Immortality Through Array Formations

Dazhu delivered the Water Poria to the Mo family’s home when Mo Hua was just eating a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup in a diner, like the other diners.

Liu Ruhua opened the box, saw the glistening blue Water Poria, and declined, “This is too valuable, I can’t accept it.”

“Aunt Liu, please just take it,” Dazhu insisted. “Mo Hua helped my master a great deal, Master Chen specifically asked me to deliver this.”

Liu Ruhua replied with a smile, “What big help could Huar, a mere child, have possibly provided?”

When Mo Hua saw Dazhu, he ran to the door with his bowl and, glancing at the box in Dazhu’s hands, asked, “What is this?”

Dazhu proudly explained, “This is Water Poria, it can clear heat, detoxify, and calm the mind. A herb collector owed my master for Artifact Refining, couldn’t pay with Spirit Stones, and used this to settle the debt instead. Aunt Liu, it’ll be perfect for your health.”

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, and he readily accepted it, “Thank my teacher Master Chen for me!”

“It’s nothing, really!” Dazhu said, waving his hand.

Seeing the situation, Liu Ruhua let it be and invited Dazhu, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come in and have a bowl of noodles.”

Dazhu feigned indifference, “I’m not hungry.”

But Mo Hua pulled Dazhu inside to sit down, “Eat before you go back.”

Liu Ruhua served Dazhu a full bowl of noodles with beef on top, steam and aroma assaulting the senses.

Dazhu ate until his head was covered in sweat.

Knowing these kids usually did manual labor and rarely had a full meal, Liu Ruhua served up another bowl of noodles.

Dazhu’s face bloomed with a smile.

Looking at the box of Water Poria, Liu Ruhua said to Mo Hua, “This Water Poria is very precious. When you have time, go thank Master Chen, and if you can really help him, do what you can to assist.”

“It’s no trouble, Mother,” Mo Hua assured as he patted his chest and then added after a thought, “I can handle any Formation up to the first rank.”

Mo Hua knew he still couldn’t paint a true Formation that contained nine Formation Patterns.

“Don’t boast about things you can’t achieve; be humble,” Liu Ruhua cautioned, patting Mo Hua’s head.

“Little Mo is really impressive, his Formation Painting is excellent! My teacher even praised him, saying that he could become a first-rank Formation Master in the future,” said Dazhu cheerfully.

“The future is uncertain, and one must never be arrogant, especially in Tao Cultivation.”

Liu Ruhua said outwardly, but hearing her child praised made her very happy inside. She prepared a plate of beef and some rice wine for Dazhu to take back to Master Chen, along with some snacks for his fellow disciples to indulge their cravings.

Dazhu, carrying several boxes of food, happily went on his way.

That night, under Mo Hua’s “supervision,” Liu Ruhua made a decoction with the Water Poria and drank it. Her meridians became significantly cooler, though she was still somewhat reluctant at the expense of Spiritual Stones.

Such fine medicinal material would have remained unused if Mo Hua hadn’t insisted.

Seeing that his mother had taken the medicine, Mo Hua was at ease and returned to his room to continue studying Formations.

“The quality of Spiritual Ink affects the effectiveness of a Formation…”

“On Formation media of different materials, the adherence of the Formation Patterns and the transmission of Spiritual Power also vary…”

“With only the third level of Qi Refinement, the Spiritual Power is too weak…”

“Practical application does indeed improve memory and comprehension of Formations. The Melting Fire Formation, containing six Formation Patterns, felt unfamiliar before, but now it seems etched in my mind, and each stroke surfaces instinctively…”

Practice makes perfect just as Mr. Zhuang had rightly said!

Drawing Formations on various Formation media and getting them to work can uncover many problems, significantly aiding the understanding of Formations.

But chances to apply this knowledge are hard to come by; no one is likely to ask a third level Qi Refinement Cultivator to draw Formations, and the low-end Formations used in everyday life by Loose Cultivators usually contain only two to three Patterns, with those having more than four being rare.

What to do now?

One needs Formations that encompass at least five Formation Patterns and preferable Formation media made of fine steel, and must also be an acquaintance; otherwise, others wouldn’t agree to let Mo Hua draw Formations. Any errors in the Formations would be difficult to explain.

After much consideration, only Master Chen and his furnace seemed the most suitable option.

However, having just dismantled the furnace, it didn’t seem right to dismantle it again and redraw it.

Were there any other furnaces?

Mo Hua stealthily glanced at the stove in his own house, feeling that the fire in the stove was perhaps a bit too weak.

The next day, Mo Hua tentatively shared his thoughts with his mother, who decisively rejected them.

“This stove isn’t just for business; it’s also for cooking meals for you and your father. Furthermore, the heat is sufficient. Unless it breaks, don’t even think about tampering with it,”

Liu Ruhua was Mo Hua’s mother who had watched him grow up from a young age, and she saw through his little scheme at a glance.

Mo Hua had no choice but to give up.

A few days later, Liu Ruhua went to Apricot Forest Hall to invite Old Mr. Feng for a follow-up consultation. Mo Hua followed her there.

Old Mr. Feng took her pulse with thread diagnosis and nodded his head,

“Not bad, the heart and lungs have been nurtured well, and the spiritual power can occasionally be used to let the meridians adapt, but it cannot be activated for long periods, otherwise, it will still cause harm to the body. As for the residual fire toxin, it has been mostly cleansed away.”

“I will prescribe a few medicinal ingredients. Go and collect them. Later, I’ll refine them into pills for you to take back and consume,”

Old Mr. Feng picked up his brush and wrote down a few medicinal ingredient names on the paper; Liu Ruhua took the list to gather the herbs and instructed Mo Hua not to run around, but to stay and chat with Old Mr. Feng.

After Liu Ruhua left, Old Mr. Feng took a sip of tea and looked up to find Mo Hua staring at the alchemy furnace in the room.

“Huar, what are you looking at that alchemy furnace for?”

Mo Hua asked, “Grandpa Feng, do you think this alchemy furnace can break?”

“As long as it’s a spiritual artifact, it’s possible for it to break,” Old Mr. Feng stroked his beard and said.

“Has it broken before?”

Old Mr. Feng nodded his head, “Indeed, it has broken a few times.”

“The next time it breaks, may I try to repair it?” Mo Hua said in a soft voice.

Old Mr. Feng looked slightly astonished. “Have you learned artifact refining?”

“No,” Mo Hua waved his small hand, “It’s not the outside of the furnace that I can’t help with, I mean the formation inside, if it breaks, may I repair it?”

Old Mr. Feng looked at Mo Hua with a smile and said, “Alright, if the formation inside the alchemy furnace breaks, I’ll let you repair it!”

Mo Hua smiled with his eyes narrowed, “Then it’s a deal!”

Old Mr. Feng laughed, “It’s a deal!”

Liu Ruhua came out with several packages of herbs and saw that Mo Hua and Old Mr. Feng were chatting happily; she couldn’t help but smile and said gently, “What are you talking about?”

“Just made a little deal with Grandpa Feng,” Mo Hua said with a beaming smile.

“Are you thinking of making some spiritual stones off your Grandpa Feng?”

“Just talking about friendship, not discussing spiritual stones,” Mo Hua said.

Liu Ruhua shook her head with a smile and handed the package of herbs to Old Mr. Feng, “Thank you for your trouble, Old Mr. Feng.”

Old Mr. Feng received them with a smile and then stood up to move to the alchemy room. He placed the medicinal ingredients into the alchemy furnace, and as he was about to start the fire, he suddenly stopped, his expression complex as he looked at the alchemy furnace in front of him.

“Grandpa Feng, what’s wrong?” Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask.

Old Mr. Feng wiped the edge of the furnace with his hand, checked the spirit stones, and then said with some helplessness, “The alchemy furnace is broken.”

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment before he said in a low voice,

“This… It didn’t break just because I talked about it, did it…”