Mo Hua read through the manual's description once more. There were only a few brief sentences: the technique placed no restrictions on spiritual root grade or attribute, the number of spiritual energy cycles cultivated was relatively low, the bottleneck lay in the divine sense, and it was not suitable for anyone other than an array master.
Although it did not specify which spiritual items were required, the description carried a strange undertone.
How could there be a technique that placed no restrictions on spiritual roots?
The low level of refined spiritual energy was understandable; after all, if there were no restrictions on spiritual roots, it meant even those with low-grade roots could practice it, so the resulting spiritual energy naturally wouldn't be profound.
But what did it mean that the bottleneck was in the divine sense? And why was it unsuitable for anyone other than an array master?
...
Mo Hua frowned in thought. After an unknown amount of time, Mr. Zhuang opened his eyes. "Have you made your choice?"
Mo Hua snapped back to reality. "I have made my choice, Teacher, but I am unsure which one is more suitable."
"Bring them here for me to see."
Mo Hua respectfully handed the selected techniques to Mr. Zhuang.
Mr. Zhuang looked through them one by one. His expression remained calm, but he felt somewhat displeased in his heart.
The techniques Mo Hua had chosen were all ones picked by Old Man Kui; not a single one of the techniques Mr. Zhuang had picked had been selected by Mo Hua. This made Mr. Zhuang feel like he had lost face.
It wasn't until he flipped to the last jade slip that Mr. Zhuang's eyes lit up.
On a primitive, pale jade slip, the three words "Tian Yan Jue" were engraved.
This was one of the "unconventional" techniques Mr. Zhuang had selected.
Mr. Zhuang was greatly satisfied, feeling that this child Mo Hua had decent taste and was a promising student.
Seeing Mr. Zhuang's gaze linger on the *Tian Yan Jue*, Mo Hua asked the question he cared about most
"Teacher, the cultivation essentials for this *Tian Yan Jue* do not list any required spiritual items. Does that mean it can be practiced without any heavenly treasures or earthly wonders?"
"Correct," Mr. Zhuang nodded.
Mo Hua was overjoyed, but he quickly regained his composure. "In the cultivation of the Great Dao, every action has a reaction; there is gain for every sacrifice. If it can be practiced without spiritual items from heaven and earth, does that mean there will be troubles in other aspects of practicing this technique?"
Mr. Zhuang's eyes showed approval, and he spoke slowly
"This is an ancient technique."
"An ancient technique?" Mo Hua was puzzled. "Is there a difference?"
"There are differences, and yet there are none. The techniques practiced by the ancients are techniques, and the techniques practiced by people today are also techniques. They are all methods for seeking immortality and the Dao, and each has its own merits and flaws; one cannot generalize..."
"Some ancient techniques have been refined and improved by generations of cultivators, becoming increasingly stable with fewer bottlenecks. They yield twice the result with half the effort, naturally becoming the mainstream techniques of the current cultivation world. Some ancient techniques are obscure and strange, difficult to practice, and yield mediocre results once mastered, so they have gradually been abandoned..."
"Some techniques are cruel and sinister, easily causing one to lose their mind and fall into demonic cultivation, so they are banned by the Dao Court. There are also techniques that can defy heaven to change fate; their cultivation conditions are extremely harsh, and they are fought over by great cultivators, resulting in them being either damaged or lost, eventually remaining only as legends passed down through word of mouth..."
"Are all ancient techniques unrestricted by spiritual roots?" Mo Hua asked.
"Not necessarily. Most techniques restrict spiritual root attributes, and a few do not restrict spiritual root grade—allowing anyone from high-grade to low-grade to practice—but those are in the minority."
"The practice of categorizing spiritual roots and techniques by grade was promoted and implemented across the Nine Provinces of the cultivation world by the great families and sects after the unification by the Dao Court. On one hand, it was to standardize the vast and complex array of techniques to make cultivation easier for practitioners; on the other hand..."
In truth, it was to monopolize the inheritance of techniques...
Mr. Zhuang's gaze tightened slightly, but he did not continue, saying only, "You will understand in the future."
"Oh," Mo Hua nodded, half-understanding, and asked again, "Teacher, what kind of ancient technique is this *Tian Yan Jue*?"
"It likely belongs to the obscure and strange category."
Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment and added, "People have practiced this technique before. It is easy to learn, requiring only the refinement of spirit stones, but the bottleneck during breakthroughs is very strange. The bottlenecks of other techniques usually lie in the meridians or the sea of qi, requiring the refinement of spiritual items from heaven and earth to break through. The bottleneck of this technique, however, lies in the sea of consciousness. The sea of consciousness is illusory and unpredictable, making it difficult to grasp, and there are very few spiritual items used to assist it. Therefore, whether one can break through is an unknown."
"No matter how rare a spiritual item is, there is always a way to obtain it; it is merely a matter of the cost. But when facing problems with the sea of consciousness, it becomes troublesome—sometimes, there is no way to even begin. Coupled with the fact that the spiritual energy produced by this technique is low and offers no other benefits, people have gradually stopped practicing it."
Mo Hua listened silently, then asked his final question
"Then what does the note 'not suitable for anyone other than an array master' mean? Does one have to become an array master to practice this technique?"
"No," Mr. Zhuang shook his head. "It does not mean you must become an array master to practice it. Rather, among the various professions of cultivation, only array masters consume the most divine sense; their application and understanding of the sea of consciousness are higher than other cultivators. Since the bottleneck of *Tian Yan Jue* lies in the divine sense, it is naturally most suitable for array masters. Or rather, if an array master cannot practice it, then cultivators of other disciplines will find it even more impossible."
"I see..."
Mo Hua calculated in his mind and then made his decision.
Seeing this, Mr. Zhuang asked, "Have you decided which technique you want to practice?"
"I have," Mo Hua nodded. "Teacher, I want to practice *Tian Yan Jue*."
Mr. Zhuang felt a slight sense of relief, feeling that this child Mo Hua truly had a certain affinity with him, unlike Old Man Kui, whose taste in techniques was so vulgar.
Mr. Zhuang was about to hand the *Tian Yan Jue* jade slip to Mo Hua, but he suddenly hesitated. After a moment, he sighed and asked with a solemn tone
"Mo Hua, have you truly decided?"
Mo Hua looked at Mr. Zhuang with slight confusion.
"This technique is easy to practice, but there are too many variables during breakthroughs, and the spiritual energy is not strong. Whether in cultivation or combat, you will ultimately be at a disadvantage."
Despite some reluctance, Mr. Zhuang pointed to the techniques Mo Hua had "left over"
"Though these techniques cannot be called unconventional, they are stable and practical, and the spiritual energy cycles they produce are quite high. They require some spiritual items, and while that might be a bit troublesome, they are not expensive; there will always be a way to get them."
However, Mo Hua said firmly, "I have decided. My spiritual root is mediocre, so I was never in a position to compare myself with others. I only hope to make some progress in arrays so as not to fail your teachings. Since I wish to become an array master, the divine sense is naturally the most important thing; the amount of spiritual energy doesn't matter much."
"The bottleneck for an array master is the divine sense, and the bottleneck for *Tian Yan Jue* is also the divine sense. For me, they are essentially the same. As long as I focus on studying arrays and strengthening my divine sense, it will be fine. The path of cultivation is not a smooth one; success depends on heaven, but effort depends on man."
Mr. Zhuang was slightly stunned, then nodded. "You are right. It is rare for someone of your age to have such a resilient Dao heart."
Mo Hua could not bear such praise and said somewhat sheepishly, "It's not that my Dao heart is resilient..."
Mr. Zhuang was bewildered.
"It's mainly because I can't afford the other techniques. This technique doesn't require spiritual items, so I can only choose this one..."
Mr. Zhuang: "..."
Mo Hua was also helpless.
Problems with the divine sense could eventually be figured out, but those "some spiritual items" often cost thousands or even tens of thousands of spirit stones. As a rogue cultivator, Mo Hua truly had no way to manage.
When one is poor, the Dao heart naturally becomes resilient; if it isn't, it has no choice but to be.