Chapter 10: Drawing Formations

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Mo Hua set down his chopsticks and returned to his room. He took out his practice paper and brush, and while his memory of the Bright Fire Array was still fresh, he began to copy it stroke by stroke.

He used the cheapest, most ordinary ink and paper for his practice. Since they possessed no spiritual energy, the arrays he drew were merely patterns with no actual effect. Consequently, the consumption of his divine sense was negligible, and he didn't have to worry about wasting spirit stones if he failed.

Relying on his memory, Mo Hua drew the array in one continuous motion. Because the consumption of his divine sense was minimal, he barely had to pause.

Mo Hua took out the diagram of the Bright Fire Array and carefully checked it against the one he had just drawn, discovering three errors.

He set the practice paper aside, took out a fresh sheet, and continued drawing. After drawing three more in succession, he finally managed to copy a complete Bright Fire Array diagram without a single mistake.

Mo Hua let out a long breath and stretched. He glanced at the small sundial on his desk and realized it was already noon, at which point he finally felt hungry.

Liu Ruhua had already prepared the meal: rice made from spiritual grains, a few stir-fried vegetables, and the only meat dish, an egg from a demonic chicken. The quality of the spiritual rice was low-grade, but it was enough to fill one's stomach.

The meal was simple but delicious, and Mo Hua ate with great relish. Once finished, he ran back to his room to continue practicing the Bright Fire Array.

Watching Mo Hua’s retreating figure, Liu Ruhua said with concern

"Hua'er is working too hard; he looks like he’s lost even more weight."

Mo Shan nodded. "Diligence is a good thing, but I’m afraid he’ll wear himself out. Hua'er was born physically weak with a frail constitution; it really isn't good for him to overexert himself."

Liu Ruhua sighed. "It’s a pity he didn't inherit your talent for body tempering, and instead ended up as sickly as I am..."

Mo Shan gently hugged Liu Ruhua’s thin shoulders. "How can you blame yourself? When Hua'er was born, his blood energy was weak, and we had Old Mr. Feng from the Xinglin Hall look at him. He said that a person’s divine sense and physical body are balanced at birth; Hua'er’s divine sense was stronger, so his body was weaker. Look at him now—even though he’s physically weak, which child in the neighborhood is as smart as he is? That he’s so clever and handsome is all thanks to you."

Liu Ruhua couldn't help but laugh. "You certainly know how to talk."

Seeing his wife’s expression soften, Mo Shan continued, "I was chatting with Old Zhou from the monster-hunting team this morning. I heard that a few days ago, their team happened to kill a Fire Pheasant. This bird isn't a demonic beast, but its meat contains a bit of spiritual energy. I’ll buy some for Mo Hua to try; it’ll be good for you to nourish your body as well."

Liu Ruhua asked, "Do we have enough spirit stones at home?"

"No need to worry," Mo Shan said. "They’re brothers I’ve hunted with before; we have a good relationship. I can buy it on credit and pay them after the new year."

Liu Ruhua placed her storage pouch into Mo Shan’s hand. "Give them as much as you can, and pay the rest after the new year. With the year-end approaching, everyone needs to earn some spirit stones for the holidays."

Mo Shan thought for a moment and nodded. "That works."

As the couple chatted, Mo Hua remained focused, continuing to draw the Bright Fire Array. By evening, he had become quite proficient.

He finished his dinner in a rush and couldn't wait to return to his room. He held his breath, calmed his mind for a moment, and then went to sleep on time, entering his sea of consciousness.

An ancient stone tablet stood tall within the vast, white void of his sea of consciousness.

Using his finger as a brush, Mo Hua began to formally draw the array on the tablet. As the array patterns on the tablet gradually completed, his divine sense poured out.

Just as his divine sense began to wane and he was on the verge of collapse, he finally finished drawing the Bright Fire Array.

Mo Hua stopped, and the array on the tablet emitted a gentle white light.

The Bright Fire Array was a formation that only a third-level Qi Refining cultivator could draw. Mo Hua was only at the second level, but although it was a struggle, he had managed to draw a complete diagram.

This meant that even compared to a third-level Qi Refining cultivator, Mo Hua’s divine sense was not inferior in the slightest.

Mo Hua felt a small sense of pride. He then wiped away the array he had drawn, and his divine sense immediately replenished itself.

He continued to draw the Bright Fire Array. He had to use the time tonight to fully master the diagram so he could begin drawing it for real tomorrow.

In the silent, white void of his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua drew the array over and over, summarizing and reflecting on the various problems he encountered.

Before he knew it, the sky had brightened, and Mo Hua was involuntarily forced out of his sea of consciousness.

Feeling no fatigue, Mo Hua immediately got up and sat in meditation for a while. After finishing breakfast, he carefully washed his hands and solemnly took out the array materials given to him by the plump manager.

The materials included ten sheets of array paper and ten small vials of pale red ink. The paper was made from the hide of demonic beasts and scraps of spiritual herbs, while the ink was concocted from the blood of fire-type demonic beasts and spiritual liquid. Unlike the paper and ink Mo Hua used for practice, these contained spiritual energy—and, naturally, were much more expensive.

The plump manager had also included a new brush, but the craftsmanship was rough, no better than the one Mo Hua usually used. Mo Hua didn't unwrap it, finding his own brush more comfortable.

He spread the array paper on the table and carefully poured the ink into the inkstone, which would help preserve the ink's spiritual energy so it wouldn't dissipate too quickly.

Mo Hua reviewed the patterns of the Bright Fire Array in his mind once more before setting his brush to paper to formally draw the array.

The process went more smoothly than he had expected. Aside from using real materials, it felt exactly like drawing on the stone tablet in his sea of consciousness, even down to the rate at which his divine sense was consumed.

However, because he was a bit nervous, some of his strokes were slightly crooked. While it didn't affect the array's effectiveness, it did make the drawing look a bit ugly.

Mo Hua exhausted his divine sense and finally finished the Bright Fire Array, but unfortunately, he had made one mistake.

He hadn't even started properly and had already lost one spirit stone...

Mo Hua felt a pang of heartache.

Moreover, with his divine sense depleted, he couldn't continue drawing and had to close his eyes to rest.

"I wonder if there’s any way to recover divine sense quickly..."

Mo Hua thought to himself. He missed the days of practicing on the Dao Tablet, but unfortunately, in reality, the Dao Tablet was unusable.

As he rested, the morning passed before his divine sense had fully recovered, and Liu Ruhua called him for lunch.

During lunch, Mo Hua shoveled a few bites of food into his mouth before running back to his room to spread out another sheet of array paper.

Looking at the blank paper, Mo Hua steadied his emotions, summarized his previous experience, and silently recited, "Failure is the mother of success," before beginning the second Bright Fire Array.

This time, he was more focused and cautious. He considered every stroke before making it, mentally pre-visualizing the subsequent patterns. When his divine sense was exhausted and he closed his eyes to rest, he continuously replayed the array diagram in his mind.

Mo Hua drew very slowly, but time flew by. By dusk, although his progress had been intermittent, he finally succeeded in drawing the Bright Fire Array.

Mo Hua could not hide his excitement. As the exhaustion of his depleted divine sense washed over him, he collapsed onto his bed in satisfaction and was soon fast asleep.

When Mo Hua woke up, it was already dark. Just as he felt his stomach rumbling, he caught a whiff of a delicious aroma. Following the scent into the main hall, he saw a large bowl of meat sitting on the table!