Immortality Through Array Formations

Old Mr. Feng shook his head, “It must be quite old. The last time the formation was repaired, it seems to have been either ten or twenty years ago. Using it for so long without any issues, that’s pretty good.”

“Then this pill furnace…”

Old Mr. Feng twisted the crane carving on the exterior wall of the pill furnace, and the inner and outer layers of the pill furnace began to rotate independently of each other, eventually coming apart, revealing the formation inside the inner wall of the pill furnace.

“I certainly won’t go back on my word, but I have to test you first.”

Old Mr. Feng pointed to the formation inside the inner wall of the pill furnace and said, “First, recognize what these formations are.”

After Mo Hua approached and looked it over carefully, he thought for a moment and said, “Melting Fire Formation, Wood Qi Formation, Spirit Gathering Array… Is this a Compound Formation containing three separate formations?”

Old Mr. Feng was a little astonished, “You even learned about Compound Formations?”

A single formation composed of formation patterns is called a Single Formation, and when multiple Single Formations are connected, they form a Compound Formation.

A Compound Formation has stronger effects than a Single Formation and can achieve more complex spiritual power effects, but Formation Masters without a foundation or inheritance can’t learn it, let alone ordinary Loose Cultivators.

Old Mr. Feng knew that Mo Hua was studying formations and also knew that Mo Hua’s divine sense was exceptional, with some talent in the field of formations, but he didn’t expect that Mo Hua could already identify a Compound Formation at a glance.

Mo Hua said modestly, “I can’t draw Compound Formations yet and have only seen them in books. Even ordinary Single Formations, I haven’t mastered.”

Old Mr. Feng nodded, “For your age, it’s good enough to know them. This is a Compound Formation called the Wood Fire Spirit Control Formation, with spiritual power effects of both the fire and wood series. The Wood Qi nurtures herbs, while the Fire-series refines their essence. Both can be harmonized through the formation to refine the desired pills.”

“This seems much more complicated than an artifact furnace…” Mo Hua marveled.

“Still want to give it a try?”

“Yes,” Mo Hua said, “I can’t draw Compound Formations, but if it’s just repairing the formation, following the original as a guide, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Liu Ruhua took Mo Hua’s hand and said softly, “If you’re not confident, let it be. Don’t cause trouble for Old Mr. Feng.”

Old Mr. Feng smiled, “It’s fine, let him try casually. Even if it’s wrong, it doesn’t matter, consider it practice. Whether it’s alchemy or drawing formations, if you are afraid of making mistakes, you won’t gain any profound understanding.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Feng!”

Mo Hua then stopped being polite, asked Old Mr. Feng for the wood and fire series spiritual ink, and began to set about repairing the formation.

The Wood Fire Spirit Control Formation lost effectiveness because some of the formation patterns had worn away over years of constant alchemy, interrupting the flow of spiritual power.

What Mo Hua needed to do was simple: to repair the dim and ineffective patterns so that the spiritual power of the entire formation could circulate smoothly. That would count as successful.

Mo Hua’s small hands held the Formation Pen, dipped in the Spiritual Ink, and began to trace over the formation patterns.

Old Mr. Feng inwardly commended him, noting the ease and fluency of his strokes without hesitation, evident of diligent practice. It was clear that Mo Hua had indeed put in a lot of hard work on formations.

Among the three formations, there were two patterns that were damaged and ineffective, but there were also six or seven dim patterns that needed redrawing as well.

Mo Hua’s divine sense would not support the drawing of so many patterns, and his spiritual power consumption was also quite high, so he rested two or three times midway before finally completing the repair of the formation.

For a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refinement, to be able to repair a total of eight or nine formation patterns, despite a few breaks, presented a divine sense much stronger than what Old Mr. Feng had expected.

Old Mr. Feng looked at Mo Hua with a bit more seriousness in his eyes.

“Grandpa Feng, I’m finished. Could you check if the alchemy furnace is fixed?”

“Oh, all right, let me look.”

Old Mr. Feng came back to his senses, collected his thoughts, and after inspecting the pill furnace, despite having had expectations, he couldn’t conceal his surprise and praised sincerely:

“Not bad, you truly fixed it. You’ve done me a great favor this time.”

Mo Hua chuckled sheepishly.

Liu Ruhua gently tapped Mo Hua’s forehead, “Old Mr. Feng praises you, and you don’t even know how to be modest.”

Her tone carried a bit of admonishment, but her expression was very pleased.

Old Mr. Feng started his pill furnace to refine pills, and after two hours, the pills were ready. He placed them into a blue-and-white porcelain bottle and handed it to Liu Ruhua.

“Take them twice a day, two at a time. Once you’ve finished them, come to me for a check-up.”

Liu Ruhua performed a bow, “Thank you for your trouble, Old Mr. Feng.”

Mo Hua also expressed her thanks, “Thank you, Grandpa Feng.”

Just before they were about to leave, Old Mr. Feng suddenly called out to Mo Hua, pondered for a moment, then entrusted her with these words:

“Huar, if you ever meet a weak cultivator, lend a hand within the scope of your abilities.”

Mo Hua nodded, but her curiosity got the better of her, “Grandpa Feng, why bring this up all of a sudden?”

Old Mr. Feng looked at Mo Hua and said, “I’m old now and have spent my life just to help the loose cultivators of this area refine pills and treat illnesses. But you, you could help more cultivators in the future…”

“‘To comprehend the Heavenly Dao and benefit all beings’ is a saying my master taught me. He saved me when I was destitute and passed on the art of alchemy to me, which is the reason for my achievements today.”

Feng’s master lived by this creed, saved Old Mr. Feng, and because of such kind thoughts, Old Mr. Feng, in turn, saved the weak and frail Mo Hua, born with a susceptibility to illness, and Liu Ruhua, who was inflicted with fire poison.

Mo Hua was deeply touched, and nodded solemnly, “I’ll remember, Grandpa Feng.”

A hint of contentment appeared in Old Mr. Feng’s eyes.

Then, Mo Hua brought up another question:

“What if some people aren’t worth helping?”

“Not benefiting those who are not worthy of it is also a form of benefiting,” Old Mr. Feng said with profound meaning.

After returning home, Mo Hua continued to immerse herself in studying formations.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruhua tidied up the eatery before sitting down in front of the hall to sew clothes.

Right at 1 p.m., Mo Shan, who had gone up the mountain to hunt monster beasts, returned home covered in dust. He had a few monster beast hides draped over his shoulder and several storage bags tied around his waist, his clothes bore some cuts and were stained with blood. Seeing his wife, his tired expression softened:

“Why haven’t you slept yet?”

Liu Ruhua helped Mo Shan remove the hides and storage bags and brought out clean clothes for him to change into, “I can’t relax until you’re home. Are you hurt this time?”

“Just some minor wounds; I’ve applied medicine, it’s nothing serious. How about Huar?”

“She’s in her room reading; she’s probably asleep by now.”

“Mhm.”

Liu Ruhua served the meal, and Mo Shan began to devour it hungrily.

The faint candlelight flickered quietly, and the house was enveloped in silence.

Seeing Liu Ruhua smiling to herself, Mo Shan asked with a smile, “What’s making you so happy?”

“Mm,” Liu Ruhua replied, “today Old Mr. Feng praised Huar’s drawing formations…”

Liu Ruhua recounted the events of the day, and then added: “I often hear others praising Huar for being talented. It’s easy for a smart child to receive compliments; not all of them can be taken seriously. But Old Mr. Feng has seen a lot and knows a lot. If he says Mo Hua has a gift, it means Huar might truly be able to become a Formation Master…”

Liu Ruhua sighed, “I’m frail and added to Huar’s congenital weakness. There’s a saying: ‘live off the mountain if the mountain is close.’ Around Tongxian City, there are many monster beasts, and most cultivators can only make a living by becoming Monster Hunters. But Huar is frail and can’t become a Monster Hunter, unable to eat from that bowl of rice. We can’t look after him forever, and I’ve been worried that if something happens to us and we can’t be by his side, what would Huar do if he couldn’t fend for himself. Now that he has a chance to become a Formation Master, he doesn’t have to fight and kill monster beasts, which puts my mind at ease.”

Mo Shan gently held his wife’s hand, “Don’t worry, Mo Hua is a smart and sensible child. He’s bound to achieve something. We will watch him grow up, stand out among the rest, marry and have children. So, you must take care of yourself, we still have many days ahead of us…”

“Mhm.” Liu Ruhua nestled lightly into Mo Shan’s embrace.

In the house, Mo Hua’s eyes opened; having practiced formations night and day, his Divine Sense had grown much stronger, so he heard everything his parents said.

There was a touch of moisture at the corners of Mo Hua’s eyes. He gently wiped them, then let his Divine Sense sink into his Sea of Consciousness and continued practicing formations on the Taoist Stele.