Chapter Summaries

Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua the rare Heavenly Derivation Art, and Mo Hua began cultivating it despite its modest spiritual power. He found that it refined spiritual energy quickly and purely, but its unusual potential remained unclear.

• Mr. Zhuang warned Mo Hua that the Heavenly Derivation Art jade slip was rare and must be kept safe, then passed it to him.
• Mo Shan hunted demonic beasts, and Liu Ruhua prepared meat, wine, and pine nuts for Mo Hua to bring to Mr. Zhuang and the Bai siblings as thanks.
• Bai Zisheng explained how low spiritual power could limit Mo Hua, but agreed it would matter less if Mo Hua became a formation master.
• Mo Hua gave up the Breathing Technique and began cultivating the Heavenly Derivation Art, finding that it refined spiritual energy faster and more purely while producing ordinary amounts of spiritual power.

Mo Hua attempted to break through to the middle phase of Qi Refining, but a shifting formation-like spiritual screen formed in his sea of consciousness and blocked his cultivation. Unable to understand or remove it, he decided to ask Mr. Zhuang for advice.

• Mo Hua used nearly fifty Spirit Stones during his breakthrough, and spiritual energy gathered in his sea of consciousness.
• A pale-blue spiritual curtain formed there and blocked the circulation needed for Mo Hua to cultivate.
• Mo Hua reasoned that the curtain was connected to the Heavenly Derivation Art and might be a formation within his sea of consciousness.
• Mo Hua realized the formation was far beyond his knowledge and decided to ask Mr. Zhuang for advice the next day.

Mo Hua discovered that the changing spirit curtain in his Sea of Consciousness was a Riddle Array, which had become a bottleneck in his cultivation. Though Mr. Zhuang offered to solve it for him, Mo Hua chose to learn the method himself, leaving to study the basics while Mr. Zhuang watched with a grave expression.

• Mo Hua described the spirit curtain and copied its Array Patterns for Mr. Zhuang, who told him to record everything displayed on it.
• Mo Hua spent the night studying and copying the patterns, pausing to eat the meal his mother had left outside his room.
• Mr. Zhuang identified the spirit curtain as a Riddle Array, explaining that its Array Patterns and array techniques concealed a puzzle.
• Mr. Zhuang offered either to solve the array for Mo Hua or teach him to solve it himself, warning that learning would take longer.
• Mo Hua chose to study Riddle Arrays himself, and Mr. Zhuang gave him books and Jade Slips before watching him leave with a grave expression.

Mr. Zhuang and Old Kui discussed how Mo Hua’s unusual cultivation method was held back by a Riddle Array in his sea of consciousness, and Mr. Zhuang resolved to teach him array dissolution. Mo Hua studied the jade slip and learned basic array concepts from Bai Zisheng, leaving with a promise to bring him food and drink.

• Old Kui told Mr. Zhuang that Mo Hua’s cultivation method was unusually bottlenecked by a Riddle Array, and Mr. Zhuang said he would teach Mo Hua to dissolve it.
• Mr. Zhuang and Old Kui discussed his inability to remain in the area for long and whether he would help the Bai Family siblings beyond making them nominal disciples.
• Mo Hua read the jade slip on array dissolution and asked Bai Zisheng to explain the difference between breaking and dissolving an array.
• Bai Zisheng explained the roles of the Array Eye, Array Hub, and Array Medium in exchange for Mo Hua’s promise of two plates of beef and a jug of osmanthus wine.
• Mo Hua asked Bai Zisheng more questions about arrays, then left after Bai Zisheng reminded him to make the beef spicy.

Mo Hua studied how to dismantle Array Patterns and Array Techniques, discovering how Five Elements patterns could disable formations and how an Array Eye could be targeted. He found that the Dao Stele let him practice dismantling without wasting paper, ink, or Divine Consciousness, then left for Mr. Zhuang's place with breakfast.

• Mo Hua tested how Five Elements Array Patterns could dismantle one another and learned that damaging an Array Medium or Array Eye could break an Array Technique.
• Mo Hua dismantled a Bright Fire Formation by adding Water Array Patterns, but found that disabling its Spirit Gathering Array Eye required methods he could not safely use or learn.
• Mo Hua realized that repeatedly drawing and dismantling formations wasted paper and ink, so he practiced on the Dao Stele in his Sea of Consciousness and recovered his spent Divine Consciousness by erasing his work.
• Mo Hua practiced dismantling arrays until the hour of the tiger, rested, ate breakfast with Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua, and headed to Mr. Zhuang's place with a food box.

Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang how to break arrays and learned why the Heavenly Derivation Art required him to study many kinds of arrays. Mr. Zhuang gave him the Collection of Thousand Arrays to guide his studies, and Mo Hua left reassured that his cultivation method suited his family’s means.

• Mo Hua brought food and wine to the Bai siblings, Mr. Zhuang, and Old Kui before asking Mr. Zhuang for guidance on breaking arrays.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that Mo Hua should focus on breaking arrays with array patterns, since methods involving the Array Eye or Array Hub were too difficult or dangerous for him.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that Mo Hua needed to study arrays broadly because solving Riddle Arrays was necessary for cultivating the Heavenly Derivation Art.
• Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua the Collection of Thousand Arrays and told him to study its arrays and return any Array Diagrams he borrowed.
• Mr. Zhuang apologized for choosing a troublesome cultivation method, but Mo Hua told him it suited his family’s limited resources and called it the best method for him.

Mo Hua studied the formations in the Collection of Thousand Arrays and exchanged formation knowledge with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi. His frequent questions left Mr. Zhuang searching for an excuse to sleep in.

• Mo Hua spent months studying and practicing formations, deepening his divine sense and becoming more familiar with Array Patterns.
• Bai Zisheng borrowed Mo Hua's Collection of Thousand Arrays, was surprised by its contents, and called Bai Zixi over to look through it.
• Bai Zixi lent Mo Hua the Bai Family's collection of formations below first grade and offered to teach him from it.
• Mo Hua and Bai Zixi studied formations together, and Mo Hua brought their questions to Mr. Zhuang for answers.
• Mr. Zhuang complained to Old Kui that Mo Hua's daily questions left him no time to rest, then decided to find an excuse to sleep in.

Mr. Zhuang urged Mo Hua to apply his array studies in practical work and offered him leave from daily lessons, believing this could unify his broad studies. After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang and Old Kui discussed his unconventional teaching, his ties to the sect, and the danger he faced.

• Mr. Zhuang told Mo Hua that array mastery required observing, learning, contemplating, and applying arrays in practical settings.
• Mo Hua realized that repairing the Artifact Refining Furnace and building the stove had already been ways of applying arrays.
• Mr. Zhuang offered Mo Hua leave from daily lessons so he could practice applying arrays, and Mo Hua agreed to visit only every few days.
• Old Kui accused Mr. Zhuang of misleading Mo Hua, but Mr. Zhuang said Mo Hua needed a different path because he could not catch up with the Bai Family disciples through conventional study.
• Mr. Zhuang said he would teach Mo Hua until he became a First-Grade Array Master and rejected the idea of returning to the sect.
• Old Kui warned that he could not protect Mr. Zhuang much longer and urged him to return, but Mr. Zhuang chose to remain and enjoy his quiet days.

Mo Hua persuaded Master Chen to dismantle the Artifact Refining Furnace so he could redraw its Molten Fire Array with better Spirit Ink. As Mo Hua began work, Master Chen noticed the new Array Diagram had six Array Patterns instead of the furnace’s original five.

• Mo Hua asked to strengthen the Artifact Refining Furnace’s fire, and Master Chen reluctantly agreed after Mo Hua offered to redraw its Array Technique for free.
• Master Chen had his apprentices cool and dismantle the furnace, exposing the five-pattern Molten Fire Array.
• Mo Hua used Spirit-Erasing Liquid, whose formula Bai Zixi had taught him, to remove the old Array Technique.
• Da Zhu brought back good Spirit Ink from Old Sun, and Mo Hua judged it usable before laying out the new Array Diagram.
• Master Chen counted six Array Patterns on Mo Hua’s diagram and realized it had one more than the old array.

Mo Hua drew a six-pattern Molten Fire Array on Master Chen’s Artifact Refining Furnace, and Master Chen confirmed that it greatly improved the furnace’s fire. After Mo Hua left, Master Chen decided to send him a box of hundred-year Water Poria for his mother and told Da Zhu to deliver it.

• Mo Hua drew a six-pattern Molten Fire Array on Master Chen’s furnace, but could not activate it with his own Lingli; Master Chen activated it instead.
• Master Chen’s apprentices reassembled the furnace, and he tested its powerful flames by heating and hammering a Spirit Artifact blank.
• Mo Hua refused payment, but accepted Master Chen’s leftover Spirit Ink and new Array Brushes, along with a promise of free refining for smaller Spirit Artifacts.
• Master Chen admitted he could not afford to pay Mo Hua yet and ordered Da Zhu to send him the hundred-year Water Poria intended for Array Master Jia.
• Da Zhu agreed to deliver the medicine and planned to visit later so he could eat Aunt Liu’s cooking.

Mo Hua received Water Poria for Liu Ruhua and continued looking for chances to practice drawing Array Techniques on better materials. At Apricot Forest Hall, he secured Elder Feng’s promise to let him repair the alchemy furnace’s Array Technique if it broke, only for Elder Feng to discover that it had already broken.

• Da Zhu delivered Water Poria from Master Chen to the Mo Family, and Mo Hua accepted it for Liu Ruhua before inviting Da Zhu to eat noodles.
• Liu Ruhua drank the Water Poria medicine, and Mo Hua returned to studying Array Techniques and considered practicing on a furnace.
• Liu Ruhua refused to let Mo Hua experiment with the stove at home when he suggested using it for practice.
• Liu Ruhua visited Elder Feng for a follow-up consultation, and Elder Feng said her condition had improved and prescribed more medicine.
• Mo Hua asked Elder Feng to let him repair the Array Technique inside the alchemy furnace if it broke, and Elder Feng agreed.
• Elder Feng discovered that the alchemy furnace had broken, leaving Mo Hua to wonder whether his words had caused it.

Mo Hua repaired Elder Feng’s alchemy furnace by restoring its worn array patterns, earning medicine for Liu Ruhua and a lesson about helping others. At home, Mo Hua heard his parents discuss their hopes for his future and continued practicing arrays on the Dao Stele.

• Mo Hua identified the furnace’s Wood-Fire Spirit Control Array and repaired its worn patterns despite needing several rests.
• Elder Feng used the furnace to refine medicine for Liu Ruhua, then urged Mo Hua to help poor cultivators when he could.
• Mo Hua asked about people who did not deserve help, and Elder Feng replied that withholding help from them could also be a form of helping.
• Mo Shan returned from hunting monsters, and Liu Ruhua told him Elder Feng believed Mo Hua had talent for arrays.
• Mo Hua overheard his parents worrying about his future, wiped away tears, and resumed practicing arrays on the Dao Stele.

Mo Hua practiced repairing everyday arrays, unraveled the Riddle Array in his Sea of Consciousness, and advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refining. His family celebrated the breakthrough with a feast, while Bai Zisheng questioned whether it was worth celebrating.

• Mo Hua spent a month repairing neighbors’ doors, walls, and lamps, deepening his understanding of arrays on different materials.
• Mo Hua unraveled the Riddle Array in his Sea of Consciousness and absorbed more than ten Spirit Stones to recover from the resulting hunger.
• Mo Hua discovered that his cultivation had advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refining and found that drawing the Three Talents Array had become easy.
• Mo Hua told Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua about his breakthrough, and they arranged a feast for neighbors and friends.
• Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua hosted the feast at their eatery, where Mo Hua’s guests ate wild beef and celebrated his advancement.
• Mo Hua delivered food to Mr. Zhuang and the Bai siblings, and Bai Zisheng asked whether reaching Qi Refining Level Four was worth celebrating.

Mo Hua discussed his progress in Array study and the effects of his Heavenly Derivation Art with Mr. Zhuang, who explained the importance of Divine Sense control and warned him to keep the cultivation method secret. Mr. Zhuang lent him a book on compound arrays, and Mo Hua left after giving Old Kui a gift.

• Mo Hua told Mr. Zhuang that he had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining and was practicing seven-pattern Arrays, and Mr. Zhuang encouraged him to keep drawing.
• Mr. Zhuang tested Mo Hua's Array-drawing speed and concluded that his Heavenly Derivation Art had improved his Divine Sense control.
• Mr. Zhuang warned Mo Hua not to reveal what was unusual about his cultivation method and coached him to give a modest explanation if questioned.
• Mo Hua asked about compound arrays, and Mr. Zhuang had Old Kui bring him a book titled Elementary Explanation of Compound Arrays.
• Mo Hua gave Old Kui a storage bag of pine nuts, thanked Mr. Zhuang, and happily left.

Mo Hua met a well-dressed man in blue at his family’s eatery and asked him about the compound arrays he was studying. The man explained the theory and identified the flaw in Mo Hua’s drawing, while narrowly avoiding questions he could not answer.

• Mo Hua’s faster array practice and quicker recovery let him draw more arrays each day, though he tired more easily.
• A man in blue entered Mo Hua’s family eatery, and Mo Hua approached him after the man offered to teach him about arrays.
• Mo Hua questioned the man about compound-array theory, and the man improvised explanations despite his limited knowledge.
• Mo Hua showed the man a compound array he had drawn, and the man correctly pointed out that Mo Hua had used a single array’s Array Hub.
• Mo Hua praised the man and offered him the wine, which the man found exceptionally clear and sweet.

Mo Hua spoke with Zhang Lan, a Dao Court Office cultivator, and impressed him with his questions and sharp guesses about his background. Zhang Lan gave Mo Hua a jade pendant and left, promising to visit again.

• Mo Hua asked Zhang Lan about array knowledge, but Zhang Lan refused to answer future questions because he feared he could not explain them.
• Zhang Lan said he worked at the Dao Court Office, and Mo Hua guessed he was a clan disciple temporarily assigned away from home.
• Zhang Lan claimed he had come to hide from women who wanted to marry him, but Mo Hua suspected he had abandoned someone after playing with her feelings.
• Mo Hua and Zhang Lan exchanged names, and Zhang Lan gave Mo Hua a jade pendant in return for the wine before leaving.

Mo Hua told Zhang Lan about Immortal City's upcoming Monster Hunting Festival, then wondered why the Bai siblings studied under Mr. Zhuang and whether he might ever become Mr. Zhuang's personal disciple. As the festival began, Da Hu and the other young cultivators prepared to take part in the Monster Hunting Ceremony and become Monster Hunters.

• Zhang Lan repeatedly visited the eatery, and Mo Hua told him the Monster Hunting Festival would be held in two days.
• Mo Hua wondered what the Bai siblings hoped to learn from Mr. Zhuang and briefly considered whether Mr. Zhuang might accept him as a personal disciple.
• Immortal City's cultivators prepared for the festival, while Liu Ruhua stayed home to manage the busy eatery and Mo Shan sold the Monster Hunting Squad's monster materials.
• Mo Hua went to the festival with Da Hu and the other two, who planned to participate in the Monster Hunting Ceremony.
• The chapter explained that young cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Refining or above could become Monster Hunters through the ceremony.

Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu became Monster Hunters in a ceremony and worried about the debts and hardships their new responsibilities brought. Mo Hua encouraged them and sent them off with pastries, while promising he might join them someday, though his friends urged him to become a formation master instead.

• Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu took a blood oath at the ancestral hall, received Monster Hunting Tokens, and officially became Monster Hunters.
• The three boys wore their new gear and worried that their family had spent its savings and borrowed Spirit Stones to prepare them for hunting.
• Mo Hua reassured them that hunting monsters could help them earn Spirit Stones and ease Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng's burdens.
• Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu worried they would no longer have time to play with Mo Hua, and Mo Hua said he might become a Monster Hunter in a year or two.
• The boys advised Mo Hua to become a formation master because he was physically weak, and he agreed to consider it before treating them to osmanthus cake.
• Before they parted, Da Hu promised that the three would return to help Mo Hua if anyone bullied him.

Mo Hua learned the Earth Fire Array as a way to defend himself and tested its power outside the city. Afterward, Bai Zisheng asked him to take him to the final night of the Monster Hunting Festival, leaving their outing dependent on Aunt Xue’s permission.

• Mo Hua chose the Earth Fire Array from the Collection of Thousand Arrays, learned it, and realized it detonated three breaths after receiving spiritual power.
• Mo Hua tested the array in a grove, then used a Spirit Stone to power one and blasted down a tree.
• Elder Yu saw the damaged trees the next day and angrily ordered the Monster Hunting Squad to find who had caused the damage.
• Mo Hua spent the second evening of the Monster Hunting Festival alone because Da Hu and the others were busy training and learning to hunt monsters.
• Bai Zisheng begged Mo Hua to take him to the festival’s last night, and Mo Hua told him to finish his lessons and ask Aunt Xue for permission.

Mo Hua showed Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Aunt Xue around the lively Monster Hunting Festival, where the children enjoyed toys and performances. They ran into Zhang Lan, who had slipped away from escorting the city’s elders, and he noticed Mo Hua’s distinguished companions.

• Mo Hua met Aunt Xue, Bai Zisheng, and Bai Zixi at the big tree on West Street and led them through the festival.
• Bai Zisheng bought wooden toys and a flashy toy sword, while Mo Hua bought Bai Zixi a tiny white rabbit.
• Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng watched shadow puppetry and beast-fighting shows, though they preferred different performances.
• Mo Hua’s group encountered Zhang Lan accompanying senior cultivators and prominent family members.
• Zhang Lan excused himself from the elders, greeted Mo Hua, and noticed Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Aunt Xue beside him.