Mo Hua returned home under the blazing sun, picked up the teapot from the table, and gulped down several mouthfuls of tea to dispel the heat. Feeling refreshed, he then went back to his room and took out pen and paper to plan.
First on his mind was the stove.
The stove was a type of spiritual tool. Among the spiritual tools used by cultivators, there was a wide range, including weapons for attack like swords and spears, defensive items like armor and robes, magical items like hairpins and jade pendants, and daily necessities like pots, bowls, and stoves.
Mo Hua's understanding of crafting was limited to some basic theoretical knowledge learned from the "Introduction to Crafting" course at Tongxian Gate. This included essentials such as the need for a crafting furnace, forging iron, and quenching.
However, he lacked practical experience in crafting.
The Tongxian Gate's crafting course required disciples to personally craft items, but due to Mo Hua's frail constitution—unable even to wield a hammer—he couldn't even start basic iron forging. Therefore, the instructors didn't push him.
Now, to craft a stove, which wasn't an ordinary spiritual tool, he would need to hire a specialized craftsman.
Next was the formation. The Meltfire Formation consisted of five array patterns, which posed a considerable challenge for Mo Hua at his current level.
Previously, the formations Mo Hua had drawn contained at most four array patterns.
For Qi Refinement stage formations, each additional array pattern made a significant difference in effectiveness. The gap between formations with one fewer array pattern was like missing a threshold for a formation master.
Mo Hua practiced drawing formations daily and honed his skills through Stone Tablet, which had also strengthened his spiritual consciousness. He was adept at drawing formations with four array patterns, but five array patterns would pose uncertainties.
Another difficulty was that this Meltfire Formation had to be drawn on the stove.
The stove's walls were made of refined iron, which had weak ink absorption properties. Drawing formations on refined iron was much more challenging than on paper and would also consume more spiritual energy and consciousness.
According to the "Elementary Treatise on Formation Theory" by Instructor Yan, the carrier of a formation, known as the formation medium, was typically paper, followed by materials like iron, wood, soil, and stone.
Mo Hua had previously drawn formations on paper. Now, drawing formations on a crafting stove, he wondered if there would be any issues.
Mo Hua sighed and decided to take it one step at a time.
The immediate task was to find a way to obtain the complete diagram of the Meltfire Formation.
The next day, Mo Hua got up, had breakfast, and went straight to find Manager Mo.
Manager Mo, slightly overweight and heat-averse, was languidly lying on a table with a fan beside him, inscribed with formations activated by spiritual energy, continuously fanning himself. Despite this, only hot air blew due to the scorching weather.
"Manager Mo, I see other businesses have ice formation arrays on their walls to cool down. Why don't you set up a set too?" Mo Hua suggested.
Manager Mo lazily glanced at Mo Hua with annoyance. "Do you know how expensive a whole set of those formations is? If you give me spirit stones, I'll get a set!"
Mo Hua chuckled and sat down at a nearby table, pouring himself a cup of tea and drinking it slowly.
In this quiet and somewhat desolate Destiny Pavilion, Mo Hua was a familiar face. Manager Mo didn't mind him playing around and buried his head back on the table.
After finishing his tea, Mo Hua asked, "Manager Mo, do you have the diagram of the Meltfire Formation here?"
Manager Mo lifted his head, displeased. "This is a business dealing in formations. What diagram don't we have?"
Mo Hua was skeptical. "Do you have diagrams of second-tier formations too?"
Manager Mo slammed the table in irritation. "Kid, don't learn to argue with people!" Then he asked in puzzlement, "What do you need the diagram of the Meltfire Formation for?"
"I saw this kind of array drawn on the stove in the dining hall out of curiosity, so I asked," Mo Hua pondered for a moment and continued, "Manager Mo, do you know if there are any specifics to drawing the Meltfire Array on a stove?"
Manager Mo listlessly replied, "It's just a Meltfire Array. What more could there be? Several dining halls ordered stoves for the New Year and bought the array formation from me. I have the array design they used for their stove."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Could I take a look?"
"No," Manager Mo replied.
"Just a quick look!" Mo Hua persisted.
Manager Mo initially wanted to refuse again but hesitated, sighed, and reluctantly pulled out a large diagram from the cabinet behind him, laying it on the desk.
"You can only look here. Normally, these are confidential and shouldn't be shown casually," Manager Mo said.
Mo Hua opened the drawing and found the stove's design with numerous annotations. It detailed the stove's materials, the positions of the corresponding array patterns, even marking the dimensions of the array and instructions on how each stroke should vary.
"These arrays are different from ordinary arrays? They require specific stroke techniques and diagram dimensions?" Mo Hua asked curiously.
"Of course," Manager Mo explained, "the array patterns themselves are standardized, but their application varies. For some standard spiritual tools, where size and scale are uniform, they can naturally be standardized. However, for specially customized spiritual tools like this stove, adjustments and changes must be made according to the stove's size, shape, and structure to match."
"I see," Mo Hua nodded in understanding.
Mo Hua carefully examined the diagram, trying to memorize all the critical details for reference.
Once Mo Hua had finished looking, Manager Mo put away the diagram.
Mo Hua asked, "Manager Mo, could you lend me a copy of the Meltfire Array diagram?"
Anticipating Mo Hua's request, Manager Mo took out a Meltfire Array diagram and said, "Normally, this diagram costs ten spirit stones. I won't charge you spirit stones, but remember to return it after you're done, without any damage."
"Ten spirit stones? That's quite expensive," Mo Hua exclaimed.
"Naturally," Manager Mo affirmed, "Are you treating this like those low-level arrays with only two or three patterns? Those arrays are everywhere and easy to obtain. But for four patterns, especially those with five or more patterns, such diagrams are rare. The more patterns they contain, the stronger their effects, and consequently, the more expensive the diagrams."
Manager Mo fanned himself with his hand, continuing, "Some arrays containing ten patterns are even the treasured secrets of certain sects and families. Even if you wanted to buy one with spirit stones, it wouldn't be possible, let alone just taking a glance!"
Mo Hua was astonished. Delving deeply into array formations was indeed very difficult. Without proper inheritance, even if one wanted to study arrays, they wouldn't know where to begin.
Mo Hua took the Meltfire Array diagram, sincerely thanking Manager Mo.
Manager Mo said casually, "It's nothing, don't thank me. There's no need for formality." But his expression revealed that he was quite pleased.
Before leaving, Mo Hua received another reminder from Manager Mo.
"Researching is fine, but don't aim too high and don't stubbornly fixate on it. Once your spiritual consciousness is excessively consumed and your sea of consciousness is damaged, it'll be a never-ending problem for array masters."
After saying this, Manager Mo paused, coughed, and continued, "Pass this message on to your older brother for me..."
Mo Hua smiled, bowed to Manager Mo, and then left Destiny Pavilion.
After leaving Destiny Pavilion, Mo Hua returned home and transcribed the stove diagram.
There was a lot of information on the stove diagram, and Mo Hua couldn't remember it all. He only noted down the key points, but that was enough.
He didn't need to replicate the exact stove design from Destiny Pavilion, and even if he did, he didn't have enough spirit stones to forge it.
Mo Hua roughly remembered the diagram and then went out again, arriving at a simple forging shop at the end of the street.
The forging shop was relatively rudimentary but spacious, with various spiritual tools and household items displayed on the walls and floor. These included candlesticks, teapots, cookware, hairpins, bracelets, and even swords and armor, some of which were in disarray.
A signboard hung in front of the forging shop, reading "Chen Ji Forging Shop." The sign was old, covered in black soot, having been used for many years.
Mo Hua had learned about this forging shop from Da Hu and heard that it was the oldest and best in the vicinity, with Master Chen known for his excellent craftsmanship.
As Mo Hua entered, Master Chen was busy wielding a large hammer with several apprentices, clanging away.
(End of the Chapter)