Dinner was at the inn; everyone ordered a few simple dishes, not particularly delicious but not bad either, certainly not as good as the ones Mo Hua prepared himself.
After dinner, everyone rested in the inn for the night, and they were to set off again the next day.
Before departure, Mo Hua affectionately hugged Big White’s neck, patted its back, and said,
"We’re going to trouble you again."
Big White grunted a few times and nuzzled Mo Hua’s face with its head.
Mo Hua smiled happily.
The morning glow spilled across the sky, casting its light on the road.
The group set out on their journey, left the city gates, and took to the main road.
After traveling the main road for a while, they passed through a mountain trail lined by towering peaks, with few travelers in sight, only the recurring sound of the horse hooves.
Having walked for the better part of the day, they came upon a small town.
Mo Hua looked up and from a distance saw the town’s signboard:
Thousand Families Town.
As far as the eye could see, the scenes of the small town were fully in view.
There were quite a few people in Thousand Families Town, but it was clear that they were all Loose Cultivators, and their clothes were covered in mud stains.
In the distance beyond the town, there was a large expanse of connected Spirit Fields.
Many Cultivators were bent over, working in the Spirit Fields.
Mo Hua had heard from his father, Mo Shan, that in the way of Tao Cultivation there was a category called "Spiritual Plant Master," which involved farming and nurturing various Taoist crops, or growing herbs for a living.
Those who farmed were generally known as "Spirit Farmers."
These Cultivators working in the Spirit Fields must be the "Spirit Farmers" his father, Mo Shan, had mentioned.
Old Kui stopped the carriage.
Mr. Zhuang lifted the curtain, glanced at the town, and nodded, saying:
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"We are going to stay here for a while."
The three companions, Mo Hua, exchanged glances, not understanding why they needed to stay here.
Remembering the words that Mr. Zhuang had spoken to him, Mo Hua’s eyes brightened as he asked:
"Master, does this town have an Ultimate Formation?"
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly.
Mo Hua looked over the town again.
The houses were low and the bricks and stones worn, with many places showing signs of decay from years of neglect, clearly indicating that most Cultivators were not living well.
There was one mansion in the town that was obviously opulent, likely the residence of the most affluent clan in the area.
This was similar to other small towns Mo Hua had encountered on his journey.
Where there is poverty, there is wealth, and of course, with wealth comes poverty.
The residences in the town all had Formations drawn on them, but most were very rudimentary, with only a few Formation Patterns.
Even the Formation used by that most opulent mansion was something Mo Hua could see through at a glance.
In such a small town, where could there be an Ultimate Formation?
Unable to understand, Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang:
"Master, how do you know that there’s an Ultimate Formation here?"
Mr. Zhuang said inscrutably, "I saw it."
Mo Hua continued to probe,
"How did you see it?"
He was truly curious in his heart.
Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and gently said, "Take a guess."
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Mr. Zhuang asked him to guess, not to simply suggest; that meant the method must be one he was aware of.
Mo Hua cast another distant glance at the town.
Since there were no obvious Formation Patterns, it meant Mr. Zhuang had not seen any specific Formation.
Moreover, it was a stop made on the spur of the moment during their travels.
This indicated that Mr. Zhuang hadn’t known there was an Ultimate Formation here in advance.
It was something he saw, or rather perceived, that made him decide to stay.
What did he see, or perceive?
Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, the world turned into a vast expanse of white, and then the multicolored Spiritual Power began to emerge one by one.
After perceiving with his Divine Sense for a while, Mo Hua’s eyes suddenly lit up and he ventured,
"Was it calculated through Divine Sense?"
Since the Formation Patterns could not be seen, it must be that he had deduced the Patterns through the spiritual force of the Formation and then determined the strength of the Divine Sense required for the Formation Patterns, thereby concluding that there is a lost Ultimate Formation here.
Mo Hua faintly perceived some Formation energies, but they were too distant and obscure for him to calculate; he could only guess based on intuition.
Mr. Zhuang nodded approvingly, "That’s right."
Then Mr. Zhuang patiently explained,
"An Ultimate Formation is different from ordinary Formations; it is a more subtle, more fundamental, and more sophisticated use of Spiritual Power."
"A Reversed Spirit Formation is to reverse engineer Spiritual Power, a Large Formation accumulates Spiritual Power, and other Ultimate Formations also have some extraordinary features."
"The world changes, the sea turns to mulberry fields, and things appear in various forms, constantly transitioning."
"Some Ultimate Formations are thus buried underground, or sealed within ancient relics, or painted in some unknown corner of a small town, operating silently, unknown to anyone..."
"You can’t find traces of the Formation by just looking with your eyes."
"Eyes can deceive, but Divine Sense cannot, appearances can deceive, but the essence of Spiritual Power cannot."
"Therefore, you must perceive with Divine Sense, calculate in the Sea of Consciousness, through an understanding of the Formation and the operation of Spiritual Power, to determine whether there is a lost Formation here..."
Mo Hua suddenly saw the light and nodded repeatedly.
Perceiving with Divine Sense, calculating with Spiritual Power, deducing Formation Patterns, seeking Ultimate Formations...
With a point from Mr. Zhuang, Mo Hua had an epiphany.
However, Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi exchanged confused glances.
They had no idea what Mo Hua and Mr. Zhuang were talking about...