Immortality Through Array Formations

Now that they were discussing Artifact Refining and he heard mention of Rune making, Mo Hua suddenly remembered and decided to ask.

Master Chen tugged at his beard, furrowing his brow in thought, “I am neither a Formation Master nor a Talisman Master, so I can’t say for certain, but since you asked, I’ll tell you what I know.”

After finishing, Master Chen added, “But these are certainly words from an outsider’s view, just listen to get an idea, and don’t necessarily take them as truth.”

“Mhm, mhm,” Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.

“To my knowledge, Rune making is both a branch of Formation and a branch of Artifact Refining.”

“A hybrid of Formation and Artifact Refining?” Mo Hua exclaimed in surprise.

Master Chen gave him a look, somewhat amused, “Don’t put it so crudely. The various categories of Tao Cultivation are independent of each other yet interconnected.”

Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, “Like how Pill Masters’ Alchemy Furnaces rely on Artifact Refiners for their creation, Artifact Refiners’ crafted furnaces rely on Formation Masters for Drawing Formation, and Formation Masters sometimes use Spiritual Liquids concocted by Pill Masters for their Spiritual Ink?”

“Well spoken,” Master Chen nodded in approval, then continued to discuss the subject of Runes:

“With the development of the Cultivation World over the years, the categories of Tao Cultivation have also evolved and changed, and Runes are naturally no exception…”

“The earliest Runes were actually not much different from Formations or, to say, they were simplified Formations. Drawn on paper, activated with Spiritual Power, they had some of the effects of a Formation.”

“But such Runes had many problems: paper was hard to preserve, Spiritual Power was difficult to store, and their power fluctuated with the amount of the Cultivator’s Spiritual Power. If activated with a Spirit Stone, they were also very inconvenient to use.”

“Most importantly, there’s no prestige. Talisman Makers were often said to be low-end Formation Masters, inherently a step below others, which was something no one could stand.”

“Over the years, Runes too have been improved upon by many powerful Cultivators and have metamorphosed. Today’s Runes have developed into a category of Tao Cultivation completely distinct from both Formation and Artifact Refining.”

“What changes have been made?” Mo Hua was quite curious.

Master Chen said, “A lot has changed, at least in terms of appearance. Nowadays, Jade Talismans have replaced paper talismans, and what’s stored is no longer just Spiritual Power and Formation, but specialized Spells, which makes them easier to preserve and to use.”

“Specialized Spells?”

“Right, Runes are like one-time use Spells, simple and convenient. As long as you reach a certain level, you can use them, regardless of your Spiritual Root’s attributes.”

“Isn’t that very powerful?” Mo Hua was somewhat tempted.

“Powerful it certainly is, but it’s also truly expensive,” Master Chen said with a click of his tongue.

“The cost must be high.”

Master Chen nodded, “Making Runes requires jade stones to make Jade Talismans, and jade itself isn’t cheap. The higher the grade of the Rune, the more expensive the materials required. In addition, the crafting of Jade Talismans uses some Artifact Refining techniques, and they include simple Formation structures inside. The Cultivators who make the Runes also have to learn special techniques to seal Spells into the Jade Talismans.”

Listening, Mo Hua shook his head, “Expensive and troublesome.”

“Exactly,” Master Chen agreed.

“No wonder I’ve never seen one; it’s because they’re expensive, and no one can afford them.”

Even if one were to come across a Rune or two by chance, it made more sense to sell them instead of using them, trading them for Spirit Stones was more practical.

Mo Hua asked again, “Are there any other differences?”

“There definitely are, but that’s all I know,” said Master Chen. “These are all superficial matters; I learned of them in a casual chat with a Talisman Master for whom I was crafting a Spiritual Artifact. As for the deeper intricacies, I’m clueless.”

Master Chen offered an apologetic tone, “After all, I am not a Talisman Master, and I have no understanding of Talisman making.”

Mo Hua replied, “No worries, I don’t understand it either!”

Master Chen smiled, “Well then, when you learn about it in the future, come back and tell me about it.”

“That’s a promise!” Mo Hua replied with a smile.

After finishing their conversation, Mo Hua realized he had been talking with Master Chen for quite some time and it was getting late, so he stood up and took his leave. “Master Chen, I’ll be heading back now. The business with the Refinery Shop is settled then.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Master Chen didn’t press him to stay, but instead turned to Dazhu and said, “Dazhu, escort him out.”

“Alright!” Dazhu cheerfully agreed.

Dazhu then accompanied Mo Hua home, chatting along the way. Dazhu shared some recent interesting events with Mo Hua, who listened with great interest.

In the vast world, there are wonders beyond wonders, and with countless cultivators, all sorts of messy things are bound to happen.

Mo Hua, filled with stories, expanded his understanding of the path of Tao cultivation.

Once home, Mo Hua invited Dazhu to eat something. Dazhu laughed shyly but without ceremony accepted Mo Hua’s hospitality with open arms.

With the matter of the Artifact Refiner temporarily resolved, the next step was to see about Master Chen.

Having refined spiritual artifacts in Tongxian City for many years, Master Chen knew many cultivators and was acquainted with a good number of Artifact Refiners, and should be able to persuade quite a few to join the newly established Refinery Shop.

Mo Hua soon thought of another problem.

If the Refinery Shop was successfully established, then there would be the Alchemist’s Business to consider next. Alchemists were even rarer in Tongxian City and probably harder to recruit.

It’s always best to prepare early; otherwise, when the time comes, inadequate preparation could lead to all sorts of difficulties.

Reflecting on this, Mo Hua took some wine and meat and went to see Old Mr. Feng at Apricot Forest Hall.

“Grandpa Feng, I’ve come to see you!” Mo Hua greeted him with a beaming smile.

Old Mr. Feng glanced at Mo Hua and said with a half-smile, “Is there something you need?”

Mo Hua felt puzzled, “Is it that obvious?”

Old Mr. Feng chuckled, “I’ve watched you grow up since you were small.”

“Oh.”

Since Old Mr. Feng had asked, Mo Hua didn’t beat around the bush and directly shared the plans for both the Refinery Shop and the Alchemist’s Business.

As Old Mr. Feng listened, his expression grew more serious. “Is Elder Yu really thinking this way, and acting upon it?”

Mo Hua nodded his head.

After a moment of thought, Old Mr. Feng said, “Alright, I agree to help with this.”

Old Mr. Feng, a doctor with a big heart, would likely agree to anything that could truly benefit the Loose Cultivators at the bottom of Tongxian City.

That’s what Mo Hua had initially thought, but having Old Mr. Feng actually agree brought him great joy.

“Thank you, Grandpa Feng!”

“Although I have agreed, there is something for which you must be prepared,” Old Mr. Feng added.

“Be prepared?” Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled.

Pausing for a moment, Old Mr. Feng continued, “In this world, some things start with good intentions, but inevitable entanglements of interest and the unpredictability of human nature can lead to a chaotic and messy end.”

Mo Hua was taken aback for a moment, but after thinking it through, he felt there was much truth in the words.

“Grandpa Feng, I’ll remember that,” Mo Hua said earnestly.

After some thought, he added, “However, since it benefits everyone, the task at hand still needs to be done. Even if circumstances change, that’s a matter for the future. We can’t do nothing just because we are cautious.”

Old Mr. Feng looked at Mo Hua, somewhat surprised, then with a gaze full of approval, he nodded and said with a smile, “Exactly, even if things end in a chaotic mess, you must remain steadfast in doing what needs to be done.”