Chapter 734 – Arrayflow Manuscript
The next day, after finishing his class in the Dao Transmission Hall, Mo Hua was tidying up his jade slips and books when he looked up to see a young Dao attendant waving at him from the doorway.
"Mo Hua, Elder Xun wants you to come over."
Mo Hua was slightly startled but nodded. "Alright."
As he walked along the long stone steps of Great Void Mountain, he couldn't shake off a bad feeling. He leaned in and quietly asked the attendant:
"What's the matter this time?"
The attendant shook his head honestly. "I don't know."
"…Was Elder Xun angry again?"
"He was…" The attendant frowned, then shook his head. "But also not really? His face looked very serious, like something big had happened. Even Elder Xun Ziyou was walking on eggshells."
"Xun Ziyou?"
"Elder Xun Ziyou, the old ancestor's great-grandson. He's an inner sect elder."
Mo Hua nodded slightly and remembered the name.
These lines… sounded oddly familiar, like he'd heard them before.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a good thing.
"Mm," Elder Xun nodded lightly, his gaze distant. "That old friend once visited our Great Void Sect. We sat together, discussed Dao, and exchanged insights on formations. This manuscript… is a collection of notes and reflections from that time."
Mo Hua blinked. "I see."
He was quite surprised. He thought the old man had found out about one of his… let's say, morally flexible actions, and was calling him over for a scolding.
The attendant looked a bit guilty.
Elder Xun said, "It belonged to an old friend."
…
"Who knows…" The attendant, walking ahead, suddenly turned and whispered, "Mo Hua, that little tiger you gave me… I broke it again…"
"Old friend?"
The attendant looked embarrassed. "I was playing puppet beast battles with Qingfeng and Mingyue… The tiger won, but it broke…"
Elder Xun caught Mo Hua's reaction—first stunned, then distressed, followed by a warm, almost childlike affection in his gaze… which finally settled into quiet sorrow.
Mo Hua's voice brightened. "Thank you, sir!"
"And those who comprehend Arrayflow can unify the myriad formations, grasp the essence, and command them all..."
The attendant's eyes lit up. "I've got some high-quality gold jade now. When I make a new puppet, I'll give it to you to inscribe the array!"
Mo Hua glanced at Elder Xun, his expression slightly dazed, voice hoarse:
"Sir… this manuscript is…"
Mo Hua respectfully accepted it and flipped through briefly.
He muttered, "I haven't done anything… Would he really be angry with me?"
Suddenly, something in the manuscript made his heart tremble. He quickly scanned the pages and saw that they indeed recorded profound insights into Arrayflow:
"Arrayflow is the origin of all formations in the heavens. All arrays return to one—understanding one, and all are connected."
The attendant gave him a worried look. "Just be careful. Don't make the Old Ancestor mad."
Mo Hua peeked at Elder Xun's expression. Though a bit complicated, it didn't seem angry—only then did he finally relax a little.
A corner of his eye caught something—and he froze.
Two unexpected words:
Arrayflow!
The attendant immediately dropped his playful smile, respectfully leading Mo Hua before Elder Xun, bowing and then backing away.
Zhuang…
The attendant grinned. "Mo Hua, you're the best! If anything else comes up, I'll give you another heads-up!"
Elder Xun nodded slightly.
"Those who have mastered formations and comprehended the heavens' array laws can trace all formations back to their origin—Arrayflow."
"Greetings, sir," Mo Hua bowed respectfully.
He let out a sigh.
Both the jade slip and manuscript were filled with insights on formation Dao—some on formation eyes, some on cores, others on rune transformations.
Elder Xun handed him a bundle of dark jade slips and aged manuscripts.
"You didn't do anything wrong. I just happened to remember I still had some notes and insights on formations. They might help your studies—take them and have a look."
"…What did you do?" Mo Hua asked, quietly eyeing the attendant.
"…Master."
Elder Xun sighed lightly.
"That old friend…" Elder Xun's voice was calm, gaze solemn. "His surname was Zhuang."
Mo Hua's mind went blank, stunned, his emotions flooding like a crashing wave.
There was no longer any doubt—he was that man's disciple.
The pain and sorrow in his eyes only lingered for a moment before sinking deep into still waters—calm and unreadable.
He smiled faintly and said with reverent admiration:
"Sir, your old friend must have been a formation master beyond compare."
Elder Xun nodded with a sigh. "Indeed."
"…And this senior…" Mo Hua hesitated, then asked softly, "Where is he now?"
Elder Xun gave him a long look, then shook his head.
"In this life… it's unlikely we'll ever meet again."
Mo Hua lowered his head, falling silent.
Elder Xun felt an inexplicable ache in his chest.
He quietly observed Mo Hua.
Three years had passed since he entered the sect. The boy had grown taller, though his temperament hadn't changed much.
At first, he'd thought him an adorable, studious, talented youth—and liked him.
Later, he discovered Mo Hua's exceptional spiritual sense and regarded him as a treasure.
But now, knowing Mo Hua was that man's disciple, his emotions grew much more complicated.
That man possessed unmatched talent in divination and strategy. Every action, every plan, was drenched in unfathomable destiny.
Now, though the man had vanished—his fate seemingly severed—his disciple, nameless and unknown, had by sheer coincidence joined the Great Void Sect…
Was this, too, part of some grand design?
Elder Xun's thoughts raced wildly.
After a while, Mo Hua lifted his head, eyes full of hope. He asked softly:
"Sir, this manuscript…"
"It's yours," Elder Xun said warmly. "It was always meant for you. Keep it close—and study it well."
Mo Hua gripped it tightly and said with heartfelt gratitude, "Thank you, sir!"
Elder Xun smiled slightly, patting his shoulder. "Alright, off you go. You still have class this afternoon."
"Mm."
Mo Hua nodded, bowed deeply, and took his leave—though his figure looked a little lonelier than usual.
Elder Xun sighed.
That thin frame… might be bearing a karmic burden beyond imagination.
Some things he didn't speak aloud—but he knew. Let fate unfold as it may.
There was only one thing that mattered:
Mo Hua.
No matter what karmic entanglements he carried, he wore the Great Void Sect's robe.
He was a disciple of the Great Void Sect.
And from now on—he always must be.
Elder Xun's gaze sharpened, flashing cold light. He called out:
"Bring Ziyou to me."
Soon after, Xun Ziyou arrived to see him.
Elder Xun instructed:
"Look after Mo Hua properly."
Xun Ziyou was stunned. "Didn't you already tell me that before…?"
"This time is different," Elder Xun said blandly. "Before, when I said you could break an arm but he couldn't lose a strand of hair—I was pushing you to be careful."
"But now, that statement… is literal."
Xun Ziyou: "..."
He stood there, stunned for a long while, before finally frowning and asking in a timid voice, "Old Ancestor… just what is this child's identity, that you regard him so highly...?"
"Don't concern yourself with that," Elder Xun looked at Xun Ziyou with a grave expression and a low voice. "All you need to know is—he's crucial to our Great Void Sect. He may even be tied to…"
Elder Xun paused, then slowly said:
"...the very legacy of our Great Void Sect's Dao lineage!"
Xun Ziyou was thunderstruck, his heart skipping a beat.
Dao lineage?!
His eyelid twitched. He almost blurted out, "Aren't you exaggerating a little?"
He's just a small Foundation Establishment cultivator. No matter how talented or special his background, how could he possibly be connected to the sect's Dao lineage?
The Great Void Sect was one of the eight great sects of Qian Prefecture, with deep roots and a long history.
Tracing back even further—before the division of the Three Sects—it had been a giant among giants.
A Dao lineage of this level… what did it have to do with a single junior cultivator?
Xun Ziyou was baffled.
But he knew one thing—his ancestor never spoke empty words.
If he said it concerned the Dao lineage, then the karmic implications behind this must run extremely deep.
He straightened up and bowed seriously. "Old Ancestor, I understand."
Elder Xun nodded slightly.
"However…" Xun Ziyou hesitated, then said, "This child seems to have a bit of friction with Broken Gold Sect. Should I step in…"
"No need." Elder Xun shook his head. "You are to look after him—but not coddle him."
"He must not be injured, but aside from that—whether it's Broken Gold Sect or any other sect—let the disciples handle their own affairs. No need to interfere too much."
Xun Ziyou understood the message. He then asked, "And if the upper ranks of Broken Gold Sect were to get involved…"
Elder Xun replied calmly, "Let them. I will handle everything."
Xun Ziyou finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With the Old Ancestor's support, he felt confident again.
"Go," Elder Xun waved him off, "but do not grow careless. If something really goes wrong…"
He paused, then added, more threateningly:
"...I'll strike your name off the clan registry."
Xun Ziyou's scalp tingled. He was frozen in place.
Was that… a joke one could just toss around casually?!
"O-Old Ancestor… are you serious…"
Elder Xun just looked at him in silence.
Xun Ziyou got the message, his expression bitter as he resigned himself.
"Yes, sir."
Once he left the elders' residence, Xun Ziyou let out a long sigh.
He had a bad feeling… this temporary bodyguard job might be turning permanent.
No peace for him in the foreseeable future...
That afternoon, after class and dinner with Yu'er, Mo Hua returned to his disciples' quarters.
As soon as he entered, he pulled out all the manuscripts Elder Xun had given him—especially the one related to Arrayflow.
Mo Hua carefully read through the manuscript, his expression tinged with sorrow.
It really was his master's handwriting.
Though there were some differences, it clearly matched the Arrayflow insights his master had taught him back in the Five Elements Sect of Lishan City.
The image of Mr. Zhuang—elegant, carefree, warm as jade—floated in his mind again.
Mo Hua sat lost in thought for a long time before letting out a deep sigh.
He read the manuscript again.
This was a Dao discussion manuscript.
Its insights on Arrayflow were even more detailed than what his master had shared—more refined, more profound.
Mo Hua realized he couldn't quite understand it.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't actually started learning Arrayflow yet.
He had the "Source Rune" from the Five Elements Sect—the manifestation of their lineage's Arrayflow—but in truth, he didn't even understand what that strange, eye-like rune was at its core...
And those who could truly comprehend Arrayflow were all formation masters who had achieved mastery in a specific array type.
So it wasn't surprising he couldn't make sense of it yet.
"I'll keep it for now. Once my formation skills are more advanced, I'll study it again…"
Mo Hua nodded to himself and reverently placed the manuscript into his Storage Ring.
It belonged to his master.
He treasured it deeply.
And then… Elder Xun.
Mo Hua hadn't expected that Elder Xun had once engaged in a Dao discussion with his master about formations.
That meant Elder Xun and his master… might have had deeper connections?
Mo Hua's mind turned, and suddenly he realized—
This "Arrayflow" stuff clearly wasn't something he could study right now.
So why had Elder Xun handed over his master's Arrayflow manuscript to him? And even deliberately hinted it came from "a certain friend surnamed Zhuang"? Was he probing?
"Did the old man figure out that my master… is really my master?"
Mo Hua muttered to himself.
But… it probably didn't matter much.
It seemed quite a few people already knew.
Leaving aside his martial uncle, even his little senior sister's mother—his aunt in cultivation—knew. So did Senior Situ of the Profound Secrets Valley. And during the chaos in Lishan City, even those passing by Feathering cultivators had glimpsed hints of it.
They were all powerful cultivators—too busy with greater matters.
A nobody like him… they'd probably forgotten him by now.
As for Elder Xun, since he had once discussed formations with his master, they probably didn't have any grudges—and he hadn't shown any hostility toward Mo Hua.
At the very least, Mo Hua hadn't felt any.
Besides, the elder had even handed him his master's manuscript.
And treated him kindly. He had also taught him and passed down knowledge.
Elder Xun was a truly good man!
Mo Hua nodded solemnly.
For now, he should just focus on learning formations. One day, if he got the chance, he'd repay the elder's kindness.
"Even a drop of kindness should be repaid like a spring."
His mother had taught him that.
Mo Hua had thought it through. He flipped through a formation book for a while and practiced a bit.
At midnight, he sank his spiritual sense into the Dao Tablet and resumed training in formations.
He needed to find ways to train harder—to sharpen his spiritual sense.
Since he couldn't go outside for now, he could only grind it out this way.
He would strive to break through the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao and elevate his spiritual sense to eighteen marks—so he could learn even more powerful formations.
And so, a few peaceful days passed, with Mo Hua focused solely on his studies.
He went to Demon Refining Mountain a few times, tested the effectiveness of the Five Elements Source Armor, developed several hunting strategies for spirit beasts, and then temporarily stopped going.
But one day, while eating in the dining hall, Cheng Mo suddenly appeared with a bruised and swollen face.
Mo Hua blinked in surprise. "Cheng Mo, did you get smacked by a bear again?"
"I'm not an idiot," Cheng Mo grumbled. "Getting smacked once is one thing—how could I get smacked a second time…"
His expression turned slightly irritated. "It was those bastards from Broken Gold Sect."
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. "Broken Gold Sect?"
"Yeah." Cheng Mo sat down, grabbed a chicken leg just like Mo Hua, and muttered, "Little Senior Brother, you haven't been going into the mountain lately, so you don't know—Broken Gold Sect's been messing with us."
"Those little bastards keep stirring up trouble every other day."
"They don't dare fight us head-on. They lurk around sneakily, wait for us to kill the spirit beasts, and then rush in like a swarm of rats to snatch them."
"If we don't kill the beasts, they hover around like flies."
Mo Hua frowned. "There are rules inside Demon Refining Mountain, right? If they're being this arrogant, don't the elders intervene?"
Cheng Mo replied, "They do—but it's useless. The bastards from Broken Gold Sect are shameless and experts at wriggling out of trouble."
"They always say they killed the beast, or that we attacked them first, claiming they're the real victims…"
"And their elders always cover for them."
"If Broken Gold Sect disciples gain the upper hand, their elders brush it off—'they're just kids playing around, no need to fuss.'"
"But if they suffer even slightly, they start scolding our Great Void Sect—saying our disciples lack discipline and proper upbringing…"
"Our few elders from Great Void Sect aren't slick with words, and they get so mad they nearly pop a vein."
"So after all the arguing, Broken Gold Sect's disciples still do whatever they want, pulling the same underhanded tricks…"
Cheng Mo sighed. "That's why rules only work on people who still have a shred of dignity. If someone has no shame, the rules are useless."
As he spoke, he gave a cold snort—but it pulled at the bruises on his face, making him grimace in pain.
Fortunately, he was a body cultivator—thick-skinned and tough—so this kind of injury wasn't much.
Cheng Mo took another bite of meat and continued:
"These wounds—this morning I went hunting again, but the Broken Gold Sect disciples tailed me. I couldn't take it anymore, so I fought them."
"Don't be fooled by how miserable I look—they had it worse."
"I broke a few of their legs."
"But I doubt it'll help. They'll still come back next time."
Mo Hua furrowed his brows slightly and said, "Next rest day, I'll go into the mountain with you."
"No need." Cheng Mo waved it off immediately. "You should focus on drawing formation diagrams. You're our Little Senior Brother—we don't need you to deal with these little bastards personally."
Cheng Mo knew Mo Hua had been busy drawing formations lately, so he hadn't wanted to bother him.
Besides, the ones causing trouble from Broken Gold Sect were all Foundation Establishment disciples from the same generation—his own peers.
No need for Mo Hua to step in.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
He really didn't have the time lately.
He'd vaguely sensed that the Heavenly Dao restrictions within his sea of consciousness had loosened quite a bit.
Maybe his cultivation level had risen high enough that it was no longer as "outrageous" as before.
Or perhaps… the Heavenly Dao was nearly "satisfied"—and the suppression was beginning to fade.
Mo Hua had the feeling that it wouldn't be long before his spiritual sense advanced to Eighteen Marks.
As for the Demon Refining Mountain issue, he'd leave it to Cheng Mo and the others.
Although Cheng Mo seemed reckless—and he really was a bit reckless—he wasn't dumb.
Plus, after hanging around Mo Hua for so long, he'd picked up plenty of "sly" little tricks.
Dealing with the arrogant and bullying disciples from Broken Gold Sect was no problem for him.
So, under Cheng Mo's leadership, the Great Void Sect disciples engaged in both open and covert conflict with the Broken Gold Sect disciples within the mountain.
After about a month of this, Cheng Mo came to see Mo Hua again—his expression weary and dejected.
It wasn't that they'd lost the fights.
They'd won.
But it was meaningless.
"Those bastards from Broken Gold Sect really are like animals. Once they enter Demon Refining Mountain, they don't do anything except tail us Great Void Sect disciples and steal our kills."
"At first, they tried to fight us a few times—but once they realized we're wearing armor that counters metal, and they can't win, they gave up."
"Now they just act like flies. We hunt? They swarm around and harass us."
"We try to fight back? They run."
Cheng Mo was absolutely disgusted.
"The entry fee for Demon Refining Mountain is 100 merit points, and they're willing to spend that just to harass us—doing something that harms others without benefiting themselves."
"We're not afraid of them, but their interference keeps us from refining beasts or earning any merit—so in the end, it's not really a win for us…"
Cheng Mo sighed heavily, clearly frustrated.
Mo Hua's gaze darkened.
This Broken Gold Sect really was disgusting.
"…Don't worry." Mo Hua took a sip of fruit wine, then after thinking for a moment, said calmly:
"They're being so despicable because they haven't been thoroughly beaten yet."
"A few proper slaps—crack their bones and make them feel pain—and they'll stop being so despicable…"
His gaze turned cold.
(End of Chapter)