Chapter 731 -569 Second Grade_3 Once a stranger, twice familiar. This was Mo Hua’s first attempt at drawing, and it was quite clumsy with many mistakes. Because the Second-Grade Formation differed significantly in its Formation Patterns from the First-Grade, it took quite an effort to master. But after completing the first drawing, with his strength in Divine Sense and aptitude for Formation Methods, his speed increased considerably on subsequent attempts. Subsequent drawings of the Bright Fire Formation came naturally to Mo Hua, as he drew with ease and proficiency. There is a cognitive barrier to Second-Grade Formation Methods. ... Mo Hua’s own understanding of Second-Grade Formations was also lacking. Otherwise, drawing the “Ten Patterns of the Second Grade” Bright Fire Formation would actually be simpler than drawing the “Ten Patterns of the First Grade” Reversed Spirit Ultimate Formation. Mo Hua continued to draw, over and over, until the Bright Fire Formation was ingrained in his heart, only then did he emerge from his Sea of Consciousness. By this time, dawn had broken, and the sky was filled with the glow of sunrise, painting Mo Hua’s cheeks a rosy hue. Mo Hua was in high spirits, his face beaming with a smile. Having successfully drawn the Second-Order Bright Fire Formation, he crossed over a minor threshold. Next, he needed to actually draw the Bright Fire Formation into existence. Creating it upon the Taoist Stele, using hands as the pen, Divine Sense as the ink, and the Stele as the media, did not truly count as “drawing” it. Nor could it be considered truly “mastering” it. Mo Hua got out of bed, laid out the paper on the table, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and prepared to try drawing the Second-Grade Bright Fire Formation. But as soon as he moved the pen, Mo Hua paused, dumbstruck. He suddenly realized a serious problem: The Bright Fire Formation was a Second-Grade Formation… But he had no Second-Grade Spiritual Ink! It was not only Spiritual Ink; he lacked a Second-Grade Formation Pen, Formation Paper, or other formation media as well! Without the necessary materials, how could one cook a meal? With neither pen, ink, nor paper, how could he draw a Formation Method… Mo Hua sighed. He had miscalculated… He had not worried about ink, paper, and other such matters for a long time, so it didn’t occur to him until now. “But… where can one find Second-Grade Spiritual Ink?” “Stores?” Mo Hua specifically visited various stores in Tongxian City and strolled through the market town, but to no avail. There were no Second Rank Formation Masters in Tongxian City, so naturally, nobody would draw Second-Grade Formations, hence no Second-Grade Spiritual Ink! Even if some clans or stores had some in stock, it had been stored for too long and the Spiritual Ink had lost its efficacy, rendering it useless for drawing Formations. Helpless, Mo Hua thought for a moment and then decided to seek out Master Luo. Master Luo had been a First Rank Formation Master for a long time, with significant experience and numerous connections. Having studied Formation Methods for many years and aspired to become a Second Rank Formation Master, he would surely have some Second-Grade Spiritual Ink prepared. When Mo Hua arrived at the Luo Mansion, he learned that Master Luo was not there. He had gone to have tea with Master Qian… Mo Hua had no choice but to head to the Qian Mansion instead. The once-great Qian Family had long since fallen into decline, and the family members had gone their separate ways. The vast Qian Mansion had been divided into multiple independent courtyards. The courtyard where Master Qian now lived was located in the southwest corner of Qian Mansion, covering the largest area and offering the most spacious surroundings; however, the signboard at the door had changed to “Qian Family’s School.” This served not only as Master Qian’s residence but also as an academy he had established to teach Formation Methods. Master Qian still remembered his agreement with Mo Hua, committed to studying Formation Methods deeply, and started teaching Formation Patterns to the Loose Cultivator children of Tongxian City. Whenever Master Luo had spare time, he would come here for a visit. Sharing tea and discussing Formation Methods with Master Qian, he would occasionally offer guidance to other disciples as well. When Mo Hua entered, both Master Luo and Master Qian were enjoying tea in the tranquil and pleasant courtyard. Surprised and delighted to see him, they both stood to greet him warmly: “Gentleman Mo, what a rare guest…” Even though Mo Hua’s mastery of Formation Methods had already surpassed theirs, and now that he had achieved Foundation Establishment, his status was even higher. They did not dare neglect him. Mo Hua greeted them with a smile as well. “Master Luo, Master Qian, it’s been a long time.” Master Luo looked Mo Hua over and saw that despite having achieved Foundation Establishment, with his profound gaze and stronger Divine Sense, and his deeper understanding of Formation Methods, he was still kind and genuine, seemingly unchanged from before, which inspired admiration. Master Luo said with embarrassment, “Gentleman, I dare not accept the title of ‘master’ in your presence.” Mo Hua didn’t seem to mind it much. After they were seated, Master Qian poured tea for Mo Hua and asked, “Youthful Gentleman, do you have any important matters for coming here?” Mo Hua nodded and said, “Masters, do you have any Second-Grade Spiritual Ink?” “Second-Grade Spiritual Ink!” Master Luo and his companion exchanged glances, both somewhat surprised, “Youthful Gentleman, you can do Second-Grade Formations now?” Though Mo Hua felt he was very familiar with the Second-Order Bright Fire Formation, he had never actually drawn it, so he did not want to boast and modestly said: “A little, I want to try my hand at drawing.” When Mo Hua said he knew a little, naturally Master Luo did not think it was just a “little.” A bitter smile crossed Master Luo’s face, and he didn’t quite know what to say for a moment. He was now over a hundred years old and still only a First-Grade Formation Master, but Mo Hua, so young, was already going to learn Second-Grade Formation Methods… Although Mo Hua becoming a second-grade formation artist was good news for him, he still couldn’t help but feel a sourness in his heart. “Spiritual Ink, eh…” Master Luo pondered for a moment and nodded, “I do have some Second-Grade Spiritual Ink, but not much, only two bottles…” Master Qian also said, “I also have some, from the Qian Family’s old reserves, but only five bottles. If the Youthful Gentleman does not mind, please feel free to take them for your use.” Mo Hua was overjoyed, “Thank you, Master Luo, thank you, Master Qian!” “The Youthful Gentleman is too polite…” Master Luo and Master Qian took out the Spiritual Ink and handed it to Mo Hua. This Spiritual Ink, also comprised of the Five Elements, was contained in jade bottles, with a stirring aura, containing astonishing Five Elements Spiritual Power. Mo Hua couldn’t help but say, “This Spiritual Ink, it’s quite expensive, isn’t it…” Master Qian nodded, “Ordinary First-Grade Spiritual Ink, around ten Spirit Stones per bottle, depending on its quality or scarcity, there may be some variation, the cheaper ones, about two or three Spirit Stones per bottle, and the more expensive ones, dozens of Spirit Stones per bottle…” “Second-Grade Spiritual Ink typically, even for the cheaper ones, would be about a hundred Spirit Stones per bottle.” “And for the more expensive ones, several hundred to a thousand…” Mo Hua was startled, “That expensive?!” A hundred Spirit Stones per bottle… In his hands, these small five bottles were worth at least five hundred Spirit Stones… Master Qian sighed, “Yes, that’s why learning formations is not easy, and the higher you go, the more so…” “With this small bottle of Spiritual Ink, a hundred Spirit Stones, even if you successfully draw a formation with absolute certainty and no mishaps, you can only draw two sets of Second-Grade Initial Stage formations…” “And to truly master a formation, at the least it takes dozens of attempts, and at most hundreds of attempts…” “To learn a single Second-Grade Formation, just the consumption of pen and ink Spirit Stones is not a small amount…” “For the Great Clans and Great Sects, it doesn’t matter, this amount of Spirit Stones is a drop in the bucket, what they eat for three meals a day is more than this…” “For the mid-level Family Sects and Clans, it’s not a big deal either.” “But for small families and minor sects, it will be much harder to support a Second-Rank Formation Master…” “As for the Loose Cultivators…” Master Qian gave a bitter smile. Loose Cultivators could hardly support themselves, let alone afford a Formation Master of the Second Grade or higher. Mo Hua’s mouth fell open, and he looked again at the few bottles of Spiritual Ink in his hands, frowning and asking: “Isn’t this Spiritual Ink just mixed with Monster Blood? Why is it so expensive?” Master Luo was silent for a moment and then said slowly: “It’s difficult to hunt Second-Grade Monster Beasts, and Blood Drawing is also hard.” “Of course, that’s not the main reason…” Master Luo’s voice dropped a few notches. “Even though Second-Grade Monster Beasts are hard to kill, for making Spiritual Ink, only the blood is used, not the scarce items like the inner core, heart, or Monster Marrow…” “In theory, it should not be so costly.” “But, the formulas for making Spiritual Ink, the techniques, along with some rare Spirit Grass, are all in the hands of the Great Clans and Great Sects.” Master Luo pointed upwards, “Since they have the monopoly, they naturally get to dictate the terms.” “Whether it’s ten Spirit Stones, a hundred, or a thousand, or ten thousand… it’s not something we can decide.” “Those who actually hunt monsters, draw the blood, and mix the ink, they actually don’t earn Spirit Stones at all; most of the profits are skimmed off by the noble clans and families…” “With their actions, one reason is to make a profit, and another is…” Master Luo paused for a moment but then decided to clarify a bit more, considering Mo Hua’s background as a Loose Cultivator. “…to prevent too many Formation Masters from rising from the lower ranks, thereby shaking their… foundations.”