Chapter 10: Drawing Formations
The next morning, after Mo Hua finished breakfast, he put down his chopsticks and returned to his room. He took out the paper and brush for copying, and while his memory of the Ming Fire Array was still clear, he began to copy it stroke by stroke.
The copying used the cheapest and most common ink and paper, which themselves had no Spiritual Qi. The Formation drawn only had a pattern and no effect, so the consumption of Divine Sense was minimal, and there was no need to worry about wasting Spirit Stones if it failed.
Relying on his memory, Mo Hua copied the Formation in one go, with almost no pauses due to the small amount of Divine Sense consumed.
Mo Hua took out the Ming Fire Array diagram and carefully checked it against the Formation he had copied, finding three errors.
Mo Hua set the Formation paper aside, took out a new sheet, and continued to draw. He drew three sheets consecutively, and finally, he successfully copied a complete Ming Fire Array diagram without any errors.
Mo Hua let out a long sigh, stretched, and looked at the small sundial on the table, realizing it was already noon, and only then did he feel hungry.
Liu Ruhua had already prepared the meal, which included rice made from Spiritual Rice, several stir-fried vegetarian dishes, and the only meat dish was Yao Beast chicken eggs. The Spiritual Rice was of lower quality, but it was enough to fill the stomach.
The food was simple and delicious, and Mo Hua ate with great relish. After eating, he ran back to his room to continue practicing copying the Ming Fire Array.
Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua's figure and worriedly said:
"Hua'er is too diligent; he looks like he's lost a lot of weight again."
Mo Shan nodded and said, "Diligence is a good thing, but I'm just afraid he'll wear himself out. Hua'er is naturally frail and has a weak foundation, so he really shouldn't overwork himself."
Liu Ruhua sighed, "It's a pity he didn't inherit your talent for Body Refining; instead, he's frail and sickly like me..."
Mo Shan gently embraced Liu Ruhua's slender shoulders. "How can you blame yourself? When Hua'er was born, his vital Qi was weak, so we found Old Mr. Feng from Apricot Grove Hall to examine him. He said that when a person is born, their Divine Sense and Physical Body are balanced. When Hua'er was born, his Divine Sense was strong, so his Physical Body was weak. Look, although Mo Hua is frail now, which child among our neighbors is as intelligent as he is? Hua'er being so intelligent and handsome, isn't that all thanks to you?"
Liu Ruhua couldn't help but smile, "You always know what to say."
Seeing his wife's brows relax a bit, Mo Shan then said, "This morning I chatted with Old Zhou from the Demon Hunting Team about some matters. I heard that a Demon Hunting Team accidentally killed a Fire Pheasant a few days ago. This kind of chicken is not a Yao Beast, and its meat has a bit of Spiritual Qi. I'll buy some back for Mo Hua to try, and it'll be good for you to recuperate as well."
Liu Ruhua asked, "Do we still have enough Spirit Stones at home?"
"No need," Mo Shan said, "They're brothers I've hunted Yao Beasts with; we have a good relationship. It's the same if we pay after the New Year."
Liu Ruhua placed her Storage Pouch in Mo Shan's hand. "Give as much as you can. We can pay the rest after the New Year. The New Year is approaching, and everyone still needs to earn some Spirit Stones for the holidays."
Mo Shan thought for a moment and nodded, "That's fine too."
While Mo Shan and his wife chatted, Mo Hua remained focused, continuing to draw the Ming Fire Array until evening, by which time he had become quite proficient.
At dinner, Mo Hua also finished quickly, then eagerly returned to his room, held his breath, rested for a moment, and then went to sleep on time, entering his Sea of Consciousness.
The ancient stone tablet stood in a vast, empty Sea of Consciousness.
Mo Hua used his finger as a brush to formally draw the Formation on the stone tablet. The Array Runes on the stone tablet gradually became complete, and Mo Hua's Divine Sense poured out.
When his Divine Sense gradually became scarce, and Mo Hua was about to collapse, he finally completed the Ming Fire Array.
Mo Hua stopped, and the Formation on the stone tablet emitted a warm white light.
The Ming Fire Array is a Formation that only Cultivators at the Qi Refining Third Level can draw. Mo Hua is only at the Qi Refining Second Level, but even though it was difficult, he could now draw a complete Ming Fire Array diagram.
This also meant that even compared to Cultivators at the Qi Refining Third Level, Mo Hua's Divine Sense was in no way inferior.
Mo Hua felt a small surge of pride, then erased the drawn Ming Fire Array, and his Divine Sense immediately became full again.
Mo Hua continued to draw the Ming Fire Array. He had to use this night to completely master the Ming Fire Array diagram, and then tomorrow he would start drawing the Formation officially.
In the vast and silent Sea of Consciousness, Mo Hua drew the Ming Fire Array over and over again, summarizing and reflecting on the various problems he encountered.
Unconsciously, dawn broke, and Mo Hua involuntarily withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness.
Feeling no fatigue, Mo Hua immediately got up, meditated and Cultivated on his bed for a while. After breakfast, he specifically washed his hands and solemnly took out the Formation Materials given by the Fat Manager.
The Materials included ten sheets of Formation paper and ten small bottles of light red ink. The Formation paper was made from Yao Beast skin and some Spiritual Plant scraps, and the ink was concocted from the blood of fire-attribute Yao Beasts and Spiritual liquid. Unlike the paper and ink Mo Hua used for copying, these all contained Spiritual Qi, and of course, they were much more expensive.
The Fat Manager also included a new but crudely made brush, which was not much better than Mo Hua's own. Mo Hua didn't unseal it and found his usual brush more comfortable to use.
Mo Hua spread the Formation paper on the table and carefully poured the ink into the inkstone. The inkstone could preserve the ink's Spiritual Qi for longer, preventing it from dissipating quickly.
Mo Hua reviewed the Array Runes of the Ming Fire Array in his mind before putting his brush to paper to formally draw the Formation.
The process of drawing the Formation was smoother than Mo Hua had imagined. Aside from using real ink and Formation paper, everything felt exactly the same as drawing on the stone tablet in his Sea of Consciousness, even the speed of Divine Sense consumption was identical.
However, due to some nervousness, some strokes were slightly crooked. Although this did not affect the Formation's inherent efficacy, the drawn Formation was somewhat unsightly.
Mo Hua exhausted his Divine Sense and finally drew the Ming Fire Array, but unfortunately, he still made one mistake.
He failed at the first attempt, losing a Spirit Stone...
Mo Hua felt a pang of heartache.
Moreover, with his Divine Sense exhausted, Mo Hua could no longer continue drawing Formations and could only close his eyes to rest.
"I wonder if there's any way to quickly restore Divine Sense..."
Mo Hua thought to himself. He now deeply missed the time when he practiced Formations on the dao tablet. Unfortunately, in reality, the dao tablet could not be used.
Mo Hua rested, and before his Divine Sense had fully recovered, the morning had already passed. Liu Ruhua was already calling Mo Hua for lunch.
At lunch, Mo Hua quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice, then ran back to his room and spread out another sheet of Formation paper.
Looking at the blank Formation paper in front of him, Mo Hua stabilized his emotions, summarized his experience, silently recited "Failure is the mother of success," and began to draw the second Ming Fire Array.
This time, Mo Hua was more focused and careful, only putting his brush down after careful consideration and envisioning the subsequent Array Runes in advance. When his Divine Sense was exhausted and he closed his eyes to rest, he continuously recalled the Ming Fire Array diagram in his mind.
Mo Hua drew very slowly, but time flew by. By dusk, although still intermittently, he finally succeeded in drawing the Ming Fire Array.
Mo Hua could barely conceal his excitement. After the excitement, a sense of exhaustion from depleted Divine Sense washed over him. Mo Hua contentedly collapsed onto the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
When Mo Hua woke up, it was already dark. He felt his stomach rumbling and suddenly smelled a fragrant aroma. Following the scent into the main hall, he saw a large bowl of meat on the table!