Chapter 35: All Prepared

Sixteen days had passed since Mo Hua began learning the Melting Fire Array.

This morning, Mo Hua woke up early. The sunlight streaming onto the table was fresh and bright, unlike the heat of noon. Mo Hua spread paper on the table, prepared the red ink, and began to draw the Melting Fire Array.

This was something Mo Hua had done every day for the past ten days. But today was different. Mo Hua wanted to formally draw a complete Melting Fire Array.

Last night, in his Sea of Consciousness, Mo Hua had been able to draw the Melting Fire Array on the broken stele. This meant his divine sense was strong enough to support him in drawing five array patterns. And after repeated practice of the Melting Fire Array patterns, and having repaired the refining furnace in the refining workshop once, Mo Hua knew them by heart.

Mo Hua drew carefully and cautiously. An hour later, just as Mo Hua felt his divine sense beginning to sting and become exhausted, he completed the final stroke of the Melting Fire Array.

Mo Hua injected a little spiritual power. The spiritual power flowed along the red array patterns, circulating slowly from the first stroke of the first array pattern to the last stroke of the fifth array pattern, finally connecting the entire array without any obstruction.

Success!

Mo Hua let out a long breath. He felt a sense of accomplishment, like water finding its course after days and months of accumulation.

"A five-pattern array!"

He could draw a five-pattern array at the third layer of Qi Refining. Mo Hua knew that cultivators normally at the third layer of Qi Refining could at most draw three patterns. Disciples of large families and sects, with higher talent and better inheritances, might be stronger at array drawing in the same realm, but probably not by much. Mo Hua nodded.

Moreover, the more he drew, the stronger his divine sense would become, making learning arrays easier. Becoming a first-grade array master should just be a matter of time. Once he truly became a first-grade array master, even if not formally graded, just an ordinary one, he could earn a good income in spirit stones, and his parents wouldn't have to work so hard.

Thinking this, Mo Hua couldn't help but feel happy.

Then, the exhaustion from several days of constant array practice hit him. Mo Hua lay down on the bed and couldn't help but fall asleep.

Liu Ru Hua entered the room carrying several washed wild fruits. Seeing a newly drawn array on the table and Mo Hua snoring loudly on the bed, she tidied up the table for him, covered his little belly with a fur blanket, and then watched him for a long time. Seeing Mo Hua sleeping soundly, dreaming of who knows what delicious food with a trail of clear saliva at the corner of his mouth, Liu Ru Hua couldn't help but laugh. She used her sleeve to wipe the corner of Mo Hua's mouth before getting up and leaving.

Several days later, Da Zhu came to inform Mo Hua that the stove furnace was also refined. Da Zhu was Master Chen's eldest disciple, tall and strong with a very honest smile.

Mo Hua followed Da Zhu to Chen Ji Refining Tool Workshop. Inside the shop stood a stove furnace as tall as a person. Its shape was ancient and simple but sturdy, with three legs and a round belly with a lid. The lid of the stove furnace was open, waiting for the array to be drawn inside before it could be sealed.

"The stove furnace is forged. Little brother, take a look and see if you're satisfied."

Mo Hua walked around the stove furnace, looking left and right, and then touched it. He felt the solid weight of it and knew at a glance that the materials used were excellent and the details were meticulously polished. Mo Hua nodded and praised, "Indeed worthy of Master Chen, this is the best spirit tool I've ever seen." Of course, he hadn't actually seen many spirit tools.

Master Chen stroked his beard. "Naturally. For something you want, little brother, I'll naturally do my best."

"Thank you, Master Chen!" Mo Hua said happily, then took out a storage bag. "There are sixty spirit stones inside, for your hard work."

For about twenty days of work, the fee should have been over a hundred spirit stones. Mo Hua gave him a five-fold discount and added a little more. Master Chen initially wanted to refuse, but thinking about how business had been slow at the refining workshop these past few months, and how Da Zhu and the other disciples sometimes didn't eat their fill, he accepted it, but said to Mo Hua, "From now on, if you need refining done, come find me. I'll give you the lowest price in Tong Xian City."

"En, en, thank you, Master Chen!" Mo Hua said happily.

"However," Master Chen hesitated, "this stove furnace still needs an array painted on it to be usable. Who do you plan to find to paint this array?"

Mo Hua patted his chest. "I'll paint it myself!"

Master Chen was surprised, yet not entirely surprised. The array on the refining furnace at the Refining Tool Workshop was repaired by Mo Hua, and the process for refining furnaces, pill furnaces, and stove furnaces was similar, with similar core arrays. So there was no problem with Mo Hua wanting to paint it himself. But...

Master Chen advised kindly, "Repairing an array is different from painting one. I hear painting an array consumes more divine sense. Little brother, your cultivation isn't high, so your divine sense might not be enough. Don't force yourself to paint it and end up injuring your Sea of Consciousness."

"Don't worry," Mo Hua said, "I know what I'm doing."

Master Chen then said nothing more. He didn't understand arrays as well as this young cultivator in front of him.

Mo Hua wasn't very tall, so Master Chen disassembled the assembled stove furnace and spread the parts on the ground, making it convenient for Mo Hua to paint the array. Da Zhu and several other disciples also helped out, then stood to the side, craning their necks, curiously watching Mo Hua paint the array. They rarely saw cultivators painting arrays, so they found it novel, especially since the one painting the array was Mo Hua, who was considerably younger than them.

Mo Hua first used a brush dipped in water, trying to paint array patterns on the inner wall of the stove furnace. This allowed him to become familiar with using the brush and adapt to the feeling of painting arrays on a real spirit tool. In his mind, he also imagined the problems he might encounter when actually painting the array.

Preparation is key to success; without preparation, there is waste. More preparation beforehand could greatly improve the success rate of painting the array.

After completing his preparations, Mo Hua spread out the Melting Fire Array diagram, placed it to the side for reference, then took out a brush and a small bottle of ink. The ink was a vibrant red and quite thick. They said it was made from the blood of a fire-attributed tiger-class demon beast. Although its quality was only medium, it was better than the ink Mo Hua had used before, and it was the best ink he could afford within his financial means. This small bottle of ink alone cost ten spirit stones, only enough to paint two Melting Fire Arrays, so he had to be fully prepared to avoid failure. If he failed, the wasted ink alone would be enough to make Mo Hua's heart ache.

Mo Hua held his breath, concentrated, calmed his mind, and began to move his brush and paint the array. The originally innocent and tender Mo Hua gradually took on a serious expression. His clear black and white eyes were bright and full of vitality, seeming to contain starlight.

Master Chen and the disciples stood to the side, seeing Mo Hua's solemn expression. They didn't dare to breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing him. They looked even more nervous than Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's fair, small hand held the brush. His fingers and wrist moved flexibly, guiding the brush tip to wander on the furnace wall, outlining vibrant array patterns, moving at a controlled and orderly pace. Although the people on the side didn't understand arrays or the array patterns, they saw those wonderful patterns seemingly flowing from the brush tip, and for a time, they were all absorbed in watching.

After who knows how long, Mo Hua finally stopped painting and let out a long breath. Seeing this, for some reason, the others also relaxed.

Master Chen hesitated and said in a low voice, "Little brother, is this... successful?"

A bright smile reappeared on Mo Hua's small, serious face.

"En, successful!"