Chapter 131: The Compass
That night, after returning home, Mo Hua lay sprawled over his small desk, lost in deep thought.
When a beast died, Mo Hua needed to rush there immediately.
The best way would be to use sound transmission.
But after asking around, he learned that sound-transmitting formations, talismans, and other similar methods were beyond the reach of a Qi-Refining cultivator.
So... were there any detection-type formations instead?
Mo Hua leaned over his desk under the lamplight, flipping through the Thousand Arrays Compendium several times, but found nothing suitable.
After reading for too long, his neck grew sore. He leaned back in his wooden chair, resting his small head on the backrest while pondering.
If such formations truly existed, they should have been recorded in the Compendium.
Detection-type formations shouldn't be so rare that only great clans or sects would keep them secret.
Since there was no record in the book, there was only one other possibility.
Such formations were composite arrays!
Detection formations must rely on the combination of multiple simple arrays to achieve their effect. And since the Thousand Arrays Compendium only contained single arrays, it was natural that such formations weren't included.
"Composite arrays, huh…"
Mo Hua sighed. It seemed he still needed to consult Mister Zhuang.
...
The next day, Mo Hua went to the Forgetful Meditation Abode and first looked for Bai Zisheng.
Bai Zisheng's knowledge of formations wasn't very deep, so he turned hopefully toward his sister, Bai Zixi.
Bai Zixi thought for a moment. "There isn't one. Detection-type formations are rather complex. Formations below Grade One might not have them at all, at least, I've never seen any."
"Then are there any similar ones?"
"What do you mean by similar?"
"I mean… something that could let me know when a formation's been triggered, or when a beast's died…" Mo Hua explained after thinking.
Bai Zixi fell silent.
"A composite formation would work too…" Mo Hua added.
Bai Zixi's delicate brows, as graceful as a crescent moon, knit slightly. After a short pause, her long lashes trembled as she replied,
"The Compass Mother-and-Child Formation."
"The Compass … Mother-and-Child Formation?"
Mo Hua had never heard of it.
Bai Zixi nodded. "It's a composite formation, used to sense fluctuations of spiritual power."
Seeing he still didn't quite understand, she explained, "When a formation is activated or cultivators fight, they create ripples of spiritual power. Those ripples can be sensed through this formation."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up with understanding. "Then… do you know how to draw it?"
"I don't. You'll have to ask Mister Zhuang."
"Mm, thank you!" Mo Hua said gratefully.
Getting such a clear answer was already an unexpected gift. Bai Zixi's knowledge of formations was far broader than he had imagined.
Mo Hua looked at her with admiration. "Zixi, you sure know a lot!"
"Not really," she said calmly, but her fair, delicate chin lifted ever so slightly.
Mo Hua then went to see Mister Zhuang.
As expected, the man was napping in the bamboo study, so Mo Hua sat on the steps outside to wait.
While waiting, he carefully organized the questions he wanted to ask.
Before long, a soft breeze stirred through the quiet hall, brushing past his shoulder.
That was enough for Mo Hua to know his teacher was awake. He stood, tidied his clothes, entered, and stated his purpose.
Mister Zhuang's brows rose with mild interest.
"The Compass Mother-and-Child Formation?"
"Yes, sir. Can you teach me?"
Mo Hua's dark, clear eyes looked earnestly at him.
Mister Zhuang found it hard to refuse, but still said: "That's a composite array. You're a bit young to be learning that."
Mo Hua quickly replied, "Sir, I can already draw formations with eight array runes. But the ninth rune still feels far away, probably won't happen anytime soon…
"So I'd like to start studying composite arrays instead."
Mister Zhuang's expression didn't change, but his gaze turned subtly strange.
Eight array runes… and already bored of them?
At the fifth level of Qi-Refining, to draw eight runes, and find it dull?
Even for him, that was pushing the bounds of reason.
Mister Zhuang coughed lightly and called out, "Old Kui."
Old Kui, understanding without being told, fetched a book from the back shelf and placed it before Mo Hua.
The cover read: "Beginner's Collection of Composite Arrays."
"I gave you Introduction to Composite Arrays before. That's the foundation, study it carefully."
Then he pointed at the new book. "This one contains the Compass Mother-and-Child Formation. Finish reading the first book before learning from this one. If anything confuses you, come ask me."
Mo Hua was overjoyed. Then he hesitated and asked:
"Sir, may I also study the other composite arrays in this book?"
Mister Zhuang looked at him meaningfully. "You may. If you can learn them, you can learn them all."
"Thank you, sir! I won't disturb your rest any longer!"
Beaming, Mo Hua bowed and left the bamboo chamber with the book in his arms.
Mister Zhuang lay back in his bamboo chair, closing his eyes once more.
Old Kui, his expression wooden, said flatly, "Isn't it a bit early for him?"
"Relax, it's just composite arrays."
Old Kui rolled his eyes. "You gave him an entire Collection of Composite Arrays, you know."
"It's only the beginner's one."
Old Kui snorted. "Beginner's? Some of those formations aren't even suitable for Qi-Refining cultivators."
Mister Zhuang fell silent.
Old Kui frowned. "You're planning something, aren't you?"
"Perhaps." Mister Zhuang's gaze deepened.
"I merely want to see—if I let him learn freely—just how far he can go."
...
Mo Hua brought the Beginner's Collection of Composite Arrays home and couldn't resist opening it right away.
He had actually finished Introduction to Composite Arrays long ago, even "consulted" Zhang Lan about a few points in it.
However, he'd only skimmed it roughly, without delving too deeply, just enough to understand the general concepts. He hadn't practiced any of the formations himself.
Composite arrays were considered "beyond syllabus" for his level, so he hadn't dared to invest too much energy before.
But now that Mister Zhuang had personally given him the Collection and allowed him to study them, it meant his teacher believed his Divine-Sense was strong enough to handle it.
Mo Hua trusted Mister Zhuang completely.
The man's experience and mastery of formations were unmatched, if he said Mo Hua could learn them, then Mo Hua could.
Besides, the title was Beginner's Collection; it couldn't be that hard… right?
That was what Mo Hua thought, anyway.
Within the book, he found the array diagram for the Compass Mother-and-Child Formation.
It was a relatively simple metal-element composite formation.
It consisted of two single arrays: the Compass Mother Array, which contained eight array runes, and the Compass Child Array, which had three.
Its core was a common Five-Element array hub, structured around the repelling nature of metal-element spiritual power, allowing it to sense whether strong spiritual fluctuations appeared within a certain range.
Mo Hua only skimmed through it once, memorized the diagram, and planned to practice it later.
It was his first time formally learning a composite array, so by the time he finished memorizing all the runes and array cores, midnight had already passed.
He lay down on his bed, closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep.
Within the pale void of his Sea of Consciousness, the ancient Dao Stele emerged once again.
(End of Chapter)