Foundation Establishment Consciousness

Mo Hua was taken aback.

Mr. Zhuang said, "These days, I've been reviewing the notes of the seniors who practiced the Heavenly Expansion Technique in the sect, and after some research, and considering the puzzle you encountered, I found an issue."

Mo Hua's spirituals lifted, listening attentively.

"The bottleneck of the Heavenly Expansion Technique varies from person to person," Mr. Zhuang said slowly.

Mo Hua was slightly puzzled. "Varies from person to person?"

"Do you remember the small characters noted in the Heavenly Expansion Technique?" Mr. Zhuang asked.

Mo Hua recalled and said, "The bottleneck lies in consciousness, and only array masters can practice it."

"The problem lies in consciousness," Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and said, "Your consciousness is too strong. The stronger your consciousness, the stronger the bottleneck."

Mo Hua's mouth dropped open, and he weakly asked, "So, if my consciousness were weaker, would practicing the Heavenly Expansion Technique be much smoother?"

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua with a half-smile. "Weak consciousness means a weak bottleneck, and naturally, the effectiveness of the technique would be weakened."

Mo Hua thought for a moment. The benefits of the Heavenly Expansion Technique were to sharpen consciousness and enhance control. But since his consciousness was already exceptional, this effect seemed insignificant.

"Do you feel that control over consciousness isn't a big deal?" Mr. Zhuang noticed Mo Hua's thoughts.

Mo Hua nodded honestly.

Mr. Zhuang said, "The purpose of the Heavenly Expansion Technique is to solve arrays through the sea of consciousness, training you to control your consciousness. The more complex the array you solve, the sharper your consciousness becomes after breaking through."

Mr. Zhuang sighed, "Controlling consciousness is extremely important for array masters and even for cultivators. This affects the speed at which you draw arrays and the time it takes to cast spells."

In simpler terms, the faster you draw arrays, the more you draw, and the faster you cast spells.

Mo Hua nodded. "So, this technique is quite powerful?"

"As I said, it varies from person to person," Mr. Zhuang's gaze hardened, "The stronger your consciousness, the more powerful this technique becomes. Conversely, the weaker your consciousness, the more this technique seems pointless."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

His consciousness wasn't weak at all; it was quite strong. It seemed that he had made the right choice in selecting the Heavenly Expansion Technique.

Feeling a bit proud, Mo Hua's excitement was dampened when Mr. Zhuang poured cold water on him, saying, "Although a stronger consciousness means a more effective technique, the bottleneck you'll face will be equally formidable, and the puzzles will become even more complex."

Mo Hua furrowed his brow.

Mr. Zhuang continued, "The array you solved in the mid Qi-refining stage was already a First-Class Compound Array. So, if you want to break through to Foundation Establishment, what level of array do you think you'll need to solve?"

Mo Hua was surprised. "It wouldn't be a Grand Array, would it?"

"Not necessarily. Strictly speaking, although Grand Arrays fall within the scope of First-Class, they aren't what a First-Class array master should learn."

"Teacher, can I learn Grand Arrays now?" Mo Hua asked.

"Not yet."

"Okay." Mo Hua nodded.

Since Mr. Zhuang said so, he wouldn't aim too high for now.

The most urgent task was still to solve the issue with the technique.

Mo Hua asked, "The stronger the consciousness, the stronger the bottleneck. So, how should I break through the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment in the future?"

Mr. Zhuang glanced at Mo Hua and said casually, "Actually, it's simple. Just make your consciousness even stronger."

Mo Hua furrowed his brows even tighter, realizing a problem: "Teacher, if the stronger the consciousness, the stronger the bottleneck, then regardless of how strong my consciousness is, won't the bottleneck also increase? If that's the case, can simply enhancing consciousness really break through the bottleneck?"

Mr. Zhuang's gaze hardened. "So, the growth of your consciousness must exceed its limits."

Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat. "The limits of Qi-refining and Foundation Establishment?"

"Yes," Mr. Zhuang nodded.

"How much difference is there in consciousness between Qi-refining and Foundation Establishment?" Mo Hua asked.

Mr. Zhuang said, "A cultivator's spiritual power is quantified by the meridians, while the consciousness of a cultivator is not easily quantified."

"One of the commonly used methods is to measure the strength of a cultivator's consciousness by the range of their consciousness projection."

"During the Qi-refining stage, a cultivator's consciousness projection distance is mostly between ten to twenty zhang. The stronger the consciousness, the farther the projection distance, and the weaker the consciousness, the closer the projection."

Mo Hua nodded. When he cast spells, he relied on his strong consciousness, which allowed for a longer spell range, giving him some advantages.

"But this method is not precise. Some cultivators naturally have a farther consciousness projection distance, but their consciousness intensity is only average. Some cultivators are not good at consciousness projection, but their sea of consciousness is very stable, and their consciousness is profound."

"The most accurate way to measure consciousness is through drawing arrays."

"Drawing arrays?" Mo Hua was puzzled. "Is it the number of array patterns?"

"Yes," Mr. Zhuang nodded. "Just like how array masters measure the level of array proficiency by the number of array patterns, measuring the strength of consciousness by the number of array patterns is the most accurate method."

"Generally, in the first layer of Qi-refining, drawing one array pattern represents one level of consciousness. Drawing two array patterns represents two levels of consciousness... and so on. Drawing nine array patterns represents nine levels of consciousness."

"And nine levels of consciousness are the limit for Qi-refining cultivators."

Mo Hua contemplated silently. "So, for Foundation Establishment cultivators, it's ten levels of consciousness?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded.

"Is it just one level difference?" Mo Hua was stunned.

Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly. "It seems to be just one level, but the amount of consciousness is doubled."

Mo Hua was shocked. "Why is there such a big difference?"

"Because when a cultivator breaks through from the ninth level of Qi-refining to Foundation Establishment, their spiritual power undergoes a qualitative change, and their consciousness also doubles. So, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator draws a Second-Class array, the consciousness used is already twice that of the ninth level of Qi-refining."

"Nine levels of Qi-refining, ten levels of Foundation Establishment. The doubling of consciousness from nine levels is required to reach the amount of consciousness of ten levels."

"And this doubling difference is the limit of consciousness, as well as the insurmountable gap for cultivators!"

Mo Hua was shocked. No wonder he always felt that since he became a First-Class Ninth-Level Array Master, the advancement of his consciousness afterward seemed like sailing in an endless sea of fog.

The difference was so huge, and the gap was so deep.

"So, is it possible for Qi-refining cultivators to possess the consciousness of Foundation Establishment?" Mo Hua asked weakly.

"It's possible," Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, answering with profound meaning.

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief. If it's possible, then it's good.

Then he suddenly realized: "Could it be that I can only unlock the puzzle and break through the bottleneck to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator if I have the consciousness of the Foundation Establishment period?"

Seeing that he understood, Mr. Zhuang nodded and said, "Yes, the stronger the consciousness, the stronger the bottleneck. But no matter how strong the bottleneck of cultivation is, it's still just a Qi-refining period technique. If your consciousness exceeds the limits of the Qi-refining period, naturally, you can break through the bottleneck. This also means..."

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and said slowly:

"Other cultivators must break through to Foundation Establishment to have the consciousness of the Foundation Establishment period, but you are different. You must have the consciousness of the Foundation Establishment period first to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

(End of the Chapter)