Instructor Yan left the Array Pavilion and returned to Tongming Peak of the Tongxian Sect.
Instructors at the Tongxian Sect each had their own private quarters on Tongming Peak, consisting of three rooms and a living room, along with a small courtyard where they could plant spiritual flowers and herbs or raise spiritual beasts.
Instructor Yan’s quarters were clean and tidy. The walls were neatly covered with array diagrams, and apart from that, there were no other decorations.
He flipped through a few basic books on array formations, prepared the array patterns he was to teach later that month, and then began grading the array assignments submitted by the Qi Refining stage disciples.
There were nearly a thousand Qi Refining disciples on Tongxuan Peak of the Tongxian Sect. He graded every single array assignment one by one, marking the errors.
This was time-consuming and required great patience, but Instructor Yan performed the task meticulously.
It was his habit, and it was also in keeping with the teachings he had received from his master for many years.
His master had graded the disciples' array assignments the same way back then—meticulous and very patient.
Instructor Yan’s master was a First-Grade Array Master, perhaps not someone remarkable in the entire cultivation world. But even so, he had spent his whole life doing his best to pass on his knowledge, ensuring that the art of array formations, which embodied the laws of the Heavenly Dao, would be carried on.
Now that his master had passed away and he had become an instructor, he could finally understand his master’s painstaking efforts.
As the sky grew dark, Instructor Yan lit a lamp and continued grading.
The Tongxian Sect was, after all, a remote, minor sect with a weak foundation in cultivation. Among the nearly one thousand disciples, few could draw even basic array patterns with any semblance of competence.
Those who drew better were usually from families with a tradition of cultivation, or from wealthy families that could afford to spend spirit stones on their training—such as the children of cultivators serving in the Dao Court Division, the children of sect elders, or disciples from cultivation families within the city.
There were very few who came from truly poor, rogue cultivator backgrounds who could still draw good array patterns.
However, regardless of their background, Instructor Yan treated them all the same, looking only at the array formations.
For those who drew poorly but had a serious attitude, he would write more detailed comments to explain; for those who drew poorly and were sloppy, his comments would be quite stern, and their names would be noted down by Instructor Yan.
Occasionally, when someone drew very well, Instructor Yan would feel gratified and write an "Excellent" next to the array to show encouragement.
Instructor Yan graded tirelessly. When he turned to one particular array assignment, his eyes lit up.
The brushwork was very skillful, clearly the result of hard work, and it had a certain structure to it. Even if it were used to draw a formal array, this pattern would be considered qualified.
Instructor Yan looked up at the name on the scroll, which read "Mo Hua," and couldn't help but nod. He then wrote an "Excellent" next to the array.
This "Excellent" was written slightly larger than the others.
Instructor Yan turned the page and continued grading.
As he went on, Instructor Yan flipped back to find Mo Hua’s array pattern again, and he couldn't help but frown.
The brushwork of this pattern was a bit too proficient, even looking a little... effortless?
For a cultivator at the second or third level of Qi Refining, being able to draw a complete array pattern was already quite good.
Thinking of how he had run into Mo Hua at the Array Pavilion today, Instructor Yan pondered in silence, and suddenly a question popped into his mind
"Mo Hua, does he have an older brother?"
"If his brother is good at drawing arrays, and he is too, then they must have a family tradition. But if I remember correctly, this child Mo Hua is clearly just from a poor, rogue cultivator background. If there were any family tradition in arrays, their family circumstances wouldn't be that bad..."
"If his brother can help the Array Pavilion draw arrays, he must have quite a talent for arrays in the Tongxian Sect. I’ve been teaching at the Tongxian Sect for nearly ten years, and I don't recall ever teaching this person..."
"In another sect? That’s also unlikely. Brothers usually join the same sect, not to mention that the Tongxian Sect is already the largest sect in the city..."
Instructor Yan tapped his fingers on the desk, deep in thought, before temporarily pushing these thoughts aside to focus on finishing the grading.
The next day, Instructor Yan rose very early and found the manager of Tongming Peak to request a record of the disciples' origins. He flipped to the entry for Mo Hua and saw it written
Mo Hua: Ten years old, Qi Refining Level 3, low-to-mid grade Small Five Elements Spiritual Root...
Father: Mo Shan, Monster Hunter; Mother: Liu Ruhua, Culinary Master.
Apart from his parents, there were no other relatives, and certainly no older brother.
Instructor Yan had a faint suspicion in his heart, but he felt it was unlikely.
During the array class that morning, Instructor Yan announced an extra temporary assignment: draw all the Five Elements array patterns they had learned so far, to be submitted in three days.
The disciples present were struck by the bad news, each looking like a wilted eggplant.
Mo Hua didn't mind; he was already helping the Array Pavilion draw arrays, so drawing a few patterns now wasn't much trouble.
But why did Instructor Yan suddenly assign this homework?
This wasn't something the instructor usually did.
Mo Hua was a bit puzzled.
Then, An Xiaopang came begging to Mo Hua.
"Mo Hua, you have to help me!!" An Xiaopang was almost crying.
Who knew why the instructor had suddenly assigned homework? Usually, it was only every few months that he would assign homework to test the disciples' level of array knowledge.
An Xiaopang was caught off guard. He couldn't draw a single array pattern, and with time running short, he had no choice but to beg Mo Hua.
Mo Hua didn't mind. To him now, these basic array patterns were no longer difficult at all.
Mo Hua helped An Xiaopang draw the arrays, charging only a "friendship price." Several other classmates from well-off families who weren't good at arrays also came to Mo Hua, and he agreed to help them all.
Mo Hua had arrays to draw and spirit stones to earn, so he didn't have the heart to think about anything else.
Three days later, the array assignments were submitted. Instructor Yan picked out the patterns Mo Hua had drawn, examined them carefully, and then put them into his storage bag. He went to the Youyuan Pavilion and found Manager Pang.
When Manager Pang saw Instructor Yan, he was a bit wary. "Are you here to drink tea with me this time, or are you here to make me do something?"
Instructor Yan said, "No tea, and I'm not asking you to do anything. I just want to ask you about something."
Manager Pang breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's fine then."
"Do you still have the array diagrams Mo Hua gave you?"
"Mo Hua?" Manager Pang was slightly stunned. "Oh, that little brother. I do have some. Why do you ask?"
"How many are there?"
"The Bright Fire Array and the Solid Earth Array—I still have several of each. I kept them as spares."
Manager Pang took out one of each of the Bright Fire and Solid Earth arrays that Mo Hua had previously delivered and handed them to Instructor Yan.
Instructor Yan looked them over, then took out the array assignment Mo Hua had submitted and compared it one by one with the patterns on the arrays.
After finishing, Instructor Yan took a deep breath.
Manager Pang stretched his neck to look and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Instructor Yan pointed to the patterns and the arrays at hand, asking
"Do you think these patterns and these two arrays were drawn by the same person?"
Manager Pang took the patterns and the arrays, frowned, and looked at them carefully before nodding.
"The brushwork is quite similar. If nothing else, they should be from the same hand..."
Manager Pang thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Have you met Mo Hua’s brother?"
"Mo Hua has no brother."
"No brother? Then who drew these arrays?"
Instructor Yan looked at Manager Pang with a meaningful gaze.
Manager Pang was stunned for a moment. "You don't mean to say he drew them himself, do you?"
Instructor Yan nodded.
Manager Pang was silent for a moment, then let out a scoff.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
"Not to mention this Bright Fire Array—it's possible he could draw that—but this Solid Earth Array contains four array patterns. Where would he get that much spiritual sense? Does he have two heads and two seas of consciousness?"
Manager Pang looked at Instructor Yan suspiciously and continued
"Are you trying to say you’ve taught a genius who can draw arrays at the third level of Qi Refining? You wouldn't be trying to gild your own lily, would you... I've known you for so many years, you aren't that kind of person!"
Instructor Yan looked at him coldly and pointed to the arrays in front of him. "These patterns and these two arrays were drawn by the same person—that was your own conclusion. These patterns were drawn by Mo Hua, so whose hand could these two arrays have come from?"
Manager Pang was stumped and couldn't say a word.
He stared at the patterns in his left hand and the arrays in his right for a long time before murmuring, "No way..."