Mo Hua said: "I want to ask about tomb raiding."
Xie Ling was immediately shocked, "Junior Brother, you want to raid tombs?"
"No," Mo Hua indicated to keep his voice down, "The Taoist Court over there encountered a group of tomb robbers, but there are few clues. I also know little about tomb raiding, so I’m here to ask you."
"I see," Xie Ling nodded, then said seriously, "Junior Brother, let me clarify in advance that the Xie family does not raid tombs."
"Did your parents tell you to say that?" Mo Hua asked.
"Yes!" Xie Ling nodded, then immediately realized and emphasized, "Our Xie family really does not raid tombs."
Practicing Kanyu Skill, identifying the veins of mountains and rivers, determining the life and death in burials, and transmitting the Yin Yang Feng Shui Secret Formation.
On the other hand, it also makes one most suited for tomb raiding.
The Xie family may have done it, but they definitely deny it outwardly, otherwise they’d be in big trouble.
Since Xie Ling came from a long line of family knowledge, he pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Tomb raiding... no, it’s the Kanyu Skill, it’s broad and profound, involving many fields."
"First, you must know how to discern the energy mechanisms of heaven and earth, the convergence of Yin and Yang, how to observe the terrain of mountains and rivers, where dragons hide and tigers crouch, to find a place with the best Feng Shui for cultivators to be buried."
"Burial inevitably requires the construction of a tomb."
"There are many considerations in a tomb."
"The overall layout, the orientation of the coffin, trap mechanisms, tomb-guarding statues, corpse disintegration layout... and so on."
Xie Ling said a lot, then embarrassedly said: "However, I only know the basics of these things, not proficient."
"When I was at home, I wasn’t of age, and my parents didn’t let me learn, I just picked up a little from being around it..."
"That’s already impressive," Mo Hua praised.
Without Xie Ling telling him these burial knowledge, Mo Hua would be completely in the dark.
Each craft has its specialty.
Especially knowledge from such Tao cultivation families, passed down through generations, always kept secret from outsiders.
Encouraged by the praise, Xie Ling racked his brain and spilled a lot more.
"The layout of a tomb requires secrecy and sturdiness, which inevitably involves formations."
"With these formations, the tombs can last for hundreds, even thousands of years without decay."
"Additionally, using the formation layout, one can hide the energy mechanism, transform Yin to Yang, obscure cause and effect, and integrate the tomb with the earth, dormant in the earth veins for thousands of years, without being discovered."
"After all, if a cultivator’s tomb is easily discovered, it would certainly invite covetous eyes. Unless it’s a family forbidden area, a guarded ancestral tomb, it’s only a matter of time before it’s raided."
"Among the formations in a tomb, the most important is the Yin Yang Feng Shui Secret Formation, which is the Xie family’s secret formation, I haven’t learned it yet, and don’t know what the Formation Diagram is."
"Besides that, there are also the Yin Formation and Earth Formation, which are very important..."
Mo Hua’s heart was stirred.
The Yin Formation, could it be the Yin Yang type Eryi Formation?
And the Earth Formation... related to the Taoist Meaning of the earth?
Mo Hua silently contemplated, feeling a bit sentimental.
The world is vast, and formations are infinite, scattered in the corners of this world are surely many new and mysterious formations he hasn’t learned, or even come into contact with.
It’s just a pity that Xie Ling’s aspirations do not lie in formations, so he knows little about them, basically just their names.
Mo Hua asked but couldn’t obtain much.
But Xie Ling’s words still provided Mo Hua with a lot of ideas.
"Feng Shui, mountain terrain, tombs..."
"Strengthening with formations, hiding energy mechanism..."
"Solitary Mountain City, tomb robbers..."
"Evil Embryo..."
Mo Hua furrowed his brow, vaguely feeling that these matters might be somehow connected.
There can’t be so many coincidences in this world.
Within coincidences, cause and effect are hidden.
It’s just that the cause and effect are not clear yet, as clues are too few, Mo Hua couldn’t see through them for now.
...
Afterwards, Mo Hua still could only continue training and attending classes.
Two days later, he went again to Refining Demon Mountain.
The selection for the Sword Discussion Conference was proceeding steadily, advancing step by step.
Previously it was one-on-one sparring, now on Refining Demon Mountain, disciples of the Taixu Gate have already started forming teams for five-on-five sparring.
With five-on-five, the scene was grander, Spiritual Artifacts and spells were flying around chaotically, battles more intense, variability greater, sometimes decided in a moment’s thought.
But Mo Hua was still just watching the scene.
While everyone else was busy, he alone was sitting aside, appearing somewhat lonely.
Watching, Mo Hua silently made some comparisons in his mind.
The fellow disciples’ strength is steadily improving, and with such efforts in honing, they are expected to grow even stronger by the Sword Discussion Conference.
Both in cultivation and Taoist Skill, they would be stronger than now.
But not for himself.
At this pace, doing nothing, by the Conference, his "hard strength" would have basically no enhancement.
At most, cultivating a few more Circulations of Spiritual Power, which is essentially pointless.
While others are getting stronger, he stands still.
Which is equivalent to him getting weaker.
Mo Hua’s expression became solemn.
As heaven moves forcefully, a gentleman must continuously strive for self-improvement.
Since he came to Qian State to study, he must forge ahead and strive for self-improvement relentlessly.
This situation, of not only having no progress but even regressing, must not be allowed to happen.
Mo Hua fell into deep reflection.
A few days later, during the rest period, having prepared everything, he carried a storage bag, and left the Sect once again, embarking on the road to Solitary Mountain City.
...
Elder’s Residence.
Xun Ziyou paid respects to Elder Master Xun, sighing: "This child, he’s running around again."
Elder Master Xun frowned, pinching his fingers, looking at the compass in front of him with profound eyes, after a moment, he spoke lightly:
"Forget it, shallow waters can’t raise true dragons."
"Let him go play on his own..."