Seeking the Way

When Mo Hua went to see Manager Pang again, he was told that the situation had changed.

Destiny Pavilion was no longer accepting the Minghuo Formation or the Earth Stabilizing Formation.

Mo Hua was stunned and suspiciously asked, "The Minghuo Formation is used for illumination, and the Earth Stabilizing Formation is for building houses. Unless no one lives in Tongxian City anymore, there's no reason they wouldn't be in demand."

Manager Pang internally blamed Mo Hua. Being too smart isn't always a good thing; it makes him hard to fool. Deciding not to make excuses, as more lies would be harder to sustain, he simply waved his hand and said, "How should I know? The market is what it is, and I can't help it!"

Mo Hua was speechless. He had only saved half the spirit stones he needed to learn new techniques, so he asked, "What formations are you accepting now?"

Manager Pang coughed and took out a formation diagram with the words "Golden Stone Formation Diagram" on the cover.

"We're now accepting the Golden Stone Formation, which also contains four lines of formation patterns, similar to the Earth Stabilizing Formation."

Mo Hua looked at the diagram and asked, "Manager, what is the Golden Stone Formation used for?"

Manager Pang replied, "It's similar to the Earth Stabilizing Formation, used to reinforce the walls, windows, and doors of a residence, but it strengthens stone and metal instead of wood and soil."

Mo Hua frowned, "If it serves a similar purpose to the Earth Stabilizing Formation, why would there be demand for the Golden Stone Formation when the Earth Stabilizing Formation isn't in use?"

Manager Pang glared at him and said firmly, "The market is the market, kid. Don't ask so many questions!"

"And this formation is also worth three spirit stones per set?"

Originally, it should have been...

Manager Pang felt a bit pained but increased the price, "This one should also be worth three spirit stones, but it's currently in short supply, so the price has gone up a bit. Each set is now four spirit stones, but we only accept five sets every half month."

In short supply but not accepting more?

Mo Hua found Manager Pang's behavior a bit odd, but since this was Destiny Pavilion's business, he didn't question it too much. As long as he could earn spirit stones, that was enough.

If he completed all the drawings successfully, he could earn twenty spirit stones every half month, which was quite a substantial amount.

"Alright, deal!"

Manager Pang breathed a sigh of relief and took out a storage bag from under the counter, as if it had been prepared in advance, and handed it to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua took the storage bag, checked it, and confirmed it contained the "Golden Stone Formation Diagram" and five sets of paper and ink. He then bowed to Manager Pang and left.

As he was about to reach the door, Manager Pang couldn't help but call out to him, "Mo Hua."

Mo Hua turned around, and Manager Pang hesitated before asking, "Do you find this formation difficult?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment. Since it was similar to the Earth Stabilizing Formation and he had previously learned from Instructor Yan, it wasn't particularly difficult. "It's alright," he replied.

Mo Hua took a few steps, then turned back and added, "My brother should be able to draw it."

"Oh," Manager Pang looked at him with a complex expression and nodded, "Keep up the good work."

"By the way," Manager Pang called out to Mo Hua again, "My surname is Mo. You can call me Manager Mo."

Mo Hua nodded, "Alright, Manager Mo, I'll remember that."

Mo Hua returned to Tongxian Sect and took some time to study the Golden Stone Formation. Thanks to its similarity to the Earth Stabilizing Formation and the guidance he had received from Instructor Yan, he found it relatively easy to understand.

One day, before a formation class, Instructor Yan had the corrected formation assignments distributed. Mo Hua's diagram only received a grade of "B."

Mo Hua looked at it from left to right and compared it with the sect's "Detailed Explanation of Formations," finding no mistakes. Why only a "B"?

Mo Hua was puzzled.

A disciple sitting next to him saw the "B" on Mo Hua's diagram and exclaimed, "Wow, Mo Hua, you only got a B."

Mo Hua looked at the "C" on the other disciple's diagram and remained silent.

The disciple quickly covered his own "C" grade with his hand, laughed awkwardly, and then curiously asked, "How did you only get a B?"

Mo Hua, also puzzled, replied, "I didn't make any mistakes. I don't know why it's only a B."

"If you didn't make any mistakes, how could the instructor give you a B?"

Mo Hua showed him the formation diagram, "Can you see where I went wrong?"

The disciple, feeling justified, said, "If I could figure that out, I wouldn't have gotten a C!"

Other disciples around them craned their necks to look at Mo Hua's diagram and commented:

"I can't see any mistakes."

"Mo Hua, did you offend the instructor?"

"Be careful, the instructor might punish you."

"Instructor Yan isn't that kind of person though..."

Before they could finish speaking, Instructor Yan entered the Daoist room, and the group of disciples quickly shrank back, quietly sitting like quails, not daring to make a sound.

Instructor Yan taught the class as usual. At the end of the lesson, he said, "Cultivation is like rowing a boat against the current; you must move forward or be swept back. The way of formations is the same. You must not be lazy and waste your time and talent."

After speaking, Instructor Yan glanced around sternly and finally looked at Mo Hua, "Mo Hua, come with me."

"Yes." Mo Hua stood up respectfully and followed Instructor Yan out of the Daoist room.

Seeing Instructor Yan leave, the disciples inside started whispering again:

"Oh no, Mo Hua is in trouble now."

"Did the instructor say someone was lazy? Was he talking about Mo Hua?"

"But I'm also lazy, why didn't the instructor call me?"

"Can you compare yourself to Mo Hua? He's excellent at drawing formations and is highly regarded by the instructor."

"Thank goodness the instructor doesn't focus on me. Please, don't pay attention to me..."

Mo Hua followed Instructor Yan out of the Daoist room, past the alchemy room and the artifact refining room, and finally out of Tongxian Peak.

Along the way, Instructor Yan didn't say a word. Occasionally, they were greeted by disciples or other instructors and sect elders, to whom he responded with a nod or a bow.

Instructor Yan led Mo Hua all the way to his residence on Tongming Peak.

Tongming Peak is where the sect master, elders, instructors, and inner disciples live and cultivate. It was Mo Hua's first time there, and the environment was indeed much more serene and beautiful. Many courtyards were filled with a variety of spiritual flowers and herbs, with some spirit beasts like golden pheasants leisurely walking around.

These pheasants could only be so carefree on Tongming Peak. If they were on Tongxian Peak, they wouldn't see the sun the next day.

Mo Hua thought of the roasted chicken leg Shuang Hu had given him.

There was a formation outside Instructor Yan's residence, with a small Eight Trigrams disc on the door. This must have been set up by Instructor Yan himself, as no other courtyards or residences had such a feature.

Instructor Yan's fingers moved over the Eight Trigrams disc, and the door flashed with light before opening.

Once inside, Instructor Yan sat at the desk and directly asked Mo Hua, "Do you want to become a formation master?"

Mo Hua modestly replied, "Disciple's talents are limited, I'm afraid I can't become a formation master."

Instructor Yan frowned, "Whether you want to is one thing; whether you have talent is another. Don't lose your original intent by only looking at the results. All beings eventually die, but does that mean we shouldn't live?"

Hearing this, Mo Hua solemnly replied, "Disciple wants to become a formation master!"

"Why do you want to?"

"Because cultivation is difficult, and formations can be a means to make a living."

"And what else?"

"Seeking the Dao to become immortal, understanding formations can help in seeking the Dao."

Instructor Yan frowned, "The Dao is elusive and distant; cultivators might spend their whole lives without ever glimpsing it."

Mo Hua said, "As you mentioned, attaining the Dao is in the heavens, but seeking the Dao is up to us. Since cultivators seek the Dao, whether we ultimately attain it or not, we must not lose our heart for seeking the Dao."

Instructor Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded, "From now on, after class every day, come to my place. For today, you can go back."

"Yes." Mo Hua, not fully understanding, still bowed and took his leave.

Instructor Yan watched him leave and, after a long while, sighed, "A promising student indeed."

(End of the chapter)