Chapter 270: Discovery
Mo Hua revealed his figure, startled. "When did you notice me?"
Elder Yu smiled faintly. "From the moment you stepped through the door, of course."
Mo Hua's expression dimmed a little. So… even with all his effort, he still couldn't hide from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Did you sense me through Divine-Sense?" he asked again.
Elder Yu shook his head slightly. "No. I heard you."
Mo Hua blinked. "Heard me?"
"That's right," Elder Yu said. "I've been a Demon Hunter for many years—living in the mountains, hunting beasts. Even the faintest rustle or breath of wind, I can notice it."
"Besides, this is my home. I often sit in this hall, drinking tea. Suddenly, in an empty room, another person's breath appears, how could I not feel it?"
Elder Yu explained kindly, still smiling.
Mo Hua nodded. That made sense. Then his eyes suddenly brightened.
"Then if the surroundings were noisier, and I stayed still—made no sound at all—could you still find me?"
"Well…"
Elder Yu stroked his beard, hesitating.
To say he couldn't find him would be rather embarrassing for a Foundation Establishment elder.
But to say he definitely could… he wasn't sure.
When Mo Hua had entered earlier, he actually hadn't noticed at first.
Only when Mo Hua moved—light-footed though he was—the faint sound of his steps reached Elder Yu's ear.
By tracking the sound, Elder Yu had locked onto his location, then swept with his Divine-Sense, only then discovering a vague, blurred silhouette: a young cultivator using concealment.
That familiar aura, that mischievous spirit—it could only be Mo Hua.
And honestly, who else would dare sneak into his sitting room to play invisibility tricks?
So Elder Yu had simply pretended not to see, amused to tease him a bit.
But thinking on it now—if not for the sound and his deliberate Divine-Sense sweep—he might not have found Mo Hua at all.
Elder Yu furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, then admitted honestly,
"In that case… it's hard to say."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Elder Yu, how about we test it?"
Elder Yu was about to say, "I have things to do later," but when he saw Mo Hua's eager, sparkling eyes, the words never made it out.
"Ah, it's nothing important anyway," he thought. "Might as well relax and humor this child."
Besides, he was curious to see how effective Mo Hua's concealment really was.
"Alright," Elder Yu chuckled. "Let's find a place and see if I can spot you."
The two left Tōngxiān City and found a quiet hillside at its outskirts.
Tall trees stood thick, undergrowth lush.
"I'll go hide in the woods. You try to find me."
With that, Mo Hua slipped into the forest, crouching behind a large tree amid the grass.
Then he cast his concealment art, erasing his presence, motionless and silent.
After silently counting fifteen breaths, Elder Yu entered the woods and released his Divine-Sense, his brow furrowed.
At first glance, he couldn't sense Mo Hua at all.
So he steadied himself and began searching, patch by patch, bush by bush.
After about the time for a cup of tea, Elder Yu finally detected a faint trace of life behind a great tree.
He raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Found him, thank the heavens. Losing face to a Qi-Refining junior would've been tragic.
He cleared his throat, looked toward the bush, and said casually, "You can come out now."
Mo Hua reappeared, not looking disappointed, instead, his eyes were full of curiosity.
"Elder, how's my concealment technique?"
He had expected to be found eventually. What he wanted to know was—to what extent it could fool a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Not bad," Elder Yu said approvingly. "If you stay still and silent, most Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't notice you, unless they deliberately released their Divine-Sense to search."
Mo Hua's face lit up with joy.
"But," Elder Yu added, "Foundation Establishment cultivators vary in strength. Just because I might miss you doesn't mean others will. Always be careful in action."
Mo Hua nodded seriously. "Yes, Elder, I understand."
Elder Yu nodded back, quietly impressed.
To reach this level of concealment, it was remarkable.
Just how strong was Mo Hua's Divine-Sense now?
Could it be approaching Foundation Establishment level…?
He pondered that, then suddenly asked: "How did you learn concealment arts?"
He'd been meaning to ask that for a while.
If he remembered correctly, concealment arts could only be cultivated by single water-type roots—or rare Yin spiritual roots.
But Mo Hua had a minor Five-Element spiritual root. His water attribute was too mixed, he shouldn't have been able to learn it.
Mo Hua grinned mysteriously. "I drew an array formation."
"Oh." Elder Yu instantly understood.
Mo Hua was a formation master. Naturally, he solved problems with formations.
"Is that formation rare?" Elder Yu asked.
In all his years, he had never heard of a formation that could conceal a person, nor had he ever seen a concealing spiritual artifact.
He'd only met a few cultivators who could use concealment arts—like that cunning Diao Laosen—and even those were rare.
Mo Hua nodded. "Yes, it's hard to learn."
Though a Nine-Rune Formation, its strokes were special, and drawing it required Divine-Sense nearly equivalent to nine and a half runes.
Ordinary First-Rank formation masters couldn't meet that threshold, thus, it was indeed exceedingly rare.
Elder Yu nodded thoughtfully.
If Mo Hua said it was difficult, then it truly was. No wonder he'd never seen one.
He leaned forward curiously. "With that formation activated, can nothing at all be seen?"
Mo Hua triggered the Concealment Formation alone—his body vanished, though faint outlines of his hands and head remained visible.
Elder Yu sighed. "This formation has flaws. Its concealment isn't perfect."
"Yes." Mo Hua agreed. "That's why I combined a half-learned concealment art with this imperfect formation, to achieve full invisibility."
Either method alone was mediocre, but together—they worked.
"A double concealment… well, one and a half," Mo Hua said proudly.
Elder Yu stroked his chin, intrigued.
"Combined like that, the effect might be even better than pure concealment—especially at night."
Indeed, in darkness, even if someone saw through one layer, the second would keep him hidden.
After all, who would imagine someone could wear two layers of invisibility?
Mo Hua grinned smugly.
Even a Foundation Establishment elder praised his concealment, his effort had paid off.
As they chatted, twilight settled. Elder Yu suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Ah! I forgot—I still have something to do."
"Something important?" Mo Hua asked.
"Nothing major," Elder Yu smiled. "It's getting late. Let's head back."
"Alright."
They returned toward the city. At South Street's crossroads, Elder Yu gave Mo Hua a few reminders before heading off to the Artifact Refinery.
Mo Hua, walking home alone, felt cheerful.
Now that he had mastered concealment, whether ambushing, escaping, or sneaking—it gave him endless possibilities.
After all, no one could see him.
He couldn't help but chuckle, humming a tune as he walked—until suddenly, a thought froze him in his tracks.
No one could see him…
Elder Yu's earlier words echoed in his mind...
"With this formation concealing you, truly nothing can be seen…"
Concealed… unseen…
An image flashed across Mo Hua's mind... the cliff.
And the bottomless abyss beneath it.
"Could it be… hidden by a Concealment Formation?"
Mo Hua's pupils shrank, his voice barely a whisper.
(End of Chapter)