The Choice
"Well, let's focus on the present tasks for now..."
Mo Hua thought to himself, then diligently began looking through the middle-lower grade techniques.
"Little Five Elements Technique": Middle-lower grade technique, suitable for Five Elements spiritual roots cultivation, can cultivate 70 cycles of spiritual power. To complete Qi Refinement requires at least 1,000 spirit stones, and requires breakthrough spirit treasures like Hundred-Year Earth, etc.
"Revitalizing Technique": Middle-lower grade technique, suitable for Wood-elemental spiritual roots cultivation, can cultivate 75 cycles of spiritual power. To complete Qi Refinement requires at least 1,100 spirit stones, and requires breakthrough spirit treasures like Evergreen Wood or leaves older than ten years.
"Hundred Flames Technique": Middle-lower grade technique, suitable for Fire-elemental spiritual roots cultivation, can cultivate 60 cycles of spiritual power. To complete Qi Refinement requires at least 900 spirit stones, and requires breakthrough spirit treasures like Molten Fire Stone, etc.
...
Even middle-lower grade techniques require a considerable amount of spirit stones for cultivation, though much less compared to high-grade techniques.
However, there are trade-offs: while middle-lower grade techniques consume fewer spirit stones, they also produce less spiritual power when cultivated.
Mo Hua had a middle-lower grade spiritual root, cultivating middle-lower grade techniques, which meant that at the same level, his spiritual power was probably only a bit more than half that of a cultivator with a lower-high grade spiritual root.
And this was only considering lower-high grade spiritual roots; techniques of middle-high grade and upper grade would undoubtedly produce even more profound spiritual power. As cultivation progressed, the disparity caused by differences in spiritual roots became increasingly evident.
Moreover, spiritual roots were innate and unchangeable.
"It seems that some people are truly blessed by heaven from birth..."
Mo Hua shook his head, realizing that since spiritual roots couldn't be changed, dwelling on it was pointless.
Mo Hua flipped to the last page of the 'Techniques Catalog' and saw a small line of text that completely stunned him.
"Technique Inheritance Fee... What is this?"
Mo Hua saw the annotation below:
"The techniques within Tongxian Sect have been painstakingly collected and improved by generations of Sect Masters and Elders, representing the efforts of our predecessors. Disciples of the sect must pay a certain amount of spirit stones to qualify for receiving these inheritances."
Below that, specific inheritance fees were listed.
For lower-high grade techniques, the inheritance fee was 1,100 spirit stones, discounted to 998 spirit stones due to the rarity of higher-grade spiritual roots.
Middle-grade techniques had slightly lower inheritance fees, and lower-middle grade techniques were even lower, but still required 200 spirit stones.
Mo Hua was dumbfounded.
Why was there an inheritance fee?
He had never heard of this before.
How could a sect randomly charge fees like this? It seemed incredibly exploitative!!
Mo Hua sighed weakly, feeling powerless with only eight spirit stones to his name.
This cultivation world was unexpectedly realistic and harsh...
"After you've chosen your techniques and paid the inheritance fee, the sect will impart the technique to you. Techniques are crucial, so it's best to discuss with your parents or elders before deciding. Don't aim too high, nor miss out on your future cultivation due to short-sightedness."
After saying this, Yan Instructor left, looking somewhat unwilling to handle such matters.
Once Yan Instructor left, the disciples began chatting in groups of three or four, some with excited faces, others with worried frowns, filling the room with noise:
"What's this inheritance fee? I've never heard of it before..."
"Who knows, if the sect demands it, can we refuse?"
"'Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Technique' costs over a thousand spirit stones just for the inheritance fee, tsk tsk..."
"If you really learn it, you might have to sell yourself to the sect."
"Thanks, but my spiritual root isn't worthy."
"My parents both have middle-grade spiritual roots, why do I have a lower-grade one? There's practically no suitable technique for me..."
"If you read 'Discourse on the Evolution of Cultivator Spiritual Roots,' you'll understand why your parents, with middle-grade spiritual roots, gave birth to you with a lower-grade one..."
"By the way, do we really have high-grade spiritual roots here?"
---
"Some, I have a distant cousin who has a high-grade spiritual root, but his father is a gambler, and his mother is lazy. Their family is dirt poor, so they only chose a lower-middle grade technique. It's such a waste of good talent, truly unfortunate..."
"In that case, even if I have a high-grade spiritual root, I can't afford to cultivate."
"You could marry into a wealthy family..."
"I absolutely won't!"
...
The disciples discussed fervently, while Mo Hua pondered with his chin resting on his hand.
This sect's inheritance fees exceeded his expectations.
There were indeed techniques available for Mo Hua to choose from in the 'Techniques Catalog,' but just after his parents managed to gather his initial training expenses, they couldn't produce so many spirit stones in a short time. Even if they scraped and borrowed, it would burden the family heavily.
"In that case, I'll have to hold off on choosing a technique for now. I'll make do with the 'Breath Cultivation Technique' temporarily. Once I accumulate enough spirit stones through drawing array formations, I'll select a technique from there to cultivate. After all, I've only just reached the third level of Qi Refinement, and it'll take some time before I break through to the fourth level."
Mo Hua tossed the 'Techniques Catalog' into his storage bag, deciding not to bring it back to show his parents for the time being. The immediate priority was practicing array formations to earn spirit stones.
Mo Hua's days continued much like before, with daily perseverance in cultivation, attending classes, and practicing array formations in his spare time.
Life in the sect, aside from being monotonous, was also somewhat comfortable.
The scenery of Tongling Peak was beautiful, with lush greenery, gentle clouds and mist, and frequent flights of birds, accompanied by the fragrance of flowers.
After classes, outer disciples often wandered among the mountains. The female disciples were charming, enjoying flower-viewing outings together.
The male disciples chased after spirit beasts in the mountains. There were young male and female cultivators whispering sweet nothings among the flowers in the mountain streams, as well as disciples getting jealous and brawling.
However, none of this concerned Mo Hua. His mind was entirely focused on array formations. Besides eating and attending classes, all his time was spent studying array formations. Even when he slept at night, he practiced drawing array symbols on stone tablets.
Among his familiar fellow disciples, Dahu had reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement, while Shuanghu and Xiaohu had long since reached the fourth level. They were all cultivating at Tongxuan Peak. Although the two peaks were not far apart, they knew Mo Hua was dedicated to studying array formations, so they rarely disturbed him unless necessary.
Mo Hua had a gentle and intelligent face, harmless in appearance, and got along fairly well with others on Tongling Peak. No one would bother bullying him for no reason.
Moreover, Mo Hua excelled in array formations, earning the approval of Instructor Yan. If anyone tried to bully him and Instructor Yan found out, the consequences would be severe. Instructor Yan detested disciples causing trouble among themselves or not focusing on cultivation; once he found out, the punishment would be extremely harsh.
Furthermore, Dahu and the others always looked out for Mo Hua. They were tall and strong, following the path of physical cultivation, preparing to become demon hunters in the Great Black Mountain.
During leisure time, they would find ways to spar and fight. Whenever Mo Hua had any trouble, they would roll up their sleeves and rush over from Tongxuan Peak.
Mo Hua focused solely on cultivation. The only interaction he had with other disciples was with An Xiaopang.
Mo Hua returned ten spirit stones he had borrowed from An Xiaopang earlier in the year.
When Mo Hua handed over the spirit stones, An Xiaopang was visibly stunned. It was obvious he had forgotten about it and took a while to remember.
The An family was a prominent family in Tongxian City. He truly didn't care much about these ten spirit stones, though it could also simply be his forgetfulness.
An Xiaopang frowned and thought for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat complicated. "You're the first person who borrowed spirit stones from me and remembered to return them."
Mo Hua sighed inwardly; this was the foolish son of a wealthy family, alright.
Some people might forget when they borrowed spirit stones, while others might deliberately not return them. Since he wasn't lacking in spirit stones, he had gotten used to it over time.
"You're so... kind-hearted. Be careful not to be deceived by others."
Mo Hua stopped himself from saying 'foolish' halfway through and changed it to a gentler phrase, patting An Xiaopang on the shoulder tactfully.
An Xiaopang's expression grew even more complex, tinged with a hint of emotion.
"Little Mo, everyone says I'm dumb, but only you know I'm kind-hearted. Among all the disciples I've met, you're the smartest. No wonder you draw array formations so well!"
Mo Hua didn't know what to say for a moment.
Over a month passed, and there was a bi-monthly break in the sect, allowing for two days off.
Mo Hua left the sect and went to Destiny Pavilion on North Street, delivering the completed Minghuo Array to Manager Wang, then asked, "Is there a more challenging array formation than the Minghuo Array that could earn me more spirit stones?"
Manager Wang glanced at Mo Hua. "Is your elder brother asking you to inquire about this?"
"Yes!" Mo Hua nodded.
"We do have one," Manager Wang replied, lowering his head to search behind the desk. He pulled out a diagram with several unfamiliar array symbols.
"Earth Stabilizing Array. It can solidify earth and stone, commonly used by cultivators to build houses and reinforce doors and windows. The Earth Stabilizing Array is slightly more difficult than the Minghuo Array. The reward for each completed Earth Stabilizing Array is two spirit stones."
Two spirit stones... twice that of the Minghuo Array.
"Can I take a look at the diagram first?"
Manager Wang gave Mo Hua a skeptical look. "What's the use in you looking? It's your brother who needs to see."
Though he said this, he still handed the diagram to Mo Hua. These basic array formation diagrams were not particularly rare and could be shown to others.
Mo Hua flipped through the diagram and indeed found many array symbols he had never seen before, not taught by the sect's instructors.
"I wonder how long it would take to master this array formation..."
The sect's inheritance fees were too expensive, and relying on the Minghuo Array to earn spirit stones would take quite a while.
Mo Hua hesitated about drawing a new array formation. If he didn't draw it well, he might lose spirit stones. If he failed to learn it within the deadline, and he would lose the entire deposit.
"Never mind, you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs!"
Mo Hua made up his mind. Even if he failed to learn it within the deadline and lost all twenty spirit stones, he could earn them back by drawing the Minghuo Array again later.
To become a master of array formations, the array formations he would have to draw in the future would probably be much more difficult than this. He couldn't draw the same Minghuo Array for a lifetime.
(End of this chapter)