Chapter 715: House Arrest

Thus, Mo Hua was nominally appointed the "Junior Senior Brother" to all current disciples of the Grand Void Gate.

The disciples' emotions were complex, their expressions varied.

Mo Hua, who had always kept a low profile, felt as if he were being roasted over a fire, his heart uneasy and confused.

In that instant, he truly doubted.

Could his father or mother be the long-lost blood relative of Master Xun?

Was he, in fact, Master Xun's descendant from countless generations past?

Otherwise, why had Master Xun treated him so well?

Mo Hua was baffled.

"But from the practical standpoint of cultivation industry, custom-made spiritual artifacts face numerous unsolvable problems—cost, form, especially the arrays—so mass production is simply impossible…"

Young in age, high in comprehension, exceptional in talent, and extremely diligent.

"Yes," Master Gu nodded, then explained to Mo Hua:

"The higher your cultivation, the more refined your arrays, the greater your ability—and the more you will be able to accomplish in the future."

Master Gu spoke with a touch of emotion.

This was precisely what Master Xun meant when he said a Junior Senior Brother must embody the bearing and breadth of mind of one who looks down upon all mountains.

Over a thousand pairs of eyes, like a thousand arrows released at once, all turned sharply toward Mo Hua.

"Your arrays are already decent, but still insufficient—you must study and practice more, learn as much as you can, and train as solidly as possible."

"The Kunpeng gathers momentum, awaiting Zhao Tianming, before it can ride the whirlwind upward, bearing the azure sky and piercing through the nine heavens."

"Arrays serve spiritual artifacts; their function is dictated by the artifact itself."

"An array master cannot draw more than a few arrays in a single day."

"Remember, you are a disciple of the Grand Void Gate—one of the Eight Great Gates of Qianxue. From now on, you are also the Junior Senior Brother to the entire cohort of Grand Void Gate disciples…"

As a result, these disciples became much more humble.

Master Xun glanced at Mo Hua, sighed, and said in a soothing tone:

Master Xun could hardly bear to imagine it.

But Mo Hua was impervious; some taunts went in one ear and out the other, leaving him utterly unfazed.

Mo Hua had not forgotten his master's teaching: "Learn to apply."

"Under such circumstances, specific materials, dimensions, forms, and procedures must be perfectly matched to the array."

Mo Hua was momentarily incredulous, "A second-rank high-level array diagram?"

Master Gu was surprised, then nodded:

"Correct. But precisely because custom-made spiritual artifacts cannot be mass-produced, they are called 'custom-made'—to distinguish them from 'standard-issue' spiritual artifacts."

If he continued studying like this for another few decades or even a century, when Mo Hua truly grew up and his cultivation advanced, how profound would his arrays become…

"Custom-made spiritual artifacts, by contrast, are costly, uniquely shaped, and uniquely functional. The arrays on them are too difficult for ordinary array masters, making mass production nearly impossible."

"Your cultivation is still too low… you must reach Foundation Establishment mid-stage at least."

Master Xun stressed the words "Junior Senior Brother" very heavily, reinforcing this awareness in Mo Hua.

If assignments are not completed, the array assessments will receive poor ratings, affecting the year-end evaluation, which in turn further impacts their standing within their families.

But these disciples had forgotten what Master Xun had said beforehand:

Mo Hua frowned, "Because of problems in the cultivation industry?"

Mo Hua paused in thought, then slowly nodded.

What shocked them even more was that Master Xun had tacitly approved Mo Hua's actions.

If double was not enough, then triple.

Mo Hua's gaze stirred, lost in thought.

When he or the instructor was absent, Mo Hua had full authority over the entire lecture hall.

On days off, Mo Hua would travel to Qingzhou City to greet Xu Wanyi, and if the chance arose, meet Master Gu to discuss array media.

This "Junior Senior Brother," surnamed Mo and named Hua, appeared outwardly soft, delicate, pale, and innocent—easily bullied.

…

Centered on the Grand Void Gate, the farthest reach was Qingzhou City at the edge of Qianxue's borders.

Mo Hua sighed.

Master Xun's gaze turned cold, "I checked the Merit Hall records—most of your current merit was earned by drawing arrays."

"Is there any spiritual artifact specifically designed to serve arrays?"

The disciples maintained a mutual "don't cross the line" equilibrium.

His range of movement was confined within Qianxue's borders.

Master Xun seemed to sense Mo Hua's hesitation, and said:

Mo Hua straightened his back and lifted his head, suddenly confident.

"To reshape the heavens and earth, defy the fate of creation—not merely to kill a few heretical or demonic cultivators…"

"Don't keep wandering outside without reason—it distracts you."

"Here's what I'll do: you stay within the sect, focus on learning arrays and array diagrams—I'll provide them all to you, no need to spend merit to buy them."

Under full concentration, Mo Hua not only learned arrays quickly, but trained them with exceptional solidity.

Seeing Mo Hua's hesitant expression, Master Xun realized he couldn't just impose "house arrest"—he needed to offer some benefits, lest the boy harbor resentment, so he broke protocol again:

In a flash of insight, he finally understood why Master Xun had been so angry recently, and why he'd seemed ready to pick a fight with him.

The disciples were stunned.

They dared not even lay a hand on Mo Hua within the sect.

"Young Master Mo Hua is indeed quick-witted and meticulous…" Master Gu, following convention, deliberately praised Mo Hua first, then said:

"Whether array mediums or spiritual artifacts, they are merely norms developed by cultivators to advance the Dao path…"

After this period of cultivation, he could feel his cultivation slowly increasing.

You're just a "Little Senior Brother," not an instructor, let alone an elder—where do you get such authority?!

So a disciple reported this matter to Mr. Xun.

Mo Hua felt a twinge of guilt.

"Besides, I never made them call me 'Great Senior Brother'—I only let them call me 'Little Senior Brother.' What's wrong with that…?"

Sword Array!

The bottleneck to advancing to Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage is right before him.

Under normal circumstances, Mo Hua ignored them.

The only thing that broke the monotony of the sect's peaceful life was the fellow disciples, who resented him as this "Little Senior Brother" and deliberately came to provoke him.

Whenever Mr. Xun had free time, he would summon Mo Hua to his side to quiz him on the principles of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, and to inspect his array proficiency.

He couldn't leave Qianxue Province; he couldn't take on bounties.

After being tormented this way for a while, they gradually came to understand.

"Mm." Master Gu nodded. "In the cultivation world, most spiritual artifacts are 'standardized spiritual artifacts.' These have fixed materials, dimensions, manufacturing processes, and compatible arrays—all governed by established norms."

"There's one more thing…" Mr. Xun looked at Mo Hua and suddenly said, "I know about Huo Fotuo."

He grasped concepts with astonishing speed, yet his foundation was exceptionally solid.

Whenever Mo Hua asked about array mediums, Master Gu answered fully, and he always fulfilled Mo Hua's requests.

Mo Hua truly dared to "use power for personal gain," and the key was—Mr. Xun actually protected him.

Mo Hua froze, mouth agape.

Seeing Mo Hua's penetrating gaze, clearly internalizing his words, Mr. Xun nodded slightly and said:

"So from now on, focus on your cultivation and array studies—you are not permitted to leave Qianxue Province."

Precisely because they learned poorly, they couldn't recognize the gap or see their own array abilities.

Mo Hua stammered, "But…"

They thought everyone was about the same age, and Mo Hua was even younger—no matter how skilled his arrays, how high could they possibly be? So they didn't take Mo Hua seriously.

"That's how you achieve mass production."

And it's also very dangerous…

The only other option was to harass him during array classes.

"Especially array techniques," Master Gu shook his head, sighing,

Master Gu smiled bitterly, "Sword Arrays are extremely rare arrays, all core transmissions of sword sects—I'm just a spirit-artifact crafter; how could I possibly have seen one…?"

They dared not say harsh things to Mo Hua. That would count as insulting a fellow sect member and carry punishment.

The disciples had no recourse.

Those disciples who excelled in arrays, when Mo Hua casually spoke two words of array theory, immediately understood—he was far beyond them, and dared not act rashly.

Mo Hua realized a problem:

"If customized spiritual artifacts are mass-produced, aren't they just 'standardized' spiritual artifacts?"

"Master Gu, have you ever seen a Sword Array?"

"Those who escape jealousy are mediocrities; concealing brilliance is good, but when it's time to shine, you must shine—and when it's time to claim your position, you must claim it."

"So you're saying array mediums are spiritual artifacts, and spiritual artifacts are array mediums?"

Master Gu paused, then sincerely said:

"Young Master Mo Hua is indeed extraordinarily intelligent."

Mo Hua was overjoyed, and his gratitude toward Mr. Xun deepened further.

After class, Mr. Xun added, "Mo Hua, stay behind."

"Spiritual artifacts must be widely usable to sell well; materials must be common, with minimal geographic restrictions; materials must be cheap to keep costs low; arrays must be simple enough that any array master can draw them—even if they can't, they can learn in ten or fifteen days and handle them easily."

When he had free time, Master Gu would return from Gushan City to Qingzhou City's Gu family.

Though Mr. Xun had endured centuries of change and long ago possessed a heart as still as a deep well, at this moment his spirit surged with powerful anticipation.

Mo Hua's conduct was clearly using public power for private gain, turning a feather into an imperial edict—how outrageous!

Mo Hua was stunned.

Jade uncarved cannot become an artifact; an array unlearned cannot reveal its meaning.

"Industry?" Mo Hua said.

The atmosphere between Mo Hua and these "Little Senior Brothers" and "Little Senior Sisters" improved considerably; whether in class or after, few dared to come and provoke him.

It was simply unbelievable.

Every day: cultivation, classes, and after class—learning array diagrams, practicing arrays.

Mo Hua suddenly understood and asked:

When Mr. Xun was present, they dared not harass Mo Hua.

The Way of arrays is vast and profound.

"You draw arrays quickly; going outside to take bounties won't earn you more merit than drawing a few extra arrays…"

Though they didn't truly regard Mo Hua as "Little Senior Brother," at least they treated him politely on the surface—his treatment was acceptable.

Though tedious, Mo Hua gladly accepted it, for he was always learning new arrays.

Though Mr. Xun said nothing aloud, he inwardly marveled repeatedly.

The disciples gradually left, leaving the great lecture hall empty except for Mr. Xun and Mo Hua.

When the instructor was around, they dared not.

"The urgent matter is still to improve your cultivation and learn arrays."

Moreover, regardless of win or loss, I'm still the junior senior brother; there's no need to compete with them—it's exhausting and gains nothing.

Master Gu nodded and said: "Setting aside low-grade standard spirit swords, the forging methods of true high-grade spirit swords, and even some life-bound magic treasure spirit swords, are closely guarded secrets passed down through generations."

With Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivation and seventeen-stripe Foundation Establishment late-stage spiritual sense, he can learn second-rank high-level arrays—this unimaginable talent is more than sufficient for a junior senior brother of arrays.

Master Gu added: "Besides swords, other custom spirit tools also require compatibility with high-level arrays."

Mo Hua also noticed that anyone who made things difficult for him was poor at arrays.

They learned in a fog, and when drawing arrays, they were utterly flustered.

Converted into merit points, it was nearly four to five thousand.

Never mind that Mo Hua was said to be a lone cultivator; even if he were truly the blood grandson of some ancient ancestor, he wouldn't receive such treatment.

Mo Hua sighed, feeling a touch of regret.

They learned their lesson and gradually grew quiet.

Mo Hua had no other thoughts—he simply studied arrays with undivided focus.

Mo Hua didn't even glance at them.

But array media, after all, is a craft, and values practicality.

The sect's rules strictly forbid disciples from competing aggressively or dueling privately.

If they dared to act, Mo Hua would immediately report them.

He himself had to study second-rank high-level arrays daily—he was very busy and had neither the time nor the patience to play with these "junior brothers" and "junior sisters."

"This is a disciple of Grand Void Gate..."

Done. My true origins were all uncovered.

"Hating evil and defending the Dao are good things, but you're still young; there's no need to rush into such dangerous deeds."

"Yes!" Master Gu nodded. "Array media are universal, but they cannot perfectly suit all arrays, nor fully unleash an array's function."

At the same time, they also understood another principle.

"Master Gu, in a certain sense, array media, forged through spirit tool techniques, are essentially a kind of 'spirit tool,' and spirit tools require appended arrays—aren't they, fundamentally, also a kind of 'array media'?"

Master Xun's gaze sharpened slightly.

Mo Hua's expression froze.

Mo Hua looked stunned.

Master Xun silently thought to himself.

"If this array master stops drawing, finding another to replace him is even harder than climbing to heaven."

Moreover, each array was studied for only one day and practiced a few times, yet after one night, it felt as if he'd practiced for ten more days—his brush moved like flowing clouds, the array lines etched perfectly in his mind.

Mo Hua could only practice arrays daily, and spent all other time cultivating.

Mo Hua's heart leapt, and he asked:

"Array media are different: they serve arrays; on array media, many kinds of arrays can be drawn, so their function is dominated by the array itself."

Whenever there was a troublemaker, Mo Hua would "take revenge under the guise of justice" and immediately assign them double the array assignments.

This suited him fine—Mo Hua was even somewhat satisfied.

From then on, Mo Hua was officially "confined" by Master Xun.

"The most representative example is the spirit sword."

And Mo Hua was a bit petty.

"This is to improve forging efficiency, expand industrial scale, and increase spirit tool output."

"But..." Mo Hua said weakly, "I need to earn merit points..."

The opportunity was rare; Mo Hua studied even harder.

He further explained: "Array media and spirit tools are very similar, but upon closer inspection, the distinctions multiply—most importantly, they relate to the cultivation industry."

Master Xun emphasized "junior senior brother" once again.

Mo Hua suddenly understood: "Essentially, both involve drawing arrays onto a 'thing' as a medium—only people made distinctions for convenience?"

His time was precious; he had to invest his limited hours into the infinite process of comprehending arrays.

"Think about it—if the arrays on custom spirit tools could only be drawn by a few array masters, or even just one or two, how could mass production ever happen?"

Master Xun nodded. "Yes."

On the contrary, those who learned poorly were the most ignorant—and the loudest.

Mo Hua silently thought to himself.

With Master Xun backing him, everyone could only grit their teeth and accept it.

"Standard mass-produced spirit tools must have general functions, ordinary and inexpensive forging materials, and simple, practical arrays."

Master Xun kept his word and gave Mo Hua ten second-rank, seventeen-stripe, Five Elements and Eight Trigrams arrays at once.

But after talking extensively with Master Gu, Mo Hua gained much insight—yet still harbored a doubt.

Mo Hua was now confined within the sect, rarely using arrays, so many of his ideas remained mere fantasies, impossible to implement.

"If you have this ability, why let those weaker than you tower over you?"

Like suddenly blocking his path, trying to provoke him with words into competing—this or that, and if he lost, he couldn't remain junior senior brother.

And some people couldn't even perceive this "gap," let alone try to close it.

Thus, Mo Hua's array skill advanced rapidly, silently and imperceptibly.

Master Xun forbade any objection:

All were studying arrays; on the surface they might seem similar, but in reality, their levels could be as different as heaven and earth, with enormous gaps.

Mo Hua, upholding the duty of a junior elder brother, secretly took care of them but became slightly stricter, assigning them harder and more numerous tasks.

No need to spend merit points, yet still learn formation arts!

A huge pie fell from the sky out of nowhere!

Fearing that Old Master Xun might change his mind, Mo Hua immediately agreed wholeheartedly:

"Mm-hmm, I'll stay in the sect to study formation arts—I won't go anywhere else!"

With Old Master Xun presiding over justice, every single one of these disciples will regret it.

Too childish indeed.

"The material and form of a spirit sword must perfectly align with its inner 'sword formation' to maximize the sword's power."

"Don't worry—though you're lacking in every other talent, in formation arts, you're utterly unmatched!"

After finishing, go back to Old Master Xun and ask for more formation diagrams.

He tricks people without even lifting a finger himself.

"Spirit sword?" Mo Hua's eyes lit up, his heart stirred.

In Old Master Xun's eyes, Mo Hua, diligently studying formation arts, was like a rare treasure—every inch of him, even his pores, shimmered with brilliance.

"... Humility and gentleness are good, but you must also have the broad-mindedness to look down upon all mountains, the bearing of being uniquely outstanding, the stature of a 'junior elder brother'!"

Mo Hua whispered, "Old Master, isn't it inappropriate for me to be called 'elder brother'...?"

Going out to take bounty missions was now utterly impossible.

Once he bears a grudge against you, you're in for trouble.

But in truth, he's a white-and-black, quietly scheming type.

Only when Old Master Xun and the instructors were absent did they dare to show up and pick faults—when Mo Hua assisted in teaching or explained second-rank beginner formations.

Anyone who had ever shown their head, raised a challenge, or provoked him—he didn't take them seriously, but he quietly noted them all down in his little mental ledger.

Seeing that Mo Hua had understood, Old Master Xun reassured him:

"So, generally speaking, when custom spirit weapons are mass-produced, they become standardized spirit weapons."

Seeing Mo Hua's serious little face, filled with delight, and hearing his swift agreement, Old Master Xun finally relaxed and gave a slight nod.

Old Master Xun's face hardened. "What's wrong with it? The Dao knows no before or after; the capable are honored. The elder brother's position goes to the most competent. With your level in formation arts, this 'elder brother' title is fully deserved..."

"Such spirit weapons are usually 'custom spirit weapons.'"

"Oh..."

Mo Hua gave no clear reply, only nodded.

(End of Chapter)