Signs of Something Amiss

Instructor Yan left the Array Pavilion and returned to Clear-Connecting Peak of the Immortal Gate.

The instructors of the Immortal Gate each had their own residence on Clear-Connecting Peak: three rooms and a hall, along with a small courtyard where they could grow spirit flowers and spirit herbs, or raise spirit beasts.

Instructor Yan's residence was clean and tidy. The walls were covered neatly with Array Diagrams, with no other decorations besides.

He leafed through several basic array technique manuals, prepared the array patterns he would teach in the latter part of the month, then began grading the array technique assignments submitted by Qi Refining disciples.

There were nearly a thousand Qi Refining disciples on Mysterious-Connecting Peak of the Immortal Gate. He personally graded every array technique assignment, marking each error.

It took a great deal of time and patience, but Instructor Yan still did it with meticulous care.

It was his habit, and it was also in keeping with his master's teachings over the years.

Back then, his master had graded the array techniques of disciples like them in precisely the same way—meticulous and endlessly patient.

Instructor Yan's master had been a First-Grade Array Master, perhaps nothing remarkable in the cultivation world as a whole. Yet even so, throughout his life, he had done everything in his power to teach and pass on the array technique inheritance that upheld the Heavenly Dao Laws.

Now that his master had passed away and he himself had become an instructor, he could understand his master's painstaking intentions.

As evening deepened, Instructor Yan lit a lamp and continued grading the array techniques.

The Immortal Gate was, after all, a remote little sect with a weak cultivation inheritance. Among nearly a thousand disciples, only a handful could draw even the most basic array patterns with any proper form.

Those who drew better were generally from families with inherited knowledge, or from wealthy households willing to spend Spirit Stones on their training—for example, children of cultivators serving in the Dao Court Office, children of sect Elders, or disciples from cultivation families within the city.

Among those truly born of poor Rogue Cultivators, there were very few who could draw array techniques well.

Yet regardless of background, Instructor Yan treated everyone equally. He looked only at the array technique.

For those who drew poorly but showed a serious attitude, he added several more comments in explanation; for those who drew poorly and were careless as well, his comments became rather stern, and Instructor Yan would remember their names.

Occasionally, when he came across one drawn exceptionally well, Instructor Yan would feel gratified and write the character "Excellent" beside the array technique as encouragement.

Instructor Yan patiently continued grading. When he turned to one array technique, his eyes could not help but light up.

The brushwork was highly practiced, clearly the product of hard work, and it followed an orderly method. Even if it were used to draw a proper array technique, this array pattern would pass muster.

Instructor Yan glanced at the heading and saw the name Mo Hua. He nodded involuntarily, then wrote "Excellent" beside the array technique.

This "Excellent" was written a little larger than the others.

Instructor Yan turned the page and continued grading.

As he graded, he suddenly flipped back again, found Mo Hua's array pattern, and could not help frowning.

The brushwork in this array pattern was a little too accomplished. It even seemed somewhat... effortless?

For a cultivator at the second or third layer of Qi Refining, being able to draw a complete array pattern was already quite good.

Remembering how he had encountered Mo Hua in the Array Pavilion that day, Instructor Yan fell into silent thought. Then a question suddenly surfaced in his mind:

"Does Mo Hua have an older brother?"

"If his older brother is good at drawing array techniques, and he is good at them too, then their family should have some inherited knowledge. But if I remember correctly, this child Mo Hua comes from a poor Rogue Cultivator background. If his family had even a little inherited knowledge of array techniques, their circumstances would not be so poor..."

"His older brother can help the Array Pavilion draw array techniques, so he should be rather talented in array techniques within the Immortal Gate. I've taught at the Immortal Gate for nearly ten years, yet it seems I've never taught such a person..."

"Could he be in another sect? That seems unlikely too. Brothers from the same family generally enter the same sect, and the Immortal Gate is already the largest sect in the city..."

Instructor Yan tapped his fingers on the desk as he thought, then temporarily suppressed his various thoughts and focused on finishing the grading.

The next day, Instructor Yan rose early and went to the steward of Clear-Connecting Peak to request a record of the disciples' places of origin. He flipped to Mo Hua's entry and saw written there:

Mo Hua: ten years old, third layer of Qi Refining, lower-middle-grade Small Five Elements Spirit Root...

Father: Mo Shan, Monster Hunter; mother: Liu Ruhua, Dietary Master.

Other than his parents, he had no other relatives at all—much less an older brother.

Instructor Yan vaguely formed a guess in his heart, yet felt it was impossible.

During the morning array technique class, Instructor Yan announced an additional temporary assignment: draw every Five Elements Array Pattern they had learned so far and submit them in three days.

The disciples present had suddenly heard dreadful news, and every one of them wilted like eggplants struck by frost.

Mo Hua did not care much. He was already helping the Array Pavilion draw array techniques; now he merely had to draw a few array patterns, which would not take much effort.

But why had Instructor Yan suddenly assigned this coursework out of the blue?

It was not something the instructor would normally do.

Mo Hua was a little puzzled.

Then Fatty An came begging Mo Hua for help.

"Mo Hua, you have to help me!!" Fatty An nearly burst into tears.

Who knew why the instructor had suddenly assigned homework? Usually, it was only every few months that they would assign coursework to assess the disciples' array technique standards.

Fatty An had been caught completely off guard. He could not draw a single array pattern, and time was tight, so he could only come beg Mo Hua.

Mo Hua did not mind. These basic array patterns no longer posed the slightest difficulty to him.

Mo Hua helped Fatty An draw the array technique and even charged only a friendship price. Several fellow disciples from well-off families who were poor at array techniques also came to Mo Hua for help, and he agreed to all of them.

Mo Hua had array techniques to draw and Spirit Stones to earn, so he had no mind left for anything else.

Three days later, the array technique assignments were submitted. Instructor Yan picked out the array patterns Mo Hua had drawn, examined them carefully once more, then put them into his Storage Bag and went to Fate Pavilion to find Fat Manager.

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When Fat Manager saw Instructor Yan, he looked somewhat wary. "Did you come to have tea with me this time, or to ask me to do something for you?"

Instructor Yan said, "Neither tea nor errands. I just want to ask you something."

Fat Manager let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, then that's fine."

"Do you still have the Array Diagrams Mo Hua gave you?"

"Mo Hua?" Fat Manager paused. "Oh, that little brother. I do. What do you need them for?"

"How many do you have?"

"I still have several each of the Bright Fire Formation and Earth Solidification Formation. I kept them as backups."

Fat Manager took out one Bright Fire Formation and one Earth Solidification Formation that Mo Hua had delivered earlier and handed them to Instructor Yan.

Instructor Yan looked through them, then took out Mo Hua's submitted array technique homework and compared the Array Patterns on it one by one.

After examining them, Instructor Yan took a deep breath.

Fat Manager craned his neck to look and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Instructor Yan pointed at the Array Patterns and the formations at hand and asked, "Do you think these Array Patterns and these two formations were drawn by the same person?"

Fat Manager took the Array Patterns and formations, studied them carefully with a frown, then nodded.

"The brushwork is quite similar. Barring anything unexpected, they should have come from the same hand..."

Fat Manager thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "You met Mo Hua's older brother?"

"Mo Hua doesn't have an older brother."

"No older brother? Then who drew these formations?"

Instructor Yan looked at Fat Manager with an inscrutable gaze.

Fat Manager froze for a moment. "You're not saying he drew them himself, are you?"

Instructor Yan nodded.

Fat Manager fell silent for a moment, then let out a derisive snort.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

"Never mind the Bright Fire Formation—there's still a slight chance he could draw that. But the Earth Solidification Formation has four Array Patterns in it. Where would he get that much Divine Consciousness? What, did he grow two heads and get two Seas of Consciousness?"

Fat Manager eyed Instructor Yan suspiciously and continued, "You're saying you taught a genius who could draw formations at the third level of Qi Refining? You're not trying to gild your own face on purpose, are you...? I've known you for so many years. You're not that kind of person!"

Instructor Yan looked at him coldly and pointed at the formations before them. "You were the one who said these Array Patterns and these two formations came from the same hand. These Array Patterns were drawn by Mo Hua. Then who else could have drawn these two formations?"

Fat Manager was left speechless.

He stared at the Array Patterns on the left and the formations on the right for a long while before murmuring, "No way..."