Chapter 403: Small Lingyin Sect

During the journey that followed, Mo Hua would occasionally poke his little head out the window to gaze at the scenery of heaven and earth.

He looked for any signs of array formations in the mountains, immortal cities, or even within ruined temples.

If he saw something promising, he would release his divine consciousness to perceive it.

Then, he would carefully analyze and calculate.

If he calculated the spiritual power trajectory of an array, he would stop the carriage and personally investigate.

He would ask some local cultivators, visit local array masters, or go to seldom-visited mountain peaks to look at the ancient stone tablets standing there.

Stopping and going like this, two months passed.

Mo Hua did indeed find some special array formations, even two absolute arrays.

However, one was incomplete, and the other only had ten patterns. Moreover, they were simple ten patterns, and the Dao essence contained within was also very basic.

Even without relying on the Dao Stele, Mo Hua learned them within a few days.

After that, there were no more signs of any absolute arrays.

Not even one grade ten pattern, let alone one grade eleven pattern. And even more so, not a one grade twelve pattern array formation.

Mo Hua sighed.

His Dao Stele in the sea of consciousness had "gone on strike" and still hadn't recovered. Every day, he practiced array formations much less.

He could only rely on drawing the Thick Earth Array to enhance his comprehension of array formations and temper his divine consciousness.

But his divine consciousness was already at twelve patterns.

The eleven-pattern Thick Earth Array was easy to draw and no longer significantly tempered his divine consciousness.

In recent days, the growth of his divine consciousness had become extremely slow.

It was still a long way from reaching thirteen patterns.

In comparison, his cultivation progress was much faster.

It was very likely that by the time he reached the peak of the ninth layer of qi refinement, his divine consciousness would still be at twelve patterns, not having reached thirteen patterns, let alone the divine consciousness of the middle stage of foundation building, which was above thirteen patterns.

Foundation building with twelve-pattern divine consciousness...

Mo Hua sighed again. This was much worse than he had anticipated.

It seemed he needed to think of a solution...

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then went to find Mr. Zhuang and asked:

"Master, are twelve-pattern array formations really very rare?"

Mr. Zhuang drank his tea and leisurely said:

"However, as long as it is an absolute array, they are all very rare. Whether you encounter one or not depends on fate and eyesight."

"If fate is not with you, you won't encounter it. If your eyesight is not good enough, even if you encounter it, you won't recognize it."

"Being able to encounter the Thick Earth Array is already considered having deep fate. It's impossible for there to be an absolute array everywhere you go."

"Seeking array formations requires a long time and patience."

Mo Hua nodded, then frowned and sighed, saying:

"But, if it continues like this, before I build my foundation, I will only have twelve-pattern divine consciousness..."

Mr. Zhuang pointed at Mo Hua's forehead and laughed, saying:

"Just say what you want to say directly. Don't play these little tricks with your master."

Mo Hua chuckled, "I heard about a twelve-pattern array formation."

Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly, "Tell me about it."

"Master, do you still remember Yan Jiao?" Mo Hua asked.

Mr. Zhuang's gaze shifted slightly, "You mean the Spirit Pivot Array Map?"

Mo Hua was startled, "Master, you know about this too?"

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua's shocked expression, a hint of a smile in his eyes:

"I had one encounter with Yan Jiao, precisely because of this array formation."

Mo Hua thought for a while and gradually understood.

Mr. Zhuang was unfathomable, hidden in the mountains and forests, concealing his tracks. Ordinary cultivators couldn't possibly see him.

Among the cultivators in Pass Immortal City, apart from himself, no one had ever seen Mr. Zhuang.

Even Mo Hua's parents, Mo Shan and Liu Like Painting, only knew Mr. Zhuang's name but had never seen him, let alone knew what he looked like.

But Yan Jiao was different.

Mo Hua had always thought that Yan Jiao's array formation level was not bad.

But this was because he was once a disciple of Pass Immortal Gate and had received guidance on array formations from Yan Jiao, and he was grateful for that.

In reality, Yan Jiao was only a qi refinement cultivator, not even a first-grade array master.

This level of array formation attainment was considered decent in a small immortal city like Pass Immortal City.

But in Mr. Zhuang's eyes, it was probably not worth mentioning.

Solely based on his array formation level, Yan Jiao couldn't necessarily have become acquainted with Mr. Zhuang.

Initially, it was even less likely that he would have recommended himself to become Mr. Zhuang's nominal disciple.

Looking back now, Mr. Zhuang knew that Yan Jiao carried the karmic inheritance of an absolute array, which was why he looked at him differently.

He himself was also able to enter Mr. Zhuang's tutelage because of fate and chance.

Mo Hua couldn't help but ask, "Master, is the Spirit Pivot Array very powerful?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded and said:

"Absolute arrays all have some extraordinary effects. They all possess rules of spiritual power that are different from the ordinary, and are close to the Dao."

"The Reverse Spirit Array is like this, the Thick Earth Array is like this, and the Spirit Pivot Array is also like this."

"The Reverse Spirit Array is destruction, the Thick Earth Array is creation, and the key point of the Spirit Pivot Array lies in the word 'pivot'."

"Spirit Pivot is the center of spiritual power, involving the essence and structure of spiritual power..."

Mr. Zhuang was about to say something else, but suddenly stopped.

Mo Hua was still very interested and quickly asked:

"Master, why did you stop?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled and said: "The rest, if you can obtain this array formation, you can comprehend it yourself. If you can't, then saying it is also in vain."

Mo Hua muttered to himself, "Master is selling me a riddle again..."

Then he was startled and looked up, indeed seeing Mr. Zhuang looking at him with a seemingly not-smiling expression.

Mo Hua laughed awkwardly for a while.

He was muttered about his Master, and he was found out again.

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, his gaze doting, and didn't say anything.

Mo Hua then asked: "Master, what is the origin of this Spirit Pivot Array Map? And what is the inheritance of Master Yan Jiao's sect?"

Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment and slowly said:

"Yan Jiao's sect is called the Small Spirit Hidden Sect."

"The root of the Small Spirit Hidden Sect is the array formation sect that fell a thousand years ago, the Great Spirit Hidden Sect."

"A thousand years ago, the Great Spirit Hidden Sect was destroyed, and its disciples scattered, their inheritance divided and spread to various places."

"They didn't want the sect's name to be lost, but they didn't dare to rashly call themselves 'Great Spirit Hidden', so they changed one word and called themselves 'Small Spirit Hidden Sect'."

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and added:

"Apart from the 'Small Spirit Hidden Sect', other sects that look broken down and have the words 'Spirit Hidden' in their names, such as Small Spirit Hidden Mountain, Spirit Hidden Gate, Spirit Hidden Valley, and so on, may all be related to the 'Great Spirit Hidden Sect'."

"If you happen to encounter them, you might as well visit them and make friends to see if they have inherited any legacy."

Mo Hua nodded and remembered the words 'Spirit Hidden'.

Mr. Zhuang sighed slightly and continued:

"The reason I was initially willing to meet Yan Jiao was actually just to see the Spirit Hidden Sect's Spirit Pivot Array Map."

"It's a pity that the Small Spirit Hidden Sect fell, and the array formation was also lost."

"Although I didn't see the array map, Yan Jiao is upright in character and teaches without reservation, very much in the style of an array master from the Great Spirit Hidden Sect back then."

"I appreciate him quite a bit, so I allowed him to visit when he had something to discuss..."

After Mr. Zhuang finished speaking, he looked at the clear-eyed Mo Hua and silently sighed in his heart:

"Who knew that the next time he visited, he would bring me such a talented and clever little disciple..."

Mo Hua didn't know what Mr. Zhuang was thinking. He was frowning and thinking, then asked:

"What happened to the Small Spirit Hidden Sect for it to fall?"

Mr. Zhuang said: "Since you know about the Spirit Pivot Array Map, you should have heard about the fall of the Small Spirit Hidden Sect, right?"

"Yes." Mo Hua nodded, "They say there was a traitor who killed his master and ancestor, and stole the array map."

Mo Hua was a little angry.

Yan Jiao was a good person, diligent and conscientious, serious and responsible in teaching. He was a good teacher.

His master must have also been a good array master and a good master who valued the inheritance of array formations.

Such a person was actually killed by a disciple with a wolf's heart and a dog's lungs.

Moreover, that disciple actually stole the sect's core array map, causing a good sect to collapse and scatter...

Mr. Zhuang sighed and said: "Human nature is greedy, and people forget righteousness when they see profit. There are actually many such cultivators in this world..."

"Don't think that just because Pass Immortal City's folk customs are simple and honest, and scattered cultivators help each other, that all cultivators in this world are like this."

"Among cultivators, there are good people, and there are bad people, and there are people who choose between profit and harm, sometimes good and sometimes bad."

"Cultivating the Dao is treacherous, and the human heart is unpredictable."

"Not only do you need to guard against bad people, but you also need to guard against good people who become bad people when tempted by interest..."

Mr. Zhuang taught patiently and earnestly.

Mo Hua listened and kept nodding:

"Master, I know. Whoever is good to me, I will be good to them; whoever is not good to me, I will also not be good to them."

Mr. Zhuang listened to his somewhat childish words and couldn't help but laugh. He then asked:

"Then suppose, the one who is good to you is a bad person, and the one who is not good to you is a good person?"

"As long as I don't do bad things, then those who are not good to me are naturally bad people, and those who are good to me are naturally good people."

Mo Hua said in a clear voice.

Mr. Zhuang nodded and laughed:

"Indeed, this is the principle."

Mo Hua also smiled.

Mr. Zhuang continued: "Since you mentioned this matter, do you have some clue?"

Mo Hua nodded, "Before I left, I went to find Manager Mo..."

"He is also from the Small Spirit Hidden Sect, considered Yan Jiao's senior brother."

"He told me that Yan Jiao went to the Small Wild State's territory, to South Yue City, probably to find the traitor of their sect."

"And that traitor should have the Spirit Hidden Sect's secret transmission, a one grade twelve-pattern, Spirit Pivot Array Map!"

Thanks to book friends 20230322105722047 and 20230219171856392 for the reward.

(End of this chapter)