Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 1106: The Great Pagoda Tree, Check-In

Mo Hua walked alone through the streets of Tongxian City.

People bustled around him, marketplaces lined both sides of the street, carriages flowed like water, and the noise was unending. Though it had only been ten years since he last returned, the entire Tongxian City had undergone tremendous changes.

It still couldn't compare with major states like the Fifth-Rank Qianxue State, but among Second-Rank states, it was already one of the most prosperous.

Many buildings had been rebuilt, most streets had changed completely, the houses were new, and many eaves and walls had taken on particularly refined designs.

To Mo Hua, everything looked unfamiliar. He had to release his divine sense and rely on memory to vaguely find his way home.

He didn't know how long he'd been walking when he finally stopped in front of a small courtyard and looked up.

This was the least "prosperous," even the most "humble," courtyard in all of the "prosperous" Tongxian City.

And yet, it was exactly as it had been in Mo Hua's memory.

Outside the house, a courtyard had been extended and fenced in with bamboo. A few Eight Immortal tables with chipped corners stood inside, each flanked by simple wooden stools.

A sign hung at the entrance, gently swaying in the wind: Liu's Eatery.

This was the eatery run by his mother—and it was also Mo Hua's home.

In that instant, a warm current seemed to flow through Mo Hua's heart.

He slowed his steps and quietly walked into the house.

It wasn't mealtime yet, so there were no customers in the courtyard. It was very quiet. At the counter, a familiar, gentle yet slightly hazy and unfamiliar figure was tidying up.

Mo Hua's eyes grew moist. His voice rang out, clear and soft:

"Boss lady, one bowl of beef noodles, please."

"Alright, it'll be just a momen—"

The woman's voice was gentle like flowing water. But halfway through her words, she suddenly froze. This guest's voice sounded oddly familiar. She couldn't help but turn her head—and saw a young man with jade-like skin and a gentle presence like the spring breeze.

He looked a bit unfamiliar… and yet bore an intimately familiar air of blood kin.

Especially that face, like a painting—how many times had she dreamed of it? How many times had she worried about it?

Worried he'd go hungry, worried he'd grow thin, worried he'd suffer wind and rain, be bullied, be looked down upon, not know when he'd return—or worse, never come back. That she'd never see her child again…

Before she realized it, her vision blurred with tears.

Liu Ruhua's voice trembled: "Hua… Hua'er?"

A pang tugged at Mo Hua's heart. He gave a gentle smile.

"Mom… I'm home."

Liu Ruhua's heart quivered, her eyes welling with tears.

…

In the courtyard of his childhood.

The table was filled with chicken, duck, fish, assorted pastries, and sweet rice wine—all of Mo Hua's childhood favorites.

By now, Mo Hua had seen much of the "great world." In the Great Void Sect, especially during New Year feasts at the Gu Clan, he had tasted countless delicacies.

But no matter when, he always felt that his mother's cooking was the most delicious.

Not only because Liu Ruhua had skill in the kitchen, but also because her dishes carried a kind of love found nowhere else in the world.

This was a flavor Mo Hua hadn't tasted in ten whole years.

His heart was warm, and the food tasted wonderfully sweet.

Liu Ruhua sat nearby, eyes never leaving her son.

Her child had grown up—taller, and though his face still held a trace of youthful softness, he had completely transformed. His appearance and demeanor now held the beauty and grace of white jade, of a clear moon, of flowing water. His gaze was bright and deep.

The cultivators of Tongxian City often said this child was a "celestial boy" come down to the mortal realm.

Now, this "celestial boy" had grown into a young man with an immortal air and Daoist presence.

Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua with both joy and lingering fear.

She feared it would be like before—just another dream she had conjured up.

And when the dream ended, her son would be gone again.

Her beloved child, the one who pulled at her every thought, might still be out there somewhere—cultivating through hardship, seeking the Dao through peril.

And all she could do was worry.

So she didn't dare blink. Her gentle gaze stayed fixed on Mo Hua.

Even if this was just a dream, she wanted to watch her son a little longer, to see what he looked like now that he had grown up.

And so, she kept watching—until the sky grew dim, and red sunset light streamed into the courtyard and spilled across the ground.

Liu Ruhua came back to herself—and realized Mo Hua was still there.

This wasn't a dream. Her son had truly come home. A genuine smile lit up her face, and her heart overflowed with joy.

Mother and son sat in the courtyard, chatting about the little joys and troubles of studying in Qianzhou.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. A deep male voice called out:

"Why are we closed at this hour? Did a customer come—?"

Mo Shan walked in, shouldering a storage pouch full of demonic beast meat and bone. He looked up—

And saw Mo Hua happily eating.

For a moment, Mo Shan was dazed. He thought he might be dreaming too. The world around him blurred, unreal.

But once he steadied his mind, took in the surroundings, and looked clearly at Mo Hua, he knew it was real. A smile began to bloom on his face.

He was a steady man, not good with words. He simply gave Mo Hua a nod and said:

"You're back?"

Mo Hua smiled and nodded. "Mm."

Mo Shan let out a breath, as if the weight on his shoulders and the worries in his heart had suddenly eased. A smile unconsciously appeared on his face too.

…

After that, the three of them sat around the courtyard table and had dinner together.

After that, the family of three sat together in the courtyard to eat.

This scene was just like when Mo Hua was a child.

However, Mo Hua was no longer that small rogue cultivator with ordinary spiritual roots and weak cultivation, only able to draw a few array patterns.

"I've been sending letters home every year. Father, Mother, didn't you receive them?" Mo Hua asked while eating beef and sipping fruit wine.

"We received them. Your mother kept them all safely and takes them out to look at now and then..." Mo Shan replied.

"Then why didn't you ever write back to me?" Mo Hua asked.

Every year in the Great Void Sect, he wrote home, and every year he waited for a reply. But not once did a letter come.

Mo Shan paused slightly and sighed softly, "Your mother… wouldn't allow it..."

Mo Hua froze. "Why?"

He turned to look at his mother, Liu Ruhua.

Her expression was a mix of comfort and melancholy as she gently said:

"You've been able to join a major sect in Qian Prefecture to cultivate, and your future is boundless. If… you can secure a prestigious background one day, you won't need to concern yourself with us anymore. Your father and I… don't want to hold you back..."

Being from a rogue cultivator background carried a certain shame.

Many talented rogue cultivators, once they had a future ahead of them, would sever ties with their shameful past — changing their names and backgrounds in hopes of rising to prominence.

After all, the true sons and daughters of noble families often harbored disdain for rogue cultivators.

This kind of discrimination was rarely spoken aloud, but it ran deep in the heart.

If there were ever marriage negotiations, the words "rogue cultivator" would be no different from "mud-legged commoner" — low-born and looked down upon.

And if one were to marry into a noble family, naturally, they would need to sever ties with such a background completely.

Because of these concerns, Liu Ruhua endured the pain of longing and chose not to write back.

She didn't want to be a burden to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was deeply moved and felt a bitter ache in his heart.

He sighed softly and said:

"Father, Mother, don't worry. In the sect, I'm well-liked. Everyone calls me 'Little Senior Brother.'"

"Outside the sect..." Mo Hua's gaze grew proud. "Even with all the geniuses out there, I'm always the one looking down on others — no one dares to look down on me."

"Of the Four Sects, Eight Clans, and Twelve Streams, even among the myriad prodigies of Qianxue, not one can lift their head in front of me..."

Mo Hua's expression was firm, and even carried an air of arrogance that looked down upon the world.

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua stared, mouths agape, a bit stunned.

They hadn't expected their child, after venturing out to study in the major provinces, had learned how to boast too.

He had been so honest and humble as a child.

If he'd just said he had good talent and was popular, they wouldn't have been surprised.

After all, Mo Hua had been fair-skinned and adorable since young, beloved by all — there was no one in Tongxian City who didn't speak well of him.

But to say that all the prodigies of Qianxue couldn't raise their heads before him… that was just too much of an exaggeration.

Qianxue Province was a fifth-grade major province.

How powerful must its cultivators be?

How high were the thresholds of the noble families and sects?

The disciples they cultivated must have astonishing spiritual roots and talent.

Only an immortal descending to the mortal world could possibly suppress them all...

Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua with a complex expression.

She was gratified by Mo Hua's confident demeanor and pride.

She knew he was talking big like this to comfort them, and she felt deeply moved.

But at the same time, she was also deeply worried:

"This child… after studying outside for so many years, I wonder what exactly he's learned. Hopefully, not just how to brag..."

Liu Ruhua and Mo Shan exchanged a glance.

Mo Shan, slightly concerned, carefully probed, "Hua'er, what's your cultivation level now\...?"

Mo Hua casually replied, "Late Foundation Establishment."

"Late… Foundation Establishment…"

The two were visibly shaken.

The Black Mountain Province was a second-grade province. Among the cultivators in Tongxian City, the highest cultivation level was Foundation Establishment.

And in a second-grade province, Foundation Establishment was already the peak.

Since Tongxian City was a small place, the most powerful cultivator in the past, the Qian family patriarch, had only reached mid Foundation Establishment.

Although Tongxian City had grown rapidly in the past decade, and more cultivators had broken through to Foundation Establishment — even attracting a few from outside — those at late Foundation Establishment were still extremely rare.

And those few were all outsiders.

Now, their son Mo Hua, after ten years of study, had gone from early Foundation Establishment all the way to late Foundation Establishment.

Such cultivation speed, in their eyes, was simply unbelievable.

Liu Ruhua glanced at her husband, Mo Shan, wanting to say something but hesitated.

Mo Shan released his spiritual sense and probed Mo Hua's body, sensing a vast and deep — yet elusive — cultivation aura, and nodded seriously.

He couldn't discern Mo Hua's exact level, but the profound energy he felt meant that it definitely wasn't weak.

With years of hunting monsters and his instinctual perception, along with a lifetime of experience in judging people, he was confident in his assessment.

Realizing this, Mo Shan felt a bit shocked.

Ten years — late Foundation Establishment.

So this was the foundation of a major sect from a fifth-grade province...

In Tongxian City, forget reaching Foundation Establishment. Even someone going from Qi Refining level one to level nine within ten years would be considered a rare genius.

Only now did Mo Shan truly become convinced that Mo Hua had become a disciple of a prestigious sect from a fifth-grade province.

Before this, though he believed it on the surface, a part of him still had doubts. It felt too surreal.

After all, the gap between a second-grade region and a fifth-grade sect was astronomical.

To leap from a second-grade region into a fifth-grade sect was nothing short of ascending to the heavens in one step.

But now, things were different. No matter what else, Mo Hua's cultivation level was real.

And there was nothing more convincing than a cultivator's actual cultivation.

Even though his claim — "Of the Four Sects, Eight Clans, and Twelve Streams, not a single genius of Qianxue can raise their head before me" — was clearly an exaggeration, Mo Shan didn't mind anymore.

After all, to reach late Foundation Establishment in just ten years — with that level of strength — no one would dare question even the boldest boast.

Mo Shan let out a long sigh, feeling proud because of Mo Hua's cultivation.

What he didn't know was…

Among everything Mo Hua had achieved in the Great Void Sect, his cultivation level was actually the least impressive part of all.

Not only unremarkable — it was his greatest shortcoming.

Not only was he not worth praising, he had even been the one dragging everyone down...

Among the fellow disciples of the Great Void Sect, finding someone with lower cultivation than Mo Hua was as hard as finding someone with stronger array skills than him—both were nearly impossible.

To the side, Liu Ruhua was full of joy, but also felt a trace of heartache.

To reach late Foundation Establishment in ten years—anyone could guess that Mo Hua must have cultivated diligently in the sect, enduring countless hardships and suffering to reach this level of strength and cultivation.

Thinking of this, Liu Ruhua suddenly felt that Mo Hua looked thinner, so she gently said:

"If there's anything you want to eat, just tell your mother. I'll cook it for you and make sure you're well nourished."

Mo Hua nodded and smiled, "Mm."

Then the family of three sat down for a warm and happy meal.

Mo Hua also took the opportunity to ask about Tongxian City.

Mo Shan simply replied that everything was going well. "The monster hunting business is now on track, and the artifact refining and alchemy trades are also earning quite a lot of spirit stones. The whole of Tongxian City has been completely revitalized, and many homes have been rebuilt…"

Mo Hua was a little surprised. "Then… our home wasn't rebuilt?"

Mo Shan smiled. "Your mother couldn't bear to do it…"

"She couldn't bear to?"

"Mm," Mo Shan nodded. "She said this is the place where you grew up. She couldn't bring herself to tear it down. Since you're out pursuing the Dao and rarely at home, whenever she looks at this courtyard, she remembers what you looked like running around here as a child."

"She also remembers how you used to practice body techniques and concealment skills when you were little—and how you always asked her if she could still see you…"

Liu Ruhua's face turned slightly red, but her expression was filled with nostalgia.

Mo Hua felt a wave of warmth rise in his heart and asked his mother again:

"Is the eatery still busy?"

Liu Ruhua shook her head. "Most of the food business depends on the main restaurant now. Xiao Fu and your Aunt Jiang help manage things. I only research recipes now. I kept this small eatery for sentimental reasons."

"Usually there aren't many guests—just Elder Yu and a few old friends coming by to drink and chat. So it's not really busy."

Mo Hua nodded, finally reassured.

He turned his head and took in the entire small courtyard, feeling a mix of melancholy and comfort.

Suddenly, his expression froze—he noticed something he had completely overlooked since returning home.

Mo Hua pointed to the large pagoda tree in front of the courtyard, and asked in disbelief:

"Mother, where did that big pagoda tree come from?"

Liu Ruhua looked where he pointed and recalled slowly:

"I remember… it was the second year after you left for Qianzhou to study. A strange customer came to the eatery for a meal…"

"A strange customer?"

"Yes," Liu Ruhua described, "an old man, with a wooden expression, unfamiliar face, and barely any emotion. He came in and ordered a full table of food and wine—and lots of pine nuts."

"But the odd thing was, he didn't touch a single dish. He just cracked pine nuts, one after another, for a very long time. He didn't speak, showed no emotion—just a sense of… indescribable loneliness from behind."

"After finishing the pine nuts, he left."

"The next day, at the spot where he had sat, a pagoda tree began to sprout. It grew faster and taller with each day, and within a few days it had become a large tree, with lush and sprawling branches."

"Elder Yu and the others all said the tree was a bit eerie. They suggested we either chop it down or move."

"But I didn't agree. I always felt the tree had some kind of spirit. It could block the wind and shield from rain. Sitting under it always brought a sense of peace…"

Mo Hua turned back, silently staring at the flourishing tree whose leaves spread like a canopy, shading the entire courtyard. He felt deeply moved and grateful, and quietly murmured in his heart:

"Grandpa Puppet…"

Nightfall. Inside the small room.

A bed and a table—simple and tidy. A warm yellow candle flame flickered gently within the room.

Mo Hua sat at the table, a nostalgic look on his face.

This was his childhood bedroom.

Back then, he would lean over this small desk to read, cultivate, study the Dao, and practice the array formations taught by his master.

The Bright Flame Array in the lamp was the first formation he had ever learned.

Everything had started from that one Bright Flame Array.

Now, he was still leaning over this desk, reading, cultivating, and studying formations.

Only now, the books he read and the formations he studied were far more profound than when he had been just a "little formation master."

Mo Hua's heart was filled with emotion. After a while, he calmed himself and resumed his routine formation research.

After studying formations for a bit, Mo Hua took out paper and brush to begin planning the next phase of his cultivation.

"Those who prepare will prosper; those who do not will fail."

This was something his father, Mo Shan, had taught him from a young age—and he had always kept it in mind. Whenever something came up, he would plan, deduce, and prepare in advance.

Next, he had one task to accomplish.

Also the most important task:

Core Formation (Jiedan)!

The crystallization of spiritual energy—forming the core in the qi sea.

This was the first true major threshold in a cultivator's path.

It was the transition point for low-level cultivators to step into the middle tier of the cultivation world—a chance for an elevation in status.

In a second-grade province, a Golden Core was legendary.

In a third-grade province, a Golden Core meant ancestor-level status.

In a fourth-grade province, Golden Core cultivators were high-ranking individuals.

Even in a fifth-grade province, Golden Core cultivators formed the backbone of noble families and major sects—eligible to be honored as guest elders or even core elders.

Once a cultivator formed a core, not only would their realm rise and cultivation deepen, but their lifespan would increase substantially.

And the path Mo Hua walked—was the path of proving the Dao through divine sense.

Once he formed a core, his already powerful divine sense could undergo another profound transformation through the ancient and mysterious Heavenly Derivation Art.

"Golden Core…"

The bright firelight was reflected in Mo Hua's eyes, making them gleam with intensity.

(End of this Chapter)