Chapter 624: Transmission Without Transmission

Yu'er's life at the sect began.

Every day, his meals and routines were with Mo Hua, though he couldn't attend classes.

Because he had just entered Qi Condensation, he needed to nurture his meridians and solidify his foundation.

This method of fortifying the root was extremely costly, requiring vast quantities of heavenly treasures, rare spiritual essences, and the specific techniques varied from person to person—each aristocratic family's inherited methods differed, and the Grand Void Gate did not teach these.

So when Mo Hua went to the Dao Transmission Pavilion for lessons, Yu'er stayed in the disciple quarters, fortifying his foundation, cultivating, completing his assignments, and under Wenren Wei's guidance, studied Daoist scriptures.

When Mo Hua finished class, he returned to the disciple quarters.

Yu'er would bring a small bowl and sit beside Mo Hua, eating with him.

The other disciples, seeing the tiny Yu'er, were stunned.

He wore a small Grand Void Gate Dao robe, appearing like a disciple—but he was far too young to possibly be one…

Cheng Mo asked Mo Hua: "Mo Hua, who is this little brat?"

Yu'er pouted, his voice high and childish: "I'm not a little brat—I'm Shangguan Yu!"

"Shangguan Yu?" Cheng Mo frowned. "The Shangguan family?"

Yu'er ignored him, lowered his head, and mimicked Mo Hua, scooping rice into his mouth.

Cheng Mo sighed—he couldn't get angry at a child—then asked Mo Hua again:

"Your brother?"

Mo Hua patted Yu'er's head. "Something like that…"

Cheng Mo stared at Mo Hua, then at Yu'er, muttering: "They really do look somewhat alike…"

"Shangguan family?" another disciple asked in shock, whispering, "Mo Hua, do you have Shangguan blood?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "No."

Cheng Mo muttered to the disciple:

"Idiot, can you just say things like that? It's obviously supposed to be hidden—I bet Mo Hua's an illegitimate son the Shangguan family abandoned…"

Mo Hua was annoyed too. "If you have time, do more assignments, practice more arrays. I think you should use your limited time to study the Eight Trigrams Array, not here gossiping about idle chatter…"

Hearing "array," Cheng Mo's head throbbed—he immediately fell silent, grinning sheepishly:

"No no, 'Little Senior Brother,' I was just joking…"

Yu'er watched as Mo Hua's single sentence made the tall, burly man submit instantly—his eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Looks like Brother Mo is really powerful in the Grand Void Gate!"

Previously unsettled by entering the sect and meeting so many strangers, Yu'er now straightened his tiny spine with confidence.

He edged closer to Mo Hua, calmly holding his bowl and eating.

Yu'er settled into the disciple quarters from then on.

He was adorable and pure-hearted, like a mascot—deeply beloved.

Yu'er was very close to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was also their "Little Senior Brother."

With this connection, everyone treated Yu'er with great care.

Moreover, he was accompanied by a bodyguard—his aura was subtle yet majestic, steady as a mountain, profound as a deep abyss, clearly possessing immense cultivation.

Granted special admission, accompanied by a bodyguard.

This was clearly no ordinary child.

Some disciples, with ties to the Shangguan family, asked their elders and learned Yu'er's identity—they were stunned.

They now understood what the name "Shangguan Yu" meant, and their gazes toward Mo Hua grew far more "significant."

The Shangguan family sent their heir apparent to be your "little follower."

How deep must the "connection" be? How powerful the "backing"…

And you say you have no background? Try fooling a ghost.

The disciples grew even more courteous toward Mo Hua.

Mo Hua, however, was utterly confused…

Mo Hua, on the contrary, was somewhat bewildered…

Yu'er moved into the disciple quarters, and Mo Hua's life changed slightly—but after a few days of adjustment, it settled back into calm.

By day, he still attended classes, cultivated, and studied.

Occasionally, he substituted for Master Xun.

It was meant to be "occasionally," but Master Xun grew increasingly lazy, claiming age and declining energy, becoming a hands-off manager—now nearly all array instruction fell to Mo Hua.

Though whether that was genuine remained uncertain.

After class, returning to the disciple quarters, Mo Hua would do assignments with Yu'er whenever free.

He pondered spells, practiced arrays.

Yu'er, meanwhile, diligently completed his basic introductory lessons.

By day, Yu'er couldn't focus—he was nervous, uneasy, reluctant to do assignments; only in the evening, with Mo Hua, did he feel secure and study earnestly.

During the day, Yu'er could not calm her mind; she was nervous and uneasy, reluctant to do her lessons, but only when she stayed with Mo Hua in the evening did she feel at ease and study more earnestly.

Mo Hua slept too—but he kept watch, guarding against demonic disturbances near Yu'er's room, while his spiritual awareness sank into his mind sea to continue studying arrays.

Fortunately, no demons were foolish enough to disturb Yu'er.

But sadly, no demons were foolish enough to come and offer Mo Hua "food" either…

Thus, the sect's daily life remained peaceful and serene, busy yet fulfilling.

On the ten-day break, Mo Hua went out with Elder Murong and the others to take bounty missions.

On the day of the ten-day break, Mo Hua went out with Elder Murong and the others to take on a bounty task.

Mo Hua's original plan was to designate the task himself, then have Uncle Gu issue it, Elder Murong take it, and he would tag along to share in the reward—once he captured the criminal cultivator, he'd gain both the inheritance and merit points.

But this was still too idealistic.

He rarely went to Dao Ting Si, so he never ran into Uncle Gu, making it impossible for Uncle Gu to issue the task.

It failed at the source.

Mo Hua sighed.

He'd just have to wait until he happened to meet Uncle Gu again and think of another way.

With no connections at Dao Ting Si for now, Mo Hua could only take up bounties as they came.

He'd have to pay attention himself—when he had time, he'd watch the Grand Void Tokens, and if he spotted a task that felt suspiciously "off," he'd immediately contact Elder Murong and have her take it first.

After spending some time together, Mo Hua unexpectedly discovered that Elder Murong's status among her peers in the Grand Void Gate was far higher than he'd thought.

She had high prestige, excellent interpersonal relationships, and unmatched family background, talent, and ability—she was, without doubt, the true "Senior Sister" of her cohort.

Thus, her authority to accept tasks was extremely high.

Any task Mo Hua wanted to take, Elder Murong could secure.

Thanks to this, even though he only took bounties opportunistically, Mo Hua often managed to capture criminal cultivators and seize several cultivation techniques.

And Elder Murong gradually grew accustomed to having this little junior brother accompany her on missions.

Since she was the one who accepted the tasks, she nearly always went with Mo Hua—so she understood him better than anyone else.

Although Mo Hua's physical body was weak, his Qi thin, and his personal combat ability limited,

aside from that, he excelled at concealment, his body movements were superb, and he could defend himself easily…

Reconnaissance, infiltration, tracking, setting traps, coordinating ambushes, spell control—he was proficient in all of it.

He was also exceptionally skilled in arrays, able to use any strange, obscure, or even unheard-of array.

Aside from his slightly lacking offensive power, he was practically a treasure chest of arrays, the ultimate all-purpose junior brother…

Every mission with Mo Hua was effortless.

But she harbored one regret—the Five Elements Enhancement Array.

Elder Murong never said anything aloud, but she could never forget the sensation of her Qi surging under the array's augmentation.

She longed endlessly to experience it again—the feeling of her spells amplified, her Qi racing, her power sweeping all before her.

Unfortunately, there were no further chances.

Opponents she could defeat didn't require the Five Elements Enhancement.

Opponents she couldn't defeat? The best choice was to avoid direct confrontation.

Even evenly matched foes, after Mo Hua's reconnaissance, ambushes, encirclement, and control tactics, became significantly weaker.

No spell enhancement was needed.

No high-tier, high-consumption techniques were required to settle matters.

Unless they encountered a true powerhouse—or were forced into a life-or-death battle…

…

Thus another two months passed, and Mo Hua kept tagging along on missions.

He completed numerous bounties, captured seven or eight criminal cultivators, seized several Five Elements techniques, and his merit points accumulated steadily, reaching 1,130.

Of these, 500 points came from the bounty on Yin Laoer.

Yin Laoer's bounty originally carried no such high reward—he was a wanted criminal of Dao Ting Si, skilled in concealment and assassination, with many lives on his hands.

All these miscellaneous crimes accumulated into a massive merit point total.

Mo Hua was ecstatic.

The subsequent seven or eight criminal cultivators he captured were ordinary ones, unremarkable—so the rewards ranged from a hundred points down to just dozens.

But Mo Hua was content.

Even the smallest amount was far better than painstakingly earning a few points at a time by drawing first-rank arrays.

1,130 points!

Mo Hua felt rich!

These merit points were earned through his own hard work; he was reluctant to spend them—but everything must be used to its fullest. Hoarding them without use made earning them meaningless.

So he went to the Merit Hall, and before the stunned gaze of the Merit Elder, he extravagantly bought six second-rank, sixteen-pattern arrays in one go.

It cost him over a thousand merit points.

The Merit Elder stared blankly for a long moment, then asked incredulously:

"Kid, did you rob someone?"

Mo Hua shook his head.

"Then did you kill and plunder?"

"Did you steal someone else's Grand Void Token?"

"Or… did you secretly alter your Grand Void Token?!"

Mo Hua looked utterly speechless. "Elder, am I really that kind of person?"

The Merit Elder studied Mo Hua's delicate features for a moment, then shook his head.

"You don't look like it—but what goes on behind the scenes? Who knows."

"I couldn't even commit murder, plunder, or alter Grand Void Tokens," Mo Hua said helplessly.

The Merit Elder thought for a moment, then nodded. "True—I overestimated you…"

The Merit Elder pondered further.

The Grand Void Token system had been in use for years—it couldn't possibly be flawed. If he received it and openly used it, he likely had no hidden agenda.

As for the exact source…

Since you've been registered with the Grand Void Token, you must all meet the rules and procedures; there's no need to make things hard for a child.

"Wait a moment…"

The Merit Elder turned around, took out several array diagrams from the stacked jade cabinets behind him, sealed them together, made the proper records, and handed them to Mo Hua.

But he was also curious.

"Eight-Combination Kan Water Array, Floating Cloud Xun Wind Array, Gen Earth Mountain-Ze Array…"

"These are all second-grade, sixteen-pattern arrays, right? You're only at the early Foundation Establishment stage—what do you plan to do with them?"

Mo Hua smiled sweetly: "I'll just study them a bit…"

The Merit Elder said solemnly: "This isn't a game. Your spiritual sense isn't strong enough—studying these arrays will drain your spirit sea and damage your foundation…"

"Mm-hmm!" Mo Hua accepted the Elder's goodwill and smiled: "Master Xun knows about this."

Mo Hua brought up Master Xun again.

Master Xun's reputation, as expected, worked wonders—the Merit Elder, upon hearing it, relaxed and said:

"Then go ahead. Learn well under Master Xun."

"Yes, Elder!"

Mo Hua bowed and took his leave.

Back at the disciples' quarters, while helping Yu'er with her studies, Mo Hua spread out the six second-grade, sixteen-pattern arrays one by one and began reading them with great interest.

Six in total.

All were Bagua-system arrays, sixteen-pattern, common formations, yet all relatively unfamiliar to Mo Hua.

But the principles of arrays—once understood, all connect.

Mo Hua had been studying Bagua arrays for some time and had gradually developed his own insights; even with these unfamiliar arrays, he could figure them out through careful thought.

After midnight, he practiced them again and again on the Dao Stele.

Roughly a month passed, and Mo Hua had learned them well enough.

At this point, Mo Hua realized he'd been too busy lately and had forgotten one thing:

Second-grade, sixteen-pattern arrays were precisely the ones required for the second-grade assessment.

Yet his current array master rank was still first-grade—far too low.

"Should I go swap for a second-grade Tian Shu Ring to wear?"

"I wonder if the second-grade Tian Shu Ring looks good."

Mo Hua mused to himself and went back to the Elder's residence.

In Gan Zhou, there were too many aristocratic families and tangled powers; Mo Hua couldn't decide on a rank assessment alone—he needed to humbly consult Master Xun.

In the Elder's residence, Master Xun was leisurely drinking tea.

He had handed over all array lessons to Mo Hua and felt confident; now he had some free time to organize his lifetime's teachings on array instruction.

Then he would pass this compilation to Mo Hua, and he could essentially become a hands-off master.

Mo Hua had visited Master Xun's quarters before.

The child at the door didn't stop him.

The interior was simple, clean, spotless, devoid of clutter—possessing a quiet, return-to-nature charm.

After entering, Mo Hua bowed and asked Master Xun softly:

"Master, would it be appropriate for me to now seek determination as a second-grade beginner array master?"

"Rank determination…?"

Master Xun sipped his tea, thought briefly, then nodded: "Fine, go ahead."

As if remembering something, Master Xun set down his teacup and added: "How far have you progressed?"

"Nearly sixteen patterns…" Mo Hua said.

"Sixteen patterns…?" Master Xun nodded. "Then yes, you're about ready. Learn a bit more, solidify your grasp, and you'll reach second-grade intermediate…"

Master Xun paused, frowned: "How many patterns?"

"Sixteen…"

Master Xun stared at Mo Hua, stunned, speechless for a long while.

Only then did Mo Hua remember he'd never told Master Xun about his sixteen-pattern spiritual sense.

And Grand Void Sect elders never intruded into disciples' spirit seas.

"Master…"

Mo Hua whispered.

Master Xun snapped back to himself, his brow twitching: "When did this happen?"

Quite some time ago…

That night at the Shang family's, guarding Yu'er, I slew a horde of demons and devils, "ate" a Ram-Horn Practitioner, and after digesting it, my spiritual sense reached sixteen patterns.

But Mo Hua feared Master Xun couldn't handle it, so he said gently: "Just these past few days…"

"Hmm."

Master Xun nodded, feigning calm, yet inwardly gasped in shock…

Sixteen patterns!

How little time had passed, and already sixteen-pattern spiritual sense!

Early Foundation Establishment, sixteen-pattern spiritual sense—and still no sign of a limit! What kind of little monster is this?

In over a thousand years of open recruitment, the Grand Void Sect had never taken in such a little demon!

He needed to find time to visit the forbidden rear mountain's Grand Void ancestral graves.

See if they were smoking green smoke!

Mr. Xun forced himself to calm down, frowned, and suddenly remembered what had happened before, his heart clearing with understanding.

No wonder…

"Earlier, you asked me about the Sixteen-Stripe Firestorm Meta-Magnetic Array…"

"So it's because your spiritual sense is nearly at Sixteen-Stripe—you wanted to consult me in advance, to prepare for later comprehension…"

"Solid and steady, yet forward-thinking in your preparation—excellent…"

Seeing Mr. Xun's usually stern and rigid face shift with unspoken thoughts, Mo Hua asked:

"Mr. Xun, am I able to undergo grading?"

Mr. Xun froze, his eyebrows lifting.

Of course you are!

If you can't undergo grading, who else could?

With Sixteen-Stripe spiritual sense and such profound mastery of arrays—if you can't be graded, I'll pull the noses off every grading examiner in the land.

But just as Mr. Xun was about to speak, he halted, a flicker of concern returning to his brow.

Sixteen-Stripe…

Too outrageous…

If you truly undergo grading now, it will cause a massive uproar.

You've only just entered the sect, less than a year ago—such sudden fame will invite envy and covetousness.

Under such fame, you may easily become restless and lose your calm mind, making it hard to delve deeply into array studies.

And you'll attract the attention of all sorts of unsavory people…

Such a promising seed, still unripe—cannot be ruined…

After long deliberation, Mr. Xun shook his head and sighed: "It's a bit difficult…"

Mo Hua was stunned. "Sixteen-Stripe—still difficult to undergo grading?"

Mr. Xun's expression turned solemn. "You should know that strong spiritual sense merely means you have a good foundation for learning arrays—it doesn't mean your array mastery is automatically strong."

"Arrays depend on talent, comprehension, and above all, cultivation through hardship."

"Here in Qianxue Prefecture, prodigies abound; array geniuses are as countless as stars in the sky."

"Maintain a humble heart…"

"Don't underestimate others…"

"Some may not have spiritual sense as strong as yours, but they've been exposed to arrays since childhood, with deep family traditions and profound foundations—their array experience and understanding may not be inferior to yours…"

Mo Hua pondered this, then nodded slowly, realizing Mr. Xun's words held great truth.

Do not underestimate the array prodigies of Qian Prefecture!

Mo Hua said earnestly: "You're right, Master—there's always a higher heaven, always someone greater. Your disciple understands!"

Mr. Xun glanced silently at Mo Hua, thinking: Others can say that—but you shouldn't be the one saying it.

The "heaven" beyond heaven might not even be someone else…

But he couldn't say it outright.

After a moment's thought, Mr. Xun sighed again and added:

"There's one more crucial point…"

"Even if you're able to undergo grading, the Dao Court's grading requires quotas and recommendations—you're too young, too inexperienced, and it's hard to get you recommended."

"The evaluation process is rigidly 'exam-oriented,' with a cumbersome procedure requiring you to learn many rigid, formalized, yet hollow and impractical things…"

"It would waste a great deal of time—and frankly, it won't improve your array skill at all."

"Your current task is still to study arrays, to steadily improve yourself, not to waste time on these rigid, exam-focused matters."

"Wait until your mastery reaches a sufficient height, and there's a real need—then consider grading."

"Before absolute array prowess, all those trivial, exam-based barriers become meaningless…"

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.

But he also had a concern: "Master, if I can't be graded, I can't take on Second-Rank array tasks—I'll accumulate merit too slowly…"

In truth, he was already accumulating merit at a decent pace.

But he wanted to go even faster…

"Merit…"

Mr. Xun stroked his beard and nodded slightly.

That was indeed a problem.

He'd overlooked it before.

With Sixteen-Stripe spiritual sense, Mo Hua naturally needed to study Sixteen-Stripe arrays.

But the merit points required to exchange for Sixteen-Stripe arrays are substantial—relying on him to slowly earn them through 'entry-level' tasks would take forever.

This would greatly slow Mo Hua's progress in array studies.

That would contradict my original intent.

Having Mo Hua earn merit was meant to temper him, help him bond with fellow disciples, foster mutual aid, and cultivate sect pride—not to deliberately hinder him.

After brief thought, Mr. Xun said:

"No problem—I'll adjust your permissions. Within Grand Void Gate, you are now a Second-Rank Array Master."

Mo Hua blinked in surprise.

Can this even work…?

Mo Hua asked softly: "You change my rank to Second-Rank, and it just counts as Second-Rank?"

"Naturally…" Mr. Xun said. "When you're graded and recognized by the sect, you're granted corresponding permissions. Now, though you haven't been graded, your permissions can still be granted through my recognition…"

"The sect's permission is simply a grant."

"With permission, you can accept quests."

"Otherwise, if you take a second-rank array quest, do you need to present a second-rank Tianshu Ring?"

"Oh oh."

Mo Hua nodded, indicating he understood.

"Give me your Grand Void Token..."

Mo Hua handed the Grand Void Token to Mr. Xun.

Mr. Xun took the Grand Void Token and, without hesitation, began modifying its permissions right before Mo Hua's eyes...

Mo Hua, watching, suddenly froze.

A storm of shock surged within him.

Granting permissions is simple and quick, but altering them is entirely different.

Before, Mo Hua would not have understood.

But now it was different—he had learned the Magnetic Array and, using clever calculations to amplify his computations, had penetrated the essence of magnetic patterns—the Sub-Lightning Pattern.

He had even amassed a "Sub-Lightning Pattern Repository" and used Sub-Lightning Patterns to unravel Sealing Patterns and Secret Patterns.

Now, he could clearly perceive...

What was called "modifying permissions" was, in essence, Mr. Xun using an extremely rare Sub-Lightning Pattern to inversely influence the array, altering the dual magnetic patterns, thereby changing the Grand Void Token's underlying structure and rewriting his own permissions!!

Mo Hua was stunned.

It felt as if...

Someone had, right before his eyes, taken a golden key and demonstrated exactly how to open a secret treasure vault...

(End of Chapter)