arrays…

Trying to discern the extensions of the same array, the evolution of the array patterns…

After an unknown length of time, Mo Hua suddenly froze, then suddenly understood, exclaiming aloud:

"Could this be… Yansuan?!"

Unlike the spiritual Yansuan his master taught him, this was an entirely different method of Yansuan!

His master taught him to use array patterns to deduce spiritual traces, to infer the more fundamental spiritual trajectories during array operation.

Conversely, one could also deduce specific array patterns from spiritual traces.

The former moves from surface to essence, deepening array comprehension;

the latter moves from essence to surface, revealing true array patterns.

But the Yansuan method in this Wuxing Sect legacy cultivation ground was radically different.

It did not deduce the relationship between array patterns and spiritual traces.

Instead, it merely deduced the changes and variations of array patterns themselves.

From complexity to simplicity, from two to one, deepening understanding of the commonalities among different arrays and array patterns.

Mo Hua's mind cleared.

Was this method of Yansuan the true inheritance of the Wuxing Sect?

Though Mo Hua only partially understood it, he felt it was profoundly deep and remarkable.

This was Yansuan…

I must learn it!

As the saying goes: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for life.

Arrays are the "fish"; Yansuan is the "fishing."

Mastering Yansuan allows one to better learn and comprehend arrays.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

A special method of Yansuan!

No wonder this was once a premier sect of ancient lineage in array arts!

Mo Hua's heart stirred with excitement.

But then he grew troubled—how was he supposed to learn this derivation method?

Mo Hua extended his spiritual sense again, scanning every inch of the courtyard, inside and out.

Within the courtyard, there were only arrays—nothing else resembling a transmission method.

No scrolls, classics, texts, or personal insights of any kind.

Mo Hua rested his chin in his hand and began to ponder:

Judging from all previous accounts, the ancestors of the Wuxing Sect were rigid, stubborn, and obscure in their ways.

They disliked directly teaching; they preferred to simplify complexity.

They disliked words and writing; they favored direct demonstration.

"Demonstration…"

Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he turned to the wooden carvers, endlessly drawing arrays—and suddenly understood.

These wooden carvers were demonstrating.

They were demonstrating how this derivation method was to be calculated.

Step by step, from low to high, from easy to difficult, evolving from basic array patterns through variations, gradually deriving, transforming, and merging…

It meant…

Watch yourself. Learn yourself.

Learn as much as you can.

Only when you awaken it yourself do you truly understand.

What others tell you is not yours; only what you comprehend is profound.

Mo Hua felt a deep sense of awe.

The ancestors of the Wuxing Sect truly had the demeanor of sages!

Without delay, Mo Hua watched the wooden carvers draw arrays, and began to deduce and learn the Wuxing Sect's unique derivation method himself.

The arrays drawn by the carvers were not all first-rank.

But Mo Hua could only learn first-rank.

Mo Hua was not greedy—every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; first master the first-rank, then worry about higher ranks later.

You eat a meal one bite at a time—eat as much as you can…

Time slowly passed within the courtyard.

Mo Hua focused intently, immersed in it, learning the Wuxing Sect's derivation method bit by bit, following the mechanical motions of the wooden carvers.

Array patterns unfolded and transformed in his mind…

After an unknown length of time, Mo Hua finally grasped the underlying principles.

He attempted to derive several array patterns himself, then compared them with those in the courtyard—and found no errors, nodding in satisfaction.

He had always possessed strong spiritual sense, and with Mr. Zhuang's derivation method as his foundation, he had often practiced for fun—calculating arrays, grand arrays, ultimate arrays—until his derivation was extremely refined…

The Wuxing Sect's derivation method, though unique, was not especially difficult.

Mo Hua learned it quickly.

As for first-rank array derivation, he had already mastered most of it; minor flaws remained, which he could refine and awaken later.

Mo Hua's eyes sparkled.

A unique derivation method!

That little Wuxing brat had tricked him, but hadn't lied—the courtyard truly held higher array transmission!

Learning this derivation method made the journey worthwhile.

Mo Hua nodded.

Then, curiosity stirred in him again:

What exactly was this derivation method used for?

What use did these transformed array patterns serve?

Learning must serve application—if it can't be used, why learn it?

Mo Hua rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought:

"Did I miss something?"

Mo Hua carefully retraced the derivation method, from beginning to end:

Spiritual sense derivation, array pattern variations…

Taking complex, differing Wuxing arrays and their varied patterns, unifying them into variations, condensing them into a single, overarching pattern…

Simplifying complexity, merging many into one…

And then?

Merging many into one… one unlocks a hundred?

Mo Hua froze, then reeled as if struck by lightning, his spirit trembling.

One unlocks… a hundred?!

Then that would mean… the Xiantian Array Stream?

No—it should be called the Wuxing Array Stream?

Wuxing Array Stream?!

Mo Hua's pupils contracted sharply.

Then this derivation method—this one I just learned—is the method for tracing and condensing the origins of array streams?

What was derived—was it an array lineage?

The true inheritance of the Wuxing Sect was an array lineage?!

Mo Hua opened his mouth, his heart shaken beyond words.

He had never, ever expected this!

The ancestors of the Wuxing Sect had such vast ambitions!

They built this dao venue to emulate the celestial array lineages, intending to derive it themselves and pass it down through the generations… the origin and flow of the Five Element arrays?!

(End of chapter)