Chapter 569: Scarcity

Afterward, Mo Hua went to visit Zhou Zhang Si again.

Zhou Zhang Si was very enthusiastic and grateful towards Mo Hua. He was quite old and had been in the position of Zhang Si for many years. Although he was diligent and conscientious, his political achievements were slight, and he had originally planned to retire and enjoy his old age. Unexpectedly, in the last few short years, Tong Xian City had changed day by day. Opening tool refinement shops, building pill refinement shops, constructing great arrays, executing great demons, and protecting the peace of one side—his achievements as Zhang Si could already be called "eminent."

Zhou Zhang Si was busy with affairs, but he still stole time from his busy schedule, took out treasured good tea, and together with Mo Hua, boiled and tasted tea, chatting for a while. Most of the stories were about the big and small events in Tong Xian City during the several years Mo Hua had traveled.

Mo Hua and Zhou Zhang Si chatted back and forth, and after a while, he involuntarily asked about Zhang Lan. He still quite missed Zhang Lan, this "passing by, unknown, kind-hearted" uncle.

Zhou Zhang Si was somewhat gratified and told Mo Hua about Zhang Lan's matters one by one. Zhang Lan had already returned to his clan. The Zhang family was far from Tong Xian City. Zhang Lan had chosen the remote small immortal city of Tong Xian City precisely to avoid various disturbances within the clan and spend his days as a Dian Si. Now that he had established his foundation, there was no way to avoid it, and he could only go back. As for the internal matters of the Zhang family after he went back, Zhou Zhang Si was simply not informed.

Mo Hua felt a little regretful. He still quite wanted to see Uncle Zhang Lan and "by the way" show off a bit to him about having already established his foundation... However, since he had returned to his clan, he didn't know when he would see him again. He didn't know if he would have found a Dao companion by the time they met again... He wouldn't be forced into marriage by his family, marry a woman he didn't love, and then outside, fall in love with a woman he loved but couldn't obtain, would he... While chatting with Zhou Zhang Si, Mo Hua's small head slightly moved, and thinking of the vulgar storybooks he had read, he automatically imagined a grand love-hate entanglement for Zhang Lan...

After a while, after drinking the tea, Mo Hua rose to say goodbye. Zhou Zhang Si was busy with affairs, and he was not convenient to disturb him too much. Zhou Zhang Si personally saw Mo Hua to the door, and after turning back to continue his official duties, he thought of Mo Hua after a moment, shook his head, feeling somewhat regretful and somewhat worried.

"An unlimited future ah..."

"Only... the water in Tong Xian City is too shallow, it cannot raise a big dragon..."

Bidding farewell to Zhou Zhang Si, Mo Hua took some time to go see the little friends he had grown up playing with. Among them, most had become hunter demon masters, gradually growing up and having responsibilities. Da Zhu was still following Master Chen in refining tools, his craftsmanship becoming more and more exquisite, which Master Chen was very satisfied with. Da Hu and the other two were not in Tong Xian City. Mo Hua asked Da Zhu and only then knew the reason. After Tong Xian City gradually became wealthy, more and more cultivators came and went. A passing sect elder saw that Da Hu and the other two had good bone structure for body refinement, so he took the three of them as disciples and brought them to his sect to cultivate. The sect was said to be called "Da Huang Men," located in the south of Li State, adjacent to the barbaric wilderness, and the road was far. It would probably be several years, or even more than ten years, before they could come back once.

"Da Huang Men..." Mo Hua silently remembered this name, wondering if he would have a chance to go to Da Huang Men in the future and see Da Hu and the others again...

Mo Hua wandered for several more days, seeing everyone he should see. Having nothing to do, he thought of that big tiger. He asked his mother to help make a pile of "big" dried fish. The little cat demon turned into a big tiger, still a second-grade demon beast; little dried fish were not enough to stuff its teeth, so he could only make big dried fish. There were many mountains in Tong Xian City and little water, so big fish could not be raised. These fish were still sold in from outside, some big and some small. The big ones were taller than Mo Hua, and the small ones were at least one or two feet long. The fish scales were thick, they grew strangely, and the fishy smell was very strong. Cultivators seldom ate them, so the quantity was sufficient and they were not expensive. But based on Mo Hua's experience as a hunter demon master, he guessed that big cat-like big tiger would definitely like them. Living things could not be put in a storage bag. Dead fish could. Mo Hua used several large storage bags, packed several large packs, took advantage of the early sky, facing the sunrise, carried the dried fish, and entered Da Hei Mountain.

Mo Hua searched in the deep mountains for a long time before he discovered that the cat, a big tiger, was in a mountain cave, gnawing on the bones of some unknown demon beast. Perceiving the aura of an outsider, the big tiger instantly became alert, its gaze fierce. When it saw it was Mo Hua, the big tiger was stunned for a moment, and then returned to hugging the bone and licking it. Mo Hua gave it the dried fish. The big tiger sniffed it, frowned, and even let out an "ao wu" sound, looking somewhat resistant. It was a big tiger, not a big flower cat. Big tigers needed face.

"Don't want to taste it..." Mo Hua was somewhat doubtful. He remembered that when the big tiger was small, it quite liked to eat little dried fish. But the big tiger didn't want to pay attention to him and was busy licking the bone. Mo Hua also didn't force it. Having nothing to do, he just sat at the mouth of the cave and looked at the scenery of the deep mountains. The big tiger licked the bone, but really couldn't lick off any meat. It saw the fish in front of it, was stunned for a while, raised its head to see that Mo Hua wasn't looking at it, then stealthily bit a strip of fish and swallowed it whole... It swallowed too fast and didn't taste the flavor. It raised its head to look at Mo Hua, then tasted another strip... Then, it couldn't help but taste another strip... Eating and eating, the big tiger suddenly raised its head and discovered that Mo Hua was staring at it, squinting with a smile. The big tiger's gaze flickered, and with two claws, it silently covered the fish at the edge of its mouth, not letting Mo Hua see... Mo Hua threw the remaining fish to it and said with a smile: "Save a bit to eat, next time I have time, I'll send you some more..." This time, the big tiger was not restrained, chewing the dried fish with its big mouth, its eyes narrowed into a line, and it still used its furry big head to rub against Mo Hua...

Like this, Mo Hua's days in Tong Xian City also gradually stabilized. Every day he cultivated, learned arrays, accompanied his father and mother, saw friends and drank tea, and occasionally entered the mountains to relax and feed the big tiger dried fish. Only when he was occasionally alone, there would still be a trace of loneliness in his eyes. This trace of loneliness could deceive others, but it couldn't deceive Liu Ru Hua. Liu Ru Hua thought for a moment, then softly asked: "Hua Er, you came back alone, where are Zi Sheng and Zi Xi?" Mo Hua was startled, his gaze dimmed, "Little senior brother and little senior sister, they went home. The Bai family is very, very far away..." Liu Ru Hua was somewhat regretful, and asked again: "Then... Mr. Zhuang?" Mo Hua shook his head, not knowing what to say. After a long time, he only said in a low voice: "Master... also went to a very far place. It's very possible that he won't come back again..." A trace of pity appeared in Liu Ru Hua's eyes. She gently hugged Mo Hua in her embrace and said softly: "You are still young, you still have a very long road to walk in the future. If there is fate, you will all see each other again..." "En." Mo Hua softly promised. The loss in his heart was also slightly relieved.

The next day, he went to South Mountain outside Tong Xian City again. South Mountain was remote and beautiful. Above South Mountain was "Sit Forget Residence." Mr. Zhuang lived in seclusion here. Mo Hua, his senior brother, and senior sister also once sought knowledge here. But now, there was nothing left. The end of the small road was empty. There was no mountain residence, no big locust tree, no bamboo grove, no pond, and no pond of fish. On the mountain road up and down, he would no longer meet little senior brother and little senior sister. There was no one in the mountain either, resting in the bamboo residence, waiting for the clear wind to blow over, waking up from a dream, teaching himself arrays, and answering so many questions... Under the big locust tree, he and little senior brother sparred and played, while little senior sister read a book by the side... Master was napping, and Gui Lao was playing chess... These scenes were also gradually blurring. As if it were just a dream, covered with a layer of fog that seemed real and fake. Past events, once passed, were all forgotten...

Mo Hua's mood was complex. A layer of light melancholy was dyed in his clear gaze, but after a moment, it all dissipated again. Like the thin fog in the early morning, driven away by the rising dawn light. "All still will see again..." Mo Hua murmured. There were still many things he had to do... The long road was endless, the great Dao was vast. What he had to consider now was the path after establishing his foundation... Mo Hua just sat quietly on the mountaintop. After calming his mood, he silently pondered. He had now established his foundation... His divine sense only had fourteen patterns, he was in the mid-realm of foundation establishment, but because the quality of his divine sense had changed, condensed like mercury, his divine sense was different from that of other cultivators in terms of "quality." As for what this difference was for, Mo Hua had not yet carefully researched it. But at least, this laid the foundation for his "divine sense proving Dao." And it was completely different from other ways of divine sense proving Dao.

But besides his divine sense, Mo Hua discovered that his foundation establishment was basically "a complete mess." His spiritual power was very weak. His spiritual root was not strong, and his cultivation method did not focus on spiritual power. So although he had established his foundation, compared to cultivators of the same realm, his spiritual power was much weaker. Not to mention comparing him to heaven's favored sons like little senior brother and little senior sister... His spiritual power was weak, and his physical body was even weaker. This was not beyond Mo Hua's expectation. He was innately physically weak. Now after establishing his foundation, his blood energy had somewhat increased, but that was compared to the Qi refinement stage; it was only a little stronger, but among foundation establishment cultivators, he was basically still at the bottom.

Besides, the spells of foundation establishment were also a headache. Mo Hua walked the path of "spiritual cultivation," which was to rely on "spells" to eat. He was now a foundation establishment cultivator, and naturally had to learn second-grade spells. But he had nowhere to learn second-grade spells... Up to now, the only second-grade spell he had learned was the Fireball Technique... Because the Fireball Technique was a basic spell, as common as dirt, and it was also the least rare among spells of all grades. Every state had several grades, and there were corresponding grades of Fireball Technique. When Mo Hua came back from Da Li Mountain State, he collected some Fireball Technique secret books along the way, mutually referred to them, comprehended them himself, and learned the second-grade Fireball Technique. Although it was far from reaching the level of the pure blue fire of his first-grade Fireball Technique, its power was a notch higher, and it could barely be used. He would research it later and improve it a bit.

And besides the Fireball Technique, Mo Hua was skilled in spells, but he couldn't learn any of them. Passing Water Step was the absolute learning of the Zhang family. Zhang Lan only taught him the first grade when he taught him, and did not consider the matter of the second grade. Because at that time, Zhang Lan was also only at the ninth layer of the Qi refinement realm, and he didn't fundamentally think that Mo Hua would advance to the foundation establishment stage so quickly. Water Prison Technique was very niche. Mo Hua had no second-grade Water Prison Technique secret book. Concealment Technique was even more niche. Mo Hua also had no second-grade Concealment Technique secret book.

A cultivator's strength is broadly still based on their realm. First-grade spells, although they can still be used, both in power and effect, will be greatly discounted and cannot compare to second-grade spells. The first-grade Passing Water Step, no matter how exquisite, when displayed, can at most be equal to those low-end body techniques among second-grade low-grade spells. The first-grade Water Prison Technique can trap Qi refinement cultivators and bind them for several breaths of time. But when used on foundation establishment cultivators, it is just an instant and can only play an "interrupt" effect, unable to bind or limit their actions. The first-grade Concealment Technique, instead, was still okay. Because the core of the Concealment Technique's concealment relies on the cultivator's divine sense. Mo Hua's divine sense was extremely strong, so the effect of the Concealment Technique was also strong and not easily detected. But with Mo Hua's current foundation establishment eyesight, this Concealment Technique of his still had quite a few flaws. It could be used, but only barely. If there was an opportunity, he still had to find a way to learn the second-grade Concealment Technique. Second-grade Water Prison Technique, second-grade Concealment Technique, second-grade Passing Water Step... These spells, either niche or absolute learnings, Mo Hua had no way to learn.

Mo Hua sighed. He once again deeply experienced the importance of cultivator "inheritance." General families, or sects and other cultivation forces, will all build "Scripture Pavilions," "Book Pavilions," "Array Pavilions," and other cultivation pavilions, used to widely collect and treasure, from low grade to high grade, all kinds, inclusive of everything, rare, ancient, or niche Dao hidden secret books. Cultivation methods, Dao methods, array methods, pill formulas, tool refinement manuals, etc., all have them. The larger the force, the wider the collection, the more complete the treasures, and the deeper the inheritance foundation. Family or sect disciples can then cultivate with peace of mind, without distractions, and do not need to go up and down seeking, painstakingly searching, and personally finding these rare cultivation classics. Loose cultivators are not like that. Cultivation methods, Dao methods, array methods, etc., all classics, all have to be found by themselves and learned by themselves. Some, even if found, have to pay a considerable price to learn. Worldly great clans monopolize inheritance, profiting from this, and at the same time cutting off the path for most loose cultivators in this world to seek immortality and the Dao, and using this to consolidate their own forces, override loose cultivators, and not decay for a thousand or ten thousand years. Without inheritance, every step is difficult.

Mo Hua sighed again. Although he knew these things before, he didn't take them to heart. Now, as his cultivation improved and he saw more of the world, his feelings were also deeper. Besides spells, array methods were also the same, but the situation was somewhat special. Mo Hua had an extremely profound array method inheritance. Heavenly Mechanism Derive Calculation, Heavenly Mechanism Strange Calculation, one derives and one is strange, exhausting heavenly mechanism, it is a method of using divine sense, and it is also the supreme method to see through and control arrays. This is a method that can be used in any grade. Although Mo Hua's realm was low, his experience was shallow, and his array method attainment was still not high, he was unable to learn it profoundly and use it to the extreme. Heavenly Mechanism Strange Calculation and Heavenly Mechanism Derive Calculation must also have higher profound knowledge. But being able to learn both Heavenly Mechanism Derive Calculation and Heavenly Mechanism Strange Calculation was already considered inconceivable. Leaving Heavenly Mechanism Derive Calculation aside for now. Heavenly Mechanism Strange Calculation, however, was the foundation of Strange Dao Person's, and also Mo Hua's senior uncle's, entire strange Dao. Demonic sect's Strange Dao Person was proficient in strange Dao, his array methods were strange and unique, and his Dao heart planted demons, sufficient to make Dao Court cultivators lose courage upon hearing his name. Even learning just a little bit of the surface would be of no small benefit. What's more, Heavenly Mechanism Strange Calculation fundamentally cannot be counted as "surface"...

Besides the divine sense algorithm, Mo Hua still had the Five Elements Array Flow Chart... Inside here, sealed were the Five Elements Sect's successive ancestors, who, using the Return Source Algorithm, derived "Five Elements Source Patterns." The Source Patterns contained a huge array method system inclusive of the five elements. Without exception, these things were all top array method inheritances. But the problem was, they were too top. What Mo Hua lacked now was precisely that class of most basic and simple inheritance, that is... Second-grade array method entry... He wanted to know exactly what second-grade array methods were. How to draw array patterns, how to lay out array hubs, how to build array eyes. What essential difference did second-grade array methods have from first-grade array methods? He had understood these things before, but not deeply. Now that the matter was before him, Mo Hua only discovered that he still had many oversights and deficiencies. And he also had to find a way to become a second-grade array master and draw out truly second-grade array methods...

(End of this chapter)