Translator: 549690339
Mo Hua returned home and told his parents that he was about to breakthrough to the fourth level of Qi Refinement and needed to cultivate a cultivation technique.
Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua were quite pleased. At Mo Hua’s age, becoming a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refinement made him stand out among his peers in Tongxian City.
As for the matter of the cultivation technique, Mo Shan told Mo Hua not to worry:
“Your mother and I have discussed this already. If we can’t learn the techniques from Tongxian Gate, we can only seek some experienced Loose Cultivators for guidance. There is a senior Monster Hunter in Tongxian City with the surname Han, who has the Small Five Elements Spiritual Root and is of medium grade. In a few days, I will invite Senior Han for a drink and ask for his help. Senior Han is warm-hearted and he should be willing to help. We can give him some Spirit Stones as a token of gratitude. It’s just…”
Mo Shan paused and then added, “Senior Han is also from a Loose Cultivator background, and he often says that even though his family’s cultivation technique is complete, it’s not considered a great heritage. Once you reach the later stages of cultivation, I’m afraid there won’t be much of a prospect…”
Mo Shan hoped to give Mo Hua the best, but this was all he could offer, and his face showed a tinge of disappointment.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, comforted him, “Dad, I want to become a Formation Master in the future. As long as I have abundant Divine Sense, the specific cultivation technique isn’t too important. It’s enough to cultivate steadily. This technique has been passed down through generations by Senior Han, which means it’s reliable and won’t cause any problems. That’s better than anything else.”
Mo Shan’s expression finally eased somewhat, and Liu Ruhua also gently stroked Mo Hua’s head, saying warmly:
“Let’s eat. After dinner, rest early. You still have to learn about formations with Mr. Zhuang tomorrow.”
“Mhm.” Mo Hua nodded obediently.
Bai Zisheng said he would help Mo Hua find some cultivation techniques, but Mo Hua didn’t tell his parents because the larger the clan, the more strictly its heritage is guarded, and it wouldn’t easily be shared with outsiders.
Moreover, one shouldn’t accept rewards without merit, and he didn’t want to owe Bai Zisheng any favors. After all, he wasn’t able to repay such a debt at the moment.
Who knew that the next day, Bai Zisheng actually brought several Jade Slips and handed them to Mo Hua like a thief.
“I took these while Aunt Xue wasn’t looking. Take a look and see if there’s something suitable. Choose one if there is, and I’ll return the rest.”
Mo Hua’s mouth fell open, unsure what to say.
Bai Zisheng became smug, “How about that, aren’t you moved!”
Bai Zisheng looked somewhat arrogant, but he was warm and sincere toward others.
Mo Hua asked, “Won’t you be punished for sneaking out the cultivation techniques?”
Bai Zisheng snorted, “I’m a direct descendant of the Bai Family. It’s not just a few medium and low grade cultivation techniques—even if I took an ancestral innate treasure, they wouldn’t dare do anything to me.”
Doubt filled Mo Hua’s eyes.
Bai Zisheng insisted, “Would I lie to you?”
“It’s probably just a year or two of confinement, no big deal.”
Bai Zixi spoke evenly, but her eyes held a faint smile.
Bai Zisheng’s face turned a bit red.
After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua shook his head, “I can’t take these techniques. I can’t implicate you.”
Bai Zisheng said displeasedly, “I’m not afraid, what are you afraid of?”
Bai Zixi also spoke softly, “These techniques may be valuable, but for the Bai Family, they’re not too rare. Go ahead and cultivate them. It won’t be a problem. Otherwise, Aunt Xue wouldn’t have let my brother take them out.”
“Exactly!” Bai Zisheng nodded hurriedly, then suddenly exclaimed, “How did Aunt Xue know I took out the techniques?”
Bai Zixi glanced at him lightly, “Everything you do is under Aunt Xue’s watch. It’s only you who think others don’t know.”
Bai Zisheng’s shoulders drooped, somewhat dejected.
Mo Hua would be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted. He also wanted to know what kind of cultivation techniques the noble clans practiced and explore any mysterious aspects.
After thinking it over, Mo Hua no longer demurred, silently noting the Bai siblings’ kindness in his heart. He then took the Jade Slips from Bai Zisheng’s hands and looked them over:
The Little Five Elements Jue, suitable for those with the medium grade Five Elements Spiritual Root. It’s a simplified version of the higher-grade Big Five Elements Jue. A cultivator can refine their spiritual power through thirty-three cycles of circulation, and control spells of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It is simple and versatile…
“Hidden Spirit Jue”, suitable for medium-grade water-series spiritual roots cultivation, can refine spiritual power for twenty-eight Circulations, suitable for concealing-type spells…
“Fiery Flaming Jue”, suitable for medium-grade fire-series spiritual roots cultivation, can refine spiritual power for thirty-five Circulations, can amplify fire-type spells’ power by ten to twenty percent…
“Water Wood Spirit Skills”, suitable for medium-grade water and wood series spiritual roots cultivation, can refine spiritual power for thirty-six Circulations, cultivating this technique can cleanse the meridians, nurture the physique, and reduce bottlenecks in cultivation. This technique can nourish the body but is not suitable for aggressive body cultivation techniques. Required spiritual objects: Heaven Ginseng Wood, Infinite Water, Spiritual Liquid…
Mo Hua looked dazzled, feeling that everything was good, but as he read on, his brows gradually furrowed.
“Is there nothing suitable?” Bai Zisheng saw Mo Hua frowning and couldn’t help but ask.
Mo Hua pondered and asked, “What on earth is Heaven Ginseng Wood?”
“Heaven Ginseng Wood is the root wood of Heaven Ginseng. It can nourish the body and isn’t considered too precious.” Bai Zisheng said, not entirely sure.
“How many spirit stones would that cost?
While Heaven Ginseng buds are extremely precious, the Heaven Ginseng Wood is much cheaper, roughly a few hundred spirit stones each,” Bai Zisheng said uncertainly.
“And what about Infinite Water?”
Bai Zisheng didn’t know either, so he scratched his head and looked at Bai Zixi.
Bai Zixi’s beautiful eyes moved slightly, “Infinite Water comes from the Infinite Sea. It requires a Pill Master to refine for forty-nine days, purifying impurities from the seawater. What’s finally condensed is the Infinite Water. Infinite Water isn’t precious, but it’s laborious. A small bottle of Infinite Water would require approximately one thousand spirit stones, and if it’s from a remote area, it might cost more. Moreover, such spiritual objects are obscure, and it’s not guaranteed one would be able to buy it even with spirit stones.”
Mo Hua took a deep, cool breath.
What kind of techniques were these? He simply couldn’t afford to cultivate them!
Techniques similar to “Water Wood Spirit Skills” require only one piece of Heaven Ginseng Wood and one small bottle of Infinite Water, but the required spirit stones were far beyond Mo Hua’s expectations.
Not to mention the description of the techniques indicated that cultivation requires spiritual objects, breakthroughs require spiritual objects, plus the daily cultivation spirit stones, the sum is an astronomical figure, far beyond what Mo Hua could afford.
And that’s just the consumption for the Qi Refinement Realm. Not to mention the Foundation Establishment Realm later on. It’s common knowledge that the later stages of Tao Cultivation require more and more resources.
Even if Mo Hua really became a first-rate Formation Master who worked day and night drawing formations, he probably couldn’t bear the cost of such cultivation.
Mo Hua looked at Bai Zisheng and then at Bai Zixi, unable to help but ask, “Does every disciple in your clan cultivate such techniques?”
“Of course not,” Bai Zisheng shook his head, “the direct disciples cultivate even higher-grade techniques requiring more precious heavenly and earthly treasures. Some spiritual objects are so rare they are priceless, and the clan keeps them as tightly-held secrets, never to be divulged.”
“But these techniques are also not to be disclosed. Even if one wanted to share them, without the specialized spiritual objects needed for cultivation, others could not practice them anyway.”
“What I’ve given you are the best of the transferable techniques our clan allows. Even for indirect disciples or those born out of wedlock, unless they possess exceptional talent, they may not qualify to cultivate them.”
“Does your clan provide the spiritual objects required for cultivating these techniques?” Mo Hua asked.
“I’m not sure about others, but Zixi and I get everything we need for cultivation from our mother,” Bai Zisheng said.
Bai Zixi glanced at Bai Zisheng, speaking indifferently:
“The clan divides disciples into categories based on their legitimacy and talent. The more direct a disciple is and the better their talent, the higher their assessment and the more cultivation resources they are given. Direct disciples with great talent can take whatever they need for cultivation…”
“Other disciples, if they wish to cultivate better techniques that exceed their assessed resource allocation, have to find their own ways. Usually, it involves the parents or other relatives spending merit points to exchange for spiritual objects from within the clan.”
“Whatever the case may be, the children of noble clans only need to focus on cultivation, not needing to worry about the spirit stones and spiritual objects required.”
“That’s right,” Bai Zisheng nodded and said:
“Our Bai Family, as well as other noble clans, have been around for at least a thousand years, with rich foundations and ample access to heavenly and earthly treasures. Except for the truly extinct ones, as long as they can be obtained, none of the heavenly and earthly treasures are considered scarce.”
Mo Hua was shaken to his core, the resources of the noble clans were vast as oceans, their inheritances as numerous as the mist. Loose cultivators like himself could only glean the tiniest specks from the vast sea.
No wonder the Qi Refinement Realm is merely the beginning for cultivators, while for low-level loose cultivators, it is a lifetime.