Earth Solidification Formation

The deposit for the Earth Solidification Formation was twenty Spirit Stones. Mo Hua took ten Spirit Stones from what he had earned before and handed them over to Fat Manager as collateral, receiving the Earth Solidification Formation Array Diagram and ten sets of paper and ink materials. The deadline was twenty days.

After leaving the trading house, Mo Hua went to a pastry shop and spent two Spirit Stones on ten Five-Color Cakes. Then he returned directly to the sect and shared several pieces of cake with Da Hu and the other two.

The sect's food was not very good. The three of them often craved something tasty, but there was nothing good to eat.

Mo Hua bought them some pastries to satisfy their cravings.

One evening a few days later, after finishing a day of classes, Mo Hua was studying the Earth Solidification Formation behind closed doors in the Disciple Quarters when he suddenly heard a knock.

The moment Mo Hua opened the door, he saw Shuang Hu standing outside, acting furtively.

Shuang Hu secretly handed Mo Hua an oil-paper parcel and lowered his voice.

"Saved this especially for you. Don't tell anyone."

After saying that, he glanced around, then ran off like a thief.

The Disciple Quarters were dormitories provided by the Immortal Gate for its disciples. Two people shared each room. The rooms were small, with two simple wooden beds and two somewhat worn wooden tables, just enough for the disciples' daily lives.

The Immortal Gate also had more luxurious and comfortable disciple quarters, but they required additional Spirit Stones.

Mo Hua had originally shared a room with a fellow disciple, but that disciple had withdrawn from school this year. It was not because he could not afford the tuition, but simply because he found cultivation dull and no longer wanted to learn. Thus, Mo Hua was now alone in the room.

Mo Hua shut the door and opened the still-warm oil paper, discovering a freshly roasted Chicken Leg inside.

The Chicken Leg was as large as a fist, steaming hot and somewhat charred, its tempting fragrance wafting through the air. More importantly, a faint trace of spiritual energy lingered over it.

It was the meat of a spirit beast.

"Could this... have been stolen from somewhere...?"

Beast meat imbued with spiritual energy was something Shuang Hu and the others could never afford. Coupled with how sneaky Shuang Hu had been, it could only have been stolen.

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, then took a bite. It tasted a little burnt, but it had the fragrance of meat. It had not been cooked through, and there was no seasoning, so the flavor was somewhat bland.

Cooking in the cultivation world was also a refined art. Without specialized study, it was difficult to make anything truly delicious.

The ingredients of the cultivation world were hard to handle. Meat, for instance, tended to be extremely tough. Some meats, such as the flesh of herbivorous demon beasts, could not be cooked tender without expending vast amounts of Lingli to fuel the flames and simmering them for a long time.

Spirit meat was more delicate in texture, but it still required care in cooking.

Apart from meat, vegetables and fruits also carried some spiritual energy in addition to their natural flavors. If that spiritual energy mixed improperly with the ingredients' own tastes, the result could be very strange.

The Chicken Leg in Mo Hua's hand had merely been roasted. They had likely feared being discovered, secretly lit a fire, and hurriedly finished roasting it, so there was no way it could have tasted particularly good.

But Mo Hua had not eaten meat in over a month, so he was in no position to be picky. Having something to eat was already good enough.

Mo Hua gnawed through the Chicken Leg with some effort. Then he lit a fire and burned the oil paper, tossed the bone into the small stream outside, and thoroughly destroyed the evidence.

After eating his fill, Mo Hua spent some time refining the spiritual energy contained within the chicken meat, then lowered his head and continued studying the Array Technique.

Sure enough, two days later, Mo Hua heard that several Qi Refining Stage disciples had stolen the Brocade Chickens raised by an elder, plucked them clean, and roasted them to eat.

The elder flew into a rage, caught the disciples, and punished them severely.

Two more days passed, and Mo Hua saw Da Hu and the other two with bruised faces, swollen noses, and two large bumps on their heads.

All three of them were on Mysterious-Connecting Peak. Once the elder investigated, he could find them easily. They had nowhere to run, and punishment was unavoidable.

Still, though they looked miserable, most of their injuries were only superficial. The elder could not truly go too far and do anything serious to them.

It was merely a small punishment meant as a grave warning, to serve as an example to the other disciples.

Da Hu and the other two looked wretched, but they held their heads high, their expressions even carrying a trace of pride. After all, stealing chickens right under an elder's nose was not something just any disciple could accomplish.

When they saw Mo Hua, they pretended not to see him. Xiao Hu even secretly winked at Mo Hua, telling him to pretend he did not know them either.

Mo Hua did not know whether to laugh or cry. Next ten-day break, I'll buy them more pastries to eat.

There were still seven days until the next ten-day break. Thirteen days had already passed since Mo Hua received the array materials from Fat Manager, yet his comprehension of the Earth Solidification Formation had not gone smoothly.

The Array Patterns of the Earth Solidification Formation were ones Mo Hua had never learned before. They were considerably more complex than the basic earth-element Array Patterns taught by the sect, making them difficult to comprehend.

Moreover, the Earth Solidification Formation consisted of four Array Patterns, and its requirements for spiritual sense were also high.

Memorizing the Array Patterns was not too difficult for Mo Hua, but when he practiced on the stone tablet, he expended much more spiritual sense and made mistakes easily.

Either the Array Patterns he drew could not combine into an Array Technique, or the Array Patterns themselves were completely ineffective and unable to conduct Lingli.

Mo Hua fumbled through it for more than ten days but remained utterly without a clue. Sometimes he seemed to understand, yet the moment he put brush to paper, he still made mistakes.

Having no other choice, Mo Hua decided to seek guidance from Instructor Yan.

One day, after Instructor Yan finished teaching, he was gathering the books on his desk while the disciples dispersed in twos and threes.

Mo Hua brought several basic earth-element Array Patterns before Instructor Yan and respectfully asked for guidance.

"Instructor, this disciple does not quite understand these earth-element Array Patterns. I ask Instructor to please offer some guidance."

Instructor Yan looked over the Array Patterns Mo Hua handed him and said,

"These are earth-element Array Patterns from the basic Five Elements Array Pattern. They are relatively standard, universal Array Patterns, and should not be too difficult for you. If you cannot draw them well, practice more."

The earth-element Array Patterns taught by the sect were very basic. They were naturally not difficult for Mo Hua. What he truly wanted to ask about was something else.

Mo Hua took out several earth-element Array Patterns from the Earth Solidification Formation as well and said,

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"This disciple happened to see these Array Patterns and noticed that they differ somewhat from those in the textbook, but I cannot say exactly where they differ. I also make mistakes easily when drawing them. I do not know what the problem is."

Instructor Yan examined them and said with some surprise,

"These are altered Five Elements Array Patterns, different from those formally taught by the sect. They are not standard, nor are they widely used. To draw these Array Patterns, you need to alter your brushwork somewhat, and the order also differs from that of standard Array Patterns. Basically, change the sequence of these strokes..."

Instructor Yan took a sheet of paper and casually drew several Array Patterns, explaining as he drew.

Only then did Mo Hua suddenly see the light.

The methods for drawing Array Patterns were somewhat similar to calligraphy. Besides standard, fixed-form Array Patterns, there were also more distinctive Array Patterns, whose brushwork differed to varying degrees.

There were countless types of these variant Array Patterns, and they could not be categorized, so the sect normally taught only standard fixed-form Array Patterns.

No wonder they say Array Techniques are broad and profound. There are far too many twists, turns, and hidden pits within them. If I hadn't asked Instructor, even if I had two heads, I never would have figured it out...

"Then how should these Array Patterns be connected together to form an Array Technique? For example, an Array Technique like this..."

At last, Mo Hua directly took out the Array Diagram of the Earth Solidification Formation.

Instructor Yan swept his gaze over it and immediately recognized it. Surprised, he said, "This is the Earth Solidification Formation," then looked at Mo Hua and added,

"It is still too early for you to study this. This is not something you can draw at your current level."

"This disciple is merely curious and wishes to understand the principles behind it," Mo Hua said earnestly.

"This... is true. It is good for you to learn a little in advance."

Instructor Yan's spirits rose. He usually taught only basic Array Patterns, which was somewhat dull. Now that he had a rare chance to discuss a proper Array Technique, his interest clearly grew considerably.

"Array Techniques are formed by arranging, combining, and linking Array Patterns. Simple Array Techniques contain simple Array Patterns and few of them. The more difficult an Array Technique is, the more Array Patterns it contains, and the more complex and exquisite become the sequence of different Array Patterns, their spatial construction, and their unified connections. The Earth Solidification Formation contains four Array Patterns. The Array Patterns must be drawn in sequence according to fixed positions. As for the remaining Qian and Kun positions..."

Instructor Yan spoke with great enthusiasm, and Mo Hua listened with rapt attention. Even after he finished teaching, Instructor Yan was still somewhat unsatisfied, and he warned Mo Hua again.

"The Dao of Array Techniques is broad and profound. It is fine for you to understand some of it beforehand. What the sect teaches is only the most basic of basics; it does not even count as an introduction. If you wish to become a true Array Master, the difficulty and effort required are beyond anything you can imagine right now..."

Instructor Yan paused, then continued,

"At the same time, you must never aim too high or blindly try to draw Array Techniques beyond your grasp. Simply looking at them is fine, but if you truly put brush to paper, it is very easy to exhaust your spiritual sense. You must remember this!"

Mo Hua bowed. "This disciple has been instructed!"