Chapter 199: Formation Principles
Formation brushes are generally classified by size: micro, small, medium, and large.
The larger the brush, the larger the patterns drawn, and the greater the scale of the formation. However, the fundamental efficacy of the formation does not change.
On a large refining furnace, a large brush must be used, requiring more spiritual ink and consuming more Divine-Sense.
This was Mo Hua's first time drawing a formation of this scale. At first, he felt awkward with each stroke, but after calming his mind, he followed the previously planned diagram, drawing stroke by stroke.
Gradually, his hand became steadier.
Although the medium differed, the essence of the formation remained the same.
He had practiced this Composite Formation many times on formation paper and Dao Stele.
Elder Yu watched silently nearby, holding his breath so as not to disturb Mo Hua.
Master Chen also dared not breathe heavily. He had previously doubted whether Mo Hua could truly draw a First-Grade Formation, but seeing him inscribe one by hand on such a massive furnace left him both shocked and deeply impressed.
A furnace this large, inscribed with a formation this immense… the fire it could generate must be incredible.
Master Chen was thrilled just thinking about it.
However, the process was not smooth for Mo Hua.
He could already draw the First-Grade Molten Fire Spirit Control Composite Formation on the Dao Stele in his Sea of Consciousness. He had assumed his Divine-Sense was sufficient, but applying the formation to the furnace required just a little more.
That "little more" proved critical, like the straw that breaks the camel's back, and caused his first few attempts to fail.
Mo Hua had to have assistants wash away the failed Formation Cores with Spirit-Clearing Liquid so he could continue drawing.
He would sit nearby in meditation, restoring his Divine-Sense to full.
He tried again, and failed again.
The entire day passed in this cycle: drawing, washing, redrawing. Progress was slow.
Seeing the sky darken, Elder Yu comforted him:
"Rest well. We'll continue tomorrow. No need to rush."
Mo Hua, exhausted from a day of futile attempts and a dulled Divine-Sense, nodded in agreement.
After he left, Master Chen asked Elder Yu, "Is this formation particularly difficult?"
He had never seen Mo Hua fail so many times in a row.
"Mo Hua hasn't succeeded despite so many attempts, it must be very difficult!" Elder Yu replied.
Master Chen thought it made sense.
As night fell, he could still see the remnants of the formation patterns on the furnace. They were massive, intricate, and profound.
And utterly incomprehensible to him.
Shaking his head, he realized that even just observing the formation for a whole day had exhausted his Divine-Sense, never mind drawing it repeatedly like Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was indeed tired, but even more, he was unwilling to give up.
He was so close…
At home, he ate the dinner his mother had prepared, then rested briefly with eyes closed.
Refreshed, he replayed the day's drawing process in his mind, analyzing his gains and losses.
At midnight, he collapsed onto his bed, closed his eyes, and let his Divine-Sense sink into his Sea of Consciousness.
The Dao Stele appeared.
Mo Hua resumed practicing the Composite Formation on the Dao Stele.
Because drawing on the furnace had been so arduous, and the formation was massive, this felt like "weighted" training. Drawing on the Dao Stele now felt comparatively effortless.
Previously awkward strokes now flowed smoothly.
He spent the whole night practicing on the Dao Stele.
Besides memorizing the Formation Core structure and pattern styles more thoroughly, it also slightly enhanced his Divine-Sense.
That small improvement was enough for Mo Hua to cross the critical threshold and successfully draw the Molten Fire Spirit-Control Composite Formation.
...
The next morning, he rose early, ate a fragrant breakfast prepared by Liu Ruhua, and headed to the Artifact Refining Workshop.
Elder Yu and Master Chen had also slept poorly.
Elder Yu worried about the shop, Master Chen about the furnace, and both worried about Mo Hua.
After all, he was still a child. Yesterday he had drawn all day, erasing formations repeatedly with no progress. His mindset might have suffered.
Their concerns proved unnecessary when they saw Mo Hua stride confidently, carrying his storage bag, determined not to let the furnace go unused.
Refreshed and resolute, Mo Hua immediately resumed drawing.
This time, his strokes were far smoother.
Small mistakes still occurred, and he did not complete the Formation Core at first.
On the third day, he finally drew the Formation Core.
The Formation Core is the heart of a Composite Formation, the Divine-Sense threshold. Completing it is more than half the battle; everything after is comparatively simple.
Mo Hua exhaled in relief.
"Finished?" Elder Yu asked quietly.
"Not yet, but the Formation Core is done. The rest will be quick," Mo Hua said, wiping sweat from his brow with a smile.
Red and black ink stained his face, making him look a little dirty.
Elder Yu wiped his face with his sleeve and offered some encouragement.
Master Chen added, "You've already done very well!"
Though he couldn't articulate exactly why.
After a meal and brief meditation to restore his Divine-Sense, Mo Hua resumed drawing.
With the Formation Core complete, the structure of the composite formation was established.
Next was the First-Grade Molten Fire Formation.
Among First-Grade Formations, the Molten Fire Array is slightly challenging, but compared to the Composite Formation Core, it was trivial.
Mo Hua quickly completed the Molten Fire Array.
Now, he needed to test whether the Formation Core functioned correctly.
If it didn't, he would have to erase and redraw it.
This back-and-forth had already consumed a lot of spiritual ink, which pained him greatly.
Truly, Dao Stele, where formations could be drawn without wasting ink, were ideal!
Mo Hua sighed and began testing the Formation Core's efficacy.
"Oh, right, there's the Spirit-Gathering Formation too."
He remembered that the Spirit-Gathering Formation is the formation eye of the Composite Formation. It absorbs spiritual stones, provides spiritual energy, and drives the formation.
Previously, he hadn't needed to draw it separately. The formations' effects were minor and mostly single-use; even if reusable, their lifespan was limited. A single pattern or the formation itself could suffice to gather energy.
But now it was different.
A large refining furnace required immense firepower, consuming vast quantities of spiritual stones, generating tremendous spiritual energy, and relying on a Composite formation to convert it into firepower.
The furnace also had to be durable, reusable, and efficiently supply heat.
Thus, the furnace's formation needed a complete, stable spiritual energy cycle: Formation eye, Formation Core, Formation patterns, and Formation medium.
The formation eye provides energy, the Formation Core regulates it, the pattern converts it, and the medium carries it.
This is the true circulation system of a formation, the essential structure of spiritual energy within a formation.
Only by constructing and applying such a Composite Formation with a full spiritual energy cycle can one truly understand the logic of spiritual energy operation in formations and advance significantly on the Dao of Formations.
(End of Chapter)