Chapter 155: Spirit Stones
Elder Yu had initially assumed that the Golden Armor Array would only be somewhat stronger than the Iron Armor Array. However, he had not expected such a vast difference, this was a true First-Grade formation…
When Mo Hua had previously drawn formations for him, he was still using only six formation runes. How long had it even been since then? And now he could already draw a First-Grade formation?!
Elder Yu hesitated for a long while before asking, somewhat awkwardly, "Is this really a First-Grade formation…?"
Mo Hua found Elder Yu's behavior a little odd. He pulled out a freshly drawn Golden Armor Array and counted the runes aloud for him:
"One, two, three… nine. See? Nine in total."
Elder Yu, who had never examined the formation carefully before, now stared without blinking, counting each rune again himself.
Indeed... nine formation runes. Nine runes mark the threshold of Grade One. Elder Yu's hands trembled slightly as he held the vine armor, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"Then… does that mean you're a First-Grade Formation Master?"
A First-Grade Formation Master!
For years, these rogue cultivators and poor demon hunters had never even had an ordinary Apprentice Formation Master among them.
And now… one had appeared, and a First-Grade one at that.
Mo Hua felt slightly embarrassed and replied modestly, "I can only draw First-Grade formations for now. To truly be recognized as a First-Grade Formation Master, one must be officially certified by the Dao Court."
Elder Yu exhaled in relief. "Ah, so that's it. You can only draw First-Grade formations…"
Then the meaning of that statement struck him: "only" draw First-Grade formations?
Was that something that could be described so casually?
His expression grew complicated.
Mo Hua was still so young, yet he could already draw First-Grade formations. What of the future? Second-Grade? Perhaps even Third-Grade?
It took Elder Yu quite some time to calm himself. After forcing himself to regain composure, he praised Mo Hua a few times and urged him to continue studying formation arts. Then he gathered Yu Chengyi, Mo Shan, and several other demon hunters who were at the ninth layer of Qi-Refining.
"This child, Mo Hua, nothing must happen to him!"
The group exchanged glances. Yu Chengyi said, "Father, we understand. We'll watch over him."
"No, you don't understand."
Elder Yu shook his head gravely. "Mo Hua can already draw First-Grade formations."
Yu Chengyi and Mo Shan were stunned.
Yu Chengyi turned to Mo Shan, speechless for a moment before saying, "It's one thing for the rest of us to be shocked, but you're his father. Why do you look so surprised?"
Mo Shan sighed helplessly. "I just found out myself…"
Yu Chengyi was at a loss for words.
"I only knew he helped me draw a formation," Mo Shan said.
"You didn't ask what grade it was?"
"It was a gift from my son. I was too happy to think about asking."
Elder Yu declared, "The Qian family must not learn of this. Tell the other demon hunters as well, this matter of the formation must be kept absolutely secret."
They all nodded solemnly, though none could quiet the storm in their hearts.
...
Meanwhile, Mo Hua, focused on drawing formations, began to feel as if someone was secretly watching him.
He frowned, released his Divine-Sense, and called through the wall, "Uncle Yu."
Yu Chengyi immediately poked his head out from behind the wall. "What is it?"
Mo Hua asked suspiciously, "Uncle Yu, why are you watching me?"
Yu Chengyi froze. "How did you know?"
He had been hiding carefully, concealing his presence completely.
"I swept the area with my Divine-Sense."
Yu Chengyi's eyebrows twitched. "You can even detect that?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Yu Chengyi thought to himself, That Divine-Sense of yours is ridiculous… Still, considering Mo Hua could draw First-Grade formations, such perception was probably natural.
"I was just worried something might happen to you, so I stayed nearby to keep watch," Yu Chengyi explained.
Mo Hua looked around doubtfully. "What danger could there be here?"
They were in a mining cave, surrounded by familiar demon hunters.
Yu Chengyi coughed lightly. "Just in case."
Mo Hua said, "Uncle Yu, you should go take care of your work. Aren't there still matters concerning the Qian family? Or at least go mine a few spirit ores or something, instead of watching me…"
Yu Chengyi silently thought, Nothing is more important than you. Losing a few spirit ores might pain my father for ten years, but losing you, he'd probably kill me on the spot.
"It's fine. You focus on your formations. Pretend I'm not here."
A living person could hardly be "not here," but Mo Hua's eyes suddenly brightened. "Uncle Yu, if you're free, could you take me to see the spirit ores deeper inside?"
Since entering the mine, he had done nothing but draw formations and hadn't yet seen what the spirit ores looked like.
"You're not drawing formations anymore?"
"I'll take a break."
Yu Chengyi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I'll take you."
Mo Hua perked up instantly.
Yu Chengyi led him deeper into the mine.
The further they went, the damper the air became, and the heavier the earthy, mineral scent. The spiritual energy grew denser as well, nearly tangible in some places, forming a faint bluish mist.
All around, the rhythmic "ding, ding" of pickaxes rang out, the sound of body cultivators mining spirit ores.
Spirit ores grew fused with the surrounding stone. To extract them, body cultivators had to chisel them out bit by bit with mining tools.
What they obtained were raw ores, irregular in shape and mixed with impurities, unusable for direct cultivation or refinement.
These raw ores could be traded with the Dao Court Division for purified, standardized spirit stones.
Those refined spirit stones were what cultivators used daily for cultivation and trade.
The Dao Court exclusively handled their refinement.
Refining spirit ores into spirit stones was considered a specialized subfield of artifact refinement, complex, laborious, and subject to strict Daoist law. Only the Dao Court was authorized to refine spirit stones.
Any family, sect, or individual cultivator who dared to refine them privately would face severe punishment from the Dao Court Division. In grave cases, it was deemed rebellion against the Dao Court, punishable by extermination.
As they walked, Yu Chengyi explained these matters of cultivation to Mo Hua, who listened intently. It became clear to him that the Dao Court's control over spirit stones was absolute.
For mines held by noble families and sects where the Dao Court had limited reach, the Court maintained control through the final refining process. This allowed it to monitor and balance the power of all major factions.
Spirit stones were the lifeblood of cultivation. To control them was to control the cultivation world itself.
Mo Hua asked, "The spiritual energy here is so dense. Can we cultivate directly here?"
Yu Chengyi shook his head. "No. It might seem rich, but it's impure, mixed with dampness, mineral stench, and years of accumulated turbid and foul energies. Cultivating here could cause serious problems."
Mo Hua frowned. "What are dampness, stench, turbid, and foul energies exactly?"
Yu Chengyi was stumped. This kid really asks the most difficult questions…
After a pause, he explained as best he could: "Qi is a kind of primordial energy in cultivation. Spiritual Qi is the purest among them, harmless and suitable for absorption. A cultivator's spiritual power comes from refining Spiritual Qi."
"Other kinds of Qi exist too, but they're mixed, corrupted, or impure. If a cultivator absorbs or refines them, it can disrupt the blood essence, dantian, or meridians in various ways."
"That's about all I know. Just remember, never absorb anything except pure Spiritual Qi."
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, committing it to memory.
(End of Chapter)