Chapter 9: Bright Flame Array

In the Sea of Consciousness, Mo Hua's form looked just like his physical body, moving as he wished. However, it wasn't flesh and blood, nor was it made of spiritual energy—it was merely a phantom of his Divine Sense.

Holding his breath, Mo Hua concentrated, using his finger as a brush to draw the array patterns of the Bright Flame Array on the Dao Stele.

As his finger traced the air, pale blue lines gradually appeared on the pitch-black surface of the Dao Stele. These lines wove through the air, one by one, evolving from simple shapes into complex, intricate patterns.

After finishing the second array pattern, Mo Hua began to feel an unusual exhaustion, even pain, as he continued drawing.

It was as if a dam had burst within his Sea of Consciousness, causing his Divine Sense to flow out like a relentless tide.

The more Divine Sense that flowed out, the closer his Sea of Consciousness came to depletion. Like a riverbed exposed as the water recedes, his Sea of Consciousness began to crack under an unidentifiable pressure, causing a prickling pain on his scalp.

Mo Hua's thoughts started to become sluggish, and he found himself drawing the third array pattern more and more slowly.

Suddenly, a sharp, needle-like pain surged through his Sea of Consciousness. Mo Hua lost focus for a moment, his hand slipped, and he made a mistake on the array pattern on the Dao Stele.

He had to stop, clutching his head as he waited for the pain to gradually subside.

After a full cup of tea's time, Mo Hua finally felt better. As he reflected, he realized:

"A cultivator drawing array patterns requires a tremendous amount of Divine Sense. The consumption is far greater than that of other Daoist practices! Much more than I had anticipated!"

"That's why the diagrams specifically marked with vermilion warn that those without sufficient cultivation should be cautious. If your realm isn't high enough, and your Divine Sense isn't strong enough, forcing yourself to replicate array patterns will overly deplete your Divine Sense, which could even lead to total depletion..."

Divine Sense depletion brings intense pain to cultivators and can even cause cracks in the Sea of Consciousness. If the cracks become too severe, the Sea of Consciousness could shatter entirely, resulting in death.

Mo Hua remembered his instructor mentioning this in the array class. He hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now he felt a chill in his heart.

"The Bright Flame Array requires the third level of Qi Refining, but I'm only at the second level. My Divine Sense is indeed a bit lacking..."

Mo Hua lay on the ground of his Sea of Consciousness, holding his head as he pondered:

"Though I'm a bit short, it shouldn't be by much. My Divine Sense is naturally stronger than others, and I've been studying arrays for quite some time. With enough practice, I might still be able to complete it."

"If I can't finish it in one attempt, I'll do it again, and again... Each time my Divine Sense strengthens a little, even if I can draw just one more line than before, eventually, I'll be able to complete the array."

Having thought it through, Mo Hua got up, wiped away the unfinished array patterns on the Dao Stele, and felt his Divine Sense replenish once more.

It was as if he had never drawn an array at all. Yet each stroke was now deeply engraved in Mo Hua's memory.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude.

If it weren't for this Dao Stele, his Divine Sense would be nearing depletion, and he might have to rest for who knows how long before he could attempt the second run. To learn the Bright Flame Array, he estimated it might take ten days to half a month. But if it took longer than ten days, the spirit stones he'd put up as collateral would be completely forfeited.

The thought made his heart ache. Mo Hua refocused his Divine Sense and began drawing the Bright Flame Array again…

In the blankness of his Sea of Consciousness, time felt as if it had no meaning.

Mo Hua drew for a while, then paused, rested, and when he couldn't continue, he'd erase it all and start over from scratch.

He didn't know how many attempts it took, but finally, he completed the full array pattern of the Bright Flame Array.

With a long sigh of relief, Mo Hua collapsed on the ground, feeling like a small fish whose Divine Sense had been utterly squeezed dry.

After resting for half a cup of tea's time, Mo Hua mustered the strength to stand and admire the Bright Flame Array he had finally completed for the first time.

On the Dao Stele, a pale blue pattern was painted across the surface, each line meticulous and elegant. It emanated a mysterious sense of power, as if it held hidden rules and forces.

So, this is an array!

Mo Hua was transfixed, feeling that nothing in the world could be more beautiful than these lines filled with profound principles. Just gazing at it, he felt an urge to become fully immersed…

As he looked closer, Mo Hua sensed something was amiss.

When he had drawn it, the array lines had been pale blue, but now they seemed to be fading, growing dim, and slowly turning a light gray.

It was as if the Dao Stele were telling him he had made a mistake…

Mo Hua froze.

"A mistake?"

"That can't be..."

Feeling slightly discouraged, he rallied himself and meticulously inspected each line. He quickly discovered that he had indeed made mistakes—not just one, but several.

Some lines had extra strokes; others had wrong connecting angles, and still, others had incorrect fusions of the flame motifs...

It was because of these mistakes that his Divine Sense hadn't depleted as much, allowing him to complete the array.

Scratching his head, Mo Hua resolved to remember the errors before erasing the array and starting over again.

After repeating this process many times, Mo Hua felt dizzy. The pain from his Sea of Consciousness left him feeling numb, and the array patterns on the Dao Stele began to blur and overlap in his vision.

At some point, in a state of near delirium, he finished the last stroke.

The Dao Stele seemed to tremble slightly, and the pale blue lines on the array emitted a gentle white light, with a faint flicker of firelight, like a candle illuminating the dark night.

The Bright Flame Array!

Mo Hua couldn't hide his excitement as the exhaustion of the night melted away.

For the first time in his life, he felt the power of a cultivator—the feeling of using his own understanding to create, manifesting the principles of the Heavenly Rules through an array and harnessing the forces of the world.

It was just a small step, a slight hint of power, but it was the first drop in the river leading to the great Dao!

Though the Bright Flame Array was only for illumination, one of the simplest and cheapest arrays in cultivation, it illuminated the first steps on Mo Hua's path of cultivation.

Eager to draw it a few more times, he knew that his Divine Sense was now like a flickering candle flame, too fragile to withstand further strain.

Continuing now, his Sea of Consciousness might not deplete, but he would surely lose his sanity.

After all, although Divine Sense could recover, the process of drawing arrays gradually drains it, and it's not exactly pleasant.

This was Mo Hua's first time creating an official array, but it certainly wouldn't be his last.

He planned to practice the Bright Flame Array a few times each night. Once he had it down, he'd go to the Array Pavilion, gather materials, and sell his completed arrays for spirit stones to cover the sect fees, so his parents wouldn't have to work so hard.

"That's enough for tonight..."

The Bright Flame Array shimmered on the Dao Stele, and Mo Hua took one last, appreciative look before reluctantly erasing the array.

As he did, his Divine Sense returned like the ebb and flow of tides, like the moon's waxing and waning, filling his Sea of Consciousness once more, as if he had just entered it a few hours ago.

The sensation of going from fullness to depletion, then from depletion back to fullness, was always profound, no matter how many times he experienced it.

And this time, it felt even more so than ever.

Mo Hua gazed at the Dao Stele, the black surface appearing like a void, seemingly empty yet holding everything within, containing nothing yet capable of revealing all.

To transform Divine Sense into arrays and arrays back into Divine Sense, with existence and nonexistence giving rise to one another.

An old saying from an ancient text surfaced in his mind:

"To benefit from existence, and to be useful from nonexistence!"