Chapter 10: Drawing the Array

Chapter 10: Drawing the Array

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Mo Hua put down his chopsticks and returned to his room. He took out paper and ink for copying and began sketching the Bright Flame Array stroke by stroke, while his memory of it was still relatively fresh. He used the cheapest, most ordinary ink and paper, which lacked spiritual energy. This meant the array he drew was purely a design, with no actual effect, and the mental energy it consumed was minimal. There was no need to worry about wasting spirit stones due to failed attempts.

Relying on memory, Mo Hua sketched out the array in one fluid go. Since the mental energy consumption was low, he hardly needed to pause.

Mo Hua then took out the diagram of the Bright Flame Array and carefully compared it with his own copy, finding three mistakes. He set the paper aside, grabbed another sheet, and resumed drawing. After repeating this process three times, he finally produced an accurate and complete Bright Flame Array diagram without any errors.

Mo Hua let out a long sigh, stretched, and glanced at the small sundial on his desk. It was already noon, and he realized he was hungry.

Liu Ruhua had already prepared lunch, which included rice made from spirit rice, a few stir-fried vegetables, and a single meat dish—an egg from a demon chicken. Although the spirit rice was of lower quality, it was sufficient to fill his stomach.

The simple meal was delicious, and Mo Hua ate with relish. After finishing, he dashed back to his room to continue practicing the Bright Flame Array.

Watching Mo Hua's figure, Liu Ruhua worriedly said,

"This child, Hua'er, is working too hard. He's lost even more weight."

Mo Shan nodded, saying,

"Hard work is good, but I'm afraid it might strain his body. Hua'er was born weak and has a fragile constitution. Overworking isn't wise."

Liu Ruhua sighed,

"It's a pity he didn't inherit your talent for physical cultivation. He's frail, just like me..."

Mo Shan gently wrapped his arm around Liu Ruhua's thin shoulders,

"How can you blame yourself for that? When Hua'er was born, he was very weak. We had Mr. Feng from Xinglin Medical Hall take a look, and he explained that a person's mental energy and physical strength are in balance at birth. Since Hua'er's mental energy was strong, his physical strength was weaker. Look at him now—despite his frailty, he's more intelligent than any child in the neighborhood. Hua'er's intelligence and good looks are all thanks to you."

Liu Ruhua couldn't help but smile,

"You always know what to say."

Seeing his wife's expression soften, Mo Shan added,

"This morning, I had a chat with Old Zhou from the demon-hunting team. He mentioned that they recently killed a Fire Chick. Though it's not a demon beast, its meat contains some spiritual energy. I'll buy some for Mo Hua to try, and it'll also be good for you."

Liu Ruhua asked,

"Do we have enough spirit stones at home?"

"No need," Mo Shan replied. "Those brothers and I have hunted demon beasts together before. We're on good terms, so I'll just pay them after the new year."

Liu Ruhua handed him her storage bag,

"Give them whatever you can for now. Anything missing can be paid back after the new year. With the holidays approaching, everyone needs to earn some spirit stones to celebrate."

Mo Shan thought for a moment and nodded,

"That works."

While Mo Shan and his wife were chatting, Mo Hua stayed focused on drawing the Bright Flame Array. By evening, he had become quite proficient.

At dinner, Mo Hua quickly finished his meal and eagerly returned to his room. After a short rest to calm his mind, he promptly went to bed, where he entered his Sea of Consciousness.

An ancient stone tablet stood amidst a vast, blank space in his Sea of Consciousness. Using his finger as a brush, Mo Hua formally began to draw the array. The array patterns on the stone tablet gradually took shape, and his mental energy started to flow out.

As his mental energy began to deplete and he felt himself nearing exhaustion, Mo Hua finally completed the Bright Flame Array. He stopped, and the array on the stone tablet emitted a gentle white glow.

The Bright Flame Array is usually drawn by cultivators at the third layer of Qi Refining, but Mo Hua, at the second layer, had managed to complete it despite the strain. This meant that his mental energy was on par with that of a third-layer Qi Refining cultivator.

Feeling a small sense of pride, Mo Hua erased the array, instantly replenishing his mental energy. He continued drawing the Bright Flame Array, determined to master it thoroughly by the next day so he could begin drawing arrays for real.

In the quiet, blank space of his Sea of Consciousness, Mo Hua practiced the Bright Flame Array repeatedly, reflecting on and analyzing any issues he encountered.

Before he knew it, dawn arrived, and Mo Hua found himself back in the real world.

Despite the all-night effort, Mo Hua felt no fatigue. He immediately sat up on his bed and meditated for a while. After breakfast, he washed his hands carefully and took out the array materials provided by the plump manager.

The materials included ten sheets of array paper and ten small bottles of pale red ink. The array paper was made from the skins of demon beasts mixed with fragments of spiritual herbs. The ink was formulated from the blood of fire-type demon beasts and spiritual liquid, different from the ordinary paper and ink Mo Hua had used for practice. These materials carried spiritual energy and were much more expensive.

The plump manager had even provided a new brush, although it was roughly made and not much better than the one Mo Hua usually used. He left it unopened and chose his familiar brush instead.

Mo Hua spread the array paper on the table, carefully poured the ink into the inkstone, which helped preserve the ink's spiritual power for longer periods without it dispersing quickly. He reviewed the Bright Flame Array patterns in his mind and then began drawing the array in earnest.

The process went more smoothly than he had expected. Aside from using real paper and ink, it felt identical to drawing on the stone tablet in his Sea of Consciousness, even in terms of mental energy consumption.

Due to a bit of nervousness, however, some strokes were slightly crooked. Although this didn't affect the array's functionality, it did make it look a little sloppy.

Mo Hua spent considerable mental energy and finally completed the Bright Flame Array, but there was still one mistake. The failed attempt cost him a spirit stone, which made his heart ache.

Since his mental energy was drained, he couldn't continue drawing and could only rest with his eyes closed.

"I wonder if there's a way to recover mental energy quickly," Mo Hua mused. He sorely missed the ease of practicing on the Dao Stele, though it was of no use in the real world.

As he rested, the morning had already passed, and Liu Ruhua called him for lunch.

At lunch, Mo Hua took only a few bites before rushing back to his room to lay out another sheet of array paper.

Looking at the blank paper before him, Mo Hua steadied his emotions, reviewed his experiences, and reminded himself that "failure is the mother of success" before beginning his second attempt at the Bright Flame Array.

This time, he was more focused and careful, only moving his brush after careful consideration and visualizing each upcoming pattern. Even when he needed to rest, he continued to visualize the array in his mind.

Though his pace was slow, time passed quickly. By dusk, he had finally managed to complete the Bright Flame Array, albeit in stops and starts.

Mo Hua couldn't hide his excitement, but fatigue soon overcame him as his mental energy had been fully exhausted. He fell onto his bed, thoroughly content, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.

When he awoke, it was already night. Feeling ravenous, he caught a whiff of something delicious and followed it to the main hall, where he found a large bowl of meat on the table.

When he awoke, it was already night. Feeling ravenous, he caught a whiff of something delicious and followed it to the main hall, where he found a large bowl of meat on the table.

Liu Ruhua smiled as she set down a pot of steaming soup beside the meat, "It's meat from the Fire Chick that Mo Shan got today. Try it—it's good for replenishing energy."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. He eagerly took a seat and started eating, savoring the rich flavor and the slight warmth of spiritual energy it brought to his body. The meat was tender, and he could feel his strength gradually returning with each bite.

After finishing, Mo Hua felt revitalized. He thanked Liu Ruhua and Mo Shan before heading back to his room, feeling satisfied and ready for another round of practice. Now that he had tasted a bit of success with the Bright Flame Array, he was more determined than ever to master it completely.

Tonight, his goal was to produce a flawless array that would match the standards of a true cultivator. With renewed energy and focus, he began once more, losing himself in the delicate strokes and patterns, committed to perfecting his craft.