Chapter 264: Concealment Formation
Mo Hua thought for a moment and decided that having multiple identities wasn't a bad thing.
The Nine Provinces of the cultivation world were vast and boundless.
If he were to travel the world someday and encounter difficulties, another identity would mean another way out.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang!"
Mo Hua said sincerely.
"You should also thank the Division Chief when you have time. Without his approval, you wouldn't have gotten that token," Zhang Lan said.
"Then thank him for me. If he ever needs help again, I'll lend a hand."
Looks like he could reap some more benefits, Mo Hua suddenly became much more enthusiastic.
Zhang Lan laughed. "Alright, I'll let him know when I get back."
Before long, Jiang Yun brought their food, five or six dishes, both meat and vegetables, plus some good wine.
Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow. "Not bad, you're being generous today."
Mo Hua grinned. "Eat all you want, it's on me."
Over a thousand spirit stones, he could treat Zhang Lan for a whole month without blinking.
"Then I won't be polite."
After running around for so long because of the Bald Monk and Kong Sheng, eating in the wilderness and barely tasting food, Zhang Lan did feel like rewarding himself.
As Zhang Lan ate heartily, Mo Hua also held a small bowl to the side, picking out his favorite dishes.
They chatted as they ate, and after the meal, Zhang Lan returned to the Dao Court.
Mo Hua pondered over the matter of the map for a while but still had no clues, so he decided to set it aside for now.
He'd wait and see if Zhang Lan could get anything useful out of the One-Eyed Monk.
For now, Mo Hua shifted his focus to learning concealment techniques.
He very much wanted to master the Art of Concealment.
It could hide, scout, defend, and ambush.
On the surface, concealment seemed purely defensive, but when used skillfully, it became both offensive and defensive.
It could be used to strike by surprise or retreat safely over a thousand miles.
Even if his concealment was exposed, he still had the Flowing-Water Step as a fallback, so he wouldn't end up like Diao Laosen, trapped and helpless.
(TN: Diao Laosen - The Concealment technique cultivator)
Even in the chaos of a cultivator battle, he could handle things with ease.
Mo Hua remembered what Grandpa Kui once told him:
"Among ten thousand arts, each has its own brilliance, the true wonder lies in how you use them."
The concealment art truly embodied that saying.
Unfortunately, Mo Hua's spiritual root wasn't well-suited, so his concealment technique was only half-learned.
He frowned in thought.
Every cultivator's spiritual root was different, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Since his concealment art was incomplete, was there a way to make up for it?
After much pondering, the only solution he could think of... was formations.
And that was his specialty.
He took out the *Thousand Formation Compendium* that Mister Zhuang had given him and flipped through it for a long time. His eyes began to blur, but he still didn't find anything related to concealment formations.
Scratching his head, Mo Hua decided to ask Bai Zisheng.
"Concealment Formation?" Bai Zisheng blinked, glanced around, and lowered his voice. "You trying to become a thief?"
Mo Hua rolled his eyes. "I'm an upright cultivator!"
"Then why learn that kind of formation?"
"To protect myself, of course," Mo Hua replied.
…And to ambush others.
Of course, he didn't say that part, it didn't sound very righteous.
Bai Zisheng, ever the straightforward type, nodded earnestly.
"True, concealment techniques are great for self-preservation."
"Do you know where to find a Concealment Formation diagram?"
Bai Zisheng shook his head, then turned to Bai Zixi. "Zixi, do you?"
Bai Zixi also shook her head. "That's a rare formation. The Bai Clan's Scripture Pavilion might have one, but I didn't bring it with me."
Mo Hua was a little disappointed, seemed like he'd have to bother Mister Zhuang again.
Then a question struck him. "Why is the Concealment Formation so rare? Because concealment techniques themselves are rare?"
"Exactly." Bai Zixi nodded, her clear voice ringing softly.
Seeing Mo Hua's puzzled look, she patiently explained:
"When a spiritual root is highly specialized, its inheritance becomes rarer. Such arts are difficult to learn, and formations capable of achieving the same effects are even rarer."
Mo Hua understood.
The Art of Concealment was difficult to inherit and required a pure water-type spiritual root.
If the spiritual root had mixed attributes, the result would be like Mo Hua's—half-baked. He could cloak his form in watery essence, but not become fully invisible.
That was why cultivators who mastered concealment were rare, and formations capable of hiding one's presence were even more precious.
Mo Hua nodded in thanks, then asked Bai Zixi, "Is there something you'd like to eat?"
Bai Zixi hesitated, then took out a cookbook from her storage pouch. She flipped to a folded page and pointed at a dessert called *Blossoms under the Moon*.
"This one."
Mo Hua glanced at it. The name was poetic, and it looked like a flower-stuffed mooncake—made with osmanthus, peach blossom, sophora, crabapple, and other petals.
It sounded fragrant, though he wondered if so many flowers together would taste… weird.
He took the recipe and stored it away. "Alright, I'll ask my mother to try making it."
"Mhm." Bai Zixi's clear eyes sparkled brightly.
Mo Hua turned to leave—but caught Bai Zisheng watching him expectantly.
He sighed. "What do *you* want to eat?"
Bai Zisheng blurted out, "Rabbit meat!"
"That's troublesome to make."
"No rush. Just bring me some when you have it," Bai Zisheng said cheerfully.
"Fine."
Bai Zisheng grinned. "I'll help you fight in the future."
"Deal," Mo Hua said with a smile. "If there's a fight, I'll definitely call you."
Though, Aunt Xue probably wouldn't let him go fight anyone.
Proper clan disciples had stricter studies and rules, freedom was rare for them.
Unlike Qian Xing and Kong Sheng, who had freedom but no restraint at all.
Mo Hua sighed softly, then went to visit Mister Zhuang and ask about the Concealment Formation.
Mister Zhuang said immediately, "You can't learn it yet."
Mo Hua asked meekly, "Is it that hard to learn?"
"It's somewhat difficult," Mister Zhuang replied, then gave Mo Hua a thoughtful glance. "But for you, not that hard."
*After all, even the complex compound formations, Mo Hua could draw them almost flawlessly.*
Mister Zhuang thought this silently to himself.
"It's because of Divine-Sense, right?" Mo Hua guessed.
"Correct." Mister Zhuang nodded.
Mo Hua was surprised. "Don't tell me the Concealment Formation has ten formation patterns too…"
Mister Zhuang chuckled. "Not every formation has ten patterns. Ten-pattern formations aren't that cheap."
He smiled, shaking his head, then explained:
"The Concealment Formation has only nine formation patterns, but they're special, draining far more Divine-Sense. Its requirement is higher than a typical first-grade nine-pattern formation."
"The Divine-Sense it demands is above nine-pattern level, but below ten-pattern."
Mo Hua asked curiously, "So how much higher exactly?"
Above nine, below ten.
That single step might seem small—but the gap in Divine-Sense was vast.
As Mister Zhuang had said before: nine-pattern corresponded to Qi-Refining, while ten-pattern belonged to Foundation Establishment. To go from nine to ten meant crossing that chasm—an enormous leap in Divine-Sense strength.
Mister Zhuang smiled. "Didn't I give you that Nine-and-a-Half Pattern Spirit-Reversal Formation before?"
Mo Hua nodded.
"Once you master that, your Divine-Sense will be enough to learn the Concealment Formation," Mister Zhuang said.
"So the Concealment Formation requires roughly nine and a half patterns of Divine-Sense?"
"Nine and a half… and a little more," Mister Zhuang said precisely.
"I understand. Thank you, sir."
Now that he had a clear target, things were simple. And reaching nine-and-a-half pattern Divine-Sense wasn't an unreachable goal for him.
After Mo Hua left, Mister Zhuang frowned slightly, lost in thought.
In the bamboo house, Grandpa Kui's figure slowly emerged.
Mister Zhuang said to him, "You were right. For a Qi-Refining cultivator to possess Foundation Establishment-level Divine-Sense, it's difficult indeed."
Grandpa Kui said calmly, "That boy's Divine-Sense is growing quickly, isn't it?"
Mister Zhuang's gaze deepened. "It is quick… but not quick enough."
Grandpa Kui turned his wooden-like eyes toward him.
Mister Zhuang continued, "Among all cultivators I've seen, his Divine-Sense growth is the fastest, but even so, it's still far from breaking the limits of the Qi-Refining stage."
"How long will it take?"
"Hard to say." Mister Zhuang shook his head. "At his current pace, at least five years, maybe ten. And the further he progresses, the slower the growth. If anything goes wrong, it could even take him decades to reach Foundation Establishment."
Grandpa Kui frowned, silence falling over the bamboo room.
"Is there any solution?" he asked.
Mister Zhuang tapped his finger against the bamboo chair's armrest, his eyes flickering with thought. After a long pause, he sighed.
"I'll think about it."
*(End of chapter)*