Chapter 57: Cultivation Technique

Mo Hua couldn't help but touch his face, then looked down at his clothes, asking in confusion, "What are you all looking at?"

Bai Zisheng couldn't resist asking, "What you just drew... was that a Three Talents Array?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Which kind of Three Talents Array?"

"Are there many kinds of Three Talents Arrays?"

"I mean... was it the kind of Three Talents Array that contains six layers of array patterns?"

"Yeah, is there something wrong with that?"

Bai Zisheng's gaze tightened slightly. "Your cultivation level is only at the third layer of Qi Refinement, right..."

"So?"

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi exchanged glances.

After a moment of contemplation, Mo Hua said as if realizing something

"Is being able to draw an array containing six layers of patterns at the third layer of Qi Refinement considered something extraordinary?"

He had assumed that in great families where geniuses gathered like clouds, being able to draw a few extra layers of patterns wouldn't be difficult.

Bai Zisheng was somewhat unconvinced. "It's not *that* unusual."

"Then could you draw a Three Talents Array when you were at the third layer of Qi Refinement?"

Bai Zisheng didn't want to answer. After a long pause, he stammered

"Well, that... although I couldn't draw it, it was because the elders in my clan wouldn't allow it. A Qi Refinement cultivator's divine sense is weak; if they force themselves to draw complex arrays, they might damage their sea of consciousness due to excessive consumption of divine sense, and then they won't be able to become an array master in the future. One cannot ruin their foundation by being overly ambitious."

"Oh," Mo Hua said, half-believing, half-doubting.

"However," Bai Zisheng added, "some cultivators in our clan are exceptionally gifted and can draw seven or eight layers of patterns even at the third layer of Qi Refinement. That isn't exactly a rare occurrence either."

Mo Hua nodded. He knew that while his talent was decent, in the cultivation world teeming with prodigies, it might not amount to much.

He understood the principle that there is always someone better and a higher heaven beyond.

Bai Zisheng then patted Mo Hua on the shoulder, comforting him

"Although drawing six layers of patterns at the third layer of Qi Refinement isn't rare, it's still very good. With this kind of array talent, even in our clan, you would be rated as middle-tier. As long as you work hard, you will surely achieve something in arrays in the future."

Hearing Bai Zisheng say this, Mo Hua actually felt relieved.

His goals weren't that grand. Being able to become a first-grade array master, having a way to make a living in the cultivation world, and making his parents happy was enough for now. As for what came after, that could wait.

Only Bai Zixi watched Bai Zisheng silently from the side.

Bai Zisheng felt inexplicably guilty, so he lowered his gaze and began to pretend to cultivate.

Among Master Zhuang's three registered disciples, the Bai siblings were twins; Bai Zisheng was the elder brother and Bai Zixi was the younger sister. They were two or three years older than Mo Hua, and their cultivation was at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, four layers higher than Mo Hua's.

This was because the children of great families emphasized the foundation of their cultivation, focusing on accumulating strength steadily rather than blindly pursuing rapid progress.

They had to advance step by step to build a profound foundation before attempting to break through realms; otherwise, their cultivation would be much higher than it was now.

In terms of array proficiency, Mo Hua felt he could catch up to the Bai siblings, but in terms of cultivation level, he might never catch up in his lifetime.

Thus, Mo Hua's daily routine involved practicing for about an hour every morning, absorbing one spirit stone, and cultivating at a steady, slow pace through sheer persistence.

With only a mid-to-low grade spiritual root, Mo Hua could only cultivate in this tedious, accumulative manner.

Mo Hua was in no hurry, nor could he afford to be, because being anxious was useless. Progress in cultivation was mostly determined by one's spiritual root, and there were no shortcuts.

One day, while Mo Hua was practicing, he suddenly felt a tingling and slight swelling sensation in his Qi sea. He knew his Qi sea was full and that he could consider breaking through to become a fourth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator.

Amidst the pleasant surprise, Mo Hua suddenly realized he had forgotten something important

He hadn't chosen a cultivation technique yet!

Previously, he had planned to save up enough spirit stones and then choose an affordable technique with a minor Five Elements attribute at the Immortal Gate—one that wouldn't consume too many heavenly and earthly resources.

But later, the sect leader of the Immortal Gate changed, Instructor Yan left the sect, and the outer sect stopped teaching arrays, so Mo Hua simply dropped out.

After being taken in as a registered disciple by Master Zhuang, Mo Hua had focused entirely on learning arrays, causing him to neglect the matter of a cultivation technique.

Both of Mo Hua's parents practiced cultivation techniques, but the attributes of their techniques differed slightly from his, and they leaned more toward body cultivation, making them unsuitable for him. Outside the Immortal Gate, there were no suitable channels to learn a technique.

It was best to start practicing a technique during the early stages of Qi Refinement. Seeing as he was about to reach the fourth layer, he could no longer delay this matter.

"Zisheng, when did you learn your cultivation technique?"

During their free time, Mo Hua asked Bai Zisheng curiously.

Bai Zisheng said discontentedly, "I am older than you. You should call me Big Brother Bai or Senior Brother Bai. You can't just call me by my name; it makes me look like I have no seniority."

"In a few days, when my father and the others return from hunting demons, I can show you what the demons they hunted look like."

"Really?" Bai Zisheng's eyes lit up.

"Really!"

Bai Zisheng immediately said, "Zixi and I learned our techniques right when we started practicing. Naturally, the earlier you learn a technique, the better. Furthermore, it's best if the techniques are of a continuous lineage; otherwise, the discrepancy between techniques learned at different realms becomes larger, making it easier to suffer cultivation deviation."

Mo Hua nodded.

Bai Zisheng suddenly thought of something and said in shock, "You don't mean you haven't learned a technique yet?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "No, it's not easy for a rogue cultivator to choose a technique."

"No matter how difficult it is, it shouldn't be to the point of not having one at all..."

Mo Hua rolled his eyes at him. "You're being completely out of touch."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're speaking from a position of privilege without understanding the struggle."

Bai Zisheng scratched his head and said, "It's a pity the techniques in our clan cannot be passed to outsiders, otherwise I would secretly give you a few rare, good ones."

Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Isn't the grade of a technique determined by the cultivator's spiritual root? A mid-to-low grade spiritual root can only learn mid-to-low grade techniques. Since they are mid-to-low grade, what's the difference between good and bad? They can't be better than high-grade techniques, can they?"

"That's where you're wrong. Some special techniques have unique effects. Some allow for faster cultivation, some focus on body tempering, and some are suitable for alchemy..."

"Of course, the grade of the technique is still the most important, as a cultivator's strength mainly depends on the amount of spiritual energy. But since spiritual roots are predestined and cannot be changed, there's no use complaining about it."

*Rare techniques with special effects, huh...*

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Even if there were rare techniques, I wouldn't be able to practice them. If a technique is rare, the spiritual resources it requires will naturally be rare too. If I can't gather those resources in my lifetime, wouldn't my cultivation be stuck forever..."

"That's true. I forgot you come from a rogue cultivator background and can't gather those rare heavenly and earthly resources..." Bai Zisheng frowned, then added, "How about you ask Master Zhuang?"

Mo Hua thought about it and shook his head. "Being able to receive array instruction from Master Zhuang is already a great favor. How could I be so greedy as to ask him to teach me a cultivation technique as well?"

Bai Zisheng nodded. "Good, you have backbone! That's what it takes to be my little brother, Bai Zisheng."

Mo Hua corrected him, "I am not your little brother."

Bai Zisheng said, "Why not? I'm older than you, so you should call me Big Brother. Zixi, don't you agree?"

As Bai Zisheng spoke, he looked at Bai Zixi, but she kept her head down reading her book, ignoring him.

"Zixi is also older than you, so you have to call her Sister Zixi as well," Bai Zisheng added.

Bai Zixi paused slightly, her dark eyelashes lifting gently, her eyes brightening a little.

Mo Hua snorted coldly. "In your dreams."

"So many people want to be my little brother, and I'm not even interested," Bai Zisheng said, holding his head high.

"Who cares? I'm not taking you to see the demons anymore."

"Fine!" Bai Zisheng said indignantly. "You're breaking your word. You promised; how can you go back on your word?"

The two bickered for a while until Bai Zisheng promised not to make Mo Hua call him Big Brother anymore, and Mo Hua promised to take him to see the demons at the end of the month. Only then did they stop.

The group practiced and read until evening. As it was time to part, Bai Zisheng asked again, "Then what will you do about your technique?"

"Hmm..." Mo Hua pondered. "I'll go back and ask my parents. Anyway, I want to be an array master. Array masters rely on divine sense rather than spiritual energy, so a mediocre technique will do."

"How can 'mediocre' be enough? We are all Master Zhuang's apprentices. If your cultivation is too poor, won't it make me lose face?"

Bai Zisheng said huffily, "I'll go back and look to see if there are any techniques suitable for you that aren't strictly controlled by my clan. You can just learn it secretly then."

With that, he and Bai Zixi headed back.

Mo Hua shook his head helplessly, but feeling the goodwill in Bai Zisheng's words, a sense of warmth rose in his heart. He packed his things and headed home.

At that moment, Master Zhuang, who was resting in the bamboo room, opened his eyes. His fair, slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of his bamboo chair as he murmured to himself

"A cultivation technique, is it..."

(End of Chapter)