Chapter 918: Lifesoul Artifact
Chapter 918: Lifesoul Artifact
The next day, after attending a cultivation class, the news of Mo Hua's advancement to the late Foundation Establishment stage spread throughout the sect, causing a minor sensation.
The top array master of the Great Void Sect, the leader in array paths, and the senior brother of thousands of disciples, had finally reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, just like his junior brothers.
This exceptional senior brother, who was "promoted" to the late Foundation Establishment grade, no longer had to worry about being "held back."
Everyone in the Great Void Sect breathed a sigh of relief.
Along the way, he encountered several sect elders who smiled and gestured to Mo Hua, congratulating him.
Some of his junior brothers even hosted a banquet in the dining hall and treated Mo Hua to a grand meal. Each of them presented him with small gifts as a token of their well-wishes.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on your success in reaching the late Foundation Establishment stage!"
Cheng Mo raised his cup, and together with the other sect members, they all cheered in unison.
Mo Hua was touched, but he also felt that they were being a bit over-the-top.
He was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage...
Mo Hua was a bit puzzled, so he asked Cheng Mo, "Did you celebrate like this when you reached the late Foundation Establishment stage?"
Cheng Mo shook his head. "No."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "No?"
"Well," Cheng Mo explained, "When we advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage, it was nothing special, not worth mentioning. But Senior Brother, you are different from us. Your journey to the late Foundation Establishment stage was truly arduous and exhausting, so we must celebrate it."
If it weren't for Cheng Mo's straightforward nature, Mo Hua might have thought that this guy was making fun of him.
The others around them nodded in agreement:
"Senior Brother's advancement to the late Foundation Establishment stage was not easy, and it's worth celebrating."
"..."
Mo Hua's expression was complex, and he finally sighed.
It was supposed to be a happy occasion, but with everyone's congratulations, Mo Hua felt a bit "discriminated" against.
Nevertheless, this was a sincere gesture from his junior brothers, and even though his feelings were mixed, he accepted it gracefully.
In the following days, people familiar with Mo Hua, such as Wen Ren Wan, Elder Gu Hong of the Gu family, Gu Changhuai, and Xia Dian Si of the Xia family, all sent him gifts.
Wen Ren Wan even prepared a banquet and treated Mo Hua to a grand meal.
To avoid interrupting Mo Hua's cultivation, they kept it low-key, only preparing a few of Mo Hua's favorite dishes in a restaurant in Void City.
Mo Hua enjoyed the meal immensely.
After a few days of celebration, Mo Hua's heart began to settle down.
With his advancement to the late Foundation Establishment stage, it was time to focus on the matters of this new stage.
Cultivation was a continuous journey, one hurdle after another. Overcoming this obstacle, many more awaited him in the future.
One must not become arrogant due to temporary achievements.
Nor should one become anxious or lazy because of the grandness of the goal.
Instead, one must take steady steps, one at a time, and walk the path beneath their feet.
Day after day, with diligent cultivation and gradual enlightenment, one could eventually achieve the impossible, forging the path to immortality.
It may seem tedious and long, but this was the true "shortcut."
Only with an unwavering Dao heart, great perseverance, and the ability to endure hardships, could one overcome countless obstacles and ultimately reach the end, attaining immortality.
Mo Hua calmed himself and, as usual, dedicated himself to cultivation, sword practice, and the study of array formations.
However, after a few days, he suddenly remembered something:
"Why hasn't Elder Solitary opened the door and summoned me for sword training?"
Mo Hua furrowed his brows.
Previously, he had exerted great effort in killing the Divine Remains and slaying the evil embryo.
Afterward, his physical body suffered damage, and he fell into a coma, receiving care from Elder Murong for several days.
When his injuries improved, he focused on refining the Divine Marrow, devouring the Divine Mind, solving the puzzle array, breaking through bottlenecks, and was busy without a moment's rest.
When he finally came to his senses, he suddenly realized that more than seven days had passed, and Elder Solitary had not summoned him yet.
"Did Elder Solitary forget about this?"
Elder Solitary was already very old, and no one knew how long he had lived. It was normal for him to have occasional memory lapses.
Mo Hua patiently waited.
But after waiting for several more days, two "seven-day periods" had passed, and there was still no movement from the disciple's residence.
There was no rift in the void, no sight of those skeletal hands, nothing at all.
"Did Elder Solitary... no longer want to teach me? Or has something happened to him?" Mo Hua's eyebrows knitted together.
He extended his finger and drew in the air.
It was a pity.
He was only at the Foundation Establishment stage and couldn't tear open the rift in the void.
He couldn't go to the inner mountain, nor could he see Elder Solitary, so he had no way to ask the elder about what had happened.
Mo Hua became deeply concerned.
He felt that Elder Solitary had bestowed upon him the kindness of "transmitting the Dao and imparting skills." Now, with Elder Solitary's situation unknown, Mo Hua felt he should do something for the elder.
So, during the day, when no one was paying attention, Mo Hua secretly sneaked towards the inner mountain.
But the inner mountain was a forbidden area, and he was naturally not allowed to enter.
He didn't even get close to the inner mountain before he was stopped.
Technically, an outer sect disciple entering the inner mountain without permission should be punished. However, Mo Hua's situation was special; everyone knew the legend of him being Elder Solitary's "grandchild," not to mention his status as the leader in array paths. The inner mountain elder turned a blind eye.
"You shouldn't wander around the inner mountain. Go back soon, or I can't ignore it... But I'll let it slide this time," the inner mountain elder said amicably.
"Yes, yes, I just got lost," Mo Hua replied.
Making up excuses was easy for him.
After leaving the inner mountain elder, Mo Hua wandered around the area, but he couldn't find the path to the inner mountain.
Even though Mo Hua was very familiar with the Great Void Sect, it was limited to the outer mountain and outer sect.
The inner mountain, including the rarely visited inner mountain, was not within his usual "territory."
After searching for a while without any results, Mo Hua had no choice but to return.
If he continued searching and was caught again, it would be difficult to explain.
The elders weren't fools; turning a blind eye once was one thing, but to take advantage of their kindness repeatedly would be offensive.
Mo Hua sighed, turned around, and walked away. After a few steps, he couldn't help but look back.
The ancient and vast Void Mountain resembled a colossal dragon, lying dormant in the Qianxue State.
The outer mountain stretched like a dragon's tail, but the inner mountain was the true source of the mountain range, the real "dragon's head."
This dragon's head soared into the clouds, shrouded in deep mist, appearing mysterious and awe-inspiring, with a chilling height.
His divine perception couldn't sense anything, and even the cause and effect calculations were futile.
Mo Hua had no idea where the Sword Tomb was, nor did he know where Elder Solitary was guarding.
He had a vague feeling that there seemed to be an array formation that isolated everything and kept the most confidential things hidden deep within the misty mountain peaks.
"The Great Void Sect likely holds many more secrets..."
It might even hide great dangers.
Only those with sufficiently high cultivation levels could access them.
Mo Hua stood still, gazing at the mountain behind him, his eyes deep and unblinking. After an unknown amount of time, he silently turned around and walked away along the green stone mountain path.
...
The disciples were gathered in the center.
Mo Hua sat alone.
Solitary Elder did not respond, and no one was there to guide him in the "special" path of Sword Dao.
Mo Hua felt both regret and worry.
The mountain behind was a forbidden area, and unless he could break through the void, he had no way to enter.
Now it seemed that the mountain might already be sealed off, and the space was locked, so even if he could break through the void, he probably couldn't get in.
Mo Hua sighed.
"I hope Elder Solitary, a man of good fortune, will one day be able to meet again..."
Mo Hua silently wished in his heart.
After that, he could only put this matter aside for now and start considering his cultivation again.
After all, the first priority for cultivators was cultivation.
As long as a cultivator was alive, they had to cultivate.
A cultivator who didn't cultivate was worse off than dead.
"I've already reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. The next step is the Golden Core..."
"But I've only just broken through, and my cultivation is not yet mature enough. There's still a considerable distance to achieving a true Golden Core."
"Moreover, the Golden Core is not that simple..."
After some thought, Mo Hua realized that there was still much to do to achieve Core Formation.
He was on the path of Divine Perception Enlightenment, cultivating the Divine Thought Foundation. Therefore, before breaking through to the Golden Core, his Divine Perception had to first form a core and reach the Twentieth Rank.
Once his cultivation broke through to the Golden Core, his Divine Perception would multiply and even undergo a qualitative change.
The stronger his Divine Perception was before formal Core Formation, the better.
For every additional rank above the Twentieth, his foundation in Divine Will would deepen by a fraction.
Currently, his Divine Perception was only a hair's breadth away from the Twentieth Rank Golden Core.
But this last bit didn't seem to be something that could be achieved through simple cultivation or by consuming Malevolent Spirits. It likely required some opportunity, enlightenment, or consuming something special.
However, Mo Hua wasn't entirely sure how to go about it without the right opportunity.
Divine Perception Core Formation required an opportunity.
On the other hand, another issue was more pressing, even urgent, to the point where he had to consider it now:
"Artifact!"
The essential companion to breaking through the Golden Core, the lifeblood of Golden Core cultivators, and to some extent, the determinant of a Golden Core cultivator's battle prowess—the Lifesoul Artifact!
He could put off the matter of the Lifesoul Artifact before, but now that Mo Hua had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, the next step was to consider Core Formation. It was truly a matter that could no longer be delayed.
If he didn't come up with a solution and kept procrastinating, he might never achieve Core Formation in this lifetime.
The problem was not that Mo Hua wanted to delay; it was that he had no other choice.
He racked his brains but couldn't think of what he should choose as his Lifesoul Artifact.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and then submerged his Divine Perception into the Sea of Consciousness, arriving before the Dao Stele. With a glimmer of hope, he whispered:
"Are you willing to be my Lifesoul Artifact?"
The Dao Stele didn't even bother to acknowledge him.
Mo Hua secretly glanced at the Tribulation Lightning on the Dao Stele and immediately dismissed the "presumptuous" thought before even speaking it.
Using Tribulation Lightning as an artifact would likely result in him being struck and reduced to ashes before he could achieve Core Formation.
Moreover, Tribulation Lightning wasn't a Spirit Tool and couldn't be used as an artifact.
Mo Hua withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness and took out the Void Bamboo Sword given to him by Elder Solitary.
This bamboo sword appeared ordinary, but it contained the ancient Sword Intent of the Great Void Sect, the ultimate Sword Dao lineage forged by the blood and sweat of the Great Void Sect's masters throughout history.
"Use this bamboo sword as my Lifesoul Artifact?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and shook his head.
"This was given to me by Elder Solitary... no, 'lent' to me..."
It contained the Great Void Sect's supreme Sword Dao lineage, so how could he privately refine it into an artifact? Moreover, he wasn't a pure Sword Cultivation practitioner.
In the world of Divine Will, he relied on Divine Will Transformation Sword and Divine Thought Dao Transformation, making his sword techniques formidable in both close combat and long-range attacks, perhaps unmatched.
However, in the real world, his orthodox Sword Cultivation techniques were weak.
He did have a unique skill in sword manipulation, but each use would destroy a Spirit Sword.
He couldn't very well destroy his own Lifesoul Artifact...
"No..." Mo Hua shook his head.
"If not the sword, then..."
Mo Hua rummaged through his storage bag and took out a copper coin.
This was the copper coin given to him by his master, which he had used to divine good and bad fortune before entering the Demon Valley.
"A copper coin artifact?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and shook his head again, "It can't kill or defend; it can only be used for divination, like a fortune teller. That's not a good idea..."
It wouldn't do to have Golden Core cultivators fighting with sword and blade artifacts while he pulled out a copper coin to divine the future.
If he were to fight, he'd have to first secretly divine the future with his Lifesoul copper coin...
"Even if I do divine, it must be done secretly. I can't use this as an artifact openly..."
Mo Hua searched through his storage bag again. There were some Spirit Tools and treasures, but none of them seemed suitable.
He had no choice but to seek advice from others.
After all, he had come to Qianxue State to study the Dao, and if he knew everything, he wouldn't have joined a sect.
Mo Hua first asked his junior sect brothers.
He learned that these juniors' cultivation methods, Dao techniques, inherited Spirit Tools, Lifesoul Artifacts, and the quality of their Golden Cores were all arranged by their families, elders, and parents long ago.
Everything was already planned out.
They didn't have to worry about anything and could just follow the path laid out for them.
Mo Hua was a wandering cultivator, and not long ago, even Foundation Establishment was a distant dream, let alone the Golden Core.
The experiences of these juniors from "noble families" were of no use to him.
Mo Hua then sought advice from the Teaching Elder.
The Teaching Elder, with his extensive knowledge from years of teaching and guiding disciples, offered Mo Hua many suggestions.
Mo Hua's unique status and likable personality also helped.
Within the sect, both instructors and elders, whether for public or personal reasons, would wholeheartedly support Mo Hua and provide sincere advice, fearing that he would suffer a loss regarding his Lifesoul Artifact.
Some elders even painfully offered their private and secretive cultivation methods.
However, with so many suggestions, Mo Hua felt overwhelmed and indecisive.
The problem was that these recommendations were based on deep family backgrounds and abundant cultivation resources, requiring time, spirit materials, and spirit stones.
In the end, the power of the Lifesoul Artifact would only be comparable to that of a typical direct descendant of a noble family.
Of course, this was already quite impressive.
After all, Mo Hua's starting point was incredibly low, and the fact that he could now create a Lifesoul Artifact on par with those of noble descendants was a testament to the profound cultivation foundation of the Great Void Sect.
Logically, a Lifesoul Artifact of the caliber of a noble family's direct descendant was already considered a "luxury" for Mo Hua.
For a wandering cultivator like him to overcome numerous cultivation barriers and create an exceptional Lifesoul Artifact, comparable to those of noble descendants, was akin to "ascending to the heavens in one step."
Greed was not a good thing, and one shouldn't be too demanding.
However, the issue was that the means to create a Lifesoul Artifact were incredibly costly.
Moreover, since he was starting late, already at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, he had less time for the lengthy "nurturing" process, making the creation of the Lifesoul Artifact even more resource-intensive.
If he were to stay in the Great Void Sect, it wouldn't be a problem.
With the backing of the sect and the support of the Solitary Elder, he could take his time and use the sect's resources to properly nurture his Lifesoul Artifact.
But Mo Hua was well aware of his situation.
He couldn't stay in the Great Void Sect forever.
He had come to the sect to seek knowledge, cultivate, and make up for his shortcomings as a wandering cultivator, lacking in cultivation connections and a complete cultivation legacy.
He couldn't stay here indefinitely; he had more important matters to attend to.
He still had to save his master.
One day, perhaps not too far in the future, he would have to leave the Great Void Sect.
Once he left, he would be alone in the Nine Prefectures, facing an uncertain and dangerous journey without a stable environment or sufficient resources to nurture his Lifesoul Artifact.
Moreover, these Lifesoul Artifacts from noble families were designed for those with superior or superior-superior spirit roots, and they didn't quite match Mo Hua's aptitude or his cultivation methods.
Mo Hua had no choice but to seek advice from Elder Xun once again.
Elder Xun sat in the elders' residence, with the Celestial Mechanism Disk in front of him, seemingly preoccupied with something. He hadn't gotten much rest in recent days, but when Mo Hua asked for advice, he thoughtfully considered the question before slowly replying, "I've thought about this issue, but I haven't found a good solution, so I didn't mention it to you."
Elder Xun looked at Mo Hua with some regret and said, "To be honest, you've already missed the best age for nurturing a Lifesoul Artifact, and no matter what you choose now, it's unlikely to be entirely satisfactory..."
"I understand," Mo Hua nodded.
"Then what do you want to ask?"
Mo Hua asked, "Elder, what type of Lifesoul Artifact would be better for me? Should it be an offensive weapon like a sword or a defensive one like the Golden Glow Shield or the Iron Robe? Or perhaps a concealment, scouting, or escape artifact?"
Elder Xun pondered for a moment before replying, "As an Array Master, you have a deep understanding of array formations, and everything is interconnected. It's not suitable for you to have a single-function artifact, especially an offensive weapon like a sword."
"A Lifesoul Artifact is closely linked to a cultivator's life, and any damage to it will affect the cultivator. Your physical body is inherently fragile, and using a sword to engage in direct combat is not wise. If it gets damaged, the backlash will be severe."
"Some Array Masters also nurture artifacts that enhance their array drawing speed, improve their array drawing skills, or are related to array disks or array brushes."
"But the legacy of such artifacts is quite niche, and the enhancement is minimal. Your foundation in arrays is already solid, and you draw quickly, so this kind of enhancement is unnecessary for you."
Elder Xun slowly said, "Therefore... instead of focusing on offensive capabilities or enhancing arrays, it's better to use the artifact to compensate for your shortcomings..."
"Compensate?" Mo Hua was taken aback.
"Yes, a Lifesoul Artifact is an extension of your life, and you can use it to make up for your own deficiencies," Elder Xun nodded.
"What should I compensate for?" Mo Hua asked.
"Your biggest problem..." Elder Xun paused, "is your weak physical body and thin spiritual energy."
"So, the first choice is an artifact that enhances spiritual energy."
"The second choice is an artifact that strengthens the physical body."
"If all else fails, follow most Array Masters and cultivate a concealment, escape, or life-saving artifact."
Mo Hua pondered, "Enhance spiritual energy, strengthen the body, and escape..."
Elder Xun slightly nodded, "But the specific artifact you choose is up to you; I can't make that decision for you."
Elder Xun was aware of Mo Hua's true "background" and some of the cause and effect he carried.
However, he wasn't entirely clear about the cultivation path of Mo Hua's lineage, especially when it came to that person and the related sect, which often defied conventional reasoning.
Elder Xun was afraid of doing more harm than good by giving Mo Hua the wrong advice, so he could only offer suggestions.
The specifics were up to Mo Hua to decide based on his own unique and sometimes unconventional legacy.
Mo Hua nodded, "Thank you, Elder, for your guidance. I understand."
"Hmm," Elder Xun nodded and, after a moment of thought, added, "If you need anything, just ask. If you require a suitable 'embryo' for your artifact, let me know, and I'll check the Great Void Sect's storage for something suitable..."
Elder Xun was wholeheartedly dedicated to helping Mo Hua.
Mo Hua expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Elder Xun!"
Elder Xun silently glanced at Mo Hua and gently encouraged him, "Cultivate diligently. The path of cultivation is full of hardships, so take it one step at a time, and never lose heart."
"Yes!" Mo Hua nodded.
After bidding farewell to Elder Xun, Mo Hua returned to the disciples' residence.
Combining Elder Xun's advice with some cultivation manuals he found, such as the Comprehensive Guide to Cultivators' Artifacts, Beginner's Guide to Artifacts, and Golden Core Cultivation Starting with Lifesoul Artifacts, he still felt overwhelmed and indecisive.
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel conflicted, "What type of Lifesoul Artifact should I choose?"
(End of Chapter)
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