Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 594 – Second Grade

Mo Hua practiced nonstop, day and night, mastering the formation patterns from Chaos and Yin-Yang, Three Talents and Four Symbols, Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, Six Harmonies and Seven Stars—all until they flowed from his brush with ease.

He was already quite familiar with the Five Elements.

He had some surface-level familiarity with the Eight Trigrams.

The Three Talents and Four Symbols, as well as the Six Harmonies and Seven Stars, were new to him—strange and unfamiliar.

And the Chaos and Yin-Yang formations—being ancient formations—had fragmented, disjointed patterns. Mo Hua found them the hardest to understand.

But regardless of familiarity, regardless of comprehension, even if he had to rote-memorize them blindly, Mo Hua memorized every single pattern firmly.

Within just half a month, he was already very proficient.

Yet Elder Xun didn't test him.

Only after a full month, when Mo Hua's practice sheets were worn thin, did Elder Xun finally decide the time had come for a spot check.

"From the Great Void Sect's Formation Pattern Compendium, draw all Five Elements and Eight Trigrams patterns. For Three Talents and Four Symbols, Six Harmonies and Seven Stars—draw at least two patterns from each."

Elder Xun gave the instruction.

Then he glanced at Mo Hua, lifting a long brow slightly as if to say: "Go ahead, draw whatever you like."

Mo Hua instantly nodded, showing he understood.

So, he drew all the formation patterns—from Chaos and Yin-Yang, to Three Talents and Four Symbols, Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, and even Six Harmonies and Seven Stars.

There were simply too many.

One hour wasn't enough.

So, while the other disciples turned in their "tests" and left, Mo Hua was still drawing.

His small face full of focus, hand gliding like wind, he moved his brush with calm confidence—drawing nonstop as the stack of formation paper in front of him grew taller and taller…

Elder Xun couldn't help the twitch in his eyelids. His heart trembled in disbelief:

"This child… how much has he actually learned?"

"Could it be… he really mastered it all in just one month?"

Who knew how much time passed?

When Mo Hua finally stood and respectfully presented a thick stack—almost as thick as a full textbook—Elder Xun finally came back to his senses.

After thinking for a moment, he waved his sleeve.

His vast spiritual sense swept through every page, taking in every pattern in an instant.

He couldn't help but suck in a quiet breath.

That massive stack of formation papers—he had really drawn them all.

Not only that—every line was clean and precise.

Not a single correction.

Not a single error.

As neat as if it had been engraved or printed—flawless to the tiniest detail.

Just how many times must one practice… to have brushwork this steady…?

Elder Xun stood there stunned, unable to speak for a long time.

"Elder Xun?"

A crisp voice called out.

Elder Xun looked up—only to see Mo Hua's bright, sparkling eyes looking back at him.

After a long pause, Elder Xun sighed softly and nodded:

"Not bad. You've learned well."

Mo Hua beamed and politely replied:

"Thank you for Elder Xun's guidance."

Seeing the boy's cheerful and relaxed demeanor, Elder Xun silently thought:

"Was I teaching too slowly after all…?"

Thus, in the next class, in order to "give Mo Hua a little taste of pressure," Elder Xun finally began teaching Second Grade formations.

"Second Grade formations differ from First Grade ones. The patterns used are composite formations, derived by combining First Grade patterns. They are more complex—and far more powerful…"

"In fact, Second Grade patterns are a kind of distilled, 'Dao-ified' version of the First Grade. And viewed from another angle—First Grade patterns are just fragments taken from more complex Second Grade patterns…"

Elder Xun spoke solemnly, explaining in meticulous detail.

The other disciples furrowed their brows, visibly struggling to follow.

Some were even confused:

"Isn't Elder Xun usually super steady and methodical? He always preaches slow and steady learning…"

"Why is he suddenly jumping ahead to Second Grade formations…?"

Only Mo Hua listened with great enthusiasm.

He had already learned to draw Second Grade formations, and he'd even grasped part of the underlying principles.

What Elder Xun was teaching—some of it, Mo Hua already knew.

But some concepts were new, and hugely illuminating.

After finishing his lecture, Elder Xun handed out a formation diagram.

It was a Second Grade, Ten-Pattern Goldlight Formation.

"Study this on your own. Comprehend what you can. Try drawing it. Next class—"

He was about to say "hand it in next time."

But halfway through the sentence, he paused.

He noticed Mo Hua looking at him… with that eager, expectant face.

Elder Xun thought for a moment—then understood.

After a brief hesitation, he said with a complex expression:

"...Hand it in before class ends today."

Then he added:

"Draw as much as you can. Don't push yourself."

The rest of the disciples groaned in despair.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, moved his brush like a divine dragon.

By the time class ended, Mo Hua had already completed and submitted a fully formed, Second Grade, Ten-Pattern Goldlight Formation to Elder Xun.

Even though Elder Xun had already expected this—

—when he saw the complete diagram, drawn so flawlessly despite being newly taught—

his heart still trembled slightly.

And now he understood.

"So that's it…"

"At such a young age… and already able to draw Second Grade formations…"

"No wonder…"

A sharp gleam flickered through Elder Xun's eyes.

"Seems like… I can speed things up even more."

Two days later, Mo Hua arrived for class, full of excitement.

As soon as he walked in, Elder Xun waved him over.

Mo Hua blinked in confusion.

Elder Xun pointed at a small desk next to him:

"From now on, you'll sit here."

Mo Hua froze, then whispered:

"Sir… is that… appropriate?"

Elder Xun nodded firmly:

"Very appropriate."

Nervously, Mo Hua sat at the small table—right beside Elder Xun.

And from that day forward, it became Mo Hua's own, personal desk.

Right under Elder Xun's watchful eye.

The other disciples looked at Mo Hua with sympathy and pity.

"Poor Mo Hua…"

"He got caught by Elder Xun…"

"Unlucky guy…"

"Imagine being under Elder Xun's nose every day… even the thought sends chills down my spine…"

Elder Xun's ears twitched.

His gaze turned sharp.

He called out:

"Cheng Mo… Situ Jian… Wen Xuan…"

"If you're so envious, you're welcome to sit beside Mo Hua."

The named disciples all shuddered, immediately ducking their heads like turtles and staying deathly still.

Elder Xun gave a cold snort and began class.

Mo Hua quickly noticed—his handout was different from everyone else's.

The others were still working through First Grade material, slowly building up toward Second Grade.

Mo Hua, on the other hand, had in front of him a genuine Second Grade, Eleven-Pattern Eight Trigrams Formation.

The lesson was incredibly detailed.

While Elder Xun still focused primarily on the rest of the class—

—whenever he touched on Second Grade content, he would give concise but insightful explanations to Mo Hua on the side.

This way, he could balance teaching the regular students and also support this "curriculum-breaking" genius.

Mo Hua felt truly touched.

He couldn't help but respect Elder Xun even more.

From then on, this became the routine.

The others studied First Grade.

Mo Hua studied Second Grade.

Starting from Eleven-Pattern formations, Elder Xun began methodically teaching Mo Hua formations from both the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams schools—step by step, thoroughly and rigorously.

This was a rare opportunity.

Mo Hua took full advantage of being right beside Elder Xun—diligently studying higher-level formations.

And as Elder Xun kept a constant eye on him… he only grew more and more shocked.

"This speed… it's terrifying…"

A rare opportunity—Mo Hua stayed diligently by Elder Xun's side, focusing entirely on studying Second Grade formations above Eleven Patterns.

Elder Xun had been keeping a close eye on him—and the more he watched, the more unsettled he became.

Too fast…

Elder Xun knew that Mo Hua had never studied Eight Trigrams formations before. So he specifically focused on teaching those types of Second Grade formations.

But strangely enough, despite never having seen these formations before, Mo Hua would only need to glance at them a few times—and it was as if he already understood the general structure.

A few practice runs later, and his brush strokes had gained form and rhythm.

Give him a night, and by the next day, his execution was already polished.

A little longer, and it had the flavor of something hammered a thousand times, refined to perfection…

And that was just with Eight Trigrams formations. The Five Elements ones were even more outrageous.

Elder Xun knew that, among the eight main formation schools, Mo Hua had only learned and specialized in the Five Elements.

But this level of "specialization"—was not normal.

With the Eight Trigrams, Mo Hua at least furrowed his brow and thought things over a few times before drawing something passable.

But with Second Grade Eleven-Pattern Five Elements formations—even the ones he had never seen before—Mo Hua only needed a single glance to mentally piece them together, and his brushwork already showed clear structure and confidence.

This was true mastery through practice.

Because he had drawn so many First Grade Five Elements formations, his understanding of Five Element principles had become incredibly deep. With such solid foundations, it was no surprise he could advance quickly through the Second Grade.

But then again—just how many "First Grade Five Element formations" could a fifteen-year-old cultivator have possibly drawn?!

Even a senior formation master who had personally constructed First Grade Five Element formations wouldn't necessarily understand the Dao behind them this well...

"Surely this kid hasn't personally built a full Five Elements Grand Formation… right?"

Elder Xun frowned, darkly suspicious.

But what puzzled him the most was Mo Hua's divine sense.

For a cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment realm, Mo Hua's spiritual power was way too abundant. It wasn't just strong—it was resilient, even had a strange sense of endless renewal.

Whenever he drew formations—it felt like his divine sense never depleted.

That… was just not reasonable.

There was a haze around Mo Hua's divine sense, as if something was deliberately concealing it…

Elder Xun grew extremely curious. He even briefly considered breaking sect rules and using his own divine sense to forcibly investigate the boy's secrets.

But in the end—he restrained himself.

This was a sect rule. A baseline of conduct.

After struggling for a moment, Elder Xun let it go.

"There are always a few prodigies in the world," he thought, "blessed by fate, gifted in spirit or will. As long as they pursue the Dao sincerely and do not go astray, that is enough."

Looking at Mo Hua's clear gaze and single-minded dedication, Elder Xun silently nodded.

From then on, he simply let Mo Hua study freely.

And Mo Hua—without distraction—continued studying one formation after another. From Second Grade Five Elements to Eight Trigrams formations, his foundation only grew deeper.

The number of Second Grade formations he'd mastered—kept growing.

There was one thing Elder Xun never mentioned:

Normally, these formations required sect contribution points to exchange.

But Elder Xun was too curious—he wanted to see just how fast Mo Hua could learn.

A few Second Grade formations were no big deal to him, so he never brought it up.

As Mo Hua learned more, and learned faster, the difficulty of his studies also rose—from Eleven-Pattern formations to Twelve-Pattern…

Until eventually, all the commonly seen Twelve-Pattern Five Elements and Eight Trigrams formations had been completely mastered by Mo Hua.

And then came…

Thirteen Patterns.

Elder Xun stared in a daze.

"So soon…?"

This was already the threshold of a certified Second Grade Formation Master.

It also marked the limit of what most Foundation Establishment cultivators could handle in terms of divine sense and formation complexity.

The way Elder Xun looked at Mo Hua—completely changed.

He realized he'd still underestimated this tiny kid.

With a deep frown, Elder Xun fell into thought.

Finally, he made a silent decision.

At this point, I really want to see if he can actually master even the Thirteen-Pattern Second Grade formations…

"These are the Second Grade Thirteen-Pattern formations: Rain Transformation Array, Lesser Fire-Li Array, Earth Nourishing Array, and Marshwater Array."

"Among them are both Five Elements and Eight Trigrams types. These are also the most commonly tested formations in the certification exams for beginner Second Grade Formation Masters."

Thirteen-Pattern. Certification-level formations!

Mo Hua's spirit stirred.

Finally—new Thirteen-Pattern formations to learn! And not just any—they're official certification formations!

Until now, the most difficult formation Mo Hua had learned was the Second Grade Thirteen-Pattern Earthfire Array.

Mo Hua stared at the new formation diagrams, then suddenly asked curiously:

"Elder Xun, these formations don't seem very… lethal?"

They didn't feel like his Earthfire Array, which could burn a dozen traffickers to ash in one go…

Elder Xun nodded.

"These are Dao-cultivation production formations. Some are used to nurture spiritual plants, others to catalyze pill flames or furnace fires, for alchemy and artifact forging."

"The Dao Court doesn't encourage cultivators to use formations for killing. That's why most formations in the certification exams are of the production-type."

Elder Xun sighed softly.

"Unfortunately, these formations still haven't seen widespread use…"

Mo Hua nodded in agreement.

In Tongxian City—or rather, in all the low-tier immortal cities he'd passed through—the application of formations was extremely basic and shallow.

Formations could benefit all living beings.

But "all living beings" seemed to exclude the vast majority of cultivators in the world.

Seeing Mo Hua frown like a little adult "worried for the world," Elder Xun couldn't help but smile faintly and reminded:

"Study well."

"Mm-hmm."

Mo Hua nodded earnestly.

Although Thirteen-Pattern formations were the most difficult ones Mo Hua had ever studied, they were clearly not the limit of his divine sense, which had undergone a qualitative leap at Fourteen Patterns.

What he lacked wasn't divine sense—it was formation diagrams.

Originally, the Five Elements Flow Diagram could've solved this issue—but deciphering that thing was a gamble. The most complex formation he'd ever managed to extract from it was still just the Thirteen-Pattern Earthfire Array.

Aside from that? Just a bunch of useless scraps.

Ever since Elder Xun began teaching him directly, Mo Hua had "disdainfully" tossed the Five Elements Flow Diagram into the corner of his Storage Ring to collect dust.

He'd get back to it when he had time.

Right now, he was too busy learning official Thirteen-Pattern certification formations.

And these Second Grade Thirteen-Pattern basic formations weren't absolute formations; they didn't involve profound Dao insights. So although they were labeled difficult, they weren't really that difficult.

Especially not for someone like Mo Hua with deep divine sense reserves.

What he lacked was simply—time.

Give him enough time to repeat the formations dozens or hundreds of times, and he would naturally master them.

He started with the Five Elements types—Rain Transformation Array and Earth Nourishment Array.

He progressed quickly with Five Elements. Within a day or two, he had the basics down. Another five or six days later, he'd practiced them to the point of perfection.

He even went to the back hills of the disciple quarters and, using divine sense to guide his brush, drew both formations on the ground.

Spring wind turns to gentle rain, nourishing the earth in silence.

Mo Hua could vaguely sense the warm, moist aura of the mountain soil—along with the presence of earthly Dao essence that he could now detect wherever his feet touched the land.

That resonance became clearer within his divine sense.

Mo Hua nodded, quite pleased.

Next came the Eight Trigrams types: Lesser Fire-Li Array and Marshwater Array.

The Lesser Fire-Li Array was similar to the Molten Fire Array, usually drawn inside pill or artifact furnaces to refine medicinal properties or temper spirit artifacts.

As for the Marshwater Array… Mo Hua wasn't sure, but guessed it might be used to raise crocodiles.

Eight Trigrams formations were harder.

But—

Draw a formation a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself.

There was no formation that couldn't be conquered through repetition.

If ten times wasn't enough—try a hundred. If that wasn't enough—do a thousand.

With the Dao Monument as a canvas, he could draw as many times as he wanted.

And these Eight Trigrams formations weren't absolute formations either—not even close to that level of complexity.

Half a month later, Mo Hua could draw them with ease, even using divine sense to form arrays without issue.

Thus, all four Second Grade Thirteen-Pattern formations had been mastered by Mo Hua.

He reported the news to Elder Xun.

Elder Xun's response was visibly delayed. When he looked at Mo Hua, his eyes held disbelief.

"You… finished learning them?"

He had known Mo Hua was fast—he'd guessed that with enough time, the boy might be able to master one or two.

But all four? In such a short time?

If he'd learned them all… then with a little review and prep, Mo Hua might even be ready to take the official certification exam…

The Second Grade Junior Formation Master certification.

Fifteen years old.

Early Foundation Establishment.

Second Grade Formation Master.

That was already the limit of what any Foundation Establishment cultivator could hope to reach.

Beyond that? Just study other Thirteen-Pattern formations—there was nothing left to teach.

And then Mo Hua revealed his tiny ambition:

"Elder, do you have any Fourteen-Pattern formations I can study?"

Like a kitten eyeing fish, he even licked his lips.

By now, after spending time with Elder Xun, Mo Hua knew he was not only a profound and mysterious expert, but also a respected elder with great virtue.

And since he had the kindness to teach Mo Hua formations, Mo Hua felt no need to hide his desires.

"Any Fourteen-Pattern formations…?"

Elder Xun's body visibly trembled. He looked at Mo Hua—his previously cloudy gaze suddenly sharpening with intensity.

Fourteen Patterns?!

This kid's divine sense… has surpassed its tier?!

(Chapter End)