Chapter 198: Injustice
Mo Hua was still comprehending the First-Grade Molten Fire Spiritual Control Composite Formation, though his progress was a bit slow.
Whenever he grew tired from studying, he would examine the large refining furnace, compare it to the formation diagram he had designed, and mentally simulate the problems that might arise while drawing the formation. This also helped clarify his thinking.
As Mo Hua was staring at the furnace, fully absorbed in his thoughts about the formation, he suddenly looked up and saw Elder Yu standing beside him.
It seemed that Elder Yu had been watching him while he studied the furnace, though for how long, Mo Hua didn't know.
Seeing that Mo Hua had regained his focus, Elder Yu kindly asked, "How is your array study going?"
"I've learned half of it, but it may take some more time to fully master it," Mo Hua replied.
Elder Yu nodded, "Remember to balance work and rest; don't overexert yourself."
"Thank you, Elder Yu." Mo Hua smiled, then asked, "Aren't you worried?"
After all, the sooner the formation was completed and the Artifact Refining Workshop started operations, the sooner everyone could begin earning spirit stones.
At this stage, the Qian family wouldn't let matters rest easily. If the Workshop opened too late, it might come under their control.
Elder Yu remained calm, "I've been anxious for over a hundred years; a few more days don't matter."
Mo Hua didn't quite understand.
Elder Yu dusted off the ground and sat beside him. "Ever since I was in Qi Refinement, life has been hard. The independent rogue cultivators around me worked tirelessly but earned little. I often wondered, where do all these spirit stones go?"
"Then I saw the Qian family, their mansions, their meals, their Refining and Alchemy Halls…"
"In the Qian family's Refining Hall, the ironworkers were rogue cultivators, the quenching workers were rogue cultivators, and all the laborers were rogue cultivators. Their Qian cultivators, however, simply sat around, sipping tea, issuing orders occasionally, without doing any real work."
"I often thought: we are the ones suffering and toiling, yet we eat scraps, while the Qians, who do nothing, enjoy luxury every day."
Elder Yu sighed. "Later, when I reached Foundation Establishment, I had conflicts with the Qians, fought both openly and secretly, relying on my thick skin, sharp tongue, and determination, and only then did I avoid major losses and gradually understood some truths…"
"I also wanted to improve the lives of rogue cultivators and run a few Refining and Alchemy Workshops myself, but first, there were no spirit stones, and second, I didn't know formations. Trying to do anything was extremely difficult."
"I have lived over a hundred years in such hardship, endured it, and been anxious for over a century. Now that such a large Refining Workshop is complete, and the Alchemy Workshop halfway done, I'm no longer in a rush."
"These past few months, I've accomplished more than I did in a hundred years combined. Why would I still be anxious?"
Elder Yu's expression was content.
Mo Hua looked at the elderly man, white-haired, frail in form but with sharp, alert eyes, and felt deep respect.
"But what if the workshop is completed, yet we still can't compete with the Qians?" Mo Hua asked worriedly.
"Then we sell it," Elder Yu replied matter-of-factly.
Mo Hua was stunned. "Sell it?"
"Yes!" Elder Yu nodded. "If we can beat the Qians, great. If not, we sell both the Refining and Alchemy Workshops. The spirit stones earned from the sale would still be considerable, distributed among everyone. We won't lose out."
"Is it easy to sell…" Mo Hua asked uncertainly.
Elder Yu raised an eyebrow. "How could such large workshops be unsellable? Others may want to build, but they won't have the time or ability to complete it."
He then pointed to all the formations inside and outside. "And these formations you've drawn, can ordinary formation masters replicate them? Even if they could, how many formation masters would it take, and how long would it require?"
"Don't worry," Elder Yu patted Mo Hua's shoulder, "Just based on these formations you've drawn, these two workshops will fetch a sky-high price!"
"A sky-high price?"
"Yes," Elder Yu nodded. "I don't sell for anything less. Haggling is something I'm quite good at."
Mo Hua looked at Elder Yu, thinking he had transformed from a "cultivation entrepreneur" into a "cultivation real estate merchant."
"Who would buy it?" Mo Hua whispered.
"Plenty," Elder Yu said. "Ideally, the An family. That way, the An family would compete with the Qians, and we, as Demon Hunters, could watch and benefit. Alternatively, sell to families from other Immortal Cities to challenge the Qians. If all else fails, selling to the Qians is also acceptable."
"The Qians?" Mo Hua exclaimed.
"In this world, everything revolves around profit. As long as they can afford it, selling to them isn't impossible. I've done business with the Qians before…"
Mo Hua thought to himself: That wasn't really business, they were just using the Qians as leverage.
"Of course, these are all last-resort options. Ideally, we do it ourselves, allowing all rogue cultivators in Tongxian City to have sustainable livelihoods."
Mo Hua nodded, then asked, "Elder Yu, did you plan all this from the beginning?"
"Of course," Elder Yu said patiently. "For something this big, going all-in without planning is gambling, which is unwise. Everything must be considered thoroughly, strategies prepared, so there's a method going forward and a way to retreat if necessary. Especially, always leave yourself a fallback."
Mo Hua learned a lot from this and nodded. "I'll remember that!"
Elder Yu looked at Mo Hua with satisfaction, then exhaled and stood. "You get back to work; I won't disturb you."
"Alright, Elder Yu. Safe travels."
After Elder Yu left, Mo Hua returned to thinking about formations.
He wanted to learn the formations quickly so that the furnace could be ready and the Refining Workshop could start sooner.
But learning formations is a gradual process. One must follow the steps, persevere, and eventually, everything falls into place. Mo Hua couldn't rush it.
About half a month later, Mo Hua finally mastered the formation core of the Spiritual-Control Composite Formation. He then spent several more days practicing adding the First-Grade Molten Fire Array and other arrays within the core's framework.
He spent additional time verifying that the Composite Formation fit with the furnace's construction.
Once he felt fully prepared, Mo Hua began drawing the First-Grade Molten Fire Spiritual-Control Composite Formation on the large First-Grade Refining Furnace, with Elder Yu observing.
Before Mo Hua began, Elder Yu remained calm. But as Mo Hua started to draw, Elder Yu suddenly felt nervous, likely because a lifelong aspiration might finally be fulfilled.
The large furnace in the courtyard had been disassembled, its scattered parts neatly laid on the ground, the massive hearth open and placed at the center.
Mo Hua's first step was to draw the formation core of the Composite Formation, then sketch a First-Grade Molten Fire Array on it, and inject spiritual power to test if the array would function.
If it didn't, the core was flawed and needed rechecking and redrawing.
If it did, the core was sound, and he could continue adding another First-Grade Molten Fire Array and other related arrays as planned.
Mo Hua prepared his spiritual ink, set up the large-bristled brush, held his breath, and began drawing.
The brush, soaked with spiritual ink, touched the inner wall of the furnace, tracing the first array pattern.
The First-Grade Molten Fire Spiritual-Control Composite Formation.
This was a formation beyond the abilities of ordinary First-Grade Formation Masters, and the most difficult array Mo Hua had ever drawn.
(End of Chapter)