Chapter 671: Bottleneck
Chapter 671: Bottleneck
Within the vast halls of the Tai Xu Sect, disciples resided.
On the second floor of the dining hall, in a private room...
Cheng Mo, Si Tu Jian, and their companions were treating Mo Hua to a lavish feast.
Outside the window, lush green mountains and flowing waters were veiled in mist, creating a serene backdrop.
Inside, a delightful spread of spirit fruits, fine wine, and delicacies filled the table.
This meal had cost quite a few spirit stones, but Cheng Mo and the others were all scions of prominent families, with no shortage of resources. Thus, Mo Hua indulged without restraint.
Little Yu'er sat beside Mo Hua, joining in on the feast with gusto.
The dishes on the table were all of Mo Hua's favorite foods.
Even if he didn't particularly like something, the sheer expense of the meal made it worth savoring.
There was an abundance of chicken legs in the dishes—golden pheasant, pine chicken, cloud chicken, and various other types of spirit chickens...
These were specially chosen by Cheng Mo and Si Tu Jian as a tribute to their little senior brother.
Mo Hua happily held a chicken leg in each hand, thoroughly enjoying himself.
With this grand feast, Cheng Mo and the four others expressed their gratitude for Mo Hua's act of "saving their lives."
At the same time, they were thankful that, although there had been some coincidences, Mo Hua had undoubtedly led them to a substantial amount of merit.
Over twenty black-robed traffickers had perished, and only the black-robed leader had seemingly "escaped" unscathed.
The abducted cultivators had also been rescued.
These trafficked cultivators were all young, mostly between the ages of ten and fifteen, possessing superior spiritual roots and hailing from various families.
However, they were not from influential families within Qianzhou but rather from smaller families outside its borders, scattered across different states.
They had arrived early in Qianzhou, seeking the opportunity to join a sect.
Because they were not natives of Qianzhou, their abductions would have been extremely challenging to investigate, and most cases would have been left unresolved.
Now, even though the traffickers were dead and unrecognizable, leaving no one to bear witness, the rescue of these children was indeed a fortunate turn of events.
The Dao Court had withheld Mo Hua and the others' names, fearing that they might attract the attention of other traffickers. Nonetheless, it was undeniable that they had accomplished a great feat.
Thus, the Dao Court rewarded them with a sum of spirit stones and, exceptionally, transferred three hundred merit points to each of them.
Mo Hua was well aware that these merit points were indeed a "special case."
These points were swiftly credited to their accounts.
However, the merits promised by Uncle Gu for the raid on the demon's lair and the slaying of the Fire Buddha were still undergoing "procedures" within the Dao Court, with no sign of them materializing anytime soon.
"Three hundred merit points!" Mo Hua was pleased, but having experienced more than his fair share of adventures, he had seen how newcomers to the sect reacted to earning merit points.
He currently had over a thousand merit points in his account.
Moreover, having slain so many traffickers and rescued numerous people, three hundred points didn't seem like an excessive reward.
The Dao Court had always been stingy, so receiving anything was better than nothing.
Furthermore, they had also provided additional compensation of two thousand spirit stones, which could be considered acceptable.
However, Cheng Mo and the others felt differently.
These youngsters had never seen such a substantial amount of merit before.
Guarding the gates or sweeping the streets would earn them a meager amount, and undertaking a mission at the early Qi Refining stage, splitting the rewards among the group, would net them only a few dozen points each, occasionally even less than twenty.
Merit points were invaluable and couldn't be purchased even with spirit stones.
Receiving three hundred points was akin to acquiring a small fortune.
Cheng Mo and his companions couldn't contain their joy, insisting on treating Mo Hua to this extravagant meal.
During the meal, Cheng Mo passed chicken legs to Mo Hua, Si Tu Jian poured him fruit wine, Yang Qianjun and Yi Li raised their cups to toast him, and Hao Xuan oversaw the serving of dishes.
The group was lively and cheerful.
Mo Hua relished the delicious food and the warm company.
Little Yu'er, mimicking Mo Hua, held a chicken leg in her small hand, nibbling on it happily.
Having faced the black-robed traffickers together, they had forged a bond, and being fellow sect members, the atmosphere at the table was jovial and harmonious.
After eating for a while, Si Tu Jian couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He asked, "Mo Hua... what did you do before joining the sect?"
He wondered how someone so young could be so adept at concealment, reconnaissance, ambushing, spell duels, and assassinations... These skills didn't seem typical of a young array master.
Mo Hua was taken aback for a moment.
Si Tu Jian quickly added, "If you'd rather not say, it's fine."
Although he was curious, he understood that cultivators often had secrets they preferred to keep hidden.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, feeling that since they were all fellow sect members, they might have opportunities to assist each other in the future. Thus, he decided to share a bit to alleviate their curiosity.
"I'm a demon hunter by trade!" Mo Hua declared proudly.
Cheng Mo and the others looked at Mo Hua's delicate and tender appearance, their slender arms and legs, and their expressions turned skeptical.
He didn't look like a demon hunter at all...
"Really?" Yi Li asked, intrigued.
Mo Hua, displeased by their doubt, asserted, "Of course, it's true!"
His father was a demon hunter, so naturally, he was one as well.
It was just that his physical body was weak, and when hunting demons, he couldn't charge into close-quarters combat like other demon hunters.
But hunting didn't always involve direct physical confrontation; traps and arrays were equally effective.
Anyone who could hunt demons was a demon hunter.
Moreover, he had even used an array to slay a formidable demon, a sin-bearing demon. If he wasn't a demon hunter, then who was?
Mo Hua explained to them, "Direct combat is just one aspect of demon hunting. The fundamental principle is to be prepared and never engage in a battle without a plan."
"Foresight ensures success, while lack of preparation leads to failure."
"Whether it's hunting demons or fighting against people, you must always have a strategy, a plan, and patience. If you can set a trap, do so. If you can ambush your opponent, take the opportunity."
"Act with caution, lay deep ambushes, and strike decisively..."
"These are the teachings of my father," Mo Hua concluded proudly.
"Oh..."
Hearing Mo Hua's confident and reasonable explanation, Cheng Mo and the others nodded in understanding.
Yu'er, although she didn't fully comprehend, nodded along in admiration.
"Then..." Yang Qianjun, also driven by curiosity, asked, "How did you learn skills like reconnaissance, tracking, and... er, demon extermination without alerting your target? Who taught you that?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and then replied frankly, "Uncle Gu taught me!"
Yang Qianjun was taken aback. "Uncle Gu?"
"Yes, a kind Jin Dan stage official from the Gu family of the Dao Court. He's the one who taught me," Mo Hua explained.
Mo Hua sighed, a hint of gratitude in his voice. "He was concerned that I might be at a disadvantage within the sect or face dangers during missions, so he shared the Dao Court's methods of tracking and apprehending rogue cultivators with me."
"All of these skills were taught to me by Uncle Gu!" Mo Hua emphasized once more, leaving no room for doubt.
"The Dao Court... Gu family... Jin Dan stage official..."
The expressions of Yang Qianjun and the others turned solemn as they processed this information.
The Shangguan family had a close relationship with the Gu family.
It was only natural that Mo Hua, with his connection to the Shangguan family, would also have ties to the Gu family.
And the Gu family, with their generations of service in the Dao Court, were experts in tracking and apprehending criminals, given their adherence to the Daoist laws.
It made perfect sense that someone from the Gu family had taught him those skills.
Although their methods might be considered a tad "brutal."
But when dealing with demon cultivators, one had to be brutal, or else they would be the ones showing you brutality.
Yang Qianjun and the others' doubts were finally laid to rest.
No wonder Mo Hua, despite being an array master, was so adept at tracking, assassination, and ambushing.
Turns out he had a teacher after all...
The suspicions and reservations they once held towards him gradually faded away.
As they continued to eat, the atmosphere became even more amicable.
After Mo Hua had eaten his fill, he lay back to aid digestion, listening to Cheng Mo and the others whispering as they discussed how to spend their three hundred merit points.
Cheng Mo mentioned wanting to buy some golden soil and stones.
Si Tu Jian said he wanted to save up for a specially crafted Fire Spirit Sword unique to the Tai Xu Sect.
Yang Qianjun and Yi Li, on the other hand, wanted to purchase spiritual objects to help them break through their bottlenecks...
Mo Hua was perplexed and asked, "Aren't you all descendants of prominent families? Don't your families provide you with cultivation resources? Why do you need to exchange them for more in the sect?"
Si Tu Jian and the others were taken aback.
Cheng Mo scratched his head and explained, "You can never have too many cultivation resources. Aside from spirit stones, there are also spiritual objects needed for breakthroughs in cultivation techniques and spiritual tools required for the practice of Taoist methods. The more you have, the better."
"When cultivating a technique, each additional spiritual object enhances your spiritual power a little more."
"In the creation of spiritual tools, the higher the quality of materials used, the better the final product."
"The cultivation of the top disciples from prominent families is an endeavor that requires a vast amount of resources to ensure perfection."
"While our families provide us with ample support, there is still a limit to what they can give, especially considering the number of disciples within the clan. Unless you possess an extraordinary spiritual root, they won't dedicate all their resources to just one person."
"Moreover, for those with superior spiritual roots who cultivate superior techniques, the required spirit stones and spiritual objects are extremely expensive."
"It's manageable for one or two individuals, but when it comes to a larger number of disciples, the supply of precious spiritual objects falls short..."
Si Tu Jian nodded in agreement and continued, "Generally, the resources provided by our families cover about seventy to eighty percent of our needs."
"These resources are sufficient for your cultivation, but they won't bring you to perfection..."
"If you want to build a solid foundation, push your cultivation technique to its limit, forge the highest quality spiritual tools, and stand out among the proud sons of heaven, you must strive for perfection in every aspect."
"And achieving that perfection requires a significant amount of resources."
"Oh..." Mo Hua was at a loss for words, feeling overwhelmed by the vast gap between the haves and have-nots in the cultivation world.
The cultivation of these proud sons of heaven was worlds apart from his own solitary practice.
He had always made do with whatever he could scrape together, settling for mediocrity.
According to what they were saying, his spiritual power might not even reach sixty cycles, let alone the eighty cycles he had heard about, and the idea of reaching ninety or a hundred cycles was simply out of the question...
He couldn't afford it even if he wanted to.
It was just too expensive...
Even if he sold himself... no, even if he sold himself for the next one hundred and eight lifetimes, he still wouldn't be able to afford it.
Mo Hua sighed, feeling a bit dejected.
However, his spirits lifted as he suddenly remembered that he was a "Spirit Sense Cultivator."
His foundation was not in his physical body or spiritual power, and his strength didn't rely heavily on expensive spiritual tools, so he didn't need to compete with them in that regard.
Otherwise, even if he pushed himself to the limit, he still wouldn't be able to match them...
Mo Hua's mood improved, but he still had some doubts. He quietly asked, "Is it really worth spending so much to increase your spiritual power by just one or two cycles?"
"Of course, it's worth it!" Cheng Mo exclaimed. "Each additional cycle of spiritual power makes you stronger than others."
"Even a small advantage is still an advantage."
"And don't underestimate the power of small advantages. If your cultivation technique, Taoist methods, and spiritual tools are all slightly inferior, when combined, the gap becomes significant..."
"And this is just at the Foundation Establishment stage. The disparity only grows wider in the later stages..."
"There's more..." Hao Xuan eagerly continued to explain to Mo Hua, "When the sect recruits disciples, or when experts at the Transformation or Void Shattering level take on apprentices, they pay a lot of attention to the number of spiritual power cycles."
"Your spiritual root indicates your potential, but potential is just potential."
"If you don't have the resources to cultivate enough spiritual power cycles, it means you're wasting your potential."
"So, the better your spiritual root and cultivation technique, and the more spiritual power cycles you have, the brighter your future will be."
"All three are indispensable."
"This also applies to marriage arrangements between families."
"Even if you're useless, dull, and good for nothing but cultivation, if you possess an upper-grade spiritual root and cultivate a superior technique, reaching ninety-five or more cycles of spiritual power, your family will value you highly."
Mo Hua was confused. "Why would the family value someone who's only good at cultivation?"
Hao Xuan blurted out, "For breeding, of course..."
Si Tu Jian slapped him on the back, reminding him not to speak out of turn.
"Yeah." Hao Xuan nodded. "My mother secretly told me that the bigger the family, the less they care about sentiment and the more pragmatic they are when it comes to handling matters."
"Even if you're useless, as long as you have good talent and a high number of spiritual cycles, the ancestors won't mind. They'll even choose a good match for you so that you can give birth to offspring with even better talent."
Hao Xuan sighed, "It's like people raising pigs. They pair the best piglets with..."
"Hao Xuan!" Si Tu Jian glared at him again.
Hao Xuan quickly covered his mouth, thinking to himself:
That was close, almost let it slip again...
Yi Li, who was sitting beside them, also sighed:
"Sometimes, I feel like the elders with profound cultivation don't really see the disciples within the family as 'people'..."
Hao Xuan looked puzzled and asked, "What about your family, Yi Li? I've never heard of any forced marriages or anything like that..."
Yi Li mumbled, "I didn't say it was my family..."
......
Mo Hua frowned as he listened to their conversation.
Noticing his expression, Yang Qianjun's heart stirred, and he said, "Of course, this is the case in Qianzhou, where such things are given importance..."
Knowing that Mo Hua had poor spiritual roots and a meager amount of spiritual power, Yang Qianjun didn't want him to feel bad, so he consoled him, "But in our Yang family, we don't emphasize these things as much..."
"Our Yang family has a background in the Daoist military. While we value talent, we place even more importance on military achievements. Whoever makes great contributions will be valued by the family."
"On the other hand, if someone has good talent but is afraid to go to the battlefield and fight, they will still be looked down upon."
Yang Qianjun looked at Mo Hua and warmly invited him, "Mo Hua, why don't you come to the Yang family as a guest during the next school break?"
Mo Hua was stunned.
In that moment, he felt as though Yang Ji Yong and Yang Ji Shan had merged into Yang Qianjun.
It seemed like the words "recruiting people" were etched into the blood of the Yang family.
Cheng Mo interjected, annoyed, "Yang Qianjun, don't speak nonsense. There isn't a family out there that doesn't value spiritual roots and talent."
Yang Qianjun corrected him, "I didn't say they don't value it, just that they're not as obsessed with it..."
Cheng Mo stubbornly insisted, "It's the same thing. Either way, they still look at your spiritual power, and having stronger spiritual power is still an advantage..."
Yang Qianjun shook his head, "While that's true... what if your ninety cycles of spiritual power lose to someone else? Will having one or two more cycles of spiritual power make a difference?"
"If your opponent doesn't engage in a direct confrontation but instead sets up an ambush and strikes from the shadows, your extra cycles of spiritual power won't help."
"When it comes to real battles on the battlefield, where spiritual powers clash and it's like being in a meat grinder, what good will an extra cycle or two of spiritual power do then?"
"If it's truly a matter of life and death, unless you've been branded with a longevity talisman, your spiritual power won't save you, whether it's eighty, ninety, or even a hundred cycles."
"In my opinion, Qianzhou has been too peaceful for too long, so they waste a lot of cultivation resources on things that don't really matter in the grand scheme."
"They spend so many spirit stones and spiritual objects to cultivate an extra cycle or two of spiritual power, but then they don't go out to fight demons, protect the Dao, or defend against the barbarians. Instead, they stay in Qianzhou and enjoy their comfortable lives..."
Yang Qianjun was feeling frustrated, and he couldn't help but continue venting.
Si Tu Jian patted Yang Qianjun's shoulder.
Yang Qianjun paused for a moment, then sighed and said helplessly, "I spoke out of turn..."
Thinking of the Yang family's recent battles in the Southern Wilderness, Cheng Mo poured him a cup of wine to console him, "Let's focus on cultivating for now. We can't be of much help with the situation in the Southern Wilderness."
Yang Qianjun took the cup and nodded.
After that, the group refrained from discussing other matters, and the atmosphere became more relaxed. They chatted about the sect, missions, and some interesting stories they had heard. After finishing their meal, they bid each other farewell and left.
However, Mo Hua kept their words in mind.
The Yang family, the Southern Wilderness, defending against the barbarians...
Could these barbarians be related to the so-called "Master of the Great Wilderness"?
But the Southern Wilderness...
Wasn't that the Great Wilderness south of Li Zhou?
It seemed very far from Qianzhou...
Mo Hua shook his head.
These matters seemed too distant and unrelated to him at the moment, so he decided not to worry about them for now.
After strolling with Little Yu'er to aid their digestion, Mo Hua returned to his disciple's residence.
He lay down on the bed, intending to rest for a while, but then he remembered what Cheng Mo and the others had said, and suddenly, a problem occurred to him: breaking through the cultivation boundary!
Cheng Mo and the others cultivated either blood energy or spiritual power, and when they encountered bottlenecks, they needed to consume a considerable number of spiritual objects to break through.
The more spiritual objects, the better.
That was why they wanted to accumulate merit points early on to prepare for the future.
Mo Hua cultivated the "Heavenly Mystery Manual," which didn't require additional spiritual objects to break through bottlenecks, and that was a good thing.
However, it didn't mean that his bottlenecks would be simple.
The bottleneck of the "Heavenly Mystery Manual" was in the spiritual sense.
The bottleneck of the Qi Refining stage was to gradually progress from shallow to deep, step by step unraveling the array, eventually unraveling the Mystery Heaven Grand Array and breaking through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck.
What would the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment stage be? Would it still be unraveling arrays?
Once the Mystery Heaven Grand Array was unraveled, what else was there to unravel? A second-grade mystery array? Mo Hua frowned.
"It's possible..."
Generally speaking, it did seem to be the case.
But he still had a nagging doubt—would the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment stage truly be that simple?
After all, his spiritual sense was already very strong.
With his sixteen-pattern qualitative change spiritual sense, unraveling a second-grade mystery array of the initial stage of Foundation Establishment shouldn't be difficult.
But what if it wasn't that simple? What other changes could there be? Mo Hua frowned in thought.
"From Qi Refining to breaking through to Foundation Establishment... the spiritual sea undergoes a reconstruction after being refined by the Mystery Heaven Grand Array, and the spiritual sense is compressed and qualitatively changed..."
"Qualitative change..."
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
"Could the bottleneck be... a 'qualitative change' in spiritual sense?"
"Is it requiring me... to further 'qualitatively change' my spiritual sense on top of the reconstruction?"
How could he further qualitatively change it? Mo Hua thought about it and realized that the only method of "qualitative change" he knew of... seemed to be the same as before, through killing Horned Demons and obtaining the faint golden "divine marrow" to make his spiritual sense undergo a further "divinization"...
Didn't that mean...
Mo Hua thought about it.
In order to break through the bottlenecks of his cultivation technique and advance his cultivation realm, he would have to continuously "devour" divine marrow to make his spiritual sense "divine" and undergo further qualitative changes? Mo Hua was stunned, and he couldn't help but draw in a cold breath.
No way...
Surely there wasn't such an outrageous cultivation technique in this world...
Did he have to "eat" divinity to break through?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
