Chapter 3: Array Master

After waking up at the hour of the Rabbit, Mo Hua began his routine cultivation.

An hour later, he finished his practice and headed to the lecture hall to wait for the instructor.

"Instructor" is the general term for the teachers within the sect who instruct outer sect disciples in specific subjects such as cultivation, array formations, alchemy, and artifact refining. They are also responsible for supervising and guiding the outer sect disciples' progress.

Like other sects in the cultivation world, the Tongxian Sect divides its disciples into three categories: direct disciples, inner sect disciples, and outer sect disciples.

The sect's outer sect is open to the public, focusing on preaching and teaching cultivation. It relies on the tuition fees paid by disciples upon entry for its revenue. Outer sect disciples learn the portions of the sect's heritage that are open to the public; once they graduate or leave, they retain a sense of connection to the sect, but have no actual ties.

The inner sect is the core of the sect. Inner sect disciples are attached to the sect; beyond their own cultivation, they manage the sect's various industries, such as spirit mines, spirit fields, cave dwellings, and trading firms.

Inner sect disciples can learn the sect's generally restricted techniques and spells. Their relationship with the sect is tied together by the master-disciple bond, making them inseparable. If an inner sect disciple commits a crime outside, the sect can be held accountable. If an inner sect disciple betrays the sect, it is often viewed as a grave act of rebellion with severe consequences.

The sect's direct disciples are the elite among the inner sect. These disciples either have blood ties to the sect leader or elders, or they share a deep master-disciple bond. Direct disciples are the core of the sect and will often inherit the position of sect leader or other vital roles in the future.

Direct disciples learn the sect's most core techniques, as well as other forbidden arts that are not to be passed on. If a direct disciple betrays the sect, they are hunted to the death.

The "Dao Laws" prohibit cultivators from taking the law into their own hands or killing indiscriminately. Hunting down a traitorous direct disciple violates these laws and would lead to accountability from the Dao Court. However, matters of sect betrayal are mostly handled by local Dao Court offices. The Dao Court holds the most power, but its subordinate departments—the Dao Court offices that manage various states, regions, and even cities—are not all staffed by powerful cultivators.

When a direct disciple betrays the sect, it concerns the core heritage and is a matter of great importance; generally, the Dao Court offices do not intervene. Especially in the case of a major sect that is a titan in the region, the local Dao Court office would not dare to interfere.

However, these things had little to do with Mo Hua.

He was merely an outer sect disciple of a first-grade Tongxian Sect. He was neither inner sect, let alone a direct disciple. Even if he wanted to be hunted down, others wouldn't even bother with him...

Mo Hua wanted to enter the inner sect, but he had neither spirit stones nor connections. He figured it was unlikely in this lifetime, let alone becoming a direct disciple.

Mo Hua calmed his mind and sat in his seat for a while before seeing Instructor Yan walk in with a stern expression.

Instructor Yan was roughly forty or fifty years old, a serious man with a cultivation base at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Within the Tongxian Sect, Instructor Yan held a high status because, among all the instructors, only he knew array formations. It was also rumored that in a few years, he might pass the assessment to become a first-grade Array Master.

All array formation lessons for the Qi Refining disciples of the Tongxian Sect were taught by Instructor Yan. Whether they were disciples from cultivation families or ordinary rogue cultivators, Instructor Yan treated them all the same. If they made a mistake, he gave no one special treatment; he would scold or punish them as necessary.

Therefore, the disciples of the Tongxian Sect both respected and feared Instructor Yan.

The sect's tuition was paid annually, so the courses were also assessed once a year.

Today was the last day of the annual term at the Tongxian Sect. After today, there would be a winter break lasting over half a month. The assessment results for the disciples' various subjects would also be handed out today.

Instructor Yan held a stack of report cards in his hand.

The disciples felt anxious. Mo Hua hadn't been worried at first, but seeing the disciples around him acting as if they were facing a great enemy, he began to feel nervous himself.

Before long, Mo Hua received his sect assessment results.

His array formation assessment was, as usual, Grade A. This was Mo Hua's greatest strength. There were not many disciples in the Tongxian Sect who could achieve a Grade A in array formations, and Mo Hua was one of them.

Mo Hua's cultivation was only rated as Grade B. It wasn't that he didn't work hard, but his aptitude was limited. With a mediocre, low-grade Five Elements Spirit Root, no matter how he cultivated, it remained the same—not quite good enough to be at the top, but not quite at the very bottom either.

For his other subjects, if they were things he could learn well by spending time, such as the General History of the Dao Calendar or the Introduction to Qi Refining, he basically received Grade A. However, for subjects that required spending spirit stones to buy materials, such as alchemy or talisman making, he received either a B or a C.

Mo Hua's family was poor; he couldn't even afford to borrow an alchemy furnace, so naturally, he didn't learn them well. During the assessment, he could only rely on his intuition to guess his way through the refining process. Whether he succeeded depended entirely on luck, making his grades erratic and unstable.

But overall, the results were quite good. As the saying goes, one talent covers a hundred flaws. After all, array formations are difficult to learn, and being able to get a Grade A in them was already quite impressive.

Instructor Yan said a few words and then left temporarily. The disciples in the room began to look at each other's grades and whisper.

"Mo Hua, you got an 'A' in array formations again!" A disciple secretly glanced at Mo Hua's report card and exclaimed.

"An 'A' again..."

"I've always been a 'B'..."

"I'm still a 'C'."

"Array formations are so hard to learn. My head spins just looking at them..."

"..."

The disciples gathered around Mo Hua.

"Hmph!" A disciple from the Qian family, wearing silver-white Daoist robes, looked dissatisfied and snorted coldly, saying

"What's so great about that? You only get an 'A' because you're just drawing the simple formations of the sect."

"Then what did you get?" another disciple asked defiantly.

"Why should I tell you?" the Qian family disciple said disdainfully.

Another disciple secretly peeked at his report card and laughed out loud: "He got a 'C'!"

The disciples were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"You got a 'C' and you're laughing at someone for getting an 'A'? You're thick-skinned!"

"Thicker than an artifact refining furnace!"

"And he's a disciple of the Qian family, too. So stupid. He's not even as good as me; I got a 'B'."

The Qian family disciple was embarrassed and angry. "So what if it's a Grade A? Rogue cultivators have no Array Masters, do you understand?"

He pointed his finger at Mo Hua and the others. "You bunch of rogue cultivators, frogs in a well. Without a heritage, in your whole life—listen carefully, your whole life—you will never produce an Array Master. Pfft, 'Grade A'! Remember this: among rogue cultivators, it is impossible to produce a real Array Master! If you don't understand, I can say it again."

"Rogue cultivators are never worthy of being Array Masters!"

The surrounding disciples fell silent.

Mo Hua looked at him as if he were an idiot, then stood up, bowed to the person behind the Qian family disciple, and said

"Greetings, Instructor Yan!"

The Qian family disciple looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His head turned stiffly, and sure enough, he found Instructor Yan standing behind him with a livid expression.

"The sect is for preaching and cultivating the Dao, not for you to compare yourself with others and slander your fellow disciples!"

"Your own array formation skills are unsightly, yet you have the face to mock your peers?"

"Go outside and stand in punishment until dark."

"And draw the basic Five Elements array patterns one hundred times. Show them to me when you enroll next year. If you can't draw them, you don't need to come back..."

The Qian family disciple's face turned ashen, but he dared not refute a single word.

Instructor Yan held a high status; he could even discipline direct disciples of the Qian family, let alone a member of a minor branch with thin blood ties.

The Qian family disciple slunk away to stand in punishment.

Instructor Yan stood in front of Mo Hua, silent for a moment, then reached out and patted Mo Hua's thin shoulder. He sighed and said, "Don't listen to what others say. Just study hard."

Mo Hua's expression remained calm as he bowed respectfully to Instructor Yan. "This disciple will keep that in mind."

Instructor Yan nodded, then walked to the instructor's seat. After giving a few more instructions to the disciples, he announced the start of the sect's winter break and told them they could go home.

The disciples, suppressing their excitement, bowed to the instructor to thank him for his guidance over the past year, then scattered like birds and beasts.

The sect was on winter break, and the disciples were jubilant.

Mo Hua, however, felt conflicted.

Most of these Qi Refining disciples were still young and carefree, far from knowing the hardships of a life of cultivation.

Thinking of his father's scars from hunting demons and his mother's haggard face, Mo Hua felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but sigh.

Becoming a first-grade Array Master was still a distant dream, but within his power, he wanted to make life better for his parents.

Mo Hua put away his report card. With twelve spirit stones in his pocket, he didn't go home after leaving the Tongxian Sect, but instead headed toward the marketplace.

*Note on the protagonist's transmigration:* *He awakened his memories; it is not a traditional soul transmigration. The body is his own, and he has blood ties to his parents.* *The protagonist is a ten-year-old child in the cultivation world, simply possessing the thoughts and cognition of a modern person.*