Chapter 606: Thunder Patterns

Mo Hua had made up his mind; the next day, he went to class as usual.

After finishing the Dao cultivation class, he attended a pill-refining lesson, then an artifact-forging lesson, and finally tagged along to a sword cultivation class.

Mo Hua didn't need to attend the sword cultivation class.

He was a Spirit cultivator, specializing in spellcraft.

Besides, swords were expensive, and he couldn't afford one.

But adhering to the principle of "know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be imperiled," he still needed to understand them.

More importantly, Mo Hua had been constantly thinking about that one sword scripture—"Grand Void Divine Mind Transforms into Sword True Scripture"—which he had vaguely, clumsily "derived" from obscure karmic threads, and which had only a name.

The true sword scripture was beyond his reach.

But "Divine Mind Transforms into Sword"—perhaps he could practice that.

"Divine Mind Transforms into Sword," as the name suggests, contains both "Divine Mind" and "Sword Art," and should relate to both.

So whenever he had free time, Mo Hua would sneak into any sword cultivation class.

To learn some basic sword cultivation techniques.

To watch for any clues about the "Divine Mind Transforms into Sword True Scripture."

And to study the strengths and weaknesses of sword cultivators, silently pondering how he would respond if he ever faced one.

But perhaps because he was a beginner, the sword cultivation lessons were all very basic.

After listening for several months, Mo Hua had only learned a little surface knowledge—he couldn't even condense sword qi, let alone truly control a sword…

Meanwhile, he had also heard from the sword cultivation elder many famous sword scriptures of the Grand Void Gate:

Such as "Grand Void Fiery Flame Sword Scripture," "Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword Art," "Grand Void Unification Sword Form," and so on.

But no one had ever mentioned, not even in passing, the eight characters: "Grand Void Divine Mind Transforms into Sword True Scripture."

He didn't know whether this Divine Mind Transforms into Sword method was too obscure for anyone to learn, too difficult for anyone to master, or too ancient and already lost.

Mo Hua sighed and could only be patient, searching slowly.

There was plenty of time; as long as he kept "remembering" it, someday he would find some clue to this sword art.

Besides, there was still that destitute mountain spirit in the ruined temple on the desolate mountain.

Huang Shanjun…

Mo Hua nodded.

When he went on a mission and passed by that desolate mountain, he'd stop by and ask it again.

Right now, he had classes—he didn't have time to go look for it…

The last class in the afternoon was array instruction; Master Xun was slacking again.

As the "senior brother," Mo Hua had no choice but to dutifully substitute for Master Xun.

After finishing the class, the day's lessons were over.

Mo Hua returned to the disciples' quarters, found some free time, and began studying the strange, eerie four-element array he had copied from the bald head of the criminal cultivator "Bald Eagle."

Four-Element Array!

"Another new array to learn…"

Mo Hua's spirits lifted, his eyes gleaming.

And this array wasn't just "new" in the ordinary sense.

The Four-Element Array was a completely new type of array, breaking free from the Five Phases and Eight Trigrams framework.

Though it might carry a touch of eerie danger.

Inside the disciples' quarters, the flame lamps glowed bright and warm.

The room was simple, yet clean and tidy.

Mo Hua leaned over his desk, spread out the array paper, prepared brush and ink, took out the copied Four-Element Demon Pattern Array, and began studying it…

This array's patterns were peculiar.

The array core was simple, but the array lines were extremely complex.

Unlike Five Phases and Eight Trigrams array lines, which were restrained, upright, and mysteriously refined,

this array's lines resembled imitations of demonic beast forms—pictographic strokes, eagle-like, falcon-like, claws and fangs bared, wild and rampant.

Both novel and eerie.

But no matter what, once an array is dismantled, only the lines remain.

As long as his Dao heart was clear, there was nothing to fear.

Mo Hua began deconstructing the array: dismantling the core, extracting the lines, like a butcher dissecting an ox, removing bone and flesh, seeing no whole ox.

His celestial calculation grew ever more refined, and his analysis of this kind of array became ever more thorough.

Soon, Mo Hua finished dismantling it.

The Four-Element Array had been broken down into more than a dozen independent Four-Element pattern fragments.

Mo Hua looked at the patterns, then scratched his head:

"That's odd…"

Upon closer inspection, these lines didn't resemble Four-Element array lines at all.

They were utterly different from what Master Xun had taught him before.

Or rather, they only looked like Four-Element array lines…

But if you truly "studied" or "learned" them, they differed greatly from ordinary Four-Element array lines.

"Pattern variant?"

Mo Hua frowned.

That was the only explanation he could think of.

Xun Laoxiansheng Sect taught him the basic, simple, introductory four-symbol array patterns.

Like something for beginners.

But the four-symbol array on the vulture's head resembled an advanced form of pattern, containing complex variations, clearly designed to fuse demonic power and enhance killing intent.

Beast patterns, near-demonic, easily lose humanity…

Mo Hua felt some trepidation, but after thinking it over, he decided to spend some time learning it first.

Without learning it, without drawing it a few times himself, he could never grasp the mystery of the array itself.

If he noticed any signs of "demonic transformation" or qi deviation, he would stop immediately.

As Mo Hua copied and calculated, he spent an hour, finally grasping the basics of the Four-Symbol Eagle Pattern.

The Four-Symbol Eagle Pattern had only fourteen strokes.

Mo Hua drew it once on paper, then furrowed his brow.

"Useless…"

The array strokes were clearly drawn on paper, identical to those on the vulture's head—even the finest brushstrokes resembling feathers and talons were perfectly replicated.

But when he infused it with spiritual power, the array showed no reaction whatsoever.

In Mo Hua's spiritual perception, the array contained only Chen Xinghai, lacking any spiritual essence, let alone flowing array energy trails.

"What's missing…"

But what exactly was missing?

Demonic power?

Where could he obtain demonic power?

He couldn't just abandon being human, learn those demonic sect's demonic cultivation methods, eat people like beasts to cultivate demonic power…

Mo Hua shook his head.

This array was useless for now…

But then Mo Hua grew curious again.

He remembered that the vulture man hadn't cultivated demonic arts—his spiritual power was normal. So how could he draw such a demonic four-symbol array?

Or perhaps, fundamentally, what was the four-symbol array truly meant for?

Mo Hua stroked his chin, pondering deeply…

The Five Elements and Eight Trigrams system was clear, manipulating natural forces like metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

Then what about the four symbols?

Could it really be just for controlling demonic power…

If it controlled demonic power, wouldn't one easily be corrupted by it, falling into qi deviation?

Mo Hua felt he had overlooked something.

He compared the Four-Symbol Eagle Demon Pattern with the basic, orthodox four-symbol array patterns taught by Xun Laoxiansheng Sect.

Mo Hua used heavenly mechanism calculation to peer into the array's origin, independently evolving its myriad variations.

Suddenly, Mo Hua froze, his gaze sharpening abruptly.

In the array trajectories calculated within his mind, after several evolutions and comparisons, the two types of patterns suddenly overlapped.

The overlapping portion revealed some more fundamental strokes!

In a flash of insight, Mo Hua understood.

The four-symbol array patterns Xun Laoxiansheng Sect taught him were "Beast Patterns."

The four-symbol array on the vulture's head was "Demon Pattern."

Demons and beasts were not entirely the same, but shared a common origin.

Likewise, Demon Patterns and Beast Patterns differed in form, yet their fundamental array strokes were identical.

That is, the Four-Symbol Demon Pattern and Four-Symbol Beast Pattern both rested upon a deeper, more basic set of four-symbol array strokes.

Beneath the basic, there was still a more basic.

Demon Patterns and Beast Patterns were both foundational variants of a deeper "Four-Symbol Array."

Thus, they were both four-symbol arrays, yet utterly distinct.

"So that's it…"

Mo Hua's spirit lifted; he began carefully comparing, using his spiritual perception to calculate the overlapping array trajectories and extract these shared, foundational four-symbol array strokes.

One by one, Mo Hua recalculated, compared, and deciphered the array strokes, drawing them on paper…

More than half an hour later, Mo Hua finally finished his calculations.

He lined up these deeper, universal four-symbol array strokes, one by one, studying them closely.

These strokes were more abstract than "Eagle Pattern" or "Beast Pattern."

More like…

Chains, or cages…

As he stared, Mo Hua suddenly widened his eyes, his mind trembling.

These array strokes…

He had seen them before!

Mo Hua quickly opened his storage pouch, rummaging through its bottom and pulling out several wooden boards, each carved with extremely similar patterns.

Though the brushstrokes differed slightly and the patterns varied in many ways,

Mo Hua, experienced as he was, could tell at a glance that these two types of array patterns indeed stemmed from the same lineage of transmission.

These wooden boards were…

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened, murmuring:

"Yu'er..."

In that eatery, when he rescued Yu'er from the human traffickers, Yu'er had been locked inside a wooden box marked with an array.

These wooden planks came from that same box that held Yu'er.

The array on the planks was the same "lock"-type array that had trapped Yu'er, cutting off all qi and perception.

Through Heavenly Mechanism Calculations and Heavenly Mechanism Derivations, Mo Hua had unraveled some of its mysteries and grasped partial "generation and restraint" relationships, thereby unlocking the array lock.

But since it was largely guesswork, he understood how it worked, but not why.

He fundamentally understood nothing of the core principles of arrays.

After joining Ru Sect, his coursework piled up, leaving no room for distraction, so Mo Hua gradually forgot these array patterns.

He never expected that, by sheer coincidence, he would encounter this same "lock array" pattern again...

But his understanding of these array patterns ended there.

Since he lacked a complete transmission, Mo Hua could only deduce this much.

He must find a way to obtain more similar Four Symbols arrays or Four Symbols array patterns...

Mo Hua frowned, his thoughts racing.

Four Symbols beast patterns...

Four Symbols demon patterns—the Sinful Cultivator Vulture...

Four Symbols foundational array patterns, an unknown lock array, Yu'er...

Human traffickers—Jiang Laoda...

Mo Hua still remembered the wanted notice issued by Dao Ting Si, detailing the Vulture's crimes:

"Forcedly drained female disciples, killed people, worked as a human trafficker, selling young cultivators as 'food' for demonic cultivators..."

Had worked as a "human trafficker"...

Mo Hua's thoughts stirred slightly.

Jiang Laoda was a human trafficker; the Vulture had also been one, trafficking cultivators...

Does this mean the Vulture and Jiang Laoda's gang might have had contact—either colluding together in evil deeds, or even being the same group?

Jiang Laoda's box bore a lock-type Four Symbols array; the Vulture's bald head bore a demon-pattern Four Symbols array...

If so, their arrays likely came from the same source?

A name suddenly surfaced in Mo Hua's mind:

Mr. Tu...

This Mr. Tu was mentioned by Jiang Laoda, and sounded extremely mysterious.

Jiang Laoda spoke of him with great respect, even fear.

"Anyone allied with Jiang Laoda is almost certainly no good..."

"Called 'Mr.'—he's probably not a brute, not a body cultivator, not a hands-on executioner..."

"Either he excels in derivations, or arrays—or perhaps both?"

"Could this Four Symbols array have been crafted by 'Mr. Tu'?"

Mo Hua nodded, a clear goal slowly forming in his mind:

Capture this mysterious "Mr. Tu."

He must possess the transmission of the Four Symbols array—and it certainly wouldn't be an ordinary one.

This "lock-type" array pattern gave Mo Hua a sense of profound obscurity, approaching the deepest secrets of Four Symbols arrays, even hinting at "Five Elements Source Patterns..."

Mo Hua couldn't help licking his lips.

This Mr. Tu...

Was a fat sheep!

If he truly caught him, he could not only shear the wool, but eat the mutton, roast the lamb chops, and even boil the bones for soup!

And Yu'er...

Whoever targeted Yu'er had no good intentions.

He couldn't let them go unpunished.

But this "Mr. Tu" likely had high cultivation, deep array expertise, and probably excelled in derivations too...

And he was hiding in the shadows—hard to root out...

"Need to gather clues, proceed slowly..."

"If all else fails, report to Dao Ting Si, or to Grand Void Gate, or to the Shang family and Wen family, or to Uncle Shang and Xu Wanyi..."

Mo Hua counted through the list and realized he didn't need to act alone—he had plenty of "enforcers."

He just needed to watch for opportunities and follow up to pick up the scraps.

Mo Hua nodded, deciding this approach was safer.

"But how do I find this 'Mr. Tu'?"

Mo Hua reviewed every event since entering Gan Province, and realized how few clues he had on Mr. Tu.

The clearest one was the "human traffickers."

Mo Hua silently thought: "From now on, I should take on missions targeting human traffickers..."

"And Jiang Laoda, and the Vulture..."

"They're dead, but their connections still exist—and birds of a feather flock together; anyone associated with them is likely no better, probably also wanted criminals by Dao Ting Si."

"Find these people, interrogate them with torture... no, use Fireball Technique to 'reform' them—once their conscience is awakened, they'll surely tell me the truth..."

"And then there's..."

Mo Hua pulled another jade token from his storage pouch.

It was the same message token held by Bald Eagle.

He had checked it—the token was utterly clean, completely blank.

But he was an Array Master, and understood the principle of "being and non-being giving rise to each other."

"Being" can become "non-being"; "non-being" can also transform into "being."

Moreover, Uncle Zhang Lan had warned him: "After rain, traces remain; after geese pass, sounds linger—any cultivator's actions leave traces…"

Invisible does not mean nonexistent.

Mo Hua planned to study it, to see if he could uncover clues about "Bald Eagle" from the message token.

To find out who he had communicated with, what words he had sent, what he had said.

……

For the next two days, Mo Hua devoted himself to studying the message token, yet after much effort, made no progress.

He still knew nothing of the secrets within the message token.

Mo Hua sighed.

Indeed, working in isolation still wouldn't do…

His current array expertise, especially his array experience, was insufficient to swiftly unravel the mysteries of an unfamiliar array.

Even though he possessed both Deceitful Calculation and Derivative Calculation.

But he was now within the sect—he was a disciple of Grand Void Gate; if he didn't know, he would ask.

So Mo Hua went to ask Master Xun.

Some questions could not be asked.

For instance, the True Scripture of Grand Void Mind-Sword, or anything involving Heavenly Mechanism Deceitful Calculation or Heavenly Mechanism Derivative Calculation.

But something like a "message token" carried little karmic weight—asking about it should be harmless.

Master Xun looked slightly surprised and asked:

"Why are you suddenly asking about 'message tokens'?"

Mo Hua replied shyly: "I come from a small Xiancheng in Li Province; I'd never seen a message token before, so I became curious…"

"I thought it must contain some array principles, but after days of pondering, I found no clues, so I came to seek your guidance, Master…"

Master Xun nodded slightly.

He had a thirst for knowledge, a heart seeking the Dao.

He was curious about matters, capable of independent thought.

When he could not figure it out, he humbly sought answers.

Good…

Master Xun was satisfied.

As for the matter of "message tokens," though teaching it now was still a bit premature, giving him a few hints early would help him grasp the fundamentals, making future study far more efficient…

Master Xun silently pondered, then spoke:

"This kind of array is complex and unsuitable for your current level, but since you're curious, I'll tell you some basic array principles—just so you have a general understanding…"

"But don't reach too high; don't waste too much energy on this—focus steadily, step by step, and solidify your mastery of conventional arrays first…"

"Yes, yes!"

Mo Hua nodded vigorously.

Master Xun said: "Message tokens are used for transmitting messages; the arrays involved belong to the Zhen category of the Eight Trigrams—commonly called 'Thunder Pattern' arrays…"

This was within Mo Hua's expectations.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked: "Master, is Thunder Pattern related to 'Meta-Magnetism'?"

Master Xun nodded slightly. "Correct, but the so-called 'Meta-Magnetism' differs from ordinary 'Thunder Pattern'…"

"The array patterns in message tokens are not 'Thunder,' but 'Electricity'—more precisely, 'Magnetism'…"

"Electric Pattern, or Magnet Pattern, is generally classified under the Zhen trigram, but collectively called 'Sub-Thunder Pattern,' meaning it derives from the Eight Trigrams, possesses thunder-like qualities, yet its power is weak—'sub' to true thunder, a secondary array pattern derived from Thunder Pattern…"

Mo Hua understood.

Sub-Thunder Pattern—a secondary array pattern—is a type of array variation.

Similar to variations based on the Four Symbols' demonic and beast patterns.

Master Xun said: "Sub-Thunder Pattern transforms electricity into magnetism, similar to certain Metal-element arrays that possess magnetic properties and function like a south-pointing compass—useful for detection, sensing, indication, and communication."

"It is a secretive array pattern."

Mo Hua nodded, then asked again:

"Then… what about true Thunder Pattern?"

Master Xun's gaze sharpened, his expression turning solemn:

"True Thunder Pattern is far too complex, far too powerful—such arrays are extremely difficult to control…"

"It is not merely the Zhen trigram—it contains numerous transformations of the Qian, Kan, and Xun trigrams…"

"Thus, comprehension is hard, control is hard, array formation is hard."

"True Thunder Arrays are terrifying in power, capable of erasing all things."

"That is true heavenly thunder…"

Master Xun sighed, his eyes filled with reverence: "The thunder of the nine heavens symbolizes the glorious might of heaven—destroying evil, slaying demons, piercing heaven and earth—it is an evolution of the 'Killing' Dao."

"Though Thunder Pattern is one of the Eight Trigrams, it encompasses many trigram principles and is utterly incomparable to other trigram arrays."

"To wield Thunder Pattern, one's Dao heart must be upright."

"Any hint of evil or selfish thought invites heavenly thunder's backlash—suffering heavenly retribution, perishing beneath one's own thunder array."

"Therefore, the legacy of the Thunder Array is extremely stringent."

"In this world, families possessing true 'Thunder Marks' are few and far between."

Mo Hua was stunned; he thought of the 'Thunder Mark' he had left on the Dao Stele—a mark that erased all things—and fell into thought.

But he also noticed another piece of information in Mr. Xun's words:

"Few and far between..."

Mo Hua's eyes flickered, "Does that mean... there still are families with Thunder Mark inheritance?"

Mr. Xun nodded, "There are, but these families have mostly been struck by lightning—so either they abandoned their legacy to pursue other paths, or they retreated into seclusion, detached from the mundane world, steadfast in their hearts."

"The only one that has passed down the Thunder Mark through generations, and still maintains considerable power, is the Zheng family of Zhenzhou."

"The Zheng family?" Mo Hua was startled, "Zheng Fang's family?"

Zheng Fang...

Mo Hua remembered a disciple among his peers—face square and stern, somewhat rigid, occasionally dazed—named Zheng Xuan.

When Mr. Xun first asked him to substitute teach, Zheng Fang had "tested" him with his family's secret array, allowing Mo Hua to secretly learn one array.

Was that array, perhaps, the Thunder Array?

Mr. Xun seemed to guess Mo Hua's thoughts and shook his head slightly, "The Thunder Array is not lightly transmitted—even Zheng family direct descendants are no exception..."

"Zheng Fang is still young; he has no qualifications to learn the Thunder Mark inheritance. What he learned is at most some basic variations of lesser Thunder Arrays..."

"Not just Zheng Fang—in the entire Qianxue Province, none of the Zheng family disciples who joined any sect have qualifications to learn the Thunder Array."

Mo Hua felt a pang of regret.

But then again, the Thunder Mark was of great importance; even if Zheng Fang were the biggest "fool," he would never use such an array to "test" him...

Unless he had been possessed by the Dao Heart Seed Demon and lost his sanity.

Besides, he himself could not perform Dao Heart Seed Demon...

"Does no one in the Qianxue Province know the Thunder Array?" Mo Hua asked again, curious.

"There is one," said Mr. Xun.

Mo Hua paused in surprise.

"The only one in the Qianxue Province with Thunder Array inheritance..."

Mr. Xun frowned, thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, "It should be... Zheng Wanjun..."

"Zheng Wanjun?"

Mo Hua was puzzled.

He had never heard that name before.

Mr. Xun gave a slight nod, "He is one of the Four Great Sects—the Qiandao Sect's—Liu Yuhua Elder..."

I meant to write 4k to take a shortcut, but before I knew it, I wrote 6k again...

(.)

(End of Chapter)