Recaps

Mo Hua told Mr. Zhuang that he practiced arrays in his dreams, and Mr. Zhuang warned him to conceal the unusual explanation and taught him how to pass himself off as a genius. Worried that Mo Hua’s progress might attract danger, Mr. Zhuang decided to draw the talented Bai Family siblings into his orbit, and their visit ended with the courtyard gate opening.

• Mo Hua told Mr. Zhuang that he had practiced the Three Talents Array in his dreams, and Mr. Zhuang told him to keep that secret and claim his progress came from talent or the Meditation Technique.
• Mr. Zhuang demonstrated an arrogant bearing for Mo Hua to imitate, and Mo Hua resolved to practice putting on airs.
• After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang told Old Kui that Mo Hua’s quick progress could bring him trouble and considered how to keep him from standing out.
• Mr. Zhuang decided that the Bai Family siblings’ exceptional talent could be hidden within his own circle, and the next morning the gate to Zuowang Abode opened for them.
• Bai Zisheng entered the courtyard with Bai Zixi after Aunt Xue concluded that Mr. Zhuang was willing to receive them.

Aunt Xue delivered Madam’s token and letter to Mr. Zhuang, who accepted Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi as nominal disciples. The siblings then met Mo Hua, whose explanation of his studies and Mr. Zhuang’s teaching left Bai Zisheng with more questions.

• Aunt Xue gave Mr. Zhuang Madam’s token and Jade Slip, and he agreed to take Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi as nominal disciples.
• Mr. Zhuang told the siblings to study Arrays on their own, seek his guidance when needed, and ask Mo Hua if they had questions.
• Aunt Xue and the Bai siblings found Mo Hua studying an introductory manual beneath the Big Locust Tree.
• Bai Zisheng questioned Mo Hua’s choice of book and low cultivation, and Mo Hua defended the value of studying basic Array principles.
• Bai Zisheng asked whether Mr. Zhuang’s Array attainment was truly high, and Aunt Xue stopped him before he could offend Mo Hua further.

Mo Hua studied alongside Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi as Mr. Zhuang’s nominal disciples, benefiting from their questions despite their limited interaction. A month later, while out for the Lotus Festival with Da Hu, Xiao Hu, and Shuang Hu, Mo Hua discovered that the Bai siblings lived in a grand new Cave Abode nearby, and Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi reacted eagerly when they heard he was out for a stroll.

• Mo Hua finished Introduction to Five Elements Arrays, and Aunt Xue told Bai Zisheng that Mo Hua appeared to have an ordinary Small Five Elements Spirit Root and a Rogue Cultivator background.
• The Bai siblings began studying and cultivating with Mo Hua, and Mr. Zhuang’s answers to their questions also helped Mo Hua learn.
• For a month, the three nominal disciples studied together but rarely spoke outside their lessons.
• Da Hu, Xiao Hu, and Shuang Hu invited Mo Hua to see the Lotus Festival, and they found a large new Cave Abode in their neighborhood.
• The Cave Abode’s gates opened, revealing Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Aunt Xue as its residents.
• Bai Zisheng asked why Mo Hua was there, and both Bai siblings brightened when he said he was out for a stroll.

Mo Hua guided Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Aunt Xue through Immortal City’s Lotus Festival night market and told them the story of the Lotus Loose Cultivator. The group released lanterns in his memory, while Aunt Xue remained puzzled by how one cultivator could have stopped a beast tide alone.

• Aunt Xue let Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi explore the Lotus Festival with Mo Hua until the hour of Hai.
• Mo Hua’s friends went off to enjoy the night market, leaving him to guide the Bai siblings and Aunt Xue.
• Mo Hua explained that the Lotus Festival honored the Lotus Loose Cultivator, who was said to have died defending Immortal City from a beast tide.
• Bai Zisheng praised the Lotus Loose Cultivator’s sacrifice, and Aunt Xue cautioned him to protect himself for his mother’s sake.
• Mo Hua said the people commemorated the Lotus Loose Cultivator’s compassion rather than his cultivation, and he, Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Aunt Xue released lanterns into the sky.

After releasing lotus lanterns, Mo Hua and his companions enjoyed Immortal City's festival before heading home. He parted from the Bai Family siblings and walked back with Da Hu and the others, who worried that Bai Zixi's beauty would make him foolish.

• Mo Hua explained the Monster Fighting Play to Bai Zisheng, who eagerly watched the staged cultivators battle a disguised demon beast.
• Mo Hua, the Bai Family siblings, and Aunt Xue explored the festival's performances, toys, and snacks until nightfall, when Aunt Xue gave Mo Hua pastries and Bai Zisheng invited him to Gan Province.
• Mo Hua reunited with Da Hu, Xiao Hu, and Shuang Hu, who gave him toys and a white tiger sugar figurine; he shared Aunt Xue's pastries with them.
• Xiao Hu and the others warned Mo Hua not to spend time with pretty girls, fearing Bai Zixi would make him foolish.
• Mo Hua offered to teach the three boys formations to make them smarter, but Xiao Hu refused, saying he would rather remain an idiot than draw formations.

Mo Hua studied arrays with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, who helped him understand the array pivot. As Mo Hua practiced the Three Talents Array, both siblings became transfixed by his drawing.

• Mo Hua continued studying arrays with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, while quietly memorizing the other cultivation topics they discussed.
• Bai Zisheng explained the array pivot to Mo Hua in exchange for Mo Hua agreeing to take him to a Monster Fighting Play on the seventh of next month.
• Bai Zisheng described how an array’s spiritual power flowed through its eye, pivot, and patterns, helping Mo Hua understand the concept.
• Mo Hua began practicing the Three Talents Array while Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi read and cultivated nearby.
• Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi both became absorbed in watching Mo Hua draw, and Mo Hua noticed their fixed stares after he finished.

Mo Hua realized he was close to reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining but had never learned a cultivation method, so he discussed his options with Bai Zisheng. After Mo Hua decided to ask his parents, Bai Zisheng offered to look for a suitable method, while Mr. Zhuang quietly took notice of the problem.

• Bai Zisheng questioned Mo Hua about drawing a six-pattern Three Talents Array, then reassured him that his array talent was already respectable.
• Mo Hua felt his qi sea fill and realized he was nearing a breakthrough without having chosen a cultivation method.
• Mo Hua explained that his parents’ methods did not suit him and that, as a Rogue Cultivator, he lacked access to other suitable methods.
• Bai Zisheng explained that cultivation methods could have special effects, then suggested Mo Hua ask Mr. Zhuang, but Mo Hua refused to impose on him.
• Mo Hua decided to ask his parents about a method, while Bai Zisheng offered to search for one the clan would not closely restrict.
• Mr. Zhuang opened his eyes and murmured about Mo Hua needing a cultivation method.

Mo Hua told his parents he needed a cultivation technique as he approached the fourth level of Qi Refining, and Mo Shan planned to ask Senior Han to teach him one. Bai Zisheng brought Mo Hua several Bai Family techniques, but their costly spiritual-material requirements left Mo Hua realizing that his family could not afford the methods great clans cultivated.

• Mo Hua told Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua he was nearing the fourth level of Qi Refining, and Mo Shan offered to ask Senior Han to teach him a reliable family technique.
• Bai Zisheng secretly brought Mo Hua several cultivation-technique Jade Slips, while Bai Zixi explained that Aunt Xue already knew he had taken them.
• Mo Hua accepted the Jade Slips and read about techniques including the Small Five Elements Art and the resource-intensive Water-Wood Spirit Technique.
• Mo Hua asked Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi about the techniques’ spiritual materials and learned that even seemingly modest requirements cost far more than he could afford.
• Bai Zixi explained how the Bai Family assigned cultivation resources by lineage and talent, and Mo Hua understood the vast disparity between great clans and Rogue Cultivators.

Mr. Zhuang searched for a cultivation art suited to Mo Hua and brought him a collection to choose from. Unable to afford even the cheapest options, Mo Hua found an ancient jade slip for the Heavenly Derivation Art, which seemed to require no natural spiritual objects.

• Bai Zixi offered to have Aunt Xue bring Mo Hua spiritual items, but he thanked her and declined.
• Mr. Zhuang searched through cultivation arts with Old Kui, who rejected one option after another as unsuitable for Mo Hua.
• The next day, Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua a carefully selected bundle of cultivation arts and let him choose.
• Mo Hua compared the arts by cost, spiritual-power circuits, attributes, and practical effects, then realized he could not afford even the cheapest ones.
• Mo Hua found the ancient Heavenly Derivation Art and noticed that its description listed no required natural spiritual objects.

Mo Hua weighed the risks of the ancient Heavenly Derivation Art and chose it because its bottleneck in spiritual sense suited his ambition to become an array master. He admitted to Mr. Zhuang that he also could not afford the spiritual objects required by the other cultivation arts.

• Mo Hua studied the Heavenly Derivation Art's unusual conditions and asked Mr. Zhuang about its missing spiritual-object requirements.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that the art was an obscure ancient cultivation art with meager spiritual power and a difficult breakthrough bottleneck in the sea of consciousness.
• Mr. Zhuang said array masters were best suited to the art because their work consumed and developed spiritual sense.
• Mo Hua chose the Heavenly Derivation Art, reasoning that strengthening his spiritual sense through formations would serve both pursuits.
• Mo Hua confessed that he had chosen the art partly because he could not afford the spiritual objects required by the other options.

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.