Chapter 1: Mo Hua
Dao Calendar, Year 20,022, Ninth Month, Tenth Day.
Tongxian City, Outer Mountain of Tongxian Sect.
Ten-year-old Mo Hua, dressed in a simple Outer Sect Disciple daoist robe, squatted idly behind a large rock at the foot of the mountain. He held a blade of grass in his hand, meticulously drawing complex Array Runes on the ground.
It was the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), and Disciples seeking knowledge in the Sect began to ascend the mountain, walking in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.
A chubby boy, wearing the Outer Sect's standard daoist robe, adorned with expensive jade ornaments, and possessing a plump face with small eyes, accompanied by two or three followers, found Mo Hua, who was engrossed in drawing something behind the rock.
The chubby boy looked left and right, and upon confirming that no Sect Instructor was in sight, he poked his head out and called:
“Mo Hua!”
Mo Hua looked up, revealing a handsome, picturesque small face, his eyes as clear as a pool of water.
The chubby boy lowered his voice and asked, “Is it done?”
Ten-year-old Mo Hua, like a miniature adult, patted his chest and said, “You can rest assured when I handle things.” Then, he took out several Formations from his Storage Pouch, written on white paper with red ink, and handed them to the chubby boy.
“See if there’s anything wrong.”
The chubby boy solemnly accepted them, opened the copybook, took a careful look, and then said with a bitter face:
“I don’t understand…”
Mo Hua patiently explained:
“The homework assigned by the Instructor was the basic Array Runes of the Five Elements Array. I’ve drawn them for you, and I even deliberately made six mistakes, just in case the Instructor notices that these Array Runes weren’t drawn by you…”
“Six mistakes… isn’t that a bit too many…”
Mo Hua silently watched him.
The chubby boy immediately realized his mistake and reflected:
“One shouldn’t be too greedy. It’s good enough that I can submit the homework assigned by the Instructor. If it’s too perfect, it’ll arouse suspicion. If the Instructor finds out and my father knows, he’ll definitely beat me hard. It’s not worth it, not worth it…”
Mo Hua nodded and said, “As expected of Young Master An, you understood so quickly!”
The chubby boy stuffed two Spirit Stones into Mo Hua’s hand. “Brother Mo, you truly have good judgment, knowing that I’m smart! Here are the Spirit Stones. Next time the Instructor assigns Formation homework, I’ll find you again!”
After saying that, he tucked the Formations into his Arms and scurried up the mountain.
Mo Hua carefully put away the two Spirit Stones, pulled out another blade of grass, and continued drawing on the ground.
A moment later, a thin Young Master arrived, fanning himself with a gold-flecked paper fan. He had a sharp face and even more jade pendants on him.
Mo Hua also gave him an Array Diagram, and the thin Young Master glanced at it before giving a look to his servant. The servant stepped forward, took the diagram, and handed Mo Hua two Spirit Stones.
The thin Young Master took the Array Diagram but didn't leave. He suddenly folded his paper fan and said arrogantly, “This Young Master is also extremely proficient in Formations; I just don’t have time to do these basic Formations, which is why I had you do it for me.”
Mo Hua couldn't be bothered with him and picked up the blade of grass to continue drawing on the ground.
The thin Young Master was somewhat annoyed and then sneered, “It’s said that among the Qi Refining Early Stage Cultivators in Tongxian Sect, you draw Formations the best. I wonder how you compare to this Young Master. Shall we have a competition when we have time?”
Mo Hua thought to himself, 'You’ve asked me to do your Formation homework, so what do you think your own level is?'
However, adhering to the principle of harmony brings wealth, Mo Hua still looked up and offered pleasant praises:
“Naturally, Young Master’s Formation attainment is much higher. The Qian family is the largest Family in Tongxian City, and its Formation Legacy is incomparable to other Cultivators.”
The thin Young Master’s expression softened slightly, and he asked again, “Then tell me, among the Qi Refining Early Stage Cultivators in Tongxian Sect, is there anyone whose Formation skill can surpass mine?”
“There are some, yes…”
The thin Young Master was displeased. “Who are they?”
“Like me…” Of course, Mo Hua wouldn’t be so foolish as to blurt out such a thing.
“There are quite a few; I can’t count them all at once.”
The thin Young Master was visibly angry.
“This is a good thing!” Mo Hua said, lying through his teeth.
The thin Young Master sneered, “Their Family background isn't better than mine, they don't have more Spirit Stones than me, yet their Formations are superior to mine. And there are many such people. Are you trying to say that my Aptitude is dull and I can't compare to others? How is this a good thing?”
Mo Hua said, “Cultivators in Tongxian City, no matter how talented or how well they Cultivate, in the end, don’t they all have to enter the Qian family’s Myriad Treasure Tower to refine artifacts, practice Alchemy, and draw Formations for your Qian family…?”
“Think about it, you’re only at Qi Refining, yet you have Foundation Establishment Cultivators working for you. You’re only a First Grade Array Master, yet you have Second Grade Array Masters at your beck and call. How magnificent is that! The stronger the abilities of your subordinates, the more capable you appear!”
The thin Young Master was stunned, then suddenly enlightened. “That actually makes some sense!”
“You understand now, right?”
The thin Young Master nodded, looking at the multitude of Cultivators below the mountain, his neck held even higher:
“Excellent! Excellent! No matter how high your Aptitude, no matter how hard you Cultivate, in the end, don’t you still have to toil like oxen and horses for my Qian family?”
The sharp-faced Young Master Qian finished speaking and walked away with his head held high and chest puffed out.
After fooling Young Master Qian away, Mo Hua continued to practice Formations on the ground with a blade of grass.
Soon, a few more wealthy Cultivators came over, exchanging money for goods, buying several Formations from Mo Hua with Spirit Stones. By the time Mo Hua's hand-copied Formations were sold out, he already had twelve Spirit Stones.
Twelve Spirit Stones were already a considerable amount for a Loose Cultivator, but for Cultivation, it was still far from enough.
Mo Hua sighed, a trace of helplessness on his young face.
Bottom-tier Cultivators, with no hope for Cultivation…
Dao Calendar Year One, which was over twenty thousand years ago, the Dao Court, the largest force in the Cultivation World, unified the nine prefectures of Cultivation, enfeoffed aristocratic families and Sects, established a unified Rank system, and standardized the Cultivation industry's Ranks.
The Dao Court also promulgated the dao law, restraining Cultivators from wanton killing, plundering, or harvesting.
The Cultivation World developed through this, enjoying peace for over twenty thousand years, flourishing to the extreme, with a vast territory and countless Cultivators.
However, while the Dao Court prospered, aristocratic families enjoyed luxurious lives, and Sects dominated their respective regions.
Only the bottom-tier Loose Cultivators, without any affiliation, lived in hardship and had no hope of Cultivation.
After over twenty thousand years of reproduction in the Cultivation World, Mortals without Spiritual Roots were gradually naturally eliminated. The remaining were all Cultivators with Spiritual Roots who could Cultivate. But the more Cultivators there were, the more Spiritual Qi was consumed, eventually depleting the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth.
Nowadays, if Cultivators wish to Cultivate, they need both Legacy and, more importantly, Spirit Stones.
However, large families occupy Ling Mines, leading to a scarcity of Spirit Stones for bottom-tier Loose Cultivators, and large Sects monopolize Legacy, leaving ordinary Loose Cultivators without access to Cultivation.
In Tongxian City, the vast majority of Loose Cultivators lacked both Legacy and Spirit Stones, destined to remain Qi Refining Stage Cultivators their entire lives.
The Qi Refining Stage is merely a humble ant beneath the vast Heavenly Dao.
And Mo Hua was one of these countless ants.
And it was very likely he would remain one his entire life!
Mo Hua's tender face held a hint of bitterness.
The Heavenly Dao might be equal, but Cultivation is certainly not…
Mo Hua was a Qi Refining Second Level Loose Cultivator, born into a Qi Refining Stage Loose Cultivator Family; both his parents were in the Qi Refining Stage.
His father, Mo Shan, made a living by hunting Yao Beasts, constantly battling them, and his body was covered in scars. His mother worked as a kitchen helper in the Dining Hall, suffering from the heat of the stove, often experiencing lung pain and dry coughs.
And all the Spirit Stones his parents saved through frugality were just to allow Mo Hua to enter the Outer Sect of Tongxian Sect to Cultivate.
But no matter how much Mo Hua Cultivated, his Low Grade Spiritual Root, although slightly better than ordinary people, was destined to make him just an ordinary member among the many Geniuses in the Cultivation World.
No matter how much he Cultivated, he might only ever be a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator.
With difficult Family conditions and no Spirit Stones, Mo Hua could only, like other Disciples, leave the Sect after Cultivating to Qi Refining Sixth Level, and then find a way to learn a skill to make a living.
But Mo Hua was also naturally weak!
Professions that Qi Refining Stage Cultivators relied on for a living, such as Artifact Refining and Yao Beast hunting, generally only required Body Cultivators with strong physiques. Mo Hua, being Innate weak, might not even be able to find a job to make ends meet.
If he were to marry and have children in the future, the burden would increase, and all Spirit Stones would be used to support his Family.
Without Spirit Stones for Cultivation, Mo Hua’s cultivation would forever stagnate, and he would remain a Qi Refining Cultivator his entire life.
Just like all the poor Loose Cultivators in Tongxian City.
Just like the countless bottom-tier Cultivators in this Cultivation World.
A Qi Refining Cultivator for life!
Ten-year-old Mo Hua sighed, adjusted his mindset, and then entered the Sect for class. After a day of Cultivation, Mo Hua returned to the Disciple Residence, read some Cultivation classics for a while, and then lay on his bed at midnight.
When Mo Hua closed his eyes, a broken dao tablet appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
There were no characters on the broken dao tablet, but it seemed that from the first moment Mo Hua saw it, he knew the name of the dao tablet:
dao tablet!