Immortality Through Array Formations

“Not that powerful,” Bai Zisheng raised an eyebrow, confidently saying, “It can only trap me for about two breaths’ time. I just need to channel my spiritual power, and I can break free in a moment.”

Mo Hua said, “In a life-and-death battle, hanging by a thread, those two breaths are enough to decide victory or defeat, enough to decide life and death.”

Hearing this, Bai Zisheng frowned, thought for a moment, and had to admit, “You’re right.”

If one is not careful and gets caught off guard, those one or two breaths are indeed enough to determine life and death.

Mo Hua reminded him, “You should be careful in the future too, don’t get caught off guard by such obscure spells.”

Bai Zisheng nodded solemnly in agreement.

Then he thought, there probably weren’t many cultivators in the world like Mo Hua with such strong divine sense, quick action, and possession of such obscure spells.

Bai Zisheng’s heart inexplicably lightened a bit.

The opportunity was rare, not every cultivator knew such obscure spells. Bai Zisheng wanted to spar with Mo Hua a bit longer, but if they continued, he wouldn’t be able to finish his studies.

Bai Zisheng could only reluctantly go back to his studies.

Mo Hua finished practicing the Water Prison Technique and was about to leave when Bai Zixi suddenly called out to him.

Mo Hua turned around and saw Bai Zixi’s fair little hand pulling a book out of the beautifully embroidered, pale golden phoenix-patterned storage bag beside her and handing it to him.

“What book is this?”

“A culinary recipe book.”

Mo Hua took it and looked carefully; indeed, it was a gastronomic cookbook. It contained some of the Tao Cultivation World’s gourmet delicacies and their cooking methods.

The names of the dishes were dazzling, like Golden Hall, Crabapple Jade Crisp, Plum Blossom in Snow, Dew-Hugged Hibiscus, Envying the Mandarin Ducks, Immortal Dew Pearls, and so on.

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, “For me?”

Bai Zixi glanced at him indifferently, “It’s for Aunt Liu.”

“Oh.”

Mo Hua nodded, and then thought, it made sense; he wasn’t a Meal Master, and the recipe book was of no use to him.

“For the thanks I owe you from before,” Bai Zixi said crisply.

Mo Hua smiled, “Thank you, my mother will definitely be happy to receive this.”

Bai Zixi also smiled faintly, her eyebrows like crescent moons, her eyes like night-blooming cereus, ethereal and stunning.

Mo Hua sighed in his heart, “Why be so good-looking?”

On the way back, Mo Hua flipped through the recipe book, checking if there were any tasty dishes; as he looked, his stomach started to growl.

After getting home, Mo Hua handed the recipe book to Liu Ruhua, “Mother, Zixi asked me to give this to you.”

Liu Ruhua took it, glanced at it, and her face lit up with joy. “Thank her for me.”

“Mhm.” Mo Hua nodded, then pointed at a dish called “Emerald Bamboo Rice” in the book, smiled, and said, “Mother, I want to eat this.”

Emerald Bamboo Rice is made by cutting a segment of emerald bamboo, adding fragrant rice, some green plums, satisfying fruit, and sweet spring water, then roasting it over fire.

Once cooked to perfection, the bamboo’s green fades, and the rice is ready.

Cracking open the bamboo, the bamboo’s fresh aroma, the slightly tart taste of the plums, and the fragrant stickiness of the rice all mix together, offering a clear, soft chew with color, fragrance, and flavor all present.

The preparation isn’t difficult and the ingredients are simple, not particularly rare; a few scarce ingredients could be substituted with others.

Mo Hua deliberated for a long time before he chose this one.

Liu Ruhua affectionately patted Mo Hua’s head, “Alright, I’ll make it for you.”

The next day, Liu Ruhua prepared the ingredients and, after trying a few times, successfully made the Emerald Bamboo Rice.

Mo Hua tasted a bite, feeling the soft and sticky texture, the flavor lingering in his mouth, and couldn’t help but squint his eyes, saying, “Mother, this is so delicious!”

Seeing Mo Hua eat with such delight, Liu Ruhua’s eyes also brimmed with laughter.

In the following days, Liu Ruhua made some more and had Mo Hua deliver it to Mr. Zhuang and the Bai siblings.

Mr. Zhuang quite liked the clean taste, nodding with satisfaction.

Bai Zisheng liked it too, but he preferred the spiciness of monster meat.

The one who liked it most was Bai Zixi. She sat under the big locust tree, eating it bite by bite, her movements graceful and refined, chewing slowly, but she never stopped, quickly consuming three or four segments.

“Does it really taste that good?” Mo Hua asked, somewhat puzzled.

Bai Zixi, upon hearing this, raised her head and handed a section to Mo Hua.

As Mo Hua ate, he felt that it seemed to taste better than what he had eaten the other day. After finishing one section, he wanted more.

So, beneath the large locust tree, the two of them ate bamboo like two little pandas, one section at a time.

With the matter of the Sin Cultivators concluded, Mo Hua’s work with the Monster Beasts in the Inner Mountain became more convenient.

The rest of the time, apart from cultivating, Mo Hua continued to paint Formations, learning to solve them and practice the Reversed Spirit Formation.

He started with a Grade 1 Compound Formation. Once he mastered it, he’d paint it on paper, then solve the Formation himself.

Mo Hua kept painting and solving by himself. When he grew tired of it, he would practice the Reversed Spirit Formation of the nine-and-a-half Formation Patterns.

His progress in solving Formations was very smooth. With each Compound Formation he solved, Mo Hua’s ability to do so improved.

But the progress on the Reversed Spirit Formation was slow.

A complete Reversed Spirit Formation, consisting of ten Formation Patterns, needed a Divine Sense as strong as one at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Mo Hua’s Divine Sense was still far from enough to paint a complete Reversed Spirit Formation.

Even the incomplete nine-and-a-half Patterns were becoming increasingly difficult for Mo Hua to draw.

With each additional line and stroke of the tenth Pattern above the nine, the Divine Sense expended was almost equivalent to the amount needed to paint a whole previous Pattern.

Mo Hua also had his doubts.

At this rate, could he really possess a Divine Sense strong enough for the Foundation Establishment Stage before actually reaching it…

Even if he could develop such a Divine Sense before Foundation Establishment, how many years would he need to practice Formations?

It couldn’t possibly take decades…

Mo Hua felt a hint of worry, but then he thought:

“Is there any other way to strengthen the Divine Sense…?”

After pondering for a bit, Mo Hua felt it unlikely. Among the Cultivators around him, his Divine Sense was already growing the fastest.

Even Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, though they had better Spiritual Roots and higher Cultivation levels, had Divine Senses inferior to his.

Coming from a great Clan like the Bai Family, Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were among the best, which showed that Mo Hua’s Divine Sense, even among the great Clans or Great Sects, was unique or at least very rare.

It seemed there was no better method available at the moment.

Mo Hua sighed and calmed his mind, no longer letting his thoughts wander.

If currently relying on Formations was the only option, then he would persist in painting them.

One day, as long as his Divine Sense kept growing, he would have one comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage. It was only a question of time.

After ten or so days, Mo Hua encountered Yu Chengyi, who appeared very solemn. Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle Yu, has something happened?”

Yu Chengyi, deep in thought, looked up at the sound of his voice. Realizing it was Mo Hua and acknowledging that Mo Hua would eventually find out, he chose not to hide anything and said:

“There has been an incident. Those Sin Cultivators have made another move.”

“The bald one?”

Yu Chengyi nodded. “Exactly.”

Mo Hua exclaimed, “Did he rob and murder again?”

“This time he plundered a merchant convoy. A group of more than twenty Cultivators has disappeared without a trace, no bodies to be seen, just some bloodstains at the scene.”

Mo Hua’s heart skipped a beat, feeling some distress, then he grew puzzled, “Weren’t there previous merchant convoys that were robbed? What’s different this time?”

Yu Chengyi’s expression was very serious, an unusual sight.

“It is different,” Yu Chengyi sighed and continued, “First, there was a relatively large number of Cultivators robbed this time, and it seems none survived. Second, there was a Cultivator among the convoy with a special identity.”

“Some sort of important person?” Mo Hua asked curiously.

“Not exactly an important person,” Yu Chengyi said, asking Mo Hua, “Do you remember the Kong Family?”

“The Kong Family from Qingxuan City?”

“Right.”

Mo Hua certainly remembered the Kong Family, which had forced Uncle Ji and his son into exile, led to the ruin of Fu Lan’s family, and was known for bribing the Taoist Court in Qingxuan City to exploit the townspeople and oppress Loose Cultivators.

“That convoy included a legitimate young master of the Kong Family, Kong Sheng.”