The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua put down the pen and ink, sat calmly, and stared at the gold-inlaid jade quality of the capped Jade Slip, the final formation examination question, his expression silent, without any movement for a long time.

It seemed that he was indeed stumped.

The examiners observed this and all breathed a sigh of relief.

”Finally stumped...”

”He should be stumped...”

”He can’t keep drawing.”

”If he’s not stumped, then it’s unjustifiable.”

”To be fair, anyone would be stumped by this.”

”He’s at the peak of nineteen patterns, but the key is this spiritual power reverse transformation law. Even an ordinary Third Grade Golden Core Formation Master might not understand it fully...”

”At most, they can imitate, draw something similar, but can’t grasp the essence.”

”Dao Laws are something unexplainable, indescribable, you can only comprehend them personally, they can’t be taught...”

”Honestly, before, I thought, doing this ’capping’ formation was somewhat unnecessary. Now it seems the Ancestor was wise, we younger generations really have less experience, don’t understand the painstaking intention behind this...”

”Yeah, if today, this ’cap’ was to be lifted, that would be really disgraceful...”

”It would seem we examiners didn’t set the questions well; it would suggest the Array Discussion Conference lacked difficulty; it would seem our Qian Learning State Boundary’s formation mastery lacked depth...”

”Exactly exactly...”

”The Ancestor was wise.”

The examiners exclaimed one after another.

Master Wen also silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Being meticulous in work sometimes indeed has its advantages.

This was his first time as the chief examiner; he didn’t want his first chief examination and the first time setting questions for the Array Discussion Conference to be effortlessly solved. ȒÃ₦O͍𝐁Еş

The first in Qian Learning State Boundary.

Spreading the word would make it somewhat embarrassing.

Might even have others suspect him of favoritism and secretly leaking questions; it’s possible.

Fortunately, this final hurdle managed to block the ’Evil Monster’ from Taixu Gate.

Master Wen moved his fingers, only to find his palms full of sweat.

Previously, he only knew disciples felt great pressure during exams.

Yet he didn’t expect that one day as an examiner, the pressure would be this immense...

Time was slowly slipping away.

Mo Hua still sat in the arena, staring at the formation on the Jade Slip, motionless.

The examiners’ moods, with the passage of time, grew increasingly relaxed.

”Once time is up, if this Evil Monster can’t draw, then he will be ’defeated’.”

”Of course, even if defeated, he is still first, but he can only achieve a simple first.”

”No, what are you saying? What do you mean by ’only achieve a simple first’?” An elder remarked indignantly.

”Exactly, is achieving first easy?”

”So many sects, so many years, not once getting first.

”Let alone first, even getting second or third is a luxury.”

”Are you mocking us?”

The speaking elder repeatedly apologized, ”It’s my fault, my fault, the pressure was too great, made me babble...”

...

A group of Formation Masters was chatting idly.

Yet as time passed, Master Wen frowned without speaking.

He silently watched Mo Hua sitting in the Taoist Field, and as he watched, a sudden unease grew in his heart.

”This isn’t right!”

This little disciple from Taixu Gate seems stumped by the formation, unable to start drawing, so remains still.

But his expression is too calm, plus there’s a brilliance flowing in his eyes, as if he is...

Calculating something?

”Calculating?!”

Master Wen slowly took a cold breath.

He’s calculating?!

He’s calculating, he’s learning!

In the Array Discussion Conference, using calculation, to learn the capped formation containing profound spiritual power laws, at the peak of nineteen patterns?!

Calculating and learning?! .

Master Wen’s pupils trembled, his heart horrified.

Who taught him calculation?

Taixu Gate?

At this occasion, with such a complex formation, he can still learn?

How to learn?

Master Wen’s heart suddenly clenched tight again.

”It shouldn’t be...”

...

In the Great Dojo.

Mo Hua was indeed learning.

He observed, the formation in front was an unknown spirit formation containing an entry-level Second Grade spiritual power reverse transformation law.

Spiritual power reverse transformation...

Reversed Spirit Formation!

Mo Hua’s heart skipped.

The first Ultimate Formation he learned was the ’Reversed Spirit Formation’ taught by his master, a First Grade Ten Pattern.

Now he had established the Foundation and his Divine Sense reached Foundation Establishment Peak, his Second Grade formation was thoroughly refined, yet hadn’t expected by coincidence, to encounter this ’reversed spirit’ formation again in the ’capped’ exam question of the Array Discussion Conference.

The formation in front, though only at the peak of nineteen patterns, not the ’Ultimate Formation’, but its contained spiritual power transformation clearly mirrored the principle of spiritual power reverse transformation triggering formation collapse found in the First-grade Ten-pattern Reversed Spirit Ultimate Formation.

Moreover, this spiritual power reverse transformation was that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The First-grade Ten-pattern Reversed Spirit Formation collapsed the spiritual power of the Qi-refining Realm.

While the Second Grade Reverse Transformation Formation reversed the condensed-as-mercury Foundation Establishment spiritual power, its power naturally incomparable.

It’s just, the ’spiritual power reverse transformation’ laws contained in this formation weren’t complete, also appeared somewhat shallow, hence couldn’t reach ’Ultimate Formation’ level.

Yet this was just right for Mo Hua.

A true Second Grade Ultimate Formation he couldn’t learn now.

The peak of nineteen-pattern ’half-step absolute formation’ just served as initiation, through which to preliminary comprehend the laws of Second Grade spiritual power reverse transformation.

Initially Mr. Zhuang taught him the Reversed Spirit Formation, also breaking it down, teaching from the nine-pattern half onwards.

Now with Mr. Zhuang absent, no one to teach him.

But at this moment, Mo Hua could already learn by himself.

The master leads into the door, cultivation lies within oneself.