Chapter 569: Scarcity

After that, Mo Hua visited Zhou Zhangsi again.

Zhou Zhangsi was very warm toward Mo Hua and deeply grateful.

He was very old, had held the position of Zhangsi for many years, worked diligently but achieved little, and had originally planned to retire and spend his remaining years in peace.

Yet, in just these final few years, Xiancheng had changed beyond recognition.

Alchemy shops opened, elixir halls were built, great arrays were erected, great demons were slain, and peace was secured for the region.

His achievements as Zhangsi could now be called "remarkable."

Though busy with affairs, Zhou Zhangsi still carved out time to fetch his treasured tea and brew it with Mo Hua, sipping and chatting.

Most of it was stories—big and small—that had unfolded in Xiancheng during Mo Hua's travels.

Mo Hua and Zhou Zhangsi chatted idly, and after a while, Mo Hua naturally asked about Zhang Lan.

He still missed Zhang Lan, that "passing, unknown, kind" uncle.

Zhou Zhangsi felt a quiet satisfaction and told Mo Hua everything about Zhang Lan, without omission.

Zhang Lan had returned to his clan.

The Zhang family's home was far from Xiancheng.

Zhang Lan had chosen Xiancheng—a remote, insignificant little immortal city—precisely to escape the turmoil of his clan and drift through life as a Diansi.

Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, he could no longer avoid it and had no choice but to return.

As for what happened within the Zhang family after his return, Zhou Zhangsi did not know.

Mo Hua felt a pang of regret.

He had really wanted to see Uncle Zhang Lan, "just in passing," to show off that he himself had reached Foundation Establishment…

But now that he had returned to his clan, Mo Hua did not know when he might see him again.

He wondered whether Zhang Lan had found a Dao companion by then…

Whether he had been forced by his family to marry a woman he didn't love, and then fallen in love with another woman he could never have…

As Mo Hua chatted with Zhou Zhangsi, his small head twitched slightly, recalling some hackneyed romance novels—he automatically imagined a grand, dramatic tale of love and hatred for Zhang Lan.

After finishing the tea, Mo Hua rose to take his leave.

Zhou Zhangsi was busy; Mo Hua did not wish to intrude further.

Zhou Zhangsi personally saw Mo Hua to the door, then returned to his duties. Moments later, he thought of Mo Hua, shook his head, and felt both regret and concern.

"His potential is boundless…"

"But… Xiancheng's waters are too shallow to nurture a great dragon…"

…

After bidding farewell to Zhou Zhangsi, Mo Hua took time to visit his childhood friends.

Most of them had become demon hunters, grown into responsible adults.

Chen Dazhu still trained under Master Chen in armament forging, his skill growing ever more refined, and Master Chen was very satisfied.

But Brother Da Hu and the other two were no longer in Xiancheng.

Mo Hua asked Chen Dazhu and learned the reason.

As Xiancheng grew wealthier, more cultivators passed through. A senior elder from a sect, seeing that Brother Da Hu and the other two had excellent body-refining potential, took all three as disciples and brought them back to their sect to cultivate.

The sect's name, it was said, was Great Huangmen, located south of Lizhou, bordering the wilds, so distant that they might return only once every few years—or even once every decade.

"Great Huangmen…"

Mo Hua silently memorized the name, wondering whether he would ever have the chance to visit Great Huangmen and see Brother Da Hu and the others again…

…

Mo Hua wandered for several more days; everyone he needed to see had been seen. With nothing else to do, he thought of that great tiger.

He asked his mother to make him a large batch of "big" dried fish.

The little cat demon had become a great tiger, a second-rank beast, and small dried fish were no longer enough to fill its teeth—so he had to make big dried fish.

Xiancheng had many mountains but little water, so it could not raise large fish.

These fish had been imported from outside, some large, some small; the big ones were taller than Mo Hua, the small ones at least one or two chi long.

Their scales were thick, their shapes strange, and they had a strong smell of blood.

Cultivators rarely ate them, so they were plentiful and cheap.

But based on Mo Hua's experience as a demon hunter, he guessed the great tiger—big as a cat—would love them.

Live creatures could not be stored in storage bags.

Dead fish could.

Mo Hua packed several large bundles into several big storage bags, and early in the morning, with the rising sun at his back, he slung the dried fish over his shoulder and entered Great Heishan.

After searching the deep mountains for a long time, Mo Hua finally found the cat—now a great tiger—gnawing on the bones of some unknown beast in a cave.

Sensing an outsider's presence, the great tiger instantly went alert, its gaze fierce and menacing.

But when it saw Mo Hua, it paused, then returned to its bones, licking them.

Mo Hua offered the dried fish; the great tiger sniffed, wrinkled its nose, even let out an "Aowu!"—clearly unimpressed.

It was a great tiger, not a fluffy cat.

Great tigers had pride.

"Not to your taste, then…"

Mo Hua was puzzled.

He remembered that when the great tiger was young, it had loved small dried fish.

But the great tiger paid him no mind, licking its bones alone.

Mo Hua did not press; with nothing else to do, he sat at the cave entrance, observing the scenery of the deep mountains.

The big tiger licked the bone, but there was no meat left to lick; then it spotted the fish before it, stared blankly for a moment, saw that Mo Hua wasn't looking, and stealthily snatched a fish, swallowing it whole…

It swallowed too fast to taste anything, looked up at Mo Hua, then took another fish…

Then, unable to resist, it took another…

As it ate, the big tiger suddenly looked up and found Mo Hua watching it, smiling warmly.

The big tiger's gaze flickered, and with both paws, it quietly covered the fish at its mouth, hiding it from Mo Hua…

Mo Hua tossed the remaining fish to it and smiled, saying:

"Eat slowly—next time I'm free, I'll bring you more…"

Now unreserved, the big tiger chewed the dried fish loudly, its eyes narrowed to slits, and it rubbed its furry head against Mo Hua…

…

Thus, Mo Hua's days in Xiancheng gradually settled into peace.

Each day he cultivated, studied arrays, spent time with his parents, met friends for tea, occasionally ventured into the mountains to clear his mind, and fed the big tiger dried fish.

Yet, in moments of solitude, a faint loneliness still lingered in his eyes.

This loneliness could fool others, but not Liu Ruhua.

Liu Ruhua thought for a moment, then asked softly:

"Hua'er, you came back alone—where are Zisheng and Bai Zixi?"

Mo Hua froze, his gaze dimming. "Senior Brother and Senior Sister went home—to the Bai family, very far away…"

Liu Ruhua felt a pang of regret and asked again:

"What about Mr. Zhuang?"

Mo Hua shook his head, unsure how to speak; after a long silence, he whispered:

"Master… also went to a very distant place. He may never return…"

In Liu Ruhua's eyes, a flicker of pity appeared.

She gently pulled Mo Hua into her arms and said kindly:

"You're still young—there's a long road ahead. If fate allows, you'll meet them again…"

"Mm."

Mo Hua replied softly.

The loneliness in his heart eased slightly.

…

The next day, he went again to Nanshan beyond Xiancheng.

Nanshan was remote, its scenery beautiful.

On Nanshan stood "Zuo Wang Ju."

Mr. Zhuang had lived there in seclusion; Mo Hua and his senior siblings had once studied there.

But now, nothing remained.

At the end of the old path, there was only emptiness.

No mountain dwelling, no large locust tree, no bamboo grove, no pond, no fish in the water.

On the paths up and down the mountain, he no longer encountered Senior Brother or Senior Sister.

No one now rested in the bamboo pavilion, waiting for the breeze to stir, waking from sleep to teach him arrays and answer his endless questions…

Under the large locust tree, he and Senior Brother sparred and played, while Senior Sister read nearby…

Master napped, while Old Puppet played chess…

These scenes gradually blurred.

They seemed like a dream, shrouded in a mist that was neither real nor false.

Past events, once passed, forgotten entirely…

Mo Hua's emotions were complex; his clear gaze darkened with a faint melancholy, but it vanished in an instant.

Like morning mist dispersed by the rising dawn's glow.

"We'll meet again…"

Mo Hua murmured.

He still had much to do…

The road ahead is long, the Dao vast—what he must now consider is the path after Foundation Establishment…

…

Mo Hua sat quietly on the mountaintop, calmed his mind, and fell into silent thought.

He had now achieved Foundation Establishment…

His spiritual sense had only fourteen lines, placing him at mid-Foundation Establishment realm, but because his spiritual sense had undergone a qualitative transformation, becoming dense as mercury, it differed from other cultivators in "quality."

As for what use this difference might serve, Mo Hua had not yet studied it in depth.

But at least, it had laid the foundation for his "spiritual sense path to the Dao."

And it was utterly unlike any other method of spiritual sense cultivation.

Yet beyond spiritual sense, Mo Hua realized his Foundation Establishment was essentially "a mess."

His spiritual energy was weak.

His elemental roots were weak, and his cultivation method did not emphasize spiritual energy.

So although he had achieved Foundation Establishment, his spiritual energy was far weaker than that of others at the same realm.

Not to mention compared to geniuses like Senior Brother and Senior Sister…

His spiritual energy was weak; his physical body was even weaker.

This was no surprise to Mo Hua.

He was born frail; even after Foundation Establishment, his blood qi had improved slightly—but only compared to Qi Condensation. Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, he was still at the bottom.

Beyond that, the cultivation techniques of Foundation Establishment were also a headache.

Mo Hua followed the "Spiritual Cultivation" path, relying on techniques for his strength.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he naturally needed to learn second-rank techniques.

But he had nowhere to learn second-rank techniques…

So far, the only second-rank technique he had learned was Fireball Technique…

Because Fireball Technique was a basic technique, common as dirt, and the least scarce among all ranked techniques.

In any state realm, the number of ranks corresponds directly to the number of Fireball Technique variants.

When Mo Hua returned from Dali Mountain State, he collected several Fireball Technique manuscripts along the way, cross-referenced them, and cultivated his own understanding to master the second-rank Fireball Technique.

Though far from the mastery of his first-rank Fireball Technique—where it was perfectly refined—the power had improved a notch, and it was barely usable.

He could refine it further with later study.

Aside from Fireball Technique, none of Mo Hua's favored techniques could be learned.

Flowing Water Step was a Zhang family secret art.

When Zhang Lan taught him, he taught only the first-rank version, never considering second-rank.

At that time, Zhang Lan was only at Qi Condensation ninth layer, and he never imagined Mo Hua would ascend to Foundation Establishment so quickly.

Water Prison Technique was obscure.

Mo Hua had no second-rank Water Prison Technique manuscript.

Concealment Technique was even more obscure.

Mo Hua had no second-rank Concealment Technique manuscript either.

A cultivator's strength was still fundamentally measured by realm.

First-rank techniques could still be used, but their power and efficacy were greatly diminished compared to second-rank techniques.

Even the most refined first-rank Flowing Water Step could only match the lowest-tier body techniques among second-rank techniques.

A first-rank Water Prison Technique could trap and bind a Qi Condensation cultivator for several breaths.

But applied to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it lasted only an instant—merely interrupting movement, unable to restrain or limit action.

First-rank Concealment Technique was somewhat better.

Because Concealment Technique's core relied on the cultivator's spiritual sense.

Mo Hua's spiritual sense was extremely strong, so his Concealment Technique was potent and hard to detect.

But from Mo Hua's current Foundation Establishment perspective, his Concealment Technique still had many flaws.

It was usable, but only barely.

If he got the chance, he should find a way to learn the second-rank Concealment Technique.

Second-rank Water Prison Technique, second-rank Concealment Technique, second-rank Flowing Water Step…

These techniques were either obscure or secret arts; Mo Hua wanted to learn them, but had no way to do so.

Mo Hua sighed.

He once again deeply understood the importance of cultivation lineage.

General clans or sects and other cultivation factions all maintained "Scripture Halls," "Library Towers," "Array Halls," and other cultivation halls to broadly collect, preserve, and store all kinds of rare, ancient, or obscure Daoist scriptures—from low-rank to high-rank, covering everything.

They held cultivation methods, Dao techniques, array formations, pill formulas, alchemy blueprints—everything you could imagine…

The greater the faction, the broader its collection, the more complete its archives, the deeper its inherited foundation.

Clan or sect disciples could focus entirely on cultivation without having to search far and wide, struggling to find these rare Daoist texts themselves.

Solitary cultivators could not.

All texts—cultivation methods, Dao techniques, array formations—had to be found and learned by oneself.

Even if found, learning them often required great cost.

Aristocratic families monopolized lineage, profited from it, and simultaneously blocked the path to immortality for most solitary cultivators, using this to consolidate their own power and tower above them for thousands of years.

Without lineage, one could not take a single step forward.

Mo Hua sighed again.

He had known these things before, but never paid them much mind; now, with his cultivation rising and his horizons broadening, his understanding ran deeper.

Array techniques were the same, but with some special differences.

Mo Hua possessed an extremely profound array lineage.

Heavenly Mechanism Calculation, Heavenly Mechanism Deception—one calculation, one deception—exhausting the Heavenly Mechanism, these were methods of spiritual sense application, and the supreme means to comprehend and control arrays.

This was a method; it could be used at any rank.

Though Mo Hua's realm was low, his experience shallow, and his array expertise insufficient to master them fully or push them to their limits,

Heavenly Mechanism Deception and Heavenly Mechanism Calculation surely had even deeper knowledge beyond.

But to study both Heavenly Mechanism Calculation and Heavenly Mechanism Deception was already inconceivable.

Heavenly Mechanism Calculation aside,

Heavenly Mechanism Deception was the very foundation of the Deception Daoist—Mo Hua's uncle.

The Mo Sect's Deception Daoist excelled in Deception Dao, possessed uncanny array arts, and cultivated the Dao Heart Seed Demon technique—enough to strike terror into the hearts of Dao Court cultivators.

Even learning its surface level brought great benefit.

Moreover, Heavenly Mechanism Deception could hardly be called "surface level"…

Aside from spiritual sense calculation methods, Mo Hua also possessed the Five Elements Array Flow Diagram…

Within it were sealed the "Five Elements Source Patterns," deduced by generations of Wuxing Sect ancestors using the Return-to-Source Calculation method.

Within the source runes lay a vast array system encompassing the Five Phases.

These items, without exception, were the most elite array lineages.

But the problem was, they were too elite.

What Mo Hua now lacked, ironically, were the most basic, simplest lineages—namely…

Entry-level Second-Rank Array…

He needed to know what a Second-Rank Array truly was.

How to draw the array runes, how to layout the array pivots, how to construct the array core.

What was the essential difference between a Second-Rank Array and a First-Rank Array?

He had encountered these things before, but understood them poorly.

Now, faced with the reality, Mo Hua realized he still had many gaps and deficiencies.

And he must find a way to become a Second-Rank Array Master, to draw an array truly worthy of the Second Rank…

(End of Chapter)