He had deliberately chosen this to be the exam question.
If Mr. Zhuang's young disciple had learned it, then there was nothing to be done, it would simply mean his Formation experience was indeed vast.
Everyone competed using Formations, to decide victory or defeat.
But if he did not know it, then he was almost certain to lose without a doubt.
Two hours, including both learning and Drawing Formation, was simply not enough time.
The Chief Elder snorted coldly.
Originally, choosing this Formation as the test was somewhat "winning without honor."
But now that Mr. Zhuang was so arrogant, making such bold statements, it was no longer unfair for him to take advantage of this unconventional question, given the circumstances.
Mo Hua and the blue-robed Sect Disciple from the Five Elements Sect went to the center of the field, each sitting at a desk, several yards apart, shielded by a Formation. They could neither see each other clearly nor spy with their Divine Sense.
Of course, with three Golden Core Cultivators and around ten at the Foundation Establishment level present, there was no chance for any foul play.
After a while, the Formation Diagrams were distributed.
Upon receiving the Formation Diagram, Mo Hua frowned.
Heavy Water Formation...
He truly had never learned it.
The Formation Patterns were somewhat rare; the Formation Pivot was rather simple; the demand for Divine Sense was a bit higher than usual, with more than nine Patterns but less than ten.
The overall difficulty was about the same as the first rank Melting Fire Formation.
Mo Hua assessed it for a moment and then felt a surge of relief—and a bit of excitement.
He hadn't expected to learn a new Formation during a competition...
What a gain!
Mo Hua then started to concentrate intensely, staring at the Heavy Water Formation Diagram, memorizing the Formation Pivot and Patterns, while calculating the trajectory of the Spiritual Power in his mind.
Meanwhile, the blue-robed disciple had already started drawing.
The Heavy Water Formation was one of the treasured Formations of the Five Elements Sect. He had learned it long ago, and these past few days, under the Chief Elder's mentoring, he had practiced it over and over, knowing it like the back of his hand.
It was as if the examiner had leaked the questions before the test and allowed him to memorize the answers more than ten times.
So right now, he drew the Heavy Water Formation with ease and skill.
Mo Hua was examining the Formation Diagram while the blue-robed disciple was Drawing Formation.
The Chief Elder could see everything clearly from above and nodded slightly.
He was now sure that this young Formation Master had never learned the Heavy Water Formation!
Good!
The Chief Elder was inwardly thrilled.
A swift and first victory.
This first match, they should have won.
Once this young Formation Master lost, it would be his Senior Brothers' and Senior Sisters' turn.
He was curious to see just how skilled Mr. Zhuang's prized disciples truly were in Formations.
...
Time trickled by, second after second...
An hour later.
The blue-robed disciple had already completed the majority of the Formation.
Mo Hua had at last finished looking over the Heavy Water Formation.
And after studying, he began to draw.
The moment Mo Hua made his move, the Chief Elder noticed and mused to himself,
"Does he know he doesn't have enough time and has to bite the bullet and draw it?"
The Chief Elder understood all too well.
When he had taken his Formation Master Grading and encountered unknown Formations, he had acted the same way.
As the time was nearly up, he couldn't leave a blank paper.
He had to draw as much as he could.
Perhaps he could even guess a few Formation Patterns correctly...
The experienced Chief Elder felt he understood thoroughly.
But as he watched, a flicker of surprise crossed his mind:
"This young Formation Master... Not to mention anything else, at least the way he moves his pen and the momentum of his Formation Painting are quite professional..."
Another half-hour passed.