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Chapter 58: A Gift
Chapter 58: A Gift
Mo Hua returned home and shared the exciting news with his parents: he was about to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement and needed a cultivation technique.
Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua were delighted. For someone of Mo Hua's age to reach the fourth layer of Qi Refinement was considered quite remarkable among his peers in Tongxian City.
As for the cultivation technique, Mo Shan reassured Mo Hua:
"Your mother and I have already discussed this. Since we can't learn the techniques of Tongxian Gate, we'll have to find an experienced loose cultivator to teach you. There's a senior named Han among the demon hunters in Tongxian City. He has a Middle-grade Five Elements spirit root, and his technique is of decent quality. In a few days, I'll invite Senior Han for a drink and ask him for this favor. He's a kind and generous person and should be happy to help. We can express our gratitude with some spirit stones."
Mo Shan paused before continuing, "But Senior Han is also a loose cultivator, and he often says that while his technique is passed down in his family and fairly well-rounded, it's not from a prestigious lineage. I'm afraid it won't be very beneficial in the later stages of cultivation..."
Mo Shan wanted the best for Mo Hua, but this was the best he could offer, and he couldn't hide his disappointment.
Mo Hua, on the contrary, tried to comfort his father. "Dad, I want to become an array master. As long as I have abundant spiritual sense, the cultivation technique itself isn't that important. As long as it's stable and safe for cultivation, that's more than enough."
Mo Shan's expression eased a little, and Liu Ruhua gently ruffled Mo Hua's hair. "Let's eat. Get some rest after dinner so you can continue learning array formations with Mr. Zhuang tomorrow."
"Okay," Mo Hua nodded obediently.
He didn't mention Bai Zisheng's offer to help find a few cultivation techniques because the larger the clan, the stricter their inheritance rules, and they wouldn't casually share their techniques with outsiders.
Moreover, Mo Hua didn't want to owe Bai Zisheng a favor, especially since he couldn't repay it at the moment.
But the next day, to his surprise, Bai Zisheng really did sneak in a few jade slips and furtively handed them to him.
"I took these without Snow Auntie noticing. Take a look and see if any of them suit you. If you find one, keep it, and I'll return the rest."
Mo Hua's mouth hung open in astonishment.
Bai Zisheng looked quite proud of himself. "Well, are you touched or not?"
Though Bai Zisheng seemed a bit arrogant, his enthusiasm was genuine.
"Won't you get punished if you're caught taking these cultivation techniques out?" Mo Hua asked.
Bai Zisheng snorted. "I'm a direct descendant of the Bai family. Even if I took out a few middle or low-grade techniques, or even our ancestral innate treasure, they wouldn't dare do anything to me."
Mo Hua's eyes clearly showed his disbelief.
Bai Zisheng huffed, clearly offended. "Would I lie to you?"
"Maybe just a year or two of house arrest, no big deal," Bai Zixi chimed in casually, a hint of mirth in her eyes.
Bai Zisheng's face reddened slightly.
Mo Hua thought about it but ultimately shook his head. "I can't take these. I won't drag you down with me."
Bai Zisheng frowned, displeased. "If I'm not afraid, why are you?"
Bai Zixi also urged quietly, "These techniques are valuable, but to the Bai family, they're not that rare. If you cultivate them, nothing will happen. Otherwise, Snow Auntie wouldn't have let my brother bring them out."
"Exactly!" Bai Zisheng nodded vigorously, then suddenly exclaimed, "But how did Snow Auntie know I took out the cultivation techniques?"
Bai Zixi glanced at him, her expression mild. "She sees everything you do. You're the only one who thinks you can get away with things."
Bai Zisheng's shoulders slumped, his pride taking a hit.
Mo Hua was tempted, eager to discover the secrets of the cultivation techniques practiced by the children of powerful clans.
After some thought, he stopped refusing and silently vowed to remember the Bai siblings' kindness. He took the jade slips from Bai Zisheng and began examining them:
The Minor Five Elements, suitable for those with Middle-grade Five Elements spirit roots. It is an abridged version of the superior-grade Grand Five Elements, allowing cultivators to refine their spiritual energy up to thirty-three revolutions, granting control over five types of elemental spells of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth for versatile usage...
The Spirit Concealment, suitable for those with Middle-grade Water element spirit roots. It cultivates spiritual energy up to twenty-eight revolutions and is suitable for stealth-based spells...
The Blazing Inferno, suitable for those with Middle-grade Fire element spirit roots. It refines spiritual energy up to thirty-five revolutions and amplifies the power of fire-based spells by one to two percent...
The Water and Wood Spirit, suitable for those with Middle-grade Water and Wood element spirit roots. It refines spiritual energy up to thirty-six revolutions, cleanses the meridians, nurtures the physique, and reduces cultivation bottlenecks.
Mo Hua felt dazzled as he looked at the array of options, thinking that each one seemed excellent. But as he continued browsing, his brows gradually furrowed.
"You didn't find anything suitable?" Bai Zisheng asked, noticing Mo Hua's furrowed brows.
Mo Hua asked cautiously, "What is Sky-grade Ginseng Wood?"
"Sky-grade Ginseng Wood is the root of the Sky Ginseng plant. It's nourishing for the body and isn't considered too expensive," Bai Zisheng replied.
"Then how many spirit stones would it cost?"
"Sky Ginseng sprouts are extremely precious, but Sky-grade Ginseng Wood is much cheaper. Probably just a few hundred spirit stones per stick," Bai Zisheng said, sounding a bit uncertain.
"Then what is Boundless Water?" Mo Hua asked, continuing his inquiry.
Bai Zisheng scratched his head, not knowing the answer, and glanced at Bai Zixi for help.
Bai Zixi's beautiful eyes shifted as she explained, "Boundless Water is the seawater from the Endless Ocean. It must be refined by an Alchemist for forty-nine days to remove the impurities, ultimately producing Boundless Water. While it's not particularly rare, it's time-consuming to create. A small bottle of Boundless Water would cost around a thousand spirit stones, and in remote areas, it might even be more expensive. Moreover, this type of spiritual item is rather obscure, so even if you have the spirit stones, you might not be able to find it."
Mo Hua drew in a sharp breath.
What kind of cultivation techniques were these? He couldn't afford to cultivate any of them!
Even for a technique like the Water and Wood Spirit Technique, which only required a stick of Sky-grade Ginseng Wood and a small bottle of Boundless Water, the required spirit stones far exceeded Mo Hua's expectations.
Moreover, according to the technique's description, spiritual items were needed not just for cultivation but also for breakthroughs, and there were additional daily expenses for spirit stones. All of this added up to a staggering amount that Mo Hua couldn't possibly afford.
And this was just for the Qi Refinement Stage; the expenses for the Foundation Establishment Stage and beyond would be even more astronomical. It was common knowledge that the further one progressed in cultivation, the more resources were needed.
Even if Mo Hua became a first-rate array master and spent day and night drawing array formations, he might still not be able to afford the costs of such cultivation.
Mo Hua looked at Bai Zisheng and then at Bai Zixi, unable to hold back his curiosity any longer. "Are these the types of cultivation techniques that your family's disciples practice?"
"Of course not," Bai Zisheng shook his head. "The direct descendants cultivate even more superior techniques that require heavenly treasures and precious resources far more expensive than these. Some of the spiritual items are so rare that they are priceless and only exist within the collection of our family, never to be passed on to outsiders."
"However, these techniques I've given you are also not meant to be shared externally. Even if we wanted to pass them on, without the specific spiritual items required for cultivation, outsiders wouldn't be able to cultivate them anyway," Bai Zixi added.
"These are the best techniques among those that can be shared outside the family. Usually, only the collateral disciples or those born to concubines are given these techniques, and even then, only if they have exceptional talent," Bai Zisheng explained.
"Does your family provide the required spiritual items for cultivation?" Mo Hua asked.
"I'm not sure about others, but for me and Zixi, our mother provided everything we needed for cultivation," Bai Zisheng replied.
Bai Zixi glanced at her brother and said, "The family assigns grades to disciples based on their birth status and talent. The more direct the descendant, the better the talent, and the higher the grade within the clan. The higher the grade, the more cultivation resources they receive. For the most talented direct descendants, the family provides almost unlimited resources for their cultivation needs..."
"For other disciples who wish to cultivate better techniques and require resources beyond their assigned grade, they must find their own means. Usually, their parents or other relatives will exchange their contribution points within the clan for spiritual items," she continued.
"In any case, disciples from prominent families only need to focus on their cultivation. They don't have to worry about obtaining spirit stones and spiritual items themselves," Bai Zixi concluded.
"That's right," Bai Zisheng nodded in agreement. "Whether it's our Bai family or other prominent families, they have all existed for at least a thousand years and have accumulated vast amounts of resources and knowledge. They have access to heavenly treasures and precious resources, and unless something is truly extinct, any heavenly treasure or resource they desire is within their reach."
Mo Hua was stunned by the sheer magnitude of the resources and heritage possessed by these prominent families. In comparison, what a solitary cultivator like him could obtain was but a drop in the ocean.
No wonder the Qi Refinement Stage was considered just the beginning for cultivators from prominent families, while for solitary cultivators from the lower realms, it was often a lifelong pursuit.
(End of Chapter)
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