Chapter 69: Six Runes
Chen's Forging Hall.
Master Chen was leading his apprentices in a flurry of hammering—sparks flying, molten heat rising. Each time the metal embryo was forged into shape, they plunged it into the refining furnace to quench, then pulled it out glowing red-hot for another round of strikes.
Usually, when he lectured his apprentices, Master Chen would always demand full concentration—no distractions while forging!
But today, his own mind was wandering.
Because not far away, little Mo Hua was standing there, staring at them with bright, burning eyes.
Early that morning, Mo Hua had wandered over and said he wanted to "observe the forging process."
Master Chen couldn't turn him away. He owed the boy a small favor, and besides, he'd done some profitable business with him before. So he reluctantly agreed.
Now, Mo Hua had been watching for half the morning—mostly staring not at the smiths, but at the refining furnace itself. His eager, inquisitive gaze made it seem like he wanted to take the furnace apart just to see what was inside.
And of course—inside a refining furnace was something precious: a formation.
Master Chen couldn't guess what this little array prodigy was plotting, and the uncertainty left him uneasy. During a break, he finally asked cautiously:
"Ahem, Mo Hua… what brings you here today, exactly?"
Mo Hua leaned closer and whispered mysteriously,
"Master Chen, don't you think… the fire in your furnace is a little weak?"
Master Chen glanced at the furnace.
"Well… it is a bit smaller than before…"
"Do you know why that is?"
"Maybe… something to do with the formation?"
Mo Hua nodded, beaming. "As expected of Master Chen—sharp eyes!" He laid on the flattery thick, then lowered his voice again. "Wouldn't you like the fire to burn… stronger?"
"Stronger?"
"Yes, much stronger!"
Master Chen's brow twitched. "You're not thinking of tearing down my furnace and redrawing the formation, are you!?"
Mo Hua gave him a big thumbs-up. "As expected of Master Chen—spot on!"
Master Chen's head shook so fast it looked like a rattle-drum. "No, no, absolutely not! That's my livelihood! If you take it apart and it doesn't work, my whole workshop will be out begging for scraps!"
Then, afraid he'd hurt Mo Hua's pride, he quickly added,
"Not that I doubt your skills, little brother. Truly, I've never met a child with such talent in formations! But this furnace really can't be risked—if it's damaged, I don't have enough spirit stones to buy another."
Mo Hua waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I know this formation well. It won't go wrong."
But Master Chen stood firm.
Then Mo Hua leaned in with a sly grin.
"Think about it—if the furnace burned hotter, you could forge faster, right? Your apprentices would learn quicker, finish earlier, and you'd earn more spirit stones. As they say: to do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools!"
Master Chen rubbed his chin. That… wasn't entirely unreasonable. But still, his face showed hesitation.
Mo Hua played his trump card: "I won't charge you any spirit stones. I'll do it for free!"
That silenced Master Chen completely.
Hiring another formation master to repair a refining furnace cost plenty of spirit stones—let alone a full re-inscription. A free upgrade from a prodigy? That was worth the risk.
"Then… about the spiritual ink…" Master Chen looked meaningfully at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua looked right back at him, equally meaningfully—
I'm already giving you free work, and you still want me to supply the materials?
Master Chen forced an awkward smile, gritted his teeth, and shouted,
"Dazhu! Go find Old Sun and tell him to bring a few bottles of his finest Fire-type spiritual ink—no watering it down!"
Dazhu scratched his head. "Uh… what about payment, Master?"
"Put it on tab!"
"Old Sun's really stingy, though…"
"Tell him the furnace's formation broke. If he won't give us ink, the batch of artifacts he ordered will be delayed till next year!"
"Got it!"
Dazhu took off like a startled rabbit.
Master Chen was nothing if not decisive. He clapped his hands and declared, "No more forging today—disassemble the furnace!"
The apprentices exchanged uneasy glances, but Master Chen's word was law. They quickly extinguished the fire, cooled the furnace with water, waited for the heat to fade, then began taking it apart. Once the inner lining was removed, the engraved formation beneath was revealed.
It was an Molten Fire Array—composed of five formation lines. Mo Hua's handiwork from before. Seeing it again filled him with a faint sense of nostalgia.
He pulled out a small flask of Spirit-Dissolving Solution and handed it to the apprentices, instructing them to wipe the furnace with it.
The previous Molten Fire Array had burned weakly for two reasons:
First, because it only contained five formation lines—limiting its power.
Second, because Mo Hua had drawn it hastily with cheap spiritual ink that transmitted spiritual energy poorly.
The Spirit-Dissolving Solution could erase spiritual ink—it was a formula Mo Hua had learned from Bai Zixi.
Among cultivation trades, it was rare to erase old formations entirely. Normally, they were repaired or replaced during maintenance. Thus, the dissolving fluid wasn't often used.
Tōngxiān City sold it, but at a high price—too high for Mo Hua's frugal heart. So he had humbly asked Bai Zixi for a recipe instead.
The Bai family, being an ancient scholarly clan, had dozens of formulas for dissolving inks—ranging from First to Fifth Grade.
Bai Zixi had chosen a simple one suitable for First-Grade formations and below—cheap to make, with most ingredients growing in the wild. Mo Hua had been deeply grateful and gifted her a box of his mother's crabapple pastries in thanks.
As the apprentices wiped the furnace, the old formation's lines gradually faded away.
Master Chen watched in amazement. He had never seen anything that could erase a formation so cleanly. For the first time, he felt Mo Hua really did look like a professional formation master—and his anxiety eased a little.
Before long, Dazhu returned, panting, carrying several bottles of spirit ink.
"No water added?" Master Chen asked sternly.
"Relax, Master—I watched him the whole time! He didn't get a chance. Old Sun nearly cried when I took them—looked like I was draining his blood instead of ink!" Dazhu chuckled.
"Well, his blood probably isn't worth as much as this ink," Master Chen muttered. He handed the bottles to Mo Hua reluctantly. "Little brother, see if this ink meets your standards?"
Mo Hua took one, gave it a shake—the liquid inside was smooth and thick, with the perfect consistency. When he opened the lid, a faint pine scent drifted out, and the demonic-beast blood in it gave off only a mild tang. The ink shone with a deep, ruby luster.
It was the finest spirit ink Mo Hua had ever laid eyes on. Normally, he used whatever cheap ink he could afford. This, though—this was on a different level entirely. Truly, you get what you pay for.
Still, to preserve the dignity of a disciple of Mister Zhuang, Mo Hua kept a calm expression and said lightly, "It'll do."
Master Chen nearly choked.
It'll do!? Were all formation students this picky nowadays?
Mo Hua spread the formation diagram across the floor, and the apprentices crowded around to watch.
Master Chen, though he didn't understand formations, leaned in to look out of curiosity.
As he watched, something began to bother him. He couldn't read the symbols—but he could count.
One, two, three, four, five… six!
Six formation lines!
He remembered clearly that the furnace's Molten Fire Array only had five before. Why was there one more now!?
(End of Chapter)