Chapter 720

"I can't leave the sect or go with you, but I can draw arrays for you," Mo Hua said.

Cheng Mo's expression brightened, then he hesitated:

"If you draw the array and we use it, isn't that the same as us buying an array and using it ourselves…?"

"We've set up arrays before, but still didn't catch that flying thief…"

Mo Hua said: "No problem—I'll draw some different ones."

"Since ordinary array media are easy for them to detect, use uncommon array media."

"If array media won't work, use customized spiritual instruments."

"Customized spiritual instruments," Cheng Mo blinked in surprise. "Those are hard to make—where do you even get them customized?"

"You don't need to worry about that—I'll figure it out," Mo Hua declared confidently.

Cheng Mo regarded him with newfound respect and praised: "Little Brother Mo, you've got so many connections!"

Here, Mo Hua grew curious and asked Cheng Mo, "Do you usually use customized spiritual instruments?"

Cheng Mo shook his head. "Rarely."

Mo Hua didn't understand.

Cheng Mo tried to explain a few things to Mo Hua, but he was awkward and couldn't articulate it well.

He hadn't even thought carefully about the niche craft of customizing spiritual instruments.

He only knew how to swing his axe, hacking wildly—even sometimes not caring what kind of axe he was swinging…

As Cheng Mo fretted, his gaze flickered and caught sight of Sister Situ entering the dining hall, as if she'd just finished her practice.

Cheng Mo immediately stood up and called out:

"Sister Situ! Over here!"

Sister Situ walked over, looking puzzled.

Cheng Mo pushed her into a seat and said to Mo Hua:

"Little Brother Mo, ask Sister Situ! She's a sword cultivator—sword cultivators have sharp minds, no, they're meticulous, they care deeply about their sword instruments and know a lot about refining. Ask her, you won't go wrong."

Mo Hua had no choice but to ask Sister Situ.

Sister Situ was far more reliable; after a moment's thought, she explained:

"Among us scions, we usually inherit spiritual instruments—my Li Huo Sword, Cheng Mo's Kaishan Axe, Yang Qianjun's Po Jun Spear—all are inherited spiritual instruments."

"Hao Xuan's sword is ancestral too, but now he doesn't like swords—he prefers clubs instead…"

"These inherited spiritual instruments use precious materials, are forged in special ways, and align with the family's own cultivation methods. When fully activated, their power is immense."

"In a sense, they're also symbols of a clan's status and standing."

"Mm-hmm!"

Cheng Mo nodded beside her, visibly proud.

The pair of Kaishan Axes he carried were ancestral—extremely valuable, and naturally, extremely powerful.

Sister Situ sighed again: "But these inherited spiritual instruments aren't always easy to use…"

"They're extremely valuable; even minor damage causes great distress, and repairs are very difficult."

"Also, they consume enormous amounts of spiritual energy. If your realm is too low or your cultivation shallow, you can't fully unleash their power."

"If you force activation without sufficient cultivation, your spiritual energy drains quickly."

"In a life-or-death battle, this becomes deadly."

"Moreover, inherited spiritual instruments have fixed forms and unchangeable arrays—though powerful, their functions are limited, making them hard to adapt to various situations."

"After all, the cultivation world is vast, and cultivators come in all kinds—practicing all sorts of methods, using all kinds of spiritual instruments."

"If your inherited instrument is countered by an enemy and you have no backup, you're at a severe disadvantage…"

"So in my view, you must have an inherited spiritual instrument—but don't rely on it too heavily, or it'll become your own restraint."

Mo Hua nodded slightly.

Sister Situ's mind was far more meticulous than Cheng Mo's clumsy one; she understood deeper and considered things more thoroughly.

Cheng Mo beside her couldn't help but nod too.

"Besides inherited ancestral spiritual instruments," Sister Situ continued, "ordinary cultivators also keep standard-issue spiritual instruments."

"These standard-issue spiritual instruments are everywhere."

"They're mass-produced, cheap to make, and even if broken, you don't care. They come in many types and are broadly usable."

And they don't easily reveal your identity when doing bad deeds…

Mo Hua thought silently.

He thought of those black-clad traffickers.

Those traffickers, who abducted, kidnapped, and murdered, used nothing but common standard-issue spiritual instruments.

That way, they left no trace.

Otherwise, if they used their clan's inherited instruments to commit crimes, the moment they struck, someone observant would recognize their origin and uncover everything.

"Using standard-issue spiritual instruments for wrongdoing…"

Mo Hua blinked, silently noting this.

Sister Situ, clearly lacking Mo Hua's inner cunning, continued earnestly:

"Standard-issue spiritual instruments are good, but the problem is—they're crude."

"From materials, form, craftsmanship, to arrays—they're all cheap, with wildly inconsistent quality."

"Some good standard-issue instruments are surprisingly expensive, because production costs are high, mass production is difficult, prices are inflated, so few cultivators buy them."

"Oh…" Mo Hua nodded, then asked, "What about customized spiritual instruments?"

Sister Situ said: "The biggest problem with customized spiritual instruments is—they're too troublesome."

"Crafting a custom spiritual weapon requires a master of arrays who is experienced in array formation, deeply knowledgeable in array theory, skilled in array inscription, and proficient in practical arrays."

"Such array masters are hard to find."

"Some array masters only master theoretical array principles; when actually drawing arrays, their brushwork is clumsy and halting..."

"Some array masters draw arrays well and their brushwork is decent, but they are far too slow—this won't do either."

"Others have rigid thinking, knowing only standard patterns and unable to adapt..."

"Array masters are already scarce; adding these stringent conditions to filter them means those who qualify are exceedingly rare."

"One must excel in array theory, possess broad knowledge, understand adaptability, prioritize practicality, draw well, and draw quickly..."

Sister Situ sighed, "Such array masters are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and hard to persuade to take on work."

"Mm-hmm!"

Mo Hua nodded vigorously.

Cheng Mo nodded too, but halfway through, he suddenly sensed something amiss and eyed Sister Situ suspiciously, "Why do I feel you're circling around to flatter Mo Hua?"

The more Cheng Mo thought about it, the more it seemed true.

You sly fellow, Sister Situ, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes!

So you're one of those people too!

Sister Situ glanced at Cheng Mo, "I'm speaking plainly. Do you think I'm like you?"

Cheng Mo boasted, "When I flatter someone, I never beat around the bush!"

Mo Hua, somewhat exasperated, asked Sister Situ, "And then?"

Sister Situ, distracted by Cheng Mo's interruption, paused to think before continuing:

"Besides the array master, there's also the artificer."

"The artificer must have superb craftsmanship and rich experience; their thinking must not be too rigid, must adapt—but also not too erratic; they must still abide by established norms..."

"Custom spiritual weapons have no fixed patterns, yet must still follow certain rules."

"Moreover, there are issues across the cultivation industry—such as the forging furnace, forging materials, forging procedures, and so on."

"In short, it's extremely troublesome..."

Sister Situ sighed and said:

"Our Situ clan once hired several array masters, hoping they'd collaborate with our clan's artificers to forge a batch of specialized armor-piercing spiritual swords."

"But the array masters found the artificers crude, and the artificers found the array masters aloof; each looked down on the other."

"When actual forging began, the artificers thought the array master's array diagrams were flawed here and wrong there, utterly incompatible with the spiritual weapon."

"The array masters, meanwhile, believed that above all, the array diagram was supreme; once altered, its efficacy weakened. If the spiritual weapon didn't match the array, that was the artificer's problem—they had to fix it themselves."

"This back-and-forth bickering caused repeated changes to the process, wasting countless forging materials and array inks."

Sister Situ smiled bitterly, "In the end, we spent a fortune to forge that batch of swords—but more than half turned out defective; only a few were usable..."

Upon hearing this, Mo Hua was also taken aback.

He knew it would be troublesome, but never imagined it would be this bad...

Seeing his reaction, Sister Situ asked Mo Hua, "Little Senior Brother, are you planning to forge a custom spiritual weapon?"

Mo Hua didn't hide it; he nodded, "Yes, I want to start by trying something simple."

"Then the artificer, the forging furnace, the forging workshop..."

"I have connections."

Sister Situ was surprised. Like Cheng Mo, he grew even more convinced that his "Little Senior Brother" had extensive connections and an unorthodox way of getting things done.

"But there's one problem," Mo Hua said, "Forging these things will take considerable time. You won't have enough time for your next hunt."

Two days from now is the ten-day break.

Cheng Mo and the others will definitely go out to catch that flying thief.

There's no way this can be finished in time.

Only now did Sister Situ understand why Mo Hua had suddenly asked about custom spiritual weapons.

This was indeed a problem.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then said:

"Here's the plan: this ten-day break, you go ahead and hunt as usual. If you catch him, great. If not, let him go for now—next ten-day break, I'll bring you some array mediums and spiritual weapons."

"Good," Cheng Mo nodded, then slapped his chest, "If we catch that damn flying thief, I'll pay double for the array and spiritual weapons!"

He added weakly, "Only in spirit stones..."

"Deal!"

Mo Hua smiled with narrowed eyes.

Afterwards, Mo Hua wrote a letter and had someone deliver it to Gushan City, briefly explaining the situation to Master Gu.

During the ten-day break, Mo Hua visited the Gu household again.

Master Gu had already been waiting for Mo Hua at home.

Compared to usual, Master Gu's expression remained as composed as ever, but his eyes held a trace of anticipation.

The two found a teahouse in the city.

Mo Hua handed Master Gu several special array diagrams.

These diagrams, besides the array layout, also included forging illustrations—a fusion of array and forging techniques.

"Master Gu, I'd like you to forge a few things..."

"These are two simple spiritual weapons: one is a stone needle, the other a silver needle, plus two types of special array plates..."

Mo Hua unfolded the forging array diagrams and explained each one to Master Gu.

After Mo Hua finished, Master Gu took the diagrams, studied them carefully several times, and cautiously raised a few questions.

For example, what material is the artifact made of, and what are its dimensions?

Some artifact forging patterns, though compatible with the array, are extremely cumbersome in process and increase costs.

Mo Hua answered each one in turn.

For certain forging processes and issues with the array diagram structure, Mo Hua merely paused to think, then immediately picked up his brush and revised them.

Thus, after more than an hour, the artifact forging array diagram was preliminarily drafted.

Although it was only a preliminary draft, since these array media and spiritual artifacts were inherently simple, they were nearly ready for finalization.

After returning, you can use the forging furnace to produce a batch and test them.

After the discussion ended, Mo Hua said:

"Master Gu, please calculate the total cost of the forging materials and labor."

Master Gu hesitated, then smiled:

"Though these are custom-made, these are low-cost spiritual artifacts with simple processes—they're not worth many spirit stones. Young Master, no need to be so courteous."

Mo Hua shook his head. "These aren't for me."

Master Gu blinked in surprise.

Mo Hua smiled. "They're for my sect brothers—they don't lack spirit stones; don't spare them."

Master Gu's gaze shifted slightly, then he gradually understood and nodded with a smile:

"Good."

Mo Hua smiled too.

The artifact masters of Shancheng live hard lives.

Master Gu is a Jin Dan, yet he oversees a vast artifact workshop with many disciples—his finances are hardly generous.

So Mo Hua wanted to start with custom spiritual artifacts.

This would help Cheng Mo and his sect brothers capture criminal cultivators and earn merit, while also improving the Gu family's artifact workshop.

At the same time, Mo Hua could more solidly consolidate his array knowledge, apply arrays more deeply, and, on this foundation, gain experience that would let him widely disseminate arrays in the future.

Of course, the goal is still distant.

For now, he must start small and try step by step.

After finishing the matter of custom spiritual artifacts, Mo Hua rose to take his leave.

Master Gu rose personally and saw Mo Hua to the door, watching his carriage vanish into the distance—finally, a heavy stone in his heart slowly settled.

This young master is truly a "noble patron."

The lone mountain city's cultivators may soon, in the near future, be able to live decently for a few days…

Master Gu glanced again at the artifact forging array diagram in his hand, cherishing and valuing it.

On this diagram, there appear only a few simple spiritual artifacts.

But this, is an important beginning…

…

Before his ten-day break ended, Mo Hua returned to Bianhuile Sect, waiting for news of Cheng Mo's capture of the flying thief.

If they hadn't caught him, then next ten-day break, the custom spiritual artifacts he had asked Master Gu to forge could be put to use.

If Cheng Mo and the others had already caught the thief, it didn't matter.

Successfully apprehending criminal cultivators is always a good thing.

These spiritual artifacts will surely be useful later—no need to rush.

Around evening, Cheng Mo and the others returned, heads hung low.

Mo Hua didn't need to ask—he saw their faces and knew they had failed.

"That bastard!"

"We watched him day and night—we were about to catch him, but his wind-style body technique was too fast; he slipped away again through the crowd."

"We chased after him—but there wasn't even a trace left…"

Cheng Mo sat beside Mo Hua, eating spiritual food, complaining to him, then gazing hopefully at Mo Hua.

By convention, now that things had come to this, they should give up.

Continuing like this was no solution.

It wasted time and earned no merit.

But the more Cheng Mo thought about it, the angrier he became—especially remembering the thief's contemptuous glance back at them after escaping—his patience snapped.

Mo Hua nodded. "I've already asked Master Gu to forge them—he should finish before the next ten-day break."

Cheng Mo was overjoyed.

Seven days later, Master Gu sent someone to deliver a storage bag into Tai Xu Gate, handing it to Mo Hua.

Inside the storage bag were two types of spiritual artifacts and two array plates.

Mo Hua set aside time to inscribe the arrays onto them, then gave them to Cheng Mo and the others, explaining:

"That flying thief is experienced—he's clearly been caught in arrays many times before. So ordinary array plates and obvious array flags won't work—we need subtler methods…"

"Here are two types of spiritual artifacts: stone needles and silver needles."

"Both are inscribed with arrays using micro-engraving."

"The stone needles are for reconnaissance; their array is the Small Magnetic Array. Inserted into soil, tossed among rubble, or hammered into rock—they're hard to detect."

"The silver needles are for tracking; they're inscribed with the South-Pointing Parent-Child Array. When the thief isn't expecting it, stab one into his body—flesh, clothing, or hair—and then use a compass to locate him—he'll be unable to escape."

"Next, the two types of array plates."

"Since these are large-scale Sandflow Array and Wood-Binding Array, array plates are necessary."

"But these array plates are specially forged, using only materials that harmonize with earth—they're not durable, but equally hidden, buried underground and hard to sense."

Then Mo Hua explained to Cheng Mo and the others how Hunter of Demons commonly set traps using buried arrays.

"Understood?"

Cheng Mo nodded, then shook his head.

He was only suited to swing an axe; he couldn't handle such brain-taxing tasks.

Hao Xuan, by contrast, looked serious and remembered every detail clearly.

Afterward, Mo Hua gave them a few more reminders.

Several days later, on the ten-day break, Cheng Mo and the others set out again.

This time, Mo Hua stayed at the sect, cultivating and painting arrays, waiting for news from Cheng Mo and the others.

Two days later, Cheng Mo and the others returned.

Their expressions were relaxed; Cheng Mo in particular stood tall and proud, exuding triumph and vindication.

"In the mountains, we planted stone needles inscribed with the Minor Magnetic Array. Any rustle or movement, we'd know immediately."

"The flying thief was no exception."

"He showed his face, and we caught him right away."

"But his body technique was excellent—he ran fast. Fortunately, Yang Qianjun's spear skill was superb; he stabbed him in the back. Sister Situ's reflexes were sharp too—she instantly drove a silver needle into the thief's wound."

"The flying thief carried the silver needle like a fish that swallowed a hook—no matter how he swam, he was tethered by a line."

"We chased him through the mountains like cats hunting mice."

"Finally, when he was exhausted, we activated the pre-set array and captured that damn flying thief."

"When caught, the damn flying thief looked utterly stunned, repeatedly asking, 'How the hell did you catch me?'"

"I didn't say a word—I beat him up…"

Cheng Mo told the story vividly, feeling immensely satisfied.

After finishing, Cheng Mo offered Mo Hua a large chicken leg and praised, "No wonder you're the little senior brother!"

Mo Hua took the chicken leg, bit into it, and nodded in satisfaction.

After this incident, whenever Cheng Mo took on bounty tasks and had any problem, he'd come to Mo Hua for advice.

He often bought from Mo Hua specialized stone needles, spirit needles, or array discs for reconnaissance, tracking, or ambushes.

With these specially crafted spirit tools and array mediums, capturing rogue cultivators became almost twice as efficient.

One day, Mo Hua was eating in the dining hall.

Tall and burly, Cheng Mo brought a disciple over and stood before Mo Hua.

Cheng Mo said to the disciple, "Call him 'Little Senior Brother.'"

The disciple bowed respectfully and called out, "Little Senior Brother."

Mo Hua froze.

In that instant, he had the strange illusion that he'd become the boss of a gang, and someone had come to pay homage to him.

(End of Chapter)