Mo Shan then hosted a banquet at the Food Building in Azure Mountain City for several Enforcement Leaders he knew, both in gratitude and celebration.
The Enforcement Leaders were honored to participate.
This trip could indeed be said to have been a fruitful one.
Freeloading meals, enjoying a trip, and successfully completing the assessment to become a first-grade Formation Master.
After settling matters at Azure Cloud Sect, he could go home.
Before departing, Mo Hua unexpectedly encountered the examiner who had proctored his test.
Mo Hua approached, performed a respectful bow, and just as he was unsure how to address the other, the examiner said,
"My surname is Zhao, I am a study official at Heaven Shu Pavilion."
Mo Hua didn’t know what a study official at Heaven Shu Pavilion did, but still respectfully said, "Study official, sir."
Zhao, the study official, said frankly, "I have an undue request."
"Please speak, study official."
"Follow me."
Zhao, the study official, took Mo Hua to an empty hall, laid out Formation Paper, took out brush and ink, and said to Mo Hua, "Could you draw another Melting Fire Formation for me to see?"
Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Is this a follow-up assessment for a first-grade Formation Master?"
Zhao, the study official, shook his head, "No, it’s a personal request."
Mo Hua felt relieved, nodded, and then with a small hand gripping the brush, he painted effortlessly, swiftly completing the Melting Fire Formation.
Although Zhao, the study official, had expectations, he was still profoundly moved.
That day, this child’s brush had danced like dragons and serpents, truly in the act of Drawing Formation...
Only, his brushwork was too skilled, so natural, and he was so young, that it looked as if a child was scribbling randomly.
An effortless creation, this is the manifestation of a first-grade Formation Method reaching perfection.
How high was this child’s comprehension, and how many times had he painted Formation Methods...
Emotions surged within Zhao, the study official, and in the end, he could only sigh inwardly,
"There are heavens beyond this heaven, people beyond these people..."
The demeanor of Zhao, the study official, suddenly became much more solemn and held a hint of respect as he clasped his hands and said,
"Thank you, young friend!"
Mo Hua didn’t know what he was being thanked for but just habitually waved his hand and said, "You’re too kind, study official."
Zhao, the study official, nodded lightly, his eyes showing admiration, and then said,
"After this departure, if fate allows, we shall meet again!"
Mo Hua also clasped his hands in farewell, then together with his father, Mo Shan, boarded the Taoist Court’s carriage and slowly left Azure Cloud Sect, starting the journey home.
Zhao, the study official, stood on the peak of Azure Cloud Sect, watching Mo Hua’s carriage move away into the distance, his thoughts unknown.
After a while, a disciple from Heaven Shu Pavilion arrived to invite Zhao, the study official, to Wenxian Palace for a meeting.
Zhao, the study official, nodded, but did not move.
The disciple was puzzled and, following the study official’s gaze, saw the carriage about to disappear into the green mountains and asked somewhat in doubt,
"Study official, is this Mo surname junior Formation Master really that remarkable?"
This disciple was surnamed Zhao as well, related by clan to Zhao, the study official, who had brought him along for this assessment to gain experience.
Zhao, the study official, nodded and said, "He is the most talented Formation Master I have ever seen up to this point."
The disciple was startled, frowned and said, "It can’t be possible that he has more talent than our Zhao Family’s Seventh Young Master..."
The disciple was somewhat unconvinced, "The Seventh Young Master might have been assessed as first-grade at the age of twenty, but if the old ancestor hadn’t asked him to consolidate his learning, he could have gone for the assessment earlier; not at thirteen, but at least by fifteen, he could have become a first-grade Formation Master."
"And our Zhao Family has a deep foundation in Formation Study; the Seventh Young Master had to learn many things from childhood, which is what slowed his progress in the assessment."
"When it comes to talent and prospects in Formation Method, this Brother Mo might not match our family’s Seventh Young Master, right..."
"You don’t understand," Zhao, the study official, shook his head.
The disciple was puzzled, "What don’t I understand?"
Zhao, the study official, looked into the distance again, sighed, and slowly said,
"The Seventh Young Master became a first-grade because he could, but this child became a first-grade because we, could only assess him as that..."