Chapter 58: Gift

Mo Hua returned home and told his parents about his upcoming breakthrough to the fourth level of Qi Refinement and his need for a cultivation technique.

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua were quite pleased. To become a fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivator at Mo Hua's age made him an outstanding talent among his peers in Tongxian City.

As for the matter of the technique, Mo Shan told Mo Hua not to worry

"Your mother and I have already discussed it. Since we cannot learn techniques from the Tongxian Sect, we can only find experienced rogue cultivators to teach one. There is a senior surnamed Han among the demon hunters of Tongxian City; he possesses a Minor Five Elements spiritual root of medium grade. In a few days, I will invite Senior Han for drinks and ask for his help. Senior Han is a warm-hearted man and should be willing to assist. When the time comes, we will simply give him some spirit stones as compensation. It's just..."

Mo Shan paused, then continued, "It's just that Senior Han is also from a rogue cultivator background. He often says that while his technique is a family heirloom and quite complete, it isn't a particularly high-quality inheritance. As one progresses further into cultivation, it might lack prospects..."

Mo Shan wanted to give Mo Hua the very best, but since this was all he could provide, a hint of disappointment flickered across his face.

Mo Hua, instead, offered comfort: "Dad, I want to be an Array Master in the future. An Array Master only needs abundant divine sense; there isn't much strict requirement regarding cultivation techniques, as long as one can cultivate steadily. This technique has been passed down through Senior Han's generations, which shows it is stable and won't cause any mishaps. That is better than anything else."

Only then did Mo Shan's expression ease. Liu Ruhua also stroked Mo Hua's head and said softly, "Let's eat. Get some rest after eating; you have to study arrays with Mr. Zhuang tomorrow."

"Mhm," Mo Hua nodded obediently.

Bai Zisheng had said he would help Mo Hua find a few techniques, but Mo Hua hadn't told his parents. He knew that the larger the great clans were, the stricter their inheritances became, and they would never pass things on to outsiders lightly.

Furthermore, nothing comes without a price, and he did not want to incur a debt of gratitude from Bai Zisheng—especially since he couldn't afford to repay such a favor right now.

To his surprise, the next day, Bai Zisheng actually brought several jade slips and handed them to Mo Hua like a thief.

"I snatched these while Auntie Xue wasn't looking. Take a look yourself and see if any are suitable. If you find one you like, keep it, and I'll return the rest."

Mo Hua's mouth hung open, speechless.

Bai Zisheng grew smug. "Well? Aren't you moved!"

While Bai Zisheng appeared somewhat arrogant, he was a person of great warmth.

Mo Hua asked, "Won't you be punished for stealing cultivation techniques?"

Bai Zisheng snorted. "I am a direct descendant of the Bai family. Forget a few low-to-mid grade techniques; even if I took an ancestral innate treasure, they wouldn't dare do anything to me."

Disbelief was written all over Mo Hua's face.

Bai Zisheng was indignant. "Do you think I'd lie to you?"

"It would only be a year or two of confinement; it's no big deal," Bai Zixi said in a flat tone, though a faint smile played in her eyes.

Bai Zisheng's face flushed slightly.

After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua shook his head. "I can't take these. I won't have you implicated because of me."

Bai Zisheng said unhappily, "I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?"

Bai Zixi also said softly, "Although these techniques are valuable, they aren't particularly rare to the Bai family. Just practice them; nothing will happen. Otherwise, Auntie Xue wouldn't have let brother take them out."

"Exactly, exactly!" Bai Zisheng nodded hurriedly, then suddenly let out an "Ah!" "How did Auntie Xue know I took them?"

Bai Zixi gave him a slight glance. "Every single thing you do is seen by Auntie Xue; you're the only one who thinks others don't know."

Bai Zisheng's shoulders slumped, his spirit somewhat dampened.

It would be a lie to say Mo Hua wasn't tempted. He also wanted to know what kind of techniques the great clans practiced and what mysteries they held.

Having made up his mind, Mo Hua stopped declining. He silently noted the kindness of the Bai siblings in his heart, then took the jade slips from Bai Zisheng and began to read

*<Minor Five Elements Manual>: Suitable for those with medium-grade Five Elements spiritual roots. A simplified version of the high-grade <Great Five Elements Manual>. A cultivator can refine up to thirty-three cycles of spiritual power and control the five elemental spells of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Simple and versatile...*

*<Spirit Concealment Manual>: Suitable for those with medium-grade water-type spiritual roots. Can cultivate twenty-eight cycles of spiritual power. Suitable for concealment-type spells...*

*<Blazing Flame Manual>: Suitable for those with medium-grade fire-type spiritual roots. Can refine thirty-five cycles of spiritual power and increase the power of fire-type spells by ten to twenty percent...*

*<Water-Wood Spirit Art>: Suitable for those with medium-grade water and wood spiritual roots. Can refine thirty-six cycles of spiritual power. Practicing this technique can cleanse the meridians and nourish the physique, reducing cultivation bottlenecks. This technique can nourish the body but cannot strengthen it; it is not suitable as a primary combat body-refining technique. Required spiritual items: Heavenly Ginseng Wood, Boundless Water, Spirit-Transforming Liquid...*

...

Mo Hua's eyes grew dizzy. He felt that every single one was excellent, but as he continued reading, his brow gradually furrowed.

"Is none of them suitable?" Seeing Mo Hua frowning, Bai Zisheng couldn't help but ask.

Mo Hua asked tentatively, "What is Heavenly Ginseng Wood?"

"Heavenly Ginseng Wood is the root-wood of the Heavenly Ginseng. It can nourish the body, and it isn't too precious."

"Then how many spirit stones does it cost?"

"Heavenly Ginseng sprouts are extremely precious, but Heavenly Ginseng Wood is much cheaper, probably around a few hundred spirit stones per branch," Bai Zisheng said, somewhat uncertainly.

"Then what is Boundless Water?"

Bai Zisheng didn't know either, so he scratched his head and looked at Bai Zixi.

Bai Zixi's beautiful eyes shifted slightly as she spoke, "Boundless Water is seawater from the Boundless Sea. It must be refined by an alchemist for forty-nine days to remove the impurities from the seawater; what remains is Boundless Water. Boundless Water isn't expensive, but it is time-consuming. A small bottle of Boundless Water costs about a thousand spirit stones. In remote areas, it's even more expensive. Furthermore, this kind of spiritual item is quite niche; even if you have spirit stones, you might not be able to find it."

Mo Hua took a sharp breath.

What kind of techniques were these? He simply couldn't afford to practice them!

Even for a technique like the <Water-Wood Spirit Art>, which only required one branch of Heavenly Ginseng Wood and one small bottle of Boundless Water, the required spirit stones far exceeded Mo Hua's expectations.

Moreover, according to the descriptions, cultivation required spiritual items, breakthroughs required spiritual items, and there were also spirit stones for daily cultivation. Accumulated together, it would be an astronomical sum, far beyond what Mo Hua could bear.

And this was only the consumption during the Qi Refinement stage. The Foundation Establishment stage that followed was even more extreme. It was common knowledge that the further one progressed in cultivation, the more resources were required.

Even if Mo Hua truly became a First-Grade Array Master and drew arrays day and night, he might still not be able to afford the costs of such cultivation.

Mo Hua looked at Bai Zisheng, then at Bai Zixi, and couldn't help but ask, "Do the disciples in your family all practice techniques like these?"

"Of course not," Bai Zisheng shook his head. "Direct descendants practice even superior techniques. The natural treasures they require are much more precious than these. Some spiritual items are so rare they have no market price and are kept only within the family, never passed to outsiders."

"But those techniques are also not allowed to be passed on. Even if one wanted to, without the specific spiritual items required for cultivation, outsiders wouldn't be able to practice them anyway."

"The ones I gave you are the best among the techniques that are allowed to be passed on at one's discretion. Generally, even branch disciples or children of concubines might not be qualified to practice them unless they have exceptional aptitude."

"Does your family provide the spiritual items needed to practice the techniques?" Mo Hua asked.

"I don't know about others, but for Zixi and me, everything we use for cultivation is provided by Mother," Bai Zisheng said.

Bai Zixi glanced at Bai Zisheng and said calmly

"The family divides disciples into ranks based on their legitimacy and talent. The more direct the descendant and the better the talent, the higher their rank within the clan, and the more cultivation resources they are given. For direct descendants with excellent talent, as long as it is required for cultivation, they can basically ask for anything they need..."

"For other disciples, if they want to practice better techniques, they must find ways to obtain the cultivation resources that exceed their assigned rank. Generally, parents or other relatives use merit points to exchange for spiritual items from the clan."

"Regardless of the situation, the children of great families only need to focus on cultivation. They don't need to worry about finding the spirit stones and spiritual items required for it."

"That's right," Bai Zisheng nodded. "Whether it's our Bai family or other great families, we have lasted for at least a thousand years. Our accumulated foundation is profound, and our channels for obtaining natural treasures are extensive. Aside from things that are truly extinct, any natural treasure that can be obtained is not considered scarce."

Mo Hua was shaken to his core. The resources of the great families were as vast as the ocean, and their inheritances as numerous as the stars, while what a rogue cultivator could obtain was merely a grain of sand in the sea.

No wonder the Qi Refinement stage was only the beginning for cultivators, but for low-level rogue cultivators, it was a lifetime.