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Chapter 1423: Great Spirit Field Realm
(TN: This is a temporary chapter. It will be updated when I receive the Raws.)
Bai Zixi glanced at Mo Hua and nodded lightly. After a moment of silence, she parted her crimson lips and softly said to him:
"I once studied under Old Madam and heard her say... Qi-Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core—these three realms were called 'solid realms' by ancient cultivators. They cultivated tangible flesh and spiritual power. Whether spiritual power was like vapor, mercury, or crystallized, its essence was a transformation of 'solidity.'"
"But above Feathered Ascension, one cultivates the 'void realm.' It builds upon solidity to pursue intangible Laws and elusive, unfathomable Dao."
"However, this distinction between solid and void is based on ancient cultivators' understanding. Today's cultivation system is vastly different."
Mo Hua nodded upon hearing this.
Since the Dao Court unified the cultivation world and peace prevailed, two millennia of continuous development and evolution have greatly diverged today's cultivation system from ancient practices. It is more comprehensive in categories and richer in structure.
Compared to this, ancient cultivators' practices and understanding of the world seem too "rudimentary."
"But," Bai Zixi pondered, "Old Madam also said that ancient cultivators viewed the world differently from us today. Back then, there weren't so many fragmented knowledge and unorthodox techniques. Therefore, ancient cultivators often could, with flawless hearts and innocent eyes, directly perceive the essence of the great Dao of the world."
"The words of ancient cultivators may be rudimentary, but they likely point directly to the great Dao."
"The knowledge in today's cultivation world is vast and boundless, but most of it is man-made."
"Man-made, thus artificial."
After a while, she raised her head and asked in return: "And you? Don't you wish to cultivate to Feathered Ascension?"
"I do wish to," Mo Hua sighed.
How could he not want to cultivate to Feathered Ascension?
But Feathered Ascension isn't something one can cultivate so easily. Moreover, he is only at the early Golden Core stage, still quite far from Feathered Ascension.
Furthermore, to breakthrough to Feathered Ascension, one must delve into comprehending the Great Heavenly Cycle, Law Comprehension, Feathered Ascension Spiritual Power, and soaring through the skies.
The major bottleneck of the Celestial Evolution Art—the ultra-large-scale Third-Grade Heavenly Puzzle Grand Formation—must also be overcome first.
None of these are simple matters.
Mo Hua frowned, then couldn't help but ask curiously: "Senior Sister, how many years does it generally take for cultivators to reach Feathered Ascension?"
Bai Zixi quietly replied: "Most cultivators never reach Feathered Ascension in their entire lifetimes."
Mo Hua was taken aback, thinking inwardly that his little senior sister, usually calm and detached, occasionally shows a bit of playful mischief.
Mo Hua then asked: "And the exceptional ones? For example, genius cultivators—how long until they achieve Feathered Ascension?"
Bai Zixi said: "Those who reach Feathered Ascension within two hundred years are supreme geniuses. Those who soar within a hundred years are supreme prodigies."
"A hundred years..." Mo Hua murmured softly.
It seems this is his little senior sister's goal.
Given her talent and cultivation speed, as long as her opportunities aren't poor, she likely can truly achieve Feathered Ascension and soar within a hundred years.
He wondered if he could catch up to his little senior sister's progress.
Bai Zixi suddenly asked Mo Hua: "Little Junior Brother..."
Mo Hua interrupted: "You told me not to call you 'little senior sister,' so why are you calling me 'little junior brother'?"
Bai Zixi paused, her exquisite eyes glancing slightly at Mo Hua, and said: "You cannot call me 'little senior sister,' but I can call you 'little junior brother.'"
Mo Hua looked at Bai Zixi and sighed helplessly, "Alright."
You're pretty, so you get to decide. Who made you the senior sister?
Bai Zixi continued, "Junior brother, if one day you achieve Feathered Ascension, what would you do?"
"I..." Mo Hua was about to say something when he suddenly looked up and noticed his senior sister watching him.
Her crystal-clear eyes seemed to contain complex, fluctuating emotions.
Mo Hua was taken aback. After a moment of thought, he said, "I... haven't thought about it yet. I need to take things step by step."
All the emotions in Bai Zixi's eyes instantly receded, her expression returning to calmness as she said softly: "Mm, do your best."
In the following days, Mo Hua found time to visit Fortune Pavilion and handed over Manager Zhao's order.
As he was leaving, he ran into Wu Gui, Jin An, and Zhu Xian again.
The three of them had pooled their "sparring fees," were beaten up by Mo Hua once more, and then left cursing and grumbling.
As they departed, the three of them boasted again:
"This time, we were just careless. My magical artifact wasn't properly nurtured, my spirit weapon wasn't well-prepared, I was in a bad mood, my meridians weren't flowing smoothly... That's why we lost."
"Your clumsy Fireball Technique has already been seen through by us. Next time we fight, we'll definitely defeat you."
"Remember this, Mo."
After saying this, they left with cold sneers, looking utterly arrogant.
As if they were the ones who had won and Mo Hua had lost.
Mo Hua shook his head but didn't respond.
One should be kind.
After all, these people served as his practice targets and even delivered Spirit stones to him. It was only fair to let them have the satisfaction of empty words.
In fact, it wasn't just that—Mo Hua had also held back during the fight.
This time, he reduced the power and speed of his Fireball Technique by twenty percent, giving these young masters from Kun Province's prominent families enough room to maneuver.
He wanted them to feel the regret of almost winning but falling short, as well as the belief that they could definitely win next time.
So, although Wu Gui and the other two lost, they left full of hope.
After returning, these three would surely pool their Spirit stones again and come looking for him to spar, delivering the stones right into his hands.
Mo Hua sighed softly in his heart, feeling a little mischievous.
Thinking of this, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something else and felt a bit puzzled.
These three troublemakers were likely targeting him to impress Miss Lu.
But Lu Zhenlong, on the other hand, seemed to have gone quiet.
Back at Fortune Pavilion, judging by her demeanor, she shouldn't have let things go so easily.
Yet after all this time, she hadn't made a move.
He didn't know whether she was still preparing some scheme or if she had been "suppressed" by her father.
Young masters and mistresses from prominent families, especially a legitimate daughter of Lu Zhenlong's status, weren't actually that free. Her every word and action represented the Lu Clan's dignity, and she might even be a key bargaining chip for the Lu Clan's "marriage alliances."
Logically speaking, the Lu Clan indeed couldn't allow her to act recklessly.
Hopefully, that was the case.
Because of his senior sister, Mo Hua already had enough troublesome women to deal with. He didn't want to add another one to the list.
Afterward, Mo Hua gathered his thoughts and prepared to return to the minor blessed land.
On the way back, he stopped by the market to buy something for Xiao Ju to eat.
And then he ran into another "acquaintance"—the same vendor who had been selling oranges before.
Last time Bai XiaoSheng competed with him for oranges, it was at this vendor's stall, and Mo Hua remembered it clearly.
This vendor was also quite trustworthy and knew his limits.
At this moment, he was wearing coarse clothes, selling some fruits in the Eastern District market.
Among them, the most valuable were naturally those dozen oranges.
The vendor's business wasn't very good, and he originally looked troubled, until he saw Mo Hua, recognized his identity, then his eyes lit up, his face filled with smiles, and he bowed respectfully:
"Greetings, young master."
Mo Hua nodded slightly, "I want to buy some oranges."
The vendor smiled, "Thank you for your patronage, young master. They are nine hundred fifty spirit stones each."
Mo Hua asked him, "Isn't it one thousand?"
The vendor sighed, "Originally one thousand, but business is poor, so I had to lower the price to nine hundred fifty each. Since you're supporting my business, young master, I cannot deceive you."
Mo Hua's gaze was gentle, and he nodded.
The vendor asked, "How many do you want?"
Mo Hua said, "Give me all of them."
The vendor was immediately delighted, hurriedly took out a small storage bag, packed all the oranges, and handed them to Mo Hua with both hands, saying: "Thanks to your good fortune, young master, selling these oranges makes my business much easier."
Mo Hua counted over ten thousand spirit stones and handed them to the vendor.
The vendor held the heavy storage bag in his hand, feeling both joy and sigh, his expression filled with emotion: "Spirit stones are truly a good thing; we rely entirely on them to survive."
Mo Hua glanced at the vendor and suddenly asked, "You're not from Houtu City?"
Mo Hua was a major customer who supported his business, and the vendor felt grateful, so he honestly told Mo Hua: "You have keen insight, young master. Houtu City is a great immortal city..."
He shook his head and smiled bitterly, "It's not a place where humble people like me can settle and make a living."
"I come from a small place, living by farming, growing some rare fruits. They don't fetch good prices in small places, so I traveled over mountains and rivers to Houtu City to try my luck, hoping nobles would appreciate them."
Mo Hua asked, "Where do you live then? In an inn?"
"How could I afford that?" the vendor shook his head, "Don't think this over ten thousand spirit stones is much; after deducting costs and labor, there's little profit left. How dare I stay in an inn?"
"During the day, I set up my stall here, chewing on dry provisions to fill my stomach. At night, I find a random street corner, wrap myself in a coarse blanket, and endure the night."
"It's fortunate that Houtu City is a great immortal city with strict rules. Otherwise, if someone stabbed me at night and robbed all my storage bag, I'd have nowhere to seek justice."
The vendor said with a smile.
Though spoken in a joking tone, an inexplicable bitterness inadvertently surfaced in his eyes.
Mo Hua saw this, feeling an indescribable sentiment in his heart.
Mo Hua asked him, "What's your name?"
The vendor was somewhat surprised, but after thinking, felt that this young master asking his name was giving him respect, so he said: "Replying to you, young master, my surname is Nian, and my name is Youyu."
Mo Hua said, "Nian Youyu?"
The vendor smiled, "Yes. Noble families and esteemed individuals pursue cultivation, seeking the path, immortality, and longevity. As a humble cultivator like me, I have no such grand ambitions; I only wish for surplus provisions year after year."
Mo Hua remembered the vendor mentioning the place "Great Spirit Field Realm."
The vendor nodded, "Yes."
Mo Hua asked, "What state realm is this?"
The vendor replied, "This isn't just one state realm, but dozens of small state realms connected together, with vast spiritual fields that are indistinguishable from one another, stretching as far as the eye can see. That's why we locals call it the 'Great Spirit Field Realm.'"
"In other words, it's a vast expanse of spiritual fields, all linked together to form a single territory."
Vast spiritual fields...
Mo Hua's heart trembled slightly, his gaze sharpening as he asked, "Where is this Great Spirit Field Realm?"
The vendor shook his head. "That's far away. From here, heading east, even with fast horses, it would take about half a month to reach the nearest Great Spirit Field Realm."
He glanced at Mo Hua again and smiled. "Young master, you're a noble, living in this great immortal city, clothed in fine silks and feasting on delicacies. The Great Spirit Field Realm is a poor place, remote and impoverished. There's no need for you to go there."
Mo Hua's expression was complex, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Suddenly, a doubt arose in his mind, and he asked the vendor: "The Great Spirit Field Realm is so far away. After traveling over mountains and rivers, won't your melons and fruits spoil?"
The vendor hesitated, then forced a smile. "To be honest with you, young master, my ancestors passed down some skills—techniques for cultivating spiritual melons and fruits, as well as preserving their freshness. But this..."
He smiled awkwardly.
Clearly, these were ancestral secrets, the means to make a living, and he couldn't divulge them.
Mo Hua didn't press him further and simply said, "I'll buy all the melons and fruits you have left."
Upon hearing this, the vendor was overjoyed once again and hurriedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, young master, thank you! May you..."
In his excitement, he couldn't find the right words of gratitude and ended up rambling: "May you enjoy wealth and health, find a lifelong partner soon, live in harmony for a hundred years, and have noble children early..."
Mo Hua couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
After that, all the vendor's melons and fruits were purchased by Mo Hua.
Carrying five or six storage bags filled with melons and fruits, Mo Hua returned to the minor blessed land.
When Xiao Ju saw this, she was delighted at first but then grew worried. "So many melons—how can we finish them all?"
Mo Hua replied, "We'll eat them slowly."
For a long time afterward, Mo Hua spent his days idly, either munching on melons or chewing on fruits.
As he ate these fruits, he still remembered what the vendor named Nian Youyu had said about the Great Spirit Field Realm.
The words "Great Spirit Field Realm" always gave Mo Hua an indescribable sense of unease.
Mo Hua really wanted to see it for himself, but the journey was too far. Going there and back would take an unknown amount of time.
At least for the short term, he likely wouldn't have the opportunity to go.
After munching on melons and fruits for a while longer, Mo Hua felt that life was too peaceful.
Moreover, he had almost used up all his spirit stones feeding the Taotie Spiritual Meridian, so he went to the Fortune Pavilion and asked Manager Zhao: "Do you have any burial-related work?"
Manager Zhao thought to himself.
This young master Mo seems addicted to burials.
Although it wasn't a bad thing, why was he so eager to go...
Manager Zhao couldn't help but ask casually, "Are you short on spirit stones again?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Manager Zhao was taken aback, his eyes widening. "All those spirit stones—you've spent them all?"
"Not all," Mo Hua shook his head.
Manager Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could finish relaxing, he heard Mo Hua add, "But there aren't many left."
Manager Zhao couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
So far, the spirit stones that had passed through his hands to this young master Mo amounted to nearly two or three million. And in such a short time, he had spent them all?
He had never seen anyone who could spend money so recklessly.
Where did he spend all these spirit stones? How could they be spent so quickly? Manager Zhao narrowed his eyes and asked Mo Hua softly, "Did you gamble?"
In this world, if there was anything that could spend money fastest, it was gambling. One could lose all their family fortune overnight.
Mo Hua shook his head. "I don't gamble."
"Then you..." Manager Zhao held back for a long time before swallowing that word back into his stomach.
Looking at Mo Hua's face, he shook his head inwardly.
Mo Hua couldn't possibly do such a thing... Besides, with his looks, if he went to such places, who knows who would be disgusted with whom.
(End of Chapter)