Chapter 316: Farewell Banquet

Is it really that simple?Mo Hua went to ask Mr. Zhuang again.

“Sir, must the calculations for the array be completed in one go?”

“No.”

“Can it be done bit by bit each day?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded, “Yes.”

So it was indeed like that.

Mo Hua sighed, realizing he had been misguided by his preconceptions. If only he had asked Mr. Zhuang earlier, he would have understood this much sooner...

Mo Hua continued, “In that case, the collapse of an array doesn’t seem so difficult...”

Mr. Zhuang's expression turned subtle, and he couldn't help but say, “It's fine to say that here, but don't say it outside, or you might get beaten up...”

Mo Hua was taken aback, “Why?”

Mr. Zhuang sighed, “The greatest difficulties in array collapse lie in the Reverse Spirit Array and the calculation using spiritual awareness.”

“The First Grade Reverse Spirit Array has ten array patterns, exceeding the standard of ordinary arrays. The same goes for arrays above the second grade. There are only a handful of array masters in the world who can master this array.”

“Calculating with spiritual awareness also requires a vast amount of spiritual awareness as a foundation. Ordinary array masters, with insufficient spiritual awareness, do not even qualify to calculate. If they forcibly calculate, their sea of consciousness will instantly dry up.”

“Calculations using spiritual awareness do not need to be completed in one thought; they can be done bit by bit. However, even this bit-by-bit calculation consumes an enormous amount of spiritual awareness and requires a lot of time.”

“Therefore, for an array master, if they don't know the Reverse Spirit Array, they can't begin to collapse the array. Even if they learn the Reverse Spirit Array, they might not have the spiritual awareness to calculate. Even with the spiritual awareness to calculate, they might not have the time to do it. Without the calculations, they naturally can't collapse the array...”

“Is it really that difficult?” Mo Hua was a bit surprised, “I thought that since calculating with spiritual awareness doesn't need to be completed in one thought, collapsing the array would be easier...”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and sighed, “You kid, it's easy to talk when you don't have to do it yourself...”

Not everyone has such strong spiritual awareness.

Mo Hua smiled a bit sheepishly.

Then he softly asked, “Sir, is there any danger in collapsing a composite array?”

Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua a surprised look, “Have you collapsed an array before?”

Mo Hua knew he couldn't hide it from Mr. Zhuang, so he truthfully said, “I collapsed a First Grade Earth Fire Array.”

Mr. Zhuang's eyelid twitched slightly.

He had only guessed that Mo Hua would learn quickly but hadn't expected him to learn this fast.

He had only briefly mentioned the method of array collapse, yet Mo Hua had managed to figure it out on his own.

For a moment, Mr. Zhuang hesitated, unsure whether to continue teaching.

Calculating with spiritual awareness and collapsing arrays was already way beyond the standard curriculum...

He had never thought he would teach such things in his lifetime, especially not to a registered disciple in the Qi refining stage...

Mr. Zhuang was indecisive, looking at Mo Hua, unsure of what to think. After a while, his eyes brightened as if he had made up his mind.

“Sir?” Mo Hua softly called.

Mr. Zhuang returned to his senses and, after a moment of thought, said, “The method for collapsing composite arrays is the same, just make sure not to get yourself killed.”

“Not get myself killed?” Mo Hua was taken aback, “Can I just run far away?”

“Either run far away or leave an escape route for yourself.” Mr. Zhuang said.

“Escape route... What does that mean?”

Mo Hua didn't understand.

“Do you remember what I told you about the Dao of life and death?”

Mo Hua nodded.

“The Dao has life and death; where there is life, there is death. Array collapse is death; calculating the escape route is life. An array master can use the array to kill enemies, but if they don't leave an escape route and get killed by their own array, they are a fool.”

Mo Hua certainly didn't want to be that fool, so he humbly asked, “How do I leave an escape route?”

“When calculating with spiritual awareness, carefully sense the place where the array hub's spiritual power is the weakest; that is the escape route. Do not draw the Reverse Spirit Array near the escape route.”

Mo Hua nodded and asked, “Does a single array collapse also have an escape route?”

“A single array's spiritual power structure is too weak; its collapse force is too small. There is an escape route, but its range is so small it’s almost negligible. Only consider leaving an escape route for composite arrays and above.”

“Got it, sir!”

Mo Hua had no more questions, so he did not disturb Mr. Zhuang any further and got up to leave.

After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang sat in the bamboo chair in silence for a long time.

Elder Gui silently appeared behind Mr. Zhuang and said blandly, “If you keep teaching him, you might not be able to leave.”

Mr. Zhuang smiled wryly, “I didn't expect him to learn so quickly.”

“How much longer?”

Mr. Zhuang's expression darkened slightly, “It should be... soon...”

“Aren't you going to wait until Mo Hua learns to collapse composite arrays?”

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, “This is already beyond the curriculum, not something he should be learning now. Whether he learns it or not doesn't matter.”

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“I'm just afraid that when I leave, there will be no one to teach him these things, which is why I taught him in advance. But I didn't expect that whatever I teach him, he can actually learn, and learn it well...”

Mr. Zhuang's expression was complex, and he sighed before continuing, “But collapsing composite arrays is different. It requires consuming a lot of spiritual awareness. Mo Hua probably won’t learn it in a short time.”

“Really?” Elder Gui said woodenly.

Mr. Zhuang nodded, but as he was about to speak, he paused.

Will he really not learn it?

Mr. Zhuang hesitated, thinking about what Mo Hua had accomplished so far. He suddenly felt unsure.

This registered disciple of his seemed truly beyond conventional understanding...

After returning, Mo Hua eagerly began trying to collapse composite arrays and calculate the escape routes.

The more difficult the array, the more interesting it was.

Moreover, collapsing composite arrays could potentially kill Foundation Building cultivators!

However, Mo Hua soon realized that calculating composite arrays indeed required too much spiritual awareness.

Even with the aid of the Dao Stele, allowing him to recover his spiritual awareness afterward, it still required consuming a lot of time and couldn't be completed overnight.

Mo Hua felt a bit regretful but quickly adjusted his mindset.

If the power of collapsing composite arrays was as strong as claimed, then spending more spiritual awareness and time was justified.

So Mo Hua began patiently calculating the composite array, one pattern at a time.

A few days later, while Mo Hua was sitting in a restaurant calculating the array, a tall, square-faced cultivator walked in.

Mo Hua sensed his presence, looked up, and was surprised, “Commander Yang?”

Commander Yang smiled kindly, “Mr. Mo, working on array calculations?”

“Mm.” Mo Hua nodded, then invited, “Commander Yang, please sit.”

Commander Yang sat next to Mo Hua, pretending to be displeased, “I told you not to be so formal; just call me Uncle Yang.”

“Oh, right.” Mo Hua remembered and smiled, calling out, “Uncle Yang.”

Commander Yang smiled broadly and nodded.

Mo Hua asked, “Uncle Yang, what brings you here?”

“I'm about to leave, and I wanted to host a farewell banquet, so I came to invite you.”

Commander Yang explained his intentions.

“You're too kind, Uncle Yang.” Mo Hua said, then realized something, “Isn't it our job to host the farewell banquet and invite you?”

Why are you hosting the banquet and inviting me instead...

Commander Yang waved it off, “These are trivial matters, no need to fuss over them.”

Mo Hua paused, looking at Commander Yang suspiciously, “Is something wrong?”

“It's a small matter; we'll talk about it then.”

Since Commander Yang didn't want to say, Mo Hua didn't press further.

He remembered another matter and quietly asked, “Have the main leader and the third leader been captured?”

After the destruction of Heishan Stronghold, most of the demonic cultivators were either killed or captured. The remaining minor figures, even if they escaped, wouldn't cause much trouble.

But the main leader and the third leader were different.

One was the chief of Heishan Stronghold, the founder who gathered demonic cultivators, entrenched for hundreds of years.

The other was a genuine First Grade demonic array master, in the Foundation Building stage, capable of drawing demonic arrays with potentially unknown methods.

Without capturing these two, Mo Hua couldn't feel at ease.

Commander Yang's expression darkened, and he lowered his voice, “We've searched the mountains for several days. Most of the other demonic cultivators have been caught, with no one slipping through. But the main leader and the third leader are nowhere to be found.”

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed, “Could they have a hiding place deep in the mountains?”

Commander Yang nodded, “That's what I think too. But the mountains are vast, with Second Grade demonic beasts. We're unfamiliar with the terrain and can't conduct a thorough search.”

“Moreover, both of them are in the Foundation Building stage. It’s too easy for them to evade our

search.”

Commander Yang sighed, “The deployment of Dao soldiers has a time limit. Now that the time is up, we can't continue the search.”

“The rest of the matter is left to the Dao Court and Elder Yu.”

Mo Hua nodded, “Understood, thank you, Uncle Yang!”

“Why thank me?”

Mo Hua gratefully said, “Without your leadership in this campaign against Heishan Stronghold, many independent cultivators in Tongxian City would have suffered casualties. Now that we have successfully broken through Heishan Stronghold, I naturally have to thank you.”

“It’s part of my duty, nothing to thank me for!”

Commander Yang feigned indifference, but receiving Mo Hua's gratitude made him happy, unable to hide his satisfaction.

After chatting for a bit, Commander Yang got up to leave.

“Remember, tomorrow at noon, Ling Meal Tower in the north city. Be sure to come!”

Mo Hua nodded, “Absolutely, absolutely!”