Chapter 10: Drawing the Formation

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Mo Hua returned to his room. He pulled out paper and ink for practice, determined to transcribe the Bright Fire Formation while it was still fresh in his memory. The practice paper and ink he used were the cheapest and most ordinary kind, lacking any spiritual energy. The formations he drew were mere patterns without any actual effect. Since they consumed only a negligible amount of spiritual power, Mo Hua didn’t have to worry about wasting materials or failing the practice. Relying on his memory, Mo Hua smoothly transcribed the formation in one go, with barely any interruptions due to minimal spiritual power consumption. Afterward, he took out the original formation diagram of the Bright Fire Formation and carefully compared it to his own. He found three mistakes in his work. Setting the paper aside, Mo Hua took out another sheet and started again. After drawing three more attempts, he finally managed to transcribe one that was completely correct with no mistakes. Mo Hua let out a long breath of relief, stretched his body, and glanced at the small sundial on his desk. It was already noon, and he suddenly realized he was hungry. In the kitchen, Liu Ruhua had prepared a simple meal—rice made from low-quality spirit grains, a few stir-fried vegetables, and one dish made with the eggs of a demon chicken. The spirit rice wasn’t of high quality, but it was sufficient to fill their bellies. The meal was simple but tasty. Mo Hua ate quickly and, after finishing, rushed back to his room to continue practicing the formation. Watching her son’s dedicated figure, Liu Ruhua worried aloud, “Hua’er is working too hard. He’s looking so much thinner.” Mo Shan nodded in agreement. “Hard work is a good thing, but I worry it might wear him out. Hua’er was born with a weak constitution. Overworking himself could be harmful.” Liu Ruhua sighed, “It’s a pity he didn’t inherit your talent for body cultivation. Instead, he’s frail like me, always falling ill…” Mo Shan gently embraced Liu Ruhua’s thin shoulders, “This isn’t your fault. When Hua’er was born, his blood and Qi were weak. We sought advice from Master Feng at Xinglin Hall, and he said that a person’s spiritual power and physical body are balanced at birth. Hua’er was born with stronger spiritual awareness, so naturally, his body was weaker. Look how smart he is now, and how handsome he’s growing up to be—that’s all thanks to you.” Liu Ruhua couldn’t help but smile. “You always know what to say.” Seeing his wife’s mood lighten, Mo Shan added, “I spoke with Old Zhou from the demon hunting team earlier today. I heard that recently, a team managed to kill a Fire Chick, a bird with a bit of spiritual energy in its meat. It’s not a demon beast, but its meat is nourishing. I plan to get some for Hua’er to try, and you could benefit from it too.” Liu Ruhua asked, “Do we still have enough spirit stones for that?” “No need to worry,” Mo Shan reassured her. “The guys I hunt with are good friends. They’ll let me take some on credit, and I can pay them back after the new year.” Liu Ruhua placed her storage pouch in Mo Shan’s hands. “Give them as much as you can now. They also need to earn some spirit stones before the New Year.” After thinking it over, Mo Shan nodded, “Alright, that’s a good idea.” While the couple chatted, Mo Hua stayed focused in his room, tirelessly practicing the Bright Fire Formation. By evening, he had become quite proficient. After quickly finishing his dinner, Mo Hua eagerly returned to his room. He took a moment to calm his mind, rested briefly, and then went to bed early to enter his sea of consciousness. In the vast expanse of his sea of consciousness, the ancient stele stood tall amidst the void. Using his finger as a brush, Mo Hua drew the formation onto the stele. As the formation lines gradually took shape on the stele’s surface, his spiritual power steadily flowed out. As his spiritual power neared exhaustion and he could barely hold on, Mo Hua finally completed a full Bright Fire Formation. The stele began to glow with a gentle white light. The Bright Fire Formation was typically only drawn by cultivators at the third stage of Qi Refining, but Mo Hua, who was still at the second stage, managed to complete it, albeit with difficulty. This achievement meant that Mo Hua’s spiritual awareness was on par with those in the third stage. Feeling a small sense of pride, Mo Hua erased the formation from the stele, instantly restoring his spiritual power to full. He continued practicing the formation, determined to fully master it by the next day so he could draw it for real. In the quiet and vast void of his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua practiced the Bright Fire Formation again and again, reflecting on and correcting the mistakes he encountered. Unbeknownst to him, morning had arrived, and Mo Hua’s consciousness naturally withdrew from the sea of consciousness. Feeling refreshed, Mo Hua sat up and meditated on his bed for a while. After breakfast, he carefully washed his hands, took a deep breath, and ceremoniously took out the formation materials the shopkeeper had given him. The materials included ten sheets of formation paper and ten small bottles of light red ink. The formation paper was made from demon beast hide and mixed with spiritual grass fibers, while the ink was concocted from the blood of fire-type demon beasts and spiritual liquids. These materials were vastly superior to the regular paper and ink Mo Hua had used for practice, and naturally, much more expensive. The shopkeeper had also thrown in a new but crudely made brush. It wasn’t much better than the one Mo Hua usually used, so he decided to stick with his own, which felt more comfortable in his hand. Mo Hua spread the formation paper on his desk and carefully poured some of the ink into his inkstone. The inkstone would help preserve the ink’s spiritual energy for longer, preventing it from dissipating too quickly. Mentally reviewing the lines of the Bright Fire Formation, Mo Hua finally began drawing. The process went more smoothly than Mo Hua had expected. Aside from the fact that he was now using real spiritual materials, the feeling of drawing the formation was identical to how it felt on the stele in his sea of consciousness. Even the rate at which his spiritual power was consumed felt the same. However, due to his nerves, a few lines came out slightly crooked. While the mistakes didn’t affect the formation’s functionality, it did look somewhat sloppy. Draining his spiritual power, Mo Hua finally completed the Bright Fire Formation—but he realized he had made an error. His first attempt had failed, and he had already lost one spirit stone... Heart aching, Mo Hua felt the sting of failure. Moreover, with his spiritual power depleted, he couldn’t draw any more formations. He had no choice but to close his eyes and rest. “I wonder if there’s a way to quickly recover spiritual power…” Mo Hua thought, now deeply missing the Dao Stele in his sea of consciousness. Unfortunately, in reality, the steel wasn’t available. After resting for a while, though his spiritual power wasn’t fully restored, the morning had already passed. Liu Ruhua called Mo Hua for lunch. After hurriedly eating a few bites, Mo Hua rushed back to his room, laying out a fresh sheet of formation paper. Staring at the blank paper, Mo Hua steadied his emotions and reviewed his mistakes. Muttering “failure is the mother of success” to himself, he began drawing the second Bright Fire Formation. This time, Mo Hua was even more focused and careful. Each line was drawn only after careful consideration, and he anticipated the next strokes as he went. When his spiritual power ran out, he closed his eyes to rest while continuing to visualize the formation in his mind. The hours flew by. By dusk, despite some interruptions, Mo Hua finally succeeded in completing the Bright Fire Formation. His heart swelling with excitement, Mo Hua collapsed on his bed, utterly exhausted. In no time, he drifted off to sleep, fully satisfied with his progress. When Mo Hua awoke, it was already dark. His stomach growled, but soon he smelled something delicious. Following the aroma to the main hall, he was surprised to find a large bowl of meat sitting on the table!