Chapter 730 -569 Second Grade_2 “Instructor, where did you just… go?” Mo Hua asked in a hushed voice. The normally stern and rigid Instructor Yan showed a moment of guilt in his expression. Looking into Mo Hua’s bright, curious eyes, Instructor Yan coughed and averted his gaze, mumbling ambiguously, “Nothing… just needed to clear my mind.” “Oh…” Mo Hua looked puzzled, but he did not press further. ... … After returning, Mo Hua began to study the method of drawing Second-Grade Formations by consulting three Formation Books. Second-Grade Formations are composed of more than ten Second-Grade Formation Patterns. Second-Grade Formation Patterns are somewhat similar to First-Grade Formation Patterns but are different. By perusing the Second-Order Formation Pattern Catalog, Mo Hua found that Second-Grade Formation Patterns are more like the fusion of two First-Grade Formation Patterns into one, through a peculiar form, similar to Daoist Skill. The Second-Grade Formation Patterns are more complex, more profound, with more lines and strokes, encompassing more variability and stricter requirements on directionality than the First-Grade Formation Patterns. Drawing Second-Grade Formation Patterns also consumes twice the Divine Sense as ordinary First-Grade Formation Patterns. “So that’s how it is…” Mo Hua murmured to himself. After Foundation Establishment, the Divine Sense doubles. In Formation arts, going from nine patterns of the First Grade to ten patterns of the Second Grade, the required amount of Divine Sense also doubles, as does the power and effect of the Formation. Under the standard Formation Method Classification, a ten-pattern Formation is by default considered a Second-Grade Formation. A First-Grade Formation Pattern cannot form a Formation with more than ten patterns due to its simpler structure. Only Second-Grade Formation Patterns, with more sophisticated Divine Sense requirements, stronger structures, and more complicated pathways, can serve as the foundation for a Formation containing more than ten patterns. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 Ultimate Formations are an exception… They contain Dao Laws and transcend category limitations, differing from ordinary Formations… Mo Hua furrowed his brow. By this logic, a First-Grade Ultimate Formation and a Second-Grade Formation might have the same number of patterns, but the grades of the patterns are vastly different. For example, a First-Grade Ultimate Formation with ten patterns like the Reversed Spirit Ultimate Formation and a Second-Grade Formation with ten patterns are both ten-pattern Formations, but one is composed of First-Grade Formation Patterns while the other is built with Second-Grade Formation Patterns. Clearly, Second-Grade Formation Patterns require twice the Divine Sense as the First-Grade Formation Patterns. However, for these two ten-pattern Formations, the required Divine Sense seems not to differ much. After pondering for a while with no conclusion, Mo Hua decided to set the issue aside for now. He thought that once he truly learned the Second-Grade Formations, he would carefully compare the differences at the level of Divine Sense between the First-Grade Ultimate Formations and the Second-Grade Formations. Next came the actual learning of the Second-Grade Formations. To learn Formations, one must first learn the patterns. Mo Hua first went through the Second-Order Formation Pattern Catalog several times, memorizing several basic Second-Grade Five Elements Formation Patterns in his heart and making simple sketches of them on paper. Then he began to attempt to draw the first Second-Grade Formation based on the Illustration of Second-Order Formation: The Second-Order Bright Fire Formation. The Bright Fire Formation, a Fire-series Formation, is used for heating and lighting and is essentially one of the most basic of all ranked Formation Formation. The first formal Formation that Mo Hua ever drew was also a Bright Fire Formation. But that Bright Fire Formation, with its three Formation Patterns, did not qualify for ranking. Now, the Bright Fire Formation was a Second-Grade Formation with no fewer than ten Formation Patterns. Of course, for Mo Hua, now with a Divine Sense quality change at fourteen patterns, ten Formation Patterns were not particularly difficult. The challenge lay in his still rudimentary understanding and mastery of the Second-Grade Formation system. Mo Hua focused and memorized the Formation Diagram of the Second-Order Bright Fire Formation. At ten minutes past 1 p.m., he practiced the Second-Order Bright Fire Formation on the Taoist Stele in his Sea of Consciousness. Alone, with a stele, with a Formation. As it had been when he first learned to draw Formations. Mo Hua felt a momentary trance. It was as if he had learned many, many Formations, yet it seemed as though he had not learned many at all. The more he learned, the more he realized how little he knew. Now that his Formation skills were nearing the Second Grade, everything was starting anew. He had to learn entirely new Formation Patterns, understand deeper Formation principles, and delve into the more ancient aspects of the Great Dao… Mo Hua took a deep breath, calming his emotions, maintaining a humble and tranquil state of mind, and with his original aspiration intact, he started drawing his very first Second-Grade Formation on the Taoist Stele: The Bright Fire Formation. Second-Grade Formation Patterns are more intricate, require more precision in drawing, and consume more Divine Sense. The structure of the Formation also involves many more variations. Starting off unfamiliar, Mo Hua made errors multiple times. Either a stroke of the pattern was off, the Formation Pivot conflicted, or the layout was not controlled well… Mo Hua had no choice but to erase the Formation Patterns, retract his Divine Sense, and continue drawing. Again and again. Tedious and mechanical. But Mo Hua was long accustomed to it. His drawing became increasingly skilled, his understanding of the Formation Pivots deepened, and his grasp of the composition of Second-Grade Formations progressively became clearer… If he did not know, he would learn; if he was not skilled, he would practice. Draw the ‘Formation’ a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself. Mo Hua continued drawing, over and over, until he had drawn the Second-Order Bright Fire Formation dozens of times, having stumbled into every possible pitfall, before feeling a sense of Sudden Enlightenment. Pattern and Pivot merged seamlessly. The details of his strokes became clear in his chest… His pen moved more confidently, with purpose and measure. Finally, after who knows how long, Mo Hua made the last stroke, and the Formation was complete. On the Taoist Stele, the Second-Order Bright Fire Formation’s Patterns glowed, shining brilliantly, flickering with bright light. This light was more refined, dazzling. Just as before, it lit up the first step of the path for Mo Hua, the Second Rank Formation Master… Mo Hua sighed in relief, a smile spreading across his face. Second-Grade Formation! He had finally drawn one! Mo Hua couldn’t help feeling a bit of pride as he admired the Second-Order Bright Fire Formation he had drawn on the Taoist Stele, before reluctantly erasing it, awaiting the retraction of his Divine Sense, and continuing to draw.