Big Furnace

After mastering the first-grade Melting Fire Array, the next step was to officially inscribe it onto the refining furnace.

The next day, Elder Yu informed Mo Hua that the refining furnace had arrived.

A towering refining furnace, several meters tall, stood majestically in the courtyard.

It had a simple and ancient form, standing on three legs with a roof-like top, a large belly like a basin, and adorned with cloud patterns all over. Made of refined iron, it gleamed with a deep black-gray luster.

Mo Hua looked up at the refining furnace, unable to help but widen his mouth in astonishment.

Mo Hua, who was already in his early teens, looked even smaller standing in front of the refining furnace.

It wasn't just Mo Hua who was amazed; Master Chen beside him was also deeply moved.

He walked around the refining furnace, looking left and right, wanting to reach out and touch it, yet hesitating, as if the refining furnace was just a phantom he imagined, and touching it would make it vanish instantly.

In his entire life, he had never seen such a large refining furnace.

When he was studying, he had always rented other people's refining furnaces, which were small and simple, with limited firepower. It took half a day to heat a piece of iron rod. It was time-consuming and laborious, and the spiritual tools produced were not satisfactory.

Later, as an assistant in refining, he worked day and night, saved up spiritual stones for a long time, and finally bought his own refining furnace. His furnace wasn't large, and his refining shop was also small, but he was already content.

Many refining Forges might spend their whole lives without owning their own refining furnace, let alone opening their own refining shop.

He had also studied at other large refining workshops and seen real first-grade refining furnaces. The enormous size of those furnaces and the roaring flames inside had made him envious.

But those were all belonging to others, unrelated to him. He could only look and admire; in his whole life, he might never have the opportunity to use a first-grade refining furnace to refine a spiritual tool.

Yet now, a brand-new and intact refining furnace stood right before him.

This was a genuine first-grade refining furnace, and compared to all the first-grade refining furnaces he had seen before, it was larger.

And he could use this refining furnace to refine spiritual tools!

Master Chen could hardly believe it, even just thinking about it felt like a dream, something he still found difficult to believe.

Elder Yu looked somewhat pleased. "Well, how about it? This furnace is big enough, isn't it?"

Mo Hua nodded slowly and said, "I did ask for a larger furnace, but this one is a bit too big."

"Didn't you tell me to get a larger furnace?"

"I did say that, but this one seems a bit too big..." Mo Hua hesitated, then asked, "Are all first-grade refining furnaces this large?"

"No, this one is especially large, that's why it couldn't be sold." Elder Yu replied.

Mo Hua was surprised. "Couldn't be sold?"

"Yes, too big and impractical, so it couldn't be sold." Elder Yu examined the refining furnace in front of him and said, "Generally, smaller refining shops use smaller furnaces. Even for medium to large refining shops, using a first-grade refining furnace this size would be unnecessary."

"Large furnaces are harder to inscribe with array formations, and they require more materials, making them expensive to produce and sell. If it weren't for us having a spiritual mine and being financially well-off, we wouldn't be able to afford it."

"If they can't sell it, why did they make such a big refining furnace?" Mo Hua wondered.

"If they didn't make it, how would they know it couldn't be sold?" Elder Yu patted the furnace and said, "Besides, isn't it sold now? We bought it!"

Mo Hua was momentarily speechless, unable to argue.

Elder Yu chuckled again, "We got a bargain too. This refining furnace has been sitting around for years, no one was interested in it at all. It gave me a perfect excuse to heavily discount it."

Mo Hua was secretly surprised. If Elder Yu thought it was "heavily" discounted, just how much of a discount did he mean...

"Alright, the furnace is here now. It's up to you from here on," Elder Yu patted Mo Hua on the shoulder.

"Good, you can count on me!"

Mo Hua instructed someone to unpack the refining furnace first, then measured its dimensions and specifications. He recorded everything on paper and began to consider the array design.

With such a large refining furnace, Mo Hua decided to attempt the First-Grade Melting Fire Controlling Array.

However, there were many variations of arrays that included the First-Grade Melting Fire Array, and the specifications and shapes of refining furnaces varied greatly. Therefore, Mo Hua needed to carefully consider which array style to use, how to construct the compound array, and how to inscribe the array onto the refining furnace.

After careful consideration, Mo Hua finally chose a formation called the "First-Grade Melting Fire Spiritual Control Compound Array" to use on this large first-grade refining furnace.

The First-Grade Melting Fire Spiritual Control Compound Array consisted of a basic structure of five elemental arrays, with a central array core connecting two sets of First-Grade Melting Fire Arrays, a Spiritual Gathering Array, a Cold Qi Array, and a Metal and Stone Array.

It had a total of one core array and five subsidiary arrays, including two sets of First-Grade arrays!

This was the most difficult array Mo Hua had ever attempted to draw, requiring immense consumption of mental energy and astonishing demands on mental strength.

Mo Hua decided that if he could learn it, he would inscribe this compound array. If he couldn't, he would compromise by omitting one set of First-Grade Melting Fire Arrays, significantly reducing the difficulty of the entire compound array.

However, this would be a compromise and a fallback plan.

If possible, Mo Hua still wanted to try and complete this compound array.

After all, opportunities to practice array formations and apply them practically were rare. Mo Hua cherished them greatly.

Mo Hua spent some time designing a preliminary diagram based on the specifications, dimensions of the refining furnace, interior wall layout, and the basic formations required for the First-Grade Melting Fire Spiritual Control Compound Array.

After checking it over, Mo Hua found no major omissions; he had considered everything he could— or at least, everything he thought he could.

He then took the diagram to Master Zhuang for review.

Master Zhuang involuntarily raised an eyebrow and thought to himself that the things his disciple brought to him for advice were becoming increasingly audacious.

Mo Hua was only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, yet he was seeking advice on a compound array that included two sets of First-Grade arrays, modified to fit his adjusted refining furnace.

While not perfect, it was still usable with some effort.

Master Zhuang glanced over it and casually pointed out a few areas, "Consider these parts again. The flow of spiritual power will be obstructed if you draw it like this, and it will consume more spiritual stones during the refining process."

Mo Hua nodded hastily.

Spiritual stones were not easy to come by; he couldn't afford any waste!

"Also, the function of the core array here isn't just to link the individual arrays into a compound. It also controls the flow of spiritual power, adjusting the intensity of the refining furnace's heat. When you draw it, pay close attention to this," Master Zhuang added.

"Understood, Master."

Mo Hua asked a few more questions, and Master Zhuang answered each one.

After finishing his questions and preparing to take his leave, Mo Hua suddenly remembered another question. Humbly, he asked, "Master, do I now have the capability of a First-Grade Array Master?"

Master Zhuang silently looked at him for a moment, "Yes, you do."

If you're already drawing compound arrays with two sets of First-Grade arrays, there aren't many cultivators in the realm of Qi Refinement who can still be called First-Grade Array Masters.

That's what Master Zhuang silently thought.

Mo Hua asked again, "Should I participate in the Dao Court's assessment for the First Grade?"

Master Zhuang fell silent. After pondering for a long time, he finally said, "Not yet. It's not always a good thing to become famous at a young age. You still have a lot to learn. Take some time to settle down first."

(End of the Chapter)