Immortality Through Array Formations - Chapter 60

Chapter 60 Heaven Yan Jue_1

Translator: 549690339

Mo Hua read the explanation of the Cultivation Technique again, where only a few sentences stated that the technique was not limited by the grade or attribute of the Spiritual Root, but the Cycles of the cultivated Spiritual Power were somewhat low. The bottleneck lay in the Divine Sense, unsuitable for those who were not Formation Masters to cultivate.

Though it did not specify which Spiritual Objects were needed, these descriptions gave off an odd feeling.

How could there be a Cultivation Technique that did not limit Spiritual Roots?

The fact that the cultivated Spiritual Power was weak could be understood; after all, it did not restrict the Spiritual Roots, which meant that even those with inferior roots could practice it, and naturally, the cultivated Spiritual Power would not be profound.

But what did it mean that the bottleneck was in the Divine Sense? And why was it not suitable for those who were not Formation Masters to practice?

As Mo Hua frowned in contemplation, he lost track of time until Mr. Zhuang opened his eyes, “Have you chosen?”

Only then did Mo Hua snap back to reality, “Disciple has chosen, but I’m not sure which one is more appropriate.”

“Let me have a look.”

Mo Hua respectfully handed over the Cultivation Techniques he had selected to Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang looked at them one by one, his expression calm and unchanging, yet he felt somewhat displeased inside.

The Cultivation Techniques Mo Hua had chosen were all selected by Old Kui. The ones Mr. Zhuang had picked out himself were not chosen at all by Mo Hua. This made Mr. Zhuang feel quite embarrassed.

It was not until he flipped to the last Jade Slip that Mr. Zhuang’s eyes lit up.

On the ancient pale Jade Slip, three characters were etched: “Tianyan Jue.”

This was one of the unique Cultivation Techniques chosen by Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang was very satisfied, feeling that Mo Hua, the child, still had good judgment; he was indeed teachable.

Seeing Mr. Zhuang’s gaze fixed on “Tianyan Jue,” Mo Hua asked the question he was most concerned about:

“Gentleman, the practice essentials of ‘Tianyan Jue’ do not list the required Spiritual Objects. Does that mean it can be cultivated without the need for any Heaven and Earth spiritual items?”

“Indeed,” Mr. Zhuang nodded.

Mo Hua was overjoyed but immediately calmed down again, “Every aspect of pursuing the Great Dao requires effort and yields rewards, so if this Cultivation Technique can be practiced without Heaven and Earth spiritual items, does it mean that there will be troubles in other aspects?”

Mr. Zhuang showed a look of approval, then slowly said:

“This is an ancient Cultivation Technique.”

“Ancient Cultivation Technique?” Mo Hua queried in puzzlement, “What’s the difference with ancient Cultivation Techniques?”

“There are differences, yet there are none. The Cultivation Techniques of the ancients are still Cultivation Techniques, and so are those of the present, all seeking the path to immortality and the Great Dao, each with their advantages and disadvantages, not something that can be generalized…”

“Some ancient Cultivation Techniques have been refined and improved upon over generations of Cultivators, becoming more stable, with fewer bottlenecks, making the cultivation process more efficient. Therefore, they have become the main Cultivation Techniques in the Tao Cultivation World; others are obscure and bizarre, difficult to cultivate, and the results after successful cultivation are lackluster, gradually being abandoned…”

“Some Cultivation Techniques are cruel and strange, easily causing one to lose their mind, becoming Demon Cultivators, and will thus be banned by the Taoist Court; while others, which can defy the heavens and change fate, have extremely stringent cultivation conditions. They are contested over by various Great Cultivators, either ruined or lost, eventually only remaining in the legends passed down by word of mouth among Cultivators…”

“Are all ancient Cultivation Techniques not limited by Spiritual Roots?” Mo Hua inquired.

“Not exactly, most Cultivation Techniques restrict the attributes of Spiritual Roots, and only a few don’t restrict the grade of Spiritual Roots; they can be practiced by all, from the highest grade to the lowest, but these are the minority.”

“The assessment of Spiritual Roots with Cultivation Techniques and cultivation tiers was promoted by the Noble Clans and Great Sects after the Taoist Court unified the Cultivation World of the Nine States. On one hand, it was to standardize the vast and complex Cultivation Techniques in the Cultivation World, making it easier for Cultivators to practice, and on the other hand…”

In truth, it was to monopolize the inheritance of Cultivation Techniques…

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze grew sharp, but he did not continue, only saying, “You’ll understand in the future.”

“Oh,” Mo Hua nodded as if he understood, then asked, “Gentleman, what kind of ancient cultivation technique is the ‘Tianyan Jue’?”

“It is considered one of the more obscure and peculiar types.”

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Zhuang added, “This cultivation technique has been practiced by others before. It’s easy to learn, as it only requires refining Spirit Stones, but the bottleneck during breakthroughs is very peculiar. For most other cultivation techniques, bottlenecks generally occur in the meridians or the Qi Sea, where one needs to refine Heaven and Earth spiritual items to breakthrough. The bottleneck for this technique lies in the Sea of Consciousness. The Sea of Consciousness is ethereal and unpredictable, hardly having any auxiliary Spiritual Objects to help, so whether one can breakthrough remains an uncertainty.”

“No matter how rare Spiritual Objects are, there’s always a way to obtain them, it’s just a matter of the cost. But when it comes to issues with the Sea of Consciousness, that becomes tricky, sometimes even impossible to tackle. In addition, the Spiritual Power cultivated from this technique is weak and doesn’t seem to offer other effects, so gradually, no one practiced it anymore.”

Listening silently, Mo Hua then asked his last question:

“What does it mean in the technique when it states, ‘Only suitable for Formation Masters’? Does one have to become a Formation Master to cultivate this technique?”

“Not exactly,” Mr. Zhuang shook his head and explained: “It’s not that only Formation Masters can cultivate this technique, but among all professions in the Tao Cultivation World, only Formation Masters consume a great deal of Divine Sense, surpassing other cultivators in the use and understanding of the Sea of Consciousness. The ‘Tianyan Jue’ has its bottleneck in Divine Sense, naturally making it most suitable for Formation Masters. Or to put it another way, if Formation Masters don’t cultivate it, then cultivators of other disciplines will be even less capable.”

“I see…”

Mo Hua pondered, and then made up his mind.

Seeing this, Mr. Zhuang asked, “Have you decided which cultivation technique you want to practice?”

“I have,” Mo Hua nodded, “Gentleman, I want to cultivate the ‘Tianyan Jue’.”

Mr. Zhuang felt a sense of relief, thinking that this child Mo Hua really did share a connection with him, not like Old Kui, whose taste in choosing cultivation techniques was so vulgar.

Just as Mr. Zhuang was about to hand over the Jade Slip of ‘Tianyan Jue’ to Mo Hua, he suddenly hesitated, then after a moment’s sigh, asked earnestly, “Mo Hua, are you really sure?”

Mo Hua looked at Mr. Zhuang with a hint of confusion.

“This technique is easy to practice, but too unpredictable when it comes to breakthroughs, and the Spiritual Power it cultivates is weak, leaving one at a disadvantage whether in cultivation or in combat.”

Reluctant as he was, Mr. Zhuang still pointed to the other techniques “left over” for Mo Hua and said:

“Although these techniques may not be extraordinary, they are stable and practical, with a fair amount of Circulating Spiritual Power. Some Spiritual Objects, even if somewhat troublesome, are not considered valuable, and there are always ways to procure them.”

Yet, Mo Hua firmly replied, “I have decided, Gentleman. My Spiritual Roots are mediocre, and it’s not easy for me to compare with others. I just hope to make some progress in formations, to not let down your teachings. Since I want to become a Formation Master, Divine Sense is naturally the most important, and the quantity of Spiritual Power doesn’t matter as much.”

“A Formation Master’s bottleneck lies in Divine Sense, and so does the ‘Tianyan Jue’. For me, it’s all the same; as long as I focus on studying formations and strengthening my Divine Sense, that’s good enough. The path of Tao Cultivation is never smooth anyway; success is decreed by fate, all we can do is give our utmost effort.”

Mr. Zhuang was slightly taken aback, but then nodded in agreement, “You are right; it is rare to see such a strong Taoist Heart in someone so young.”

Mo Hua couldn’t accept such praise, saying somewhat embarrassedly, “Gentleman, it’s not really that my Taoist Heart is strong…”

Mr. Zhuang was taken aback.

“It’s mainly because I can’t afford to cultivate the other techniques. This technique doesn’t require Spiritual Objects, so I had no choice but to choose it…”

Mr. Zhuang: “…”

Mo Hua felt helpless as well.

While problems with Divine Sense could possibly be resolved, those “some Spiritual Objects,” each costing thousands of Spirit Stones, were simply out of reach for a Loose Cultivator like Mo Hua.

When one’s poor, their Taoist Heart naturally becomes strong; if it didn’t, there would be no other option.