With the array on the alchemy furnace completed, Mo Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had finished drawing all the necessary arrays. The next steps were no longer his concern.
Master Chen managed the Artifact Crafting Shop, Mr. Feng oversaw the Alchemy Hall, and the completion of the project was the responsibility of Master Ban. Elder Yu was in charge of the overall situation.
If there were minor areas needing arrays, Mo Hua could easily fill them in.
The remaining task was to wait for the spirit stones distribution.
Elder Yu had said that once the Artifact Crafting Shop and Alchemy Hall were profitable, all contributing cultivators—whether demon hunters, artifact refiners, alchemists, or general wandering cultivators—would receive a substantial share of spirit stones.
Since Mo Hua had handled all the arrays, Elder Yu mentioned that his share of the spirit stones would be the largest.
Mo Hua didn't bother asking for specifics. He had enough spirit stones now, so he focused solely on arrays.
Summarizing his work, Mo Hua realized he had drawn numerous arrays.
Mo Hua planned and coordinated the array diagrams, then redrew them from start to finish to solidify his understanding of the array foundations.
The arrays used on the artifact furnace and alchemy furnace were all First Grade composite arrays, highly challenging. Mo Hua had to make numerous adjustments, but he managed to complete them.
His spiritual sense had strengthened, his understanding of arrays had deepened, and he had grasped the basic concepts of composite arrays' principles and applications.
Thanks to his comprehension of the array hub, he could now draw ordinary arrays swiftly, although his spiritual sense consumption was slightly higher.
However, this level of spiritual sense consumption wasn't a problem for Mo Hua.
In short, these days were exhausting but fulfilling.
Mo Hua felt he had gained a lot.
He had used up more than half of the thousand bottles of demonic blood he had stocked. Now, he could finally take a short break.
Touching his own face, Mo Hua felt he had lost some weight from being busy with arrays every day. He decided to ask his mother to make some delicious food to reward himself.
"What should I eat?"
Mo Hua pondered as he walked home briskly.
In the Qian family main hall.
A black cauldron-patterned carpet covered the floor, mountain and river screens adorned the walls, a crimson lacquered table stood, and auspicious beast incense burners emitted curling smoke, creating an atmosphere of luxury.
Qian Hong sat in the main seat, with Master Qian sitting beside him.
The two were drinking tea amidst the fragrant smoke, but despite the calming scent, their minds were restless.
Qian Shunzhi entered, respectfully saluting and reporting:
"Master, I've inquired among the demon hunters but found no leads on other array masters. However, I did hear about a child among the demon hunters, known as the 'Little Array Master.'"
"Little Array Master?" Master Qian frowned, "How old is he?"
"Not very old, perhaps around ten years old, with the surname Mo. As for his exact name, appearance, or residence, the demon hunters were tight-lipped. We couldn't find out."
Qian Hong showed displeasure.
Qian Shunzhi lowered his head, barely daring to breathe.
Master Qian pondered briefly and said, "It can't be that child, but he must be related."
Qian Hong speculated, "Master, do you mean that the array master opposing us is likely this child's teacher, or there's a master-student relationship between them..."
"Indeed," Master Qian nodded, "Array skills aren't self-taught. For such a young child to make a name for himself in arrays and be called the 'Little Array Master,' he must have a highly skilled mentor or a direct teacher."
Qian Hong instructed Qian Shunzhi, "Keep investigating."
Qian Shunzhi hesitated, "But... how should I proceed..."
He had already investigated all he could and asked everyone he could.
Previously, they had disguised Qian family members as passing merchants to chat with demon hunters in a bustling tavern, gathering only a few hints.
But within two days, the demon hunters had noticed.
When they inquired again, mentioning "array master," the demon hunters' wariness was evident, and even ordinary wandering cultivators kept their lips sealed.
If they asked too much, demon hunters would look at them with suspicion and might even turn the questioning on them.
A wrong answer could lead to a beating.
Qian Hong frowned, "Then don't ask about array masters. Inquire about unfamiliar cultivators or mysterious experts. Probe subtly; you'll find some clues."
Qian Shunzhi accepted the order and was about to leave when Master Qian called him back.
"One more thing," Master Qian instructed, "Try to get some of the arrays drawn by that Little Array Master. I need to study them closely."
"Yes," Qian Shunzhi replied respectfully.
In the southern part of the city, the Artifact Crafting Shop was completed, and the Alchemy Hall was nearing completion.
The Qian family felt immense pressure, and the An family was equally anxious.
Old Master An had returned to the private room of a teahouse in the southern city, gazing at the newly built Artifact Crafting Shop with An Yonglu, the head of the An family.
Once a wasteland, the chaotic and desolate land now housed a grand Artifact Crafting Shop.
Next to it, an equally large Alchemy Hall was about to be finished.
Old Master An sighed, "Elder Yu really managed to build it!"
An Yonglu was worried, "At this rate, we won't have any standing here."
"With the Artifact Crafting and Alchemy businesses, our An family won't achieve anything in these fields for the next hundred years. We won't even get the scraps."
Old Master An felt disheartened.
The Qian family already suffocated them, and now, with two massive Artifact Crafting and Alchemy establishments in the southern city, the An family had no chance of rising.
"This might be for the best," An Yonglu said, somewhat relieved, "Since we can't compete, we'll just focus on our Spirit Meal Tower business."
Old Master An glared at his son, "Running the Spirit Meal Tower all your life, watching others' faces, what future is there?"
"At least we can make a living..." An Yonglu muttered.
His demeanor almost screamed "lack of ambition."
Old Master An felt exhausted.
His son seemed proper on the surface, fit to be the head of the family. But when faced with challenges, he just wanted to get by, with no ambition.
No wonder his son, An Xiaofu, had no big aspirations.
Old Master An was too tired to argue.
An Yonglu silently sipped his tea, glancing at the Artifact Crafting Shop. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Father, the outer wall seems to have very advanced arrays..."
Old Master An glanced at him, "Can you tell what kind of arrays?"
"No," An Yonglu shook his head, "But they seem extraordinary, much better than the ones on our An family estate."
"Where did Elder Yu find such an array master?" An Yonglu wondered.
Old Master An remained silent, his heart skipped a beat, suspecting but still unsure.
Seeing this, An Yonglu asked, "Father, do you know?"
Old Master An frowned, silent for a while before slowly saying, "Do you remember the child who saw through our An family's arrays..."
An Yonglu was stunned, his mouth agape, "No way..."