Immortality Through Array Formations

Chapter 374 - 372 Assessment Evaluation_1

After arranging accommodation, Mo Hua, accompanied by Mo Shan, strolled through the outer mountains of the Azure Cloud Sect.

In the beginning, she was amazed at how vast the Azure Cloud Sect was, with so many things within it, but after walking around a few times, she lost the sense of novelty. Each mountain and river, tower and pavilion seemed much the same, no longer offering much to explore.

So Mo Hua returned to her room to calmly review Formation Methods.

But the common first-grade Formations were too simple; there was little to review.

All Mo Hua could do was draw the Reversed Spirit Formation a few times and refresh her understanding of the Formation Pivot of the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation.

When mealtime arrived, she went to the Azure Cloud Sect for food.

The assessment of Formation Masters was managed by the Heaven Shu Pavilion of the Taoist Court and operated by the Azure Cloud Sect.

The Azure Cloud Sect attached great importance to it and dared not be the least bit negligent.

Otherwise, it would not only desecrate the Taoist Court and be easily held accountable by the Taoist Court, but it would also offend the Formation Masters who came for the assessment, and the sect’s reputation among Formation Masters would suffer.

Since all the participants in the grading assessment were ”almost first-grade” Formation Masters, the Azure Cloud Sect was even less likely to be remiss.

Therefore, the arrangement for both accommodation and food was meticulously organized; the lodging was spacious, and the food, quite abundant.

Mo Hua tasted many kinds of Spiritual Meat she’d never eaten before.

The texture of the Spiritual Meat was indeed more delicate, without the slightest smell of fishiness; moreover, with the mist of Spiritual Energy, after digestion and assimilation, the Spiritual Power in her Qi Sea also increased slightly.

However, the taste was only so-so, as rich in Spiritual Energy it was almost like ”eating Spirit Stones,” and far from as delicious as the dishes her mother cooked.

But Mo Hua was not picky about her food.

Moreover, she would eat more, considering the preciousness of these pieces of Spiritual Meat.

Mo Hua’s accommodation was comfortable, and she was well-fed; the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect were also respectful and polite, and she encountered no trouble.

After two days had passed like this, the day of the official grading assessment arrived.

The testing site was decided to be the Wenxian Palace on the main peak of the Azure Cloud Sect.

The hall was spacious and lofty, solemn and regal, with dozens of desks arranged inside.

The desks, made of rosewood, had broad surfaces with carvings of cloud beasts, with a heavy texture and a faint luster, evidently very valuable.

Around each desk were Formation Methods to isolate Divine Sense, sound, and sight.

If a Formation Master behaved inappropriately, it would trigger a pre-warning from the Formation, resulting in expulsion from the examination site and revocation of their status as a candidate.

Mo Hua showed her Jade Slip to the examiner, entered the Wenxian Palace, found her desk, and sat down quietly, feeling the solemn and serious atmosphere, which made her a bit nervous.

Looking around, she suddenly became less anxious.

Mr. Zhuang was right; the majority of those taking the exam with her were old Formation Masters with white hair, as well as some middle-aged cultivators with speckled locks.

Inwardly, Mo Hua thought:

”These uncles and grandpas have been studying and taking examinations all their lives and still manage to fail. I’m still young, so it wouldn’t be a big deal even if I don’t pass this time...”

With this thought, Mo Hua completely let go of her concerns.

Then she noticed that everyone seemed to be stealing glances at her.

It started with the examiner at the door.

He had graying hair, a stern expression, and a rigid face.

He was dressed in a white Taoist Robe, with a pattern of Seven Stars embroidered on the chest.

The Seven Stars were arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper, with the other six stars dim; only the leading star of the Big Dipper, the Heaven Shu Star, shone brightly, emitting a luminous glow.

This signified that he was a cultivator of the Seven Stars Pavilion of the Taoist Court in the central region.

He was also the chief examiner for the grading of Formation Methods.

When Mo Hua handed him the Jade Slip, she could clearly see the astonished expression on his face.

He looked at the Jade Slip and then at Mo Hua for quite a long time before slowly nodding and letting her enter the examination site.

Mo Hua entered the Wenxian Palace.

Afterward, she found that everyone was watching her, whether openly or covertly.

They watched her enter, watched her walk down the aisle, watched her approach the desk, and watched her sit down boldly and confidently.

A momentary intake of breath could be heard.

Seemingly realizing that this small child who was just over ten years old was seriously there for the grading, the expressions of all the Formation Masters were caught in a momentary daze.

This was an assessment for first-grade Formation Masters.

First-grade Formation Masters!

The crowd exchanged looks, at a loss for words for a moment.

Even though Mo Hua had witnessed the dissolution of Great Formations, in the midst of everyone’s shock, envy, or doubtful gazes, she still felt a tad uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Fortunately, after half an hour, everyone had arrived, and the examination was about to begin, so no one was sneaking glances at Mo Hua anymore.

Mo Hua also breathed a sigh of relief.

A moment later, the chimes of the Azure Cloud Sect rang out.

Everyone was silent.

The examiner looked around and said solemnly:

”The Heaven Shu Pavilion of the Taoist Court, Second Grade Black Mountain State Boundary, Wenxian Palace of the Azure Cloud Sect, first-grade Formation Master Grading Examination, now officially begins!”

After speaking, he raised an iron box with gold and jade inlay and said solemnly:

”Now, in front of all of you, I will unlock the seal on the examination questions.”

The examiner manipulated several small Array Plates, which caused the gold and jade embedded on the iron box to flash, and once the Formation was unlocked, the inlaid gold and jade all fell off.

This was a one-time Formation that, once activated, couldn’t be restored by the gold and jade falling off, to prevent anyone from opening it beforehand and stealing the questions.

The examiner opened the iron box for all to see.

Inside the iron box were dozens of Jade Slips, which contained the examination questions for the grading test.

The examiner ordered the Jade Slips to be distributed, along with the designated Formation Pens, Formation Paper, Spiritual Ink, and inkstones from the Taoist Court.

This meticulous and complex process was to eliminate the possibility of cheating by Formation Masters.

Afterwards, the grading examination officially began.

Mo Hua checked the Jade Slip.

The questions on the Jade Slip were divided into two parts: the first part was on formation theory, testing knowledge of Formation Method types, origins of Formations, history of the Formation Path, interactions of Formation Patterns, and so forth.

These were not Mo Hua’s strongest points, but that was only compared to someone like Bai Zixi, who came from a Noble Clan with deep learning. Having learned Formation Methods with Mr. Zhuang by observation and practice, she was actually quite familiar with these basic theories of first-grade Formations.

The second part dealt with Formation Methods, focusing on the practical drawing of Formations.

Mo Hua glanced at the exam’s Formations and once again relaxed completely.

Melting Fire Formation of the first grade, Golden Light Formation of the first grade, Water Prison Formation of the first grade...

All were Five-elements Formation Methods, and all were ones that Mo Hua had drawn countless times.

The Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation encompassed most of the Five-elements major trapping and Architectural Formations.

Having primarily constructed the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation, even creating the Formation Pivot of the Great Formation, needless to say, these simple Single Formations were no challenge for her.

But Mo Hua remembered his father’s teachings, that even when hunting a rabbit, a lion should use all its strength.

The simpler it was, the more one could not be careless.

Mo Hua first finished answering the questions on theory of formations, and then began seriously drawing the formation method.

However serious he was, it was only an ordinary First Grade Nine Pattern Formation, which really wasn’t difficult at all.

Initially, Mo Hua took great care, diligently drawing line by line.

As he continued to draw, habit took over, his brushstrokes swift and powerful. With a few quick strokes, he had finished all the formation method drawings in no time.

Then Mo Hua was stunned:

”It seems like I have finished the exam...”

He looked up and glanced around. Although formations obstructed the view, making it unclear,

he could still vaguely see that most formation masters had just finished answering the theoretical questions and were now, with solemn expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy, starting to seriously draw the formation methods.

But Mo Hua had already finished drawing, he had nothing left to draw...

He checked everything once and found nothing to check.

It was just a First-grade formation method, visible at a glance, what was there to check?

Mo Hua thought about drawing some other formation methods for fun to pass the time, but he had no extra formation paper left.

All of a sudden, he realized he had nothing to do...

Should he turn in his test early?

Mo Hua thought about it and then shook his head.

That would be too ostentatious, and it would also show a lack of respect for the ”Formation Master Grading assessment.”

The mariest beam rots first.

For him to come and grade at this age was already high-profile enough, it was better to keep a low profile at this time.

”I’ll wait until everyone submits their tests, then I will follow along and submit mine...”

Mo Hua made up his mind.

Afterwards, he sat there for a while longer but still felt extremely bored.

The examination for formation masters gave a whole day’s time, he used to think that this was a good, ample amount of time, but now he felt it was a bit too ample...

He couldn’t possibly just sit here doing nothing all day, could he?

Bored out of his mind and lacking both ink and paper, Mo Hua could only lay his head on the table and trace formation patterns on the smooth surface to pass the time.

But it was really too boring...

Mo Hua’s small face rested on the table, and as he drew, his eyelids started to fight each other, and soon, he fell asleep...

His snores were light and soft.

But they were quickly discovered by the examiner.

The examiner’s face was stony as he silently repeated the name on the jade slip:

”Tongxian City, Mo Hua!”

The moment Mo Hua walked in the door, he had caught his attention.

What kind of child in his early teens comes to participate in the Formation Master grading?

What kind of backdoor had been taken, and what sort of connections had been made?

He originally thought the child was recommended by some noble clan or sect.

That he would order the local Taoist Court to revoke their recommendation privileges for fifty years.

But he never imagined that the child was actually recommended by the Taoist Court itself!

To bribe the Taoist Court, it must have cost a fortune, sparing no expense?

During the grading assessments, backdoor dealings are unavoidable, and in most cases, the Taoist Court turns a blind eye to it.

But don’t take it too far!

Letting a child take the grading, do they think everyone else is blind?

The grading of a First Grade Formation Master is an extremely serious matter; now it’s being treated like child’s play by these people, it’s utterly preposterous!

The examiner was furious inside.

He didn’t call them out on the spot to avoid affecting the examinations of other formation masters.

Moreover, he gave them the benefit of the doubt, thinking that perhaps this child really did have some innate talent for formations, genuinely qualified for the grading, so he intentionally or unintentionally watched over Mo Hua as he completed the test.

The examiner’s platform at Wenxian Palace was elevated, providing a view from above that overlooked everything.

That naturally included Mo Hua’s actions.

The child started off answering the theoretical questions with earnest.

But not long after, whether finished or not knowing what to write, he tossed the theory questions aside and started drawing the formation methods.

Initially, his drawing of the formation was also serious, each stroke meticulous.

But as he continued, his true colors emerged.

He only glanced at the formation diagram before tossing it aside, his hand moving like a dragon or snake, drawing as he pleased, as if he was casually doodling.

The formation papers were quickly exhausted...

Having wasted all the formation paper, he then laid on the desk, bored, his small hands tracing something unknowingly.

As he traced and traced, he actually...

Actually!

He fell asleep!

The examiner’s eyelids twitched in anger.

It was completely outrageous!

To show such contempt for the Taoist Court, formations, the examination hall, even neglecting him as the examiner!

The examiner looked again at Mo Hua, about to grow enraged, but seeing his peaceful sleep and his innocent demeanor, his heart softened, and he couldn’t help but sigh:

”What does a child know?”

Afterward, his gaze grew cold.

This matter was definitely orchestrated by the clan or sect behind this little cultivator, bribing the Taoist Court, letting this junior formation master who hadn’t studied formations for long come and participate in the First Grade Formation Master’s grading assessment.

This child might have come here in a daze, not knowing how to answer the questions or how to draw the formations, not knowing what else to do, so he just laid down and fell asleep.

The examiner heaved a sigh, thinking to himself:

”Let him sleep for now, we’ll look into this matter later...”

Therefore, in the First Grade Formation Master’s grading assessment, after Mo Hua had finished his test, he lay on the table, sleeping soundly from start to finish...