Chapter 21: Lingshu Array

After that, Mo Hua continued to draw Earth-Stabilizing Formations, a task that occupied him for two full months.

Whenever he encountered something he didn't understand regarding the formations, he would go to consult Instructor Yan. Instructor Yan was a serious man with strict requirements, yet he was always willing to answer his disciples' questions thoroughly and sincerely, explaining everything in great detail.

Instructor Yan naturally felt that Mo Hua had not yet built a solid foundation and that it was premature to delve into these advanced formations. However, as long as Mo Hua asked, he would explain them without ever losing patience, which left Mo Hua feeling deeply grateful.

Sometimes, when Mo Hua skipped class to secretly draw formations for spirit stones, Instructor Yan would not pursue the matter too strictly, merely cautioning him

"A cultivator may have a specialty, but do not become too one-sided. There are certain methods you may not know, but you must at least be aware of them. Otherwise, when you graduate and leave the sect to venture into the cultivation world, any blind spots in your understanding will make it easy for you to suffer losses or be deceived."

Mo Hua accepted this advice with humility and benefited greatly from it.

However, since he currently lacked the spirit stones even to learn cultivation techniques, he could only continue skipping classes to draw formations and save up some money.

A single Earth-Stabilizing Formation contained four formation lines and could earn him two spirit stones. Thanks to this, Mo Hua's rate of saving spirit stones increased significantly.

One day, two months later, Mo Hua went to the Fat Manager's place to deliver an order as usual. Upon entering, he discovered that in the usually quiet Youyuan Pavilion, a middle-aged man in a cyan Taoist robe was sitting there drinking tea.

The man's back was turned to Mo Hua, and his silhouette looked very familiar. When the man turned around, Mo Hua was stunned.

The man in the cyan Taoist robe was Instructor Yan...

Mo Hua suddenly felt as if he had been caught red-handed for skipping class.

"Mo Hua?"

Instructor Yan also saw Mo Hua and looked somewhat surprised.

The Fat Manager was sitting opposite Instructor Yan, pouring tea for him. Hearing this, he looked up and asked in surprise, "Do you two know each other?"

Instructor Yan said, "He is a disciple I teach at the Tongxian Sect."

Mo Hua bowed deeply and said, "This disciple greets the Instructor!"

Instructor Yan nodded in acknowledgment and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Before Mo Hua could speak, the Fat Manager explained, "He's running errands for his older brother. His brother draws formations for our Formation Pavilion, and once they are finished, he delivers them here."

Instructor Yan nodded and did not press further.

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief, handed the formations over to the Fat Manager, took his spirit stones, and hurriedly spoke up, "This disciple shall take his leave now. I will not disturb the Instructor further."

Instructor Yan likely had matters to discuss with the Fat Manager, so seeing how sensible Mo Hua was, he nodded and said, "Return to the sect early. Stay safe on the road."

Mo Hua respectfully acknowledged the instruction, bowed, and left the Formation Pavilion.

Watching Mo Hua's retreating figure, the Fat Manager said to Instructor Yan, "That kid is quite polite and very clever. You're lucky to have taught such a good disciple."

Instructor Yan gave a soft "Mhm" and then asked, "You said his brother draws formations for you?"

The Fat Manager took out the Earth-Stabilizing Formations Mo Hua had delivered and handed them to Instructor Yan to inspect. "The work is quite good."

Seeing that they were Earth-Stabilizing Formations, Instructor Yan was slightly taken aback. "These were drawn by his brother?"

"What else?" the Fat Manager replied. "Don't tell me he drew them? At his age, even if he drained his divine sense dry, he wouldn't be able to draw a single complete formation."

Instructor Yan nodded. He remembered Mo Hua once asking him about Earth-Stabilizing Formations; it seemed the boy had seen his brother drawing them, which had piqued his curiosity and led him to seek guidance.

*Having a thirst for knowledge regarding formations is a good thing,* Instructor Yan thought to himself. *If he can maintain this mindset, he might truly achieve something great in the field of formations in the future.*

With these thoughts, Instructor Yan dropped the matter. He surveyed the remote and quiet trading house, then looked at the Fat Manager and asked, "Do you intend to live like this for the rest of your life?"

The Fat Manager replied, "We practiced the same path; you should know me. I am not like you. You are currently an instructor at the Tongxian Sect with impressive formation skills. You are only one step away from the First-Rank realm; once you cross that threshold, you will be a true First-Rank Formation Master. By then, in this Tongxian City, you will have connections, status, and certainly no shortage of spirit stones. The Tongxian Sect will surely grant you an Elder's position."

"As for me," the Fat Manager took a sip of tea, "I have a temperament for just getting by. I only dabble in formations and lack the patience for the loneliness of cultivation. As long as I can drift through each day, I am content. Don't look down on me; look at those rogue cultivators on the streets, rushing about in exhaustion. This leisurely life is something they can only dream of."

Instructor Yan remained silent.

The Fat Manager looked at Instructor Yan and sighed helplessly. "Fine, out with it. What do you want me to do for you?"

Instructor Yan said solemnly, "Help me find the *Spirit Pivot Formation Map*."

The Fat Manager pinched the bridge of his nose. "All these years, and you still haven't given up. If you ask me, you aren't young anymore; you should find a Dao companion and live a proper life."

"Personal matters are small; the inheritance of formations is a great matter."

"Even if you find it, so what? Our Grandmaster couldn't learn it, our Master didn't learn it—do you think you can? A First-Rank formation with twelve lines of formation patterns is utterly preposterous! Even a First-Rank Formation Master only needs to master nine lines. You haven't even become a First-Rank Formation Master yet; what good will the *Spirit Pivot Formation Map* do? By the time you're in the ground, you might not even have learned it."

Instructor Yan remained silent.

The Fat Manager pleaded earnestly, "Senior Brother, let it go. Besides, you won't be able to find it anyway. That person betrayed the sect and stole the formations all those years ago, and there has been no trace of them since. Even the Dao Court cannot track them down. You are a formation master, not a specialist in Daoist arts—what can you do?"

Unmoved, Instructor Yan said hoarsely, "Master's kindness toward me was as heavy as a mountain. My entire knowledge of formations was passed down by him. Now that Master is dead, the sect is broken, and the formations are lost, I cannot find peace in sleep or food whenever I think of it. As long as I can recover the formations and pass them on to fulfill Master's dying wish, nothing else matters."

Instructor Yan looked at the Fat Manager and added, "I know you prefer a life of ease, so I won't ask much of you. Just tell me if you find any clues regarding the *Spirit Pivot Formation Map*. You won't need to worry about anything else."

"How do you know there would be clues about the *Spirit Pivot Formation Map* in Tongxian City?" the Fat Manager frowned.

Instructor Yan said nothing.

The Fat Manager waved his hand. "Fine, knowing too much won't benefit me. I'll agree to this. But let me give you a friendly warning: you might spend all this effort only to end up catching nothing but water in a sieve, without even a shadow of a lead."

Feeling that trouble was coming, the Fat Manager couldn't help but add

"If you ask me, you should spend your energy finding a Dao companion and having a child. Even if you can't find it, your child can keep looking in the future. That way, you won't end up dying all alone. Since you aren't old yet, hurry up and find a partner—just one! Otherwise, in the future..."

"The tea has gone cold. I'm leaving."

Instructor Yan stood up, brushed his sleeves, and walked away, ignoring the nagging voice of the Fat Manager behind him.