Chapter 146: Grading
When Mo Hua saw Mister Zhuang again, his little face carried a faint air of grievance.
"Sir, didn't you say there was a threshold?"
Mister Zhuang smiled lazily. "There is. You might've just stepped over it without realizing."
"So… does that mean I'm a First-grade Formation Master now?"
"Not that simple."
Mister Zhuang adjusted his position on the bamboo chair, lying back more comfortably as he explained,
"Being able to draw nine array runes only means you've reached the threshold of the First Grade. You still need to study more, draw more, and learn more First-grade formations. Only when you've completely mastered the method of forming nine array runes in a single thought can you truly possess the strength of a First-grade Formation Master."
Mo Hua caught the hidden meaning in his words. "So, having the strength of a First-grade Formation Master isn't the same as having the title of one?"
Mister Zhuang nodded. "That title is decided by the Dao Court."
"The Dao Court? Not the Dao Court Division?"
"The Dao Court Division is under the Dao Court's jurisdiction. There aren't any real Formation Masters there, how could they have the authority to assign ranks?"
Mister Zhuang's gaze deepened as he continued,
"The Dao Court is located in Dao Province, the very center of the Nine Provinces. It has seven pavilions, each named after a star of the Seven Stars. Among them, the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion is responsible for determining the grade of all Formation Masters above the First Grade across the Nine Provinces. Every few years, the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion dispatches cultivators to the various Provinces to evaluate and assign ranks."
"Heavenly Pivot Pavilion…"
Mo Hua's heart trembled.
The Dao Court stood lofty and unreachable, and this was the first time he'd even heard of the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion.
"Is it very difficult to be graded?" Mo Hua couldn't help but ask.
Mister Zhuang nodded. "Quite difficult, partly because of the test, and partly because of the quota."
Mo Hua didn't quite understand.
Mister Zhuang elaborated, "The test depends on your formation skill. The quota depends on your connections."
Mo Hua frowned. "So the grading of a Formation Master isn't purely based on skill... it depends on connections too?"
Mister Zhuang gave a faint, disdainful smile. "The grading is supposed to be based on skill. But those who judge your skill are people, and anything involving people naturally involves connections."
"What kind of connections?"
"Well, either you come from a powerful Clan, or your parents are exceptional, or you simply have plenty of spirit stones. Grease the right palms, and connections appear naturally."
Mo Hua froze. Then didn't that mean that a wandering rogue cultivator like him—with no power, no influence, and few spirit stones—might never get graded?
He asked timidly, "Then… do Independent rogue cultivators ever get a quota?"
"It's not like there are none, there'll always be a few. Whether you're chosen or not, though, depends on fate."
To say it "depends on fate" was really just another way of saying it depends on luck.
Mo Hua frowned. "If that's the case, wouldn't all Formation Masters come from noble clans and great sects? Wouldn't that cause a break among the lower cultivators?"
Mister Zhuang's eyes grew meaningful as he said calmly,
"Exactly."
Mo Hua froze, a chill creeping up from his heart.
Mister Zhuang gently rubbed his hair. "These are all worldly matters, don't let them trouble you too much."
But Mo Hua couldn't help worrying. After a moment, he asked softly,
"Then, Sir… what if I'm unlucky and never manage to get graded?"
Mister Zhuang slowly sat up. The lazy air vanished from his eyes, replaced with a hint of sharpness. A quiet majesty radiated from his calm tone:
"A Formation Master seeks the Dao of Heaven, comprehends the truths of all things, he is not defined by worldly measures, nor judged by mortal hands."
"The Dao Court may set grades, but what they define are grades of power and privilege."
"What an Formation Master should truly seek is not the rank of authority, but the character of the Great Dao itself."
Mo Hua's heart shook violently. For a moment, his Divine-Sense felt clearer than ever, and his mind opened as though light had flooded in.
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."
He stood and bowed deeply.
Mister Zhuang nodded, then said casually, "Still, if you can, you should go get graded by the Dao Court."
"Ah?" Mo Hua blinked.
"When the Dao Court acknowledges your grade, your status changes. Your words carry more weight, things get easier to handle, and random riffraff won't dare jump around in front of you. Plus, they give out spirit stones for free, so why not take them?"
Mo Hua was struck speechless again. So Mister Zhuang was… rather practical after all.
"What if I still can't get graded?" Mo Hua asked softly.
Mister Zhuang shot him a sidelong glance. "Don't rush."
"Don't rush to get graded?"
"Even if you can't, don't rush."
"Uh…"
"You're still so young," Mister Zhuang said. "Those taking the evaluation with you will mostly be middle-aged cultivators or gray-haired elders. They're the ones anxious, not you."
"Oh." Thinking about it that way, Mo Hua felt much lighter.
"But what if I still never get graded?" he pressed.
Mister Zhuang couldn't help ruffling his hair again. "If that happens, just go get graded as a Second-Grade Formation Master directly."
Mo Hua froze. "Second-grade?"
"The First Grade is tightly controlled. The Second isn't. The Heavenly Pivot Pavilion isn't full of fools, blocking people at the First Grade is one thing, but at the Second Grade, the gap in skill is too obvious. A Formation Master capable of reaching Second Grade, even without noble clan lineage, is no ordinary person. The Heavenly Pivot Pavilion wouldn't dare slight you."
Mister Zhuang smirked. "If you truly reach the level of a Second-Grade Formation Master, yet the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion still refuses to grade you, you could stand at their gate, point at their plaque, and call their Grand Elders blind fools."
Mo Hua whispered, "What's the cultivation level of the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion's Grand Elders?"
"That's hard to say… but at the very least, Profound-Hollow-Void."
Mo Hua's jaw dropped. Profound-Hollow-Void? He'd never even heard of that realm.
He looked up at Mister Zhuang and asked quietly, "Sir… you haven't actually cursed at one of their Grand Elders before, have you?"
Standing at their gate, shouting insults, it sounded awfully specific.
"I never curse people," Mister Zhuang said calmly.
Mo Hua eyed him up and down.
With his immortal bearing and graceful poise, even lying down he exuded an effortless elegance.
He doesn't look like someone who curses people, Mo Hua thought, but who knows what really happened.
Then he felt a light tap on his head.
"Are you making up stories about me in your head again?"
Mo Hua grinned sheepishly, then asked:
"But, Sir… if I want to become a Second-Grade Formation Master, that'll take forever, won't it?"
Mister Zhuang said, "The First Grade is difficult, and there's only one tier. But the Second Grade is divided into three: low, middle, and high. Each step up represents a vast difference in skill."
He looked at Mo Hua. "With your ability, once you reach Foundation Establishment, it shouldn't be hard to become a low-tier Second-Grade Formation Master, as long as you put in the effort."
Mo Hua's spirits lifted immediately. A new goal glimmered before him.
But a question still lingered. "Why is the Second Grade divided into three tiers, but not the First?"
By Mister Zhuang's logic, even the First Grade could've been divided.
Apprentices and ungraded Formation Masters could be considered low or mid-tier, while those acknowledged as First-Rank would be the high-tier.
"Why do you think?" Mister Zhuang asked.
Mo Hua frowned in thought. "Because… of the threshold?"
Mister Zhuang nodded. "The higher the threshold, the fewer who can cross it."
(End of Chapter)