Choice

"Forget it. I should focus on what's right in front of me first..."

Mo Hua thought to himself, then obediently began flipping through the mid- and low-grade cultivation manuals.

Small Five Elements Art: Mid-low-grade cultivation manual, suitable for cultivation by Five Elements Spirit Roots. Can cultivate Lingli through seventy cycles. To reach perfection in the Qi Refining Stage, at least one thousand Spirit Stones must be refined. Requires heavenly treasures such as Centennial Soil.

Rejuvenation Art: Mid-low-grade cultivation manual, suitable for cultivation by wood-element Spirit Roots. Can cultivate Lingli through seventy-five cycles. To reach perfection in the Qi Refining Stage, at least one thousand one hundred Spirit Stones must be refined. Requires heavenly treasures such as Evergreen Wood or Evergreen Leaves over ten years old.

Hundred Flames Art: Mid-low-grade cultivation manual, suitable for cultivation by fire-element Spirit Roots. Can cultivate Lingli through sixty cycles. To reach perfection in the Qi Refining Stage, at least nine hundred Spirit Stones must be refined. Requires heavenly treasures such as Molten Fire Stone.

Mid-grade lower-tier manuals did not require a small number of Spirit Stones either, but compared with high-grade manuals, they were already far better.

But where there was gain, there was loss. Mid-low-grade cultivation manuals consumed fewer Spirit Stones, and the Lingli cultivated from them was likewise less.

With Mo Hua's mid-grade lower-tier Spirit Root, cultivating a mid-grade lower-tier manual meant that, at the same realm, his Lingli would probably amount to only a little more than half that of a cultivator with a high-grade lower-tier Spirit Root.

And that was only high-grade lower-tier. High-grade middle-tier and upper-tier manuals would inevitably cultivate even denser Lingli. The further one cultivated, the more the disparity in Lingli brought by differing Spirit Roots became as vast as clouds and mud.

Moreover, Spirit Roots were decided at birth and could not be changed.

"Sure enough, some people are blessed by heaven from the moment they are born..."

Mo Hua shook his head. Since Spirit Roots could not be changed, there was no point dwelling on them.

Mo Hua flipped the Cultivation Manual Directory to its final page, saw a line of fine print at the bottom, and froze completely.

"Cultivation manual inheritance fee... what is that?"

Mo Hua saw the note below:

The cultivation manuals of Immortal Gate had been painstakingly collected, devotedly researched, and carefully improved by the Sect Masters and elders of successive generations. They contained the heart's blood of countless predecessors.

Sect disciples had to pay a certain amount of Spirit Stones before they could obtain the qualifications for inheritance.

The specific inheritance fees were listed below as well.

A high-grade lower-tier cultivation manual required an inheritance fee of eleven hundred Spirit Stones. Since high-grade Spirit Roots were rare, the discounted price was only nine hundred ninety-eight Spirit Stones.

The inheritance fees for mid-grade cultivation manuals were slightly lower, and mid-grade lower-tier manuals were lower still, but they still cost two hundred Spirit Stones.

Mo Hua was dumbfounded.

Why was there even an inheritance fee?

He had never heard of this before.

How could the sect charge fees so arbitrarily? This was far too black-hearted!!

Mo Hua, who possessed only eight Spirit Stones in total, sighed helplessly.

This cultivation world was simply too real and too practical...

"Once you have chosen your cultivation manuals and paid the inheritance fees, the sect will impart those manuals to you. Cultivation manuals are of great importance. It is best that you return and discuss the matter with your parents and elders before making a decision. Do not reach beyond your grasp, but do not let shallow vision cause you to miss your future in the Dao either."

After Instructor Yan finished speaking, he left. From his expression, he did not seem particularly willing to handle this matter either.

After Instructor Yan left, the disciples gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves. Some were brimming with excitement, while others wore faces full of sorrow. The room instantly became noisy:

"What is an inheritance fee? I've never heard of it before..."

"Who knows? The sect is charging it. Can we refuse to pay...?"

"The Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Art costs more than a thousand Spirit Stones just for the inheritance fee. Tsk, tsk..."

"If you really learn it, you'll probably have to sell yourself to the sect."

"Thanks, but my Spirit Root isn't worthy of it."

"My father and mother both have mid-grade Spirit Roots. Why is mine only low-grade? There's practically no cultivation manual for me to choose..."

"Go read the Theory of Cultivator Spiritual Root Evolution, and you'll understand why two parents with mid-grade Spirit Roots gave birth to you, with your low-grade Spirit Root..."

"Say, can there really be high-grade Spirit Roots among us?"

"There are. I have a distant relative with a high-grade Spirit Root, but his father loved gambling and his mother was lazy. Their family was so poor they had nothing, so he could only choose a low mid-grade cultivation manual. Such a good foundation was wasted for nothing. It's truly miserable..."

"Then even if I had a high-grade Spirit Root, I still couldn't afford to cultivate."

"You could marry into another family..."

"I'd never do that!"

As the disciples discussed animatedly, Mo Hua rested his little chin on his hand and pondered.

This sect inheritance fee had exceeded his expectations.

There actually were cultivation manuals in the Cultivation Manual Directory for Mo Hua to choose from, but his parents had only just scraped together his tuition. In a short time, they could not produce so many Spirit Stones. Even if they borrowed from every corner to gather them, it would be a heavy burden on the family.

"Since that's the case, I can only put off choosing a cultivation manual for now. I'll make do with the Breathing Technique first. Once I save enough Spirit Stones by drawing array techniques, I can choose a cultivation manual from there to cultivate. I've only just entered Qi Refining Level Three, after all. There is still some time before I break through to Qi Refining Level Four."

Mo Hua tossed the Cultivation Manual Directory into his Storage Bag. He had no intention of bringing it home for his parents to see anytime soon. His most urgent task was still drawing array techniques and earning Spirit Stones.

Mo Hua's days afterward remained the same as before. Every day, he diligently cultivated, attended classes, and drew array techniques in his spare time.

Life in the sect was monotonous, but it was fairly pleasant as well.

Spirit-Connecting Peak was beautifully scenic, shaded by lush green trees and veiled in faint clouds and mist. Birds often wheeled through the air, while the fragrance of flowers lingered all around.

After class, Outer Sect disciples often wandered through the mountains. The female disciples were lovely in appearance and traveled together to admire flowers.

The male disciples chased spirit beasts all over the mountains. Young male and female cultivators, just beginning to understand love, whispered to each other among the flowers by mountain streams, while disciples jealous over romance fought one another.

But none of that had anything to do with Mo Hua. He devoted his entire heart to array techniques. Other than eating and attending class, he spent all his time studying arrays. Even at night, he practiced drawing array inscriptions on the stone tablet in his sleep.

Among the fellow disciples he knew well, Da Hu had reached Qi Refining Level Five, while Shuang Hu and Xiao Hu had long since reached Qi Refining Level Four. They all cultivated at Mysterious-Connecting Peak. Although the two peaks were not far apart, they knew Mo Hua was focused on studying array techniques, so they generally would not come disturb him unless there was something important.

Mo Hua had an obedient, intelligent-looking face and an utterly harmless appearance. He treated others kindly and had fairly good relations at Spirit-Connecting Peak. No one thought of bullying him.

Furthermore, Mo Hua's array technique grades were excellent, and Instructor Yan thought highly of him. If anyone wanted to bully him and Instructor Yan found out, the consequences would be severe. Instructor Yan hated it most when disciples caused trouble among themselves instead of focusing on cultivation. Once an instructor learned of it, the punishment would be extremely harsh.

Besides, Da Hu and the other two had always looked after Mo Hua. They were tall and powerfully built, following the path of Body Cultivators. In the future, they planned to enter Great Black Mountain and become Monster Hunters.

Whenever they had nothing to do, they would find ways to spar and fight with others. If anything happened on Mo Hua's side, they would have long since rolled up their sleeves and come rushing over from Mysterious-Connecting Peak.

Mo Hua cultivated with no distractions. The only time he interacted with another disciple was with Fatty An.

Mo Hua returned the ten Spirit Stones he had borrowed from Fatty An before the new year.

When Mo Hua handed him the Spirit Stones, Fatty An was stunned. He had clearly forgotten about them, and only remembered after thinking for a long while.

The An Family was a great lineage in Immortal City. He truly did not care much about those ten Spirit Stones, though it was also possible that he simply had a poor memory.

Fatty An frowned as he recalled it for a long time, then his expression became somewhat complicated. "In all my life, you're the first person who borrowed Spirit Stones from me and still remembered to return them."

Mo Hua could not help sighing inwardly. This must be the foolish son of a landlord's family.

Some of the Spirit Stones he lent out, he might have forgotten himself. Others, people might have deliberately refused to return. He truly did not lack Spirit Stones, so over time, he had simply grown accustomed to it.

"You're so foolish... kind. Be careful not to get deceived by others."

Mo Hua had gotten halfway through saying "foolish" before changing his word at the last moment. Patting Fatty An on the shoulder, he advised him tactfully.

Fatty An's expression grew even more complicated, and there was even a trace of emotion in it.

"Little Mo, everyone says I'm stupid. Only you understand that I'm simply kind-hearted. Of all the disciples I've met, you're the smartest! No wonder you draw array techniques so well!"

For a moment, Mo Hua did not know what to say.

More than a month passed. It was the sect's ten-day rest period, and they were given two days off.

Mo Hua left the sect and went to Fate Pavilion on North Street. He handed the Bright Fire Formation he had drawn to Steward Wang, then asked:

"Do you have any array techniques that are more difficult than the Bright Fire Formation and can earn more Spirit Stones?"

Steward Wang glanced sideways at Mo Hua. "Did your older brother tell you to ask?"

"Yes!" Mo Hua nodded.

"There are," Steward Wang said. He lowered his head and rummaged behind the desk for a while, then drew out an Array Diagram covered with several unfamiliar array inscriptions.

"Earth Solidification Formation. It can solidify earth and stone. Cultivators generally use it when building houses and Cave Abodes, or reinforcing doors and windows. The Earth Solidification Formation is somewhat harder than the Bright Fire Formation. The payment for each Earth Solidification Formation is two Spirit Stones."

Two Spirit Stones... that was twice what the Bright Fire Formation paid.

"Can I look at the array explanation first?"

Steward Wang rolled his eyes at Mo Hua. "What use is it for you to look? Your brother is the one who needs to see it."

Though he said that, he still handed the explanation to Mo Hua. These basic array explanations were not particularly scarce to begin with, so it did not matter if others took a look.

Mo Hua flipped through the explanation and found that many of the array inscriptions truly were ones he had never seen before, nor had the sect instructors ever taught them.

"I wonder how long it would take to learn this array technique..."

The inheritance fees for sect cultivation manuals were too expensive. If he relied on the Bright Fire Formation to earn Spirit Stones, he would have to save for quite a long time.

Mo Hua wanted to draw a new array technique, but he hesitated. If he did not draw it well, he might lose Spirit Stones. If he could not learn it and failed to finish drawing it within the deadline, the Array Pavilion would deduct the entire deposit.

"Forget it. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing the child!"

Mo Hua made up his mind. Even if he failed to learn it by the deadline and all twenty Spirit Stones were deducted, he could simply go back to drawing Bright Fire Formations and earn them back.

If he wanted to become an Array Master, the array techniques he would need to draw in the future might be far more difficult than this. He could not possibly draw Bright Fire Formations for his entire life.