"Yes, Master!" Mo Hua obediently responded.
Old Kui looked at this mentor-disciple pair, his expression even more speechless...
Mr. Zhuang then instructed Mo Hua:
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"In a few days, you will take the lead and also stand in for your senior brothers and sisters. Only those who win against you will qualify to compete in Formation Methods with your senior brothers and sisters."
With Mr. Zhuang's words, Mo Hua understood:
"I am the threshold!"
Whoever wanted to compete with his senior brothers and sisters had to cross his threshold first.
Mr. Zhuang nodded approvingly.
This child was indeed clever.
Bai Zisheng felt a bit guilty on the side, "Master, my Formation skills are not as good as my junior brother's..."
Bai Zisheng was quite self-aware. Although he was a senior brother, his level in Formation skills was far from Mo Hua's.
If someone did manage to win against Mo Hua, he most certainly wouldn't stand a chance.
Bai Zixi was better off, her Formation skills, albeit not as strong as Mo Hua's, were still quite high.
But his own flaws would be exposed.
Mr. Zhuang said with a light smile, "That's alright. This threshold your junior brother presents, it is quite a high one..."
And moreover, it was an insurmountably "high" one.
Mr. Zhuang thought of Mo Hua's level in Formation methods as a cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm, still somewhat astonished in his heart.
Mo Hua, praised by Mr. Zhuang, had a smiley face again.
...
In the ensuing days, the Five Elements Sect appeared calm on the surface, but there was a buzz of activity behind the scenes: dispatching messengers, sending letters, bargaining...
Sect Leader Liao was busy with receptions and farewells.
The Elders moved about frequently.
Some unfamiliar disciples also appeared silently within the Five Elements Sect...
Mr. Zhuang sat by the window, watching all this unfold, unflustered and unshowy.
A few days later, Sect Leader Liao came to invite Mr. Zhuang, respectfully saying:
"The Tao Discussion Meeting is about to begin. Mr. Zhuang and several esteemed disciples, please proceed to the Formation Pavilion."
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly and stood up, turning towards Mo Hua, Bai Zisheng, and Bai Zixi, and said:
"Let's go."
...
The Tao Discussion Meeting.
It was a grand assembly for cultivators to discuss the Tao.
It was also a general term for various kinds of meetings among cultivators.
Cultivators gathered to discuss cultivation, scholarly matters, Artifact Refining, Alchemy, Formations, and even about rearing Spirit Beasts, keeping cats and dogs.
The Tao Discussion Meeting of the Five Elements Sect was mainly for verifying Formations.
The Formation Pavilion was the place within the Sect for storing Formation knowledge and artifacts.
Stored within were Formation Books, Formation Diagrams, precious inks, ancient brushes, valuable Formation Papers, and a series of Tao cultivation items related to Formation methods.
The Formation Pavilion was a place of secrecy and also one of the important venues for Tao discussion meetings within the Sect.