Chapter 268: Spirit-Reversal
"This is the formation diagram for the Concealment Formation."
Mister Zhuang handed a formation diagram to Mo Hua. "Take a look yourself, practice it more, it shouldn't be too difficult for you."
Mo Hua respectfully received it and gave it a quick glance.
The core of the Concealment Formation was rather unique, and the runes were obscure, differing somewhat from ordinary Five Elements formations. But it truly wasn't that difficult—at least not for Mo Hua.
For formation masters, the hardest part of studying formations was the Divine-Sense.
As long as one's Divine-Sense was sufficient, the rest could be solved with enough time and effort.
But if the Divine-Sense was lacking, one wouldn't even have the qualification to study formations.
"Thank you, sir!" Mo Hua said happily.
Mister Zhuang nodded slightly. His gaze deepened as he took out another formation diagram and said,
"This is the complete Ten-Rune Spirit-Reversal Formation."
Mo Hua's heart trembled. He solemnly accepted it, quickly scanned through it, then mentally reconstructed it in his mind before exclaiming in shock,
"Sir, this one seems much harder…"
"The Ten-Rune limit marks the boundary for a Qi-Refining cultivator's Divine-Sense. The closer you get to that limit, the slower your Divine-Sense grows, so naturally, it's more difficult," Mister Zhuang said calmly.
Mo Hua sighed. "I don't know how long it will take me to learn this."
"Until you reach Foundation Establishment."
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, then realized that Ten-Rune formations were indeed only learned by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
If he could draw out the Spirit-Reversal Formation, it would mean his Divine-Sense had reached the level of Foundation Establishment.
"Sir, with my current progress, how long will it take for my Divine-Sense to reach that level?" Mo Hua asked timidly.
Mister Zhuang didn't answer. Instead, he countered with a question:
"What if it takes ten years? Or a hundred?"
Mo Hua's heart sank. "A hundred years?"
"It's only a hypothesis," Mister Zhuang said lightly.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said helplessly, "Well, there's nothing else I can do. I'll just keep cultivating and drawing formations."
Mister Zhuang nodded approvingly.
"Good. No matter the result, what must be done does not change. Don't let success, failure, or expectation disturb your state of mind."
Mo Hua suddenly understood and smiled. "Thank you for your teaching, sir!"
Mister Zhuang also smiled faintly. "That said, don't worry too much. Perhaps you'll encounter a fortuitous chance and leap over that chasm in one step."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Mister Zhuang smiled again. "It's only a possibility."
Then he tapped Mo Hua's forehead lightly with his long finger. "Fortuitous encounters are external things. Don't let them sway your heart in cultivation."
Mo Hua's gaze grew firm. "Disciple understands."
Seeing Mo Hua's clear eyes and enlightened heart, Mister Zhuang nodded slightly and said softly,
"Just focus on learning formations. Don't worry about anything else. If you reach Qi-Refining ninth layer and your Divine-Sense is still insufficient, I have my own methods."
Mo Hua felt a warmth in his heart and smiled. "Thank you, sir!"
Mister Zhuang waved his hand. "Go practice your formations. I'll rest for a while."
"Alright."
Mo Hua turned to leave but suddenly paused, hesitating.
Mister Zhuang noticed and said, "If you have something to ask, then ask."
"But…" Mo Hua hesitated. "Won't I disturb your rest?"
Mister Zhuang reclined casually in his bamboo chair. "I'm already resting. A few words won't matter."
Mo Hua chuckled. "Sir, this Spirit-Reversal Formation… is it truly only used for breaking other formations?"
Mister Zhuang's half-closed eyes opened slightly in surprise. "Why do you ask that?"
"If it's really just for breaking formations, it wouldn't be this difficult…" Mo Hua reasoned. "The Spirit-Reversal Formation can indeed undo formations, but it's a first-grade Ten-Rune array. Ordinary Qi-Refining cultivators can't even learn it, so how could they use it to break formations?"
"Besides, there are many ways to dismantle arrays. It doesn't have to be done through the Spirit-Reversal Formation. If so, this array is complex yet impractical—like a chicken rib."
"And something that's like a chicken rib, even if unique, wouldn't be treated as a treasure by noble clans or great families."
"So if those clans treasure it, doesn't that mean this formation has another, more important use?"
Mister Zhuang's eyelid twitched slightly. Then he chuckled and shook his head. "You little brat, such a sharp mind—where do you get all these thoughts?"
Mo Hua scratched his head sheepishly.
Mister Zhuang said, "One thing you got wrong. The Spirit-Reversal Formation is not useless—it's extremely useful for breaking formations."
"When dismantling arrays through formation runes, you might need to dissolve hundreds or even thousands of runes in complex cases. But the Spirit-Reversal Formation targets the core array nodes directly—you only need to break a few key Spirit-Gathering arrays."
"As long as you can find the array's core, using the Spirit-Reversal Formation can shorten the process by several times—or even dozens of times."
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.
That would save him severalfold—or even dozens of times—worth of Spirit Ink.
And since his Spirit Ink supply was always limited, this was extremely valuable.
"There's another thing you got right," Mister Zhuang said approvingly. "The Spirit-Reversal Formation is not only for breaking arrays—its greatest power lies in making formations collapse."
"Collapse?" Mo Hua looked stunned. "You mean, the array breaks or goes out of control?"
"It breaks—but not uncontrollably. Rather, it collapses under the formation master's will."
"Controlled collapse?" Mo Hua scratched his head. "What's the point of that?"
Mister Zhuang fell silent for a long while. His expression shifted a few times before he sighed deeply.
"Formations embody the Dao of Heaven. They contain the principles of heaven and earth and the fundamental logic of spiritual power flow."
"When a formation collapses, the spiritual power within its structure reverses, clashes, and cycles between creation and destruction—producing immense spiritual turbulence, a power that is extreme and unfathomable."
"If the formation's grade is high enough, its collapse could destroy heaven and earth!"
Mister Zhuang's tone grew solemn.
Mo Hua was shaken to the core—and secretly thrilled.
"Then if I master the Spirit-Reversal Formation, can I also make formations collapse?"
Mister Zhuang smiled faintly. "Once you master it, you'll likely be at Foundation Establishment. The collapse of a first-grade formation might have power beyond its rank, but at most, it'll equal a Foundation Establishment spell. Why go through all that trouble?"
"Ah?" Mo Hua was dumbfounded. "Then what about a second-grade Spirit-Reversal Formation?"
"That you can only learn once you become a late-stage second-grade formation master."
A late-stage second-grade formation master…
That could take forever.
Mo Hua sighed. "Then this Spirit-Reversal Formation still feels a bit chicken-rib."
A first-grade one can't be learned by first-grade masters, and a second-grade one can't be used by those who can learn it.
"It's not that the formation itself is useless," Mister Zhuang said indifferently. "It's just that the formation masters lack the ability to truly grasp and wield it."
"Moreover, collapsing a formation isn't easy. Even an ordinary second-grade master couldn't make a first-grade array collapse."
"In fact, there are very few formation masters in this world who have truly mastered the Spirit-Reversal Formation and can use it to collapse an array."
Mo Hua frowned. "So there are a lot of subtleties in how to use the Spirit-Reversal Formation?"
Mister Zhuang seemed ready to continue, but fatigue overtook him. He yawned and said: "If you really manage to master the Spirit-Reversal Formation, I'll teach you then. For now... it's still too early."
*(End of Chapter)*