The Dao Discussion Meeting concluded. Mo Hua emerged victorious, crushing all opponents. The Five Elements Sect was utterly defeated. Mister Zhuang left the Hidden Array Pavilion with a composed demeanor, his expression unchanged – aloof with a hint of carefree ease. It seemed this small event was not enough to stir him.

However, Mo Hua was very familiar with Mister Zhuang and knew that while his master appeared calm, he was undoubtedly very happy inside. Seeing Mister Zhuang happy, Mo Hua also felt this trip was worthwhile. He couldn’t help but hold his head high and puff out his chest as he followed behind Mister Zhuang.

Seeing his little junior brother showing off, Bai Zisheng nodded with a look of sharing the honor. Bai Zixi also glanced at Mo Hua, her eyes like water, the corners of her mouth curving into a faint smile. The master and disciples left the Hidden Array Pavilion and returned to their guest rooms.

Mister Zhuang then praised Mo Hua, saying, “Well done!”

Mo Hua smiled squinting and said, “It is Master’s excellent teaching methods!”

Mister Zhuang was in a very smooth and comfortable mood. Having a well-behaved disciple was just different.

Mister Zhuang continued, “Rest today, tomorrow we will go learn the Five Elements Spirit Array.”

“Okay!” Mo Hua nodded heavily, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Then he thought of something else and was slightly worried. “Master, will the Five Elements Sect really let me learn the Five Elements Spirit Array?”

Mister Zhuang’s gaze condensed slightly. “Looking at the legacy of the Five Elements Sect’s ancestors, I have already given them enough face… They set the rules, they provided the exam questions, they even allowed them to find helpers, and in the end, they lost fair and square… If they still act evasive and refuse to honor the past agreement, then don’t blame me for not remembering old ties…”

Mo Hua felt relieved, but still had some concerns. “Even if they let me learn, they will probably still try to trip me up.”

Mister Zhuang nodded. “That is natural, but as long as these sneaky methods are not too excessive, I am too lazy to bother with them.”

Mister Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and gently patted his small shoulder. “You will encounter many such minor tricks in the future; learn to handle them yourself.”

Mo Hua nodded. “Okay, Master.”

Mister Zhuang looked a bit tired, slightly closing his eyes and resting his spirit for a while before opening them again and continuing his instructions. “Tomorrow, you and your senior brother and senior sister will go to the Hidden Array Pavilion to see if you can comprehend the Five Elements Spirit Array.”

After speaking, Mister Zhuang looked at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi again and said, “Mo Hua has enough divine sense and can learn the thirteen-pattern array. Your divine sense is not enough, so try to use the method I taught you…”

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi respectfully nodded and agreed.

Mo Hua’s expression shifted slightly. He wanted to speak but hesitated, and in the end, he remained silent. However, his expression was still noticed by Mister Zhuang.

After giving instructions, Mister Zhuang sent his disciples back. He paused for a moment, then called Mo Hua back again.

“Mo Hua.”

Mo Hua, who had walked to the threshold, turned back, somewhat puzzled. “Master?”

Mister Zhuang beckoned with his hand. Mo Hua then walked to the front of Mister Zhuang.

Mister Zhuang was silent for a moment and asked, “You… do you want to ask something?”

Mo Hua hesitated a bit and shook his head.

Mister Zhuang’s gaze was gentle, as if seeing through Mo Hua’s thoughts. He said lightly, “Just ask whatever you want to ask.”

Mo Hua knew he couldn’t hide anything from Mister Zhuang and no longer concealed it. He softly asked, “Master, what exactly is it that you taught Senior Brother and Senior Sister?”

“Do you want to know?”

“Yes.” Mo Hua nodded. He was indeed very curious.

Mister Zhuang’s gaze was meaningful. He didn’t answer directly but asked in return, “Why didn’t you ask me before?”

Mo Hua said frankly, “Master has deep plans and far-reaching thoughts. You naturally have your own plans for things. If you can tell me, you will definitely tell me. If you don’t say anything, it’s obviously better for me not to know…”

Mister Zhuang was slightly startled. Afterward, a warm feeling rose in his heart, like a stream soaked in the sunlight of a spring day, slowly flowing through his heart. Mister Zhuang’s gaze was warm and moist as he softly asked Mo Hua, “Don’t you feel that I favor your senior brother and senior sister?”

Mo Hua shook his head. “Master treats me already very, very well!”

Everything that should be taught, that can be taught, and even some things beyond the curriculum, that shouldn’t be taught or can’t be taught, he had taught me. Every day, I ask the most questions. Master is also not tired of it and answers in the most detailed way. Every day, Senior Brother and Senior Sister show more awe towards Master, while Master treats me with more closeness. Saying this, Mo Hua felt that Master still favored him a bit more.

Mo Hua looked at Mister Zhuang, his gaze clear and spotless, with an amber-like crystalline dependence and trust. Mister Zhuang’s gaze was slightly moist, and he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.

He took a deep breath and said with a solemn expression, “Mo Hua, you must remember the following words firmly, but do not mention them to anyone.”

Mo Hua’s heart alerted, and he nodded seriously.

Mister Zhuang formed a seal with his hand and gently brushed it. There were no changes around. But Mo Hua vaguely felt that within this room, a few feet of space seemed isolated. It isolated both sound and cause and effect.

Mister Zhuang said solemnly, “The Weird Daoist…”

Mo Hua’s expression changed, his pupils shrinking. Nothing happened around him. Mo Hua relaxed his breath.

Mister Zhuang knew Mo Hua understood and continued, “I told you before that our lineage has a sect. The Weird Daoist, Zixi and Zisheng’s mother, and I all come from the same sect and are senior brothers and sisters from the same sect. Now, you, Zisheng, and Zixi are also disciples of this sect.”

“This sect has a long-standing inheritance. As your teacher, I am the forty-ninth generation head of this sect. But I cannot tell you what this sect is called, and you cannot know. This sect has many inheritances, among which the most important and most orthodox, which cannot be learned by anyone other than the direct lineage of the head, is an array inheritance. That is the inheritance I taught to your senior brother and senior sister…”

“This inheritance is named—” Mister Zhuang’s expression was solemn, and he said each word slowly, “Xiantiān Zhenliu!”

Mo Hua was startled. “Xiantian Zhenliu?”

Mister Zhuang shook his head. “Not Xiantian…” He took out a pen and wrote a character “Xian” on paper. “It is Xiantiān.”

Xiantiān… Mo Hua found it somewhat hard to believe. “Is it ‘Xian’ as in becoming immortal?”

Mister Zhuang nodded slightly. “This inheritance is an absolute secret. Outsiders have only heard of it but have not seen the inheritance script, so they have always thought that this set of inheritance is ‘Xiantian Array Flow’, but its true name is ‘Xiantiān Zhenliu’!”

“Xiantiān Zhenliu, which is Xiantiān Array Law Source Flow.”

“From the opening of heaven and earth, immortals attained the Dao, engraved the essence of the Dao, forming all heaven arrays. Then the myriad arrays in the world, derived from the Dao, return to the Dao, all having a unified source flow.”

“Xiantian Zhenliu then summarizes the source flow of all arrays in the world.”

“Understanding one point illuminates a hundred, learning one thing knows ten thousand, and the myriad arrays return to one.”

“After learning Xiantiān Zhenliu, one can then comprehend the source flow of most arrays in the world. Then, learning arrays becomes effortless, even surpassing the hindrance of divine sense, and one can comprehend some arrays that have extremely high demands on divine sense and are extremely difficult…”

Mo Hua’s mouth opened wide. This wasn’t an inheritance; this was like a cheat device given by the heavenly Dao.

“Of course,” Mister Zhuang continued, “Xiantian Zhenliu is powerful and has incredible functions, but similarly, it is extremely difficult to learn and comprehend. The requirements for root bone are also extremely high.”

“Your senior brother and senior sister can learn this inheritance, but you cannot.”

“Is it because my spirit root is poor?” Mo Hua said puzzledly.

“Yes, but not entirely.” Mister Zhuang said, “Having a poor spirit root means at most you won’t learn it well, but it’s still not to the extent of not being able to learn it. But you, you cannot learn it!”

Mo Hua was startled.

Mister Zhuang’s gaze was obscure, and he instructed again, “Remember, you absolutely cannot learn it!”

“This inheritance involves too much karma. You cannot touch it, at least with your current cultivation, you cannot touch it. Even if one day you cultivate to the Foundation Building and Golden Core stages, you still cannot touch this karma!”

Even Golden Core cannot touch… Mo Hua’s gaze was stern, and he nodded seriously. “Master, I remember!”

Mister Zhuang looked into Mo Hua’s eyes, confirming that he was truly listening and had firmly remembered, and then he slightly relaxed his breath.

“And there is another reason…” Mister Zhuang continued, “You cannot learn Xiantiān Zhenliu, or rather… you don’t need to learn it.”

This time, Mo Hua truly didn’t understand.

Mister Zhuang sighed. “Xiantiān Array Law Source Flow, myriad arrays return to one, understanding one point illuminates a hundred, understanding one thing knows ten thousand, powerful and participates in creation, can comprehend the source flow of the myriad arrays and laws in the world…”

“These words are also passed down by our sect’s old ancestors…”

Mo Hua’s eyes brightened and he understood, “Old ancestors will deceive people!”

Mister Zhuang’s gaze was gratified, and he nodded. “This sentence is indeed passed down by generations of old ancestors of the sect, but whether it is true or false, how much is true and how much is false, is not clear.”

“Currently speaking, Xiantiān Zhenliu can indeed strengthen array comprehension, understanding one point illuminates a hundred, these are correct as the old ancestors said.”

“But what happens afterwards, when cultivating deeply, comprehending to a high level, what it’s truly like, is unknown.”

“Moreover, even if Xiantiān Zhenliu contains the source flow of the world’s arrays, fundamentally, it is still the ‘Dao’ summarized by others.”

“Only these ‘others’ might be ‘immortals’, that’s all.”

“Even if it’s not an immortal, what kind of immortal it is, is also hard to say…”

Mister Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, his gaze expectant. “Zisheng and Zixi want to learn Xiantiān Zhenliu to comprehend arrays because their root bone is sufficient, but their divine sense is insufficient, so they must borrow this kind of method to learn profound arrays.”

“But you are different…”

“Your divine sense is stronger than anyone.”

“You can completely rely on your own divine sense, learn it yourself, practice it yourself, comprehend it yourself. Even if it is more difficult and takes more time and effort, what you gain will be your own things, and your comprehension will also be more profound.”

“Don’t enter with preconceptions first and learn Xiantiān Zhenliu.”

“Don’t rashly comprehend the source flow of these myriad arrays in the world before learning all heaven arrays.”

“Otherwise, all array comprehension is just a mirage, and what you think you see as the source flow is not necessarily the real source flow.”

“You want to learn, learn your own arrays, walk your own path…”

Walk your own path… Mo Hua felt as if he had a sudden enlightenment, his gaze brilliant. He said nothing, just silently bowed in禮 towards Mister Zhuang.

Mister Zhuang’s gaze was gratified, and he felt some emotion in his heart. In this lifetime, he had finally accepted a good disciple… Even if half his life had been bumpy and the rest adrift, heaven had treated him not too badly…

Past events floated and sank in his mind. All kinds of emotions were mixed. Mister Zhuang sighed, looking at Mo Hua, and his mood gradually eased.

The next day, Mister Zhuang took Mo Hua and the other two to the Hidden Array Pavilion. At this time, there were not many people in the Hidden Array Pavilion.

The vast Hidden Array Pavilion was cold and solemn. Between the carved beams and painted rafters, countless array classics and diagrams were displayed, appearing rigorous and ornate. The ones receiving Mister Zhuang and his disciples were only the Five Elements Sect’s Great Elder and Sect Master Liao.

The Great Elder’s face was not good. It seemed yesterday’s scene was still vivid. He could even hear Mo Hua asking in his dreams, “What else is there to compare?”, “And with whom?”…

The Great Elder’s eyelids twitched. This little array master, although he looked innocent and pure, was a true array prodigy! He was a “small version” of Mister Zhuang, even more hateful than Mister Zhuang.

The Great Elder was very heartbroken. The Five Elements Sect had lost, and today, the core inheritance of the Five Elements Sect was to be given to others to learn. Although the first-grade thirteen-pattern Five Elements Spirit Array was difficult to learn, facing Mister Zhuang and the unfathomable little array master Mo Hua, the Great Elder had no confidence, so his face was pale, with a trace of unease.

Sect Master Liao, who was beside him, acted as if nothing had happened. It seemed that whether the Five Elements Sect’s ultimate array was learned or not was indifferent to him.

Everyone had arrived. The Great Elder said to Mister Zhuang unwillingly with a stern face, “Please.”

Mister Zhuang nodded faintly. The group walked up the stairs towards the upper floors of the Hidden Array Pavilion.

The Five Elements Sect’s Hidden Array Pavilion had a total of four layers. The first layer was spacious with a great hall, tables, and book cabinets, primarily used to collect first-grade arrays and for disciples to borrow, read, and comprehend array books and diagrams, as well as for gatherings and discussions.

The second layer was smaller. Although not luxurious, it was more ancient, mainly used to collect second-grade array diagrams, generally not open to the outside.

The third layer was even smaller, used to collect third-grade arrays. The furnishings were somewhat old, even a bit shabby, but its atmosphere was long-standing and heavy. Compared to the flashy great hall on the first layer, it made people more respectful.

Third-grade arrays! Mo Hua smacked his lips. The Five Elements Sect’s foundation was indeed profound. He himself had not seen many second-grade arrays yet, let alone third-grade. He really wanted to flip through the third-grade array diagrams and see what third-grade arrays looked like. How many array patterns they had, how the array hubs circulated, how the array eyes were constructed, how to learn them, and what effects they would have…

Unfortunately, Mo Hua knew that the Five Elements Sect’s Great Elder was a miserly person. With his character of not losing a single hair, he would definitely not be willing to let himself flip through the third-grade arrays in the Hidden Array Pavilion. As expected, not to mention flipping through, he wasn’t even allowed to stay.

The Great Elder led Mo Hua and the others up the densely arrayed stairs, unlocking them with an elder token, and went straight up, past the second and third floors, directly to the fourth floor.

The first floor for first-grade, the second floor for second-grade, and the third floor for third-grade. The Five Elements Sect probably didn’t have any fourth-grade inheritance, so this fourth floor must hide the Five Elements Sect’s town sect array, one set of five arrays—the Five Elements Spirit Array.

Mo Hua was behind Mister Zhuang, secretly peeking out his small head, looking left and right. The fourth floor of the Five Elements Sect was even narrower. The furnishings all around were even simpler, just wooden beams and windows. In the middle was a shrine. Below the shrine were placed five meditation cushions.

The walls and ground were all painted with arrays, but these arrays had hidden array patterns, and their aura was profound and obscure, at least second-grade, perhaps even third-grade… Even if they were fourth-grade, Mo Hua would not doubt it.

Mo Hua also felt a trace of awe towards the Five Elements Sect. Although the current Five Elements Sect, stripped of its magnificent exterior, was a weak entity unable to support itself, its ancestors and inheritance were indeed extremely profound. This fourth floor of the Hidden Array Pavilion, even if it was laid out with ordinary wood as the array medium, with arrays, it still made people feel respectful and dare not underestimate it.

The Great Elder also sighed somewhat. After a moment, he calmed his mood and said to Mo Hua and the others, “The Five Elements Spirit Array is hidden in this shrine.”

“Sit on the meditation cushion and visualize the shrine. If your comprehension is sufficient, you can see the array diagram of the Five Elements Spirit Array.”

Visualize? Mo Hua was slightly startled and involuntarily looked at the shrine. So this shrine was another kind of visualization diagram? Visualize the shrine, and if comprehension is sufficient, you can learn the Five Elements Spirit Array? It shouldn’t be that simple…

Mo Hua secretly glanced at the Great Elder and indeed saw a trace of mockery and cunning faintly flashing in his eyes. Not only was he a miserly person, but he was also an old fox… Mo Hua muttered in his heart.

(End of this chapter)