Chapter 207: Speculation
Once the formation on the alchemy furnace was completed, Mo Hua finally let out a breath of relief.
He had finished drawing all the formations that needed to be drawn. The rest no longer required his attention.
Master Chen was in charge of the Artifact Refining Workshop, Elder Feng oversaw the Alchemy Workshop, Master Ban handled the final construction phase, and Elder Yu managed the overall situation.
At most, there would be minor adjustments requiring formations, which Mo Hua could casually add as needed.
What remained now was to wait for the distribution of spirit stones.
Elder Yu had said that once the Artifact Refining and Alchemy Workshops began generating profit, every cultivator who contributed, whether a demon hunter, artifact refiner, alchemist, or ordinary rogue cultivator, would receive a generous share of spirit stones.
Since Mo Hua had handled all the formation work, Elder Yu had promised that his portion would be the largest.
Mo Hua did not bother to ask exactly how many. For now, he had more than enough spirit stones; all that mattered was devoting his focus to formation arts.
Reflecting on it all, Mo Hua realized he had drawn an extraordinary number of formations this time.
The formation blueprints for the Artifact Refining and Alchemy Workshops were broad and intricate—mainly based on earth and wood, supplemented by metal, water, and fire—covering a wide range of Five-Element applications.
Mo Hua had managed the overall design, redrawn everything from start to finish, and in the process, reinforced his foundational understanding of formations.
The formations used on the refining and alchemy furnaces were all First-Grade Composite Formations, highly complex and difficult. Mo Hua had struggled through revisions and corrections, but in the end, he completed them all.
His Divine-Sense had strengthened somewhat, granting him deeper insight into formations. He now possessed a basic grasp of the principles and applications behind Composite formations.
Moreover, thanks to his comprehension of formation cores, he could now complete ordinary formations in a single stroke by leveraging his structural understanding of those cores. His speed increased significantly, though the cost in Divine-Sense was slightly higher.
Such consumption, however, was hardly a problem for Mo Hua.
All in all, though these past days had been exhausting, they were also immensely fulfilling.
Mo Hua felt that he had gained a great deal.
Half of the thousand or so bottles of demonic beast blood he had stockpiled were now spent, and he could finally afford to take a short rest.
Touching his small face, he realized that the endless days of formation drawing had left him a little thinner. When he got home, he decided his mother must make something delicious to reward himself.
"What should I eat…"
As he pondered this, Mo Hua walked home with a light step.
...
Qian Family's Main Hall
A dark cauldron-patterned carpet covered the floor. A landscape screen of tranquil mountains stood behind a crimson lacquered desk, beside which a mother-and-cub beast-shaped incense burner released curling wisps of fragrant smoke. The atmosphere was lavish.
Qian Hong sat at the head of the hall, with Master Qian seated below him.
The two men sat across from each other, drinking tea amid the hazy fragrance, though neither could calm their minds.
Qian Shunzhi entered, bowed respectfully, and reported,
"Family Head, we could not find any other formation masters among the demon hunters. However, we did hear that there's a child among them skilled in formations, people call him the 'Little Formation Master.'"
"'Little Formation Master?'" Master Qian frowned. "How old?"
"Not very old, seems to be around ten years of age. His surname is Mo. As for his full name, appearance, or residence… the demon hunters are extremely tight-lipped. We could not find out."
Qian Hong's expression darkened.
Qian Shunzhi bowed his head, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Master Qian pondered for a moment before saying, "It certainly is not that child, but the two are likely connected."
Qian Hong considered this. "Master means that the formation master opposing us may very well be that child's teacher... or at least, they share a master-disciple lineage…"
"Precisely." Master Qian nodded. "No one comprehends formations without a teacher. For one so young to already show such talent, earning the title 'Little Formation Master,' he must have an exceptionally skilled mentor... or a master's direct tutelage."
Qian Hong then instructed Qian Shunzhi, "Continue the investigation."
Qian Shunzhi hesitated. "But… how should we investigate further…?"
He had already exhausted every avenue and questioned everyone he could.
Earlier, the Qian clan had disguised their disciples as passing merchants, drinking and chatting with demon hunters in a bustling tavern. Only through that had they managed to gather a few scraps of information.
Yet within two days, the demon hunters grew suspicious.
The next time the clan tried to inquire, even a mention of "formation master" made the hunters visibly guarded, and most rogue cultivators refused to speak altogether.
If they pressed further, those same hunters would glare and start questioning them in return, possibly even resorting to violence if displeased.
Qian Hong frowned. "Then stop asking about formation masters directly. Instead, find out if there are any unfamiliar cultivators or mysterious figures among them. Probe indirectly, you will uncover something eventually."
Qian Shunzhi accepted the order and was about to leave when Master Qian stopped him again.
"One more thing," Master Qian said. "That Little Formation Master... find a way to obtain some of his formation work. I wish to examine it personally."
"Yes," Qian Shunzhi answered respectfully.
...
In the southern part of the city, the Artifact Refining Workshop had been completed, and the Alchemy Workshop was nearly finished.
The Qian family's pressure mounted, and even the An family felt uneasy.
Old Master An once again sat in the private room of a teahouse outside the southern gate, accompanied by his son, the family head An Yonglu, both gazing toward the distant halls.
What was once a desolate ruin had now become a vast and magnificent complex.
Beside it, an equally grand Alchemy Workshop was nearing completion.
Old Master An sighed with emotion. "Elder Yu truly managed to build it!"
An Yonglu frowned slightly. "At this rate, there will be no place left for our An family to stand."
"With the Artifact Refining and Alchemy trades dominated like this, our An family will not make a mark for at least a century. We won't just lose the meat, we won't even get a sip of the soup."
Despondency filled Old Master An's heart.
The Qian family had already made it difficult for them to breathe, and now with these two massive halls rising in the south, the An family's prospects seemed completely choked off.
"Perhaps that's not entirely bad," An Yonglu said, somewhat relieved. "Since we cannot compete, we might as well focus on our spirit cuisine business."
Old Master An gave his son a withering look. "Running a restaurant your whole life, bowing and smiling at others, what future is that?"
"At least it puts food on the table…" An Yonglu muttered softly.
His expression practically had the words "no ambition" written on it.
Old Master An felt his heart grow heavy.
His son, though outwardly proper and dignified, always chose the easy path when faced with difficulties. There was not a trace of drive in him.
No wonder his grandson XiaoFu lacked great aspirations as well.
Old Master An no longer bothered to lecture him.
An Yonglu silently sipped his tea, but as he glanced at the newly built Refining Hall, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Father, the formations on that outer wall, they look quite advanced…"
Old Master An cast him a sidelong look. "Can you tell what formation it is?"
"I can't," An Yonglu admitted with a shake of his head. "But I can feel it's not ordinary, far superior to the ones used in our An family estate."
"Tell me, Father, where did Elder Yu find that formation master?" he asked curiously.
Old Master An did not reply. A sudden thought struck him, a faint suspicion forming in his heart, though he hardly dared believe it.
Seeing his father's expression, An Yonglu asked, "Father, do you know something?"
Frowning, Old Master An remained silent for a long moment before slowly speaking. "Do you still remember that child... the one who saw through our An family's formation?"
An Yonglu froze for a long while, then gaped in disbelief. "It can't be…"
(End of Chapter)