Chapter 1702: Chapter 871: Expectations (Part 3) "It’s just like ’Initial Understanding of Sword Dao’ says, meticulous and disciplined, practiced every day, from morning till night, whenever there’s time." "Is that how you ended up like this?" Mo Hua looked serious: "I only take responsibility for my efforts, the rest is up to fate. But clearly, fate has let me down..." These seven days of practice have been as if they were in vain. No matter how he practices, the Sword Qi doesn’t strengthen much. However, this seems normal too. His foundation is already weak, his Sword Dao talent is lacking, he started halfway, and has only practiced for seven days, it would be odd to see any achievements... Patriarch Dugu was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Forget it, take it slow." He knew that mastering swordsmanship and building a foundation in Sword Dao isn’t a matter of one day or night, and he was a bit too hasty. At Taixu Gate before, those qualified to be taught to transform Divine Thought into a sword were all true Sword Dao geniuses, one in a thousand or even ten thousand. These geniuses would learn swordsmanship extremely fast. Patriarch Dugu had always been teaching these Sword Dao geniuses, so inevitably he misjudged the progress of ordinary Sword Cultivators learning the sword. Needless to say, Mo Hua is even less than an ordinary Sword Cultivator. As far as Spiritual Root Talent goes, he could even be considered a "dunce" in Sword Dao. If Taixu Gate recruited disciples based on Sword Dao talent, with Mo Hua’s talent, he wouldn’t even be sweeping the streets in front of the Mountain Gate, learning just a few basic moves, let alone enjoying the privilege of personal teaching from the Ancestor in the Back Hill Forbidden Area. Mo Hua felt a bit troubled too. He learned and practiced, but swordsmanship, especially Sword Qi cultivation, is something that either you know or you don’t. He couldn’t do anything about it either. Patriarch Dugu silently glanced at Mo Hua, without making things difficult for him, but instead patiently gave a few more pointers, then said: "Go back and continue practicing, in seven days, I’ll bring you back." "Yes, Ancestor," Mo Hua replied respectfully, though after listening to Patriarch Dugu’s explanation, his expression still showed some confusion. Patriarch Dugu is in the Heaven Void Realm, with his mastery in Sword Dao refined to perfection, his skills reaching the pinnacle. In comparison, Mo Hua’s understanding of swordsmanship seemed rather "naive." Even if Patriarch Dugu considered his explanations to be "basic," it’s a Heaven Void Realm’s basic, which to Mo Hua, is still profound, and somewhat difficult to grasp. Nevertheless, Mo Hua wasn’t discouraged. No one is born knowing everything. Any difficult thing needs to be learned. You may not succeed in learning, but if you don’t learn, you definitely won’t succeed. So, Mo Hua picked up the "Initial Understanding of Sword Dao" and went to study it on his own. In the Back Hill Forbidden Area, only Patriarch Dugu remained alone. He couldn’t help but sigh. "Can this child truly inherit the art of transforming Divine Thought into a sword..." ... During the subsequent spare time, apart from learning Formation, Mo Hua immersed himself in studying insights on Sword Dao while simultaneously cultivating Sword Qi. His understanding of Sword Dao gradually deepened, but his control over Sword Qi still progressed slowly. This day, after a Formation class, Mo Hua was pondering about swordsmanship, not noticing when Elder Master Xun had appeared behind him. Elder Master Xun silently observed Mo Hua and suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?" Mo Hua was startled, looking up to see Elder Master Xun, finally letting out a breath of relief, shaking his head, "Nothing much, I was considering something about formations..." Elder Master Xun’s gaze subtly sharpened. He always felt that Mo Hua seemed a little different now. Some kind of presence on him, be it "energy" or "cause and effect," seemed to have quietly changed in some way. Of course, Elder Master Xun didn’t think too much about it. Especially seeing Mo Hua’s somewhat fatigued demeanor, as if he had been intently studying something, not resting well, he couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned. So Elder Master Xun advised softly: "Studying formations with diligence is good, but also remember to balance work with rest, don’t overexert yourself to the point of exhausting your Divine Sense and harming your Sea of Consciousness." Mo Hua felt touched, "Thank you, Master Xun." Elder Master Xun nodded and turned to leave; he had many matters to attend to, with tangled causes and effects. Yet, after taking a few steps, Elder Master Xun seemed to remember something, turned back to Mo Hua and asked: "By the way, your Divine Sense..." Before he finished speaking, as if sensing the profound Divine Thought Aura within Mo Hua, Elder Master Xun’s expression changed. Before Mo Hua could say anything, he said solemnly, "Come with me." Mo Hua followed Elder Xun, leaving the Tao Teaching Room, along the mountain path, into the Elder’s Residence. Once inside the Elder’s Residence, Elder Master Xun closed the door, sealed the Formation, activated the Compass, isolating a portion of cause and effect, then asked cautiously: "Your Divine Sense..." His voice unconsciously carried a trace of anticipation. Mo Hua didn’t hide it, nodding, "It’s grown stronger again, already at the Peak of Nineteen Patterns..." Though his tone was humble, his eyebrows showed a hint of pride. Upon hearing this, Elder Master Xun’s breath hitched, and his hand hidden within his sleeve trembled slightly. Nineteen Patterns... Peak! "You..." Elder Master Xun paused, trying to steady his emotions, "Release your Divine Sense fully, let me see." Mo Hua released his Divine Sense. With a restless heart, Elder Master Xun verified it, then breathed a long sigh of relief, moments later his emotions surged, repeatedly exclaiming: "Good, good, marvelous..." He looked at Mo Hua with fervor, his weary eyes emitting a glimmer, all fatigue washed away. Heaven has indeed granted Taixu Gate a treasure! May the ancestors watch over... A turning point has finally arrived. In this chaotic game of cause and effect, Taixu Gate finally possesses a piece capable of reversing the heavens! Elder Master Xun said, "From now on, stay within the Sect, go nowhere else, cease the bounties, and the courses arranged by the Sect, attend if you wish, or you can skip if you don’t want to." "You need to do one thing: learn formations." "I will personally teach you; within a year, you must master all the Formation categories I can teach you within the second-grade, from elementary to advanced in all Five Elements and Eight Trigrams." "This task is of utmost importance." "Within a year, you must integrate all these formations, mastering the second-grade formations to the fullest extent! Become the supreme second-grade Array Master, proficient in all fields with profound knowledge as vast as the sea!" Elder Master Xun’s tone was immeasurably solemn. Second-grade Array Master... Mo Hua was somewhat dazed, also a bit shocked. It was the first time he had heard Elder Master Xun express such expectations, and he had never seen such a serious expression on him before. As if this matter truly concerned the survival and safety of the Sect’s legacy... After deliberation, Mo Hua’s gaze turned solemn, nodding with determined seriousness. "Yes, Master Xun!"