Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 658 – Year-End Assessment

Before the end of every cultivation year in the sect, there was always a year-end assessment.

It evaluated each disciple's performance across various fields.

It was a way to test the disciples, get a general sense of their progress, and also influenced their reputation within the sect and how much attention they'd receive.

It also gave disciples something to report back to their families during the New Year visit home.

Whether the New Year would be spent laughing or crying depended on the year-end assessment.

The process was similar to regular assessments—just more formal, more complex, and far more significant.

Naturally, the penalties for cheating were also far more severe.

Three days after the assessment, Mo Hua received his "report card."

Mediocre: one Grade A, six Grade Cs.

The Grade A was, unsurprisingly, for array formations.

Because the highest grade possible was just "A".

With sixteen-pattern divine sense and an incredibly deep foundation in formations, answering questions even on Second-Grade and sub-Second-Grade formation papers was effortless for Mo Hua.

His formation diagrams—every stroke and symbol—were textbook perfect.

Elder Xun couldn't help but sigh with admiration.

He even considered creating a new grade above "A" just for Mo Hua, but restrained the impulse.

No need to make waves.

Sometimes, low-key is the way to go.

Outside of formations, however… every other subject was a clean sweep of Cs.

Which basically meant "just barely passing."

The six Cs included cultivation, artifact refining, pill refinement, talisman creation, Dao techniques, and the Hundred Cultivation Arts.

Mo Hua was diligent in cultivation, but his progress was below average.

His spiritual roots were poor, and he hadn't established any foundational "Dao Base" in body refinement or spiritual power. His shaky foundations made his actual cultivation performance quite weak.

The elder responsible for cultivation, a Core Formation expert and Inner Sect elder, perhaps taking Elder Xun's influence into account, privately said to Mo Hua:

"Look, it's not like I have a choice…"

"I can only give you a 'C'…"

"Your foundation, your cultivation speed, your blood vitality, spiritual strength, and potential…"

The elder paused, then tactfully said, "...all have tremendous room for improvement…"

Mo Hua wasn't sure whether to feel discouraged or touched.

The elder added:

"I won't set the bar too high for you. Just take it slow. Even if your foundation's a little lacking, you still have to push yourself. At the very least, your realm needs to keep up…"

"Otherwise, if you're still stuck in the Early Foundation Establishment stage three years from now… you'll have to repeat the year."

Mo Hua blinked. "Repeat?"

"Mhm," the elder said. "You'd repeat the year and join the next cohort of juniors. Do another three years."

"If, in those three years, you reach Mid Foundation Establishment, you move on. If not, you stay back again…"

"If you end up repeating too many times, the sect will eventually have no choice but to… advise you to leave."

Mo Hua jumped in shock. "You can get kicked out!?"

If he couldn't advance… would they expel him, too?

The elder seemed to read Mo Hua's mind and replied warmly:

"Relax…"

No one would dare expel you…

With Elder Xun behind you, who in the entire Great Void Sect would have the guts to offend him by kicking you out?

Even if you lingered for fifty years—or a hundred—the sect could still afford to keep you.

…Of course, none of this could be said aloud.

So the elder simply offered some comforting words:

"Foundation Establishment isn't that difficult. As long as you follow your elders' teachings diligently and cultivate seriously, you'll break through eventually. You won't be expelled."

Mo Hua was still doubtful.

Three years to go from Early to Mid Foundation Establishment?

Then three more to Late stage?

"Elder, isn't cultivation supposed to be difficult? Is three years really enough for just one sub-realm of Foundation Establishment?" Mo Hua asked.

The elder replied, "Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment aren't hard. If you have enough spirit stones and resources, even a pig could be stuffed to Foundation Establishment…"

"The hard part about Qi Refining is laying a solid foundation, tempering your realm, and building your Dao Base…"

"The difficulty of Foundation Establishment lies in solidifying your Dao Base, finding your own path, and pushing forward on that basis…"

"In terms of just reaching new realms, both stages are relatively simple…"

"The real difficulty begins with Core Formation."

The elder sighed deeply.

"Core Formation is the grand threshold. It requires excellent spiritual roots, a strong foundation of blood vitality and spiritual power, exceptional comprehension, and the right opportunities…"

"You can't just hunker down, throw spirit stones at it, and brute force your way through."

"Some form their core in a few years. Others take decades. Some are stuck at the threshold for over a century…"

"Even geniuses from prestigious clans often spend their whole lives stuck at Core Formation…"

Mo Hua's heart grew cold with realization.

So forming a core was that hard…

"That's why, even in Fifth-Grade noble clans, Foundation Establishment cultivators are just the norm—but Core Formation cultivators? They're the true backbone."

Seeing Mo Hua's worried expression, the elder comforted him:

"But don't think too much about that right now."

"Hard or easy, you still have to cultivate step by step. You can't rush it."

"If your heart is truly set on the Dao, and you're focused and determined, you might just barrel through obstacles others can't."

"But if you overthink everything, get stuck in doubts and hesitation, then you'll trip over yourself before you even reach Core Formation's threshold."

"Don't let yourself get bogged down by hardships that haven't happened yet."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. He cupped his hands respectfully.

"Thank you for the guidance, Elder. I will remember your teachings!"

The elder nodded in satisfaction.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked quietly:

"Elder… the vast majority of cultivators out there must still be at Qi Refining, right?"

The elder paused and gave him a look that was a little complicated.

"You're right."

"Then… what about them?"

"If they're stuck at Qi Refining for life, their problem usually isn't talent. The bottleneck in their cultivation comes down to one thing…"

The elder said lightly: "Poverty."

Mo Hua felt a twinge of discomfort in his heart.

The elder gazed deeply at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes he didn't even seem to notice himself.

He finally reined in his emotions and nodded slightly.

"Don't overthink it. You're still only in Foundation Establishment. Just focus on cultivating."

"If you're slow and repeat the year, it's not the end of the world—but it'll definitely bruise your pride."

Mo Hua nodded—then froze.

His heart went cold.

Right! The elder had reminded him…

Right now, among his peers, he was the "Senior Brother."

If he failed and had to repeat the year, he'd have to call his current junior disciples "Senior Brother" and "Senior Sister!"

That'd knock him down two ranks in seniority!

No way.

Absolutely not.

Mo Hua's expression turned serious.

He had to speed up his cultivation. Forget everything else—he could not afford to repeat the year!

Otherwise, how could he still command respect as the "Senior Brother"?

The elder blinked, confused as to why the boy suddenly looked so fired up…

Still, that wasn't a bad thing.

So he didn't say anything more.

But still…

The elder glanced at Mo Hua again and sighed inwardly.

Core Formation… that's going to be rough…

His spiritual roots were really weak. Who knew if he'd ever make it across that threshold…

…

Mo Hua, of course, knew none of this.

As for the other subjects—pill refinement, artifact crafting, and talisman creation—he'd also only received a "C" grade.

There wasn't much to say there. It was a steady, expected performance.

From the elders to his fellow disciples—even Mo Hua himself—no one was particularly surprised.

Only Elder Yi, who taught Dao techniques and was more familiar with Mo Hua, mentioned during a casual chat:

"I could only give you a 'C'…"

"Even if I wanted to give you something higher, I just couldn't…"

"It's fine, really,"

Mo Hua, instead, consoled Elder Yi.

Dao techniques were assessed in three categories: spells, martial arts, and sword arts.

For inner sect disciples, proficiency in any one category was enough.

After all, truly cultivating both body and spirit and also training in sword arts—such cultivators were rarer than phoenix feathers, even in a heaven's-chosen-packed region like Qianxue Prefecture. You couldn't use them as a standard for regular disciples.

Especially not someone like Mo Hua, who was clearly below that "standard."

Still, Elder Yi couldn't help but feel a bit regretful and sighed:

"You've studied spells thoroughly and use them well. Your combat instincts are far superior to most disciples…"

"But unfortunately, those strengths don't count toward the actual assessment…"

"The spell portion is judged mostly on two things—grade of the spell, and how many full spirit-power cycles you can complete while casting…"

"That's where you're at a disadvantage…"

"You don't know any truly powerful spells…"

As he said this, Elder Yi suddenly paused.

He remembered that day when Mo Hua blew up the Dao Technique Hall's puppet—and almost blew himself up—with that unknown, terrifyingly powerful fire spell…

Elder Yi frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head.

No, that doesn't count either…

That wasn't a stable spell. Just something he accidentally cobbled together.

You can't use something like that in an exam.

Too unstable. Too risky.

Mo Hua probably wouldn't dare use it again… right?

Elder Yi glanced at Mo Hua, who had sharp eyes and a clever look—and suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.

"Mo Hua…"

Elder Yi hesitated for a long while, then finally whispered:

"Whatever you do, don't use that spell again, alright?"

"Mmhm!"

Mo Hua nodded sincerely.

He definitely wasn't going to use that spell again.

But the new, improved version he'd secretly developed? Well, that one he'd use instead.

…

There was one more course in which Mo Hua received a "C"—Cultivation Arts & Skills.

Arrays, pills, talismans, and tools were technically part of this field.

But due to their scale, long-standing tradition, deep heritage, and large number of practitioners, they were considered "major disciplines" and were assigned their own specialized curriculum.

Outside of those, there were many other auxiliary arts.

These included either offshoots of the major disciplines, or practical skills related to cultivation life, production, or battle—but generally considered more "minor."

For example: spiritual botany, culinary arts, blood extraction, mining, musical performance, spiritual dance, chess, architecture, and so on…

In name, all Cultivation Arts were treated equally.

But in practice, when people are involved, rankings naturally form.

More elegant arts like music, chess, or spiritual dance were looked upon more favorably.

Whereas labor-intensive skills like spiritual planting, mining, or construction were seen as lower-class.

The sect didn't enforce any hierarchy.

Disciples could study whatever they liked, as long as they showed interest—even if it was just a theoretical understanding.

However, the assessment focused on skills that noble family disciples would likely use in the future—music, dance, chess, etc.

Mo Hua was more familiar with things like spiritual botany, mining, and construction.

But unfortunately, those weren't included in the exam.

Especially cooking.

Mo Hua's mother, Liu Ruhua, was an excellent cook.

Mo Hua had inherited her culinary talents by blood.

During his travels, he was responsible for every meal of his master, Puppet Grandpa, and his senior brothers and sisters.

If cooking were part of the exam, his skills would crush every disciple in the cohort!

…Too bad cooking wasn't tested either.

The things Mo Hua was good at? Not tested.

And the things they did test? He wasn't good at.

There was one exception: chess.

He thought he was good at it…

Because whether in Tongxian City or on the road, he often played chess with Puppet Grandpa.

Mo Hua believed that Puppet Grandpa was a hidden master, and that his chess skills must be top-notch.

And since they were evenly matched—50-50 win/loss rate—Mo Hua was sure his own chess skill wasn't bad at all!

But then came the actual exam… and he was dumbfounded.

The sect's chess exam was way too tactical, too mechanical, full of calculation and strategic traps. It wasn't fun at all…

He played 18 matches… and only won 2.

Only then did Mo Hua realize a terrifying possibility…

Either the sect was teaching chess wrong…

…or he and Puppet Grandpa were both terrible at it.

Mo Hua was a little devastated.

He could accept that he was bad.

But realizing Puppet Grandpa's reputation had taken collateral damage because of him… that stung.

Mo Hua let out a long, heavy sigh.

The sect focused too much on the theoretical over the practical.

Or maybe it wasn't just the Great Void Sect… maybe the entire Qianxue Prefecture was like this.

So in the end, for Cultivation Arts, he scraped by with a "C".

…

This report card—one A, six Cs—was something he had to send home to his parents.

Other disciples with the same grades were too embarrassed to show their faces, let alone send them home.

Mo Hua, however, had no such issue.

He mailed the report card back to Lizhou along with a letter that roughly read:

Dear Father and Mother,

I did my best, but there are too many geniuses in the sect… I just couldn't keep up. I came up a bit short and ended up with six Cs…

What a pity…

But at least my array skills are still top-tier!

Even in the Great Void Sect—one of the eight great sects of Qianxue Prefecture—my array techniques hold their own against the very best.

Even Elder Xun speaks highly of me.

Also, I've gotten pretty familiar with how the sect works…

I've even established some ties with the Dao Court!

So don't worry about me.

The New Year is almost here—Father, Mother, eat something good!

Once I form my core, I'll come home!

– Mo Hua

Mo Hua sealed the letter along with the report card and sent it off.

Lizhou was far away.

Tongxian City, where his family lived, was even more remote.

He didn't know when the letter would arrive, or when he'd receive a reply…

…

After the year-end assessment came a month-long New Year holiday.

Inner sect disciples could either return home or stay in the sect.

Mo Hua chose to stay.

Lizhou was too far away—he couldn't go back. All he could do was quietly think of his parents, Elder Yu, and the neighbors, friends, and little buddies from Tongxian City...

He guessed what they might be doing right now.

Maybe they were out having fun, strolling through bustling streets, watching beast-fighting performances, and eating all sorts of delicious snacks.

Was Tongxian City lit up with lanterns, full of joy and color? Were there brilliant fireworks lighting up the night sky?

"I wonder if... they miss me..."

Mo Hua sighed.

...

The next day, little Yu'er was getting ready to go home too. Before leaving, he clung tightly to Mo Hua's sleeve with his tiny hands, teary-eyed as he looked up at him.

Seeing this, Wenren Wei said,

"Mo-gongzi, why don't you come to the Shangguan residence and spend the New Year with us?"

Mo Hua thought about it, then shook his head. "I don't think I'll go to the Shangguan household…"

The Shangguan family was powerful, and that meant lots of rules and strict discipline.

He wasn't familiar with the place either. It would feel awkward.

Not to mention, the Shangguan clan probably had those ancient, cunning ancestors.

Mo Hua instinctively disliked dealing with those kinds of "old ancestors"—he didn't want to get caught in their sights.

"How about the Gu family, then?" Wenren Wei offered.

Mo Hua paused.

The Gu family…

That might actually be okay.

Uncle Gu was there. He had visited a few times before. And Elder Xun had once said the Gu clan was a "clean stream" within the Dao Court—upright and disciplined.

Still, Mo Hua hesitated.

He had been planning to spend the holiday quietly studying his forbidden fireball techniques.

Yu'er tugged on his sleeve again, eyes full of reluctance.

Mo Hua's heart softened. He sighed, "Alright then."

Yu'er immediately beamed with joy.

So the little guy, holding Mo Hua's hand, skipped all the way to the Gu residence.

Wenren Wan was also very happy to see Mo Hua.

She asked him about the sect's assessment.

When she heard that Mo Hua had received "one A and six Cs," Wenren Wan was genuinely surprised.

She had thought Mo Hua's "I'm good at formations" was just modest bragging—but he really was good at formations…

To get an A in formations within one of Qianxue Prefecture's Eight Great Sects—the Great Void Sect—was no small feat.

Wenren Wan was delighted for him.

As for the six Cs after that one A, she instinctively ignored them.

Nobody's perfect, after all.

Mo Hua's circumstances were different—you couldn't hold him to unreasonable standards.

"Treat this place as your home. No need to be so reserved," Wenren Wan said gently.

"Thank you, Aunt Wan," Mo Hua replied with a smile.

Off to the side, Gu Changhuai looked a bit helpless.

This was his house…

But in front of Wenren Wan, he basically had zero say.

Mo Hua then spent the next few days at the Gu residence playing with Yu'er.

Yu'er wouldn't be staying long. As a direct heir of the Shangguan family, his schedule was tightly arranged—whether he liked it or not.

According to the plan, Yu'er would play at the Gu household for a few days, return to the Shangguan residence for New Year, then pay a visit to the Wenren family after the festival.

Before the end of the holiday, he'd return to the Gu residence for a short rest, and then it would be time to head back to the Great Void Sect.

Mo Hua couldn't tag along everywhere, so he could only spend these few days before New Year playing with Yu'er.

After their time together, Yu'er said goodbye to Mo Hua and returned to the rule-heavy Shangguan clan looking utterly heartbroken—like the light in his life had been extinguished.

Afterward, Mo Hua wandered around Qingzhou City a bit, taking in the local customs and festive atmosphere.

Then, he prepared to return to the sect.

But leaving the Gu residence without saying anything wouldn't be polite, so he went to find Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai wasn't surprised, nor did he try to stop him.

Mo Hua was a crafty kid—he couldn't manage him, and honestly, he didn't want to try.

"There's one thing," Gu Changhuai said. "The demonic den was destroyed, and the Fire Buddha is dead. The Dao Court will distribute merit rewards. I'll have some credited to you…"

"But this kind of thing involves a lot of paperwork. The process is slow. You'll need to wait a while."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. He nodded enthusiastically. "Mmhm!"

Merit rewards were precious!

Even if they came slowly, as long as they came, that was fine by him.

Uncle Gu really was a man of his word…

With nothing else to say, and Gu Changhuai's personality being rather aloof, Mo Hua got ready to leave.

But just as he was about to rise, someone arrived at the door.

It was an older woman with a rosy complexion and a cheerful smile—clearly a senior relative of the Gu clan.

As soon as she stepped in, she grinned at Gu Changhuai and said:

"Changhuai, since you're finally back, I've found you a nice marriage match…"

Gu Changhuai's face instantly darkened.

Mo Hua, halfway up from his seat, blinked—then quietly sat back down and, with a stealthy little hand, grabbed a piece of melon from the fruit plate beside him and started nibbling…

(End of Chapter)