Chapter 521: Lishan City
Chapter 523: Lishan City
Fourteen years old, Qi-Refining Ninth Layer, Divine-Sense Thirteen Runes.
From Qi-Refining Eighth Layer to Ninth Layer, the breakthrough brought some increase in Divine-Sense as well.
But this increase was, after all, merely the growth of the Qi-Refining Realm. Compared to the Divine-Sense of Foundation Establishment, it was rather… tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away.
And it was far from enough to break the bottleneck and reach the fourteen runes of Foundation Establishment.
Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense remained at the peak of thirteen runes—and honestly, not much stronger than before.
Inside the carriage, Mo Hua sighed.
So this bottleneck was yet another major hurdle.
Just like the barrier from Qi-Refining to Foundation Establishment, the jump from thirteen to fourteen runes—Foundation Establishment early to mid stage—looked like merely one rune apart, yet the gulf between them was unfathomably deep.
Mo Hua couldn’t see the bottom at all.
If Foundation Establishment was already like this… then what about Golden Core?
He stuck his head out of the carriage and glanced at the sky.
The area they were in now belonged to the Third-Grade Great Lishan Prefecture.
Within a Third-Grade Prefecture, the highest realm cultivators could use was the Golden Core Realm.
“A Third-Grade Prefecture, huh…”
This was his first time entering a prefecture of second grade or higher.
Mo Hua inhaled deeply—the very air felt different.
The land broader, the sky loftier.
Of course, maybe a Third-Grade Prefecture was genuinely larger.
Or maybe it was all in his head…
He looked skyward again.
Though invisible at the moment, there was a grand array in the heavens.
Back when they annihilated Feng Xi, he witnessed the blood-red tribulation lightning descend—terrifying beyond compare—circling above his head before slowly dissipating.
And as the tribulation lightning faded, he glimpsed incomprehensible array-runes within the clouds.
One of those brushstrokes, he had recorded onto the Dao Monument.
A celestial rune.
Far beyond anything he could comprehend at his current realm.
Mo Hua still didn’t dare to look at it. He feared that a single glance might drain his Divine-Sense dry, crack his Sea of Consciousness, and leave lasting damage.
And because this rune came from tribulation lightning, it contained annihilating laws.
Laws do not reason.
If he looked too long and triggered the celestial rune, he might be erased on the spot. And at that point… not even his master could save him.
So for now, it stayed untouched—something for the future, when his realm rose and Divine-Sense strengthened.
He lowered his head and looked at his small hands.
His body now carried the spiritual power of Qi-Refining Ninth Layer.
Qi-Refining Ninth Layer meant denser spiritual power and slightly stronger spell force.
Even relying solely on “Divine-Sense Compression” and the “speed-is-invincible” Fireball Technique, opponents below Foundation Establishment—most Ninth-Layer Qi-Refining—weren’t his match.
Except Little Senior Brother and Little Senior Sister, of course.
They could already fight Foundation Establishment.
As for him—he still wasn’t a match for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Unless he used formation-collapse…
Otherwise, at best, it would be a stalemate—albeit the “I can’t beat you, but you definitely can’t catch me” kind.
“I wonder… once I reach Foundation Establishment and my Divine-Sense improves, and my spells get stronger… will I be able to fight other Foundation Establishment cultivators head-on?”
His thoughts tumbled.
One moment happy, one expectant, one anxious, one frowning deeply…
Mister Zhuang watched with amusement.
“Thinking about Foundation Establishment again?”
Mo Hua blinked back to awareness and nodded with a grin.
“No need to rush,” Mister Zhuang said. “Deepen your cultivation a bit more. Once you reach Ninth Layer perfection, you can attempt Foundation Establishment. As for Divine-Sense—don’t force it. Let it happen.”
At this point, achieving fourteen runes at the Qi-Refining Realm really was too difficult.
Even Mo Hua… likely couldn’t do it.
After a moment of thought, Zhuang added, “If all else fails, building your foundation at thirteen-rune peak is still fine.”
Mo Hua looked troubled.
“Wouldn’t that make me… not very strong?”
Mister Zhuang paused, staring at him with a complicated expression.
“You’re already extremely… strong.”
What Qi-Refining cultivator had Divine-Sense equal to the peak of early Foundation Establishment?
This was Divine-Sense—intangible, elusive, hard to cultivate, hard to strengthen.
Not spiritual power you could simply feed with spirit stones.
Crossing an entire major realm with Divine-Sense alone—that was ridiculous.
“Oh.” Mo Hua scratched his head.
Since Master said it was fine… it was probably fine.
Then another thought hit him.
“Master, shouldn’t I polish my cultivation base? Like Little Senior Brother and Little Senior Sister…”
He’d heard from Zhang Lan that noble families emphasized polishing their foundations before breaking through to ensure future strength.
Zhang Lan himself had remained in Qi-Refining for a long time to temper his roots.
Despite being from a noble family, he’d reached adulthood still at Qi-Refining Ninth Layer—only breaking through to Foundation Establishment because of the imminent battle with a great demon.
(Well… he had probably been rebelling against his family, so maybe he did it on purpose.)
But Senior Brother and Senior Sister were different.
Living together every day, Mo Hua saw their cultivation improve little by little—spiritual power growing denser, aura stronger.
Accumulated over time, their foundation became absurdly solid—almost comparable to Foundation Establishment already.
Mo Hua remembered:
When they met, he’d been at Qi-Refining Third Layer.
They were already late-stage Qi-Refining.
Now he’d reached Ninth Layer…
and they were still at Ninth Layer.
With talent like theirs, they’d suppressed their realm for so long.
His own spiritual root was terrible—never suppressing it at all… seemed wrong somehow.
He looked at Mister Zhuang, puzzled.
Mister Zhuang’s expression grew… complex.
After thinking for a bit, he decided honesty was best.
“Well… you don’t need to suppress your realm.”
“Your senior brother and sister have heavenly… top-grade spiritual roots. Their cultivation arts are peak full-circulation methods. Their dao arts are their family’s top-tier inheritances…”
“In a clan like the Bai family, Foundation Establishment isn’t much different from Qi-Refining.”
“The family’s expectations for them aren’t merely Foundation Establishment. They want them to lay the groundwork to reach even higher realms.”
“Their background is rich enough to support that path.”
“Once they perfect Qi-Refining and polish their foundation, their full-circulation spiritual power transforms at Foundation Establishment and lays the root for the Dao.”
“With enough spiritual power, they can wield powerful high-grade dao arts and seek higher realms.”
“That’s the path of clan prodigies. They must temper their realm.”
Then he glanced at Mo Hua.
“You… don’t need to bother.”
Trying to sound gentle—but still a little savage—he added:
“Your spiritual root is a bit poor, your constitution a bit weak, and you don’t have the same inheritances. Polishing or not polishing won’t make a big difference.”
“Just keep cultivating. If you can break through, break through. Your spiritual power may be small, your vitality weak, but at least your Divine-Sense is strong.”
“One beauty covers a hundred blemishes.”
“As long as your Divine-Sense is strong, the rest can… make do.”
Mo Hua’s face froze.
He wasn’t sure if Master was praising him or roasting him alive.
He sighed—then thought again.
Actually, this wasn’t bad.
No need to fuss over polishing his foundation. Saved time, effort… and spirit stones.
His spiritual root was what it was.
No changing that.
Might as well adapt and move on.
As long as he could establish his foundation, that was enough.
Mo Hua settled his mindset.
Other people’s brilliance was theirs.
None of it had anything to do with him.
He would walk his own path.
His gaze calmed. He nodded lightly.
Zhuang, seeing his composure, fell briefly stunned, then gently dipped his head.
This child’s temperament… truly remarkable.
…
After more than ten days of travel, the carriage crossed the mountain paths of Great Lishan Prefecture and finally arrived at Lishan City.
Lishan City—a Third-Grade Immortal City—scenic, magnificent walls, splendid cave-abodes glowing gold and jade.
Most of the cultivators here were Qi-Refining or Foundation Establishment. Golden Core cultivators existed, but not many.
Their destination was the largest—and only—Third-Grade sect in the entire city:
The Five Elements Sect.
Before going there, the group found an inn to rest.
Mo Hua first settled Dabai, instructing the server to feed it the finest fodder. Watching the horse eat happily, he stroked its mane before heading back.
Then he ordered dried fruits, some dishes, and tea, delivering them to Mister Zhuang’s room.
Old Kui was nowhere to be seen.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi sat respectfully, listening to Zhuang.
Mo Hua set the food on the table—each dish chosen personally by him, with precise instructions to match each person’s taste.
After a day of travel, Bai Zisheng was starving. Smelling the aroma, he snuck a peek—then immediately straightened up again.
Zhuang couldn’t help chuckling.
“Eat first.”
Bai Zisheng’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, Master!”
During the meal, Mo Hua whispered with his senior brother and sister about what he saw in the city—strange cultivators, unusual customs, and the market stalls full of magical tools, pills, and formation books.
He sighed inwardly.
A Third-Grade Immortal City really was different.
On the streets alone, he saw many Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Many items in the marketplace were second-grade—and he even spotted a second-grade formation manual.
He wanted to flip through it, but the stall owner refused.
Saying things like, “What’s a little kid doing looking at formation manuals? That book isn’t for you. Don’t fry your Divine-Sense, brat.”
Mo Hua had a generous heart and didn’t argue.
His cultivation really wasn’t enough to learn second-grade formations yet. Flipping through it would be pointless.
Besides, it was expensive. And the formations inside were mostly common ones—not worth the spirit stones.
He was nearing Foundation Establishment. He needed to save his money…
But Mo Hua noticed something strange.
Lishan City seemed to be full of merchants—shopkeepers, stall owners, vendors of cultivation goods.
Most rogue cultivators here were merchants.
There were no spirit farmers, miners, beast hunters, craftsmen—none of the labor-type rogue cultivators.
This puzzled him, so he asked Mister Zhuang.
“That’s how it is with a formation sect…”
“Five Elements Sect?”
Zhuang nodded. “Correct. The Five Elements Sect is an orthodox formation sect. Most of its disciples are formation masters.”
“The cultivation world reveres formation arts.”
“Cultivation enhances one’s own power—but formations can influence thousands.”
“For large clans or sects, this is even more important.”
“With a formation sect seated here, many cultivators, clans, and sects come to seek formations. Some even settle here permanently.”
“To maintain a good relationship, many powers assign elders to live here and present gifts every year.”
“Over time, the price of cave-abodes skyrocketed.”
Zhuang sighed. “Don’t be fooled by how remote it is. Cave-abodes here are far from affordable.”
“When cave-abodes become expensive, everything else rises as well.”
“The rogue cultivators of Lishan City survive only thanks to ancestral leftover properties. Without an inherited roof over their heads, most couldn’t live here at all.”
“Over generations, the number of cultivators in the city has been decreasing.”
Mo Hua frowned. “But the streets looked lively.”
Zhuang shook his head. “Cultivators live long lives. You need to look further than the present.”
“Hundreds of years ago, I came here. There were far more cultivators than now.”
“Today’s numbers are already sparse.”
“This kind of prosperity—empty buildings with few people—is just an illusion. A flower in a mirror, a moon in water.”
Mo Hua nodded thoughtfully.
Then he asked, “But this has nothing to do with the Five Elements Sect, right? If others buy cave-abodes at high prices, the sect can’t interfere…”
Mister Zhuang shook his head.
“The Five Elements Sect is… fanning the flames.”
“Fanning the flames?” Mo Hua blinked, not quite understanding.
Mister Zhuang explained: “Several hundred years ago, the Five Elements Sect had already fallen into decline. Back then, in order to revitalize the sect, their ancestral founder moved the sect’s grounds to this remote Lishan City.”
“Lishan City is remote, free from disturbances.”
“The founder wanted the disciples to cultivate with undivided focus, to devote themselves to studying formations, and also to attract other formation masters to come exchange and cross-verify their studies—turning Lishan City into a place sought out by formation adepts, a true city of formation arts.”
“This move was indeed remarkably effective.”
“The Five Elements Sect gradually flourished, the atmosphere of formation study grew intense, and Lishan City prospered for a time, becoming a sacred place for formation masters.”
Mister Zhuang sighed. “But later… it fell apart.”
“With formation masters gathering, the price of cave-dwellings soared. In Lishan City, every inch of land became as valuable as gold.”
“The founder’s painstaking intentions ultimately could not compete with the allure of spirit stones…”
“The later disciples of the Five Elements Sect began harboring schemes. The dwellings and halls originally meant for formation masters to study and debate were all torn down and replaced with luxurious cave-dwellings, sold or rented at exorbitant prices to rake in massive spirit-stone profits.”
“They didn’t have to do anything—spirit stones came rolling in while they lay down.”
“These spirit stones came too easily, and far too abundantly. The disciples grew lazy and indulgent, no longer diligently studying formations, no longer seeking the Dao.”
“On the surface, the Five Elements Sect gained great profit, but these profits came at the cost of their ancestors’ hardships… and their own future.”
“The founder’s devotion was wasted.”
“Cave-dwellings became too expensive; ordinary cultivators couldn’t afford to live here and gradually left.”
“Even formation talents with ability but humble backgrounds could no longer afford such costly dwellings—they too had to seek elsewhere.”
“The disciples of the Five Elements Sect, having gained spirit stones too easily, grew greedy for comfort and stopped applying themselves to formation study.”
“The entire atmosphere of formation study in Lishan City faded.”
“The Five Elements Sect’s formation standards declined again and again, and even some formations were lost…”
Mister Zhuang’s expression turned solemn as he said with emotion:
“No matter whether it’s a formation master or a formation sect, in the end, one must take formation arts as the root. Chase profits shortsightedly, and once the prosperity fades, all that remains is desolation.”
Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.
A place where formation masters once gathered to study… what kind of sight must that have been…
Filled with both longing and regret, he couldn’t help asking:
“Master, did the Five Elements Sect never consider changing?”
Such a large sect, with so many formation adepts—surely even if some were profit-driven, others could see the truth.
Mister Zhuang sighed.
“The rot is too deep…”
“The entire sect has grown accustomed to lying down and earning spirit stones. From top to bottom, the interests are entrenched. Anyone who wants to change things would be making themselves the enemy of the whole sect.”
“They neither have the resolve nor the ability.”
“Even if someone did have the ability to change it, he might not want to—because those with the power to change things are usually the ones profiting the most…”
To cure bone-deep rot, the knife must first cut into oneself.
Mo Hua let out a sigh.
The matters of this world were truly complicated.
But there was still something weighing on his mind.
Mo Hua asked, “Master, you said after falling into decline, the ancestral founder moved the sect to Lishan City…”
“Then what was the Five Elements Sect like before it declined?”
Mister Zhuang’s expression turned solemn, and he sighed:
“That was thousands of years ago…”
“In those days, even if not the absolute top-tier, the Five Elements Sect was at least among the few first-rate formation sects in the entire cultivation world.”
Mo Hua’s mouth fell open.
He never imagined that the Five Elements Sect’s ancestors had been that formidable!
A first-rate formation sect in the entire cultivation world…
What grade must that have been…?
“Their heritage was that powerful?” Mo Hua asked in astonishment.
“Indeed.” Mister Zhuang nodded.
“What the Five Elements Sect relied on—and what made them most famous—was a complete set of formations, from low-grade to high-grade, capable of amplifying Five-Element spiritual power!”
Mister Zhuang gave Mo Hua a solemn look.
“And that is exactly what you must go learn—and must master: that First-Grade Thirteen-Rune Five-Element Absolute Formation.”