Chapter 45: Surprise

The next day, Mr. Zhuang's teaching method changed. He only taught array theory within the scope of the Qi Refining stage, pairing it with various arrays to allow Mo Hua to learn step-by-step.

This method was very similar to Instructor Yan's, but Mr. Zhuang's realm was likely much higher, so his perspective was broader, his details more complete, and his logic clearer.

Mo Hua secretly felt a sense of pity for Instructor Yan. If not for the limitations of his realm, Instructor Yan might not have been an ordinary instructor; at the very least, in terms of array inheritance and educational philosophy, he shared commonalities with the highly accomplished Mr. Zhuang.

The obscure array theories Mr. Zhuang had taught previously had given Mo Hua a headache.

Some theories were entirely new to Mo Hua, leaving him without a clue. He could only resort to rote memorization, but no matter how good his memory was, he couldn't grasp these abstract and hollow concepts. He often forgot the beginning by the time he reached the end, and when he looked back at the previous content, he would forget what he had just learned. Consequently, his progress was slow.

These things that Mo Hua found so difficult to learn were treated as the very foundation of array studies by the great aristocratic families; it was no wonder those great clans could stand tall in the cultivation world for tens of thousands of years without falling.

Ordinary rogue cultivators and aristocratic families were too far apart in terms of foundation and inheritance, to the point that among ordinary rogue cultivators, there was almost a total void of array masters.

Mo Hua sighed. There was no point in comparing himself to others; he could only do his best to improve. He admonished himself, calmed his mind, and began learning arrays according to Mr. Zhuang's method.

Now, starting from the Qi Refining stage and focusing on drawing arrays with theory as a supplement, Mo Hua's learning speed increased significantly.

This was because Mo Hua had been drawing a massive number of arrays day and night—drawing on the Dao Monument at night, on paper during the day, and occasionally using a blade of grass to draw on the ground when he had nothing else to do.

In terms of sheer practice volume alone, even some array masters in the late stages of Qi Refining might not have practiced more than Mo Hua.

Therefore, after Mr. Zhuang changed his teaching method, Mo Hua learned very quickly. By the time he finished the theory and was asked to draw arrays personally, his progress was even faster.

Mr. Zhuang first had Mo Hua relearn several arrays containing five array runes, including those with five-element attributes that Mo Hua had never seen before. Old Kui even prepared the array diagrams, brushes, and ink for him.

Mo Hua learned hungrily and practiced persistently.

During the day, he drew arrays in Mr. Zhuang's Leisurely Abode; at night, he entered his dreams and continued practicing on the Dao Monument within his sea of consciousness. Arrays with five runes were not difficult for Mo Hua; generally, after a few days of familiarity, he could master one.

Next came the Water-Fixing Array, which contained six array runes. Previously, Mo Hua had been limited by his divine sense and could not draw a complete array. Now, after more than half a month of daily practice, his divine sense had grown considerably. Although it was still a bit of a stretch, he was able to successfully draw the complete Water-Fixing Array with its six runes.

After he finished the Water-Fixing Array, Mr. Zhuang taught him several new arrays, such as the "Thousand-Weight Array," the "Quicksand Array," and the "Small Cloud-Rain Array." With the support of his divine sense and his day-and-night practice, Mo Hua mastered them all within half a month.

Mr. Zhuang was quite satisfied, both with Mo Hua's progress and his temperament.

Not every child of Mo Hua's age possessed the willpower to sit quietly every day to study arrays.

However, in private, Mr. Zhuang still felt a slight sense of regret, so he said to Old Kui

"Mo Hua's comprehension is even better than I previously thought. It's just a pity he comes from a rogue cultivator background and lacks array inheritance. His foundation is much weaker; otherwise, he might not be much behind the geniuses of the great aristocratic families..."

"What is so good about being a genius?"

Mr. Zhuang fell silent.

Old Kui watched Mr. Zhuang silently. His voice was flat and indifferent, yet carried an indescribable sarcasm. "Weren't you a genius back then? And among the disciples you took before, which one wasn't a genius? And what was the result? Do I really need to tell you how destitute you are now..."

Mr. Zhuang sighed and said unpleasantly, "If I were to die young, it would certainly be because you angered me to death!"

Old Kui remained unmoved. "Life and death are predestined. Saying such things proves your understanding of the Heavenly Dao has not yet reached the threshold."

Mr. Zhuang simply reclined on his lounge chair and said meaningfully, "Heaven and Earth are heartless; all things are treated like straw dogs. If a person could truly understand the Heavenly Dao, could they still be considered human?"

Old Kui continued to play chess alone, sitting motionless like a piece of decaying wood.

Mr. Zhuang taught many arrays containing six runes because six-rune arrays were relatively complete and involved the prototypes of many basic arrays, requiring extensive learning and realization.

When Mo Hua finished learning the six-rune arrays and Mr. Zhuang prepared to teach seven-rune arrays, he discovered something quite surprising: Mo Hua's divine sense was growing a bit too fast.

When Mr. Zhuang first met Mo Hua, his divine sense was not sufficient to draw six-rune arrays. Now, a month later, not only could Mo Hua's divine sense support him in completing a full six-rune array, but he could even draw six and a half runes of a seven-rune array.

In one month, Mo Hua's spiritual power had improved very little, but his divine sense had grown rapidly.

Mr. Zhuang frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss.

One day, while Mo Hua was studying a seven-rune array, Mr. Zhuang suddenly asked, "Mo Hua, do you know about Visualization Techniques?"

Mo Hua looked bewildered and said, "This disciple has never heard of them."

"I see," Mr. Zhuang tapped the table with his finger, pondered for a moment, and asked again, "Have you ever seen any strange images or patterns that make your divine sense involuntarily immerse themselves upon a single glance?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and shook his head.

The strangest thing he had ever seen was the Dao Monument in his mind, but that monument had no patterns or obvious runes, and looking at it for a long time did not cause him to become immersed.

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a moment before saying, "Your divine sense is growing faster than others. You must have noticed this yourself."

Mo Hua nodded and said, "This disciple draws arrays during the day and practices them in dreams at night. Furthermore, drawing arrays in dreams does not consume divine sense. By doing this day and night, the divine sense gradually strengthens."

He didn't mention the Dao Monument, but everything else was the truth.

Mo Hua didn't actually know if the strengthening of his divine sense was because of the Dao Monument or simply because he was constantly drawing arrays.

Mo Hua then asked, "Sir, is it true that as long as one keeps drawing arrays, the divine sense will strengthen?"

Mr. Zhuang was stumped by the question.

Drawing arrays constantly consumes divine sense and continuously trains the sea of consciousness; over time, the divine sense will naturally strengthen.

However, according to the common practice in the cultivation world, one should first find ways to increase their divine sense before learning arrays.

This was because relying on drawing arrays to increase divine sense was an extremely slow process and could easily lead to divine sense exhaustion and damage to the sea of consciousness, causing irreversible consequences.

Therefore, few cultivators thought of using such a primitive, slow, and high-risk method to enhance their divine sense.

Mr. Zhuang felt that things were not that simple and looked at Mo Hua with slight doubt, but when he met Mo Hua's gaze, he found the boy's clear eyes to be exceptionally serious and candid.

Mr. Zhuang had taught many disciples; he had seen eyes full of admiration, eyes full of fear, and eyes full of schemes, but he had never seen such an honest gaze. He laughed helplessly and said, "Very well."

"Do you know about Meditation Techniques?" Mr. Zhuang asked again.

Mo Hua still shook his head.

"Meditation techniques allow a cultivator to enter a state of meditative absorption through meditation, allowing them to recover their divine sense more quickly. This isn't something a cultivator of your cultivation level should be learning, but you are a bit special. You can learn it now."

Mo Hua didn't know in what way Mr. Zhuang considered him "special," but since there was something new to learn, he said happily, "Thank you, Sir."

"But there is one thing you must remember."

Mr. Zhuang's expression gradually became serious. "If anyone asks why your divine sense is growing so fast, simply say it is because I taught you Meditation Techniques. Do not say anything else."

Mo Hua was somewhat confused, but he vaguely felt that Mr. Zhuang was doing this for his own good, so he silently committed Mr. Zhuang's words to heart.

Mr. Zhuang nodded and took a thin booklet from his sleeve. On the cover were three words

*Meditation Techniques*.