A few days later, Mo Hua and a few others arrived at Shangtai City.
Shangtai City was but a Little Immortal City, even smaller than Tongxian City, with fewer Cultivators undergoing Foundation Establishment within it.
The streets were not busy, and the Cultivators who came and went were dressed in humble clothes; their faces bore expressions of worry and suffering.
Mo Hua let out a small sigh.
It seemed that not only the Loose Cultivators in Tongxian City lived in hardship, but most Loose Cultivators in the world likely shared the same plight.
And it was possible that their suffering was even more severe than that of others.
The group entered the city and found an inn to rest.
Mr. Zhuang took Mo Hua aside for a conversation.
Sitting respectfully on a small stool, Mo Hua listened attentively to Mr. Zhuang’s words.
Mr. Zhuang asked gently, "Do you know what you need to do on this journey?"
After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua answered,
"Learn Formation?"
"Anything else?"
"Umm…" Mo Hua thought for a bit, then added, "Foundation Establishment?"
Mr. Zhuang nodded, "You are different from ordinary people, and from ordinary Formation Masters. The Cultivation Technique you practice is the Heaven Yan Jue, whose bottleneck lies in Formation mastery."
"Your Formation skills and Cultivation are actually one and the same."
"If you can’t master Formations well, you won’t be able to decipher Mystery Formations; if you can’t break through the bottleneck, your Cultivation won’t improve."
"If your Cultivation doesn’t improve, you can’t break through the boundary, and you won’t be able to learn higher-grade Formations…"
"What’s more crucial is that the Formations you need to learn are much more profound than what others learn. Studying ordinary Formations won’t enable you to solve Mystery Formations or break through the bottleneck…" Enjoy exclusive chapters from NovelFire.Côm
Mo Hua nodded, having anticipated these issues already.
If he wanted to become a Great Formation Master, he must become a Great Cultivator; and if he aspired to be a Great Cultivator, he must also become a Great Formation Master.
"Master, what should I do before I attempt Foundation Establishment? Continue learning Formations?" Mo Hua inquired.
Mr. Zhuang affirmed with a nod, "Correct."
"But… which Formations should I study?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
He had mastered the Reversed Spirit Formation with Thirteen Stripes, and he had also learned the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation.
Suddenly, Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, "Can I study Second-Grade Formations?"
Mr. Zhuang, seeing through Mo Hua’s thoughts, smiled and shook his head, "No…"
Mo Hua felt somewhat disappointed.
Mr. Zhuang explained, "The Spiritual Power structure of Second-Grade Formations is entirely different from that of the First Grade. You can’t learn Second-Grade Formations until your Cultivation has reached Foundation Establishment, as you lack the mercury-like Second-Grade Spiritual Power."
"Then, can I still learn Large Formations?"
With an expression that was a mix of a smile and seriousness, Mr. Zhuang replied,
"How many Large Formations are there for you to learn? There aren’t many First-Grade Large Formations to begin with, and most are highly confidential and exclusive. I don’t have many in my possession either…"
"Besides, even if you learn them, how will you construct the Large Formations?"
"The resources and manpower required for Large Formations are extremely vast."
"Unless there is a Big Demon that appears, and Tongxian City is at risk – and they all trust you, willing to work wholeheartedly with you – otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to construct the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation."
Mo Hua was taken aback and upon reflection, realized that this was indeed the case.
The cost and risks involved in constructing a Large Formation were too high, and within a state boundary, there were only a handful of forces that could possibly gather the resources to construct a Large Formation.
These forces had either already established a Large Formation.
Even if they hadn’t, and wished to construct a new one, they wouldn’t consider Mo Hua, a thirteen-year-old Junior Formation Master, as the main Formation Master.
They would not place their trust in Mo Hua to be the main Formation Master of a Large Formation.
Scratching his head, Mo Hua asked, "So, what else can I learn?"
Mr. Zhuang said, "Do you remember the Ultimate Formations I told you about?"
Mo Hua thought for a while and nodded,
"Formations above Thirteen Stripes of the First Grade that deviate from the Taoist Court standards, requiring Supreme Divine Sense and knowledge that surpasses the norm, are called Ultimate Formations."
Mr. Zhuang nodded in confirmation, "To other Formation Masters, Ultimate Formations are unattainable, but for you, they are essential. You can and must learn them."
Mo Hua originally also wanted to learn more challenging Formations, but upon second thought, he meekly asked,
"Master, if I don’t study Ultimate Formations, will I still be able to achieve Foundation Establishment?"
Mr. Zhuang replied with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Generally speaking, your current level of Divine Sense and Formation expertise is already sufficient for Foundation Establishment."
Mo Hua’s face brightened with delight.
Mr. Zhuang then added, "...But merely reaching Foundation Establishment is not enough."