Chapter 99 Elder Yu (Third Update)_1
Translator: 549690339
Every now and then, people came to Mo Shan, asking Mo Hua to draw Formations for them. And without exception, all of them wanted an Iron Armor Formation drawn on their rattan armor.
This was all handled by Mo Shan. Mo Hua only needed to draw the Formation, which wasn’t too troublesome, and it didn’t require showing off.
The Iron Armor Formation consisted of only six Formation Patterns, which, for Mo Hua, no longer posed any difficulty; moreover, drawing them was very quick. Occasionally, when someone requested it, he would just draw it in passing, so it didn’t waste much time.
For one Iron Armor Formation painting, he could get five Spirit Stones and half a bottle of Spiritual Ink.
After drawing for some time, Mo Hua had saved up a small amount of Spirit Stones and Spiritual Ink. It was just a pity that the Spiritual Ink was of a metallic property and could only be used to draw Golden Series Formations; it was unsuitable for other types of Formations.
The Iron Armor Formation only contained six Formation Patterns, suitable for mid-phase Artifact Refining Cultivators. Essentially, it was only used by novice Monster Hunters.
For a late-phase Qi Refinement Cultivator like Mo Shan, it was basically useless. In the face of late-stage rank one Monster Beasts, even rattan armor with the Iron Armor Formation drawn on it wouldn’t be much better than paper mache—its strength would hardly be improved at all.
However, among the Monster Hunters, the majority were mid-phase Qi Refinement Cultivators, and each year new Cultivators became Monster Hunters; these Monster Hunters were the ones who needed the Iron Armor Formation the most.
Although the strength of the Iron Armor Formation could only fend off a Monster Beast’s attack for a brief moment, that moment often made the difference between a minor injury and a severe one, or even between life and death.
Mo Hua, in fact, wanted to draw more Iron Armor Formations so that young Monster Hunters like Da’hu could receive fewer injuries.
For ordinary Loose Cultivators, sustaining minor injuries was bearable, but a serious injury could make daily life very difficult; and an unfortunate death would essentially be a disaster for their entire family.
Among the Monster Hunters in Tongxian City, only a few had connections with Mo Shan; most of the Monster Hunters wouldn’t specifically ask someone to draw a Formation for them, since Formations were difficult to draw and Formation Masters difficult to hire—they couldn’t afford the Spirit Stones. Thus, the ones who actually came to Mo Hua to have the Iron Armor Formation drawn weren’t many.
That day, after Mo Hua had finished his dinner and was flipping through Formation Books in his room, he heard someone arriving. Mo Shan was warmly greeting the guest, and curiosity couldn’t help but arise within Mo Hua.
Mo Shan was usually generous and had quite a few friends, but Mo Hua had never seen him be so enthusiastic before.
After a while, Mo Shan called out to Mo Hua, asking him to come and meet the guest.
When Mo Hua lifted the door curtain, he saw a Cultivator with a very long beard, apparently of considerable age, sitting upright on the wooden chair in the middle. This bearded Cultivator was dressed in common Monster Hunter attire, with a serious demeanor and an air of authority that made him seem somewhat difficult to get along with.
Mo Shan said, “This is Elder Yu. Huar, say hello to Elder Yu.”
Elder Yu? An Elder from the Monster Hunting Hall?
Mo Hua politely greeted the Elder and then noticed that this Elder Yu had a profound aura emanating a subtle oppressive force. Mo Hua quietly probed with his Divine Sense, only to find that he couldn’t see anything clearly, just a vague sense that someone was sitting there.
As Mo Hua was using his Divine Sense to probe, Elder Yu’s eyes flashed with insight, and he glanced at Mo Hua.
A Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator! And probably not an ordinary one at that!
Just his Divine Sense was far stronger than Mo Hua’s!
Mo Shan patted Mo Hua on the head and said, “Huar, Elder Yu has something to discuss with you. Have a chat with him. I’ll go to the front to help your mother clean up.”
“What could Elder Yu possibly have to discuss with me?” Mo Hua wondered, somewhat puzzled, but he still nodded in agreement.
After Mo Shan left, Elder Yu got straight to the point:
“I have heard from Mo Shan that you can draw the Iron Armor Formation?” asked Elder Yu.
Elder Yu’s voice was slightly hoarse with a hint of sternness, probably a habit formed over the years.
“Yes,” replied Mo Hua.
Elder Yu nodded slightly, “That’s good, I have something I want to discuss with you.”
“Please speak, Elder.”
Elder Yu inwardly nodded. He had heard before that Mo Shan’s son, despite his tender age, was already a Formation Master. He hadn’t believed it, thinking it was too preposterous.
Later, as more people spoke of it, he began to believe it somewhat, but deep down, he felt that those with talent at a young age must be arrogant due to their talents, especially Formation Masters. All the Formation Masters he had encountered were haughty, regardless of their actual capability, and each had a prideful temperament.
Initially, he did not have a favorable impression of Mo Hua, but now, seeing that Mo Hua was fair and lovely and also very polite, his expression softened quite a bit.
“I intend to have you help draw a batch of Formations, all Iron Armor Formations, painted onto rattan armors. During the Monster Hunting Ceremony, we will give a set to each of the young Monster Hunters so they have some protection when they enter the mountains to hunt Monster Beasts.”
Mo Hua suddenly understood. The Hunting Demon Ceremony was approaching, and another group of young cultivators would become Monster Hunters.
Elder Yu was an elder of the Monster Hunting Hall, responsible for upholding the rules of the Monster Hunters and ensuring their safety, especially for those who were just starting out and had yet to witness the ferocity of Monster Beasts. They were the newcomers in need of protection now, but in twenty or thirty years, they could become the backbone of the Monster Hunting Guild.
“How many sets do you need?”
“About one hundred sets,” Elder Yu said.
Mo Hua was taken aback. That would be enough to keep him busy for quite a while.
“Is that possible?” Elder Yu asked tentatively.
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, “When do you need these Formations?”
Elder Yu thought for a moment and said, “It’ll be fine as long as it’s before the Monster Hunting Festival, which should be in three months.”
If it was three months, there was plenty of time. Mo Hua nodded and said, “No problem.”
Elder Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He saw that Mo Hua was of low cultivation and his Divine Sense was limited; he also wasn’t sure if Mo Hua’s willpower was strong enough. He worried that Mo Hua wouldn’t be able to draw so many Formations in three months.
Now, seeing that Mo Hua appeared confident, as if he wasn’t lying, Elder Yu felt somewhat more at ease.
Even if he couldn’t finish all of them, completing seventy to eighty percent would still be good.
Elder Yu hesitated for a while, thinking, then said:
“I’ve heard from Mo Shan that when you draw Formations for others, you charge only five Spirit Stones for one Iron Armor Formation. These cultivators have connections with your father, so charge them less Spirit Stones, as it’s only reasonable. But for these one hundred sets, let’s not talk about favors. For each Iron Armor Formation, I’ll give you eight Spirit Stones as compensation. What do you say?”
Eight Spirit Stones wasn’t really a lot, considering that for a Formation Master, Divine Sense was limited and the number of Formations he could draw each day was also limited, they naturally hoped the price of their work would be as high as possible.
Normally, this price wouldn’t be enough to hire a Formation Master to draw Formations.
But this was already Elder Yu’s limit. The Monster Hunting Guild had big business, but the family was full of Loose Cultivators who were poor as church mice, and he had to arrange everything alone. Everything needed Spirit Stones, and eight Spirit Stones was the highest price he could offer.
“Eight Spirit Stones…” Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Elder Yu observed Mo Hua’s frown; his expression didn’t change, but he felt a chill in his heart.
It really was difficult to deal with Formation Masters.
Elder Yu silently thought.