Chapter 116: Spiritual Ink (Fifth Release)_1
All spells in the world rely on speed, for only speed is unbeatable!
Mo Hua etched this principle deep into his heart.
“So Grandpa Gui, what spell should I learn next?” Mo Hua asked Old Kui again.
He couldn’t possibly rely on the Fireball Technique for his entire life…
Old Kui’s response was just as casual.
“Does that mean as long as I understand the principles, it doesn’t matter what I learn…”
This was the only way Mo Hua could interpret it.
Old Kui had reverted to his taciturn and reticent self, so Mo Hua felt it improper to inquire further and decided to practice his Fireball Technique instead.
Afterward, Mo Hua would practice the Fireball Technique whenever he had time.
He remembered Old Kui’s words, to practice until his aim was as accurate and his casting as quick as possible!
Now, with Water Passing Step to protect himself and Fireball Technique for offense, he could be considered to have a basic level of defense and self-preservation.
As for learning other spells, Mo Hua wasn’t in a rush anymore, especially since there was no immediate need for more.
Mo Hua then redirected his focus to Formation.
At the fifth level of Qi Refinement, Mo Hua could now draw eight Formation Patterns, but he estimated that within his current realm, it was impossible to draw nine Formation Patterns.
Just as Mr. Zhuang had said, Divine Sense had its limits.
Every night, Mo Hua continued to practice Formation at the Taoist Stele to enhance his Divine Sense, but he clearly felt that the growth of his Divine Sense was minute, almost as if he had reached a bottleneck, with his Sea of Consciousness already brimming.
Given the circumstances, there was nothing to do but wait for a breakthrough in realm to attempt drawing a Formation with nine Patterns.
Nine Formation Patterns…
Mo Hua frowned and thought about it, then suddenly was taken aback.
Nine Formation Patterns — wasn’t that the mark of a First-grade Formation Master?
Was he, unknowingly, on the verge of becoming a First-grade Formation Master?!
Mo Hua was quietly shaken.
Although he still needed the Taoist Court’s assessment and an available First-grade Formation Master position, being able to draw a nine-pattern Formation meant one foot was already over the threshold of a First-grade Formation Master!
Mo Hua felt a surge of emotion, “Mr. Zhuang was right, as long as one is completely devoted to drawing Formations, constantly drawing without distraction, one will eventually become a First-grade Formation Master.”
The simplest methods are often the most straightforward!
Mo Hua wanted to boast a little, but remembering Mr. Zhuang’s teachings to remain humble and composed, he reined in his thoughts and calmed his mind.
The path of Tao Cultivation is lengthy, and a momentary achievement is nothing significant.
Only by remaining humble and undiscouraged one can reach for the Longevity Road.
If he were to boast, it would have to wait until he could draw nine Formation Patterns and become a First-grade Formation Master!
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
However, there was a problem with his Spiritual Ink…
To learn the Formation with nine Patterns and become a First-grade Formation Master, not only did he need to practice on the Taoist Stele, but he also had to paint on Formation Paper and other various Formation media.
It was important not just to learn, but to apply what he learned to deeply comprehend Formation.
Moreover, the Cultivation Technique Mo Hua was practicing, the Heaven Yan Jue, had its bottleneck in the Mystery Formation; without unraveling the Mystery Formation, he couldn’t break through the bottleneck and ascend in realm.
Unraveling the Mystery Formation depended on the experience with Formations; to do so, he needed to observe and practice a multitude of Formations.
Whether it was to become a First-grade Formation Master or to solve the Mystery Formation, Mo Hua needed to learn and practice an extensive array of Formations.
Which meant, he required a significant amount of Spiritual Ink…
A regular Formation Master wouldn’t need so much Spiritual Ink because their Divine Sense, limited as it was, didn’t allow them to draw many Formations in a day, whether learning or trading.
But Mo Hua was different.
Mo Hua’s Divine Sense was considerably higher than that of his peers at the same realm, and with the Taoist Stele, it continued to grow stronger.
Owing to the Heaven Yan Jue, his Formation drawing was much faster than others, and coupled with the secret technique taught by Mr. Zhuang — the Meditation Technique — his Divine Sense recovered quickly.
So Mo Hua would paint from dawn to dusk without rest, able to complete nearly ten Formation Paintings in a day.
That’s several times more than other Formation Masters of the same level.
As a result, Mo Hua used Spiritual Ink like running water.
Elder Yu would occasionally have someone bring some Spiritual Ink for Mo Hua.
In Elder Yu’s opinion, since Mo Hua was young and his Divine Sense was not stable enough, the Spiritual Ink he provided should have been adequate for Mo Hua’s use.
But in reality, it was far from enough for Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was somewhat worried but had no good solutions, which led him to a question:
“How exactly is Spiritual Ink concocted?”
Mo Hua thought about asking Mr. Zhuang for advice, but since the question wasn’t too profound, he didn’t want to disturb the gentleman’s seclusion. So he went to ask Bai Zisheng instead.
Bai Zisheng sat under a big pagoda tree, his face twisted in pain as he worked on his studies.
Mo Hua glanced at the book, which was “Alchemy Temperature Control and Pill Quality Analysis”.
Mo Hua didn’t understand…
He indeed wasn’t skilled at Alchemy, but he was fairly clear about the Formation Patterns inside an Alchemy Furnace.
After all, he had once helped Old Mr. Feng repair the water and wood controlling Spirit Formation inside an Alchemy Furnace.
Bai Zisheng closed his book and lay down on the ground, stiff as a salted fish and motionless.
“Zisheng, I have a question for you.”
Bai Zisheng spoke wearily, “This book has given me a headache, ask Zixi instead, let me rest for a bit.”
“Oh,” Mo Hua turned his head to look at Bai Zixi.
Bai Zixi had just closed her book as well, her eyes like autumn waters looking at Mo Hua.
“Do you have a moment?” Mo Hua asked quietly.
Bai Zixi nodded slightly.
Mo Hua pondered his words and asked, “How is the Spiritual Ink used for Formations concocted?”
“With Monster Blood, Spiritual Liquid, Spirit Grass, or Spiritual Mines,” said Bai Zixi succinctly, her voice clear and melodious.
But Mo Hua didn’t quite understand, “Is there something more specific?”
Just knowing these materials, Mo Hua still had no clue how to concoct them…
“Wait a moment.” Bai Zixi opened a snow-white Storage Bag embroidered with elegant pale golden phoenix patterns and rummaged through it to take out a book.
Mo Hua looked at Bai Zixi’s refined yet exquisite Storage Bag with curiosity.
He wondered what was stored inside, as it seemed to contain all sorts of books.
Bai Zixi’s fair and delicate hands held the book and handed it over to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua took it and flipped through it.
The cover of the book read “First-grade Spirit Ink Record,” which documented the Spiritual Ink commonly used for first-grade and lower formations, including the types of ink, recipes, and specific concocting techniques.
There was also a line of text on the cover: “Bai Family clan collection, not to be disseminated.”
Mo Hua couldn’t help but glance at Bai Zixi.
Bai Zixi said mildly, “It’s fine, it’s not top-secret.”
Mo Hua felt relieved and continued to browse through it.
The methods for concocting First-grade Spiritual Ink were relatively simple, mostly using Monster Blood as the base, mixed with a certain proportion of Spirit Stone powder and diluted Spiritual Liquid, or the juice of some Spirit Grass, to neutralize the aggressiveness of the Monster Blood and stimulate its efficacy, blending the ink with spiritual energy.
Spiritual Liquid and Spirit Grass were not used extensively, so it was not too troublesome; the most challenging part was actually obtaining the Monster Blood.
The Monster Blood used for concocting Spiritual Ink had to be drawn from the Monster Beasts while they were still alive, or within the time span of a cup of tea after their death.
Once a Monster Beast died, if too much time passed, its blood would either cool and dim, losing much of its efficacy, or completely solidify, making it unusable for Spiritual Ink.
Moreover, drawing the Monster Blood also required a special secret technique to guide the blood from the Monster Beasts’ vessels, bit by bit, into a specially made jade bottle for preservation to prevent the blood from solidifying.
This special spell for drawing Monster Blood was known as the Blood Drawing Art.