Chapter 3: Formation Master

After Mo Hua woke up, he began his routine cultivation. After one shichen, he finished cultivating and went to the lecture room to wait for the teacher.

"Teacher" is a general term for instructors within the sect who teach outer disciples concrete lessons such as cultivation, arrays, pill refining, and tool refining. They are also responsible for supervising and guiding the outer disciples' cultivation.

Tong Xian Men, like other sects in the cultivation world, also divides disciples into three classes: direct lineage, inner disciples, and outer disciples.

The outer sect is open to the outside world and primarily focuses on teaching cultivation and imparting knowledge. It relies on collecting tuition from entering disciples as income. Outer disciples learn a part of the sect's inheritance that is open to the public. After graduating or leaving, the disciples have emotional ties with the sect but no actual entanglements.

The inner sect is the main body of the sect. Inner disciples are attached to the sect and, in addition to cultivation, manage the sect's various industries, such as spirit mines, spirit fields, cave mansions, and businesses. Inner disciples can learn cultivation methods and spells that are generally not spread outside the sect. They are closely connected to the sect through the master-disciple relationship and cannot be separated. If an inner disciple causes trouble outside, the sect can be implicated. If an inner disciple betrays their master, it is often considered a great act of treason with serious consequences.

Sect direct lineage disciples are direct descendants among the inner disciples. These disciples either have blood relations with the sect master or elders, or they have extremely deep master-disciple affection. Direct lineage disciples are the core of the sect and will often succeed to extremely important positions such as sect master or elders in the future. Direct lineage disciples learn the most core cultivation methods of the sect, as well as some absolutely forbidden secret techniques. If a direct lineage disciple betrays the sect, they must be hunted down and killed.

Dao laws prohibit cultivators from privately punishing and killing others. Hunting down and killing direct lineage disciples who betray the sect violates Dao laws and will be pursued by the Dao Court. However, matters of betrayal mostly fall under the jurisdiction of local Dao Court offices. Although the Dao Court has immense power, its subordinate departments and offices in each state, each world, and even each city do not all have powerful cultivators presiding over them.

When direct lineage disciples betray the sect, it concerns the core inheritance of the sect and is of great importance. Generally, the Dao Court offices will not intervene. This is especially true for large sects that are regional hegemons; the local Dao Court offices dare not intervene.

However, these matters are not of much concern to Mo Hua. He is only a low-grade outer disciple of Tong Xian Men. He is neither an inner disciple, let alone a direct lineage disciple. Even if someone wanted to hunt him down, they would look down on him...

Mo Hua wants to enter the inner sect, but he has neither spirit stones nor connections. It is estimated that it will be very unlikely in this lifetime, let alone becoming a direct lineage disciple of the sect.

Mo Hua calmed his heart and focused his spirit. He sat in his seat for a while, then saw Teacher Yan walk in with a serious expression.

Teacher Yan is probably forty or fifty years old. He is a serious person and already has a cultivation of the ninth layer of Qi Refining. In Tong Xian Men, Teacher Yan has a high status because among all the teachers, only Teacher Yan knows arrays, and it is said that in a few years he may be able to pass the assessment and become a low-grade Array Master.

All the Qi Refining disciples' arrays in Tong Xian Men are taught by Teacher Yan. Regardless of whether they are disciples from wealthy families or ordinary loose cultivators, Teacher Yan treats everyone equally. If they make a mistake, he shows no favoritism, rebuking when necessary and punishing when necessary. Therefore, the disciples of Tong Xian Men both respect and fear Teacher Yan.

The sect's tuition is paid once a year, so the lessons are also taught once a year. Today is the last day of Tong Xian Men's annual practice. After today, there will be a long annual break of over half a month. And the assessment results for the disciples' various lessons will also be issued today.

Teacher Yan held a stack of assessment sheets in his hand. The disciples' hearts were uneasy. Mo Hua was initially fine, but seeing the disciples beside him looking like they were facing a formidable enemy, his heart also became nervous.

After a while, Mo Hua received his sect assessment results. The array assessment was, as usual, grade A. This is what Mo Hua is most skilled at. There are not many disciples in Tong Xian Men who can get an A in arrays, and Mo Hua is one of them.

Mo Hua's cultivation is only a solid B grade. It's not that he didn't cultivate diligently, but his root bone is truly limited. With a middle-grade inferior small five-element spirit root, no matter how he cultivates, it will only be so. He is insufficient compared to the best and not much better than the worst.

For other lessons that can be learned well by spending time, such as the general knowledge of Dao history, and an overview of Qi Refining, he basically got A grades. For those that require spending spirit stones to buy materials to learn well, such as pill refining and talisman making, he got either B or C. Mo Hua's family is poor, and he couldn't even borrow a pill refining furnace, so naturally, he couldn't learn well. During the assessment, he could only refine blindly by feeling. Whether it would succeed or not depended on luck. The results not only depended on luck but also fluctuated and were very unstable.

But overall, the results were quite good. As the saying goes, one good point covers a hundred flaws. After all, arrays are difficult to learn, and being able to get an A in arrays is already quite good.

Teacher Yan said a few words, then left temporarily. The disciples in the room then looked at each other's results and whispered.

"Mo Hua, you got 'A' in arrays again!" A disciple secretly glanced at Mo Hua's assessment sheet and sighed.

"Another A...""I always get B...""I'm still a C.""Arrays are so hard to learn, my head just hurts when I see them...""..."

The disciples all gathered around Mo Hua. "Hmph!" A Qian family disciple wearing a silver-white Daoist robe, seeing the situation, snorted coldly and said, "What's so great? It's just drawing these simple sect arrays and getting an 'A'."

"Then what did you get?" A disciple retorted, unconvinced."Why should I tell you?" The Qian family disciple said disdainfully.

Another disciple secretly glanced at his assessment sheet and then laughed loudly: "He got a C!"

The disciples were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter."You got a C and are still laughing at others for getting an A, you're really thick-skinned!""Thicker than a tool refining furnace!""Still a Qian family disciple, so stupid! I'm even better than him, I got a 'B'."

The Qian family disciple was angry and ashamed. "So what if it's an A grade? You loose cultivators can't produce array masters, do you understand?" He pointed at Mo Hua and the others with his finger. "You group of loose cultivators, like frogs at the bottom of a well, with no inheritance, in this lifetime, listen carefully, it's this lifetime, you will never produce an array master. Bah, still an A grade! Remember this, among loose cultivators, it's forever impossible to produce true array masters! If you don't understand, I can say it again."

"Loose cultivators are forever not worthy of being array masters!"

The surrounding disciples were silent. Mo Hua looked at him as if he were an idiot, then stood up and bowed to the Qian family disciple behind him, saying, "Teacher Yan is good!"

The Qian family disciple was struck by lightning. His head stiffly turned around and indeed, he found Teacher Yan standing behind him, his face iron blue.

"The sect is for imparting Dao and cultivation, not for you to compare yourselves and slander your fellow disciples!""You can't even learn basic arrays, and you still have the nerve to mock your fellow disciples?""Go stand outside for punishment now until it's dark.""Also, draw the basic five-element array patterns one hundred times. Show me when you come back next year. If you can't draw them, you don't need to come..."

The Qian family disciple's face was like dead ash, but he dared not retort a single word. Teacher Yan's status is high. He can even train the direct lineage disciples of the Qian family, let alone this distant branch relative.

The Qian family disciple slipped away dejectedly to stand in punishment. Teacher Yan stood in front of Mo Hua, silent for a moment, reached out and patted Mo Hua's thin shoulders, sighed, and said, "Don't pay attention to what others say, study hard."

Mo Hua's expression was as usual. He respectfully bowed to Teacher Yan, "Disciple understands."

Teacher Yan nodded, then walked to the teacher's seat, instructed the disciples a few more sentences, and then announced the sect's annual break, allowing them to go home.

The disciples suppressed their excited mood, bowed to the teacher, thanked him for his guidance in cultivation throughout the year, and then scattered like birds and beasts. The sect's annual break, the disciples were overjoyed.

Mo Hua looked at them with a complex heart. These Qi Refining disciples are mostly still young, carefree, and far from knowing the hardships of a cultivation life. Thinking of his father's body covered in scars after hunting demons and his mother's haggard face, Mo Hua's heart ached, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Becoming a low-grade Array Master is still far off, with no definite timeline, but within the scope of his efforts, he wants to make his dad and mom live a little better.

Mo Hua packed his assessment sheet, carried the twelve spirit stones in his bosom, and left Tong Xian Men. He didn't go home but walked towards the market.