Chapter 885

Tai Xu Mountain, Elder Residence.

Since the bell from Lun Dao Mountain pierced the clouds and mist, crossed countless mountains, and reached Tai Xu Mountain, the Tai Xu Sect Master had felt an inexplicable restlessness.

He cultivated his body and mind, and his disposition had always been calm and composed.

But since the sect's reform began and the Lun Dao Assembly was held, his mood had never settled, constantly rising and falling with Tai Xu Sect's ranking, uneasy and agitated.

The rise or fall of Tai Xu Sect hung by a thread.

No matter how composed his nature, he could not remain indifferent.

He did not wish to bear eternal condemnation as the "criminal" who led Tai Xu Sect from prosperity to decline.

He now understood: only when idle could one remain calm.

When real matters arise, even immortals cannot remain composed.

In the Elder Residence, Mr. Xun sipped tea.

He was the Cave Void Ancestor, tasked with guarding the mountain gate; he rarely left, not even for an event as grand as the Lun Dao Assembly.

At this moment, Mr. Xun drank tea, serene as an ancient Buddha.

The Tai Xu Sect Master sighed.

What time is it, and he's still drinking tea—how can the Ancestor possibly drink this tea…

Could it be…

The Tai Xu Sect Master's heart stirred, asking, "Ancestor, have you made some arrangement?"

Mr. Xun raised his eyebrows slightly but said nothing.

The Tai Xu Sect Master pondered a moment, frowning, "That slot—you gave it to… that child?"

Though Mr. Xun hid it well, as Sect Master, he knew every slot passed through his hands—he could not possibly not know who received it.

Mo Hua…

The Tai Xu Sect Master knew the boy was extraordinary, but this was the Lun Zhen Assembly, and it concerned the entire Tai Xu Sect's future.

Does the Ancestor have that much confidence?

The Tai Xu Sect Master frowned, glancing at Mr. Xun.

Mr. Xun revealed nothing, only looked up at the sky.

"The time is nearly here…"

He calmly lifted his teacup, skimmed off the tea leaves, took a light sip, and said softly:

"Today, I will let the entire Qian Xue Province witness something extraordinary…"

The Tai Xu Sect Master's pupils trembled slightly.

…

Lun Dao Mountain, Grand Arena.

A examiner with a goatee, after reviewing the papers, immediately came to the main hall overseeing the exam and spoke to the array masters, his expression filled with awe.

"Gentlemen, I've seen something truly astonishing."

"What do you mean?"

The examiner pointed to Mo Hua, seated in the corner of the exam hall, exclaiming, "That boy's spiritual sense exceeded one mark…"

Everyone froze.

Even the chief examiner, Master Wen, turned to look.

"Exceeded one mark?"

Someone asked, "You mean… his spiritual sense broke the limit?"

"Impossible…"

"He…"

Everyone extended their spiritual sense, studying Mo Hua—each face grew grim.

"No way…"

"But he truly drew a seventeen-mark array—there's no mistake, so many array masters witnessed it…"

"Really exceeded?"

The hall fell instantly silent.

Everyone exchanged glances, then someone exclaimed:

"This is incredible…"

"Unprecedented…"

"Truly, an eye-opener…"

"The world really does have a genius with spiritual sense beyond the limit… I thought that was just a legend in cultivation texts."

"In the Great Thousand Worlds, anything is possible; with so many people, extraordinary talents will inevitably emerge."

"But this… spiritual sense beyond the limit…" someone shook his head.

Another elder sighed: "Spiritual sense beyond the limit, at Foundation Establishment mid-stage, yet drew a seventeen-mark array—this boy's future is likely boundless…"

All present were array masters; they knew what powerful spiritual sense meant for an array artist.

Moreover, he had already entered the path.

At such a young age, drawing a seventeen-mark array must have taken immense effort.

If he continues steadily, his future achievements are certain.

"Still, his elemental affinity is weak…"

"With spiritual sense like this, who needs elemental affinity?"

"That's only your view—cultivators still require Zhou Tian to be flawless; a single weakness makes the path ahead extremely difficult."

Even an array master needs cultivation as a foundation.

That's true…

The examiners seated around murmured among themselves.

Master Wen looked around and spoke slowly, reminding them: "Gentlemen, we must focus on the matter at hand."

The Dao Discussion Assembly is not yet over.

The crowd snapped back to their senses and said in unison: "Master Wen is right—we were momentarily careless."

After all, such a gifted young disciple is exceedingly rare.

"A pity…" one examiner sighed, "his cultivation is simply too low. Otherwise, this year's Array Discussion Assembly might have truly been something to behold."

We can watch next year too.

With such talent, he'll surely appear again next year—then he may truly compete with the top array prodigies of the Sida Sect.

That's interesting.

Don't think too much about it—finish this year's assembly first…

Understood…

The elders gradually resumed their examination duties.

Only Master Wen, gazing at Mo Hua, who sat calmly in the arena, eyes closed and meditating, felt a flicker of indescribable light in his eyes.

…

The Array Competition continued.

Defeated disciples flowed out like a receding tide.

After the tide receded, only true prodigies remained.

Soon, the onlookers noticed something odd.

"How is that junior cultivator at Foundation Establishment mid-stage still here?"

"Why hasn't the examiner kicked him out?"

"Don't tell me he actually drew a Seventeen-Line Array?"

After a while, during the mid-session break, Mo Hua sat quietly, preparing for the next round.

Only then did the crowd turn pale.

"He… actually drew a Seventeen-Line Array?"

"Incredible…"

After their astonishment, disciples quickly realized the implication.

"Wait—"

"He's only Foundation Establishment mid-stage, yet he drew a Seventeen-Line Array—this kid… his spiritual sense exceeds the norm!"

The crowd froze, then erupted in uproar.

Like a drop of water hitting hot oil, a sudden buzz spread through the Grand Arena, every corner alive with commotion.

"Spiritual sense exceeds the norm!"

The Grand Void Gate disciples grew especially excited.

"I knew it all along—Little Brother's spiritual sense is absurdly strong, definitely not ordinary!" Cheng Mo said proudly.

"If you knew, why didn't you say so?"

"How could you casually reveal something like this?"

Cheng Mo replied with unshakable certainty.

In truth, he himself had no real confidence—he'd only vaguely suspected Mo Hua's spiritual sense was stronger than average, but never imagined it would be this far beyond.

Murong Caiyun, a senior disciple, was stunned, yet inwardly delighted.

She never expected that this little brother, who'd followed her around since entering the gate to earn merit points, actually possessed such talent and ability.

If this were true, then Grand Void Gate's ranking might be secure.

At the Grand Void Gate elders' platform.

Elder Xun Ziyou shook his head and sighed:

"This child truly knows how to endure—and our Ancestor truly knows how to hide. Had this Array Discussion Assembly not been so critical, his spiritual sense exceeding the norm would likely still be kept secret."

Elder Xun Ziyan also nodded.

"Those with extraordinary talent inevitably draw envy. If they don't conceal their brilliance and preserve themselves, they're easily targeted. Logically, the deeper they hide, the better."

"But circumstances are unusual now—our position among the Eight Great Sects hangs by a thread; we cannot afford failure. Now we must draw the sword from its sheath and let Mo Hua step into the light…"

"Indeed," Elder Xun Ziyou sighed, "our Grand Void Gate must be blessed by our ancestors—fortune has finally turned…"

Without Mo Hua appearing out of nowhere, the Dao Discussion Assembly would have been impossible to pass.

…

Meanwhile, on the noble families' platform.

The cultivators of the Shangguan, Wenren, and Gu families fell silent.

Even Wenren Wan, who held Yu'er in his arms, pale-faced, was momentarily stunned.

Spiritual sense exceeds the norm?

Mo Hua?

Wenren Wan found it hard to believe.

The noble families' crowd was now in turmoil.

That means… the Shangguan family's young lady, who went to such lengths, pulled every favor, and smuggled her child into Grand Void Gate—her child is, in truth, a genuine spiritual sense exceeding the norm array prodigy?

Can such a thing even happen?

Shangguan Wang's expression changed, realizing the situation was dire.

Gu Shouyan frowned; he wasn't proficient in arrays and felt uncertain, so he glanced questioningly at Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai had a close relationship with Mo Hua.

Although Gu Changhuai had secretly suspected before that Mo Hua's spiritual sense was extraordinary, to discover outright, before a crowd, that his spiritual sense surpassed the norm, still left him quietly stunned.

Seeing the patriarch look at him, Gu Changhuai pondered for a moment, then nodded.

It meant it was likely true.

Gu Shouyan drew in a sharp breath and sighed:

"Truly… the younger generation is formidable…"

This child, who constantly came to the Gu family, ate and drank, and took gifts, actually possessed such an unbelievable spiritual sense talent.

No wonder Master Xun treated this child with such indulgence.

This also proved that when the child visited the Gu family last time and took the anonymous handscript of the Void-Dweller, claiming to deliver it on Master Xun's behalf…

It was probably not a ruse using Master Xun's name to help Wan'er out of trouble.

But rather, it was genuinely, undeniably, done at Master Xun's own instruction.

Wenren Jingxuan also froze.

He hadn't expected the situation to shift so dramatically in such a short time.

And this child's talent was truly this absurd…

Shangguan Ce also looked stunned for a moment, then his gaze flickered; his voice softened as he said to Wenren Wan:

"Wan'er, your seat is too far to the side, inconvenient for observing the ceremony. I'll have someone move you."

The seating order among the noble families followed strict hierarchy.

Once set, it was generally not changed.

Of course, that was under normal circumstances.

The current situation was clearly not normal.

Soon, serving disciples moved Wenren Wan and Yu'er to new seats.

This new seat was no longer on the periphery, but closer to the dais.

Its elevation was raised, placed above all ordinary Jin Dan elders, just one level below the Liu Yuhua elders.

Shangguan Ce nodded slightly.

After all, a spiritual sense surpassing the norm meant a promising future.

He couldn't possibly be unaware.

…

Meanwhile, on the seats of the Sida Sect:

The atmosphere had grown solemn.

"Did the Grand Void Gate still have this trick up their sleeve?" asked a Tianjian Sect elder, frowning.

"A spiritual sense surpassing the norm… truly, how did the Grand Void Gate find such a talent?" sighed Elder Shen.

"Spiritual sense has no cultivation method—it's either innate, triggered by an anomaly, or gained through great fortune. How did he surpass the norm?"

"We don't know…"

"The Great Thousand Worlds hold all manner of wonders."

"Pity his elemental roots are so poor; otherwise, with this spiritual sense, he'd easily qualify to join our Qiandao Sect."

"Such a talent shouldn't be hidden and nurtured properly—why did the Grand Void Gate reveal him so early?"

A Long Ding Sect elder chuckled, "They're desperate. Probably have no other moves left—if they don't show their trump card now, they'll drop out of the Eight Great Sects."

"This is actually good."

"If we let this disciple grow for another three years, he might truly become a major threat, biting into a chunk of meat from our Sida Sect."

"Now that he's exposed early, we have three full years to devise countermeasures."

"During the sect restructuring, next time we revise the array contest rules—add cultivation level or elemental root requirements, or extend the examination scope…"

"Exactly. Knowing in advance makes things much easier. What we fear is being caught completely off guard."

"The Grand Void Gate has made a foolish move…"

…

"Alright, it's nearly over. This array contest will soon reveal its true outcome—let's see who will claim the champion title this year…"

The elders of the Si Sect exchanged glances; outwardly humble, inwardly each harbored a desire to compete.

Mutual flattery on the surface was fine.

Praise each other, make each other look good.

But when real interests were at stake—when the ranking of the array contest was on the line—who wouldn't fight to be first, to determine superiority?

Not an inch would be yielded.

The four silently sipped tea, turning their gazes toward the arena.

In the arena, the commotion caused by Mo Hua gradually subsided.

Aside from true array masters, most people were merely startled, then moved on.

After all, the cultivation world was full of geniuses.

Qianxue Province was a holy land of the Dao, gathering talents from across the land; nearly every year, extraordinary "prodigies" emerged—and most vanished as quickly as a fleeting bloom.

But those with insight knew: a spiritual sense surpassing the norm was different.

An elder of the Wan Zhen Men, one of the Twelve Streams, now sighed in regret: "A spiritual sense surpassing the norm—these ordinary people have no idea what it truly means…"

"Why didn't our Wan Zhen Men have the fortune to take in such a disciple?"

If our Ten Thousand Arrays Sect could take in a disciple like this, we would spare no effort, pouring the entire sect's heart and blood into cultivating him into a master of array arts, bringing glory to our sect and reviving the glorious legacy of our array Dao!

Alas, fate is cruel… allowing the Grand Void Gate, whose array Dao is obscure, to snatch such a tremendous advantage!

The elder of the Ten Thousand Arrays Sect, the more he thought, the more his eyes burned with envy, the more he felt bitter and resentful.

The young instructor from the Ten Thousand Arrays Sect beside him nodded repeatedly, yet as he gazed at Mo Hua's figure seated in the Dao hall, he furrowed his brow.

He had a strange feeling that this young boy looked familiar…

It seemed as if he… had met him somewhere before?

…

As time passed, the Eighteen-Line examination began.

The Eighteen-Line array was another leap in difficulty beyond the Seventeen-Line.

Many disciples had already been eliminated; the prodigies on the Dao hall were now far fewer.

The current Eighteen-Line examination acted like a sieve, filtering back and forth across the Dao hall.

Disciples were continuously being weeded out.

Those eliminated each turned pale, shook their heads with sighs, looked helplessly to the heavens, or collapsed as if mourning a dead parent, retreating from the field.

Mo Hua remained unmoved.

His face showed neither sorrow nor joy; his expression was as calm as ever, not a ripple disturbed it.

The Eighteen-Line array examination was likewise a long process.

The atmosphere grew dull, tinged with anxiety.

After an indeterminate length of time, the bell rang—the time for the Eighteen-Line examination was up.

The examiners descended to grade the papers, identifying errors and "expelling" a large number of disciples.

After this bustling commotion, the Eighteen-Line examination ended.

And soon, everyone discovered an unbelievable fact:

Mo Hua was still seated.

He had not been defeated.

This meant he had drawn the Eighteen-Line array!

The Eighteen-Line array!

The arena fell silent for a moment, then a chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose.

Foundation Establishment mid-stage, transcendent-level spiritual sense, drawing a Seventeen-Line array—though extraordinary, it was still barely acceptable.

But Foundation Establishment mid-stage, drawing an Eighteen-Line array… that was truly defying heaven.

The Grand Void Gate members were stunned.

"Little Brother, you're this powerful?"

"Obviously."

"No, I know Little Brother is strong, but I never imagined he could be… this strong…"

"This is the Dao Debate Assembly…"

"At Foundation Establishment mid-stage, reaching this level—has anyone ever done this before?"

"Hard to say, but I've never heard of it…"

A group shook their heads in awe.

Cheng Mo also opened his mouth wide.

Even with all his confidence in Mo Hua, he now clearly felt Mo Hua's strength had surpassed imagination, even bordering on the "abstract"…

Murong Caiyun and other Grand Void Gate senior brothers and sisters stared at each other, collectively speechless.

No one had expected Mo Hua could reach this point.

On the high platform, every member of the Shangguan family fell silent.

Foundation Establishment mid-stage, transcendent-level spiritual sense.

If only one level transcended, one might still call it "potential."

But transcending two levels and drawing an Eighteen-Line array—that was no longer merely "potential"; it was real talent and actual power.

Shangguan Ce fell into thought, his expression growing gentler, and spoke to Wenren Wan:

"Yu'er is young, still growing—he needs good food to nourish his body. Today's Dragon Fish Spirit Meal is perfect; let Yu'er taste it."

The Dragon Fish Spirit Meal, prepared by the Ming Family, was indeed top-tier cuisine.

But this spirit meal was not before Wenren Wan.

At noble banquets, seating order reflects hierarchy; the spirit meals placed upon them follow strict rules.

Some spirit meals are not for everyone to eat.

The Dragon Fish Spirit Meal is reserved only for the tables of Nascent Soul elders.

Shangguan Ce's words were subtle.

But everyone understood.

If you cannot eat it at your current seat, then move to a seat where you can.

Thus, Wenren Wan was elevated once more.

This time, he sat on equal footing with the Shangguan family's Nascent Soul elder wielding real power.

No one dared utter a single "no"—not even Elder Shangguan Wang, whose face had turned deathly pale.

Wenren Wan felt as if in a dream.

Yu'er picked up a piece of fish and placed it in his mouth, smiling broadly.

…

And the Great Array Assembly was still in progress.

After eighteen lines came nineteen lines.

Nineteen lines were the limit of a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator's spiritual sense.

Spiritual sense, once you got further, became harder and harder to cultivate.

Nineteen-line spiritual sense was far stronger than eighteen-line spiritual sense.

A nineteen-line array was also far more difficult than an eighteen-line array.

The first exam question had nearly eliminated the overwhelming majority of array masters; those who had held on this long and successfully drawn a nineteen-line array were few as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

But soon, everyone noticed.

Mo Hua was still there—he could still draw…

Nineteen lines…

The vast training ground fell utterly silent, not even a pin's drop audible.

Now, the expressions on everyone's faces were no longer shock, but terror.

A Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator had drawn… a nineteen-line array, the very limit of the Foundation Establishment realm…

At this moment, everyone realized the gravity of the situation.

Almost everyone realized…

This small boy sitting in the corner, silently drawing arrays all along, was not merely a promising prodigy of array art—he was already a genuine, terrifying "monster," whose array foundation surpassed all normal limits…