Chapter 533: Shrine

“We, Five Elements Sect, speak and have faith, we are willing to gamble and admit defeat.”

Great Elder looked warily at Mo Hua and continued, “Several young friends, you can learn the highest inheritance of our Five Elements Sect here—the Five Elements Spirit Array.”

“The Five Elements Spirit Array, a thirteenth-grade pattern, is a top absolute array.”

“The value of this array, I presume there is no need for me to say more.”

“But to learn this array method, there are still some rules that must be followed…”

“First, you can only learn for five days, two hours each day. If you can learn, our Five Elements Sect will have no complaints, but if you cannot learn, please look out for yourselves…”

“Second, while learning the array method, you are not allowed to damage any brick or wood in this room, and all furnishings are not allowed to be moved;”

“Third, you are not allowed to disrespect the shrine, and you are not allowed to insult the ancestors of our Five Elements Sect;”

“Fourth, regardless of whether you learn this array method or not, or how much you learn, you are not allowed to spread it outside!”

“Fifth…”

Great Elder again long-windedly talked a pile of nonsense and lectured a pile of rules.

Mo Hua listened bored, but looking at the Five Elements Spirit Array, he endured.

After Great Elder finished, he looked at Mr. Zhuang again and tactfully said:

“There is precious Li Mountain Cloud Mist Tea prepared on the third floor. Please Mr. move your steps, rest and appreciate.”

This was issuing an expulsion order.

During the time of learning the array method, there could be no outsiders in front of the shrine.

Mr. Zhuang nodded, his gaze swept over the faces of Mo Hua and the other two, and he instructed: “Learn well.” And then he brushed his sleeve and went downstairs to drink tea.

Great Elder also followed behind Mr. Zhuang and left.

When Great Elder left, he lit the incense burner and also looked at Mo Hua and the other two. His gaze was obscure, and then he locked the door before leaving.

In front of the quiet and solemn shrine, only Mo Hua and the other two were left.

They only had five days, two hours each day, to comprehend the Five Elements Spirit Array, the thirteen-grade pattern of the Five Elements Sect.

They had to seize the time.

In front of the shrine, there were a total of five meditation cushions.

“Sit on the meditation cushion, visualize the shrine, comprehend the array method.”

This was what Great Elder said.

Moreover, he specifically said that the “sit” on the meditation cushion was “kneel sit.”

But kneeling was impossible.

The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect had no relation to Mo Hua, not even a single hair, and they were not worth Mo Hua kneeling.

Mo Hua then sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi looked at Mo Hua, and also like him, sat cross-legged on meditation cushions.

Mo Hua sat in the middle, Bai Zixi sat on the left, and Bai Zisheng sat on his right.

The three of them then began to focus completely, visualizing the shrine.

The shrine was made of black wood with gold lacquer, rich and magnificent, yet also ancient and solemn.

Above were engraved gold reliefs, carving ancestor sculptures, spirit beasts carriages, strange flowers and exotic grasses, carved beams and painted rafters, various magic treasures…

Mo Hua looked dazzled, but he didn't understand much. What were these carvings for…

Only in the middle of the shrine, there seemed to be a dao field.

In the middle of the dao field, a huge array disk was displayed.

Around, array masters were gathered, their expressions respectful.

Above the dao field, there was also an old man, his expression solemn, pointing to the sky with his finger, seemingly transmitting teachings and preaching.

The shrine preaching the dao.

The dao field array disk.

This was the most array method-related place on the entire shrine.

“Could it be that the Five Elements Spirit Array is just engraved on the array disk in the middle of the shrine?”

Mo Hua guessed, then calmed his mind and focused, visualizing the shrine, placing his thoughts on the array disk in the middle.

Indeed, after a moment, there seemed to be the sound of Sanskrit bells ringing.

The incense smoke from the incense burner in front of the shrine curled up, floating in front of Mo Hua, and in threads and wisps, enveloping in front of the shrine, condensing into paths of patterns, manifesting on the array disk.

Mo Hua's spirit was lifted.

“Indeed it is!”

He just thought to focus and look at the array patterns, and at this time, an aged voice rang in his ear again:

“I pass you the array method…”

This feeling was too familiar.

Initially, when Mo Hua was in Nan Yue City and snatched Zhang Quan's ancestor chart, when he was visualizing, there was this kind of ethereal, aged voice in his ear, muttering non-stop, “I pass you the great dao,” “Help you ascend to immortality,” “Long life and eternal vision”… and other such words.

Mo Hua instinctively felt repulsion in his heart.

Another swindler!

His gaze flashed, his divine sense moved, clearing his heart and focusing, rejecting illusions.

After a moment, everything dissipated like smoke.

Above the incense burner, smoke curled up.

But this smoke was just ordinary smoke, not forming array patterns, without any external phenomena.

The aged voice in his ear also disappeared.

The shrine was as before.

There was nothing at all on the array disk either.

Everything seemed to have dissipated like smoke because of Mo Hua's rejection…

When Mo Hua looked again, the shrine was still the shrine.

No array method, everything was gone…

Mo Hua was stunned.

He visualized for a long time again, but there were still no changes.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and muttered in his heart:

“Could it be that I messed up…”

“Just that voice, did it really want to pass me the array method?”

“Inside the incense burner, the smoke was dense, and what condensed was indeed profound Five Elements array patterns…”

“As a result, I saw through the illusion, and the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect were unhappy, so they didn't teach me?”

“It couldn't be…”

Mo Hua tried several times again, but it was still futile.

It seemed that this shrine was really unwilling to teach him the array method.

Those smoke gas were just ordinary smoke gas now, no longer condensing array patterns…

Mo Hua was helpless and sighed.

Could it be that he should blame himself, for having too strong divine sense, a firm dao heart, and being too sensitive to changes in divine thoughts?

Mo Hua turned his head and looked at his little senior brother and little senior sister.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were both sitting cross-legged, their posture straight, their gaze serious, staring at the array disk in the center of the shrine and visualizing.

Within their eye pupils, there was the light of array patterns flashing, seemingly comprehending something.

The two of them seemed to be learning the Five Elements Spirit Array…

Mo Hua also couldn't disturb them.

Mo Hua tilted his head to the right and glanced at Bai Zisheng.

Then he tilted his head to the left again, stared at Bai Zixi for a while, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

Little senior sister really looks good!

Her skin was fair, her eyebrows and eyes were exquisite, and her pupils were like the stars in the sky, tranquil and crystalline.

This was still her disguised appearance, her original face concealed.

If it were her original appearance, it would be even better looking…

Mo Hua looked for a while again, then came back to his senses:

“Almost forgot, proper business is important, the Five Elements Spirit Array…”

Mo Hua again began to focus completely and visualize the shrine.

But no matter how he visualized, the shrine did not change in the slightest.

Even if he thought of "playing dumb," sealing his divine sense, and silently reciting in his heart, "You come to tempt me ah, I won't see through you anymore," it was all useless.

The shrine still ignored him.

Mo Hua sighed. He looked at the shrine for a while longer and couldn't help but feel a doubt:

What relation did this shrine have with a visualization chart?

Within a visualization chart, some divine thoughts would reside.

These divine thoughts were varied.

They included understanding of the great dao, perception of the heavenly dao, and also some divine thoughts remaining after the death of cultivators, or evil thoughts from ghosts and zombies.

Mo Hua had not seen a proper visualization chart to this day.

What he had seen were all improper.

Inside the charts were all some unclean evil spirits.

Could this shrine be a proper "visualization chart"?

Mo Hua also remembered Master saying that the so-called visualization chart was just a general term, and not all visualization objects were "charts." A blade of grass, a piece of wood, a brick, a tile, spirit tools, magic treasures, all could contain the great dao, or have divine thoughts, or have evil spirits parasitizing them.

“So, that is to say, this shrine is just another kind of ‘visualization chart’?”

“Only, other visualization charts are ‘charts,’ while it is a ‘shrine’?”

“What kind of things will reside within a shrine?”

“Is it a certain dao divine thought? Or the method of the Five Elements Spirit Array?”

“No matter what you say, it's all a good thing…”

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he was also a little disappointed.

“It's a pity it's too big, I can't move it…”

“Moreover, the Five Elements Sect also couldn't possibly let me move it away.”

Mo Hua muttered in his heart:

“If I could move the shrine away, it would be a one-time solution. If I could research it every day, visualize it morning and night, I could definitely learn the Five Elements Spirit Array…”

Pity, this could only be thought of.

Moving the shrine of the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect was indeed too excessive…

But the problem now was, how could he learn the Five Elements Spirit Array…

Mo Hua was a little troubled, staring at the shrine in a daze.

Within the incense burner, the smoke gradually dissipated.

Time also passed bit by bit…

Unknowingly, time had already arrived.

The incense in the incense burner also gradually burned out.

Mo Hua then suddenly realized that two hours had already passed, but he hadn't learned a single stroke of array pattern…

It was like being in an exam, about to hand in the paper, but he hadn't written a single word…

Mo Hua's heart trembled a little.

Then he realized that this exam would take five days, and if he didn't learn today, there were still four days. This was a slight relief.

The incense burner burned out.

All the dense aura had already disappeared.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi came back to their senses, blinked their eyes, their pupils slightly bright, and retreated from the visualization state.

They looked at Mo Hua without prior agreement, but found that Mo Hua, who had attended a class, had learned nothing and simply looked slack. They were all a little stunned.

Just at this time, Great Elder opened the door.

His gaze swept over the faces of Mo Hua and the other two. He didn't ask anything, just lightly said:

“Today's time has arrived, come again tomorrow.”

Mo Hua and the other two bowed politely, then followed Mr. Zhuang and left.

Back in the room, Mo Hua said with some guilt:

“Master, I didn't learn a bit…”

Mr. Zhuang was a little surprised, and also a little curious. He said with interest:

“What did you see?”

Mo Hua truthfully said: “I saw the array patterns on the array disk, and heard an old man speaking. Then I habitually rejected stray thoughts, and after… I didn't see anything at all…”

Except for spending a little time secretly looking at his little senior sister, the rest of the time was used to ponder the visualization chart, and in a daze…

“Master, why is this?” Mo Hua asked.

Mr. Zhuang pondered for a moment and sighed: “Perhaps your divine sense is too strong…”

Divine sense too strong, seeing through the essence.

Dao heart clear, not receiving temptation.

But also because of this, he couldn't see the illusion chart of the shrine, and also couldn't see the inheritance of the Five Elements Sect.

Mo Hua muttered: “The Five Elements Sect is also too absurd, how could they use this strange way to inherit the absolute array…”

Mr. Zhuang silently looked at Mo Hua and thought in his heart that it wasn't the Five Elements Sect that was absurd, it was his divine sense that was too absurd.

A first-grade Qi Refining realm, with a thirteen-pattern divine sense.

The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect probably also didn't anticipate this…

Mr. Zhuang asked Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi again, “What about you?”

The two of them both nodded.

Bai Zisheng said: “We both learned. When we sit on the meditation cushion and visualize the shrine, array patterns will appear on the array disk in the center of the shrine's dao field…”

“There is also an old man who will lecture some key points for learning the Five Elements Spirit Array…”

Mr. Zhuang said: “Draw them out for me to see.”

Bai Zisheng hesitated and said, “I haven't learned fully…”

“No harm,” Mr. Zhuang said, “Draw as much as you learn.”

“Um.”

Bai Zisheng nodded, then took out paper and pen and began to draw the Five Elements array method he had learned from the shrine.

Bai Zixi held the pen with her jade hand, her posture elegant, and also followed suit.

After drawing, they handed them to Mr. Zhuang together.

Mr. Zhuang only glanced at them, then nodded: “Indeed it is the first-grade thirteen-pattern Five Elements Spirit Array.”

Mo Hua also crowded up and took a look.

What Bai Zisheng drew was a fire system absolute array. He hadn't drawn it completely, but it should be the fire spirit array of the Five Elements Spirit Array.

What Bai Zixi drew was a wood system absolute array. Thirteen paths of array patterns, not a single pattern was wrong, it was a complete wood spirit array.

Obviously, Bai Zixi's array method talent was much better than Bai Zisheng's.

A complete first-grade thirteen-pattern wood spirit array ah…

Although she used the Immortal Heaven Array Style, she had completely memorized it in just two hours.

Mo Hua couldn't help but praise: “Little senior sister, you are really amazing!”

Bai Zixi nodded, accepted Mo Hua's praise, her eyes bright and crystalline.

Bai Zisheng pursed his lips. Although dissatisfied with Mo Hua's "glib tongue," he still worriedly said:

“Junior brother, you can't see the dao field array chart, how can you not learn the Five Elements Spirit Array?”

The Five Elements Spirit Array, for him and Zixi, was actually just gilding the lily.

They didn't rely on array methods.

But Mo Hua was different.

Mo Hua had to walk the path of array methods, and he also had to continuously learn array methods and continuously strengthen his divine sense.

The Five Elements Spirit Array was extremely important to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua sighed again.

He also had no good method.

If the shrine dao field always didn't manifest the array chart, then he was indeed helpless.

He couldn't just smash the shrine…

Bai Zixi thought for a while, her beautiful eyes slightly bright, “Brother and I will teach you!”

Bai Zisheng was stunned for a moment, then also understood:

“Right, I'll go learn with Zixi, and then teach you after I've learned.”

Mo Hua was slightly stunned, then pondered a little, his eyes lit up.

It seemed… it wasn't impossible.

It was learning no matter where you learned.

It was also natural for his little senior brother and little senior sister to teach him array methods.

“However, does this count as spreading it outside?”

According to the words of the Great Elder of the Five Elements Sect, one could only learn and practice it oneself.

Bai Zixi shook her head, “It doesn't count as spreading it outside.”

Mo Hua thought about it and nodded, feeling that it was also right. They were all from the same sect, and all had the qualification to learn the absolute array. Mutual exchange naturally did not count as spreading it outside.

Thus, Bai Zixi and Bai Zisheng began to teach Mo Hua the wood spirit array and the fire spirit array.

Bai Zixi's expression was calm.

Bai Zisheng, on the other hand, was full of excitement. It was rare for him to have the opportunity to teach Mo Hua array methods.

While teaching the array patterns, the two of them also told Mo Hua all the key insights they had heard from the old man's mouth.

Mo Hua concentrated on learning, memorizing the array patterns while listening to the explanations, and asking questions if he had any.

Until evening, Mo Hua finally roughly mastered the array patterns of the wood spirit array and the fire spirit array.

It was just that although Mo Hua could draw out these array patterns, they had no effect.

Like other absolute arrays, they seemed to lack some important things, only the form of the array patterns, without the spirit of the array method.

This was within Mo Hua's expectation.

But what he cared about was still another problem:

“Why only the wood spirit array and the fire spirit array?”

Where were the other three systems of the Five Elements Spirit Array?

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi looked at each other and both shook their heads.

“What I saw was only this pair of spirit arrays…”

“Is it one pair at a time, and after learning, you can learn others?”

“If it follows an order, then why would the order be different? There's wood, there's fire, how is this order determined?”

The three of them couldn't figure it out.

Mo Hua sighed: “Only tomorrow we'll see…”

Bai Zisheng also said: “Only so.”

Bai Zixi also frowned, her eyes showing doubt.

Mr. Zhuang looked at the three of them and smiled slightly, not speaking.

And at this time, on the fourth floor of the Hidden Array Pavilion, in front of the ancient and magnificent shrine.

Great Elder lit three incenses and inserted them into the incense burner.

Incense smoke curled up.

After a while, two of the three incenses became short and one remained long.

The branch of incense on the left burned the most, leaving the shortest, but there was still a very long section remaining.

The incense on the right was second, burning some, but not too much.

The branch of incense in the middle, however, did not move at all.

Great Elder was delighted in his heart and nodded:

“Didn't learn, good…”

Not only didn't learn, but didn't learn even a bit!

Great Elder was relieved, and also a little emotional.

He had talent, and a solid foundation in array methods, and knew the right things, but after all, he was too young, learned too much and it became messy, and his comprehension was also a bit lacking…

The Five Elements absolute array, he didn't understand it at all.

It seemed his guess was not wrong.

His senior brother and senior sister were indeed stronger than him.

However, even if they were stronger, and their talent was higher, they were still far from truly comprehending the Five Elements Spirit Array…

In the incense burner, among the three branches of sandalwood, except for the one in the middle, the remaining two branches still had a quite long section before they truly burned out…

Great Elder relaxed a breath.

He cupped his hands and bowed towards the shrine, devoutly saying:

“…Bless my Five Elements Sect, that the inheritance will not be lost, and the array dao will be prosperous!”

Within the shrine, there was no response.

But the wooden carving of the old man in the dao field opened his eyes.

(End of this chapter)