Chapter 592: Master Xun

Though so, he is currently still just an ordinary little disciple of Grand Void Gate; it is best to cultivate in silence.

But this is best.

Master taught me: men fear fame, pigs fear fat.

The protruding rafter rots first.

Grow rich in silence, cultivate humbly, improve yourself—that is the best choice.

The next day, Mo Hua practiced arrays on the Dao Stele all night, then rose early, spirited and alert, and went to class.

The Grand Void Token showed his first class was cultivation class.

The instructor for cultivation class was an inner sect elder, dressed in splendid Dao robes, of high virtue and great prestige.

But since it was only the first class, he said little, merely a few words outlining the content of cultivation class.

"Cultivation is the foundation of a cultivator."

"All Dao arts are built upon cultivation; arrays, pills, talismans, and weapons all rely on cultivation as the basis for their grading."

"Only when your cultivation breaks through and your realm advances can you transcend the categories of Dao practice, ascending grade by grade."

"Thus, cultivation is the ladder to seeking immortality and the Dao."

"For scions of noble families, Qi Refinement is merely initiation; Foundation Establishment is the true beginning; only with a solid Foundation Establishment and abundant spiritual energy can one forge a high-grade Jin Dan…"

"Only with a high-grade Jin Dan can one ascend to higher levels of the Dao…"

"Step by step, the firmer your foundation, the farther you will go in the future…"

"Jin Dan formation is still far off for you; knowing this much is enough. You are now only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment—your immediate priority is to walk this path with diligence and care…"

"All Dao paths lead to the same destination. Most of you are scions of noble families, with different backgrounds and cultivation methods, yet there are shared principles you must study diligently."

"How to purify spiritual energy, how to perfect the Zhou Tian, how to stabilize the Dao foundation…"

"How to avoid mishaps in Foundation Establishment cultivation—how to avoid damaging meridians, how to prevent harm to the dantian…"

"How to advance cultivation steadily and swiftly…"

"How to discard bad cultivation habits, how to avoid arrogance and impatience, how to calm the Dao heart, and what to do when signs of qi deviation appear?"

…

"These are invaluable insights and experiences accumulated over countless millennia by countless ancestors of Grand Void Gate, forged through tireless effort and painstaking research."

"In the coming lessons, I will gradually teach you these…"

"No matter your origins or ancestral transmissions, after studying cultivation, you will broaden your perspective, gaining clearer insight into your future path on the Dao…"

"Now, I will briefly explain how Foundation Establishment should be cultivated…"

"Qi Refinement cultivators have spiritual energy in gaseous form; upon reaching Foundation Establishment, spiritual energy undergoes a transformation, condensing like mercury…"

"Mercury-like spiritual energy must be further refined, purified, and condensed until it crystallizes, eventually becoming the True Core Jin Dan…"

"This cannot be achieved overnight; it requires years of persistent cultivation and unwavering dedication…"

"Moreover, Foundation Establishment spiritual energy must cleanse the blood and qi, solidify the meridians, and expand the dantian…"

"In the past, this was called 'washing tendons and marrow,' but with evolving cultivation methods, this effect has become less pronounced…"

"Modern methods, refined through generations, emphasize gentle nourishment and gradual progression, reducing the risk of cultivation errors and qi deviation…"

…

The inner sect elder was erudite, his tone calm, speaking at length in a leisurely manner.

Mo Hua listened intently and gained much.

Since his Foundation Establishment, he had been cultivating on his own according to the Great Expansion Scripture, simply absorbing Spirit Stones and letting his spiritual energy grow.

He had never imagined cultivation contained so many intricate details.

To forge a Jin Dan—and beyond, to higher realms—one must look far ahead, proceed step by step, and cultivate with planning…

Though the elder spoke little, Mo Hua was deeply shaken after hearing him.

This was the heritage of a great sect!

This was the crystallized experience of countless generations of Grand Void Gate's ancestral cultivators over millennia!

Yet Mo Hua also felt some difficulty.

This elder seemed to speak only of cultivators who forged their Dao foundations through 'spiritual energy' and 'blood qi'—how to purify blood qi, refine spiritual energy, perfect the Dao foundation, and advance further.

But he himself had attained the Dao through spiritual awareness…

The elder mentioned not a single word about spiritual awareness…

His spiritual energy was meager, his blood qi weak; he had never polished his realm or consolidated his foundation—he had simply faked his way up…

It was vastly different from the elder's described cultivation path.

Mo Hua sighed silently in his heart.

He could only learn for now, and study in detail later when time allowed…

After all, he had just entered the sect; he still had plenty of time.

In the days that followed, Mo Hua cultivated, drew arrays, attended classes…

But several days later, Mo Hua suddenly realized a problem:

He still knew little about Grand Void Gate, understood little of it.

This was not good…

For the next several years, even decades, he would be living within Grand Void Gate—he must become familiar with its environment.

This was basic for a Demon Hunter.

Upon entering an unfamiliar place, one must first learn its terrain.

When he first entered Great Heishan, his father, Seeing Mo Shan, had taken him through the outer and inner mountains, familiarizing him with the topography, demonic beast traces, and locations of herbs and ores…

Only then could he thrive in Great Heishan.

Although the Grand Void Gate is not Great Heishan, and its elders and instructors are not beast beasts, the principles within are the same.

Sharpening the axe doesn't delay chopping firewood.

Mo Hua decided to study and scout, first getting a clear understanding of the Grand Void Gate.

Only then could he "blend in"…

Because he had just entered and had little coursework, with ample free time, Mo Hua began walking around the Grand Void Gate with his hands behind his back…

Then he asked Shangguan Xu and several other senior brothers and sisters.

Because he looked well-behaved and cute, spoke pleasantly, and asked about things new disciples didn't know but would naturally be curious about, he could generally find out whatever he wanted to know.

After a month, Mo Hua had a general understanding of the Grand Void Gate.

First, the environment.

The Grand Void Gate sits upon the ancient and majestic Grand Void Mountain.

In the center is a long jade staircase connecting the outer and inner mountains.

Ahead is the outer mountain; behind is the inner mountain.

The outer mountain of the Grand Void Gate houses outer disciples, hired instructors, and guest elders for residence and cultivation.

In addition, there is a large Dao ground in the middle.

To the right of the Dao ground are the disciples' quarters.

To the left are the Lecture Halls for classes, as well as the Alchemy Hall, Artifact Crafting Hall, Rune Crafting Hall, and Dao Art Hall—buildings for disciples to cultivate Dao arts and learn the hundred Dao trades.

And the Library, which Mo Hua coveted but lacked permission to enter, housing Dao scriptures, especially various arrays.

Behind the outer mountain lies the inner mountain.

The inner mountain contains the Sect Master's residence, elder residences, inner disciple quarters, and some Dao-teaching buildings.

Behind the inner mountain lies the back mountain.

The back mountain is a forbidden zone, its secrets unknown.

Mo Hua was an outer disciple; he couldn't even reach the inner mountain, let alone the back mountain, which likely housed ancient monsters or Laozu, so he didn't inquire much.

The Grand Void Gate also possesses a famed great array, named:

"Grand Void Primordial Protection Array"!

This array exceeded Mo Hua's expectations—it was a fifth-rank array!

A fifth-rank array constructed within a fifth-rank province…

Mo Hua, who had personally constructed arrays, was stunned, even incredulous.

What level of array master could have produced such a feat…

He wanted to learn more, but heard this array hadn't been activated in over ten thousand years—no one knew if it still worked or if it truly was fifth-rank, so most disciples had nearly forgotten it…

Some even claimed the Grand Void Gate's fifth-rank array was fake, a rumor passed down, actually only third or fourth-rank…

Mo Hua didn't believe it; he wanted to verify it himself, so he went to the sect's edge and tried digging at the foundations.

Unfortunately, he couldn't dig through; his spiritual sense calculations revealed no traces…

This level of array, from its foundation materials to its pattern construction, completely exceeded Mo Hua's cultivation and array knowledge.

He couldn't pry it open, couldn't calculate it.

But Mo Hua was not discouraged.

"When my cultivation improves, I'll return to the sect to pry open these walls and see if the fifth-rank array is real!"

Mo Hua nodded, silently making a "grand vow" in his heart.

Besides this, there was the issue of inner and outer sect divisions.

When he was in Immortal City, Immortal Gate also had inner and outer divisions, but that small-town distinction differed somewhat from the Grand Void Gate's fifth-rank sect structure.

It also differed from what Mo Hua had previously understood.

He was currently an outer disciple.

All new disciples at Foundation Establishment stage were considered outer disciples.

Once they reached Golden Core, they could graduate.

After graduation, they could choose to leave the sect, return to their families, join other factions, seek livelihoods, or pursue longer Dao paths.

Or they could choose to remain in the sect, pass the examination, and enter the inner sect.

The outer sect accepts disciples openly to collect tuition.

The inner sect teaches, manages the sect, and transmits Dao.

Most inner sect disciples serve as "instructors."

The Grand Void Gate's "instructor" is a position held by cultivators responsible for teaching Dao—could be a Golden Core inner disciple, an elder, or even the Sect Master.

Instructors are divided into two types.

One type is hired from outside, residing in the outer sect, being instructors or guest elders of Golden Core stage or higher, even Liu Yuhua stage.

These individuals do not belong to the inner sect; they are merely hired to teach.

The other type are disciples who joined the inner sect, received its inner transmission, and elders promoted from disciples.

Inner sect disciples and elders are further divided into ordinary and true disciples.

Ordinary inner disciples learn from ordinary elders, studying the sect's important transmissions.

True inner disciples learn from true elders and are granted permission to study the sect's true core, flagship transmissions.

These are two distinct advancement paths.

Ordinary disciples, as their cultivation improves, ascend to ordinary elders.

True disciples, upon breaking through to Liu Yuhua, ascend to true elders.

The sect's core positions—including Vice Sect Master and Sect Master—are chosen only from among true elders.

Ordinary disciples, ordinary elders;

True Transmission disciples, True Transmission elders, even Vice Sect Master and Sect Master.

These are two paths that look similar but are sharply divided.

Mo Hua's small head spun for a long time before he finally sorted out the distinctions between inner and outer sect, hired instructors and inner sect instructors, guest elders and inner sect elders, ordinary inner sect disciples and True Transmission disciples, ordinary inner sect elders and True Transmission elders…

"Even a sect is stratified and complex…"

Mo Hua sighed.

Once he understood these distinctions, Mo Hua realized exactly what status the senior cultivators who served as his instructors truly held.

Important courses, such as cultivation instruction, being absolutely vital, are taught personally by inner sect True Transmission elders.

The instructor teaching Mo Hua cultivation was surnamed Gongsun—a True Transmission elder of the Grand Void Gate, at the Yu Hua realm!

Occasionally, a Jin Dan instructor would substitute.

This Jin Dan instructor was Gongsun's direct disciple and also an inner sect True Transmission disciple.

But other courses, focused on Dao arts, were less strict.

For instance, the instructor teaching talisman crafting was a hired Jin Dan instructor;

the instructor teaching pill refining was a Yu Hua realm guest elder;

the instructor teaching artifact forging was an ordinary inner sect elder;

and those teaching miscellaneous cultivation lore and historical texts were even some hired instructors with low cultivation, who had spent years traveling outside, seen much, knew much, were old, yet only at the Jin Dan stage.

Without understanding these, one could never know who stood in the lecture hall teaching them.

Even if one understood these, one sometimes still failed to recognize them.

What puzzled Mo Hua most was the "old elder" mentioned by Shangguan Xu.

"The one who teaches formation arts has extremely old seniority, a strange temper, and is extremely strict, allowing not a speck of dust, and tolerating no student's carelessness…"

The students respectfully called this old elder "Laoxiansheng."

Laoxiansheng wore a Grand Void Gate robe, extremely plain, with no embroidered sword patterns, and the style was ancient, from many years ago, from generations past.

He was old, his blood weak, his aura faint, and his cultivation seemed low.

His only impression was truly "old."

His face was full of wrinkles, slightly hunched, his hair and beard entirely white, yet his gaze sharp, radiating stubbornness and severity.

Even stricter than Instructor Yan.

Laoxiansheng taught Mo Hua formation arts.

When Mo Hua first attended Laoxiansheng's class, he was extremely serious, sitting perfectly upright.

But after a few sessions, he grew lax.

Because he realized the Grand Void Gate's introductory formation course for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators taught only Rank-One formations…

Foundation Establishment stage learning Rank-One formations was standard enough.

Moreover, some disciples were simply not skilled in formations; teaching them Rank-One formations was even somewhat "overreaching," and they struggled to learn them.

But Mo Hua found it utterly boring…

He had long since mastered all of this.

Laoxiansheng's voice was hoarse and stern, emphasizing formation fundamentals:

"Formations rely on fundamentals. If the foundation is weak, rushing into more complex formations is like vines clinging without roots, lacking their own base."

"Every basic formation pattern must be memorized firmly, drawn a thousand, ten thousand times, refined through countless hammerings to improve one's formation mastery…"

Mo Hua thought this was right, but he had already practiced all of it…

At first, Laoxiansheng's class still had some new insights, and his understanding of Rank-One formations was profound; Mo Hua could still listen.

But it was still only Rank-One, using only common Five Elements formations as examples.

After hearing it once or twice, Mo Hua grasped most of it; afterward, it was merely tedious repetition.

Mo Hua grew lax.

He had nothing else to do, so during class, he studied his own material.

On the surface, he listened; in truth, he mentally calculated and sketched Rank-Two formations, occasionally previewing later, harder formation lessons to see if there was any formation knowledge he hadn't learned.

But mental calculation consumed immense spiritual sense.

On this day, while calculating during class, Mo Hua accidentally drained his spiritual sense almost completely.

Since he was in class, he couldn't meditate to restore it, so his spiritual sense grew drowsy, his eyelids heavy and unwilling to stay open.

Mo Hua could only force himself to stay awake.

But at that moment, Laoxiansheng's dull, mechanical voice echoed in his ears, like a lullaby.

"Formations rely on fundamentals. If the foundation is weak…"

Unconsciously, Mo Hua quietly drooped his small head and fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes, he found the room utterly silent.

Even silent in a frightening way.

Mo Hua looked up and saw that Laoxiansheng stood before him, face like frozen water, clearly restraining his anger.

Mo Hua felt a twinge of guilt.

Laoxiansheng did not scold him first, but followed routine:

"Go up and draw the formation I just described."

It was giving him one chance.

If he drew it, fine; if not, he'd be in deep trouble…

Mo Hua sighed in relief.

Drawing the array pattern is simple enough…

In front of the array chamber stood a large array platform, where Master Xun would draw the array patterns while explaining their principles.

Mo Hua walked respectfully to the array platform, picked up the brush, and raised his head—suddenly, he froze.

He had been nervous a moment ago and hadn't looked closely; now, as he raised his head, he realized there were four array patterns on the platform.

"Draw the pattern I just described…"

Which pattern had Master Xun just described?

Mo Hua had been dozing off—he had no idea…

Mo Hua held the brush, hesitating, standing there helplessly.

The disciples below also grew anxious for him, whispering in hushed tones:

"We're done for…"

"He dares to fall asleep in Master Xun's class…"

"He can't even draw this—he's in deep trouble now…"

"This is making me nervous just watching…"

"Oh no, I just spaced out too—could Master Xun have noticed me? Will he call on me next? Ancestors of the Cheng family, don't pick me—I can't draw this either…"

…

Mo Hua was still hesitating when suddenly he felt a chill at his back.

Is this… Master Xun's spiritual sense?

Mo Hua stiffened, his heart skipping a beat.

It's over—Master Xun is truly angry…

"Fine, I'll just guess…"

Mo Hua closed his eyes, picked the hardest one, his small hand moved—brush strokes like dragons dancing, in a flash, he finished it…

After he finished, the lecture chamber fell utterly silent…

The chill at Mo Hua's back lessened slightly.

"I guessed right…"

Mo Hua exhaled in relief.

Suddenly, whispers rose again—the disciples murmured:

"Just now…"

"His little hand flashed—I didn't even see it…"

"So fast!"

"How is he so skilled…?"

"But… didn't he draw the wrong one? It wasn't that pattern…"

Mo Hua's spiritual awareness was sharp—he heard clearly, and inwardly grumbled:

"If it's not that one, then tell me which one it is!"

Mo Hua sighed helplessly, glanced at the other three array patterns, and felt the chill at his back grow heavier—he knew Master Xun was angry again.

In that case, let's go all the way and leave no loose ends!

Mo Hua guessed another pattern at random, his brush flashing again—within moments, he finished it.

The lecture chamber grew even quieter.

A pin could be heard dropping.

Before Mo Hua could relax, disciples began whispering again:

"Even faster…"

"Can a Foundation Establishment cultivator have this speed…?"

"Was he raised on array diagrams?"

"Which clan is he from? The Ming family? Or the Zheng family? …"

"I envy him—if only I could borrow his hands to draw an array…"

…

"But… Master Xun didn't ask for this one either…"

Mo Hua silently took a breath.

Not this one?!

He felt helpless, and a flicker of annoyance stirred in him.

Not this one!!

Fine, I won't guess anymore—I'll draw them all!

I'll draw all four—then it can't possibly be wrong!

Mo Hua's small hand swept—his wrist left afterimages, brushwork like wind, flowing like clouds, gliding like water—in moments, he finished the other two array patterns…

Now the lecture chamber fell into deathly silence.

The disciples below gaped, speechless, staring at Mo Hua as if he were a "Little Array Demon" wearing human skin…

Having finished all four array patterns, Mo Hua placed the brush aside, lowered his head, and stood quietly to one side.

Master Xun's eyes were dim, fixed on Mo Hua—he remained silent for a long while, as if lost in thought, then spoke in a stern voice, yet trembling slightly:

"Even with talent, do not grow proud or complacent, nor slacken your efforts…"

"This will not be tolerated again!"

Though his tone was stern, he had said, "This will not be tolerated again."

Mo Hua knew he had narrowly escaped disaster, let out a long breath, and bowed respectfully:

"I humbly heed your teachings, Laoxiansheng!"

Laoxiansheng gave a slight nod. "That concludes today's lesson. You may leave."

The other disciples, as if freed from a heavy burden, rose at once and bowed deeply: "We take our leave!" Then, quietly and in orderly file, they exited the Lecture Hall.

Mo Hua blended into the crowd and slipped away unnoticed.

Laoxiansheng said nothing.

Only after all the disciples had gone did he turn his gaze to the array plate, where Mo Hua had swiftly drawn four arrays—each with strict, flawless structure, not a single line amiss, each ranked First Class.

Laoxiansheng's cloudy eyes flickered open, revealing a glint of sharp brilliance.

(End of Chapter)