"Young Master An?"
The lavishly dressed chubby boy was the eldest son of the An Family in Tongxian City, named An Xiaofu. Perhaps his father didn't hold much hope for him, signifying "contentment with wealth" by naming him Xiaofu.
But because he was plump, his fellow sect members also secretly called him An Xiaopang.
An Xiaopang was a bit slow, sometimes displaying the temper of a young master, but he wasn't malicious at heart and often asked Mo Hua to do his homework for the Formation assessments.
He couldn't draw Formations, not even a little, and not wanting to be punished by the instructor nor wanting to return home to be beaten by his father, he could only ask Mo Hua for help.
At this moment, An Xiaopang was furious, "How dare you, Mo Hua! I treat you like a friend, and you look down on me?!"
Mo Hua was confused, "How have I looked down on you?"
An Xiaopang pulled out a Formation Diagram with annotations in vermillion ink, "You helped me draw my Formation homework and made six mistakes in it! But the one you did for that skinny monkey Qian Xing was flawless! Isn't that looking down on me? Doesn't that mean you think I'm inferior to him?"
The 'skinny monkey' An Xiaopang mentioned was that skinny young master from before, with the surname Qian and given name Xing, the third son from the main line of the Qian Family.
The Qian Family was the largest clan in Tongxian City, with the An Family coming second. Both families owned businesses, competed in their trade, and had longstanding grudges from past generations. The younger generations were equally antagonistic, wanting to outdo each other in every aspect, akin to oil and water, symbolized even by their contrasting physiques—one fat, the other thin.
However, both were equally lazy in their Tao Cultivation and just as ignorant, which could be described as "equally matched."
Though both were considered wastrels, Qian Xing had a worse reputation. Aside from his ignorance, he was notorious for being arrogant and bullying others using his family's power. There were rumors of numerous misdeeds, but with his family's backing, he always got off scot-free.
In contrast, An Xiaopang mostly just ate, drank, and flaunted his wealth ostentatiously, but because his father was strict, he never went too far.
"So that's the issue?"
Seeing Mo Hua's lack of concern, An Xiaopang's face turned even redder.
"I'm actually helping you," said Mo Hua.
An Xiaopang scoffed, looking at Mo Hua, "How are you helping me?"
"How does your Formation work compare to Young Master Qian's?"
An Xiaopang confidently said, "At least it can't be worse than his!"
Mo Hua was left somewhat speechless. Was this really something to be proud of?
Mo Hua continued, "That's the point, how could he draw a Formation without any mistakes with his skills?"
"Of course not! If I can't do it, then he definitely can't!"
"So you know that much. Wouldn't the instructor notice it too? The instructor is always strict and would definitely punish him, and then report the matter to his father. His father, losing face, surely wouldn't let him off the hook..."
An Xiaopang pondered for a moment, "That makes some sense, but I haven't heard about Qian Skinny being beaten, are you deceiving me..."
Mo Hua rolled his eyes at him, "Family scandals are not to be publicized. When fathers beat their sons, they do it behind closed doors; how would you know about it?"
An Xiaopang nodded, still traumatized, "You're right, when my father beats me, he never lets others know!"
Mo Hua added, "This time, didn't Old Master An not only refrain from beating you but also praise you?"
An Xiaopang immediately became proud, "Indeed, the instructor gave me a 'B,' and my father praised me for making progress and even gave me quite a few nice things!"
An Xiaopang's temper was quick to flare but also quick to fade. Now not angry anymore and feeling a bit guilty, he said to Mo Hua:
"I wronged you! Let me treat you to a delicious meal at the Spiritual Meal Building; it's owned by my family, and you can eat whatever you like!"
Mo Hua hadn't expected An Xiaopang to be unexpectedly generous, but still declined, "No need, I still have things to do."
An Xiaopang discontentedly said, "My father always teaches me to repay kindness. If you don't go, you're looking down on me!"
Thinking of the swollen buttocks he got from his father's beating, An Xiaopang insisted even more, "This favor isn't small, you must go!"
An Xiaopang was stubborn like a child once he got worked up, making him quite a nuisance.
Mo Hua was getting a headache. He glanced at the door of the Formation Pavilion and suddenly said, "Young Master An, forget the meal at the Spiritual Meal Building, but could you do me a favor?"
An Xiaopang patted his chest, "Name it!"
"Lend me ten Spirit Stones."
An Xiaopang frowned, showing he didn't actually have ten Spirit Stones. Old Master An, to prevent him from wastefully spending Spirit Stones, never allowed him to carry more than five on him.
He invited Mo Hua to the Spiritual Meal Building, and could charge it to his father's account since it was just food and drink, complete with an account trail; his father wouldn't say anything upon finding out. What his father truly feared was him spending Spirit Stones on some crooked and deviant practices without any traceable accounts, unaware and inadvertently inviting big trouble.
An Xiaopang took out five Spirit Stones from his person and then glanced at the servant boy by his side, saying, "Give me your Spirit Stones, I'll return them to you when we get home."
The servant boy was somewhat reluctant, but still took out his Spirit Stones, just enough to make up ten Spirit Stones in total.
An Xiaopang handed the Spirit Stones to Mo Hua, "Take these, no need to pay me back!"
Mo Hua shook his head, "I'll return them to you in a few days."
Mo Hua weighed the Spirit Stones in his hand for a moment, then carefully put them away. After saying goodbye to An Xiaopang, he returned to the Formation Pavilion, where there were still no customers, and the manager was still dozing off.
After entering, Mo Hua tiptoed to the counter and placed the ten Spirit Stones on top.
"I've brought the Spirit Stones!"
The manager hadn't been asleep for long when he was roused by the sound of the bell, spotting Mo Hua and the ten Spirit Stones on the counter.
The manager picked up the Spirit Stones, examined them closely, saw that there was nothing wrong with their quality, nodded, and then reached under the counter to take out a Storage Bag.
"Inside this bag is a Formation Diagram for the Bright Fire Formation, along with ten pieces of Formation Paper and Spiritual Ink, enough to draw ten Bright Fire Formations. This order has a deadline of ten days; if it is overdue, the entire deposit will be forfeited. For each well-drawn Bright Fire Formation, you will earn one Spirit Stone, but if you make a mistake or fail to meet standards, one Spirit Stone will be deducted from your deposit. These rules are standard for the commerce firm; your brother should be well aware."
Mo Hua nodded.
If he successfully completed all the Formations, he could earn ten Spirit Stones, but if he failed them all, he would have to reimburse ten Spirit Stones. Being successful over half the time would be profitable.
The manager added a reminder, "Remember, the deadline is ten days. Don't forget, or I'll take all the deposit."
Mo Hua hurriedly nodded in agreement, then respectfully thanked the manager and left.
After getting home, Mo Hua locked himself in his room and quietly pondered over the Formation.
A maximum income of ten Spirit Stones was indeed very substantial. Although he had earned twelve Spirit Stones by helping his Sect mates with their Formation assignments, such opportunities did not come by often in a year.
Moreover, doing Formation assignments for Sect mates ultimately wasn't a proper task.
Occasionally taking on such work was fine, but over time, it could hinder the progress of his Sect mates.
The situation at the commerce firm was different; if handled well, he could earn Spirit Stones on a long-term basis and also practice Formations, making it a win-win situation.
Mo Hua spread the Formation Diagram of the Bright Fire Formation in front of him.
The Formation Diagram was pre-drawn by other Formation Masters and could be used as a template.
On the back of the Formation Diagram was an explanation of the Formation, listing the Formation Patterns, the pen and ink to be used, along with other points to note, which were universally used notations among the Tao Cultivation World to record Formation secrets.
The explanation for the Bright Fire Formation detailed relevant notes about where to use Fire-series Formation Patterns, how to connect the patterns, ink preparation and the ratio for ink usage. Many concepts were quite unfamiliar to Mo Hua, presenting some difficulty in understanding.
This was the first time Mo Hua had seen an official Formation explanation; what he had learned in the Sect before was just the most basic Formation work. Although those were also called Formations, they mostly contained only one or two basic Formation Patterns for the disciples' enlightenment and introductory learning, which was different from the truly prevalent Formations in the Cultivation World.
The Bright Fire Formation explanation ended with a note:
Bright Fire Formation, Fire-series Formation, contains three Formation Patterns, requires a Qi Refinement level above the third layer.
However, what really caught Mo Hua's attention was a line of small red handwriting after the note:
Those not at the required level, beware of insufficient Divine Sense!
Mo Hua, who was only at the second layer of Qi Refinement, couldn't help but frown.
Cultivators needed Divine Sense for any activity—guiding Spiritual Energy, using Spiritual Power, casting Spells, controlling Spiritual Artifacts, Alchemy, Artifact Refining and so on, all required Divine Sense.
Among these, drawing Formations was known to consume the most Divine Sense. However, the specific warning about "insufficient Divine Sense" here, along with the level restriction and the use of red ink, made Mo Hua realize that he might not be fully aware of just how much "more" he would need…
"Could it be that Drawing Formation really requires a lot of Divine Sense?"
Mo Hua, stroking his small chin, pondered.
"Let it be, first I need to get familiar with the Formation Patterns, and then I'll practice them on the stele tonight."
After noting down the Formation Diagram for the Bright Fire Formation, eating dinner with his parents, and practicing a few times with ordinary paper and ink to get familiar with the Formation Patterns, Mo Hua lay down on his bed at 1 a.m. and as he closed his eyes, an ancient and void stele floated into his Sea of Consciousness.