Arrays of Immortality

Instructor Yan left the Array Pavilion and returned to Tongming Peak of Tongxian Sect.

Instructors at Tongxian Sect each had their own living quarters on Tongming Peak—a three-room house with a hall and a small courtyard where they could plant spiritual flowers and herbs or raise spirit beasts.

Instructor Yan's quarters were clean and orderly, with array diagrams neatly covering the walls and no other decorations.

He flipped through basic array texts, prepared the formations he would teach later in the month, and began reviewing the array assignments submitted by the Qi Refining disciples.

There were nearly a thousand Qi Refining disciples at Tongxuan Peak, and Instructor Yan meticulously corrected each submission, marking errors along the way.

This required a great deal of time and patience, but Instructor Yan did it diligently.

It was a habit of his and a lesson passed down by his master. His master had done the same when teaching them—meticulous and patient with each correction.

Instructor Yan's master was a first-grade array master. While not considered extraordinary within the cultivation world, he had spent his life doing his best—passing on the teachings of array formations that adhered to the principles of the Dao.

Now that his master had passed away, Instructor Yan, as a teacher himself, finally understood the effort and care his master had put into teaching.

As night fell, Instructor Yan lit a lamp and continued correcting the formations.

After all, Tongxian Sect was a small, remote sect with weak cultivation foundations. Among nearly a thousand disciples, few could even draw basic formation patterns decently.

Those who did well were typically from families with cultivation knowledge or wealth—like the children of Dao Court officials, sect elders, or city-based cultivation clans.

Very few poor rogue cultivators could draw good formations.

However, Instructor Yan treated everyone equally, regardless of their background, focusing only on the formations.

Those with poor work but serious attitudes received detailed corrections. For those who were sloppy and careless, his comments were harsher, and he made note of their names. Occasionally, when someone performed exceptionally well, Instructor Yan would write the word "Excellent" next to the formation as encouragement.

Instructor Yan tirelessly corrected assignment after assignment until he came across one that caught his eye.

The brushwork was practiced, showing clear effort and discipline. The formation even met the standards for a formal array.

Looking up at the corner of the paper, Instructor Yan saw the name "Mo Hua" written there. He nodded with satisfaction and wrote a larger-than-usual "Excellent" next to the formation.

Then, he continued his corrections.

But after a moment, Instructor Yan paused, flipping back to Mo Hua's formation. He frowned slightly.

The brushwork was too practiced, almost effortless. Could a Qi Refining disciple at the second or third level truly draw something this polished?

Thinking back to his earlier encounter with Mo Hua at the Array Pavilion, Instructor Yan fell into deep thought.

A question suddenly surfaced in his mind:

"Does Mo Hua have an older brother?"

"If his older brother is skilled in arrays, it would explain why Mo Hua is also good—he must have family knowledge. But if I recall correctly, Mo Hua comes from a poor rogue cultivator background. Anyone with formal array teachings would not be so destitute."

"If his brother helped draw formations for the Array Pavilion, he should have some talent for arrays. Yet, I've taught at Tongxian Sect for nearly ten years and never encountered such a person…"

"Could he be in another sect? That's unlikely. Siblings usually join the same sect, and Tongxian Sect is already the largest sect in the city."

Tapping his fingers on the desk, Instructor Yan set his thoughts aside for the moment and focused on completing the corrections.

The next morning, Instructor Yan woke early and requested the disciples' records from the steward of Tongming Peak. He flipped to Mo Hua's entry:

Mo Hua: Age 10, Qi Refining Level 3, Lower-Mid Five-Element Spiritual Roots.

Father: Mo Shan, Monster Hunter; Mother: Liu Ruhua, Cook.

There were no other relatives listed—certainly no older brother.

Instructor Yan's suspicions grew, though he still felt it unlikely.

Later that morning, during the array class, Instructor Yan announced a sudden assignment: all disciples were to draw every Five-Element formation they had learned so far, due in three days.

The disciples groaned like deflated eggplants.

Mo Hua, however, didn't mind. Having helped the Array Pavilion with formal formations, drawing a few basic patterns was easy.

Still, he wondered why Instructor Yan had suddenly assigned such work. This wasn't his usual behavior.

Soon, his classmate An Xiaopang came begging for help.

"Mo Hua, you have to help me!" An Xiaopang was nearly in tears.

No one knew why Instructor Yan had suddenly set this task. Normally, assignments came only once every few months to test disciples' progress.

Caught unprepared, An Xiaopang hadn't even mastered a single formation. Short on time, he had no choice but to seek Mo Hua's help.

Mo Hua didn't mind. These basic formations were trivial to him now.

He helped An Xiaopang and even charged him a friendly price. A few other disciples—wealthy but unskilled in arrays—also sought Mo Hua's assistance, and he agreed.

With formations to draw and spirit stones to earn, Mo Hua wasn't bothered by anything else.

Three days later, the assignments were submitted. Instructor Yan carefully pulled Mo Hua's work aside and examined it closely. Then, he stored the papers in his spatial bag and went to Youyuan Pavilion to find the chubby steward.

The steward eyed Instructor Yan warily. "Are you here for tea or to ask for a favor?"

"I don't want tea or a favor—just some information."

The steward relaxed. "Alright, then."

"Do you still have the array diagrams Mo Hua submitted?"

"Mo Hua?" The steward paused. "Oh, that little kid. Yeah, I still have them. What do you need?"

"How many diagrams?"

"Both the Flame Array and the Earth Stabilizing Array. I kept several as backups."

The steward handed Instructor Yan one of each. Instructor Yan compared them with Mo Hua's recent assignments.

After a long look, Instructor Yan let out a deep breath.

The steward, curious, stretched his neck to see. "What are you looking at?"

Instructor Yan pointed to the formations. "Do you think these arrays and patterns were drawn by the same person?"

The steward frowned and examined them closely. "The brushwork is quite similar. If nothing else, I'd say they were drawn by the same hand…"

Then, he paused and added, "Wait—did you meet Mo Hua's older brother?"

"Mo Hua has no older brother."

"No brother? Then who drew these arrays?"

Instructor Yan gave the steward a meaningful look.

The steward was stunned. "You're not saying… Mo Hua drew them himself?"

Instructor Yan nodded.

The steward was silent for a moment, then scoffed.

"Nonsense!"

"Forget the Flame Array. It's believable he could draw that. But the Earth Stabilizing Array contains four formation patterns! Where would a child like him get the Divine Sense for that? Does he have two heads and two seas of consciousness?"

The steward looked skeptically at Instructor Yan. "You're trying to say you've taught a Qi Refining third-level genius who can draw arrays? Trying to pat yourself on the back? That's not like you…"

Instructor Yan coldly replied, "You yourself said these diagrams and patterns were drawn by the same hand. These patterns were drawn by Mo Hua. So who do you think drew these arrays?"

The steward fell silent, unable to respond.

He stared at the patterns and diagrams for a long time before muttering, "It can't be…"

(End of Chapter)