"Master, I've already reached twelve patterns, and I'm already tired of drawing the eleven-pattern Thick Earth Formation. Should I look for a twelve-pattern Ultimate Formation next?"
"Yes," Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly, "Your current Divine Sense is such that drawing ordinary Formations can no longer refine it in the slightest..."
Qi Refinement Eighth Level, Foundation Establishment Twelve Pattern Divine Sense.
This level of Divine Sense, like the Ultimate Formation, was seriously "off the charts"...
It was not something that could be improved by ordinary means.
Moreover, there were no Cultivation Techniques for cultivating Divine Sense in the Cultivation World.
Divine Sense was ethereal, intangible, and with each Cultivator distinct, the differences were substantial.
To enhance Divine Sense was extremely difficult to begin with.
The Contemplation Map was a trick, more like borrowing someone else's Divine Sense, and it was somewhat dangerous, so it was best not to use it.
"Master, for a higher-level Formation Master learning these lower-level Ultimate Formations, would it be a bit simpler?"
He had always been curious.
The requirement of Divine Sense for Ultimate Formations was high.
But this threshold was with respect to the same level of Cultivation.
If it were a higher-level Formation Master with strong enough Divine Sense, then learning some lower-level Ultimate Formations should be much easier.
But why, according to Mr. Zhuang, were there so few Masters who knew even a first-grade Ultimate Formation?
Mr. Zhuang said, "It would be somewhat easier, but not by much."
Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Why is that?"
A high-level Formation Master should have very strong Divine Sense...
"Divine Sense is the foundation of a Formation Master, the very essence," Mr. Zhuang slowly explained, "but having Divine Sense doesn't mean one can become a Formation Master, or that one can definitely learn Formations."
"Having Divine Sense only gives you the qualification to learn Formations. To master them, you need to study, to think, to practice, to understand."
"It requires perseverance, lots of time, energy, and focus."
"Not all Cultivators are willing to do this, and not all can manage to do it."
"Even if it's just a small matter, maintaining it is very difficult."
"Let alone something as abstruse and obscure as Formation principles; even many high-level Formation Masters struggle to persevere later on."
"Ultimate Formations are as such, with special Pattern techniques, hard to learn, hard to draw."
"Many Formation Masters have sufficient Divine Sense but might not be willing to practice, and naturally, they won't be able to learn."
Mr. Zhuang sighed faintly.
"This is the first point: even with Divine Sense, without practice, naturally you can't learn."
"It's like some people who, despite having the talent, are unwilling to make the effort and end up accomplishing nothing, squandering their potential."
Mr. Zhuang paused a moment, then continued:
"The second point is, even if you practice, you may still not learn it."
"The way of Formations is based on Divine Sense. Only with Divine Sense can you practice, and only when sufficiently proficient can you start to understand."
"Ordinary Formations, through diligent practice, you can learn the Formation Patterns, which don't require much understanding."
"But Ultimate Formations are different. Any Ultimate Formation, exceeding the Formation Method Classification, inevitably has its specialties and invariably contains unique Formation principles..."
Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, saying gently:
"You should have some experience with this."
Mo Hua nodded his head.
The two Ultimate Formations he learned, one was the Reversed Spirit Formation.
A first-grade ten-pattern, containing the power of Spirit Energy inversion, required Divine Sense Calculation to bring out its effects.
The other was the Thick Earth Formation.
A first-grade eleven-pattern, embodying the power of Spirit Energy generation, required an understanding of Earth Dao Meaning to truly master.
Both types of Ultimate Formations required more than just learning the Patterns.
They also necessitated a deeper recognition of Spirit Energy, a more profound use of Divine Sense, as well as a clearer understanding of Taoist Meaning.
If Mr. Zhuang had not provided guidance,
Or if one didn't have a Taoist Stele,
It was doubtful that one could learn and truly apply them.
Mr. Zhuang continued, "Thus, many high-level Formation Masters, despite having enough Divine Sense and sufficient practice, because they lack that bit of understanding, often can't find the way, fail to have that moment of sudden insight, and ultimately still can't learn Ultimate Formations."
"That bit of understanding is like the finishing touch."
"Without that bit of clarity, the whole Formation is just a shell, without any charm or spirit."
Mo Hua had a sudden realization, "Just like when I draw the Thick Earth Formation, if I can't perceive the Daoist Meaning, simply drawing it over and over again is futile."
Mr. Zhuang nodded, "Exactly."
Mo Hua was puzzled again, "But once they're at a high level, and are high-level Formation Masters, could they really fail to comprehend?"
"The two are related, but they're actually two separate matters," Mr. Zhuang explained. "Some Cultivators have profound Cultivation but have only mastered the use of powerful Spiritual Power, and their understanding of Spirit Energy and the Great Dao is actually very superficial."
"They can wield Spiritual Power to cast devastating Spells, dominating battles, but if you ask them to perceive the subtle changes in Spirit Energy to draw a first-grade Ultimate Formation, that would be difficult for them."
"Cultivators cultivate by absorbing Spiritual Energy and accumulating Spiritual Power, casting Taoist Skills, thereby wielding outward power."
"For general Cultivators, that is enough."
"But for Formation Masters, they not only have to control external power but also understand the underlying principles. Merely knowing how to manipulate Spiritual Power for combat is far from sufficient."
To control the power, to understand the principles...
Mo Hua seemed to grasp the concept and nodded earnestly.
Seeing that Mo Hua understood, Mr. Zhuang felt slightly relieved and then said:
"These are the issues on the level of understanding Formations. Since Ultimate Formations contain special Formation principles, even high-level Formation Masters might not necessarily learn low-level Ultimate Formations."
"Are there other reasons?" Mo Hua couldn't help but ask.
Mr. Zhuang nodded, "The other reasons are more complicated..."