Elder Yu spent a hundred and fifty years to reach the Foundation Building stage.
Throughout these years, he had dealt with various kinds of cultivators, naturally including numerous Array Masters.
Elder Yu generally held a poor opinion of Array Masters.
Those from familial clans or sects looked down on independent cultivators, while some independent Array Masters felt superior, as if they had transformed from fish to dragons, and showed even greater disdain towards those from clans or sects.
Since learning arrays was difficult and Array Masters were scarce, they were often the proudest, considering themselves above the mundane dust.
Out of respect for a Foundation Building cultivator, some Array Masters were superficially polite, but once asked to construct an array, they would ask for exorbitant fees.
If you tried to bargain, they would feel insulted, questioning whether you thought their arrays weren’t worth the spirit stones. If you didn’t haggle, the steep price in spirit stones was something many independent cultivators couldn’t afford.
But in this world, Array Masters were few, yet many cultivators needed arrays. Sometimes, despite their high demands, you had no choice but to comply.
Therefore, while Elder Yu treated Array Masters with surface respect, he held no real fondness for them.
Though a Foundation Building cultivator, he was neither affiliated with a sect nor attached to a clan. He had to earn his own spirit stones and deal with the mundane affairs of demon hunters, not much richer than those at the Qi Cultivation stage.
Elder Yu was somewhat dissatisfied with Mo Hua, who seemed young and well-behaved, but probably as greedy as the other Array Masters when it came to spirit stones.
Indeed, all Array Masters were cut from the same cloth, none of them good.
"How much do you want?" Elder Yu asked with an unfriendly tone, curious to see how much Mo Hua would ask for.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "Three."
Elder Yu snorted coldly.
The room went quiet for a moment, and Elder Yu hesitated before asking incredulously, "How much?"
"Three..."
"Three?!"
Elder Yu raised an eyebrow, suddenly finding Mo Hua endearing again.
Then he suspected, this child must be foolish, who negotiates by lowering the price?
"Are you sure you only want three?"
"Yes, three spirit stones will do, but I have a small condition," said Mo Hua.
"A condition?" Elder Yu paused, "Let's hear it."
"I would like some Spirit Ink, all five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, for regular array practice. Not too much, just manage it as an extra reward."
"Is that all?"
"That’s all," Mo Hua nodded.
"That’s easy," Elder Yu immediately replied.
Some Spirit Ink, though it also cost spirit stones, was nothing compared to the price of a hundred Iron Armor Arrays. Being a Foundation Building cultivator, he had his own connections and could obtain good Spirit Ink without spending many spirit stones, saving him a significant amount.
Elder Yu looked at Mo Hua and suddenly found the child increasingly handsome.
He still said this Spirit Ink was for practicing arrays?
"Not bad! Diligent and studious, no wonder you can draw arrays so well at such a young age," Elder Yu praised inwardly.
Elder Yu thought again, worried Mo Hua might be short-changed, and said, "You only want three spirit stones, is that enough?"
"It’s fine, three spirit stones are not few. Besides, we are all independent cultivators; we should look out for each other, this is what my father always tells me," Mo Hua said in a youthful voice.
This struck a chord in Elder Yu's heart, warming it.
He too was an independent cultivator who had struggled to reach the Foundation Building stage, hoping to explore higher realms for greater opportunities and perhaps further advancement in cultivation.
But looking back at the aunts, uncles, friends, and elder brothers who had cared for him, living was truly hard. Without the care of a Foundation Building cultivator, they would surely suffer daily under the oppression of those clan cultivators, living a miserable life.
He thought for a long time and decided to stay.
The outside cultivation world was vast, and he would be just one of the many minor cultivators with dim prospects, but in Tongxian City, he was a respected Foundation Building cultivator who could make many people no longer suffer, ensuring their safety and slightly improving the lives of many independent cultivators.
Hearing such words from a child like Mo Hua, Elder Yu felt deeply gratified.
Elder Yu gazed at Mo Hua, looking left and right, liking him more and more.
Look, Mo Shan has raised this son so well!
Mo Hua felt a bit uneasy under Elder Yu’s intense gaze and couldn’t help but ask, "Elder Yu, is there something wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing, it's just right! Very right!" Elder Yu said, "Tomorrow I will have someone bring the rattan armor, and I'll find the Spirit Ink for you, all five elements, right? I'll send them over once I've gathered them. Rest assured, you’ve helped this old man greatly this time, I won't let you be short-changed. If you need anything in the future, you can also come to me."
Mo Hua was delighted, "Thank you, Elder!"
"It’s a trifle, a trifle!" Elder Yu waved his hand, then added caringly, "Then you rest now, don't stay up too late at such a young age."
"Okay," Mo Hua nodded.
Elder Yu then walked out, took a few steps, seemed to suddenly remember something, and stopped. After hesitating for a while, he walked back.
Mo Hua looked puzzled and asked, "Elder Yu, is there anything else?"
Elder Yu coughed and quietly pulled out a storage bag, "I... cough, have two grandsons, they... about their arrays, I need your help."
"Is this urgent?" Mo Hua asked.
"This... it's a bit urgent, but not particularly so, just draw when you have time," Elder Yu replied.
Elder Yu's two grandsons, along with Da Hu, had already started going up the mountain to hunt demons.
As the saying goes, grandparents are often closer to their grandchildren, and Elder Yu, indifferent to his own son, was extremely fond of his two grandsons. Each time he saw them return from the mountains with injuries, it troubled him deeply.
As a Foundation Building cultivator, he couldn’t simply go up the mountain.
Foundation Building cultivators frequently entering the mountains could be seen as a provocation by the demonic beasts, attracting second-tier great demons. In Tongxian City, second-tier great demons were virtually without natural enemies.
There weren't many Foundation Building cultivators in Tongxian City to begin with, and getting them to join forces to hunt demons was even rarer, and even if they did, they were hardly a match for second-tier demonic beasts.
And if a mistake were made, allowing a second-tier demonic beast to devour one or two Foundation Building cultivators, the problem would be grave.
So unless necessary, Elder Yu generally wouldn’t enter Dahei Mountain, at most wandering around the outer mountain. If entering the inner mountain, he tried his best not to reveal his cultivation level.
Because he couldn’t casually enter the mountains, he often worried about the safety of his two grandsons, drawing an Iron Armor Array on their rattan armor as a means of protection, so he could have some peace of mind.
"Alright, I'll help you draw when I have time!" Mo Hua agreed.
Elder Yu nodded, seeing Mo Hua about to return to his room, he advised softly, "Take your time with those arrays, more or less doesn't matter, just don’t tire yourself out."
The usually strict Elder Yu's voice was unexpectedly gentle and kind.