Thinking of those intricate and complex Formation Patterns that gave him a headache just by looking at them, Mo Hua’s expression also grew complicated.
This is for intellectual entertainment?
“So if I can’t solve it, does that mean I’m pretty dumb?” Mo Hua asked delicately.
Mr. Zhuang saw through Mo Hua’s thoughts and said with a half-smile, “Not necessarily, yours is slightly more difficult, and not everyone can solve it.”
Mo Hua felt that Mr. Zhuang was comforting him, though not quite hitting the spot.
Not everyone can solve it, which probably means quite a few people can, and not many like him who cannot.
And he was one who could not…
Since it is meant for intellectual pastime, he must solve it—this matter of face was something he needed to fight for!
Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask, “How do you solve this Mystery Formation then?”
Mr. Zhuang habitually tapped his bamboo chair with his finger, “Your situation is different from others; if they can’t solve it, they just feel a bit downhearted. But this Mystery Formation is tied to your cultivation, and if you can’t solve it, your Cultivation will stagnate, which would be quite troublesome.”
“As for the methods, there are two: one is you learn to solve it yourself, the other is you memorize all the Formation Patterns, transcribe them, and then I’ll help you solve it.”
“The second method is the fastest and most straightforward; after all, Cultivation is the foundation of a Cultivator. Without Cultivation, everything else is empty talk, not to mention becoming a Formation Master. The first method requires you to learn it yourself, which is beneficial for learning Formation, but it’s time-consuming and will delay your Cultivation. The choice is yours now,” Mr. Zhuang finished, watching Mo Hua with an interested expression.
Mo Hua felt a bit torn.
For a Cultivator, the consequences of stagnated Cultivation were too severe. His own Cultivation level was naturally inferior to the Bai siblings and other nobility’s children, but among his peers in Tongxian City who were Loose Cultivators, he was barely considered a standout—albeit the best among the weakest.
If he wasted too much time due to a bottleneck in his Cultivation Technique, he feared he’d fall even further behind.
After thinking it over, Mo Hua decided, “Gentleman, I choose the first option.”
It was best to solve a problem by oneself if possible.
Falling behind in Cultivation was acceptable; he was already lagging in terms of Spiritual Root and Cultivation Technique compared to others, and it would only get worse. It made no difference whether he fell behind sooner or later.
One should not covet fleeting superiority.
Furthermore, if he relied on Mr. Zhuang to solve the bottleneck of the initial phase of Qi Refinement, what would he do during the Middle Phase and even the later phases of Qi Refinement?
Mr. Zhuang could not always be by his side, and he was just a nominal disciple of Mr. Zhuang—he couldn’t trouble him with everything.
Another reason was that the concept of “intellectual pastime” deeply rankled Mo Hua.
“Oh? Are you sure of your decision?” Mr. Zhuang asked, his tone carrying profound meaning.
Mo Hua nodded, “The disciple has made up his mind.”
Mr. Zhuang nodded in approval, “I have some books and Jade Slips here that outline the basics of Mystery Formations. Take them and have a look. Once you have finished, come to find me, and I will teach you how to solve Formations.”
Mo Hua accepted them with gravity, saying, “Disciple takes his leave.”
Watching Mo Hua leave, Mr. Zhuang’s leisurely demeanor faded, his expression turning slightly grave.