The Quest for Immortality - Chapter 264 (Patreon)

Chapter 264: Concealment Array

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and thought that having multiple identities could be beneficial.

The cultivation world of the Nine Regions was vast and boundless.

If he ever encountered difficulties while wandering outside, having multiple identities could provide more avenues of escape.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang!"

Mo Hua sincerely expressed his gratitude.

"Also, remember to thank the Chief Supervisor. Without his approval, you wouldn't have this token," Zhang Lan replied.

"Then please thank him on my behalf. I'll be happy to help if anything comes up in the future."

Feeling that he could now reap the benefits, Mo Hua's enthusiasm increased significantly.

Zhang Lan chuckled, "Alright, I'll let him know."

Soon, Jiang Yun served them food, five or six dishes in total, both meat and vegetables, along with some fine wine.

Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow, "Not bad, you’re quite generous now."

Mo Hua grinned, "Eat as much as you like, it's all on me."

With over a thousand spirit stones, Mo Hua didn't mind treating Zhang Lan for a whole month.

"Alright, then I won't hold back."

Having run around for Guang Toutuo and Kong Sheng for a long time, enduring hardships and eating bland food, Zhang Lan indeed felt the need to reward himself.

As Zhang Lan ate, Mo Hua also picked his favorites from a small bowl on the side.

The two chatted while eating, and after they were full and content, Zhang Lan left.

Mo Hua contemplated the issue of the map for a while but still couldn't come up with any leads, so he set it aside for the time being.

He hoped Zhang Lan could extract some information from the one-eyed man.

Mo Hua decided to focus on the Concealment Technique.

He was very keen to learn it.

The Concealment Technique could be used for hiding, scouting, self-defense, and ambushing.

On the surface, it seemed to have little use, but when applied correctly, it was a versatile technique for both offense and defense.

It could be used to attack unexpectedly or to retreat and hide over a thousand miles.

Even if the Concealment Technique was detected, he still had the Passing Water Step as a backup, unlike Diao Laosan, who ended up in a desperate situation with no way out.

Even in a chaotic battle among cultivators, he could handle himself with ease.

Mo Hua remembered Elder Gui's teaching, "With thousands of techniques, each has its merits. The key lies in the mind."

The Concealment Technique perfectly matched Elder Gui's words.

However, Mo Hua's spiritual roots were not very suitable, so what he had learned was a half-baked Concealment Technique.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow in thought.

Cultivators had different spiritual roots and abilities, with strengths and weaknesses.

Since his Concealment Technique was flawed, was there any other way to compensate for it?

After pondering for a long time, Mo Hua could only think of using arrays.

This was also his forte.

He took out the "Thousand Arrays Compendium" given by Mr. Zhuang from his storage bag and flipped through it for a long time until his eyes were sore, but he couldn't find any array related to concealment.

Scratching his head, Mo Hua decided to ask Bai Zisheng.

"Concealment Array?" Bai Zisheng was a bit surprised. He looked around and lowered his voice, "Are you planning to steal?"

Mo Hua rolled his eyes, emphasizing, "I am a proper cultivator!"

"Then why do you want to learn this array?"

"Of course, for self-defense," Mo Hua replied.

And for ambushing…

Naturally, Mo Hua didn't say this out loud as it didn't sound very upright.

Bai Zisheng, being straightforward, didn't doubt him and nodded, "Indeed, the Concealment Technique is very suitable for self-defense."

"Do you know the diagram for the Concealment Array?"

Bai Zisheng shook his head and turned to ask Bai Zixi, "Zixi, do you know?"

Bai Zixi also shook her head, "This is a rare array. The Bai family library should have it, but I didn't bring it out."

Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed. He still had to bother Mr. Zhuang.

Then he wondered, "Why is the Concealment Array a rare array? Is it because the Concealment Technique is rare?"

"That's right," Bai Zixi's voice was clear as she nodded.

Seeing Mo Hua's confusion, Bai Zixi patiently explained:

"With unique spiritual roots and rare inheritance, this technique is hard to learn. Consequently, arrays that can achieve the same effect are also rare."

Mo Hua understood.

The Concealment Technique was difficult to pass down and had strict requirements for spiritual roots, needing pure water spiritual roots to learn.

If mixed with other elemental spiritual roots, it would result in a half-baked technique like Mo Hua’s, where water enveloped his body but couldn't make him completely invisible.

Therefore, cultivators who mastered the Concealment Technique were rare, and so were the arrays that could achieve concealment.

Mo Hua nodded, feeling grateful, and asked Bai Zixi, "Is there anything you want to eat?"

Bai Zixi hesitated for a moment, then took out a recipe book from her storage bag. She flipped to a page with a crease and pointed to a dessert named "Flowers Full Moon."

Mo Hua glanced at it. "Flowers Full Moon" seemed to be a mooncake with flower fillings.

It included osmanthus, peach blossom, locust flower, and crabapple flower.

The floral fragrance was strong, but he wondered if mixing so many flowers would result in a strange taste.

Mo Hua took the recipe and put it in his storage bag, "Alright, I'll ask my mother to make it."

"Okay." Bai Zixi's eyes were clear and bright.

As Mo Hua prepared to find Mr. Zhuang, he turned around to see Bai Zisheng looking at him expectantly and asked helplessly, "What do you want to eat?"

Bai Zisheng blurted out, "Rabbit meat!"

"That's troublesome."

"No rush. Just bring some if you have it," Bai Zisheng replied.

"Alright."

Bai Zisheng gratefully said, "I'll help you in fights from now on."

"Okay," Mo Hua nodded, "I'll definitely call you when there's a fight."

Though Aunt Xue might not let him fight.

As a proper family scion, Bai Zisheng had more responsibilities and constraints in his cultivation work, making him less free.

Like Qian Xing and Kong Sheng, they were free but unruly.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly and then went to see Mr. Zhuang to inquire about the Concealment Array.

Upon hearing his question, Mr. Zhuang said, "You can't learn it yet."

Mo Hua timidly asked, "Is it very difficult to learn?"

"It is somewhat difficult," Mr. Zhuang replied, looking at Mo Hua, "But not for you."

After all, he could draw such complex composite arrays so well…

Mr. Zhuang thought silently.

"Is it because of spiritual awareness?" Mo Hua guessed.

"Exactly," Mr. Zhuang nodded.

Mo Hua was surprised, "This Concealment Array doesn't also have ten array patterns, does it…"

"Not every array has ten patterns. A ten-pattern array isn't that common."

Mr. Zhuang laughed, shaking his head, and continued:

"The Concealment Array has only nine patterns, but they are special. Drawing them consumes more spiritual awareness, requiring more than that of a typical nine-pattern array."

"The amount of spiritual awareness needed is above nine patterns but less than ten."

Mo Hua asked, "So, how much exactly is needed?"

Above nine patterns but less than ten.

It seemed like just one pattern difference, but the amount of spiritual awareness required was double.

As Mr. Zhuang had said before, nine patterns were for Qi Refining, and ten patterns for Foundation Building. The leap from nine to ten patterns required crossing the chasm between Qi Refining and Foundation Building, resulting in a significant difference in spiritual awareness.

Mr. Zhuang smiled, "Didn't I give you the nine and a half-pattern Reverse Spirit Array before?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Once you master that, your spiritual awareness will be sufficient for the Concealment Array," Mr. Zhuang explained.

"So, the spiritual awareness required for the Concealment Array is about nine and a half patterns?"

"Nine and a half, but a bit more," Mr. Zhuang said precisely.

"I understand. Thank you, sir."

Now that he had a goal, it was simple. Moreover, nine and a half patterns of spiritual awareness were not that far off for Mo Hua.

After bidding farewell, Mr. Zhuang pondered deeply, not knowing what he was thinking.

In the bamboo chamber, Elder Gui's figure gradually appeared.

Mr. Zhuang said to Elder Gui, "You were right. It's indeed challenging for someone in the Qi Refining stage to have the spiritual awareness of the Foundation Building stage."

"Mo Hua’s spiritual awareness is growing quickly," Elder Gui said calmly.

Mr. Zhuang's gaze was profound, "It is fast, but not fast enough."

Elder Gui's eyes turned woodenly towards him.

Mr. Zhuang continued, "Among all the cultivators I've seen, his spiritual awareness growth is the fastest. But to break through the limits of Qi Refining spiritual awareness, it's still far from enough."

"How long would it take?"

"Hard to say," Mr. Zhuang shook his head, "At the current pace, it could take five to ten years. Moreover, spiritual awareness growth slows down over time. If any mistakes occur, it could take decades to reach Foundation Building."

Elder Gui frowned, and the room fell silent.

"Is there any

 way?" Elder Gui asked.

Mr. Zhuang tapped the armrest of his bamboo chair with his fingertips, his eyes flickering. After a long time, he sighed, "Let me think about it."

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