Chen's Forging Workshop
Master Chen led a group of apprentices vigorously swinging their hammers amidst the roaring flames. After pounding, they placed the molded implements into the refining furnace for tempering. Once heated to a bright red, they resumed the pounding process.
Master Chen, who usually instructed his apprentices to focus intently during the forging process, was somewhat distracted today. It was because little Mo Hua, who had arrived early in the morning, was watching them keenly.
Mo Hua had dropped by to observe the refining process.
Master Chen couldn't refuse because he owed Mo Hua a favor from before and had also conducted a significant transaction with him. So, he reluctantly agreed.
Mo Hua kept his eyes fixed on them for quite some time, mainly staring at the refining furnace with eager interest, as if he wanted to dismantle it and see what was inside.
And what's inside the refining furnace? Naturally, there are formations.
Master Chen couldn't quite fathom what ideas were brewing in Mo Hua's young mind, and he felt somewhat uneasy. Finally, during a break, he couldn't help but ask:
"Ahem, Mo Hua, is there something on your mind?"
Mo Hua whispered, "Master Chen, don't you think the fire in this refining furnace is a bit weak?"
Master Chen glanced at the furnace. "Well... it does seem a bit weaker than before."
"Do you know why?"
"Probably... because of the formations?"
"Ah, Master Chen, your insight is truly profound!" Mo Hua flattered without much technical content, then whispered again, "Wouldn't you want the fire to be stronger?"
"Stronger?"
"Yes, stronger!"
Master Chen's brows furrowed deeply. "You're not thinking of dismantling my furnace and redoing the formations, are you?"
Mo Hua gave him a thumbs-up. "Master Chen, you guessed it right!"
Master Chen shook his head vigorously like a tambourine. "Absolutely not! This is our livelihood. How can I just dismantle it? What if I mess it up? My apprentices will end up starving."
Then, fearing he might hurt little Mo Hua's pride, he added, "It's not that I doubt your formation skills. To be honest, in all my years, I've never seen a talented young lad like you. But this furnace can't be dismantled easily. If something goes wrong, I won't have enough spirit stones to buy a new one."
Mo Hua waved his hand. "Don't worry, Master. I'm very familiar with this formation. I won't mess it up."
Master Chen put on a stern face, adamantly refusing.
Mo Hua then played his trump card. "Think about it. If the fire in the furnace is stronger, wouldn't your forging process be faster? That means Da Zhu and the others would learn faster, graduate sooner, and you'd earn more spirit stones. A good worker must first sharpen his tools!"
Master Chen pondered for a moment and felt there was some truth to Mo Hua's words, but he still hesitated.
Mo Hua threw out his killer line, "I won't charge you any spirit stones. I'll draw the formations for free!"
Master Chen instantly found it impossible to refuse.
Finding another formation expert to repair the refining furnace would cost quite a few spirit stones, let alone redrawing the formations. The risk was worth taking.
"So, about the ink for drawing the formations..." Master Chen looked at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua also looked back at Master Chen silently, clearly implying: I'm drawing the formations for free, and now you want me to provide my own ink?
Master Chen smiled awkwardly, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "Da Zhu, go find Old Sun and ask him to bring a few bottles of top-quality spirit ink. It must be fire-based, no dilution!"
Big Zhu scratched his head and said, "Master, what about the spirit stones?"
"Let's put it on credit first!"
Big Zhu hesitated, "Old Sun is really stingy."
"Just tell him the furnace is broken and if he doesn't provide the ink, we won't be able to repair it, and he won't get the batch of implements he's waiting for until next year."
"Ah!"
Big Zhu agreed with a shout and swiftly ran off.
Master Chen, efficient in his work, immediately waved his hand and said to his disciples, "Stop forging and dismantle the furnace!"
The disciples looked at each other in surprise, but Master Chen was always decisive, so they didn't dare delay. Together, they extinguished the furnace fire, poured some cold water, waited for the residual heat to dissipate, and then dismantled the refining furnace, removing the inner structure to expose the formations inscribed inside.
The formation was a Meltfire Array consisting of five formation runes, which had been previously drawn by Mo Hua. At this moment, it looked somewhat familiar.
Mo Hua took out a spirit-cleansing solution and had Master Chen's apprentices wipe it over the refining furnace. This would erase the previous formations.
The previous Meltfire Array had weak firepower for two reasons: first, it only contained five formation runes, limiting its power; second, Mo Hua had hastily drawn the formation using inferior spirit ink, which conducted spiritual energy poorly.
Spirit-cleansing solution could dissolve spirit ink, and Mo Hua had learned the recipe from Bai Zixi. In the cultivation world, when drawing formations, either entirely new ones were drawn or old ones were repaired. Completely erasing and redrawing formations was rare, so spirit-cleansing solution was not commonly used.
It was available for purchase in Tongxian City, but Mo Hua was reluctant to spend on it, so he had consulted Bai Zixi for the formula. The Bai family, being a prestigious clan, possessed extensive knowledge, with dozens of formulas for spirit-cleansing solution ranging from first to fifth-grade.
Bai Zixi selected a type suitable for formations below first-grade, using inexpensive materials that could even be found in the mountains. Mo Hua was grateful and brought a homemade Begonia Cake as a token of appreciation.
As the spirit-cleansing solution was applied, the formations inside the refining furnace gradually faded away.
Seeing something that could completely erase formations clean, Master Chen was seeing it for the first time and felt Mo Hua truly deserved to study formations, appearing very professional, which somewhat put his mind at ease.
Before long, Big Zhu returned carrying several bottles of spirit ink.
"No dilution, right?" Master Chen asked.
"Don't worry, Master. I kept a close eye on it and didn't give him a chance to dilute it. Old Sun was wincing as if I were asking for his blood instead of ink," Big Zhu chuckled.
"His blood might not necessarily be more expensive than this spirit ink." Master Chen handed the spirit ink to Mo Hua, somewhat reluctant. "Little brother, does this spirit ink look suitable to you?"
Mo Hua shook the bottle, observing the even flow and appropriate viscosity. After uncapping it, a faint scent of pine wood emanated, with a slight gloss to its crimson hue.
Mo Hua had never seen such high-quality spirit ink before. When drawing formations on his own, he often made do with whatever was available. Now, looking at the sparkling ink in the bottle, he couldn't help but marvel at how you get what you pay for.
Of course, to maintain his image as Master Zhuang's named disciple, Mo Hua nonchalantly and confidently said, "It's alright, it'll do."
Master Chen was astonished by Mo Hua's discerning eye. He thought, "Are all formation students nowadays so discerning? Is this top-grade spirit ink only 'alright' to them?"
Mo Hua spread out the formation diagram on the ground, and a group of apprentices gathered around to observe.
Master Chen didn't quite understand, but he joined in out of curiosity.
As they watched, he noticed something amiss. Although he didn't understand formations, he could count.
One, two, three, four, five... six!
Six formation runes!
He remembered the Meltfire Array in the furnace had only five formation runes. How did it end up with one more?
(End of the chapter)