Chapter 100: Elder Yu
After that, from time to time, someone would ask Mo Shan to have Mo Hua draw formations. And without exception, they all wanted Iron-Armor Formations painted onto vine armor.
All of these requests were handled by Mo Shan. Mo Hua only needed to draw the formations, nothing too troublesome, and he didn't need to show off.
The Iron-Armor Formation only had six array lines. For Mo Hua, it posed no difficulty at all, and he could draw them very quickly. Occasionally, someone would ask him for a favor, and he'd just draw it in passing, without wasting much time.
Each Iron-Armor Formation earned him five spirit stones, plus half a vial of spirit ink as a bonus.
After drawing for a while, Mo Hua had accumulated a modest stash of spirit stones and ink. Unfortunately, all the spirit ink was of the Gold-Stone attribute, usable only for metal-based arrays, not for any other types.
The Iron-Armor Formation contained only six array lines, suitable for mid-stage Qi-Refining cultivators. Basically, only novice demon hunters would use them.
For someone like Mo Shan, a late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator, it was completely unnecessary. In front of first-grade late-stage demon beasts, even vine armor with an Iron-Armor Formation was little better than paper, its strength was negligible.
But most demon hunters were mid-stage Qi-Refiners, and every year new cultivators became demon hunters. These were precisely the ones who needed Iron-Armor Formations the most.
Though the Iron-Armor Formation could only block an attack slightly, that little extra protection often made the difference between a minor injury and a severe one, or even life and death.
Mo Hua wanted to draw as many Iron-Armor Formations as possible so that young hunters like Da Hu could suffer less injury.
For ordinary independent cultivators, minor injuries were bearable, but severe injuries made life extremely difficult. And if one were unlucky enough to die, it could spell disaster for the entire family.
Among Tōngxiān City's demon hunters, few had a close relationship with Mo Shan. Most wouldn't bother asking someone to draw formations because formations were difficult to draw, formation masters were hard to find, and they couldn't afford the spirit stones. So in reality, not many sought Mo Hua's Iron-Armor Formations.
One evening, after finishing dinner, Mo Hua was flipping through formation books in his room when someone arrived. Mo Shan greeted the guest warmly, piquing Mo Hua's curiosity.
Mo Shan was usually generous and friendly, with many friends, but Mo Hua had never seen him this enthusiastic.
After a while, Mo Shan called Mo Hua over to meet the guest.
Mo Hua lifted the door curtain and saw an elderly cultivator with a long beard, sitting upright in a wooden chair. The long-bearded cultivator wore ordinary demon-hunting robes and exuded a serious, commanding presence, a man who seemed hard to get along with.
Mo Shan said, "This is Elder Yu. Hua'er, greet Elder Yu."
Elder Yu? An elder of the Demon Hunting Hall?
Mo Hua politely greeted him and immediately noticed Elder Yu's profound aura, a faint oppressive presence surrounding him. Using his Divine-Sense, Mo Hua tried to probe, but found he couldn't detect him clearly, only sensing vaguely that someone was there.
As Mo Hua's Divine-Sense probed, a glint of sharpness appeared in Elder Yu's eyes as he glanced at Mo Hua.
A Foundation Establishment-stage cultivator! And not just an ordinary one! His Divine-Sense alone was far stronger than Mo Hua's.
Mo Shan patted Mo Hua on the head. "Hua'er, Elder Yu has something to discuss with you. I'll go help your mother tidy up."
'What could Elder Yu want with me?'
Mo Hua was puzzled but nodded.
After Mo Shan left, Elder Yu got straight to the point:
"I heard from Mo Shan that you can draw Iron-Armor Formations?"
His voice was slightly hoarse and carried a stern edge, likely a habitual tone.
"Yes," Mo Hua replied.
Elder Yu nodded slightly. "Good. I have a matter I want to discuss with you."
"Please, Elder, go ahead."
Elder Yu nodded to himself. He had heard that Mo Shan's son, at such a young age, was already a formation master. At first, he didn't believe it, it seemed too absurd.
But after hearing it from several people, he began to accept it. Still, he expected a talented youth to be arrogant, especially a formation master. From his experience, all formation masters were proud and temperamental, regardless of skill level.
At first, he had no good impression of Mo Hua. But seeing him now—delicate, polite, and composed—Elder Yu's expression softened considerably.
"I want you to help draw a batch of formations, all Iron-Armor Formations on vine armor. During the Demon Hunting Rite, each young hunter will receive a set, giving them some protection when they enter the mountains."
Mo Hua understood. In a while, the Demon Hunting Rite would occur, and a new batch of young cultivators would become demon hunters.
As an elder of the Demon Hunting Hall, Elder Yu needed to maintain the rules and protect the hunters, especially the inexperienced ones who had never faced the ferocity of demons. These newcomers needed protection now, and in twenty or thirty years, they might become pillars of the hunter ranks.
"How many sets do you need?"
"About one hundred," Elder Yu said.
"One hundred…"
Mo Hua was startled. That would take quite a while to draw.
"Is that feasible?" Elder Yu asked tentatively.
Mo Hua hesitated. "When do you need these formations by?"
Elder Yu thought for a moment. "Before the Demon Hunting Festival, there should be about three months."
Three months would be plenty of time. Mo Hua nodded. "No problem."
(TN: This novel was translated by "Aberto D. Tempest". Read latest chapters at "AbertoVerse.com")
Elder Yu relaxed slightly. He worried about Mo Hua's limited cultivation, Divine-Sense, and mental endurance, fearing he might not finish in three months.
Seeing Mo Hua confident reassured him somewhat. Even if he couldn't finish all of them, completing seventy or eighty percent would still be good.
Elder Yu hesitated briefly, then said:
"I heard from Mo Shan that you usually charge five spirit stones per Iron-Armor Formation. Since these hunters are acquainted with your father, you could charge less if you want. But for these one hundred sets, I won't consider such connections. I'll pay eight spirit stones per formation. How does that sound?"
Eight stones weren't much by a formation master's standards. Divine-Sense was limited, and daily output restricted, so naturally, they wanted their work valued highly.
Normally, this price wouldn't secure a formation master's services.
But Elder Yu had already reached his limit. The demon-hunting guild was big, but most families were impoverished rogue cultivators, and everything required spirit stones. Eight stones per formation was the maximum he could offer.
"Eight spirit stones…" Mo Hua frowned.
Elder Yu noted the frown but kept his expression unchanged, though inwardly he became cold.
Formation masters were indeed hard to deal with. (Elder Yu thought to himself.)
(End of chapter)