Repairing the Array

"Meltfire Array..." Mo Hua murmured.

"Not bad," Master Chen nodded. Seeing Mo Hua recognize the formation, he felt somewhat affirmed and spoke more seriously:

"Mo, my young friend, please see if there's a problem with this formation. I'm completely clueless about this and can't figure out anything."

Master Chen instructed someone to wipe away the black ashes on the refining furnace, and Mo Hua leaned over the furnace mouth, carefully examining the Meltfire Array patterns on the furnace wall.

Although he couldn't yet completely draw it, after days and nights of practice, he had become thoroughly familiar with the array's strokes. Soon, he pointed to several places and said to Master Chen:

"It indeed seems to be a problem with the formation. These areas are worn out, preventing spiritual energy from conducting properly, thus rendering the array ineffective."

Impressed by Mo Hua's logical explanation, Master Chen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. However, he then furrowed his brow:

"Then we'll have to ask a formation master for help. Sigh, the market isn't good these days. I wonder how many spirit stones this will cost us..."

Mo Hua asked, "Is it expensive to hire a formation master to repair formations?"

"Naturally," Master Chen replied, "There aren't many formation masters to begin with, and for cases like this that require specific repairs, it'll cost extra spirit stones. Otherwise, they won't be willing to come."

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and suggested, "How about I give it a try?"

"You?" Master Chen was surprised. "Are you already a formation master?"

Mo Hua modestly waved his hand, "Not quite. I've only learned some formations from my sect's teacher, and coincidentally, I've studied this particular formation."

Looking at Mo Hua, who was only half his height and looked youthful, Master Chen tactfully said, "Maybe not. You're still a child; I don't want you to overexert yourself."

Understanding Master Chen's concerns, Mo Hua changed his approach, "Master Chen, the ones you're considering hiring might not be genuine formation masters."

"Well..." Master Chen hesitated, "Some of them are just apprentices, not quite masters. But in seeking their help, we need to speak well of them. Whether they're true masters or not, calling them that makes them happy, and things tend to go smoothly. We're not entirely sure about their skills, but as long as they fix the formation, it's fine."

"Do they always succeed in fixing it?" Mo Hua asked.

Master Chen thought for a moment and replied, "Sometimes it goes smoothly and they fix it quickly. Other times, they spend a long time tinkering with it and still fail. Eventually, we have to find someone else to get it done."

"Well, most of them are probably apprentices anyway. Even if their formation skills are better than mine, they're not that much higher," Mo Hua confidently stated.

Of course, the skills of genuine apprentices should generally surpass Mo Hua's, but some apprentices might indeed not be much better than him.

Mo Hua continued, "Whether they try or I try, at worst, if it doesn't work out, you can still call them in."

"That... makes some sense..." Master Chen was somewhat swayed, but still hesitant. Seeing this, Mo Hua continued:

"Even if you hire a formation master, they won't come immediately. It depends on their availability. Delaying even a day means one less day of income for the refining workshop. In the long run, it might not be sustainable."

Business at the refining workshop was decent, but profit margins were slim. Master Chen didn't want to cut corners, so all earnings were hard-earned. Moreover, he had to support these apprentices' livelihoods. If the downtime was prolonged, it would indeed pose financial difficulties.

Master Chen sighed, feeling a headache coming on. Finally, gritting his teeth, he said, "Alright, young friend Mo, give it a try."

After saying this, he cautiously added, "But just try. Don't force it. Don't damage the formation..."

Mo Hua assured him, "Don't worry, at most, it won't work out."

Master Chen felt somewhat comforted yet also uncertain.

Mo Hua asked Master Chen to wait briefly while he returned home to fetch ink, a brush, and fire-element ink. He also brought the Meltfire Array diagram with him to the refining workshop and showed it to Master Chen.

Seeing that the diagram matched the formation on the refining furnace, Master Chen felt a bit reassured. At least Mo Hua wasn't completely unreliable.

This was Mo Hua's first time drawing a formation on a spiritual tool. He was somewhat nervous, but thankfully, he had practiced the Meltfire Array countless times, so once he started, his mind calmed down.

Repairing a formation was different from drawing one. It didn't require much spiritual energy since the formation itself was intact. Mo Hua only needed to reconnect the damaged array patterns with ink.

The challenge lay in the sharpness of his eyes, his meticulousness, and his familiarity with the formation.

Mo Hua focused intensely as he leaned over the stove, completely absorbed in his task.

Less than half an hour later, Mo Hua had finished repairing the array. He spent another tea's worth of time double-checking everything to ensure there were no issues before finally sighing in relief.

Master Chen anxiously watched from the side, afraid Mo Hua might have damaged the array. Seeing Mo Hua's dirty clothes and smudges on his face, he asked hurriedly, "Is it... repaired?"

Mo Hua, unsure, replied, "It should be fine. Should we try lighting a fire?"

Master Chen's expression was mixed, but he proceeded with several apprentices to reseal the array, reinstall the refining furnace, embed spirit stones into it, and ignite it with spiritual power.

However, the fire did not ignite.

Mo Hua froze, rubbed his chin, and with his face now dirtier than before from the ash marks, he asked, "Why isn't there a fire? The array should have been repaired."

Master Chen inquired, "Young friend, are you sure the array is not the issue?"

Mo Hua retrieved the Meltfire Array diagram, carefully compared it again, and nodded, "The array itself is fine."

Master Chen touched the furnace, felt its temperature, and instructed the apprentices, "The spiritual power is insufficient. Add more spirit stones and throw in a branding iron."

The apprentices followed his instructions, and gradually, the temperature of the furnace began to rise.

Soon enough, flames "whooshed" out.

Master Chen was overjoyed, "It's working!"

The apprentices were also delighted. With the furnace operational, they had work to do and could continue learning under their master. Therefore, their admiring gazes towards Mo Hua carried respect.

Mo Hua was equally pleased, saying, "Let's refine a spiritual tool to test it out and see if there are any problems."

Master Chen casually threw in a knife, and after some time refining, he commented with a hint of regret, "It works without major issues, but the heat seems slightly weaker than before. It might take longer to refine items."

Mo Hua was puzzled, "With the same array, why would the heat be weaker? Could it be that the effectiveness of the array diminishes after repair?"

Master Chen shook his head, "We've repaired it a few times before, and the heat didn't drop much."

"Why would that be, then?"

Mo Hua furrowed his brow, pondering if he hadn't drawn the array well enough.

After a moment of thought, Master Chen pointed to the ink in Mo Hua's inkstone, "Perhaps it's the ink? The previous repairmen used ink that was noticeably darker and redder than yours, almost like it was burning."

Mo Hua suddenly realized. He had opted for cheaper fire-element ink for convenience and cost-saving measures. While it sufficed for practicing arrays daily, its performance on spiritual tools was evidently inferior.

"For the array to work effectively, we need higher-grade spiritual ink," Mo Hua silently noted, feeling a bit embarrassed, "It seems the issue lies with the ink I purchased. The cheap one may not ignite spiritual power effectively."

"Why say that? Even with slightly reduced heat, it still works. Ultimately, I should thank you," Master Chen said, thinking it over. He then gritted his teeth and added, "The forging fee for the furnace, you don't have to pay. I'll forge the furnace for you for free. But I won't refund the material costs, as I still need to feed this group of youngsters."

Mo Hua glanced around the spacious yet simple refining workshop, observing the sweat-covered apprentices with their faces smeared in black ash. He understood that earning spirit stones was not easy for them either, so he said, "Master Chen, let's give a fifty percent discount on the forging fee."

Master Chen shook his head firmly, "No, that won't do. I've already benefited from this. When others are asked to repair this array, it usually costs at least a couple hundred spirit stones."

"We don't need to give that much."

Master Chen became stubborn, "As a cultivator, integrity is essential. Once I've said I won't take your spirit stones, I must stick to it!"

His straightforwardness was quite impressive...

Mo Hua had no choice. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "Alright then, no forging fee. Once the furnace is completed, I'll give some spirit stones as your and everyone else's hard-earned fee."

"This..."

Master Chen momentarily couldn't sort out the difference between forging fees and hard-earned fees, feeling they were somewhat similar yet somehow not quite.

"It's like asking a friend for help; sometimes you need to pay a fee," Mo Hua added.

"Then... alright."

Master Chen felt Mo Hua's reasoning made sense.

The apprentices also looked at Mo Hua gratefully.

Their families were not well-off, and working as apprentices provided them with some allowance. If they couldn't earn spirit stones, their already difficult lives would become even harder. Earning even a single extra spirit stone would make life a bit easier.

"Well then! It's getting late; I need to go home for dinner!" Mo Hua waved his little hand in farewell.

Master Chen cautioned Mo Hua to be careful on the way home and added, "Whenever you need forging, come find me. I'll give you a discount!"

(End of the Chapter)