Chapter 526: Great Elder

Mo Hua and his companions temporarily settled down in the Wuxing Sect.

They were housed in the most distinguished guest room in the entire sect, elegant in style and luxurious in furnishings.

All their daily necessities and meals were also of the highest standard.

Spiritual food and delicacies,百年 fine wine, Yunwu tea,百花 pastries, all were available.

The Wuxing Sect was extremely attentive in their hospitality, but their attitude was not friendly, only superficially polite with forced smiles, their gazes still cold, and their demeanor distant.

Although they ate and drank well, Mo Hua had not come to sightsee; he was here to learn array formations.

He was concerned about the Wuxing Spirit Array.

However, the sect master of the Wuxing Sect evaded the issue, saying:

"By reason, since it is an agreement between our ancestors, we naturally have no reason to violate it..."

"But after all, several hundred years have passed..."

The Wuxing Sect's sect master showed a difficult expression, "Some senior elders in the sect have already passed away, and we juniors are not clear about the specifics of the agreement, so we need to discuss it and deliberate on related matters."

"Please forgive Senior Zhuang."

"These days, please all of you rest a little in the Wuxing Sect and appreciate our sect's inherited foundation and magnificent scenery..."

"We will quickly discuss the matter of learning array formations."

The Wuxing Sect's sect master's surname was Liao. He wore a golden crown and jade robe, had a fair, beardless face, and a dignified appearance, very much the demeanor of a sect master.

His words were also like this.

Saying something was like saying nothing at all.

Mo Hua pursed his lips, just about to say something, when Mr. Zhuang said:

"Then I shall trouble Sect Master Liao."

Sect Master Liao was flattered and surprised, and hurriedly said:

"I wouldn't dare, this is what a junior should do."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while longer, Sect Master Liao rose to take his leave.

After Sect Master Liao left, Mo Hua asked doubtfully:

"Master, are they not playing tricks?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded, "How could a sect's absolute array be easily taught to outsiders? It's normal to delay a bit..."

"They won't go back on their word, right?"

"They won't, and they don't dare to."

Mo Hua said: "Then we have to wait?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded, "Let's wait a bit."

Mr. Zhuang glanced at the frowning Mo Hua and smiled gently:

"The journey was tiring, it's good to rest a bit. You can take this time to properly enjoy yourselves in the Wuxing Sect..."

"Enjoy?" Mo Hua was a little confused.

"Mm." Mr. Zhuang said, "The scenery in the Wuxing Sect is not bad, you can take this opportunity to stroll around, there's no need to rush the matter of array formations."

Mr. Zhuang had an air of having a plan.

Mo Hua couldn't guess, only saying: "Alright then..."

He would listen to his master's words and play for a while first...

Sect Master Liao left the guest room and walked along the spacious corridor, past pavilions and halls with carved beams and painted rafters, but slightly deserted, through various palaces that were opulent but flashy and insubstantial, arriving at a quiet mountain peak.

On the mountain peak, a cave mansion was built.

The cave mansion was somewhat old, obviously built earlier, but the materials used in the details were also costly, it just looked more low-key.

Sect Master Liao's expression was respectful as he shook the carved jade bell in front of the mansion.

A clear and pleasant jade sound rang out, entering the cave mansion.

Sect Master Liao stood solemnly and waited.

He didn't know how long it had been, when a light flashed in front of the cave mansion, the array opened, the door opened, and an old voice came from inside the door:

"Come in."

Sect Master Liao's spirit lifted, he adjusted his Daoist robe, and walked into the cave mansion.

Inside the cave mansion was also exquisite and luxurious.

In the hall sat a white-haired old man, his aura thick and his prestige extremely heavy.

This person was exactly the Great Elder of the Wuxing Sect.

And also the only remaining great cultivator in the Golden Core realm in the Wuxing Sect.

Sect Master Liao cupped his hands and bowed: "I have disturbed the Great Elder's seclusion."

The Great Elder opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing in them, "That person came?"

Sect Master Liao cupped his hands, "Yes."

The Great Elder frowned, his expression grave, and remained silent, not knowing what he was thinking.

Sect Master Liao said in a low voice:

"The array... to be transmitted?"

The Great Elder's gaze turned cold, "Cannot be transmitted!"

Sect Master Liao was a little hesitant, "This is an agreement between our ancestors, not transmitting it... will it be difficult to explain..."

"You don't understand." The Great Elder said deeply, "The Wuxing Sect is no longer what it used to be, it is not the time to strictly adhere to this ancestral regulation."

Sect Master Liao didn't understand, but he didn't dare to go against the Great Elder and only cupped his hands in agreement.

The Great Elder looked at Sect Master Liao and sighed in his heart.

The Wuxing Sect had truly declined.

Once upon a time, the sect had experts like clouds. What virtue or ability did a mere Foundation Establishment late stage cultivator have to be the sect master of the Wuxing Sect?

He, a Golden Core cultivator, was also just an elder in the past...

But times were different now, and he couldn't be picky.

This was already the most talented disciple among the later generations of the Wuxing Sect.

Some matters still needed to be explained clearly to him.

The Great Elder's gaze deepened and he explained:

"We build constructions and cave mansions, earn a large amount of spirit stones for the sect's benefit, the fundamental reason is the array."

"With the array, our Wuxing Sect can establish a sect."

"When the Wuxing Sect establishes a sect, cultivators seeking arrays will gather, Lishan City will prosper, and our mountain gate will be worth its weight in gold."

"We later generation disciples, even lying down, can earn spirit stones."

The Great Elder frowned slightly:

"Now the problem is, the array of our Wuxing Sect has declined..."

"Spirit stones were earned too easily, the profits were too fat, they ate too much, from top to bottom, one by one, they all stopped thinking about progress, stopped cultivating, stopped learning arrays..."

"As long as those cave mansions outside are there, the Wuxing Sect will have continuous income from spirit stones."

"No need to exert effort, just have spirit stones to earn."

"Who would still exert effort?"

"Our Wuxing Sect no longer establishes a sect with arrays, but establishes a sect with constructions."

"But like this, the array proficiency of the entire Wuxing Sect plummeted!"

"Now, let alone a second-grade array master, being able to produce several first-grade array masters is already not bad."

Sect Master Liao said with a solemn face:

"This matter is also deeply felt by the later generations, and we have already thought of ways to solve it."

"The sect has decided to rectify the atmosphere, innovate the cultivation industry, encourage disciples to research arrays, cultivate array masters, and must make the Wuxing Sect a great array sect again..."

Sect Master Liao's tone was sincere.

The Great Elder, however, had a calm, even somewhat indifferent expression.

These empty words had been spoken for a hundred years.

Interests were deeply rooted, moving one hair would affect the whole body, and no one dared to make a move.

The disciples in the sect had scattered Dao hearts, wanting them to suffer and relearn arrays was even more of a pipe dream.

Actual interests were not easy to change.

The atmosphere of arrays involved the Dao heart; once it was spoiled, it would be extremely difficult to correct.

And for so many years, who earned the most spirit stones, besides himself, this Great Elder, was him, the sect master of the Wuxing Sect.

The pig-slaughtering knife was held in the pig's hand.

How could this meat be cut down?

The Great Elder said indifferently:

"This is not a matter of a day or night..."

"The urgent matter at hand is to find a way to protect the inheritance of our Wuxing Sect."

"Especially the fundamental Wuxing Spirit Array for establishing the sect, it absolutely cannot be transmitted to outsiders!"

The Great Elder's gaze turned cold:

"This absolute array must be firmly grasped in our hands and monopolized by our Wuxing Sect."

"It doesn't matter if we can't learn it, but no one outside the Wuxing Sect can learn it. Even if it rots, it can only rot in our Wuxing Sect!"

"Even if it is lost, it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of others."

"Otherwise, it will shake the foundation of our Wuxing Sect!"

Sect Master Liao's eyes lit up, "The Great Elder is far-sighted and has considered it thoroughly!"

This flattery was neither painful nor itchy.

The Great Elder's expression was neither salty nor light.

Sect Master Liao thought for a moment, changed his words and said:

"However, this array is originally extremely difficult. For so many years, only a few people in our Wuxing Sect have been able to learn it, and most of them are former senior elders."

"Since the passing of the previous sect master, there have been no disciples among the later generations who can truly learn this Wuxing Spirit Array."

"Our Wuxing Sect disciples are like this, can these outsiders really learn it?"

A trace of wariness flashed in the Great Elder's gaze.

"They can!"

Sect Master Liao showed a slight surprise.

The Great Elder's eyebrows jumped, "You don't know, that year this person surnamed Zhuang almost really learned this Wuxing Spirit Array!"

Sect Master Liao's expression was shocked, "How is that possible?"

The Great Elder recalled past events, still with lingering fear: "That year I was just an ordinary disciple, right there, watching that person, with his heaven-bestowed talent, astonishing talent, in front of the Wuxing Sect sect master and all the elders, little by little, restore the array patterns of the Wuxing Spirit Array, see through the array hubs of the Wuxing Spirit Array, little by little, comprehend the array of the Wuxing Spirit Array..."

"It was only a little bit short, he really learned it, if not for..."

If not for...

That time the sect master and elders moved some hands and feet, then he would have really learned it...

The Great Elder's gaze slightly condensed, swallowing this sentence into his belly.

Sect Master Liao still found it hard to believe, "Qi Refining?"

"Qi Refining!"

Sect Master Liao frowned: "Wuxing Spirit Array, first-grade thirteen patterns, in the Qi Refining stage, how can he have the divine sense for thirteen patterns? This is impossible..."

The Great Elder sighed: "His divine sense was not for thirteen patterns, but he just almost learned it..."

Sect Master Liao felt it was unbelievable: "With insufficient divine sense, can one still learn this array?"

The Great Elder's gaze was solemn: "Their lineage has an inheritance that can see through the source flow of arrays, leading to a hundred, even if their divine sense is insufficient, they can still comprehend some arrays that they originally could not comprehend!"

Sect Master Liao was stunned and lost, "There's actually such an inheritance?"

The Great Elder's expression was reverent: "This is one of the most top-notch inheritances in the Dao of Arrays, requiring extremely high comprehension and top-level aptitude, not something general cultivators can learn and achieve."

"And he is the one who learned it best among the disciples of successive generations."

"So, even in the Qi Refining realm, he was able to exceptionally comprehend and almost comprehend the first-grade thirteen-pattern Wuxing Spirit Array!"

The Great Elder sighed with emotion: "Our Wuxing Sect's Wuxing Spirit Array, although extremely rare, is still quite inferior compared to this kind of truly untransmitted learning..."

Sect Master Liao lowered his head, a hint of greed and desire in his eyes.

But his little thoughts could not be hidden from the Great Elder.

The Great Elder's face sank, and he said coldly: "Don't have crooked thoughts, even if their lineage has declined, they are not someone we can offend!"

Sect Master Liao's heart was startled, and he cupped his hands in agreement.

Just a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

Sect Master Liao pondered for a moment and then said: "Great Elder, but this time, it's not him learning... He came here should be for his disciples to learn. Do we need to be so cautious?"

The Great Elder said indifferently: "Better safe than sorry."

Sect Master Liao nodded, "The Great Elder is right..."

He recalled the scene at the mountain gate, and sighed: "Among his disciples, that little array master, who looks like he's only a little over ten years old, is already a first-grade array master after being graded. His talent is truly outstanding..."

"I don't know where he found such a good seedling..."

Why doesn't our Wuxing Sect have one?

Sect Master Liao felt a little resentment.

"A little over ten years old, a first-grade array master..."

The Great Elder frowned, shook his head, "This kind of talent, for general cultivators, is considered very good, but in their lineage, it's just ordinary."

"Especially compared to the one surnamed Zhuang that year, it's even more insignificant."

Sect Master Liao was slightly startled, feeling that the Great Elder's tone was really arrogant!

A first-grade array master, and still insignificant...

But he didn't dare to retort.

He was only in the Foundation Establishment stage, indeed he hadn't seen as much as the Great Elder in the Golden Core stage.

The Great Elder thought for a moment, and suddenly instructed: "Compared to this little array master, you should be more careful of his senior brother and senior sister."

"Senior brother and senior sister?"

Sect Master Liao thought of the other two disciples beside Mr. Zhuang.

One with sword-like eyebrows and starlike eyes, the other like a lotus emerging from water.

They looked like a brother and sister, although they had spirit tools blocking their aura, preventing divine sense from probing the details, but their demeanor from a prominent family, their profound cultivation, and their outstanding temperament...

They could be called flawless!

They were top-quality cultivation seedlings!

At the same time, it was clear at a glance that they were disciples that their Wuxing Sect did not deserve to have.

Sect Master Liao's expression also became serious: "Great Elder, you mean, they are Senior Zhuang's true inheritors of the array?"

The Great Elder nodded: "Correct."

The Great Elder thought again for a moment, his gaze slightly bright, as if he saw through Mr. Zhuang's intention: "That little array master is just a vanguard."

"A little over ten years old, Qi Refining ninth layer, first-grade array master, he wants to give us a show of strength."

"But this little array master should not be that important."

"If he were truly important, he wouldn't personally step forward to lead the way."

"It's very obvious, the truly troublesome ones are this little array master's senior brother and senior sister."

"His senior brother and senior sister are from prominent families, their cultivation is deeper than his, and their array formations are naturally more profound than his!"

"Moreover, there are still two of them."

"If we really let them learn, it's very possible that they might really learn our Wuxing Sect's absolute array!"

The Great Elder's gaze was serious, and Sect Master Liao also looked worried.

"Then Great Elder, how should we proceed? It's totally impossible to really make a move to stop him and not let them learn the array, right?"

Making a move would be equivalent to tearing face.

The outcome would not be good to say.

The Great Elder's face was thick-skinned: "First delay, if we can delay, we delay, until they lose patience."

"What if we can't delay?"

The Great Elder's eyes showed a sharp light, "If we can't delay, then use other methods..."

Sect Master Liao's gaze slightly moved, and he nodded.

The Wuxing Sect began to delay time.

Mr. Zhuang also had a leisurely appearance, not at all anxious.

Mo Hua had no choice but to follow his master's command and, together with his little senior brother and little senior sister, "enjoy" themselves in the Wuxing Sect.

The Wuxing Sect was very large, with many cave mansions, even more cave mansions than disciples...

It seemed that once upon a time, it was very prosperous, with so many spirit stones that they couldn't be used up, so they were so extravagant and built cave mansions everywhere.

Besides cave mansions, other cultivation buildings, such as practice rooms, quiet rooms, alchemy rooms, artifact refining rooms, array pavilions, etc., were also all complete.

There were even some completely useless buildings that were built quite a few.

These buildings were neither inhabited nor used by cultivators, and had no function at all, with closed doors, empty and deserted, and he didn't know what they were built for...

Like most other sects, the Wuxing Sect also divided into inner and outer gates.

The inner gate was the main body of the sect.

Inner gate disciples were one with the sect; when one prospered, all prospered, and when one failed, all failed.

They learned the orthodox inheritance of the Wuxing Sect, obeyed the senior-junior relations of the Wuxing Sect, were bound to the sect, and shared common interests.

All the sect's industries were also managed by inner gate disciples.

All the core positions in the sect were also held by inner gate disciples.

Generally speaking, inner gate disciples were not allowed to leave the sect.

Outer gate disciples had fewer rules.

They were more like paying tuition to learn array formations.

The relationship between them and the sect was that of teacher and disciple, but not close; they had favors, but were not intimate.

As long as they paid spirit stones, they could learn if they wanted to, and leave if they didn't want to, the sect would not restrict them.

The outer gate was more like an industry of the sect.

The sect took out part of its inheritance to teach outsiders, to expand the sect's influence, and to earn tuition and spirit stones.

And the Wuxing Sect was a third-grade sect, with a big reputation and very expensive tuition – at least for Mo Hua, it was very expensive, he couldn't afford it.

Mo Hua and the other two walked together, idly strolling in the Wuxing Sect.

They saw mostly elders and disciples of the inner gate.

The gate elders turned a blind eye to them.

Instead, some disciples, although taught and warned by the elders, did not know the inside story and would secretly point and whisper behind their backs, discussing endlessly.

Mo Hua's divine sense was strong, so he heard everything they said behind their backs.

What surprised Mo Hua was that the male disciples were hostile towards them, while the female disciples were still alright.

The male disciples generally said in displeasure:

"That little brat, riding a big horse, broke the threshold, swaggering into the mountain gate, causing the gate elders to lose face!"

"Too arrogant!"

"Relies on being a first-grade array master and looks down on people!"

"His senior brother, the one in white clothes, looks down on people even more!"

"I heard that several senior brothers at the gate wanted to challenge him to a spar, but he wouldn't even bother."

"No, I heard that several senior brothers challenged him to a spar and were severely beaten up by him instead!"

"That's because he concealed his cultivation and won by trick!"

"Although he's in Qi Refining, he has the strength of Foundation Establishment, and he just wouldn't say it!"

"Truly despicable!"

The male disciples were indignant.

The female disciples, on the other hand, said something different:

"That young man in white is really handsome!"

"I heard he's also from a prominent family..."

"No wonder, his demeanor is just different at first glance."

"I don't know which prominent family, if it's far away, and I marry into it, can I still come back to visit..."

"And that little array master, he's fair and tender, also very cute!"

"I heard he's also a first-grade array master."

"Really amazing!"

Mo Hua heard these words, and the male disciples also heard them.

Mo Hua and his companions thus received more hostility from the male disciples...

Mo Hua sighed helplessly.

(End of this chapter)