Dao Heart

After watching the fireworks, Aunt Xue thanked Mo Hua and then bid farewell to the Mo Shan couple, taking Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi back home.

Mo Shan had made plans to drink with some of his fellow demon hunting team members.

Liu Ruhua went to see the lanterns with Aunt Jiang and also tried some snacks from newly opened pastry shops.

The fireworks were still going off in the sky, so Mo Hua ended up strolling the streets alone.

As he walked, Mo Hua suddenly sensed something with his spiritual awareness. Looking up, he noticed Elder Yu sitting alone on a rooftop, drinking by himself.

Using his Flowing Water Steps technique, Mo Hua adhered vertically to the wall, stepping onto the rooftop step by step.

Elder Yu's eyes brightened when he saw Mo Hua and patted the tiles beside him, saying, "Come, sit here, let's have a drink together."

Mo Hua sat down beside Elder Yu and took out some fruit wine from his storage bag, clinking glasses with him.

Elder Yu's wine was strong and spicy.

Mo Hua's wine, on the other hand, was sweet, and he could drink as much as he wanted.

As the fruit wine flowed down his throat, sweet and lingering, Mo Hua couldn't help but shake his head and turn to Elder Yu, asking, "Elder, are you all alone?"

"What's wrong with being alone?" Elder Yu raised an eyebrow, sighing as he looked into the distance. "I'm happy like this, so I came up here alone for a drink."

Mo Hua nodded. As long as he was happy, that was what mattered, as long as it wasn't lonely.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment before suddenly asking, "Elder, is it very difficult to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"What's this, are you thinking about Foundation Establishment?" Elder Yu was somewhat surprised.

"It's still early, I'm just asking," Mo Hua smiled shyly.

He was currently at the sixth level of Qi Refining, not even at the later stage yet, so there was still some time before Foundation Establishment.

"Foundation Establishment, to say whether it's difficult or not, it's neither easy nor hard," Elder Yu replied bluntly.

"Elder, please be straightforward."

Elder Yu coughed and stopped beating around the bush, saying directly:

"The difficulty of Foundation Establishment actually boils down to two things: spiritual roots and spiritual stones..."

"No need to say much about spiritual roots. Good spiritual roots mean deeper spiritual power and an easier breakthrough. As for spiritual stones, it's even more crucial. Without enough spiritual stones, cultivation becomes problematic, let alone Foundation Establishment."

"Don't we also have spiritual objects?" Mo Hua asked.

"Most spiritual objects still require spiritual stones to purchase. At least for us ordinary cultivators, the spiritual objects needed for cultivation can all be bought with spiritual stones," Elder Yu explained.

Mo Hua nodded. "So, in the end, it's still about spiritual stones."

Elder Yu nodded. "Right."

"So, if one has good spiritual roots and enough spiritual stones, can they definitely reach Foundation Establishment?"

"In this world, nothing can be said to be definite. There will always be unexpected occurrences. But as long as there are enough spiritual stones, reaching Foundation Establishment is highly probable."

Taking a sip of his wine, Elder Yu continued, "Prepare enough spiritual stones, gather the necessary spiritual objects, and if you fail once, try again. There will eventually be a successful attempt. And as long as you succeed once, you become a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Mo Hua furrowed his brows. "It sounds like it's not that difficult..."

"Cultivation from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment is indeed a step up, but it's just one step further than Qi Refining. The real challenges come later, starting from the Golden Core realm, where the demands on spiritual roots, talent, comprehension, and inheritance become very strict."

Elder Yu sighed. "As for Foundation Establishment, it's just about having enough spiritual stones."

Foundation Establishment only required spiritual stones, but in the past hundred years, only Elder Yu, among the rogue cultivators, had successfully reached Foundation Establishment...

Mo Hua asked, "Does it require a lot of spiritual stones to reach Foundation Establishment?"

Elder Yu sighed, "It varies from person to person, but for cultivation and purchasing spiritual objects, you'd need at least tens of thousands of spiritual stones."

Mo Hua silently calculated in his heart. For an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, earning one spiritual stone per day netted them 360 spiritual stones in a year. So, accumulating over ten thousand spiritual stones would probably take around thirty years.

Not eating, not drinking, not using anything, saving up for thirty years.

And that was just for one breakthrough using spiritual stones. If one failed, all the spiritual stones would be depleted, and thirty years of hard work would be in vain.

Moreover, how could cultivators avoid eating, drinking, illness, disasters, or unexpected incidents?

Mo Hua sighed too.

Elder Yu said bitterly, "The main reason why rogue cultivators can't reach Foundation Establishment is actually poverty."

"The threshold for cultivation is high, but poverty is the most desperate barrier."

"Poor spiritual roots make it clear from the start that this path is not viable, but poverty makes you see hope first and then experience despair. Spiritual stones are always insufficient, and the Dao is always beyond reach."

In Elder Yu's expression, there was both desolation and helplessness.

"Are all rogue cultivators like this in the world?" Mo Hua asked.

"Most likely," Elder Yu sighed. "In the cultivation world, there are the most Qi Refining cultivators, and they are also the most impoverished. In the vast Nine Provinces, once you step out of the Heishan Realm and see for yourself, you'll know that there are countless cities poorer than Tongxian City. There are countless cultivators who are even more miserable than us demon hunters."

Mo Hua looked gloomy, remaining silent.

Elder Yu then realized that he had said too much. These were not things that he should be discussing with this child.

Patting Mo Hua's shoulder, Elder Yu changed the subject, "We can't control other people's affairs. At least for rogue cultivators in Tongxian City, things will get better in the future, thanks to you."

Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed. "I haven't done much, just drew some arrays."

"Arrays are the most important," Elder Yu said solemnly. "Without array masters drawing arrays, even if a few Foundation Establishment cultivators or even more come out among the rogue cultivators, it won't be of any help. Everyone would still be poor and still suffer."

Mo Hua was taken aback.

He knew that array masters held a high position and that learning array formations was difficult. Array formations were needed in all aspects of the cultivation world. But it wasn't to the extent that Elder Yu described, where they were more important than three or four Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Seeing Mo Hua's confusion, Elder Yu patiently explained:

"Qi Refining is the bottom layer, and stepping up from there is Foundation Establishment. Becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator grants you the qualification to seek the Great Dao and change your fate."

"I became a Foundation Establishment cultivator and changed my own fate, but I can't change the fates of other rogue cultivators. I can negotiate with the Qian family to try to prevent rogue cultivators from being oppressed, but in reality, I can't help them much."

"They're still poor, still suffering, still struggling to get by, still only cultivating in the Qi Refining stage for their whole lives. Even if I have cultivation, even if I steal or rob, I still can't get many spiritual stones."

"But arrays are different!"

Elder Yu looked at Mo Hua earnestly. "Even if you only have Qi Refining cultivation, as long as you understand arrays, you can truly benefit all rogue cultivators. Let them make a living, earn spiritual stones, and make progress in cultivation."

"Cultivation can be used to kill, but arrays can benefit all beings!"

Mo Hua was moved for a moment and nodded, "Elder, I understand."

Elder Yu nodded with satisfaction, no longer speaking, but quietly watching the myriad lights of Tongxian City.

Mo Hua followed Elder Yu's gaze.

The lively red lanterns stretched from one end of the street to the other, illuminating the bustling streets where children chased and played, and cultivators greeted each other or walked together. The sky was still ablaze with brilliant fireworks, and the bustling markets were filled with crowds.

Laughter and chatter merged with the myriad lights, lighting up the entire night sky.

These myriad lights and dazzling fireworks also reflected in Mo Hua's eyes.

The small Mo Hua looked on as he gradually strengthened his Dao Heart:

In this life, he would strive to cultivate, comprehend array formations, and seek immortality through the profound arrays. He would defy fate and change his own destiny.

By changing his own fate, he would also change the destinies of all the bottom-level cultivators under the heavens.

In the future, not only in Tongxian City, but all rogue cultivators under the heavens would no longer be confined to just Qi Refining for their whole lives!

(End of the Chapter)