Chapter 53: Disciple

Bai Zisheng felt a bit guilty, but then grew annoyed with himself for losing his composure. He straightened his chest, lifted his head, and glared at Mo Hua.

"They probably have other motives for seeking apprenticeship..."

Mo Hua muttered to himself, then ignored Bai Zisheng and focused on reading the *Elementary Guide to Five Elements Formations*, a book used for beginners.

He intended to finish the book today so that he could ask Master Zhuang some questions this evening; if he kept chatting, he wouldn't finish in time.

Finding no enjoyment in the conversation, and being new to the area and unsure of what to do, Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi sat to the side, holding spirit stones and meditating to cultivate.

As they cultivated, a faint blue spiritual energy radiated around them. Judging by the density of their spiritual power, the two should have already reached the late stage of Qi Refinement.

Mo Hua clicked his tongue inwardly. The foundation of a great aristocratic clan was indeed different from that of ordinary cultivators. Although the two were only two or three years older than him, their cultivation was already four or five minor realms higher than his own.

Furthermore, judging by Bai Zisheng's words earlier, their talent and proficiency in formations were also quite high.

Mo Hua thought to himself, "There are always people greater than oneself and heavens beyond heavens. I must not be arrogant, but I should not be discouraged either. I should just focus steadily on my cultivation and learning formations."

Mo Hua quickly calmed his mind and returned his focus to the formation book.

A cool breeze rose through the mountains, scattering leaves and rippling the pond water before everything returned to stillness.

Master Zhuang's courtyard originally had only one disciple, but now it had three.

And among the three registered disciples, Mo Hua had become the one with the lowest visible cultivation, the poorest aptitude, and the most unremarkable presence.

By the time Mo Hua finished reading the *Elementary Guide to Five Elements Formations* and finished asking Master Zhuang his questions, evening was approaching. The sunset glow draped over the mountains, signaling it was time to go home.

Mo Hua bid farewell to Master Zhuang, said goodbye to the Bai siblings at the crossroads, and then headed down the mountain path, carrying his storage bag amidst the evening light.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi took a different mountain path. Halfway through, Bai Zisheng couldn't help but ask

"Auntie Xue, can you tell what kind of spiritual root Mo Hua has?"

Auntie Xue hesitated for a moment before saying, "Judging by the fluctuations of his spiritual energy, it should be a Minor Five Elements spiritual root. His spiritual energy is meager, his quality is mediocre to low, and it seems he hasn't formally studied any cultivation techniques yet."

"A common Minor Five Elements root, mediocre quality, reading introductory formation books..."

Bai Zisheng muttered, then added, "With talent like mine and my sister's, Master Zhuang was only willing to accept us as registered disciples because of Mother's influence. What makes that kid Mo Hua so special that Master Zhuang would accept him as a registered disciple?"

Auntie Xue frowned slightly, recalling Mo Hua's behavior, and said

"Master Zhuang is unconventional in his ways; he doesn't necessarily only look at aptitude when taking disciples..."

She explained further, "Besides, the path of cultivation is long; one cannot judge solely by immediate speed. This child, Mo Hua, likely comes from a rogue cultivator background. Rogue cultivators are different from great clans; they have no heritage and very little foundation. Whether it is cultivation or formations, they start very late and progress very slowly. Their progress cannot be compared to the children of great clans."

Bai Zisheng asked, "Is the gap between rogue cultivators and great clans really that large?"

"The gap is more than large; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a world of difference."

Auntie Xue sighed and said

"Any unremarkable cultivation technique or formation inheritance from a great clan, if placed in the hands of a rogue cultivator, could be considered a family treasure. The introductory texts our Bai family provides to our disciples are things ordinary rogue disciples might never even see in their entire lives."

Bai Zisheng was secretly stunned.

Auntie Xue then cautioned, "Regardless of Mo Hua's background, you are now considered half-fellow disciples. You must not be disrespectful or hold grudges against him. You must also be mindful of your words, otherwise, you might incur Master Zhuang's displeasure."

"I understand, Auntie Xue," Bai Zisheng replied, sounding half-convinced.

The next day, the Bai siblings went up the mountain at the Hour of the Dragon to study with Mo Hua at Master Zhuang's place.

Old Man Kui placed two more stone tables under the large locust tree, adjacent to Mo Hua's small table.

The three children practiced and studied individually, and in the evening, they would go to Master Zhuang together to seek answers.

Whether in terms of cultivation or knowledge of formations, the Bai siblings were a level above Mo Hua. Many of the questions they asked were difficult for Mo Hua to fully grasp, but Master Zhuang would often offer a few casual pointers that hit the mark perfectly.

Although Mo Hua did not understand everything thoroughly, he benefited greatly from this subtle influence.

Thinking this way, Mo Hua felt it was a good thing that Master Zhuang had accepted the Bai siblings as registered disciples; otherwise, there were many questions he had never even encountered, leaving him with nothing to ask.

Now, with others asking questions and Master Zhuang providing answers, Mo Hua only needed to listen attentively.

In this manner, the three of them became Master Zhuang's registered disciples. Their daily lives consisted of practicing and drawing formations, then seeking answers from Master Zhuang before returning home.

The three did not speak much on ordinary days. Mo Hua was intensely focused when reading and had little time for idle chatter.

Bai Zisheng was somewhat arrogant; since Mo Hua didn't seek him out, he naturally wouldn't seek out Mo Hua. Bai Zixi had a somewhat cold temperament and was also not very talkative.

This routine continued for a month, until one evening, Da Hu and the other two found Mo Hua and told him the Lotus Festival had arrived, inviting him to go out and enjoy the festivities.

The Lotus Festival was a small festival, but quite lively.

It was said to have been established to commemorate a highly meritorious cultivator from Tongxian City. Every year at this time, incense is burned and the Nine-Bend Lotus precious lamps are lit to send out remembrances.

Mo Hua had been drawing formations all day, exhausting his divine sense. He had also used meditation techniques twice and shouldn't use them again. Since he had nothing else to do, he went out with his three companions to see the excitement.

As they passed the far left of the neighborhood, they discovered a newly built cave dwelling. The location was somewhat remote and the plot was quite large; it looked as though several adjacent houses had been bought, demolished, and rebuilt.

The entrance of the cave dwelling had no plaque and was built with blue-gray bricks and stones. It looked low-key, yet it stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens amidst the low, flat houses of the rogue cultivators.

Mo Hua asked in confusion, "When did a cave dwelling appear here?"

Xiao Hu said, "You haven't wandered around here in a long time, so you wouldn't know. This cave dwelling has been built for a month."

Looking at the high walls of the cave dwelling, Xiao Hu sighed, "How many spirit stones must it have taken to build this place?"

"At least..." Da Hu counted on his fingers, failed to calculate it, and finally scratched his head, "Tens of thousands of spirit stones, probably..."

"I'd estimate tens of thousands..."

"Tens of thousands of spirit stones... I won't be able to save that much in my entire life..."

"Can't you have some ambition?"

"Even if you have ambition, can you actually save it?"

Shuang Hu said, "I said one should have ambition, I didn't say one must definitely be able to save the spirit stones. Most of those people who set out to become immortals... didn't they mostly die before they ever became immortals?"

Da Hu and Xiao Hu nodded in unison, feeling he had a point.

Shuang Hu asked curiously, "This place is so remote, far from the market, and the neighbors are all ordinary rogue cultivators. Who would bother building such a large cave dwelling here? Do they just have too many spirit stones?"

"Exactly, it's about having too many spirit stones. If I had that many, I'd build a huge cave dwelling too."

"Then who do you think the owner of this place is?" Shuang Hu turned to Mo Hua and asked, "Mo Hua, do you know?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "How would I know?"

Before the three could finish speaking, the gates of the cave dwelling opened.

A boy with handsome brows and bright eyes walked out, followed by a girl as delicate as carved jade, and a slender female cultivator wearing a veil.

Mo Hua recognized them at a glance; it was the Bai siblings and Auntie Xue.

The Bai siblings also saw Mo Hua's group. Bai Zisheng froze for a moment. "Mo Hua?"

Da Hu and the others stared at Mo Hua in unison. Mo Hua was also stunned; he hadn't expected the owners of this cave dwelling to be the Bai siblings.

Bai Zisheng asked, "What are you doing here?"

Mo Hua replied, "I'm just strolling through the streets."

"Strolling?"

It was as if Bai Zisheng were hearing the word for the first time. His expression brightened with excitement, and he then looked expectantly at Auntie Xue.

Beside him, Bai Zixi's eyes also brightened slightly, her autumn-water eyes turning toward Auntie Xue.