Chapter 596: Fourteen Patterns

Old Mister Xun's heart was shocked.

Having just entered the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and already possessing divine sense at the fourteen *wen* level?

What kind of little monster was this?

No wonder he dared to claim he was "skilled in array formations"; he indeed had the grounds to say such a thing...

"But this... it's impossible..."

Old Mister Xun frowned.

A cultivator's divine sense had limits.

Blood energy could be cultivated, spiritual power could be cultivated, but divine sense had no specialized cultivation method. Visualization diagrams could enhance divine sense, but visualization diagrams weren't considered stable or reliable cultivation methods.

The act of "visualization" was also equivalent to "referencing," it was "borrowing," not "cultivating." You might not know the exact composition of divine sense derived from visualization. Moreover, it was difficult to truly consider it one's own.

So in this world, the vast majority of cultivators could slightly exceed the limits of their realm with blood energy and spiritual power, but divine sense was certainly always within the limit.

Divine sense surpassing the realm was not unprecedented... Records from the Dao Court's two-thousand-year history, and even rumors predating the Dao Court, contained accounts of cultivators with "divine sense surpassing the realm."

But these cultivators were either just rumors, the truth of which was hard to discern, or they were parasitic hosts for certain types of "Dao essence," "true gods," "evil gods," or even "heavenly demons." Although their divine thoughts were powerful, their own will was either muddled, strange and evil, or abnormal, and they couldn't be considered true "people."

But Mo Hua was different. Old Mister Xun looked at Mo Hua. This child was clever and intelligent, his eyes were full of spirit, and his speech and conduct were innocent and lively. He was a perfectly normal young cultivator... There were no signs on his body of being "parasitized" by evil gods or strange spirits.

Under such circumstances, how exactly did he manage to have divine sense surpassing the realm?

Old Mister Xun pondered for a moment and asked:

"Do you... have a Master?"

Mo Hua nodded. He didn't hide anything, but he didn't reveal everything either, only saying:

"My Master is hidden in the mountains and forests, he likes tranquility. His array formations are very powerful, but he doesn't let me speak his name outside..."

Old Mister Xun nodded, not probing further. It was common for some reclusive high individuals to take disciples without wanting to expose their identity or name.

But he was still curious in his heart, "Just what kind of high individual could teach out a disciple like Mo Hua..."

Divine sense was extraordinary, even surpassing the realm.

His comprehension was extremely high; his foundation in array formations, especially Five Elements array formations, was extremely solid and deeply rooted...

His temperament was also exceptionally good. Not only was he innocent and cute, and kind-hearted, but more rarely valuable was that he truly loved array formations and was wholeheartedly dedicated to the Dao, without any distracting thoughts. At his age, being able to calm his heart, sit still, and practice array formations to such a solid level without being arrogant or impatient was truly rare...

"Just who could have taught him..."

Old Mister Xun looked into Mo Hua's eyes, his face suddenly changed, and his heart became stern.

"Could he be... that person's disciple..."

He carefully examined Mo Hua's eyes again, recalling that person's appearance back then, his heart slightly shaken. From external appearance and temperament, they were not the same. That person back then had a sense of arrogance that overlooked the world; his gaze was full of wildness. Whereas Mo Hua was innocent like water, gentle and kind; his gaze was pure and clear.

But there was a slight similarity in their charm. Especially when looking closely, Mo Hua's clear eyes would occasionally appear profound, and within the profundity, there was a contained luster, as if some heavenly secrets were flowing. This was very similar to that person back then...

"But it's still not right..."

Old Mister Xun was again a little puzzled. If he were that person's disciple, he shouldn't have come to my Tai Xu Gate; how did he end up here from Qian Dao Sect? Qian Dao Sect was their faction's most deeply rooted sect. It couldn't possibly be that Qian Dao Sect had forgotten its ancestors and abandoned even this ancient origin...

Old Mister Xun shook his head.

"Is he that person's disciple..."

He looked at Mo Hua again, and his heart suddenly leaped. There was still something in Mo Hua's eyes... Not only was there a flowing luster, but there was also a trace of a pure, pitch-black strange color, hidden deep within the profoundness, not easily visible...

"This is?!"

Old Mister Xun inhaled a cold breath, then repeatedly shook his head.

"No, no, this is even more impossible..."

"There's no such absurd matter..."

Even if Mo Hua had a Master, an inheritance, and had stumbled upon that person's opportunity... For those two people, either one teaching him would be a great karmic blessing. Both teaching him was absolutely impossible. Even if the sun rose from the west, this matter would be absolutely impossible!

Old Mister Xun was startled again. This matter was impossible... so conversely, it meant that this child might have no relation to these two people...

"It's probably just my own illusion..."

Old Mister Xun looked at Mo Hua again. There was no abnormality in Mo Hua's eyes anymore, only the clear state like water.

"It should be other opportunities..."

Old Mister Xun nodded slightly. This child was probably just extraordinarily talented in divine sense and by chance encountered the guidance of a high individual, which was why he learned array formations so well and progressed so quickly.

Moreover, if he were the disciple of either of those two people, he wouldn't be so specialized. He wouldn't only be proficient in Five Elements array formations. His foundation in Eight Gates array formations also wouldn't be so weak. Also, he seemed to not even know the Immortal Heaven Array style...

"This is just right, I was overthinking."

Old Mister Xun was relieved in his heart. Looking at Mo Hua, his gaze turned to one of gratification.

"He is a good seedling..."

Old Mister Xun thought seriously again:

"Such astonishing talent in divine sense..."

"If this child enters my Tai Xu Gate and does good deeds in the future, benefiting the cultivators of Jiuzhou, then it will be a blessing to the world. But if his temperament becomes skewed in the future and he uses the power of array formations to poison Jiuzhou, that will be the fault of my Tai Xu Gate..."

"So, he must be taught well, not just array formations, but also temperament..."

"If his inherent nature is evil, then he should be earnestly taught and guided towards good;"

"If his inherent nature is good, then follow his original heart and develop his goodness."

"With such good talent, if taught well, my Tai Xu Gate can truly be considered... to have picked up a treasure..."

"This generation's Sect Master can also be considered to have done a good deed..."

In a short period, Old Mister Xun's expression changed, suddenly nodding, suddenly shaking his head. He didn't know how many thoughts had passed through his mind, and his mood was even more fluctuating.

Mo Hua had been stared at by Old Mister Xun for a long time, feeling somewhat confused, and also inexplicably a little guilty. Then he softly said:

"Old Mister Xun..."

Old Mister Xun was slightly startled, then came back to his senses, thinking of Mo Hua's earlier request to "learn fourteen *wen* array formations." His expression became serious, and he said somewhat solemnly:

"You can."

After agreeing, Old Mister Xun thought for a moment and said, "But I need to consider what array formations to teach..."

Mo Hua's heart was filled with joy, and he smiled:

"Thank you, Old Mister!"

Old Mister Xun nodded, his gaze amiable. Afterwards, he let Mo Hua go back. He himself then walked along the jade stone mountain path towards the back mountain, pondering as he walked. Along the way, disciples greeted him, but he didn't notice any of them.

It wasn't until he reached the back mountain and passed by the Sect Master's residence that he encountered the Tai Xu Sect Master, dressed in brocade clothes. The Tai Xu Sect Master first cupped his hands and bowed, respectfully saying:

"Old Mister, my regards."

But Old Mister Xun hadn't heard him. It wasn't until he had passed by and walked a few steps that he thought of something. He turned back, looked at the Tai Xu Sect Master, and nodded, saying:

"You did well."

Having finished speaking, Old Mister Xun left.

The Tai Xu Sect Master, receiving Old Mister Xun's praise for the first time, was somewhat flattered, but his heart was also a little bewildered.

"Did well..."

"What did I do?"

Back in the elders' residence, Old Mister Xun was still frowning and pondering. He had to teach him well. Since this child could research Five Elements array formations so profoundly, then Eight Trigrams arrays could not be left behind either... Other array systems were somewhat niche, and their uses were narrow; they could be delayed for the time being. Learning Five Elements and Eight Trigrams well, with a solid foundation as stable as Mount Tai, then going to explore other categories of array formations would not be too late.

But as Old Mister Xun pondered, he suddenly realized a more important problem:

"The border region of Qian Xue is not peaceful..."

Old Mister Xun's gaze sank slightly. In recent years, clans had prospered, sects had attached themselves, and disciples of various factions competed for fame and fortune, leading to sharp contradictions. The demonic sects, silent for a long time, were also surging with undercurrents, their schemes unknown. The situation was complex, dangers were hidden, and human hearts were treacherous. The border region of Qian Xue, a holy land of learning, was also not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.

Mo Hua was a loose cultivator, without background or influence... A way needed to be found to protect him well. To let him firmly maintain his Dao heart, cultivate wholeheartedly, peacefully learn array formations, and not be led astray or go down the wrong path... At the same time, he absolutely could not be bullied!

Old Mister Xun's expression was serious. An innocent and pure child like Mo Hua was indeed easily bullied...

"But what is a good way..."

Old Mister Xun fell into contemplation. For a while, he couldn't think of a stable and good method, so he sighed and said:

"Let's talk about this matter later; first, teach him array formations..."

The next day, Old Mister Xun gave Mo Hua an array diagram:

《Trapped Mountain Array》

An Eight Trigrams system array, second-grade fourteen *wen*, a trapped array belonging to the 'Gen' trigram.

After explaining the difficulties of the array to Mo Hua, Old Mister Xun let Mo Hua study it on his own and come to him if he had any doubts.

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, his heart excited. Fourteen *wen*! Finally, an array at the fourteen *wen* level! By learning arrays at the fourteen *wen* level and practicing them day and night, he could temper his divine sense again. Because there were no difficult arrays to learn, his divine sense had been stuck at fourteen *wen* since he entered Foundation Establishment, without any progress for a long time. Derivation and strange calculations, although they consumed a large amount of divine sense and made his divine sense tougher and more keen, seemed to have little effect on the growth of his divine sense.

Growing divine sense still relied on arrays.

The Trapped Mountain Array was a Gen system array. Gen system arrays originated from the Eight Trigrams, but also conformed to the Five Elements, containing Five Elements within, with metal and earth transformations. At the same time, because they belonged to the Eight Trigrams, the positions of the array hubs also had their own principles. The array hubs of Eight Trigrams class arrays were quite different from Five Elements array hubs. The arrangement of array patterns also had to follow the positions of the Eight Trigrams, and the flow of spiritual power also had to conform to the pattern of the Eight Trigrams.

These things would feel relatively strange at first contact. But with prolonged study and more practice, one could gradually understand and integrate them. And there were still many Eight Trigrams arrays. The more Mo Hua encountered them, the more he anticipated them in his heart.

Among the Eight Trigrams, Kan represented water, and Li represented fire. These two classes of arrays were similar to water and fire in the Five Elements, with little difference. Gen represented mountain, and Dui represented marsh. Gen mountain contained the evolution of Five Elements metal and earth. Dui marsh contained the evolution of Five Elements water and earth. These two classes of Eight Trigrams arrays would be somewhat more different compared to Five Elements arrays.

Furthermore, there were Xun and Zhen. Xun represented wind, and Zhen represented thunder. Mo Hua had not learned wind system arrays yet, so he didn't know which classes of Five Elements transformations the arrays of the Xun trigram contained.

But thunder! Mo Hua's heart surged. He had personally seen tribulation thunder! Born from the great array of the Heavenly Dao, thunder that could wipe out everything originated from a single thunder pattern. And this immortal pattern containing tribulation thunder, Mo Hua had personally seen and personally recorded a stroke of it, engraved on the Dao stele in his sea of consciousness! This stroke of the thunder pattern was extremely terrifying. Even Shibo couldn't bear it; a single glance and he turned to ashes. He had advised him, but he hadn't been able to persuade him to stop! Shibo didn't understand his good intentions!

Mo Hua nodded. Thunder system arrays, just hearing about them felt very powerful. He just didn't know what similarities and differences there were between the thunder of heavenly tribulation and the thunder array of the "Zhen" trigram among the Eight Trigrams...

Furthermore, there were the arrays of the Qian trigram and the Kun trigram. Kun represented earth and should evolve from the earth in the Five Elements, but it was estimated to be more complex and vast, bearing all things and encompassing all phenomena, possibly even involving the "Dao essence" of the earth... But he himself was very familiar with the "Dao essence" of the earth, so he wasn't afraid either.

Finally, there was the "Qian" Dao. Qian meant heaven. Mo Hua could think of two things: one was the "heaven" in the Three Talents; the other was the "heaven" of the great array of the Heavenly Dao, which other cultivators didn't believe in, but which he had once "peeped" at and could fully confirm its existence. He wondered what the arrays of the Qian trigram, meaning "heaven," would look like...

Mo Hua muttered in his heart, "random thoughts" for a while, then put away his thoughts and calmed his heart. Anyway, there were still many, many arrays to learn! Not a single one of these arrays could escape! But now, he still needed to proceed steadily, starting with the second-grade fourteen *wen* Trapped Mountain Array of the "Gen" trigram.

Mo Hua still did as always, first recording the array patterns and array hubs of the Trapped Mountain Array, then trying to practice it simply several times. When he slept at night, his divine sense sank into his sea of consciousness, onto the Dao stele, and he began formal practice.

With fourteen *wen* of divine sense, learning a fourteen *wen* array, although not as relaxed as before with twelve or thirteen *wen*, was indeed not considered difficult either. And Mo Hua discovered that his fourteen *wen* seemed to be somewhat different from other cultivators' fourteen *wen*. Perhaps it was due to the change in the quality of his divine sense; his current divine sense was very condensed and abnormally tough. So the actual amount of divine sense would be somewhat more compared to others at the fourteen *wen* level. But in terms of "strength," they were incomparable.

Other cultivators' "strength" of divine sense was determined by the number of *wen*, which was the "amount" of divine sense. The more *wen*, the greater the amount of divine sense, and naturally the stronger it was. But Mo Hua's divine sense seemed to have opened up a "dimension," allowing him to measure the "strength" of divine sense using its "quality," and not just the number of *wen*. Although the number of *wen* was the same, both "fourteen *wen*," and he could only learn arrays up to "fourteen *wen*." But because the "quality" of his divine sense was different, Mo Hua always felt that using his current purer and more condensed divine sense to learn arrays and understand them would be more thorough. His understanding of the Great Dao would also be more profound.

At the same time, Mo Hua discovered that the amount of his divine sense seemed somewhat elastic. It was clearly fourteen *wen* of divine sense, but after using it up, it wasn't truly exhausted. He seemed to be able to draw more divine sense from his sea of consciousness. Divine sense was like cotton in water; it looked used up, but if you squeezed it, there was still some... Only, this process was very painful. It felt as if his sea of consciousness was being squeezed, and the pain was unbearable. So Mo Hua still had to stop at the proper limit and could not use it excessively. At most, he could use one or two percent more divine sense compared to fourteen *wen*; otherwise, his head would feel like it was splitting, and he would be bringing suffering upon himself.

The fourteen *wen* Trapped Mountain Array was not difficult, and Mo Hua learned it very smoothly. But he needed to spend a large amount of time to familiarize himself with and accept the Eight Trigrams array system: to use the already familiar "Gen" system array patterns to understand the array hubs of the Eight Trigrams pattern, to construct the array eyes of the Eight Trigrams flow, and to derive the overall spiritual power flow of the Eight Trigrams arrays...

So half a month later, Mo Hua was completely familiar with the second-grade fourteen *wen* Trapped Mountain Array. He could truly draw out a second-grade fourteen *wen* array. As for a fifteen *wen* array... Mo Hua's divine sense realm had not yet reached it, so he couldn't learn it at the moment.

Knowing that Mo Hua had already learned the second-grade fourteen *wen* Trapped Mountain Array, Old Mister Xun was no longer surprised; he was somewhat numb. At the same time, he also silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

"Finally, it's about the same..."

Fourteen *wen* was enough; learning any more would be a bit excessive. Old Mister Xun said earnestly:

"Although you can draw fourteen *wen* arrays, you haven't learned many thirteen *wen* arrays, so your foundation isn't entirely solid yet..."

"So from now on, I will prepare some fourteen *wen* arrays mixed with thirteen *wen* arrays, and you will solidly learn them all once..."

Mo Hua happily said, "Thank you, Old Mister!"

Old Mister Xun nodded slightly, silently saying in his heart:

"Fourteen *wen* arrays should be enough for this little one to learn for a while..."

"Fourteen *wen*..."

Old Mister Xun sighed.

"This is the entry array for the second-grade mid-level..."

"Foundation Establishment early stage, knowing second-grade mid-level arrays..."

"What kind of disciple is this? It feels like he's almost a 'small instructor'..."

Old Mister Xun silently shook his head. In the following days, Mo Hua still forgot to sleep and eat while learning arrays. He learned both thirteen *wen* and fourteen *wen* arrays. Of course, it was mainly fourteen *wen*. Mo Hua wanted to use fourteen *wen* arrays to temper his sea of consciousness and advance his divine sense further!

Accumulate sand to build a tower, water drops penetrate stone. He learned them one by one, drew them one by one... And his divine sense was also unconsciously, slowly climbing towards fifteen *wen*...

Temporarily only one chapter, huh. Rest, rest, work hard again towards the end of the month (.).

(End of this chapter)