Chapter 41: The Visit

Master Luo was a First-Grade Array Master, and he refused Instructor Yan's request.

Instructor Yan could only settle for the next best thing: finding array masters who had not yet reached a formal grade but had studied the Way of Arrays for many years, and asking them to take Mo Hua as a disciple.

However, some refused outright, some made excuses, and others, though they agreed, made demands that were far too outrageous. Once they agreed, Mo Hua would spend his entire life treated as nothing more than a tool or a puppet, with no freedom whatsoever—it would be no different from selling himself into servitude.

Instructor Yan traveled to many places for several days, yet still came up empty-handed. Returning to his residence, he sat alone, sighing in solitude.

He was due to leave in a few days; time was running out. If he could not find a suitable teacher, he feared he would delay Mo Hua's progress in studying arrays.

After much deliberation, Instructor Yan finally seemed to make up his mind. He sealed Mo Hua's examination paper and placed it separately into a storage bag.

At dusk, Instructor Yan left Tongxian City and headed straight toward the southeast.

To the southeast of Tongxian City lay a mountain peak, beautiful and secluded, with magnificent scenery and a quiet charm. Nestled within the mountains was a mountain residence; it had no plaque and no grand entrance, only a small mountain path leading into the estate.

Instructor Yan stood at the foot of the mountain. After a long while, a withered voice rang in his ears

"Please."

The voice seemed to be right by his ear, yet it also seemed to echo within his sea of consciousness.

Instructor Yan's expression became even more humble. He straightened his Taoist robe, patted the storage bag at his waist, and stepped up the mountain with a determined expression.

As for Mo Hua, he intended to withdraw from the Tongxian Sect.

Mo Hua was an outer disciple; his relationship with the sect was a simple matter of interest—exchanging Spirit Stones for cultivation. There was a bit of sentiment, but not much.

Especially since Instructor Yan was leaving and the outer sect would no longer teach arrays, there was no point in Mo Hua staying.

His spiritual root dictated that his spiritual power would not be too strong and his cultivation speed would not be too fast.

Other things taught by the sect, such as body tempering, alchemy, smithing, and talisman making, were somewhat redundant for Mo Hua; they were useless to learn, yet a pity to abandon.

The only thing Mo Hua wanted to learn, and the only thing that offered a future in the Dao, was arrays.

But within the outer sect, aside from Instructor Yan, Mo Hua did not believe anyone else could teach him arrays.

Dahu and the other two were also withdrawing from the sect.

However, they were not leaving because of the instructors, but simply because their families were poor and could no longer afford the sect's tuition and various new fees.

From what Mo Hua understood, the old Sect Leader would abdicate in a few months and would no longer involve himself in the sect's specific affairs. Therefore, Elder Qian was currently the one in charge—in other words, the Qian family was in charge.

The Qian family intended to reform the sect, using a variety of methods, but the core objective was to collect more Spirit Stones.

Whether it was alchemy, smithing, or talisman making, the sect previously only taught the basics, but now they would teach advanced subjects—all of which required extra Spirit Stones.

Even the inheritance fees for cultivation techniques had been increased by Elder Qian under the pretext that "sect inheritance is not easily obtained, and its transmission comes at a cost."

After the Qian family's reforms, some family descendants or wealthy disciples could learn better inheritances by spending more Spirit Stones.

But for the low-level cultivators among the outer disciples, especially some rogue cultivators, they could basically learn nothing, and yet they had to pay even more Spirit Stones for tuition than before.

For such rogue cultivator disciples, there was no choice but to withdraw.

In this way, through these reforms, the Tongxian Sect used the family background of cultivators as a benchmark to gradually weed out the poor, low-level disciples. These rogue disciples would no longer be able to cultivate within the sect, and their future paths in the Dao would be left to fate.

Mo Hua told his parents about his plan to withdraw. Mo Shan disagreed somewhat, but he knew there was no way around it; this wasn't just Mo Hua's issue, but the issue of all the low-level rogue cultivators in Tongxian City.

Liu Ruhua, however, didn't mind. She knew Mo Hua practiced hard and had his own ideas. Since he had decided to withdraw, it must mean he could no longer learn anything in the sect, so she said nothing.

The eatery's business was doing well now; even if her son did nothing at home, she could easily support him.

And so, Mo Hua, at the third level of Qi Refinement, withdrew from the Tongxian Sect.

Mo Hua went to the sect to handle the simple formalities of withdrawal and even received the sect's refund of half a year's tuition, which amounted to about fifty or sixty Spirit Stones.

After withdrawing, the biggest problem was cultivation techniques.

Mo Shan promised to use his connections as a demon hunter to ask if there were any suitable techniques for Mo Hua to practice, but that would take some time.

The other problem was arrays.

Without the sect's guidance, Mo Hua could only rely on self-study or find an array master to apprentice under.

But Mo Hua also knew that it was difficult for a rogue cultivator to apprentice under an array master. Not all array masters were like Instructor Yan, possessing a broad mind and a willingness to pass on their knowledge.

Mo Hua wanted to find time to visit Instructor Yan to thank him for his dedicated teaching during this period. However, he didn't know where Instructor Yan lived. Just as he was about to ask Manager Mo for information, Instructor Yan found him.

After not seeing him for a few days, Instructor Yan looked somewhat weary, as if he had been running errands for something.

Mo Hua bowed respectfully to Instructor Yan. Instructor Yan nodded and asked, "Do you still want to learn arrays?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Instructor Yan gave Mo Hua an approving look and said, "Follow me."

Mo Hua followed Instructor Yan outside Tongxian City to a mountain peak in the southeast.

Mo Hua remembered Dahu and the others saying that this mountain peak seemed to have been bought by someone for seclusion and cultivation to prevent other cultivators from visiting.

There were no demon beasts in these mountains, nor any precious spiritual herbs, let alone spiritual mines. The only benefit was the beautiful scenery and the quiet environment.

Tongxian City had many rogue cultivators who were exhausted from their travels and would not linger for mountain views, so ordinary cultivators rarely came here.

Instructor Yan brought Mo Hua to the foot of the mountain and said, "A secluded master lives on this mountain. I met him by chance. Usually, I do not disturb him, but since I am leaving in a few days, I have brought you to meet him."

"Does this master know arrays?"

Instructor Yan nodded. "Indeed. This master's achievements in arrays are extremely high."

"Is he a First-Grade Array Master?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

"I am not sure of his exact grade, but he is at least First-Grade."

Mo Hua felt a sense of solemn respect.

A First-Grade Array Master was already extraordinary; as for anything above First-Grade, Mo Hua didn't even dare to imagine it.

But Mo Hua was also curious in his heart, wondering what arrays above the First-Grade were like...

Were they truly as the rumors said, possessing the power to steal destiny and change the very heavens and earth?

"Why does this master live in such a remote place? Is it because he dislikes noise?" Mo Hua asked again.

"The master is of a detached nature and dislikes worldly affairs, so he does not wish to be disturbed. Very few people come to this mountain peak."

Instructor Yan looked at Mo Hua and said, "You have already guessed why I brought you here, haven't you?"

Mo Hua nodded and said, "Is it so that this master can take me as a disciple?"

Instructor Yan nodded. "You guessed correctly. There is not much I can teach you, so I hope the master can give you some guidance."

"You have already taught me so much," Mo Hua said gratefully.

"What I can teach you is far inferior to what this master can."

"But..."

Instructor Yan shook his head. "You are still young and do not quite understand. The more you see in the future, the more you will realize the vastness and profundity of arrays. It is far beyond what mere Qi Refinement or even Foundation Establishment cultivators can comprehend. Your divine sense is extraordinary, your comprehension is good, and you are very diligent. You are a fine talent for learning arrays, so you must cherish this rare gift and never fail your own potential."

"I am bringing you to visit today in the hope that you can enter this master's service. He is of a detached temperament and is unwilling to take disciples; it would be fine even if you only became a named disciple. Even if you only learn a few superficial things, it will allow you to go further on the path of arrays."

Instructor Yan pointed forward, and before them was a mountain path winding up toward the mountainside. The mountainside was shrouded in mist, and nestled within the clouds was a simple but mysterious courtyard gate.

Instructor Yan instructed, "Go up the mountain on your own. You must be respectful. If the master asks you anything, answer him truthfully. If he accepts you as a disciple, that is your good fortune. If he does not, do not be discouraged; it simply means your fortune has not yet arrived."

Mo Hua nodded seriously, then couldn't help but glance at Instructor Yan.

"Instructor..."

"Go," Instructor Yan said, merely waving his hand without further words.

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took small steps and walked up the mountain with a determined back.