Chapter 623 – A Secretly Taught Transmission
Little Yu'er's life in the sect had officially begun.
He shared his daily meals and living arrangements with Mo Hua—though not his classes.
Since Yu'er had just entered the Qi Refining stage, he needed to nourish his meridians and lay a solid foundation.
This kind of body-fortifying process was expensive—it required copious amounts of heavenly materials, spiritual treasures, and rare spirit liquids. The method varied by individual, and each clan had its own unique techniques. The Great Void Sect didn't teach this sort of thing.
So while Mo Hua attended classes at the Dao Transmission Pavilion, Yu'er stayed in the disciples' quarters—cultivating, stabilizing his foundation, doing homework, and studying Daoist classics under the guidance of Wenren Wei.
When Mo Hua returned from class, Yu'er would bring his little bowl and sit beside him to eat.
Other disciples were stunned to see the tiny child.
He wore a miniature version of the sect's robe and looked like a disciple, but he was way too young to actually be one…
Cheng Mo asked Mo Hua, "Hey, who's this little guy?"
Yu'er pouted. In his soft baby voice, he said, "I'm not a little guy! My name is Shangguan Yu!"
"Shangguan Yu?" Cheng Mo frowned. "From the Shangguan family?"
Yu'er ignored him, lowering his head and copying Mo Hua—shoveling rice into his mouth.
Cheng Mo was helpless. He couldn't really argue with a child, so he turned to Mo Hua again.
"Your little brother?"
Mo Hua patted Yu'er's head. "You could say that…"
Cheng Mo glanced back and forth between them, muttering, "They really do kinda look alike…"
"Shangguan family…" another disciple nearby looked shocked and whispered, "Mo Hua, do you have Shangguan blood?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "No."
Cheng Mo scolded that disciple under his breath, "Idiot. You think this kind of thing can be said out loud? Obviously it's supposed to be kept secret. I'm telling you—Mo Hua must be some illegitimate son from the Shangguan family raised outside…"
Now it was Mo Hua's turn to get annoyed. He said:
"If you have free time, you should spend it studying formations and doing your homework. I think you'd be better off researching the Eight Trigrams Array… instead of gossiping about eight trigrams."
Cheng Mo got a headache the moment formations were mentioned and instantly fell in line. He chuckled awkwardly:
"No, no, Little Senior Brother, I was just kidding…"
Yu'er's eyes sparkled with admiration—one sentence from Mo Hua had this big guy totally obedient.
"Looks like Brother Mo is really amazing in the Great Void Sect!"
Yu'er, who had been a little nervous after entering the sect and meeting so many strangers, immediately stood up straighter with pride.
He scooted closer to Mo Hua and happily resumed eating from his small bowl.
From then on, Yu'er officially settled in the disciples' quarters.
He was cute, kind-hearted, and acted like a little sect mascot—everyone adored him.
Since he was so close to Mo Hua—who was essentially their "Little Senior Brother"—people naturally treated Yu'er very well.
What's more, he had a personal guard by his side—whose presence, though understated, carried the quiet pressure of a deep sea and a towering mountain. It was clear this man was profoundly powerful.
A child who had skipped the normal admission process, lived in the disciples' quarters, and had a bodyguard?
Clearly not ordinary.
Some disciples with ties to the Shangguan family inquired back home and learned of Yu'er's true identity—shocked to the core.
They realized just what the name "Shangguan Yu" really meant. After that, their gazes toward Mo Hua grew increasingly… meaningful.
The Shangguan clan had sent their heir, the future head of the family, into the Great Void Sect… to become Mo Hua's little tagalong?
Just how powerful was Mo Hua's background?
And you're telling us he doesn't have connections? Please, even ghosts wouldn't believe that!
The disciples became far more polite to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua, for his part, had no idea why…
With Yu'er now living in the disciples' quarters, Mo Hua's daily life changed a bit—but after a few days of adjustment, everything settled into a new rhythm.
During the day, he continued attending classes, cultivating, and studying.
Sometimes, he even substituted for Elder Xun.
Well, it was supposed to be "sometimes"… but Elder Xun had gotten lazier and lazier, claiming old age and fatigue—and had basically become a hands-off elder. At this point, Mo Hua was teaching most of the formation classes.
Whether that excuse was true or not… who could say.
After class, Mo Hua would return to the disciples' quarters and, when he had time, help Yu'er with his studies.
He continued refining his spells and practicing formations.
Yu'er diligently worked on his foundation courses.
During the day, Yu'er struggled to focus—he was nervous and uneasy in a new environment. Only in the evening, when he was with Mo Hua, did he feel safe. That's when he could truly settle down and study properly.
At midnight, Yu'er went to sleep.
Mo Hua also went to sleep—but while keeping part of his awareness on alert, in case any demons tried to disturb the neighboring Yu'er. Meanwhile, his consciousness dived into his sea of awareness, continuing to study formations.
Luckily, no foolish demon came to mess with Yu'er.
…Though unfortunately, no foolish demon came to give Mo Hua free "rations" either.
And so, the daily life of the sect continued—peaceful and fulfilling, busy yet calm.
During rest weeks, Mo Hua would go out with Senior Sister Murong and others to complete bounty missions.
Mo Hua's original plan had been simple: he'd first choose a mission, then have Uncle Gu post it, Murong would accept it, and he'd tag along. They'd hunt down criminal cultivators and gain both legacy techniques and merit points.
But that was too idealistic.
He rarely had a chance to visit the Dao Court, let alone run into Uncle Gu—so he couldn't even get him to post a mission.
The plan failed right from the start.
Mo Hua sighed.
He'd just have to wait until he could run into Uncle Gu again—and try a different approach then.
For now, he had no inside connection to the Dao Court. So Mo Hua could only pick up bounties as fate allowed.
He paid close attention to the Great Void Token. Whenever he spotted a mission that felt suspicious, he'd quickly contact Murong Caiyun to have her take it.
After working with her for some time, Mo Hua realized—Murong Senior Sister's status in the sect was way higher than he'd expected.
Respected, well-liked, talented, and with an excellent background—she was the undisputed "Big Senior Sister" of their generation.
She also had top-level clearance to accept missions.
Any mission Mo Hua wanted—Murong Caiyun could accept.
Thanks to that, even though he was picking up missions "as fate allowed," Mo Hua often caught criminal cultivators and gained some new spells.
Murong Caiyun, in turn, had grown accustomed to having this little junior brother tag along.
Since she was always the one taking the missions, Mo Hua was often by her side. As a result, she got to know him best.
While Mo Hua's physical body and spiritual power were weak—and his personal combat strength lacking—he excelled in stealth and movement techniques, enough to protect himself.
He was also a master of recon, scouting, tracking, trap-laying, support tactics, and spell control—he could do it all.
And with his deep knowledge of formations—including obscure, rare, and even unheard-of ones—he was basically a walking treasure trove. A universal little junior brother.
Bringing Mo Hua along always made the job easier.
But she did have one regret—the Five Element Amplification Formation.
Murong Caiyun never said it aloud, but she couldn't forget the sensation of spiritual power boiling under the effect of that formation.
She constantly yearned to feel that power boost again—that explosive burst of elemental might, cutting through enemies like a blade.
Unfortunately, the opportunity never came.
The opponents they faced afterward were too weak—no need to use the amplification.
And those they couldn't beat… well, trying would've been suicide.
Fights that might've been evenly matched became one-sided after Mo Hua's recon, ambush, coordinated attack, and control tactics were used.
No amplification needed.
Certainly no need to waste immense resources on a high-tier spell for a final showdown.
Unless they faced a true powerhouse—or a life-or-death battle with no escape…
...
Another Two Months Later…
Two more months passed, and Mo Hua continued tagging along on missions.
He completed quite a few bounties, captured seven or eight criminal cultivators, and acquired several Five Elements spells. His total merit points steadily climbed—now reaching 1,130 points.
Of that, 500 points had come from completing the mission involving Hidden Second.
Originally, Hidden Second's mission wasn't worth that much. But he was a major wanted criminal by the Dao Court—an expert in stealth and assassination, with quite a few lives on his hands.
All those miscellaneous crimes added up, converting into a big heap of merit.
Mo Hua was overjoyed.
The other criminals he caught afterward were just small fry—not worth mentioning. The higher ones earned a bit over a hundred points; the lower ones just a few dozen.
Still, Mo Hua was content.
No matter how small, it beat slowly grinding out first-rank formations for a few measly points at a time.
1,130 points!
Mo Hua felt rich.
Since he'd earned them with his own blood, sweat, and formation flags, he was a bit reluctant to spend them. But then again, what was the point of collecting merit if not to use it?
So he marched straight to the Merit Hall, and under the stunned gaze of the Merit Elder, made a very generous purchase—all at once.
Six full sets of Grade Two, Sixteen-Pattern Formations.
The total? Just over a thousand merit points.
The Merit Elder stared blankly for a long moment, then said in disbelief:
"Kid, did you rob someone?"
Mo Hua shook his head.
"Did you kill someone and steal their loot?"
"Snatched someone else's Great Void Token?"
"Or… did you hack the system and forge it yourself?!"
Mo Hua replied, expressionless, "Elder, do I look like the type?"
The Merit Elder squinted at Mo Hua's picturesque brows and clear eyes, and after a long look, muttered:
"Doesn't look like it… but behind your back, who knows…"
"…Even if I wanted to steal or hack the system, I'd need the skill to do it first," Mo Hua said, helplessly.
The elder pondered that for a moment, then nodded. "True. I might've overestimated you."
He thought a bit more.
The Great Void Token system had been running for years—it wasn't likely to fail. And since Mo Hua had come openly to use it, there probably wasn't anything fishy going on.
As for where the points had come from…
Well, if it was registered in the system, then it was likely earned by the book. No reason to make things difficult for the kid.
"Wait here a moment."
The elder turned and retrieved several sets of formation diagrams from the layered jade cabinets behind him. After sealing and recording them properly, he handed them to Mo Hua.
But curiosity lingered on his face.
"Eightfold Kan-Water Array, Floating Cloud Xun-Wind Array, Gen-Earth Mountain-Marsh Array…"
"These are all Grade Two, Sixteen-Pattern formations. You're still at early Foundation Establishment. What are you getting these for?"
Mo Hua grinned, "To study!"
The elder's face turned stern.
"This isn't child's play. If your spiritual sense isn't strong enough, studying these could dry out your sea of awareness—damage your foundation!"
"Mhm mhm!" Mo Hua nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Elder. Elder Xun knows about it."
Once again, he pulled out the ultimate shield: Elder Xun.
Sure enough, the elder relaxed as soon as he heard the name.
"Alright then. As long as you're learning under Elder Xun, study well."
"Thanks, Elder!"
Mo Hua respectfully took his leave.
Back at the disciples' quarters, while helping Yu'er with his homework, Mo Hua eagerly unrolled the six formation diagrams and began pouring over them with enthusiasm.
Six full sets.
All from the Eight Trigrams system, each containing sixteen pattern variations—fairly common, but ones Mo Hua hadn't studied deeply before.
But when it came to formation theory—once you grasped the fundamentals, everything else could be figured out.
Mo Hua had been studying Eight Trigrams formations for a while now and had developed some personal insights. Even if he wasn't familiar with a formation at first glance, with some reflection, he could often figure it out.
After midnight, he would go to the Dao Tablet and practice repeatedly.
After about a month, he had learned them thoroughly.
That's when Mo Hua realized—he'd been so busy lately, he'd completely forgotten something important:
These Grade Two, Sixteen-Pattern formations were already part of the Mid-Grade Tier Two Formation Master certification exam.
And he… was still only a Grade One Formation Master.
Way too low.
"Should I go apply for a Tier Two Sky Pivot Ring?"
"I wonder if the Tier Two one looks better than the Tier One…"
Grumbling to himself, Mo Hua made his way toward the Elders' Residence.
With so many noble clans in Qianzhou and all the tangled influences, Mo Hua didn't want to take any chances. It was best to be humble and ask Elder Xun for guidance.
Inside the Elders' Residence, Elder Xun was leisurely sipping tea.
With Mo Hua teaching all the formation classes now, he was perfectly at ease. In fact, he had time to sort through his lifetime's worth of formation teaching notes.
Once that compilation was ready, he'd hand it off to Mo Hua… and officially retire as the ultimate hands-off elder.
Mo Hua had visited his study before.
The boy at the door didn't stop him.
The room was simple, plain, spotless, and free of decoration—with a kind of back-to-basics charm.
Mo Hua stepped in, gave a respectful bow, and asked softly:
"Elder, would it be appropriate for me to apply for certification as a Tier Two, Beginner Formation Master now?"
"Certification, eh…"
Elder Xun took a sip of tea, pondered briefly, and nodded. "That's fine. Go ahead."
Then, as if something occurred to him, he asked casually:
"What level have you reached in your studies?"
"Around sixteen patterns," Mo Hua replied.
"Sixteen patterns… yeah, that sounds about right. Study a bit more, reinforce the foundation, and you'll be Mid-Tier…"
Elder Xun paused—his brow furrowing.
"…How many patterns?"
"Sixteen," Mo Hua said again.
Elder Xun froze, staring at Mo Hua in stunned silence.
Only then did Mo Hua remember—he'd never actually told Elder Xun about his sixteen-pattern spiritual sense.
And of course, elders in the Great Void Sect never spied on a disciple's sea of consciousness.
"Elder…" Mo Hua said gently.
Elder Xun snapped back to himself, his brow twitching. "When did that happen?"
Uh… a while back…
It was that night at the Shangguan clan, guarding Yu'er—he'd slain a bunch of demons and ghosts and "snacked" on a Ram-Horn Enforcer. After digesting it… boom—sixteen-pattern spiritual sense.
But fearing Elder Xun might not handle it well, he toned it down and said, "Just within the past couple days…"
"I see."
Elder Xun nodded, trying to appear calm—but in his heart, he sucked in a cold breath.
Sixteen patterns!!
In this short a time?! Sixteen-pattern spiritual sense while still only early Foundation Establishment—and it might not even be his limit?!
What the ancestral heck is this kid!?
The Great Void Sect had been open for recruitment for over a millennium—and they'd never picked up a little monster like this!
Elder Xun was seriously considering making a trip to the sect's ancestral tombs in the back mountains.
Just to see if any divine light had started shining from the grave of some ancient patriarch.
He forced himself to stay calm, frowning slightly as everything started to click into place.
No Wonder...
"No wonder he brought me that Sixteen-Pattern Beaconfire Primordial Magnetic Array for advice before…"
"So it turns out his spiritual sense was nearing sixteen patterns, and he was just preparing ahead of time for later comprehension."
"Stable, methodical, and even planning ahead? Not bad…"
Mo Hua noticed Elder Xun—normally stern and composed—wearing a mix of expressions. He had no idea what the elder was thinking, so he asked:
"Elder… can I go for the certification?"
Elder Xun blinked, raising an eyebrow.
Of course, you can!
If you can't go for certification, who else can!?
Sixteen-pattern spiritual sense and such a solid foundation in formations—if even that's not enough for certification, I'll personally go rip the noses off all the certifying examiners!
But just as Elder Xun was about to open his mouth, he hesitated.
His brows furrowed slightly in concern.
Sixteen patterns…
It was just too absurd.
If Mo Hua really went to get certified now, it would definitely cause a huge stir.
He'd only been in the sect for less than a year, and already so dazzling? That would surely draw jealousy and suspicion.
And under such fame, it was easy to lose one's grounding, become overconfident, and fall out of rhythm with deep formation study.
Worse, it would attract the attention of… certain unsavory elements.
This kind of promising seedling hadn't even fully grown yet. It mustn't be ruined.
After a long moment of deliberation, Elder Xun shook his head and sighed:
"It's… a little tricky."
Mo Hua was shocked. "Even with sixteen patterns, certification is still difficult?"
Elder Xun straightened his expression.
"You should understand—having strong spiritual sense only gives you a good foundation for learning formations. It doesn't guarantee strength in formations themselves."
"Formation mastery also depends on talent, insight—and even more so, on refinement through experience."
"This is Qianxue Prefecture, a land full of prodigies. Formation geniuses are as countless as the stars…"
"You must remain humble."
"Never underestimate others."
"Some cultivators may not have your spiritual sense strength, but they've studied formations since childhood, come from deeply rooted families, and have a wealth of inherited knowledge. Their formation insight and understanding might not be weaker than yours…"
Mo Hua mulled this over, then nodded sincerely.
Yes, one mustn't underestimate the formation geniuses of Qianzhou!
"Elder's words make sense," Mo Hua said respectfully. "There's always someone better out there—this disciple understands!"
Elder Xun gave him a look.
(That's a great sentiment… for someone else. You can stop saying it.)
The "someone better" beyond the skies? Honestly, it might just be you…
But Elder Xun didn't say that out loud.
After a moment of thought, he added with a sigh:
"There's another important reason…"
"Even if you have the ability to pass certification, the Dao Court's official grading requires quota, and recommendations. You're still too young and lack seniority—it's not convenient to push your name forward right now."
"And honestly, the assessment process is a rigid, exam-style formality. It's full of standardized, procedural steps—most of which are hollow and impractical."
"It'll waste a ton of your time. And to be blunt—it won't actually improve your formation skills."
"Your real mission right now is to study formations earnestly, grow steadily, and not waste time on these empty, exam-focused procedures."
"When your skills reach a certain height, and there's a need for it, then consider certification."
"In the face of overwhelming formation power, all those pesky little certification hurdles won't mean a thing."
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly in agreement.
But then, a thought occurred to him:
"Elder, if I don't get certified… I can't take on Grade Two formation missions. Earning merit points will be very slow…"
To be fair, his merit gain wasn't slow anymore.
But hey—faster is always better.
"Ah, merit…"
Elder Xun stroked his beard, nodding.
Now that was a real issue.
Something he'd overlooked.
With Mo Hua's sixteen-pattern spiritual sense, of course he should be learning sixteen-pattern formations.
But to exchange for those, the merit cost was sky-high. If he relied on beginner missions to save up… he'd be grinding merit until the Year of the Immortal Monkey.
That would severely hold back his formation progress.
And that would go against Elder Xun's original intention.
He wanted Mo Hua to earn merit to gain experience, build bonds with fellow disciples, and develop a sense of sect honor—not to deliberately handicap him.
After a moment's thought, Elder Xun said:
"No problem. I'll just adjust your permissions. Within the Great Void Sect, you're now considered a Grade Two Formation Master."
Mo Hua blinked.
Wait… that's allowed?
He asked cautiously:
"So if you set me to Grade Two… I'll be officially considered Grade Two?"
"Naturally," Elder Xun replied. "Certification earns you permissions after sect approval. But if I approve you personally, I can grant you those permissions directly."
"Sects operate on permissions. Once you're authorized, you can take on tasks."
"Otherwise, how would anyone prove they're qualified to accept a Grade Two mission—just flash their Tier Two Sky Pivot Ring?"
"Ah, got it."
Mo Hua nodded, understanding now.
"Give me your Great Void Token."
Mo Hua handed it over.
Elder Xun didn't hesitate—right in front of Mo Hua, he began altering the token's access permissions…
Mo Hua was watching when suddenly—he froze.
A tidal wave of shock surged in his heart.
Unlocking permissions was easy. Modifying them? That was something else entirely.
Before, he wouldn't have noticed anything.
But now—it was different.
He had already studied Primordial Magnetic Arrays, amplified his calculations with Trick Calculations, and gained insight into the true nature of magnetic inscriptions—the Secondary Thunder Runes.
He'd even built a "Secondary Thunder Rune Library" and used those runes to decrypt seals and encrypted patterns.
Now, he could clearly perceive—
That this so-called "modifying permissions" was, in essence, Elder Xun using a very specialized Secondary Thunder Rune to reverse-engineer the array, alter its dual magnetic runes, and thus rewrite the foundational structure of the Great Void Token—changing its access privileges!
Mo Hua was stunned.
This felt like…
Watching someone—right in front of your eyes—use a gleaming golden key to personally demonstrate how to unlock a secret treasure vault…
(End of this Chapter)