Chapter 937: Wood White Gold Jade

"A middle-to-low grade spirit root is actually not bad, in theory... but it depends on the era." Elder Xun said, "It's already over twenty thousand years into the Dao Calendar. After such a long time, the cultivation world has flourished. Those without spirit roots have already been eliminated, and middle-to-low grade spirit roots are almost only found among scattered cultivators."

"Truly large families, including some medium-sized ones, all use 'spirit root inheritance' through marriage. Disciples of family sects marry each other, and their spirit roots improve with each generation."

"One could truly say... 'Upper grades have no poor families, lower grades have no noble clans'."

This is the natural development of the cultivation world, but Elder Xun did not seem pleased when discussing the matter.

Sect Master Tai Xu also understood this point and nodded, saying, "Yes... Mo Hua's low-grade spirit root, if he were a scattered cultivator, would actually be acceptable; if he were in a general family, it would be at most mediocre."

"But this is within the borders of Qian Xue State, and he entered a top sect. His fellow disciples are all from direct family lines. So, when you compare, his middle-to-low grade five-element spirit root is just a bit... not up to par..."

Sect Master Tai Xu shook his head and sighed, "A poor spirit root means a low-grade technique, fewer cycles of spiritual power, and naturally, weaker spiritual power."

Elder Xun pondered, "However, on the other hand... although this child has weak spiritual power, I estimate he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve."

"I haven't seen it personally, so I don't know the specifics, but first, his array formation skills are definitely extraordinary. Besides, his body movements are exquisite, he is proficient in concealment techniques, and he should have a few 'killer moves' hidden away..."

"Who?" Sect Master Tai Xu was startled, "Mo Hua?"

Elder Xun looked at him, "You haven't read Mo Hua's file? Up until now, how many incidents has he secretly stirred up?"

Sect Master Tai Xu silently recalled a bit.

Just from the records he had seen in the Tai Xu Sect files, including but not limited to, catching criminal cultivators for rewards immediately after entering the sect, participating in the extermination of the Fire Buddha, sneaking into and destroying Ten Thousand Demons Valley, assisting in the arrest of Water Yan Luo, burning down the Rouge Boat, escaping from the Dragon King Temple, and so on...

Recently, another one was added: helping to exterminate the Demonic Sect...

He didn't realize it until he thought about it. Sect Master Tai Xu hadn't even noticed how many major events Mo Hua had unknowingly participated in during his few years in the Tai Xu Sect.

Only...

In these events, according to the files, Mo Hua only participated. The final resolution still relied on the Dao Court Division and the elders of the Tai Xu Sect.

"Participated..."

Sect Master Tai Xu was startled and realized the problem.

How could an ordinary Foundation Establishment disciple participate in so many dangerous major events?

Once or twice, one could say it was good luck.

But so many times, it wasn't luck, but strength.

If Mo Hua himself didn't have some ability, it would have been fundamentally impossible for him to survive these events, which were full of danger everywhere.

He even wondered if some of the criminal demons in these events had actually died at Mo Hua's hands.

Mo Hua's "harmless to humans and animals" appearance came to mind again, and Sect Master Tai Xu's heart trembled slightly.

"Deceived by that child's little white face..."

Sect Master Tai Xu thought for a moment and said to Elder Xun, "So you're saying... the Sword Discussion Assembly is indeed not very suitable for Mo Hua to attend."

Elder Xun nodded, "First is the spiritual power issue."

"The Sword Discussion Assembly isn't about comparing one match and deciding a winner and loser. It requires many time-consuming and effort-intensive fierce battles. With insufficient spiritual power, one simply cannot endure."

"Moreover, once he participates in the Sword Discussion Assembly, he might fight face-to-face with those truly high-ranking disciples and bloodline prodigies from the four great sects."

"Without exception, these people all have upper-upper grade spirit roots, and it's even possible for one or two Heaven Spirit Roots to appear."

"The innate gap is too large."

"Although the Sword Discussion Assembly is a five-person cooperation and emphasizes strategy and tactics, these strategies and tactics are still based on cultivation and spiritual power. There's no way to truly 'take shortcuts'."

"Not to mention, this child Mo Hua definitely has some tricks hidden away and cannot reveal them to others."

"Once his entire arsenal is exposed, he will inevitably be targeted. For the Sword Discussion Assembly, revealing all his skills is no different from exposing his vital points. This will definitely bury hidden dangers for the future and lead to others calculating against him."

Elder Xun's expression was grave.

And the most important point, he didn't say it aloud.

Mo Hua is "that person's" disciple. His entire set of skills must have that person's foundation.

The Sword Discussion Assembly is watched by ten thousand people.

If Mo Hua is watched by so many people and his foundation is exposed, he will inevitably be stained with terrifying great karma. Who knows how many schemes and calculations will fall upon him?

These various karmas and calculations are fundamentally not something a Foundation Establishment realm small cultivator like him can bear.

Therefore, it would definitely be more harmful than beneficial for Mo Hua to participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly.

Sect Master Tai Xu asked, "Have you discussed these matters with this child?"

Elder Xun said, "This child is intelligent, no need for me to say more."

He should understand the problems related to karma without being told.

Mo Hua also knows his limitations regarding spirit roots.

Furthermore, spirit roots are determined at birth, so there is no point in talking about it.

Sect Master Tai Xu nodded and did not mention the matter again.

The two of them drank a mouthful of tea. Elder Xun remembered something and asked again, "How about the matter I entrusted to you before?"

Sect Master Tai Xu said, "Are you talking about the life-bound magic treasure matter?"

"Yes, this inheritance seems to be only available with you."

"I asked, only," Sect Master Tai Xu frowned and said, "Wood white as skin, gold jade as bone... This life-bound body forging method is useless to Mo Hua, right? He has no bloodline, his physique is not good, and he has no related inheritance."

"It's useless," Elder Xun nodded.

Sect Master Tai Xu was startled, "Then why do you still want me to look for this thing?"

"I think it's useless," Elder Xun's expression was somewhat puzzled, "But I calculated a bit, and the divination image shows that Mo Hua seems to be able to use this thing. But how exactly, I can't say for sure..."

Sect Master Tai Xu's expression was subtle, "Old ancestor, didn't you say you don't know fortune-telling?"

"This... is not fortune-telling."

"Not?"

"It's very troublesome to explain. Anyway, that's the situation... You haven't learned the Heavenly Mechanism method, so you won't understand even if I tell you."

"Alright..." Sect Master Tai Xu said.

You are the old ancestor, whatever you say is whatever it is.

But there was still one matter that Sect Master Tai Xu was a bit doubtful about, "Is this child Mo Hua's life-bound magic treasure so difficult to decide? Even with your insight, you're not sure?"

Elder Xun silently drank a mouthful of tea.

It would be strange if he were sure...

Others fundamentally don't know whose disciple this child Mo Hua is.

His entire cultivation path is wild and unconstrained, crafty and strange, full of miscellaneous things. Who knows how many he has learned, and who knows who he learned them from?

He, this Cave Void old ancestor, really doesn't have much grasp.

But he couldn't say these words clearly.

Elder Xun said, "I have a plan in mind, you don't need to worry. Just get that 'wood white gold jade' life-bound body forging method. Only you have a way with this inheritance."

Sect Master Tai Xu naturally wouldn't refuse Elder Xun's command.

Although this inheritance has a significant origin and is not easy to obtain, he is now the Sect Master of Tai Xu Sect and must also consider the sect's interests.

Moreover, this method is for Mo Hua's use.

He also likes this child Mo Hua very much. Even without mentioning the small thought of creating "good karma," he is willing to help a bit.

"Old mister, please rest assured. I have already written a letter to ask. There should be a reply after some time."

Elder Xun nodded gladly, "Thank you for your trouble."

Sect Master Tai Xu cupped his hands, "Old mister, you are too polite. As the Sect Master, this is all I should do."

After that, the two continued to drink tea and chat about matters related to the sect.

The preparations for the Sword Discussion Assembly were also progressing step by step.

Several days later, Refine Demon Mountain.

Mo Hua was hunting demons on Refine Demon Mountain again.

Since the matter of Ten Thousand Demons Valley, he rarely came to Refine Demon Mountain. This time he entered the mountain, it was still specially organized by the sect elders.

The purpose was to let the disciples enter the mountain, hunt demonic beasts, and temper their Dao methods.

Besides, a new item was added: sparring among disciples.

The elders didn't say it explicitly, but Mo Hua could guess in his heart that this should be preparation for the Sword Discussion Assembly.

To see which of these disciples had decent strength, who had talent and comprehension in combat, who could be of great use, and who could strive for glory for the sect in the Sword Discussion Assembly.

Since it was a sword discussion, one couldn't just look at surface cultivation.

Cultivation was one thing, actual combat was another.

Some disciples only had cultivation, and as soon as they entered actual combat, they became nervous, unable to unleash even half of their strength.

While other disciples seemed to have average cultivation, their minds were sharp, they dared to fight and strive, and they often performed beyond expectations in actual combat.

All these things could only be known through fighting.

Only by first letting the disciples spar with each other and experience actual combat could suitable candidates for the sword discussion be selected.

Not only did Mo Hua understand, but the other disciples also knew in their hearts.

The Sword Discussion Assembly was not only related to the disciples' personal futures but also concerned the sect's reputation and interests.

Moreover, for them, after nine years of studying art, they could only participate in one session of the Dao Discussion Assembly.

All the disciples cherished this opportunity immensely.

On a spacious mountainside on the waist of Refine Demon Mountain.

The elders were arranging the disciples to spar one on one, comparing body techniques and spells.

This was just sparring, points were stopped, the purpose was not to fight for a win or loss, but only to allow the elders to observe the disciples' strength.

Mo Hua did not participate.

There was no point in him participating.

On paper, his strength was too weak.

Among his fellow disciples, except for Cheng Mo, Si Tu Jian, and a few others who were familiar with Mo Hua and had seen Mo Hua make a move once or twice, the overwhelming majority of the disciples had never seen Mo Hua fight or cast spells—

At most, they had only seen Mo Hua release the fireball technique a few times.

In their impression, their "little senior brother," who was harmless to humans and animals, was a "strange talent" whose array formation level was outrageously strong, while his other abilities, including his physical body and spiritual power, were outrageously weak.

There was also no practice to be gained from sparring with him.

No disciple dared to genuinely spar with Mo Hua.

If he were to injure the little senior brother, it wouldn't be much; at most, he would take a few fireball techniques and suffer some slight burns.

But if he were to injure the little senior brother, that would be big trouble.

As the little senior brother, Mo Hua was always amiable, kind to others, and helped others. His popularity within the sect was extremely good. Sect disciples, more or less, had all received his favors.

If he were injured, it would provoke public anger, and whether they could continue to get along in the Tai Xu Sect in the future was hard to say.

Not to mention, Mo Hua was fair and tender, and his physical body was weak. Let alone injuring him, even a minor scrape would be a sin.

The elders were even more afraid to let Mo Hua participate in sparring.

This was the leader of the array Dao in the Tai Xu Sect, a treasure of the Tai Xu Sect. Even if he wasn't the old ancestor's grandson, he was more cherished than a grandson. In case he was injured in the array sparring, who would take the blame?

Therefore, within the vast mountain forest, swords clashed, spells shuttled, and disciples fought back and forth, extremely lively.

Mo Hua, however, just sat on a large tree to watch.

Even around the tree, there were elders who set up a protective array for him, afraid that the disciples sparring below might accidentally injure him with flying spells.

Mo Hua sat alone on the big tree, sighing helplessly.

Just as he was feeling bored, someone walked over from a distance. Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Xiao Xiao!"

The person who came was precisely Ling Hu Xiao.

In the eyes of outsiders, he was a proud sword Dao genius with few smiles on his face.

In the entire Tai Xu Sect, only Mo Hua dared to call him "Xiao Xiao."

Ling Hu Xiao was also very helpless.

Mo Hua sat on the big tree, waving at him. Ling Hu Xiao also displayed his body technique, his figure like a sword, and in three or two steps, he walked up to the tree and sat beside Mo Hua.

"Finished sparring?"

"Finished."

Ling Hu Xiao nodded. He was now in the late stage of Foundation Establishment and had already started trying to nurture the treasure sword of the Chong Xu lineage as his life-bound magic treasure. Not only had his cultivation advanced further, but his sword qi was also more exquisite.

Adding to this, after the calamity of Ten Thousand Demons Valley and the tempering of his sword heart, his whole person, from top to bottom, emitted a more astonishing sword Dao temperament.

His Chong Xu sword method had also truly entered the inner sanctum and begun to show its edge.

During sparring, ordinary disciples couldn't even withstand one of his swords and would be defeated.

Therefore, Ling Hu Xiao finished sparring very quickly. Since there were no other matters, he came to find Mo Hua, who was sitting on the tree watching the show.

The two watched for a while. Ling Hu Xiao suddenly asked Mo Hua, "Are you going to the Sword Discussion Assembly?"

Mo Hua was a little hesitant, "It's hard to say..."

To say he didn't want to go was definitely false.

Although he had obtained the leader of the array discussion, the Sword Discussion Assembly and the Array Discussion Assembly were completely different.

Whether it was the intensity, the excitement, the challenge, or the level of attention, they were all completely on different levels.

The Sword Discussion Assembly was a competition among prodigies, full of countless variables. Until the very end, no one knew who the final winner would be.

But his situation was special, and he was clear about it in his heart.

He could participate if he wanted to, but how much strength he should use and how far he should win were all hard to say.

Merits, he had more than enough to use.

Fame, he also had a bit.

Currently speaking, the Sword Discussion Assembly actually held no great attraction for him.

At most, since the situation of the Tai Xu Sect was not good, he would try to help maintain a ranking, but that was all.

To truly fight with all his might, risking the danger of exposing his hand, to strive for a top ranking, was somewhat not worth the loss.

Everything had two sides.

Striving for fame in the Sword Discussion Assembly and standing on the mountain top seemed like boundless scenery, but being watched by too many people with intentions was also likely to bury hidden troubles.

For a time, Mo Hua was also a little undecided.

Ling Hu Xiao nodded, then fell silent. After a moment, he said again, "If you want to participate, I will go with you."

Mo Hua was startled and turned his head to look at Ling Hu Xiao.

Ling Hu Xiao's expression was calm, but his gaze was firm.

Mo Hua was grateful in his heart.

Participating in the Sword Discussion Assembly was not a matter for one person but required five people to work together. Thus, if they wanted to achieve a good ranking, they must "join forces with the strong." All five people must not be weak and must not have obvious shortcomings.

Mo Hua knew that although he wasn't weak, under the system of the Sword Discussion Assembly and fighting face-to-face with others, he wasn't necessarily really that strong.

But Ling Hu Xiao was truly strong. Ever since he entered the late stage of Foundation Establishment, his sword method had been getting stronger by the day.

He should have wanted to bring him along, even if this was his only opportunity for a Sword Discussion Assembly in this lifetime.

Even if his own spiritual power was weak and might drag him down.

Mo Hua smiled, patted Ling Hu Xiao's shoulder, "I appreciate your good intentions. We'll talk about this later."

Ling Hu Xiao nodded and said no more.

The surroundings quieted down. Mo Hua also started to concentrate and watch the disciples sparring below.

As he watched, Mo Hua then discovered that compared to before, the fellow disciples of the Tai Xu Sect, no matter their cultivation or Dao methods, had all made considerable progress.

Especially their cultivation.

Their spirit roots were better than Mo Hua's, and they reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment a step earlier than Mo Hua, which also meant they had half a year more than Mo Hua to enhance their cultivation.

Mo Hua compared everyone and discovered that among all the disciples, his spiritual power was truly the lowest.

And the gap was still widening unknowingly.

During the early stage of Foundation Establishment, it wasn't obvious.

Now, after passing through the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and reaching the late stage of Foundation Establishment, the differences in spirit roots and techniques were further amplified.

Mo Hua made a comparison.

If during the early stage of Foundation Establishment, his spiritual power cycle was only two percent weaker than his fellow disciples.

Now, it was estimated to be three or four percent weaker.

This was still compared to the average level.

If compared with top prodigies like Ling Hu Xiao, Mo Hua discovered that the number of his spiritual power cycles was actually barely half of theirs...

Half the difference...

This was only in Foundation Establishment.

If they reached Golden Core, this gap might still widen.

After all, the base difference was large. The later they cultivated, the greater the strength enhancement, and the wider the gap would become.

Mo Hua had known this principle earlier, but he was muddleheaded then, far less experienced than he was now.

Mo Hua gasped slightly in his heart.

The wealth gap between cultivators was shocking, and the spiritual power gap was actually so shocking as well.

"Need to find a way..."

Mo Hua felt a bit urgent in his heart.

Night, disciples' residence.

After returning from Refine Demon Mountain, Mo Hua was again lying on the table, diligently practicing arrays.

He felt that he should enhance his strength a bit more.

But the weakness in spiritual power was almost a dead end. He couldn't break through now, so he could only find a way to make his divine sense stronger.

If his divine sense was stronger, his arrays, spells, and sword arts would all be stronger.

Moreover, the Sword Discussion Assembly was next year. Making some preparations early, even if he only participated, having strength was better than having no strength.

But Mo Hua practiced arrays several times, looked inward a bit, and shook his head helplessly.

"Not good... I almost can't feel the growth of divine sense."

Ever since he reached Foundation Establishment, although he could still enhance his divine sense through arrays, purely relying on this method, the growth of divine sense was already minuscule.

The tempering of divine sense through arrays focused more on the comprehension of rules and the control of divine sense, rather than on the enhancement of divine sense.

This might be related to the daoization of his divine sense.

It might also be related to him eating too many demons and evil spirits.

And now that he wasn't eating them, or there was nothing good to eat, Mo Hua's progress in divine sense had almost stagnated, especially at the crucial node of twenty patterns.

"Stuck again..."

Divine sense, arrays, sword arts, and life-bound magic treasure.

Mo Hua sighed.

Cultivating the Dao was truly not easy, with thresholds everywhere.

Of course, the road of cultivation is long, and thresholds and setbacks are all normal.

Mo Hua forced himself to calm down, continued to practice arrays, practicing the arrays he had practiced countless times again and again.

Little by little, he tempered his divine sense and comprehended the true meaning of cultivation.

He didn't know how long he had been practicing, and he didn't know why, but Mo Hua unexpectedly felt sleepy against his usual practice. A heavy sense of fatigue attacked, causing Mo Hua's eyelids to start drooping.

Mo Hua struggled a few times, but it was still useless. He simply couldn't lift his spirits.

Finally, he really couldn't hold on any longer. His eyes slowly closed, his head drooped, and he lay on the table, his arm knocking over the spiritual ink.

The spiritual ink slowly spread out, staining the array paper black.

Mo Hua also had a nightmare.

In the nightmare, it was completely black. An "evil fetus"-shaped thing, with fierce eyes, was looking at Mo Hua.