Mo Hua

Dao Calendar 20,022, the tenth day of the ninth month.

Immortal City, Outer Mountain of the Immortal Gate.

Ten-year-old Mo Hua wore a plain Outer Sect disciple's Daoist robe. Bored out of his mind, he squatted behind a huge boulder at the foot of the mountain, holding a grass root as he bent over and drew intricate patterns on the ground.

By Mao Hour, disciples attending the sect's lessons were gradually making their way up the mountain, traveling in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.

A chubby boy wearing a standard Outer Sect Daoist robe, adorned with expensive jade ornaments, his face round and his eyes small, arrived with two or three lackeys. He found Mo Hua happily drawing something behind the boulder.

The chubby boy looked left and right. Only after confirming that no sect Instructor was nearby did he poke his head out and call furtively:

"Mo Hua!"

Mo Hua looked up, revealing a handsome little face as picturesque as a painting, his eyes so clear they seemed to hold a pool of limpid water.

The chubby boy lowered his voice. "Did you take care of it?"

Though only ten, Mo Hua patted his chest like a little adult. "When I handle something, don't worry." Then he took several Array Techniques from the Storage Bag behind him—white paper marked with red ink—and handed them to the chubby boy.

"See if there's anything wrong with them."

The chubby boy accepted them solemnly, opened the copied sheets, gave them a serious look, then said with a pained expression:

"I can't understand them..."

Mo Hua patiently explained:

"The Instructor assigned us the basic Array Patterns of the Five Elements Array. I drew them for you, and I deliberately made six mistakes, so the Instructor wouldn't notice that you didn't draw these Array Patterns yourself..."

"Six mistakes... Isn't that a little too many...?"

Mo Hua silently looked at him.

The chubby boy immediately realized his mistake and reflected:

"One mustn't be too greedy. It's already good enough if I can hand in the homework the Instructor assigned. If I do too well, it'll instead arouse suspicion. If the Instructor discovers it and my father finds out, he'll definitely beat me hard. The loss would outweigh the gain, the loss would outweigh the gain..."

Mo Hua nodded. "As expected of Young Master An. You figured it out so quickly!"

The chubby boy stuffed two Spirit Stones into Mo Hua's hand. "Brother Mo, you really have good judgment, knowing I'm smart! Here are the Spirit Stones. The next time the Instructor assigns Array Technique homework, I'll come to you again!"

With that, he tucked the Array Techniques into his robes and ran up the mountain in a puff of smoke.

Mo Hua carefully put away the two Spirit Stones, pulled another length of grass root, and continued drawing on the ground.

A moment later, a thin Young Master arrived, waving a gold-speckled paper fan. His features were sharp and mean, and he wore even more jade pendants.

Mo Hua likewise gave him an Array Diagram. The thin Young Master glanced at it, then signaled to his servant. The servant stepped forward, took it, and handed Mo Hua two Spirit Stones.

The thin Young Master took the Array Diagram but did not leave. Suddenly folding his fan, he said arrogantly, "This Young Master is also exceedingly skilled in Array Techniques. I simply have no time for these basic formations, which is why I had you write them for me."

Mo Hua could not be bothered with him. He picked up the grass root and continued drawing on the ground.

The thin Young Master was somewhat annoyed, then sneered. "I heard that among the early Qi Refining cultivators of the Immortal Gate, your Array Techniques are the best. I wonder how you compare to this Young Master. When we have time, shall we compete?"

You had me do your Array Technique homework for you. What level do you think you're at?

Yet adhering to the principle that harmony brought wealth, Mo Hua still raised his head and chose flattering words:

"Of course Young Master's attainments in Array Techniques are far superior. The Qian Family is Immortal City's foremost lineage. Its Array Technique inheritance is beyond what other cultivators can compare with."

The thin Young Master's expression eased slightly, and he asked again, "Then tell me, among the early Qi Refining cultivators of the Immortal Gate, is there anyone whose Array Technique standards surpass mine?"

"There are..."

The thin Young Master was displeased. "Who?"

Naturally, Mo Hua would not foolishly say something like, "For example, me."

"There are rather many. I can't count them all at once."

The thin Young Master was visibly angry.

"This is a good thing!" Mo Hua spoke sheer nonsense with his eyes wide open.

The thin Young Master sneered. "Their family backgrounds are inferior to mine, they have fewer Spirit Stones than I do, yet their Array Techniques surpass mine. There are even many such people. Are you saying that my talent is dull and stupid, that I cannot compare to others? What is good about that?"

Mo Hua said, "The cultivators of Immortal City, no matter how gifted they are or how well they learn, when they finally complete their studies, don't they still have to enter the Qian Family's Myriad Treasures Pavilion to refine artifacts, concoct pills, and draw Array Techniques for your Qian Family...?"

"Think about it. You're only in Qi Refining, yet Foundation Establishment cultivators work for you. You're only a First-Grade Array Master, yet Second-Grade Array Masters heed your commands. How imposing is that? The stronger the cultivators under your command, the greater your own ability appears!"

The thin Young Master froze, then suddenly understood. "That seems to make some sense!"

"You understand now, right?"

The thin Young Master nodded. Looking at the countless cultivators below the mountain, he raised his neck even higher.

"Indeed! Indeed! No matter how talented you are or how hard you cultivate, in the end, don't you still have to toil like oxen and horses for my Qian Family?"

Having said his piece, the sharp-faced Young Master Qian strode away with his head high and chest out.

After fooling Young Master Qian away, Mo Hua continued practicing Array Techniques on the ground with his grass root.

Before long, several more cultivators from wealthy families came over. Money changed hands for goods, and they bought several Array Techniques from Mo Hua with Spirit Stones. Once all the hand-copied Array Techniques had been sold, Mo Hua had twelve Spirit Stones in hand.

Twelve Spirit Stones were already quite a lot for a Rogue Cultivator, but for cultivation, they were still far from enough.

Mo Hua sighed, a trace of helplessness on his young face.

For cultivators at the bottom, the path of cultivation held no hope...

In the first year of the Dao Calendar, over twenty thousand years ago, the cultivation world's greatest power—the Dao Court—unified the cultivation Nine Provinces, bestowed titles upon lineages and sects, established a unified grading system, and standardized the ranks of cultivation professions.

The Dao Court also promulgated the Dao Law to restrain cultivators, forbidding them from wanton killing, plunder, and harvesting supplements.

The cultivation world developed as a result, enjoying more than twenty thousand years of peace and prosperity. It flourished to the extreme, its territory vast and boundless, its cultivators beyond count in the hundreds of millions.

Yet while the Dao Court prospered gloriously, lineages feasted amid bells and cauldrons, and sects dominated their regions.

Only the Rogue Cultivators at the bottom had nothing to rely on. Their lives were difficult, and they had no hope of cultivation.

After the cultivation world had multiplied for over twenty thousand years, mortals without Spirit Roots had gradually been naturally eliminated. Those remaining all possessed Spirit Roots and could cultivate. But the more cultivators there were, the more spiritual energy they consumed, until the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth was exhausted.

Now, if cultivators wished to cultivate, they needed both inheritance and Spirit Stones.

Yet great lineages occupied the Spirit Mines, bottom-tier Rogue Cultivators lacked Spirit Stones, and major sects monopolized inheritances. Ordinary Rogue Cultivators had no path into cultivation.

Within Immortal City, the overwhelming majority of Rogue Cultivators possessed neither inheritance nor sufficient Spirit Stones. For their entire lives, they could only remain cultivators of the Qi Refining Realm.

The Qi Refining Realm was nothing more than a humble ant beneath the vast Heavenly Dao.

And Mo Hua was one of those hundreds of millions of ants.

Moreover, he would very likely remain one for his entire life!

A faint bitterness touched Mo Hua's childish face.

Perhaps the Heavenly Dao was equal, but cultivation was absolutely unequal...

Mo Hua was a Second-Layer Qi Refining Rogue Cultivator, born into a Rogue Cultivator family in the Qi Refining Realm. Both his father and mother were in the Qi Refining Realm.

His father, Mo Shan, made his living Monster Hunting and had to fight demonic beasts every day, his body covered in wounds. His mother worked as a kitchen helper in the Dining Hall, and the fire energy from the Stove had entered her body, leaving her often with aching lungs and a dry cough.

Yet every Spirit Stone his parents had saved by scrimping and saving was merely so Mo Hua could enter the Outer Sect of the Immortal Gate and cultivate.

But no matter how hard Mo Hua cultivated, his middle-to-lower-grade Spirit Root, though slightly better than that of ordinary people, meant that among the multitude of geniuses in the cultivation world, he was destined to be merely one of average aptitude.

No matter how much he trained, he might only ever be a cultivator of the Qi Refining Realm.

His family circumstances were difficult, and without Spirit Stones, Mo Hua could only be like ordinary disciples: cultivate to Sixth-Layer Qi Refining, leave the sect, and then find some craft with which to make a living.

But Mo Hua had been frail since birth!

Professions that Qi Refining cultivators depended upon for survival, such as Artifact Refining and Monster Hunting, generally only wanted strong and sturdy Body Cultivators. Born physically weak, Mo Hua might not even be able to find a job to scrape together a meal.

If he married and had children in the future, his burdens would grow heavier, and all his Spirit Stones would be used to support his family.

Without Spirit Stones to cultivate, Mo Hua's cultivation would remain forever stagnant. For his entire life, he would be nothing more than a Qi Refining cultivator.

Just like every impoverished Rogue Cultivator in Immortal City.

Just like the hundreds of millions of bottom-tier cultivators in this cultivation world.

For his entire life, he would be only in Qi Refining!

Ten-year-old Mo Hua sighed, composed himself, and entered the sect for class. After cultivating for a day, Mo Hua returned to the Disciple Quarters, read cultivation texts for a while longer, and lay down on his bed when Midnight Hour arrived.

When Mo Hua closed his eyes, a Broken Stele appeared within his Sea of Consciousness.

There were no words on the Broken Stele, but from the very first moment Mo Hua saw it, he seemed to know its name:

Dao Stele!