Chapter 734: 570 Chapter “Windfall”_3 Although the Five Elements Source Pattern encompassed various Five Elements Formations, it was normal for these lower-tier formations to be included as well. However, Mo Hua still felt that some of the formations were just filler added by the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect, meant to “contaminate” the Source Pattern… Mo Hua sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. His only option was to continue practicing formations while hoping that one day he would have a stroke of great luck and be able to draw… No, it was to “decipher” a Fourteen Pattern Second Grade Five Elements Formation! ... Until then, he could only hone his skills with these Ten Pattern and Eleven Pattern formations… Mo Hua collected his thoughts, then spent the entire night practicing formations on the Taoist Stele. When he awoke in the morning, he still felt unfulfilled. Unfortunately, the few bottles of Second Grade Spiritual Ink given to him by Master Luo and Master Qian were used up, preventing him from actually drawing formations anymore. Seven bottles of Spiritual Ink were not enough; it was nowhere near sufficient for Mo Hua’s use, and even with the utmost frugality, they wouldn’t last long. “Learn to put into practice…” Mo Hua firmly remembered Mr. Zhuang’s teaching. Having the Taoist Stele, “learning” was not a problem. With his Divine Sense submerged in the Sea of Consciousness, practicing on the Taoist Stele did not require pen or ink, nor paper, and his Divine Sense could even backtrack, allowing for training that was ten to dozens of times more than others. Upon reflecting on this, Mo Hua felt somewhat fortunate. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖 “Thank goodness I have the Taoist Stele…” Not only could he practice formations, but he could also temper his Divine Sense. As long as he relentlessly persisted in practicing, he would learn more and more formations, his Divine Sense would grow stronger, and then he could go on to learn even more formations… This cycle would continue, like a “snowball” effect, constantly enlarging his Divine Sense as well as his expertise in formations. However, he was now able to “learn,” but unable to “use.” It wasn’t just the Spiritual Ink; the pens and paper were also a big issue. Mo Hua had bartered for a few Second Grade “Formation Papers” from Old Master An, but they were barely a stopgap and quickly ran out. Such Second Grade Formation Papers were expensive. They were difficult to acquire, yet all too easy to use up… Even so, Formation Paper was the cheapest of the formation media. Other formation media, such as Spiritual Artifacts, Array Plates, and Formation Flags, were even more expensive, far beyond what Mo Hua could afford. Besides Formation Paper, there was also the Formation Pen. Mo Hua hadn’t expected Formation Pens to be more expensive than Formation Paper, and furthermore, Second Grade Formation Pens wore out more easily than First Grade ones. The Spiritual Ink of the Second Grade contained a stronger concentration of Spiritual Power and Blood Qi from Monster Beasts. A Formation Pen soaked in Spiritual Ink would wear down faster. Inferior Formation Pens, often used until they went “bald,”… Whereas those long-lasting, top-quality Formation Pens were made of lavish materials and had a prohibitive cost—selling himself wouldn’t cover their price. “Is there any way to draw formations without using paper or pens?” Mo Hua stroked his chin, pondering briefly. He had some vague ideas but needed more time to research them. But even if he didn’t use paper or pens, ink was essential… “Second Grade Spiritual Ink is made with Second Grade Monster Blood…” Mo Hua thought of the Big Tiger. Drawing blood from the Big Tiger… definitely not an option; he had a pretty good relationship with the Big Tiger and couldn’t entertain such thoughts. Then, perhaps… Find a way to work with the Big Tiger to hunt other Second Grade Monster Beasts in the Big Black Mountain? It would eat the meat, while I drew the blood? Mo Hua nodded silently, feeling that this plan was feasible. Then Mo Hua was suddenly struck by a realization. The Big Tiger… Only then did he remember that the Big Tiger had also given him some “gifts,” those unclaimed Storage Bags. After returning home, Mo Hua had so many people to greet that he had temporarily forgotten about them. “I wonder what exactly is inside these storage bags…” Mo Hua, feeling curious, pulled out the storage bags from under the bed and opened them one by one. Some of these bags were still stained with blood, some were gorgeously exquisite, and others were grey, dirty, and somewhat eerie. After laying out all the storage bags and carefully going through them, Mo Hua finally understood. Some of the bags had belonged to serious cultivators, and others to demon cultivators. In addition to the standard spirit stones, spiritual artifacts, and pills, there were also some demon path skills for blood-sucking, spirit-draining, and replenishing from others, as well as spells for soul capturing and corpse refinement… These demon path skills and spells were deeply harmful and definitely couldn’t be kept. Mo Hua planned to burn them together later to prevent them from harming others. There were also some righteous dao cultivation techniques and spells… As for cultivation techniques, Mo Hua had already learned the Heaven Yan Jue, which he didn’t need… Most of the spells were for body refinement within Tao cultivation martial arts, and a few were second-grade spells, but they all seemed to be common techniques. However, Mo Hua wasn’t picky and thought he might study them when he had some free time… There were plenty of spirit stones, totaling up to tens of thousands! If not for the limited capacity and inconvenient transport of these storage bags, there might have been even more. There was also a rich variety of pills, those that revitalized the spirit, replenished blood, resisted poison, dispelled miasma, and even second-grade Small Rejuvenation Pills that could save one’s life… Mo Hua frowned. All these added up to a hefty “windfall”! Mo Hua was both shocked and delighted, but also somewhat puzzled. Who were the owners of these storage bags, and how did they end up in Tongxian City? How did they die? And how did Big Tiger come to pick up these bags? Mo Hua searched through the storage bags to find some clues. After searching for a long time, he found a few scrolls with phrases like “personally initiated by the family head” and “seen and reported to the sect master” written on them. After reading them, he finally realized. “These cultivators came to Tongxian City for their master…” Some were from the Taoist State clans or their affiliated smaller families, sent by their family heads or sects to Tongxian City to investigate their master’s whereabouts… Some were people from the Demon Sect. But they were probably not from any great sects, just smaller forces. Once they arrived at Tongxian City, they fought each other at Big Black Mountain. Then, in the fierce battle, either they perished outright or, grievously wounded, they fell victim to Big Tiger’s opportunism. A few of the storage bags were torn, bearing the traces of tiger teeth. Presumably, Big Tiger had torn open the bags and consumed whatever spiritual objects were inside. After assimilating them, it broke through a realm and became a second-grade monster beast. The rest of the storage bags, in recognition of some indebtedness, were left for itself. After thinking it through, Mo Hua felt that this was probably the truth of the matter. Even if there were some deviations, they likely weren’t significant. “Since they harbored ill intentions towards the master, their deaths are of little consequence…” Mo Hua felt justified in taking the “windfall” for himself. Later, he sorted through the items in the storage bags, categorizing them, but then he inadvertently noticed a map. The map was extensive, encompassing the Nine State. In the Cultivation World’s Nine State, “Taoist State” is the core, situated in the center, also the location of the Central Tao Court. Beyond the Taoist State, the other eight states are named after the “Qian,” “Kun,” “Kan,” “Li,” “Gen,” “Zhen,” “Xun,” “Dui” Bagua positions, arranged according to the Bagua to suppress the earth and heavens and to protect the central Taoist State. “A map of the Nine State?” Mo Hua was taken aback and examined it closely. Although the map captured all of the Nine State, the other states were only marked with main mountain ranges, and the specific state boundaries were vague. Only “Qian State” had clearly defined borders and detailed mountains and rivers. Within Qian State, one boundary was circled in red ink, with a small note saying: Qian State, Dragon Path Mountains, Fifth-class Qianxue State Boundary. A coveted destination for the cultivators of Nine State seeking knowledge. Many sects flourished here, gathering the proud sons of heaven. A pinnacle of inheritance for formations, pill, artifact, rune, skills, martial arts, and spells. It is the foremost state boundary within the Cultivation World, unparalleled and the premier place for pursuing the way and seeking knowledge!