Chapter 615

Mo Hua had only tasted the pale golden spiritual "bone marrow" that flowed from the ram's horn after cracking open the shell with thunder markings and shattering the skull of the spiritual consciousness.

This "bone marrow" resembled the blood of a demonic god.

Though scarce, its flavor was excellent.

But he wondered what the true demonic god's essence would taste like after refinement.

After "eating" it, how much stronger would his spiritual consciousness become…

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then furrowed his brow.

No…

He was getting a bit "arrogant" already…

Demonic gods were likely immensely powerful and terrifying; if he truly encountered one, he would face unknown peril.

Even if he truly wanted to target a demonic god…

He must wait until his spiritual consciousness was sufficiently deep, his spiritual attacks sufficiently strong, until he planned meticulously, prepared thoroughly, concealed his intentions, and stole the "meal" silently…

It was still too early to be thinking of "eating" demonic gods now…

Moreover, such thoughts were far too disrespectful toward demonic gods.

Mo Hua buried this idea deep in his heart.

"It's not that demonic gods are too expensive—it's that demons, ghosts, and monsters offer better value."

Demonic gods were too powerful; better to avoid them entirely.

But these demons and evil spirits were weak, easily stewed in one pot; eating more of them didn't matter.

And after devouring them completely, he needn't fear them reporting him.

Besides, they were targeting Yu'er—he had even less reason to be courteous.

Mo Hua glanced again at the peacefully sleeping Yu'er and thought to himself:

If he kept Yu'er by his side, wouldn't that continuously attract demons, ghosts, and monsters to serve as his snacks?

Then he'd have a portable "food supply."

His spiritual consciousness could keep strengthening.

Like fishing.

These evil, grotesque demons and ghosts were the "fish."

Then in that case, little Yu'er was…

"Little fish bait"?

Mo Hua froze, then immediately shook his head, dispelling this disrespectful thought toward little Yu'er…

On the bed, Yu'er softly "mm"ed, as if displeased.

Mo Hua chuckled, stroking Yu'er's head.

In his sleep, Yu'er sensed a quiet, serene aura, grinned sleepily, and sank back into deep slumber.

Mo Hua continued guarding Yu'er, while his spiritual consciousness sank into his mind sea, continuing to simulate the Magnetic Array and deduce the secondary thunder markings…

That entire night, no demons or spirits appeared.

The next day, Mo Hua performed his usual cultivation, drew arrays, and played with Yu'er for a while.

That night, he once again kept watch over Yu'er.

Though the room was empty, it was utterly quiet—no karmic patterns, no void chains, no demons or ghosts—only the tranquil night and serene moonlight.

That night, too, passed without incident.

Mo Hua knew this batch of "green onions" had been harvested—he'd need to let them grow for a while…

The next day, Mo Hua bid farewell to Wen Ren Wan and set off for Grand Void Gate.

Little Yu'er still clutched Mo Hua's sleeve, reluctant to let go.

But compared to before, Yu'er's complexion had noticeably improved; though somewhat disappointed, his eyes sparkled and his cheeks were rosy.

Mo Hua waved goodbye to everyone, and Yu'er imitated Mo Hua's gesture.

After Mo Hua left, Wen Ren Wan sat in deep thought for a long while, then finally made up her mind and told Shangguan Yi:

"I'm sending Yu'er to Grand Void Gate!"

Shangguan Yi was sipping tea; he choked mid-sip, coughed twice, and helplessly said:

"How come you…"

Always coming up with sudden ideas…

"I've decided!"

Wen Ren Wan's gaze was resolute—clearly after careful consideration.

Shangguan Yi blinked in surprise, frowned slightly, and said softly:

"Yu'er has excellent talent; he could enter the Sida Sect…"

"Once in the Sida Sect, his inheritance, fellow disciples, and connections would surpass those of the Eight Major Sects."

Wen Renwan shook her head, "I don't care how talented Yu'er is, how far he advances on the Dao, or what accomplishments he achieves—I'm his mother, and I only wish for him to be safe and happy…"

"I don't want him entangled in your noble families' grand schemes, fate, or karmic threads—I'm afraid…"

Wen Ren Wan's face turned slightly pale, "... I'm afraid that one day, I'll never see Yu'er again…"

Wen Ren Wan closed her eyes.

Or worse…

Little Yu'er lying cold and still in her arms…

During these days, whenever Yu'er suffered nightmares and grew thin, Wen Ren Wan always dreamed this.

And sometimes, even worse ones…

Wen Renwan's body trembled uncontrollably.

Shangguan Yi gripped his wife's hand, his face filled with guilt.

Letting his son suffer and his wife worry was his failure as a husband, but he still did not fully agree to letting Yu'er enter the Grand Void Gate.

Shangguan Yi pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly:

"Wan'er, you want Yu'er to enter the Grand Void Gate because… that boy Mo Hua?"

Wen Renwan did not hide it, saying:

"Yes, I want Yu'er to stay by Mo Hua's side."

Shangguan Yi's brow tightened further.

He did not dislike Mo Hua; on the contrary, he thought the boy was well-mannered, sincere, and endearing, and he felt grateful to Mo Hua for helping Yu'er.

But in Shangguan Yi's heart, there was always a trace of unease toward Mo Hua—even…

Dread.

He always felt that beneath Mo Hua's innocent eyes lay something strange, and within their clarity flowed something profound.

It left even him—the "heir apparent" of the Ganzhou Shangguan family, who had seen countless people—unable to fathom him.

Shangguan Yi had once considered hiring someone to delve deep and calculate Mo Hua's karmic threads.

But such matters were taboo, and would be an affront to Mo Hua.

Moreover, every time he entertained this thought, he involuntarily felt a chill run through his bones, as if gazing too closely would violate some terrible taboo…

This fear was unmistakably clear.

Shangguan Yi recalled Elder Mei of the Mystery Valley.

Elder Mei, at his request, had parted the veils and glimpsed some karmic taboo—then lost his sanity, babbling nonsense like "I was bitten by a zombie," "I'm turning into a zombie," "a mountain of corpses," "great terrors," and other inexplicable words.

Shangguan Yi did not know who Elder Mei had calculated, causing his madness.

But whoever's karmic thread was so terrifying must have been deeply versed in the Art of Heavenly Mechanism, and possibly one of the hidden masters behind this affair.

And Mo Hua, the boy, was very likely connected to that person.

Even if Mo Hua himself did not know it…

After long hesitation, Shangguan Yi finally voiced his concerns to Wen Renwan.

Wen Renwan scoffed: "That's just you—accustomed to scheming and intrigue, so you see karmic threads in everyone and calculations in everything…"

"I think Mo Hua is a fine boy."

"Treat him with sincerity, and he will treat you with sincerity. Your sense that he's odd? That's because you're odd…"

Shangguan Yi smiled bitterly, then after a moment, his expression turned solemn as he sighed:

"Think carefully—why, when Yu'er was kidnapped, could no one find him, yet Mo Hua found him?"

"Yu'er is tormented by nightmares; the elders say this is karmic evil, incurable."

"Yet why, the moment Mo Hua arrived, did Yu'er begin to sleep peacefully?"

"There must be something strange here…"

"I fear…"

Shangguan Yi worried deeply, but did not say it outright.

Hearing this, Wen Renwan's expression turned solemn. She frowned, pondered long, then suddenly understood:

"It's because Mo Hua is Yu'er's 'Fortune'!"

Shangguan Yi froze, at a loss for words.

But Wen Renwan grew more convinced as she thought, nodding:

"Mo Hua is undoubtedly blessed with immense Fortune!"

"That's why, when Yu'er was kidnapped, no one could find him—but Mo Hua could; no one could save him—but Mo Hua could!"

"When Yu'er was tormented by nightmares, Mo Hua was there that night—I saw him collapse on the ground, pale as death, entangled by malevolent spirits, clearly taking Yu'er's 'misfortune' upon himself before fainting."

"But I say this: Mo Hua's Fortune is so great, these 'misfortunes' cannot touch him!"

"Mo Hua's Fortune is Yu'er's Fortune."

"Yu'er has suffered hardship since childhood; to grow up safely, he must stay by the side of a child like Mo Hua, blessed with immense Fortune!"

Wen Renwan spoke with firm conviction, logical and grounded.

Shangguan Yi was almost convinced by her words…

Fortunately, he had heard whispers about karmic threads and malevolent spirits, and knew that so-called "Fortune" was never this simple.

Shangguan Yi still wished to refuse: "Yu'er is still young, only at Qi Refinement—Grand Void Gate doesn't accept such children…"

"Not as formal disciples, just as pre-entry boarders…"

"The Grand Void Gate's leader won't agree…"

"How could he refuse? The Shangguan and Wen families' direct bloodlines have such excellent spiritual roots—he'd accept even if he had to break the rules…"

"This…" Shangguan Yi rubbed his temples, then added: "It might hinder Mo Hua's cultivation…"

Wen Renwan paused.

That…

She had not considered this.

Mo Hua's daily cultivation must be demanding—he couldn't possibly attend to Yu'er.

After brief thought, Wen Renwan had an idea:

"I'll assign a guard to care for Yu'er, oversee his cultivation, and never disturb Mo Hua. Only if Yu'er is plagued by nightmares and can't sleep—then ask Mo Hua to come see him."

Shangguan Yi sighed: "There's no precedent at the Grand Void Gate…"

"There wasn't—until now," said Wen Renwan.

"Father won't agree, and the Grand Void Gate will likely oppose it fiercely—especially some elder sect members who strictly uphold the sect's rules won't permit it..."

"How can you know unless you try?"

"Wan'er..."

Wenren Wan declared firmly: "I've decided! Yu'er must be sent into the Grand Void Gate!"

Shangguan Yi said: "Yu'er hardly has nightmares anymore—there's no need to go through all this trouble..."

Wenren Wan's gaze darkened. "And what about later?"

Shangguan Yi froze.

Wenren Wan frowned, her emotions heavy, her voice cold: "How do you know future nightmares won't be even more terrifying?"

"If Yu'er..."

Wenren Wan's voice trembled slightly, as if recalling the dreadful future from her dream: "... encounters even stronger, more hopeless nightmares..."

"At that time, what will become of our child..."

Wenren Wan gripped Shangguan Yi's arm tightly, her slender fingers turning white from the pressure.

Shangguan Yi looked stunned.

He gazed deeply at his wife, seeing in her eyes profound affection and fear of some unknown presence—his heart trembled.

Shangguan Yi nodded slowly, his voice soft:

"Alright. I'll find a way to send Yu'er... into the Grand Void Gate!"

Mo Hua still didn't know about Yu'er.

He didn't know that soon, he would gain a new "neighbor."

Mo Hua returned to the sect and continued his relentless study of the electromagnetic array, refining the secondary thunder patterns.

The secondary thunder patterns recorded in his jade slip grew increasingly numerous.

Though still complex, with countless variations and intricate details, these "patterns" became clearer and more familiar to Mo Hua's eyes.

Like an unseen Dao companion—after seeing them often enough, one grows accustomed...

And this companion had an entire family.

Though their appearances differed, their bloodlines were connected, sharing common traits—see enough of them, and you'll eventually recognize them all...

Thus, Mo Hua, calm and patient, kept refining and summarizing, until his jade slip recorded roughly a hundred distinct secondary thunder patterns.

Mo Hua's deductions also became more effortless.

The fusion of Celestial Mechanism Calculations and Derivative Calculations gradually came naturally.

His understanding of the secondary thunder patterns deepened further.

Mo Hua felt he should find something to practice on...

"The Message Slip" was still too profound...

Through days of research and consultations with senior and junior disciples, as well as exchanges with fellow sect members from families steeped in array lore, Mo Hua gradually expanded his understanding of the Beacon Electromagnetic Array and similar electromagnetic arrays...

The electromagnetic array is the foundational structure for cultivators to record, transmit messages, and send letters.

Beyond ink, paper, and brush, the most common recording method among cultivators is the jade slip.

All jade slips in the cultivation world are fundamentally built upon the electromagnetic array, used to display, record, and transmit written texts.

Fixed magnetic patterns, secondary thunder currents, variable magnetic patterns, magnetic ink characters...

This entire system forms both the underlying array structure of "messaging" spiritual artifacts—like the Message Slip—and the foundational array of all cultivation jade slips.

Jade slips preserve transmissions precisely because of the electromagnetic array.

Mo Hua recalled Jiang the Elder's two jade slips.

Those two jade slips likely contained the sect's core transmission: the Golden Severing Sword Art!

But the jade slips were sealed, inaccessible.

Unsealing was simpler than restoration.

Mo Hua planned to proceed step by step: first, use his understanding of the electromagnetic array to unseal the Golden Severing jade slip, then gradually study how to restore the Message Slip...

The Golden Severing jade slip was made of Bai Yu, its edges engraved with golden patterns.

Mo Hua took out the jade slip and studied it alone in his disciple quarters late into the night—but still couldn't figure it out...

His predictions had all been correct.

The Golden Severing jade slip was built upon the electromagnetic array, incorporating fixed magnetic patterns, variable magnetic patterns, and secondary thunder patterns as "bridges."

The so-called "sealing" indeed involved tampering with the electromagnetic array to conceal the original text within the jade slip.

A "secret pattern" was required to unseal the transmission jade slip.

This "secret pattern" was, in essence, a secondary thunder pattern...

But theory was theory—when he tried to actually unseal it, he found himself utterly at a loss.

How exactly was the Golden Severing jade slip "sealed"? How should it be unsealed? The secret pattern was a secondary thunder pattern—but which kind? Without the secret pattern, how could one unseal it?

"Without a transmission lineage, figuring it out on one's own is truly difficult..."

Mo Hua sighed.

He thought for a moment and decided he needed to ask someone.

Originally, Mo Hua had planned to seek out Mr. Xun—but after a moment's thought, he shook his head.

Matters of unsealing and decryption couldn't be discussed with Mr. Xun.

If he asked, Mr. Xun would immediately deduce what Mo Hua had been secretly tinkering with...

Within the sect, unsealing almost certainly meant unsealing a transmission jade slip's seal.

That wouldn't be wise—it might damage his image in Mr. Xun's eyes as someone "well-behaved and obedient."

Without thinking, he knew that in Master Xun's eyes, he must seem like a "well-behaved," "serious," and "diligent" disciple.

It wouldn't be good if Master Xun misunderstood him.

He would certainly never tell him the secrets of the Grand Void Gate again…

So he needed to ask someone else.

After much thought, Mo Hua finally found the right person:

Zheng Fang.

Zheng Fang was a disciple of the Zheng family of Zhenzhou.

The Zheng family's ancestral inheritance, kept secret and never revealed outside, was the true Thunder Pattern Array.

Sub-Thunder Pattern was a derivative of Thunder Pattern.

Zheng Fang didn't know Thunder Pattern, but having been born into the Zheng family and raised amid its teachings, he must be familiar with Sub-Thunder Pattern—or related Magnetic Array techniques.

Mo Hua went to find Zheng Fang.

Zheng Fang had a slight grudge against Mo Hua.

Because he had lost to Mo Hua.

His prized, notoriously difficult-to-learn Zheng family secret array technique—even though only a basic version—had been mastered effortlessly by Mo Hua.

Worse still, as a scion of an array family, he had to be taught arrays by Mo Hua and address Mo Hua as "Little Senior Brother."

Yet he knew Mo Hua's array skills were far superior to his own, so he felt deeply unsettled and rarely spoke to Mo Hua; their relationship was far from good.

Mo Hua knew Zheng Fang wasn't malicious, just stubbornly straightforward, so he lavished him with sweet praise.

He said the Zheng family was renowned, "famous as thunder."

That they had overcome all obstacles to preserve the upright and unyielding Thunder Pattern inheritance, so Zheng family disciples must all be upright, open, and honorable!

Then he praised Zheng Fang for being young, gifted, and destined for limitless achievements in arrays…

Under Mo Hua's barrage of flattery, Zheng Fang surrendered; his resentment vanished instantly. Though he tried hard to keep a stern face, he couldn't hide the happy smile tugging at his lips.

Mo Hua seized the opportunity to ask about the Magnetic Array.

Zheng Fang's opinion of Mo Hua had improved greatly, and Mo Hua had taught him much about arrays—he was even his "Little Senior Brother"—so Zheng Fang should return the favor.

Zheng Fang chatted with Mo Hua about the Magnetic Array for a while.

Zheng Fang, having received the Zheng family's inheritance, had broader horizons; Mo Hua, having studied on his own, had deeper insights.

After talking for a while, both gained much.

Zheng Fang grew even more convinced that this "Little Senior Brother" had extraordinary array insight, and he began to truly respect him.

Mo Hua then asked:

"Suppose I have a jade slip and want to seal it so no one else can read it—how would I do that?"

"Sealing a jade slip?"

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded.

Zheng Fang said: "It's actually simple—just add another layer of array patterns to obscure the content, then leave one 'seal pattern' as the key…"

"Seal pattern?" Mo Hua paused, "Is that 'secret pattern'?"

Zheng Fang shook his head. "No, they're different. Those who don't understand arrays, or aren't skilled in Magnetic Arrays, often confuse them and call all such array patterns 'secret patterns'…"

"But in orthodox transmissions, these names are strictly defined—never to be mixed up…"

"'Seal patterns' are used to unlock 'sealing.' 'Secret patterns' are used to unlock 'encryption.'"

"With jade slip sealing, you cannot see the text inside."

"With jade slip encryption, you can see the text—but what you see is 'fake.'"

"Both methods rely on the same array principle, yet their forms differ greatly…"

Mo Hua suddenly understood, and praised again:

"You know so much!"

Zheng Fang's face flushed slightly; his pride swelled, and he spilled everything about 'sealing' and 'encryption':

"Sealing means adding another layer of 'variable magnetic patterns' onto a complete Magnetic Array, forming a dense, even 'magnetic ink mist' that obscures the jade slip's true content…"

"Encryption is different—it distorts the magnetic flow between fixed magnetic patterns and variable magnetic patterns, namely the 'secondary thunder flow,' causing the displayed magnetic ink text to warp…"

"To unlock sealing, you must decipher the 'seal pattern' and dissolve the 'variable magnetic patterns.'"

"To decrypt, you must decode the 'secret pattern' and correct the 'secondary thunder pattern'…"

…

Zheng Fang spoke fluently, dumping it all out at once.

Though some of it was memorized by rote and he didn't fully understand it himself, his learning was indeed extremely solid.

Mo Hua regarded Zheng Fang with new respect.

Indeed, among three people walking together, one must be my teacher.

Humility, eagerness to learn, observing and asking more—always brings rewards.

Mo Hua returned home full of insights and eagerly began pondering "unlocking."

The Break Gold Sect's Break Gold jade slips appeared blank on the surface, as if veiled in mist, yet upon closer inspection, showed fine specks of magnetic ink.

This was 'sealing.'

Now that he understood the principle, he had a direction for finding the 'seal pattern' and unlocking it.

The method was simple.

Both jade slips were old, and Jiang Da had surely consulted them frequently.

When consulting them, he must have used the 'seal pattern' to unlock them.

Each unlocking must have left traces of magnetic flow.

Other cultivators might not see these traces, but Mo Hua, relying on the algorithm of Heavenly Mechanism Fusion, could discern subtle clues.

He discerned the magnetic current—the trace of secondary lightning current.

Then, based on experience, he preliminarily simplified the secondary lightning current into Secondary Lightning Patterns.

But these Secondary Lightning Patterns were Mo Hua's own simplifications, not necessarily precise.

Mo Hua still had to select several similar Secondary Lightning Patterns from his compiled "Secondary Lightning Pattern Repository" and test them one by one…

All second-rank Secondary Lightning Patterns fall within the same category.

Among hundreds of Secondary Lightning Patterns, at least one must be the "Sealing Pattern" that unlocks the Duanjin Jade Slip.

Even if none matched, it didn't matter—as long as the category was confirmed, he could experiment with minor variations and test them one by one.

Secondary Lightning Patterns were not fully classified as Array Patterns; they had no standard form and were not entirely precise.

As long as the general structure matched, they could suffice as "Sealing Patterns."

Like two keys—even with slight differences—they could still unlock the same lock.

The only problem was, this deductive process could not be performed on the Dao Stele within his consciousness.

It had to be done in reality, by blending cunning divination with derivative divination.

Thus Mo Hua could only proceed with extreme caution, testing incrementally, avoiding excessive strain on his consciousness when amplifying derivative divination with cunning divination, lest his spiritual sense develop cracks…

Several days later, Mo Hua, through fused algorithms, perceived the traces of secondary lightning current.

After half a day's work, he preliminarily simplified these secondary lightning currents into "Secondary Lightning Patterns."

Then, after two more days, he found several "similar" Secondary Lightning Patterns from his own Secondary Lightning Pattern Jade Slip.

Mo Hua treated these "Secondary Lightning Patterns" as "Sealing Patterns" and tested them one by one to unlock the Duanjin Jade Slip.

The results were fairly successful.

After more than ten attempts, Mo Hua heard a faint "tsiiiiu" sound—as if a weak current of lightning surged, and magnetic sensation flowed in response.

At the same time, within the Duanjin Jade Slip, clouds dispersed and mist cleared.

The irregular magnetic seals on the Jade Slip shifted and faded one by one, revealing five gilded large characters at the top:

"Duanjin Yu Jian Jue!"