Chapter 73: Foundation Establishment Fourth Level

In the days that followed, Mo Hua practiced the arrays as Mr. Zhuang had advised, applying what he had learned.

Master Chen's forging furnace and Mr. Feng's alchemical furnace had both been tinkered with by Mo Hua.

There was nothing left in the neighborhood that could let Mo Hua truly show his skill.

Mo Hua could only settle for lesser arrays to practice on—such as the dual-lock array on doors, the earth-and-stone array on walls, the flame-brightening array on lanterns, and so on.

Arrays were used extensively throughout the cultivation world, from offensive spiritual weapons to defensive shields and armor, and even in every aspect of daily life—clothing, food, shelter, and travel—each adorned with arrays.

Yet among low-level cultivators, array usage was extremely crude and superficial; some were merely one or two simple array lines, hardly qualifying as true arrays.

In comparison, Master Chen's forging furnace and Mr. Feng's alchemical furnace were already considered "high-end."

Especially Mr. Feng's alchemical furnace, which even employed a triple-array composite array to harmonize wood and fire spiritual energy; in the entire Immortal City, few array masters could draw such a composite array.

Mo Hua repaired doors, walls, and lanterns for several neighbors—mostly mundane tasks that revealed little of his array mastery—but the neighboring cultivators were deeply grateful to him.

Lacking sufficient spirit stones, they thanked Mo Hua with homegrown fruits, vegetables, and spiritual produce. The gifts were light, but the sentiment was heavy.

Mo Hua's household was not wealthy, and among the cultivators of Immortal City, many were even poorer; ordinary cultivators saved wherever they could, kept broken items in use, and never hired an array master to repair worn arrays.

Sometimes, the spirit stones spent to repair an array cost more than buying a new one.

Array masters were rare; most, after mastering their art, served only families, sects, or powerful cultivation factions—both to earn more spirit stones and to advance further in array arts.

"Mastered literature and martial arts, sold to the imperial household." This was a phrase from Mo Hua's past-life memories.

Once one crossed the threshold into an elite family or sect, one naturally turned away from impoverished households.

This was both human nature and the coldness of human hearts.

Thinking thus, Mr. Feng, who after becoming a first-grade alchemist still brewed pills and healed poor cultivators, became even more worthy of respect.

Mo Hua spent about a month repairing arrays for others.

Most were low-level arrays, containing only two or three array lines, but they served as a thorough review, deepening his memory far more than before.

Previously, when drawing arrays on paper, the paper served as the array medium; in actual practice, a single brick, stone, or piece of wood could serve as the medium.

Arrays drawn on paper could function, but they carried the air of theoretical speculation; moreover, paper arrays typically expired after one use and could not be used long-term.

Only by inscribing arrays upon heaven and earth—upon earth, wood, brick, stone, and all spiritual artifacts—allowing them to operate enduringly—could one truly comprehend the Dao and follow the Dao's path.

Drawing arrays on different media consumed more spiritual energy and mental focus, demanded greater brush technique, and was far harder to execute.

But with diligent practice, one's understanding of arrays grew deeper.

After practicing for some time, when Mo Hua looked at arrays again, he felt a sudden clarity.

The array lines no longer seemed obscure and abstract patterns, but vivid, living traces—the pathways of heaven's spiritual energy.

When Mo Hua sank his mental focus into his dantian and viewed the mysterious array woven from spiritual energy within, the previous confusion vanished.

The flow of spiritual energy across the mysterious array became far clearer, each thread distinct.

On this day, Mo Hua followed Mr. Zhuang's teachings on the principles of spiritual energy generation and restraint to unravel the array.

As Mo Hua's small, white hands traced the lines, one array line after another coalesced, then dissolved—like silk threads being pulled apart, slowly unfurling and melting into his dantian.

Mo Hua faintly sensed that with each array line unraveled, the bond between his mental focus and spiritual energy grew tighter.

When Mo Hua unraveled the final array line, he realized the entire mysterious array in his dantian had vanished; his dantian returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened—except for the Dao stele, which remained stubbornly, unchanged, at its center.

"Has it been solved?"

Mo Hua scratched his head, then tried to mobilize spiritual energy—suddenly, his dantian trembled, like a stomach starved for days, now burning with hunger.

Startled, Mo Hua quickly took out spirit stones and absorbed their spiritual energy; after refining over a dozen spirit stones, his dantian gradually calmed.

Mo Hua looked inward and found his spiritual energy significantly increased, his mental focus stronger.

"Foundation Establishment fourth level!"

Mo Hua was overjoyed, lying in bed unable to sleep.

He rose, lit a lamp, spread paper, dipped his brush in ink, and drew a Three Talents Array.

The Three Talents Array contained six first-grade array lines.

Previously, limited by his mental focus, Mo Hua could draw it but with difficulty; now, with his cultivation breakthrough and enhanced mental focus, drawing the Three Talents Array came effortlessly.

After finishing, Mo Hua remembered it was past midnight—he could have drawn the array on the Dao stele in his dantian, wasting perfectly good paper and ink.

Even a mosquito's flesh is meat.

Mo Hua felt a pang of regret, then sank his mental focus back into his dantian and drew arrays without restraint upon the Dao stele.

Arrays that had once felt difficult now became much easier, thanks to his cultivation breakthrough and increased mental focus. No wonder others always said: cultivation realm is the foundation of a cultivator.

Mo Hua drew arrays until dawn, then rushed to tell his parents the good news.

Mo Shan had just returned from the mountains, having hunted several wild ox demons with his companions, and was resting at home; upon hearing the news, the couple were deeply pleased and immediately arranged a feast for neighbors and close friends.

Advancing from Foundation Establishment third level to fourth level marked the transition from early to mid-stage—a significant breakthrough, traditionally celebrated with a feast; Da Hu and the others had held feasts when they reached Foundation Establishment fourth level, but since Meng's family was poor, the three boys had pooled resources and held only one feast together.

The eatery closed for a day; Mo Shan had someone carry the entire wild ox demon he'd hunted days earlier to their home, skinned and butchered it; Liu Ruhua seasoned and stewed the meat, then set up the feast right in the eatery.

Master Chen, Chen Dazhu, and Master Chen's other apprentices all came; Da Hu and the others, of course, were there too; some cultivators who weren't close but had received Mo Hua's help came specifically to offer small gifts, though they didn't stay for the meal—Liu Ruhua wrapped up portions of beef as return gifts.

Though called a feast, the food was only slightly better than usual—no spiritual meat, too expensive—but wild ox meat was plentiful, and with Liu Ruhua's legendary cooking, the dishes were cheap yet delicious; everyone ate meat, drank wine, and was very happy.

Mr. Zhuang disliked noise, and the Bai siblings had special status, so Mo Hua did not invite them; instead, he prepared extra delicacies and delivered them to Mr. Zhuang the next day.

Bai Zi Xi thanked him, ate the crispy, fragrant pastries, drank the sweet, clear fermented wine, and looked thoroughly satisfied.

Bai Zisheng, however, was deeply disappointed—he wanted to join the merriment, to drink heartily and eat meat boldly—but he knew it was only a fantasy; though Snow Auntie was gentle, she was strict with them and would never allow it.

Mo Hua had felt a little sympathy for him, but Bai Zisheng asked curiously:

"It's just Foundation Establishment fourth level—is it really worth celebrating like this?"

Mo Hua's small bit of sympathy vanished instantly.

For ordinary cultivators, the Foundation Establishment stage might be the end of their cultivation path—so every step forward was hard-won.