Chapter 545: Mystery Heaven

That day, Mo Hua was practicing as usual when his qi sea suddenly trembled and filled to capacity.

Mo Hua's expression brightened.

Ninth layer complete, spiritual energy overflowing.

He had reached the threshold of Foundation Establishment!

The overflowing spiritual energy condensed from his qi sea, circled, and gradually solidified, as if veiled in mist, damp and glistening.

This was the precursor to spiritual energy like mercury—and the prerequisite for Foundation Establishment.

Spiritual energy like mercury, ascend to Foundation Establishment.

But before the spiritual energy could solidify into mercury, he must first break through a bottleneck.

This bottleneck varied by individual, primarily determined by one's cultivation technique and spiritual roots.

Mo Hua's technique was the *Great Expansion Scripture*.

Thus, according to the *Great Expansion Scripture*, his Foundation Establishment bottleneck lay in his consciousness sea.

Indeed, after a brief moment, the overflowing spiritual energy transformed into misty spiritual threads, flowing from his qi sea, along his meridians, converging toward Baihui, then seeping inward at Tianmen into Mo Hua's consciousness sea.

The spiritual energy entering the consciousness sea became drifting threads, beginning to weave into arrays.

This scene was not unfamiliar to Mo Hua.

He had experienced this exact moment when advancing from early Qi Refining to mid Qi Refining, and again from mid to late Qi Refining.

This time was no different.

The spiritual threads traced patterns, forming mystery arrays that covered his consciousness sea.

Mo Hua's only concern was that this mystery array might exceed the One-Star Nine-Thread pattern, forming a Ten-Thread—or even higher—array, one he had never seen or learned.

Solving such an array to break through the bottleneck would be extremely difficult.

He would struggle immensely to achieve Foundation Establishment.

Mo Hua watched the spiritual threads with unease, seeing them weave like embroidery, sketching one mystery array after another; after a moment, he exhaled in relief…

Just compound arrays—still relatively simple.

With his current array knowledge, solving compound arrays was still well within his grasp.

Fortunately, his master had taught him many advanced array theories and had guided him to establish himself through arrays and validate the Dao through spiritual awareness—his array skill far surpassed that of ordinary One-Star array masters.

Otherwise, even solving compound arrays would have been daunting.

Now, to achieve Foundation Establishment smoothly, he would still face many Zhou Zhe.

Effort always yields results.

Mo Hua felt grateful.

But after a while, his expression froze, his face growing ever more solemn.

That's not right…

The mystery arrays were still forming…

And showed no sign of stopping.

One compound array after another slowly branched out, linking together.

The mystery arrays multiplied, layer upon layer, like winter snowflakes piling atop one another, covering his entire consciousness sea.

When the mystery arrays finished forming,

Mo Hua opened his mouth in disbelief.

What… is this?

Spiritual energy, like countless threads, wove an entire array realm—a vast cocoon that completely, utterly obscured his consciousness sea.

Is this… a great array formed from mystery arrays?!

Mo Hua's spirit and mind trembled.

The great array, like a cocoon, shrouded his consciousness sea.

Either weave the cocoon and trap oneself—or break free and become a butterfly?

Mo Hua fell silent for a long while, speechless.

This… is absurd…

How could there be such a Foundation Establishment bottleneck?

Mo Hua studied the massive mystery array again; his spiritual awareness swept over it, roughly counting—his gaze shook.

The great array contained at least tens of thousands of mystery arrays, possibly hundreds of thousands!

He had to solve each one individually?

How long would it take?

Mo Hua frowned and attempted to solve a few mystery arrays.

The mystery arrays weren't hard—he could solve them.

But their number was immense!

Mo Hua estimated:

Solving ten arrays per day, it would take roughly ten to twenty years to fully unravel this "cocoon-woven" array.

Mo Hua solved a few more, then looked up again and sighed deeply, overwhelmed by helplessness.

Before him stretched an endless sea of arrays.

The few he had just solved were but a single drop in the ocean.

The thought of so many arrays still to solve made his scalp tingle.

This wasn't even the worst part.

If these mystery arrays formed a great array, the greatest challenge lay in its array pivot.

What structure is the core of the mystery array?

And how do you unravel it?

Mo Hua knew nothing.

This is not a problem one person can solve.

Constructing a grand array requires immense manpower; the mental energy needed to dismantle it will be even greater.

Because unraveling an array is far more complicated than constructing one…

What should I do?

Mo Hua frowned.

Aside from unraveling the array, the only other option he could think of was "dismantling."

The Five Elements Demon-Slaying Array had been completely dismantled, leaving not a single tile behind, using the Reverse Spirit Array.

But the problem is, this is inside his own mind sea.

Dismantling the grand array would likely destroy him too.

Mo Hua sighed again.

"I can only ask my master…"

…

The next day, Mo Hua hurried to find Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang was drinking tea; upon hearing this, he paused, then slowly looked up. "Grand array?"

"Yes." Mo Hua nodded. "So many, they've obscured my entire mind sea. Array patterns are countless, spirit threads densely woven, like a pale blue cocoon…"

Mr. Zhuang's pupils contracted. "Cocoon…"

"Yes." Mo Hua nodded again, then asked anxiously:

"Master, can I still establish my Foundation?"

Mr. Zhuang's gaze grew solemn, then he smiled gently and said:

"Which Foundation Establishment isn't difficult?"

"A bottleneck is called a bottleneck precisely because the Dao itself blocks it—hard to surpass. Otherwise, everyone in this world would cultivate without hindrance."

"As a cultivator who vows to seek the Heavenly Dao, whether difficult or not, never let it shake your Dao heart."

"Whether you establish your Foundation tomorrow, or unravel the array and establish it ten or twenty years from now, you must still cultivate, you must still unravel the array…"

"A cultivator seeks the Dao, not success or failure."

"The things you must do remain the same. Don't let gain or loss make you timid."

Mo Hua's heart suddenly cleared; his doubts dissolved completely.

That's right—worrying won't help…

If this bottleneck truly takes ten or twenty years to break, then so be it. Could he really refuse to unravel the array, refuse to breakthrough, and remain a Qi Condensation cultivator for life?

Once something is set, overthinking it is meaningless.

After all, the things you must do remain the same.

He was an array master—he needed only to focus entirely on learning array techniques and unraveling arrays.

Do not let difficulty, ease, success, or failure disturb your Dao heart.

Mo Hua's anxious heart, stirred by the prospect of Foundation Establishment, gradually calmed. His breath grew peaceful, his gaze steadily firm.

Mr. Zhuang felt a quiet satisfaction, nodded slightly, and smiled:

"Good. You understand. But don't rush—fully unraveling the mystery array won't take that long…"

"Yes, Master!"

After speaking, Mo Hua rose, bowed, and turned to leave, planning to return and ponder the mystery array further. But Mr. Zhuang suddenly called him back, paused briefly, and said:

"Mo Hua, draw part of the mystery array for me."

Mo Hua, puzzled, still took out paper and brush and drew part of the mystery array, along with part of its core.

Mr. Zhuang nodded. "Good."

After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang stared at the portion Mo Hua had drawn, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

Gui Lao materialized, glanced at the mystery array, and frowned deeply.

"What is this?"

"You don't know, do you…" Mr. Zhuang seemed lost in thought.

Gui Lao's gaze darkened slightly and shook his head. "Never seen it before."

It was merely a Rank One array, and a mystery array—but in all his decades of cultivation experience, he had no recollection of it whatsoever.

"Yes…" Mr. Zhuang murmured. "I thought I'd never see this kind of array again in my lifetime…"

Gui Lao's expression turned grave. "What kind of array is this?"

"This kind of array is called…"

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a long while, his eyes filled with inner struggle, then finally spoke:

"Mystery Heaven Grand Array!"

Gui Lao's eyes widened sharply. "Mystery Heaven Grand Array?!"

Mr. Zhuang nodded with a bitter smile.

Mystery Heaven Grand Array…

Gui Lao's expression shifted, several times opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again. Finally, he only stared blankly:

"How could it be…"

How could it be the Mystery Heaven Grand Array…

Old Kui frowned deeply but did not press further; instead, he asked:

"How does the Mi Tian Great Array differ from ordinary puzzle arrays?"

Mr. Zhuang shook his head. "They're different…"

"Puzzle arrays can form great arrays, but such great arrays are merely collections of simple puzzle arrays—possessing only the scale of a great array, lacking its skeletal structure. Strictly speaking, they aren't true great arrays…"

Mr. Zhuang glanced again at the array Mo Hua had just drawn and sighed:

"The Mi Tian Great Array is different…"

"It is an extremely peculiar great array…"

"So peculiar that no one can determine what its true nature actually is."

"All existing Mi Tian Great Arrays seal away unknowable secrets…"

"The Mi Tian Great Array holds a sky-covering mystery…"

"The array principles involved are bizarre and strange…"

Mr. Zhuang stared at Old Kui, as if asking, yet also as if questioning himself:

"Puzzle arrays are merely riddles to be solved—how can they form a great array?"

"And how could they possibly form a great array?"

"All great arrays unify countless smaller arrays, requiring shared roots and origins; some are primarily for killing, others for trapping, others for defense."

"Then what arrays does the puzzle array unify? What is its root? What is its source? What does it champion? Just the word 'mystery'?"

"What manner of person could possess the ability, the courage, and the immense spiritual awareness to calculate and construct a Mi Tian Great Array?"

"And why would anyone construct a Mi Tian Great Array?"

…

After long contemplation, Mr. Zhuang suddenly realized with a start and murmured: "I was wrong—I got it wrong from the beginning…"

"The Tian Yan Jue has a grave flaw!"

"To construct a Mi Tian Great Array within the spiritual sea…"

"This technique may not have been meant for 'humans' to learn at all…"

"Perhaps it truly was designed for some literal 'aberration'…"

"Who, then, created this technique?"

"Or rather—could a 'human' even have created such a technique?"

"Could a human, through a technique alone, construct a Mi Tian Great Array within a cultivator's spiritual sea…"

Mr. Zhuang's brow tightened further.

Ancient technique…

Mi Tian Great Array…

Tian Yan…

"The Great Dao numbers fifty; Heaven's evolution takes forty-nine; humanity escapes the one…"

He felt, as if by fate, that he had glimpsed a clue—but whenever he tried to think deeply, it dissolved into fog, as if trapped within a Mi Tian Great Array.

"Enough…"

Mr. Zhuang sighed.

He no longer had much time to ponder these questions.

The issue now is Mo Hua—this child…

"Can the Mi Tian Great Array be solved?" Old Kui asked.

"Though it is a Mi Tian Array, it is still a puzzle array—and only of the First Rank. With Mo Hua's array expertise, he could solve it, but…"

But it might truly take ten or more years.

That's only if everything goes smoothly.

If the Mi Tian Great Array undergoes some unfathomable change or unforeseen anomaly, achieving Foundation Establishment will be harder than climbing to heaven…

It's entirely possible he could waste decades…

"We must find a way…"

Mr. Zhuang fell silent, his eyes flickering with calculation patterns, celestial fate ebbing and flowing; after a long while, he seemed to glimpse a sliver of opportunity.

This sliver of opportunity was extremely obscure, extremely dangerous.

But it was graspable.

Mr. Zhuang exhaled, looked up at the sky, and smiled bitterly.

Human calculation cannot rival Heaven's design.

Everything had been planned—but still, an accident occurred…

Now we must endure even more Zhou Zhe.

"I had hoped to witness Mo Hua's Foundation Establishment with my own eyes, to fulfill one last wish—but now it seems I won't have time…"

My journey ends here…

Mr. Zhuang's gaze grew faintly wistful, then settled into calm acceptance.

What must come, will come…

Old Kui watched him silently, his eyes dim and gradually fading into darkness.

…

After returning, Mo Hua immersed himself in his spiritual sea whenever he had a moment, solving each puzzle array one by one.

Though there were many puzzle arrays, he remained neither arrogant nor impatient.

But as he solved them, he began to sense that this array cluster differed from the puzzle arrays he had encountered before.

The previous puzzle array was like "dead," rigid, and vanished once solved.

But this current great array, its array patterns flow, as if "alive."

Moreover, vast stretches of interconnected arrays link together, respond to each other, and coexist symbiotically.

You must target the interconnected arrays and solve them in large sections.

Otherwise, after solving one single array, another single array will continue to generate.

Mo Hua could only go to consult Mr. Zhuang again.

Mr. Zhuang seemed to have prepared for a long time; he handed Mo Hua a thick stack of array texts and array diagrams, and said directly:

"The great array in your mind's sea is called the 'Mystery Heaven Array.'"

"Remember this name, but do not speak of it to anyone."

"Here are some records about the 'Mystery Heaven Array,' along with my own summarized insights. Keep them carefully and study them thoroughly—they should help you solve arrays…"

Mo Hua felt deep gratitude, yet also a faint sense of unease.

It seemed as if his master was hurriedly giving final instructions…

"Master…" Mo Hua whispered.

But Mr. Zhuang shook his head, stopping him before he could continue, and said softly:

"Go now. Study well."

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, murmured "Mm," bowed respectfully, and left, though his young face bore an enduring look of worry.

There were things he knew.

He knew his master was avoiding someone.

He also knew his master had said their pilgrimage's destination was the Wuxing Sect.

So once they reached the Wuxing Sect and learned the Five Elements Spirit Arrays—then what?

His master had never said.

Mo Hua had suspected some things long ago, but only now did he realize with a chill: no matter how unwilling, what was coming would come…

Mo Hua's unease grew heavier.

Yet on the surface, the Wuxing Sect remained calm and still.

Until Mo Hua saw a familiar face.

One day, Mo Hua was studying arrays with his junior brother and junior sister, hunched over a table, when he suddenly heard light footsteps. He looked up and saw a graceful woman standing at the door, wearing a veil, her aura cold and refined.

Mo Hua froze, then smiled brightly, "Snow Auntie!"

Snow Auntie, seeing Mo Hua, smiled warmly, her gentle eyes scanning him a few times, then nodded:

"Long time no see. You've grown taller."

Mo Hua's face beamed.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi were also delighted.

After some small talk, Mo Hua asked curiously, "Snow Auntie, why are you here?"

"Yeah," Bai Zisheng said, "Didn't Master forbid you from coming along?"

"Mr. Zhuang called me," Snow Auntie replied.

"Master?"

The three of them exchanged glances, all puzzled.

Snow Auntie nodded. "Mr. Zhuang didn't let me accompany you, but I worried for your safety, so I followed you anyway—just from far away."

"Mr. Zhuang knew, and didn't punish me—he essentially gave his silent consent."

"For these past days, I've been outside Shancheng. A few days ago, I wanted to write a letter to Lady, when I saw the ink move without a brush, soaking into the paper and forming a single character: 'Come.'"

"I knew then—it was Mr. Zhuang's will. He wanted me to come…"

"But why did Master call you here?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.

Snow Auntie shook her head. She didn't know.

"Has Mr. Zhuang rested?" Snow Auntie asked.

Mo Hua said, "Master has rested. He's drinking tea now."

Snow Auntie nodded, then rose to visit Mr. Zhuang.

The three of them followed.

Inside the ancient, elegant room, fragrant with tea, Mr. Zhuang sat upright and graceful, carefully sipping the clear tea Mo Hua had brewed for him.

Seeing Snow Auntie, Mr. Zhuang was not surprised.

Snow Auntie bowed deeply to Mr. Zhuang, who nodded in acknowledgment.

Snow Auntie then asked softly, "May I ask, Master, why you summoned me?"

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a moment, his gaze subtle, taking in the three children before him, then spoke slowly:

"Take these three children away…"

"Leave the Wuxing Sect. Leave Shancheng. Never return…"

(End of Chapter)