Chapter 612: Flamefire Primordial Magnetism
Primordial magnetism for sensing, flamefire for messaging.
The Grade-2 Sixteen-Rune [Flamefire Primordial Magnetic Array], worth over 800 merit points, was a Bagua-type formation that utilized the principles of thunder and magnetism. It operated by constructing a formation-core system and transmitting messages through formation patterns.
This was the first magnetic-type array Mo Hua had ever studied.
At this very moment, none of the Great Void Sect's cultivators—or even across the entire Qianxue Province, including hidden demonic cultivators and sects—had any clue…
That Mo Hua's tiny hands had just opened the door to an entirely new world.
A low-profile inner sect disciple… had begun studying profound thunder-magnetic formations.
Mo Hua unrolled the Flamefire Primordial Magnetic array diagram and glanced at it.
It was an array completely foreign to him.
Whether it was the formation patterns, cores, or eyes—everything differed vastly from the Five Elements or even the Bagua formations he had studied before.
Even compared to smaller magnetic arrays he'd encountered before, this one had significant differences.
This was a true thunder-magnetic system array.
Mo Hua's spirit lifted as he poured his full attention into studying the diagrams, explanations, and all the esoteric annotations.
But as he read, he paused and frowned.
He… couldn't quite understand it.
It was clearly a formation, yet it had two separate diagrams—both with sixteen Runes.
These two diagrams were structurally similar, but differed in many subtle details.
And this didn't seem like a compound array either.
Compound arrays combined multiple formations into one for synergy. But the Flamefire Primordial Magnetic Array had two interconnected yet independent formations.
Mo Hua pondered for a long time, recalling Elder Xun's teachings, and comparing with the annotations—finally gaining some insight.
These two diagrams were what Elder Xun had once described:
The Fixed-Pattern Array Diagram (for stable, unchanging formations)
And the Unfixed-Pattern Array Diagram (for dynamic, variable formations)
The fixed pattern served as the base, which—through thunder-magnetic resonance—affected the variable pattern and altered the magnetic ink to reveal written characters or images.
So these two diagrams were for sensing and communication—both were indispensable.
And there were two diagrams because this formation wasn't designed for a single array master to use alone—it required two or more to co-construct and co-operate.
There was only one fixed diagram.
But there could be multiple unfixed diagrams.
Mo Hua didn't mind. After all, his divine sense was strong, and he had the Dao Tablet to help him review memories. Whether fixed or unfixed, he could learn both.
Still, the formation's patterns were far more complex than typical Five Element or Bagua arrays—and much more abstract. Mo Hua learned at a slower pace than usual.
It took him two full days just to memorize the diagram completely.
At night, he practiced on the Dao Tablet:
First the fixed pattern
Then the unfixed
Then tried combining the two, linking them via formation cores and thunder-magnetic sensing—building a full version of the Flamefire Primordial Magnetic Array.
At first, it went terribly.
His brushwork was clumsy, the lines awkward.
But after a few days, he improved. He could now draw the fixed pattern perfectly, and roughly manage the unfixed one despite its variations.
Then came real-world application.
He gritted his teeth and spent 60 merit points to exchange for a small bottle of magnetic ink, and built a crude prototype of his own Flamefire Messaging Array System on a basic array disc.
Fixed pattern as the base
Unfixed pattern as the surface
Magnetic ink as the manifestation layer
He channeled his divine sense into the fixed diagram, activated thunder-magnetic resonance, which affected the unfixed diagram, causing pattern variations.
The shifting pattern then triggered the magnetic ink—revealing a name:
Mo Hua
Success!
Mo Hua was overjoyed—but also strangely hollow.
He scratched his chin and thought:
"It worked… but what's the point?"
Though the underlying principles were complex, the actual result was… writing his name.
"Kinda like using divine sense to move ink and write by hand."
So… the big fancy Flamefire Primordial Magnetic Array… was just this?
"It's supposed to transmit messages. But how does it do that?"
He flipped through the entire array manual. There were no instructions on messaging protocols. Just raw diagrams. He was disappointed.
"Seriously? You can't even include a basic guide?!"
No direction. No communication protocol. Not even a user's hint.
He suspected it had something to do with the formation core (array pivot)… but he couldn't figure out the mechanics.
So, he decided to consult Elder Xun.
Elder Xun was enjoying a peaceful cup of tea. When he heard Mo Hua's question, he blinked:
"You already mastered the Flamefire Primordial Magnetic Array?"
Mo Hua scratched his head, "I'm just curious…"
He'd only just started learning—so he didn't want to act too proud.
Elder Xun let out a breath of relief.
"Whew… I thought so. That's a sixteen-rune array, and a rare thunder-magnetic one at that."
Mo Hua often asked ambitious questions, so Elder Xun didn't take it too seriously.
A formation master without curiosity isn't a good formation master.
Elder Xun nodded, "Yes, it's about the array pivot."
Mo Hua nodded—just as he suspected.
Elder Xun sipped tea and began to explain:
"Magnetic formations have two diagrams, but they function as one."
"For messaging, the system is built upon the magnetic array—with the array pivot acting as the conductor."
"It's essentially a compound array system—but a unique one, because its fixed and unfixed patterns stem from the same origin. The only difference lies in the pivot's 'sequence'."
"Sequence?!" Mo Hua's eyes widened.
Spirit Pivot Arrays... layered control, layered permissions... pivot sequences!
Elder Xun was surprised. "You know about pivot sequences?"
Mo Hua blinked and shook his head.
Elder Xun thought the kid was weird… but continued:
"A single Flamefire Array's pivot controls the resonance between its layers—the inner and outer, the fixed and unfixed."
"That's just the base messaging logic."
"To actually transmit messages, you need multiple Flamefire Arrays. They must share the same fixed pattern as a foundation. The unfixed patterns must match in design. And they must all be coordinated through their pivots."
"Each messaging node uses a unique pivot sequence to identify identity and permissions."
"Different sequences mean different permissions."
"Different permissions unlock different functions—even directional transmission varies. There are one-way, two-way, and multi-directional modes…"
Elder Xun only briefly explained, but Mo Hua's mind lit up.
He knew this concept well.
In Spirit Pivot Arrays, pivot sequences defined authority—who controlled what.
The difference was:
Spirit Pivots used sequence-patterns
Flamefire Arrays used sequence-pivots
Different in form—but same core principle.
"So, what do these sequence-pivots look like? After organizing them, do they get centralized into a master pivot?"
Mo Hua asked curiously.
Elder Xun nodded, about to speak—but suddenly froze. He clamped his mouth shut.
Mo Hua waited. "Old sir? Please go on…"
Elder Xun frowned in thought.
"It's too early for you to know this. Ask again later."
Mo Hua sighed, disappointed.
Elder Xun, feeling a bit guilty, offered:
"Ask something else. I'll answer."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to ask—
Elder Xun cut in:
"But just one question."
He feared that if he didn't set limits, this kid would keep asking forever—and he might accidentally spill some forbidden beans.
"Only one?"
"Just one!"
"Fine…" Mo Hua sighed.
After thinking for a moment, he asked the biggest thing bugging him while learning this formation:
"Sir, why does a magnetic array need both fixed and unfixed diagrams? What's their actual relationship? Why are they connected like this?"
Mo Hua looked confused and stubborn—wanting to get to the root.
Elder Xun sighed inwardly.
"This is not one question…"
Still, since it was all in the same category—and only involved one array—he decided it was okay.
Elder Xun explained:
"The essential difference between fixed and unfixed arrays lies in their formation patterns."
"The fixed pattern is the foundation. The unfixed pattern is like its shadow."
"You can consider both as part of the same formation—two faces of one pattern."
"Only when combined do they form a true magnetic rune—and only then can a messaging array have a proper foundation."
At this point, Elder Xun's expression grew serious:
"There's a deep, hidden connection between fixed and unfixed patterns in magnetic arrays. But it's far too vast, too profound, and hard to grasp."
"So later formation masters split them into fixed and unfixed categories—recording thunder-magnetic resonance separately to help other formation masters understand and construct them more easily."
...
"Split the Primordial Magnetic Array Runes into fixed and unfixed types..."
Mo Hua frowned.
He had a vague sense that there was some deeper secret hidden within this distinction, but due to the limits of his current formation knowledge, every time he tried to grasp it, the thought would slip through his fingers.
Elder Xun thought Mo Hua didn't understand, so he explained:
"The fixed pattern of the Primordial Magnetic Array is unified and relatively stable…"
"But the unfixed pattern can vary greatly. Sometimes, it can even be defined at will, as long as it follows certain conditions…"
Mo Hua was stunned.
"For example," Elder Xun said, "I take the Heavenly Stem character 'Jiǎ (甲)' as my fixed magnetic pattern, and this teacup in my hand as the unfixed."
"So when I transmit a message by writing 'Jiǎ', what appears would be 'teacup'."
"That's the agreement between you and me."
"And it doesn't have to be teacup—it could be tea leaves, tea water, or teapot… anything really."
"If you know the agreement, then you'd understand 'Jiǎ' means teacup. If you don't, you'd have no clue what I'm saying."
"And you certainly wouldn't know what the rune I sent out actually means…"
Mo Hua asked, "So… this is for secrecy?"
Elder Xun nodded.
"Exactly. That's why Primordial Magnetic Arrays are a type of confidential formation."
"'Jiǎ' – agreement – teacup.'"
"Fixed pattern – magnetic resonance – unfixed pattern."
"That's the simplest, yet core logic of this type of formation."
"Of course, it sounds simple… but applying it through actual formations is extremely complex and difficult…"
———
Elder Xun finished, sipping his tea.
Mo Hua sat there, brow furrowed, deep in thought.
Seeing Mo Hua stumped, Elder Xun gave a slight nod and said, "Go home and mull it over on your own."
"Mm. Thank you, Elder."
Back in his disciple's quarters, Mo Hua was still pondering Elder Xun's words.
He understood the principle just fine…
But the more he thought about other implications, the more confused he became.
And the more he thought about it… the more it felt like he'd learned this formation for nothing.
Sure, the Flamefire Primordial Magnetic Array diagram only included one fixed and one unfixed pattern…
But according to Elder Xun, unfixed patterns could be varied, and even custom-defined as long as they followed certain formation rules.
What he'd exchanged was more like a template.
And based on this structure of "Fixed Pattern — Agreement Rule — Unfixed Pattern", it was basically a closed system.
Which meant… he couldn't decode the vulture's "message token".
Because the runes on that message token had been wiped clean.
The fixed formation pattern was still there—because the token was made from strong materials, and that base layer was well protected.
But the unfixed pattern had been scrubbed away.
Even the magnetic ink was gone.
So, without knowing the custom-built connection between the fixed and unfixed patterns of this Flamefire array, there was no way for Mo Hua to use the fixed layer to infer or reconstruct the message that had once been stored.
To use Elder Xun's metaphor:
He knew the character 'Jiǎ'—
But didn't know the agreement.
So he couldn't tell if it meant teacup, tea water, or tea leaves…
And if he wanted to find that agreement…
He'd need to reconstruct the full array—both the fixed and unfixed parts—from that message token, to deduce the underlying logic of the messaging rules.
"No wonder…"
Mo Hua sighed.
The Dao Court officers had casually tossed aside that "blank" message token.
Because once the text was erased, the token was useless.
Without a complete formation diagram, with the unfixed part erased, the base layer alone was worthless for decoding.
Still, Mo Hua couldn't quite let it go.
If he couldn't crack the hidden pattern or restore the magnetic ink—then what was the point of learning this array? It would completely defeat his original purpose.
———
Over the next few days, Mo Hua continued to practice the Primordial Magnetic Array every night before the Dao Tablet.
Even if it was only to train his divine sense, a sixteen-rune array was still good practice.
And besides… 800 merit points!
No matter what, he had to get some return on investment.
But while he practiced, his mind was elsewhere—replaying Elder Xun's words over and over.
He couldn't shake the feeling… that he was missing something.
He began to mentally unravel the structure again:
Flamefire Array – built from single to compound
Compound system relies on pivot sequence for messaging
As for the more advanced functions—beyond messaging—those were beyond his reach for now, so he set them aside.
He could also ignore pivot sequences for the moment…
Since he didn't yet have the ability to build a compound version of the Flamefire Array.
So what was left?
Formation patterns?
Mo Hua paused. Something there bugged him.
Elder Xun had said that fixed patterns were the foundational, unchanging runes.
And the unfixed patterns were paired with those. As long as the array rules were followed, they could be custom-designed, and even dynamically changed.
But… why?
Why could the fixed pattern affect the unfixed one?
Was it really just because of custom definition?
Because of an "agreement"?
Mo Hua grew a little fixated. Though he might have been overthinking it, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was fishy about this.
Also—
Why was it called a Primordial Magnetic array rune?
Why not just call it a Thunder-Magnetic rune?
Or simply a Secondary Thunder Rune?
"Magnetism gives rise to attraction and repulsion..."
Mo Hua furrowed his brow. The more he thought, the more suspicious it seemed.
So he drew the entire Flamefire Primordial Magnetic Array on the array disc and activated it, carefully observing the interaction between the fixed and unfixed patterns.
But after watching for a long time…
Nothing seemed unusual.
When the fixed pattern activated, the unfixed one simply followed along. Totally ordinary. Completely within expectations.
Mo Hua narrowed his divine sense, using Heavenly Pattern Deduction, and stared for ages—still no results…
His brows tightened further.
At times like this, there were usually only two possibilities:
One: He really was overthinking it, and there was no secret behind the Primordial Magnetic array.
Two: His divine sense wasn't strong enough, or his deduction ability too weak, to perceive the hidden profundities.
Mo Hua decided to start by blaming himself.
He trusted his judgment—but acknowledged his divine sense was probably just a little lacking.
Determined, his pitch-black pupils narrowed.
His divine consciousness donned an ink-black "Dao Robe," and his perception split into overlapping shadows as he activated his Heavenly Trick Deduction.
(Dear reader, this chapter continues! Click Next Page for more thrilling revelations!)
At the same time, half of his gaze turned clear as water, with flowing cloud patterns—triggering Heavenly Pattern Insight.
Even with both deduction arts superimposed…
Still nothing.
Mo Hua refused to give up. He kept burning divine sense to calculate—until the pain became unbearable, as if his mind was being twisted and torn by two competing algorithms…
Just as he was about to collapse, divine sense on the brink of exhaustion, vision going black—
Suddenly, a faint light flickered before his eyes.
In the black void, extremely faint pale-blue runes emerged.
These runes were minuscule, dense, and utterly without pattern.
They flowed and shifted constantly between the positive and negative poles, like subtle…
Lightning currents.
Mo Hua's heart shook violently.
And at that very moment, his divine sense burned out—a wave of pain slammed into his sea of consciousness.
He clutched his head and fell to the floor, panting heavily, taking a long time to recover.
But at the same time—
His eyes were filled with excitement.
He had figured it out!
Array masters are precise with their naming.
Why call them Primordial Magnetic runes instead of Thunder-Magnetic runes?
Because Primordial Magnetic runes don't actually contain thunder!
Primordial Magnetic arrays use the polarity between fixed and unfixed runes—positive and negative—to generate faint electrical discharges, thus triggering thunder-magnetic resonance.
But the runes themselves—
Have nothing to do with lightning.
The true thunder lay in the interaction between the two rune types, in the resonant response that created faint lightning flows.
That faint trace of blue lightning runes—that Mo Hua had barely seen using both deduction arts pushed to their limits—
That was the real "lightning"!
Those runes were the genuine Secondary Thunder Runes.
As long as he could grasp these true Thunder-origin runes—he could understand the very essence of Primordial Magnetic Arrays.
And step by step, deepen his comprehension of Thunder-Magnetic formations—
Peering into their foundations.
And if one day, his divine sense was deep enough, his Heavenly Trick sharp enough, and his Pattern Insight profound enough…
He might be able to manipulate the Secondary Thunder Runes with just his divine will—
Penetrating all magnetic array defenses…
Unknowingly corroding formation cores…
And ultimately seizing control of vast thunder-magnetic grand arrays!
Mo Hua's eyes lit up brighter and brighter…
But his mind was too battered. His little head spun, and in the end, he collapsed onto the ground and—
Fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, in an unnamed underground chamber—
A chill pervaded the air.
Atop a stone altar stood a massive skull, carved with a human face, sheep horns, and bloodstained fangs, still dripping crimson.
Mr. Tu remained kneeling before the skull.
His face was pale, eyes glowing green, fingers long and oozing blood. He murmured quietly:
"Everything was going so well…"
"That child was the perfect vessel for the God-Lord… pure of heart, born of goodness. Once corrupted by evil, he'd give rise to endless wickedness… The demon seed had already taken root…"
"But then—"
Mr. Tu gritted his teeth.
"The Enforcer… is dead."
"I don't know how they died…"
"It was like they were slain outright—body and soul destroyed. Or perhaps… devoured by something… with not even bones remaining…"
"I… I don't understand…"
His lips were cracked, voice trembling:
"What kind of being could threaten even the Enforcer?"
"Even though only Rank-2, the Enforcer carried the will of the Great Wilderness, wielded divine authority… their body bore the blood of the God-Lord. They were blessed by divinity…"
As he spoke, Mr. Tu suddenly broke into a cold sweat, frantically explaining:
"No! No!"
"I am not afraid! I have no doubt in my heart!"
"My loyalty to the God-Lord—may heaven and earth witness it! Let the sun and moon attest!"
…
Only after swearing and trembling for some time did he calm down slightly.
His expression steadied.
"Whoever it was… must be a true master."
"At least at the Void Piercing realm…"
"Can't be confronted head-on. We must reconsider everything…"
"For now, the plan must proceed without delay…"
…
Mr. Tu lowered his voice again and muttered something cryptic—then prostrated himself before the pale, horned skull.
With reverence and unwavering will, he declared:
"The altar of blood sacrifice—shall remain unknown to all."
"The holy vessel of the God-Lord—shall remain unseen by all."
"And the majesty of the God-Lord—shall rise from the Great Wilderness and overturn the Nine Provinces!"
"Let the world drown in rivers of blood!"
"Let all living beings become nothing more than fodder and beasts!"
"Only our Lord shall be… eternally immortal!"
(End of this Chapter)