However, this kind of derivation calculation involves absolute arrays. While not overly difficult, it is very time-consuming.

After two hours, Mo Hua still hadn’t derived any clues.

The three of them left the shrine again and returned to the guest room of the Five Elements Sect.

Mo Hua simply sat in meditation to rest for a while and waited for his divine sense to be full before continuing to derive the relationship between the Five Elements Spirit Array and the shrine.

On the shrine diagram, Mo Hua drew out five sets of Five Elements Spirit Arrays based on their positions.

Then, based on the results of the derivation calculation, he drew lines between the spirit arrays.

Line by line, they crossed, connected, and intertwined…

Although Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi knew the Immortal Heaven Array Flow, they did not know derivation calculation and could only watch Mo Hua calculate and draw by himself.

Mr. Zhuang also watched silently, offering no hints and speaking no words.

It was clear that he wanted Mo Hua to solve the problem, decipher the mystery, and comprehend the array independently, relying on his own abilities.

Because he knew in his heart that he could not help Mo Hua for a lifetime.

In fact, he would not be able to help him for much longer…

Mo Hua forgot about sleep and food, deriving and calculating the arrays. At night, his divine sense sank into his sea of consciousness and continued calculating on the Dao Stele.

Within the Dao Stele, divine sense could be traced back.

The efficiency of derivation calculation was also higher as a result.

Finally, in the early morning of the next day, Mo Hua derived the array relationships within the shrine’s Five Elements Array diagram.

In the shrine’s structure diagram, with the shrine as the core and the Five Elements Spirit Arrays as wings, the array patterns were rigorous, and the spirit power trajectories weaved together, forming a complex and profound spirit path diagram.

These spirit power trajectories had a total of six convergence points.

Five of these were exactly the positions of the five meditation mats, and one was a hidden position.

This position, on the fourth floor of the Hidden Array Pavilion, was concealed. There was no meditation mat, nor any other markings.

Mo Hua even suspected that perhaps the Great Elder of the Five Elements Sect did not know this position…

Because the calculation was too complex.

Moreover, it had to be extremely precise; not a single minute or millimeter could be wrong.

The divine sense derivation calculation method, which derived the spirit paths of absolute arrays, might not have been much to the previous Five Elements Sect.

But now it was different. To the current Five Elements Sect, it might truly be like a “heavenly book.”

Mo Hua let out a light breath of relief.

No matter what, calculating this position was another step forward from the essence of the Five Elements Spirit Array…

The fourth day.

After the Great Elder burned incense and left, Mo Hua, who had been pretending to meditate, immediately stood up, took out the shrine’s Five Elements diagram that he had derived, and then, contrasting the derived spirit paths, searched for the correct position.

Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi also helped him search.

The entire floor of the Hidden Array Pavilion’s fourth floor was paved with a single complete piece of brick.

The brick was smooth, with no patterns, and not even the slightest point of reference, so determining the position took some time.

After a cup of tea, Mo Hua dropped a drop of ink on a seemingly ordinary position.

This drop of ink was exactly the convergence point of the Five Elements Spirit Paths.

It was also the sixth “meditation mat” for visualizing the shrine.

Mo Hua sighed, “The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect really had many schemes.”

Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi glanced at Mo Hua but did not speak, though they both muttered in their hearts:

“No matter how many schemes they had, they’re not as many as yours…”

The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect used so many methods, hid so many deep secrets, and yet you still dug them out…

“You visualize it.”

Bai Zi Xi urged.

Time was running out. This was already the fourth day, and the five-day period was very close. Not a single moment could be wasted.

“Mm.”

Mo Hua nodded, then sat cross-legged, residing at the convergence position of the Five Elements, “sitting” on the sixth virtual meditation mat, and visualized the shrine.

This time, what he saw was no longer a dojo.

But a gate.

The gate of the shrine!

The gate was deep and heavy, ancient and simple, with five complex patterns engraved on it.

These patterns were very familiar to Mo Hua; they were exactly the array patterns of the First Grade Thirteen Patterns’ Five Elements Spirit Array.

But… the gate was tightly closed…

Mo Hua sighed.

He finally understood how the Five Elements Spirit Array of the Five Elements Sect had lost its transmission.

This gate defended both villains and gentlemen.

It defended outsiders, and it also defended their own people…

The patterns on it were clear and distinct. One look was enough to know that it was a mysterious array.

The spirit paths of the array patterns had been tampered with, like they had been “encrypted.”

Only through derivation calculation could the array be solved and the door opened.

How could an ordinary array master possibly calculate this?

Was this Five Elements Spirit Array not meant for First Grade array masters to learn at all?

The ancestors of the Five Elements Sect definitely had some issues with their brains…

Their own family’s inheritance was wrapped up like a zongzi, tightly bound.

Mo Hua was somewhat speechless in his heart.

But now was clearly not the time for complaining.

He immediately spread out paper, took out his pen and ink, and then carefully, stroke by stroke, copied the complete Five Elements mystery array on the gate.

After copying, two hours had almost passed.

Mo Hua then wiped off the ink mark he had dotted.

Sure enough, not long after, the Great Elder came.

“Time is up, please return.”

The Great Elder’s tone was still polite, but his gaze held a hint of a cold smile.

Mo Hua and the other two could only go back again.

As for the Five Elements mystery array on the shrine gate, Mo Hua could also calculate it himself and solve it, although it would take some time.

But before that, he still went to ask Mr. Zhuang.

Mo Hua showed the copied array diagram to Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang was somewhat surprised but not unexpected.

Mo Hua then understood:

“Master has definitely seen this mystery array in the past. It’s possible that he even personally solved it and entered the shrine.”

But Master would definitely not give him any pointers.

Mo Hua then asked about something else:

“Master, were these methods set by the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect?”

Mr. Zhuang said with some emotion, “You could say so…”

“Why make it so troublesome?”

Mr. Zhuang said with some interest, “To defend against thieves.”

“Defend against thieves?” Mo Hua was startled, then said, “Defend against me?”

Mr. Zhuang smiled slightly, “Yes, you count too.”

“But… even to defend against thieves, it’s too troublesome, isn’t it? Isn’t it making a mountain out of a molehill?”

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, “No, what they defended against was not making a mountain out of a molehill for our generation of disciples! We… this faction of cultivators, from ancient times to the present, have all been people with excellent roots and astonishing talent…”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and involuntarily paused.

Mo Hua was very self-aware, “Master, except for me… everyone else has excellent roots and astonishing talent…”

Mr. Zhuang was silent for a moment, then tactfully said:

“Your roots are a bit worse, but in arrays, you can still be said to have… astonishing talent…”

“Mm-hmm,” Mo Hua nodded, “Master, please continue.”

Mr. Zhuang recalled where he had spoken earlier, then continued:

“If the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect hadn’t set the threshold higher and made the mystery topics more difficult, it would be very easy to see through…”

“It was actually reasonable to use this to defend against us…”

“Only by doing so, the later generations of the Five Elements Sect instead suffered a calamity.”

“Once the sect declined, if the later disciples of the Five Elements Sect were not capable, basically no one could solve the barrier and learn the inheritance.”

“These arrays could only be lost…”

Speaking of this, Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and earnestly instructed:

“In the cultivation world’s sects and families, as long as they are established with arrays, these inheritances are all hidden particularly deeply.”

“The Five Elements Sect’s method of hiding arrays can be said to have its characteristics.”

“It looks simple on the surface, but it’s obscure.”

“Although obscure, it secretly conforms to array principles.”

“The more you pay attention, the more you learn. After cracking it, you can apply the same logic. When you encounter similar array inheritances in the future, you can refer to the Five Elements Sect’s methods and crack and comprehend them yourself.”

Mr. Zhuang’s tone sank slightly, “The cultivation world has tens of thousands of years. Families rise and fall, sects float and sink…”

“Some forces may seem insignificant, but the inheritances of their ancestors cannot be underestimated.”

“These inheritances are often hidden in inconspicuous things.”

“The path of cultivation emphasizes fate. Some people’s fate relies on luck.”

“And some people’s fate relies on insight…”

“Luck is innate and cannot be controlled, but insight is acquired. You can learn, see, and think for yourself…”

“The Great Dao favors those who are observant. You must pay more attention in the future…”

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze was profound and restrained, hiding deep emotions.

“Mm!” Mo Hua nodded solemnly.

He understood that Master was using the inheritance of the Five Elements Sect to teach him methods.

Giving fish is not as good as giving fishing.

Master hoped that in the future, he could rely on his own vision, cognition, and insight to find his fate, seek arrays, and explore the Great Dao…

Mo Hua looked at the weakly breathing Mr. Zhuang, feeling a sense of desolation and complexity in his heart.

By evening, Mo Hua was still forgetting about sleep and food, engrossed in deriving and calculating the array patterns to crack the Five Elements mystery array.

Benefiting from the Dao Stele, Mo Hua’s derivation calculation became faster and faster…

And at this moment, in the Hidden Array Pavilion.

The Great Elder was again in front of the shrine, lighting three incense sticks.

One incense stick had burned one-third, one had burned one-fourth, and the middle one had fire but did not burn, remaining still.

The Great Elder was somewhat relieved and somewhat surprised.

Relieved that the inheritance of the Five Elements Sect was preserved!

There was only one day and two hours left.

There was no way they could comprehend the Five Elements Spirit Array, the Five Elements Sect’s foundational absolute array!

Unexpectedly, that little array master did not comprehend even a bit of the way of the Five Elements Spirit Array from within the shrine…

The Great Elder smiled with slight disdain.

A child prodigy is not necessarily excellent as an adult.

Talented when young, but only that. With potential exhausted, what future is there?

“That little array master, one could say I overestimated him…”

The Great Elder turned and left.

He did not notice that in the shrine’s dojo, the old man carved from wood also smiled strangely…

The mystery array on the gate, although complex, came from the same source as the Five Elements convergence array patterns in front of the shrine. One was convergence, one was divergence.

Mo Hua was familiar with the process. He spent one night deriving the spirit paths of the array.

On the fifth day, which was also the last day agreed upon by the Five Elements Sect for comprehending the Five Elements Spirit Array, Mo Hua was a little nervous but still, as usual, entered the fourth floor of the Hidden Array Pavilion with his little senior brother and little senior sister.

After the Great Elder burned incense and closed the door, he went to the third floor to drink tea with Mr. Zhuang.

It was quiet in front of the shrine.

Mo Hua reconfirmed his position, then began to visualize the shrine.

Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi stood on his left and right, protecting him.

The instant Mo Hua visualized the shrine, the gate dense with array patterns appeared again.

With his divine sense, Mo Hua activated the array. According to the spirit path diagram he had derived yesterday, he little by little restored the array patterns, rediverged the converged spirit paths, and returned each to its original position.

Soon, the complex array diagram on the shrine gate became clear and distinct.

This was a clear-cut depiction of five sets of Five Elements array diagrams.

In the middle of the array diagram, a Taiji-shaped door lock was surrounded.

Mo Hua’s divine thought moved, and the Taiji slowly rotated. The shrine gate also rotated, and the Five Elements flowed, forming a vortex.

Inside the vortex, it was pitch black.

Mo Hua felt a slight chill in his heart.

Before he could think carefully, he felt a suction force emerge from within the void, pulling at his sea of consciousness, as if it wanted to pull his divine sense out of his body.

Mo Hua immediately calmed his heart and concentrated, manifesting himself.

The instant he manifested himself, his divine thought body was sucked in by the gate, left his sea of consciousness, pulled into the gate, and entered the shrine.

The instant his divine sense left his body, the luster in Mo Hua’s eyes dimmed, and they slowly closed. His body also softly slumped down.

Seeing this, Bai Zi Xi immediately hugged Mo Hua, then frowned, tried Mo Hua’s breath, and her brows furrowed even tighter.

Bai Zi Sheng was also startled and hurriedly asked, “What happened?”

Bai Zi Xi’s gaze slightly condensed, “It seems like… divine sense is out of the body?”

Bai Zi Sheng was greatly shocked, “He’s only at the refining qi level… divine sense out of the body can easily lead to loss of life!”

Bai Zi Xi immediately said, “Soul-calming pill and Qi-guarding pill!”

“Oh, oh!” Bai Zi Sheng immediately fumbled through his storage bag, hands busy and feet messy. After a moment, he took out two bottles of pills, selected one from each, and handed them to Bai Zi Xi.

Bai Zi Xi’s white and delicate fingers pinched the pill and fed it into Mo Hua’s mouth.

Mo Hua’s originally gradually pale face became ruddy again.

Between his nose and mouth, his breath also gradually became even.

Bai Zi Xi let out a breath of relief.

Bai Zi Sheng also wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and involuntarily muttered, “How could divine sense be out of the body?” He then looked at Bai Zi Xi and asked:

“What do we do now?”

Bai Zi Xi looked at the shrine and said lightly:

“Wait…”

Bai Zi Sheng had no other options, so he sighed, “That’s all we can do…”

Bai Zi Xi laid Mo Hua flat on the ground, took out a soft blanket, padded it under Mo Hua’s head, then sat down beside him, hugged her knees, and silently looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua only felt a pain in his sea of consciousness and his divine sense lighten.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a spacious square, surrounded by senior ancestors, but they were all wood carvings and clay sculptures.

In addition, spirit beasts competed strangely, a hundred flowers vied for beauty, carriages were like water, and palanquins were like clouds.

There were also treasure vases with flowers, and painted beams and carved pillars.

Every step was a scene, beautiful beyond words.

Mo Hua had seen all these scenes on the shrine.

And this square was exactly the dojo inside the shrine.

However, looking from the outside, every scene and pavilion, every person and thing, was a relief wood carving.

Looking again at this time, they were vivid and lifelike, almost indistinguishable from reality.

Mo Hua released his divine sense and looked around, suddenly frowning.

No, that’s not right!

Everything here was fake, but one thing was not!

He directed his gaze to the dojo above.

Above the dojo, there was an old man.

The old man was a wood carving, with a stiff appearance, wearing wooden clothes, and his beard and hair were all wood carved patterns.

But the instant Mo Hua looked at him, his appearance changed.

His wooden clothes gained color, his stiff face had vitality, his beard and hair turned white, and his gaze became profound, cast from the dojo above towards Mo Hua.

A moment later, his hoarse voice came from above the dojo:

“There are actually still people… who can come in…”

Mo Hua did not know his identity, but seeing that he was old, virtuous, and prestigious, he very politely cupped his hands and bowed, saying:

“Junior Mo Hua greets senior, may I ask who senior is…”

The old man slowly stood up, his expression becoming more lively. The dao robe on his body was variegated in color, finally forming five colors, like a Five Elements dao robe.

His voice was majestic and serious, resounding clearly:

“This old man… is the Twenty-third Generation Transmission Dao Elder of the Five Elements Sect!”

(End of this chapter)