Immortality Through Array Formations

After releasing the Lotus Lamps, it was still not late, and the group wandered down the street again.

Perhaps after several verbal exchanges, Bai Zisheng had grown familiar with Mo Hua and was no longer polite, talking much more.

“Mo Hua, what are those Cultivators doing?”

Bai Zisheng pointed to a stage and asked with curiosity.

Mo Hua followed his gaze and saw that on a simple stage, several Cultivators dressed as Monster Hunters were fighting with a “Monster Beast” that looked like a bull.

The “Monster Beast” had a copper head and brocade skin, its fur shiny and lifelike, but in reality, it was also a Cultivator dressed in beast skin.

“Oh, it’s a Demon Hunting play.”

“Demon Hunting? Hunting Monster Beasts?” Bai Zisheng immediately became interested.

“Most of the Cultivators in Tongxian City make a living from Monster Hunting. They often have to fight to the death with Monster Beasts, so on festive celebrations, Monster Hunters will perform Demon Hunting plays to liven things up, and it’s also a tradition of Monster Hunters.”

As she spoke, the Demon Hunting play on the stage reached an exciting climax.

A few Monster Hunters, each holding a blade, shouted loudly, and the blades suddenly wrapped in flames; another swung his fist with a whooshing sound, and another stood farther away, making hand seals, with several fireballs appearing in front of him and soon entangled in combat with the “Monster Beast,” with Spiritual Power overflowing and light swirling everywhere.

“Wow, Fiery Flame Blade, Wind Wrapping Fist, Fireball Technique! ”

A child beside them shouted excitedly, clapping loudly.

Bai Zisheng was no less excited, his face flushed with enthusiasm.

Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask, “You’re already in the late stage of Qi Refinement, aren’t you? You should have learned some Taoist Skills by now…”

How could he seem so inexperienced…

Bai Zisheng shot Mo Hua a glance, “I naturally know how to use Taoist Skills, it’s just that my mother won’t let me; she says that for a cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm laying a proper foundation is important. To learn some crude Taoist Skills and engage in brawls is the behavior of brutes. If one is injured and the foundation is damaged, it can spoil future cultivation.”

“Oh.” Mo Hua made an acknowledging sound.

For Noble Clans, the Qi Refinement Realm was just for laying the foundation. They simply needed to focus on their cultivation. Even if they learned Taoist Skills, they wouldn’t have a use for them.

For ordinary Loose Cultivators, who might stay in the Qi Refinement Realm all their lives, it was necessary to learn various Taoist Skills during the Qi Refinement Realm to fight to the death with Monster Beasts, licking blood from the knife’s edge, striving for survival.

“If only the Loose Cultivators at the bottom didn’t have to live so hard.”

Mo Hua sighed with mixed emotions.

Apart from the Demon Hunting play, there were also some novel Taoist Skill juggling acts, the fascinating shadow plays, the wooden dogs that would run around when fed Broken Spirit Stones, and the fragrant variety of snacks…

After the group took a round, Bai Zisheng was excited and left wanting more, while Bai Zixi’s little face was also blushing, even brighter than the lights in the sky.

As the evening grew darker, they still hadn’t had their fill, but they had to part ways and head home.

“Thank you for this time, for showing us the customs of Tongxian City.”

Aunt Xue thanked Mo Hua and then produced a small box from somewhere and handed it to Mo Hua.

“This is some confectionary I picked up along the way; take it as a token of thanks. It didn’t cost many Spirit Stones, so you shouldn’t refuse it.”

Mo Hua no longer declined and accepted it gracefully, saying happily, “Thank you, Aunt Xue.”

Aunt Xue nodded with a smile.

Then Bai Zisheng said to Mo Hua, “If you have time to visit Qian State someday, I’ll show you the grand ceremony for worshipping heaven. Although it’s not as lively here, the scale is huge, with all kinds of exotic Spirit Beasts and flying boats and carriages—I guarantee it will be an eye-opener for you.”

“Mm-hmm!”

Mo Hua was quite looking forward to it, curious about what kind of grandeur the ancient Noble Clans and Sects of Qian State held.

However, he did not know if he would ever be able to go in his lifetime.

The vast Tao Cultivation World stretches boundless, and Li State alone contains countless Immortal Cities. Tongxian City is just one of the many unremarkable Little Immortal Cities, and with Mo Hua’s cultivation, even leaving Tongxian City would be difficult, let alone leaving Li State to go to the yet unknown Qian State.

After bidding farewell to the Bai siblings, Mo Hua found Da’hu and the other two.

The three children had also enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Upon seeing Mo Hua, they stuffed a bunch of odd and curious things into his arms, including various small toys and a sugar figurine of a white little tiger.

“You should eat the sugar figurine quickly, or it will melt,” Xiaohu reminded Mo Hua and then proceeded to excitedly introduce the little toys, explaining to Mo Hua how to play with them.

Those items weren’t very expensive, with most costing just a fraction of Broken Spirit Stones, but their novelty and ingenuity were what made them special—some Mo Hua had truly never seen before.

Mo Hua shared the pastries Aunt Xue had given him with his three little friends, then studied the toys in his hand while licking the sugar figurine.

As Da’hu and the others munched on the pastries, they walked home with Mo Hua. Midway, Xiaohu suddenly asked,

“Mo Hua, are you always going to be with the young master and young mistress of the Bai family?”

“What’s up?”

Xiaohu shook his head, saying nothing.

Mo Hua thought they had a grievance with the Bai siblings, but after a moment, Xiaohu hesitated and said,

“That little girl from the Bai family, she’s too pretty…”

Mo Hua paused, “Isn’t being pretty a good thing?”

Xiaohu said, “You can’t play with girls who are too pretty.”

Da’hu and Shuanghu quickly nodded in agreement.

“Why not…”

Shuanghu solemnly said, “My mother told me that pretty girls make men dumb, and the prettier the girl, the dumber a man will get!”

“Exactly, exactly, my dad saw a pretty woman, ran away from home because of her, ended up getting swindled out of all his money and even lost his life.”

“That’s right, that’s right, I’ve also heard that many cultivators with good Spiritual Roots have squandered their cultivation because they married beautiful wives and ended up achieving nothing in the end.”

“Yes, yes, I only glanced at that girl once and was stunned for a moment, my mind went blank. If I looked a few more times, who knows, I might have become an idiot—too scary…”

“Indeed, too scary…”

Shuanghu patted Mo Hua’s shoulder, “Mo Hua, you’re the smartest among us, and you might even become a Formation Master in the future. It would be troublesome if you turned into an idiot.”

Da’hu and Xiaohu looked at Mo Hua with concern.

Mo Hua was caught between laughter and tears but eventually thought it over and felt… they had a point, so he said,

“But there’s nothing I can do, we’re all learning formations from the gentleman, bumping into each other all the time.”

“Then we’re doomed.” All three kids’ expressions turned grave.

Mo Hua smiled and said, “Drawing Formations is supposed to make one smarter, so if I draw more formations, I should not become too dumb.”

“Can Drawing Formations really make you smarter?” Xiaohu asked.

“Of course,” Shuanghu said, “Mo Hua’s formation paintings are so good, which is why he’s smarter than us, right?”

Mo Hua said, “Would you guys like to learn formations? I could teach you.”

All three kids had decent Body Refinement talents, but none were naturally gifted in Drawing Formations, finding the dense Formation Patterns headache-inducing.

Xiaohu hesitated for a long time, but eventually made up his mind and declared,

“Forget it, if Drawing Formations is the only way to become smarter, then I’d rather be an idiot for life!”