Chapter 94: Limit
Zhang Lan saw through Mo Hua's little thoughts and snorted. "I might not know illusion arts, but the spells I do know aren't any worse."
"Mm-hmm, Uncle Zhang, you're amazing." Mo Hua replied perfunctorily.
Zhang Lan didn't bother arguing and turned serious again. "Do you know who used that illusion technique?"
"How would I know?"
Mo Hua shook his head, but as he did, the veiled, hazy figure of Aunt Xue flashed across his mind.
Among the few high-ranking cultivators he had come into contact with, Aunt Xue was the most likely suspect. Moreover, illusion arts matched perfectly with the mysterious impression she had left on him.
"You've guessed it, haven't you?" Zhang Lan raised a brow, catching the change in Mo Hua's expression.
Worthy of someone from the Dao Court Division, though he looked lazy, his perception was razor-sharp.
Mo Hua thought for a bit before asking, "So what does the Dao Court Division plan to do?"
"Nothing." Zhang Lan leisurely took a sip of wine. "A cultivator who can use illusions like that is no ordinary person. The Qian family wouldn't dare make noise or investigate further. Since they won't make a fuss, the Dao Court Division's happy to leave it alone. Less work for everyone."
"The Qian family can just let it go like that?" Mo Hua didn't quite believe it.
"The Qian family does have a Foundation Establishment cultivator overseeing them, but even so, someone managed to sneak into their mansion without anyone noticing, cast an illusion on their young master, and leave without a trace. That alone is enough to terrify them…"
Zhang Lan's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude as he continued, "Someone who can use illusion to make Qian Xing lose his mind could just as easily use other spells to kill him outright. The fact that they only used illusion means it was a warning, telling the Qian family to behave and not provoke those they shouldn't. If they can't grasp that, they wouldn't have become Tōngxiān City's top family."
"At the end of the day, the Qian family is just a first-grade clan, barely hanging on at the bottom of the ranking list. They're nothing compared to the true aristocratic clans."
Mo Hua suddenly understood, clans had grades too. Zhang Lan really knew his stuff; the ways of the world within noble circles were no mystery to him.
"All right, that's that," Zhang Lan said, sounding relieved. "Even if Qian Xing's cured, after all this, he won't dare cause more trouble. You can just focus on your cultivation and your formation studies in peace."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang," Mo Hua said gratefully.
Zhang Lan, lazy as he was, often chatted with Mo Hua out of boredom, but there was genuine care behind it. Mo Hua could tell.
Zhang Lan, on the other hand, glanced at Mo Hua and thought to himself: This kid's got good karma with people.
The Monster Hunters aside, that lad Dazhu who dared stand up to Qian Xing, that alone was impressive. And so many neighbors and cultivators treated Mo Hua kindly.
As for that illusion-wielding cultivator… saying they had no connection to Mo Hua at all seemed unlikely.
After all, who would bother driving a random clan's son insane for no reason?
Zhang Lan shook his head, gave Mo Hua a brief farewell, and left.
"Take care, Uncle Zhang!" Mo Hua waved his little hand.
After Zhang Lan left, Mo Hua sat at his desk, rummaging through his Storage Bag. He looked at the thick stack of formation scrolls inside, feeling a little disappointed.
A pity... if Qian Xing wasn't coming to cause trouble anymore, then these formations had no chance to be tested.
And that illusion… was it really Aunt Xue's doing?
Mo Hua's mind was full of doubts.
...
The next day, Mo Hua went to consult Mister Zhuang about formations, and afterward, visited the Bai siblings.
Bai Zisheng was dozing off, while Bai Zixi was reading.
Mo Hua quietly watched Bai Zixi, wondering if she knew anything. But her face revealed nothing, just calm and beautiful as ever.
Sensing his gaze, Bai Zixi turned her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
Their eyes met, and Mo Hua whispered,
"Three nights ago… was Aunt Xue at home?"
Bai Zixi thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Seems like she wasn't."
"Oh." Mo Hua understood, and didn't press further.
After a pause, he whispered again, "I still have some osmanthus cakes at home. Want some?"
Bai Zixi nodded. Mo Hua squinted and smiled, and then both quietly went back to reading without another word.
With the Qian Xing matter settled, Mo Hua could now cultivate in peace.
He wanted to reach the fifth layer of Qi-Refining as soon as possible—so he could start learning spells.
Mo Hua was quite looking forward to that. Illusions like the one Zhang Lan couldn't perform were beyond him for now, but simple spells like lighting a flame or releasing a spark, those shouldn't be too hard.
The thought made him a little excited.
But cultivation was a slow grind. The spiritual energy one could absorb and refine each day was limited, progress couldn't be forced.
At his current pace, it would still take some time to reach the fifth layer.
As for formations, Mo Hua could now draw arrays with seven runes, but eight was still beyond him.
It seemed his Divine-Sense wasn't strong enough yet. He could only manage simpler structures for now. Still, seven-runed arrays were already the limit for most low-level formation masters, many unranked formation practitioners could barely reach that level.
Mo Hua, being able to draw seven-runed arrays, was already a genuine little formation master.
He couldn't help but feel a small surge of pride.
Beyond eight runes came nine, and nine runes meant entry into the First Grade!
Once he could draw a nine-runed formation, he could apply for the official First-Grade Formation Master examination.
He'd heard that the formation master exams were the strictest and most grueling among all cultivation professions, the hardest to pass.
"I wonder what kinds of formations they'll test on…"
Mo Hua felt nervous and eager at the same time.
Becoming a First-Grade Formation Master meant a monthly stipend in spirit stones even without work. And if something ever happened and he couldn't cultivate anymore, he could still live off that allowance—never going hungry.
Mo Hua couldn't help but envy that.
But in all of Tōngxiān City, across every family and sect, only a handful had ever passed that certification. For a poor rogue cultivator like him, the challenge was even steeper.
Eight runes to nine, just one step apart, yet it felt infinitely distant.
Before, when he practiced day and night, Mo Hua could feel his Divine-Sense growing steadily stronger. But now, though his formations were more complex and his practice more frequent, that growth had slowed to a crawl.
At this rate, who knew how long it would take to reach nine runes?
He brought the question to Mister Zhuang.
Mister Zhuang's expression turned oddly complicated, something Mo Hua had never seen before.
"Have you not realized… your cultivation realm is too low?"
He looked at Mo Hua silently. "No matter how strong your Divine-Sense is, it still has its limits. And the foundation of Divine-Sense… is your realm."
Mo Hua was struck with realization, he'd asked a foolish question.
A cultivator's physical body and spiritual power both had limits, defined by their realm. Unless one broke through, neither could improve infinitely.
It was just that most cultivators didn't train Divine-Sense specifically, so he had forgotten that it, too, had boundaries.
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Zhuang."
Mo Hua scratched his head in embarrassment. After asking a few more questions, he took his leave.
"Divine-Sense has limits…" Mister Zhuang murmured as he watched the boy's small figure disappear down the path. He was dazed for a while, then chuckled softly. "I've taught so many cultivators… yet this is the first time I've ever said that line."
After a moment's pause, he turned his gaze toward Mo Hua, who was drawing formations beneath the old locust tree, and his eyes grew deep and distant.
"Divine-Sense… does it truly have limits?"
(End of Chapter)