Chapter 225: Dao Heart
After the fireworks, Aunt Xue thanked Mo Hua, then bid farewell to Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua before leaving with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi.
Mo Shan had an appointment to drink with several of his old demon hunting comrades.
Liu Ruhua went out with Aunt Jiang to see the lanterns and try some of the newly opened pastry shops.
While fireworks still burst across the horizon, Mo Hua found himself wandering the streets alone.
As he strolled, his Divine-Sense stirred slightly. Looking up, he saw Elder Yu sitting alone on a rooftop, quietly drinking.
Activating his Flowing-Water Step, Mo Hua lightly walked up the wall and climbed onto the roof.
When Elder Yu saw him, his eyes brightened. He patted the tiles beside him. "Come, sit here. Have a drink with me."
Mo Hua sat down beside him, took out some fruit wine from his Storage Pouch, and clinked cups with the elder.
Elder Yu's wine was strong and sharp on the tongue.
Mo Hua's fruit wine, by contrast, was sweet and mellow, he could drink it endlessly without worry.
As the sweetness lingered in his mouth, Mo Hua tilted his head, glanced at Elder Yu, and asked curiously, "Elder, are you drinking all by yourself?"
"What of it?" Elder Yu replied.
"It just looks… a little lonely," Mo Hua said sympathetically.
Elder Yu raised an eyebrow, then sighed, gazing into the distance. "I'm in a good mood tonight. That's why I came up here to drink alone."
Mo Hua nodded. "As long as you're happy, that's fine."
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Elder, is forming the Foundation really that difficult?"
"Why? Thinking about Foundation Establishment already?" Elder Yu seemed surprised.
"Not yet," Mo Hua smiled shyly. "Just asking ahead of time."
He was only at the sixth layer of Qi-Refining, not even at the late stage. Foundation Establishment was still some distance away.
"It's hard to say," Elder Yu replied. "It can be hard, or it can be simple."
"Could you put it plainly, Elder?"
Elder Yu chuckled at the boy's directness, then stopped being cryptic.
"There are really only two obstacles to Foundation Establishment: spiritual roots and spirit stones."
"Good roots mean strong spiritual power and an easier breakthrough. As for spirit stones, without them, cultivation itself is difficult, let alone advancing realms."
"Isn't there also spiritual treasures and herbs?" Mo Hua asked.
"Most spiritual items can still be bought, with spirit stones," Elder Yu replied. "At least for us ordinary cultivators, everything depends on them."
Mo Hua nodded. "So in the end, it all comes down to spirit stones."
Elder Yu inclined his head. "Precisely."
"Then if one's roots are decent and spirit stones are plenty, can Foundation Establishment be guaranteed?"
"There are no absolutes in this world. But if you have enough stones, success is likely. Even if you fail once, you can try again. Eventually, one success makes you a Foundation Establishment cultivator."
Mo Hua frowned. "That doesn't sound too hard, then."
Elder Yu laughed softly. "Cultivation from Qi-Refining to Foundation Establishment is only one step higher, though an important one. The truly difficult thresholds begin at Golden Core and beyond, where aptitude, comprehension, and inheritance matter far more."
He sighed. "For Foundation Establishment, all you truly need… is spirit stones."
Yet among all the independent cultivators of the last century, only Elder Yu had managed to establish a foundation.
Mo Hua asked, "Does it take that many spirit stones?"
"It varies," Elder Yu said. "But for cultivation and the necessary resources, at least ten thousand stones."
Mo Hua did some mental arithmetic. A typical Qi-Refining cultivator earned roughly one spirit stone per day, three hundred sixty per year. To save over ten thousand, one would need about thirty years.
Thirty years of saving, without eating or drinking.
And that was for a single attempt. Failure would consume it all... thirty years of toil gone in an instant.
Not to mention that no cultivator could truly go thirty years without food, illness, or incident.
Mo Hua sighed softly.
Elder Yu gave a bitter smile. "The greatest reason independent rogue cultivators fail to form their foundation… is poverty."
"Cultivation has many barriers, but poverty is the most despairing of all."
"With poor roots, you know from the start that the path is blocked. But poverty first gives you hope… then crushes it. Spirit stones are forever too few, and the Dao forever out of reach."
Regret and helplessness mingled in his voice.
"Are all rogue cultivators like this?" Mo Hua asked quietly.
"For the most part, yes," Elder Yu answered. "Among the vast Nine Provinces, Qi-Refining cultivators are the most numerous, and the most pitiful. When you leave the Black Mountain Prefecture, you'll see countless immortal cities poorer than Tōngxiān City, and countless cultivators worse off than our Demon hunters."
Mo Hua's expression dimmed. He remained silent.
Realizing he had spoken too heavily, Elder Yu gently patted the boy's shoulder and smiled. "Still, things will get better for the rogue cultivators here in Tōngxiān City. That's thanks to you."
Mo Hua blushed. "I haven't done much. I only drew some formation diagrams."
"Formations are the key," Elder Yu said solemnly. "Without formation masters, even if a few more among the rogue cultivators formed their foundations, it would change nothing. Poverty would remain."
Mo Hua blinked, momentarily stunned.
He knew formation masters were respected and formation arts were complex, but he hadn't realized they were that important.
Seeing his confusion, Elder Yu explained patiently:
"Qi-Refining is the lowest level. Advancing to Foundation means one gains the right to seek the Dao, to change one's fate."
"I changed my own fate by forming my foundation. But I couldn't change anyone else's. I could negotiate with the Qian Clan, try to protect rogue cultivators from being bullied, but I couldn't truly help them."
"They still live in hardship, still suffer in poverty. I have cultivation, yet even if I stole and robbed, I couldn't gather enough spirit stones to change that."
"But formations... formations are different!"
Elder Yu's eyes shone with conviction. "Even at the Qi-Refining stage, if you master formation arts, you can truly benefit all rogue cultivators, help them earn a living, gain spirit stones, and advance their cultivation."
"Cultivation can take lives, but formations can save them!"
Mo Hua's heart stirred deeply. "Elder, I understand."
Elder Yu nodded in satisfaction and said no more. Together, they gazed at the lights of Tōngxiān City.
Red lanterns stretched from one end of the street to the other. Beneath their glow, children laughed and chased one another, while cultivators greeted and strolled together. The air buzzed with warmth and joy.
Brilliant fireworks blossomed across the sky. Market stalls lined the streets. The laughter of the people and the glow of the lanterns intertwined with the fireworks, illuminating the night.
All of it reflected in Mo Hua's eyes.
In that moment, the young Mo Hua's Dao Heart solidified.
In this life, he would devote himself to cultivation and the study of formations, using heaven-penetrating, earth-shattering arrays to seek longevity and defy fate.
He would change his own destiny… and the destiny of every lowly cultivator beneath the heavens.
One day, not only Tōngxiān City—but all under heaven—would see rogue cultivators who were no longer forever trapped in the stage of Qi-Refining.
(End of Chapter)