Chapter 53: The Disciple

Bai Zisheng felt somewhat disheartened, but then immediately felt annoyed, feeling that he had lost momentum. He puffed out his chest, held his head high, and glared at Mo Hua.

"They pay respects to master likely for other reasons..."

Mo Hua thought to himself, then ignored Bai Zisheng and immersed himself in studying the *Five Elements Array Law Initial Solution* for enlightenment.

He had to finish reading this book today and then ask Mister Zhuang about his questions in the evening. If he kept chatting idly, he wouldn't be able to finish.

Bai Zisheng felt bored and, having just arrived, didn't know what to do. He and Bai Zixi then sat meditating to cultivate, holding spirit stones.

While they cultivated, faint blue spirit energy surrounded their bodies. Judging by the density of their spirit energy, both of them should be at the late stage of Qi Refining.

Mo Hua secretly clicked his tongue. Indeed, the foundations of aristocratic families were different from ordinary cultivators. Although these two were only two or three years older than Mo Hua, their cultivation was already four or five minor realms higher than his.

Furthermore, based on Bai Zisheng's words just now, their talent and skill in array law were also very high.

Mo Hua secretly thought: "There are always people better than you, and skies beyond the sky. I cannot be arrogant, but I also shouldn't be discouraged. It's good to cultivate and learn array law steadily."

Mo Hua quickly calmed his heart and continued to focus on the array book.

A cool breeze rose between the mountains, scattering tree leaves, stirring the pond water, and creating ripples. Then, everything returned to calm.

Mister Zhuang's small courtyard, which originally had only one disciple, now had three.

And Mo Hua had become the most inconspicuous of the three registered disciples, with the lowest cultivation and the worst aptitude on the surface.

By the time Mo Hua finished reading the *Five Elements Array Law Initial Solution* and asked Mister Zhuang his questions, it was already near evening. The sunset glow covered the mountain, and it was time to go home.

Mo Hua said goodbye to Mister Zhuang, then said goodbye to the Bai family siblings at the intersection. He carried his storage bag and walked down the mountain path under the glow of the setting sun.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi took another mountain road. Halfway down, Bai Zisheng couldn't help but ask:

"Aunt Xue, can you tell what kind of spirit root Mo Hua has?"

Aunt Xue hesitated for a moment and said: "Looking at the fluctuation of his spirit energy, it should be a small Five Elements spirit root. His spirit energy is thin, the quality is medium to low, and it looks like he hasn't formally learned any cultivation technique yet."

"An ordinary small Five Elements spirit root, medium to low quality, and he's reading an array book for enlightenment..."

Bai Zisheng muttered, then said: "With my sister and I having such aptitude, Mister Zhuang was only willing to accept us as registered disciples, and even then, it was because of mother. What virtue or ability does that boy named Mo Hua have that allows Mister Zhuang to accept him as a registered disciple?"

Aunt Xue frowned slightly, thinking about Mo Hua's words and actions. She said:

"Mister Zhuang's actions are unconventional. He doesn't necessarily only consider aptitude when accepting disciples..."

Aunt Xue further explained: "Moreover, the path of cultivation is long. One cannot only look at the speed at one time. This child, Mo Hua, should be of loose cultivator origin. Loose cultivators are different from aristocratic families. They have no inheritance, and their foundation is also weak. Whether it's cultivation or array law, they start very late, and their progress is also very slow. They cannot compare with disciples of aristocratic families in terms of progress."

Bai Zisheng said: "Is the gap between loose cultivators and aristocratic families really that big?"

"The gap is not just big, saying it's a world of difference is not an exaggeration."

Aunt Xue sighed and said:

"Any inconspicuous cultivation technique or array law inheritance from an aristocratic family, in the hands of a loose cultivator, would be considered a family treasure. The classics our Bai family provides for disciples' enlightenment are things that ordinary loose cultivator disciples may never have the chance to see in their lifetime."

Bai Zisheng secretly clicked his tongue.

Aunt Xue immediately admonished again: "No matter Mo Hua's origin, you are now half of the same sect. You cannot lightly despise him, cannot vent your anger on him, and your words should be measured, otherwise you may provoke Mister Zhuang's displeasure."

"I understand, Aunt Xue." Bai Zisheng responded, seemingly half-understanding.

The next day, the Bai family siblings went up the mountain in the morning, and then studied with Mo Hua at Mister Zhuang's place.

Old Kui had placed two more stone tables under the large locust tree. These two stone tables were next to Mo Hua's small table.

The three children then cultivated and learned separately, and in the evening, they together sought answers from Mister Zhuang.

The Bai family siblings' cultivation and knowledge of array law were both a notch higher than Mo Hua's. Many of the questions they raised, Mo Hua couldn't fully understand, but Mister Zhuang would often casually point out a few sentences that hit the key point.

Although Mo Hua didn't fully understand, under the subtle influence, he also benefited a lot.

Mo Hua thought that it was a good thing that Mister Zhuang had accepted the Bai family siblings as registered disciples. Otherwise, with many problems, he would never come into contact with them, and where would he ask about them?

Now that others were helping Mo Hua ask, and Mister Zhuang was answering, Mo Hua only needed to listen carefully.

Just like this, the three of them became Mister Zhuang's registered disciples. Their daily routine was to cultivate and draw array diagrams separately, then ask Mister Zhuang to resolve their doubts, and then each go home.

The three of them didn't talk much normally. Mo Hua was focused when reading, and didn't have time for idle chat.

Bai Zisheng was somewhat arrogant. Mo Hua didn't talk to him, so naturally he wouldn't talk to Mo Hua. Bai Zixi's nature was somewhat cold and she didn't like to talk much either.

These days continued for a month, until one evening, Da Hu and his two companions found Mo Hua and said that the Lotus Flower Festival had arrived, and asked Mo Hua to go to the street to walk around and see the lively atmosphere.

The Lotus Flower Festival was a small festival, but quite lively.

It was said to be a festival established to commemorate a meritorious cultivator in Tongxian City. Every year at this time, people would burn incense and light nine-turn lotus flower treasure lamps to send thoughts from afar.

Mo Hua had drawn array diagrams all day, his divine sense was exhausted, and he had used the meditation technique twice, so it wasn't suitable to use again. Just in time, he also had no other matters, so he went out with his three little companions to see the lively scene.

When passing by the leftmost side of the street neighborhood, they discovered that a new cave mansion had been built in front. The location was relatively remote, and it occupied a larger area. It seemed that several connected houses in the street neighborhood had been bought, demolished, and then rebuilt.

The large gate of the cave mansion had no plaque, and it was built with cyan-gray bricks and stones, looking low-key. However, among the flat and short houses of the loose cultivators, it still stood out.

Mo Hua asked doubtfully: "When did a cave mansion appear here?"

Xiao Hu said: "Perhaps you haven't walked on this side for a long time, so you don't know. This cave mansion has been built for a month."

Xiao Hu looked at the soaring courtyard wall of the cave mansion and sighed again: "How many spirit stones must have been needed to build this cave mansion!"

"However much it was," Da Hu broke his fingers, couldn't calculate clearly, and finally scratched his head, "It must be tens of thousands of spirit stones, right..."

"Probably tens of thousands..."

"Tens of thousands of spirit stones... I probably can't save that much in my lifetime..."

"Can't you have some ambition?"

"You have ambition, can you save it?"

Shuang Hu said: "I'm saying we should have ambition, not that we must be able to save spirit stones. Most of those who aspire to become immortals still don't become immortals. People just... go."

Da Hu and Xiao Hu nodded together, feeling that it made sense.

Shuang Hu then said curiously, "It's so remote here, far from the market, and all the people living here are ordinary loose cultivators. Who would build such a large cave mansion here for no reason? Do they dislike having too many spirit stones?"

"It may not be just having too many spirit stones. If I had that many spirit stones, I wouldn't build such a large cave mansion."

"Then who do you say is the master of this cave mansion?" Shuang Hu turned to Mo Hua and said: "Mo Hua, do you know?"

Mo Hua shook his head, "How would I know?"

Before the three of them finished speaking, the large gate of the cave mansion opened.

From inside walked out a handsome boy with star-like eyes and thick eyebrows, a girl carved from pink jade, and a female cultivator with a veil and a graceful figure.

Mo Hua recognized them at a glance. It was indeed the Bai family siblings and Aunt Xue.

The Bai family siblings also saw Mo Hua and the others. Bai Zisheng was startled: "Mo Hua?"

Da Hu and his two companions all looked at Mo Hua. Mo Hua was also stunned. He hadn't expected the master of this cave mansion to be the Bai family siblings.

Bai Zisheng asked: "Why are you here?"

Mo Hua said: "I'm walking on the street?"

"Walking on the street?"

Bai Zisheng seemed to hear this word for the first time, his expression couldn't help but flicker, then he looked longingly at Aunt Xue.

Bai Zixi, who was standing beside him, also had her eyes slightly bright, her pupils like autumn water, looking at Aunt Xue.