Setelah memasuki gerbang sekte dan menyapa rekan-rekan sesama murid yang sudah dikenalnya, Mo Hua memulai satu tahun belajar dan berkultivasi.
Bahkan kultivator paling miskin di lapisan terbawah hierarki mengumpulkan beberapa Batu Roh untuk menyekolahkan anak-anak mereka ke sekte demi berkultivasi, setidaknya untuk meletakkan dasar dalam kultivasi dan tidak terlalu bodoh tentang berbagai pengetahuan di Dunia Kultivasi Tao. Oleh karena itu, murid terbanyak dalam tahap awal Pemurnian Qi berada di Gerbang Tongxian.
Adapun untuk mencapai tahap tengah Pemurnian Qi, apakah seseorang bisa melanjutkan kultivasi pertama-tama tergantung pada bakat kultivatornya dan kedua pada kekayaan keluarganya.
Sebagian keluarga Kultivator Bebas benar-benar tidak mampu membayar Batu Roh dan terpaksa menyuruh anak-anak mereka berhenti sekolah untuk membantu dalam Pemurnian Artefak atau pergi berburu monster di pegunungan untuk sekadar menyambung hidup. Tunjangan tahunan seratus Batu Roh bukanlah jumlah yang kecil. Jika tidak, keluarga itu akan mati kelaparan sebelum anaknya membuat kemajuan dalam kultivasi.
Mereka yang bisa melanjutkan kultivasi di sekte selama tahap akhir Pemurnian Qi bahkan lebih sedikit jumlahnya.
Rekan-rekan sesama murid Mo Hua yang sudah dikenalnya tidak terlihat di mana pun. Setelah bertanya-tanya, dia mengetahui bahwa beberapa dari mereka, karena kondisi keluarga yang miskin dan beberapa kesulitan, tidak mampu membayar uang sekolah dan harus putus sekolah.
Berlatih kultivasi Tao itu beragam dan mendalam. Tanpa bimbingan guru, seseorang tidak bisa membayangkan berapa banyak jalan memutar yang mungkin mereka ambil. Putus sekolah selama tahap awal Pemurnian Qi, kecuali diberkati dengan keberuntungan yang luar biasa, sulit untuk membuat kemajuan yang signifikan dalam kultivasi Tao.
Mo Hua menghela napas kecil, merasa cukup kasihan pada mereka, tetapi situasinya sendiri juga tidak jauh lebih baik, membuatnya punya sedikit waktu untuk merenungkan perasaan itu.
Sambil menghadiri kelas, Mo Hua melanjutkan latihan kultivasinya, dan di waktu luangnya, dia sibuk menggambar Formasi, menjalani kehidupan yang sibuk namun memuaskan.
Beberapa bulan kemudian, Mo Hua tanpa terasa telah menerobos ke tingkat ketiga Pemurnian Qi.
Latihan Alam Pemurnian Qi lebih mengandalkan ketekunan dan akumulasi. Dedikasi harian untuk berkultivasi, seiring waktu, bersama dengan pengeluaran Batu Roh yang tepat, secara alami mengarah pada penerobosan.
Namun, yang paling kurang dimiliki Kultivator Bebas selalu adalah Batu Roh.
Penerobosan alam kecil mengandalkan akumulasi, sementara menerobos alam menengah akan menemui hambatan. Hambatan ini sering kali membutuhkan bahan-bahan langka tertentu atau Pil untuk membantu menerobos.
Adapun penerobosan alam besar seperti naik dari Pemurnian Qi ke Pendirian Fondasi, itu lebih merupakan soal takdir. Bagi kebanyakan Kultivator Bebas tingkat bawah, itu adalah jurang yang tidak akan pernah bisa mereka seberangi seumur hidup mereka.
Setiap kenaikan alam membawa manfaat besar bagi seorang Kultivator.
Sekarang di tingkat ketiga Pemurnian Qi, Mo Hua merasakan Kekuatan Spiritualnya lebih berlimpah, dan Indra Spiritualnya secara alami lebih kuat.
Formasi Api Terang yang dulu sulit dia selesaikan sekarang sudah dalam genggamannya, dan dia bahkan tidak perlu banyak istirahat setelah menyelesaikannya.
Meskipun itu sudah diduga, Mo Hua tetap terkejut dan senang.
Tidak heran begitu banyak Kultivator menahan kebosanan kultivasi dengan fokus tunggal untuk meningkatkan alam mereka; kegembiraan sederhana yang datang setelah kebosanan itu adalah bentuk kebahagiaan yang sejati.
Pada usia sepuluh tahun, kultivasi Mo Hua telah mencapai tingkat ketiga Pemurnian Qi, menempatkannya di peringkat menengah-atas di kelasnya.
Setelah mencapai tingkat ketiga Pemurnian Qi, saatnya Mo Hua memilih Teknik Kultivasinya.
Suatu hari setelah kelas, Instruktur Yan menyuruh beberapa murid di tingkat ketiga Pemurnian Qi tinggal, termasuk Mo Hua.
Instruktur Yan menahan Mo Hua dan yang lainnya, lalu langsung ke pokok permasalahan,
"Ini biasanya ditangani oleh Instruktur Tua Zhou, tetapi karena dia sedang agak tidak enak badan, saya untuk sementara mengambil alih tugas ini untuk membahas masalah Teknik Kultivasi dengan kalian."
"Hal terpenting bagi seorang Kultivator adalah Kekuatan Spiritual. Apakah kamu seorang Kultivator Tubuh atau Kultivator Spiritual, apakah kamu bekerja di Lukisan Formasi, Alkimia, Pemurnian Artefak, atau pembuatan Rune, semuanya membutuhkan Kekuatan Spiritual. Jika Kekuatan Spiritualmu kuat, kamu berada di atas yang lain; jika lemah, kamu berada di bawah. Perbedaan paling mendasar di antara Kultivator adalah perbedaan dalam Kekuatan Spiritual."
"Sumber Kekuatan Spiritual seorang Kultivator ditentukan oleh Teknik Kultivasinya, dan Teknik Kultivasi ditentukan oleh Akar Spiritual. Akar Spiritual macam apa yang kamu miliki menentukan Teknik Kultivasi apa yang harus kamu latih, dan Teknik yang kamu pilih akan menentukan kelimpahan Kekuatan Spiritualmu."
"Akar Spiritual adalah bawaan lahir, ditentukan oleh alam dan tidak bisa diubah kemudian. Kamu tidak bisa memilih Akar Spiritualmu, tetapi kamu bisa memilih Teknik Kultivasi mana yang akan kamu latih."
"Memilih Teknik Kultivasi yang tepat sangat bermanfaat untuk kultivasimu di masa depan. Bahkan dengan Akar Spiritual yang lebih rendah, memilih Teknik Kultivasi yang tepat dapat mengarah pada jalan kultivasi Tao yang panjang, sedangkan mencocokkan Akar Spiritual yang unggul dengan Teknik yang salah bisa secara efektif memutus perjalanan kultivasimu yang abadi."
"Oleh karena itu, terlepas dari kualitas Akar Spiritualmu, pilihan Teknik Kultivasi harus dilakukan dengan sangat hati-hati..."
"Teknik Kultivasi..." Mo Hua merenungkannya dalam hati.
Mo Hua memiliki Akar Spiritual Lima Elemen Kecil tingkat dua, kelas bawah, yang dianggap di bawah rata-rata di antara teman-temannya di Kota Tongxian.
Dia bertanya-tanya Teknik Kultivasi macam apa yang bisa dia pelajari dengan Akar Spiritualnya.
After Mo Hua entered Tongxian Gate, a new year of sect life began.
Tongxian Gate is a First Grade sect, which is the lowest level of sects in the Tao Cultivation World.
The hierarchical system of sect rankings in the Tao Cultivation World is extremely strict.
When a sect is first established, it must undergo an assessment, which is audited and decreed by the Taoist Court.
The criteria for assessment are very stringent, including strict evaluations of the sect's assets, the mountain ranges it occupies, the depth of its legacy, whether the Sect Leader has any moral flaws, the cultivation and number of Elders and Instructors within the sect, and the number of disciples it can accommodate.
Advancement in sect ranking is even more demanding, requiring several high-level cultivators to be present and disseminate teachings for a set number of years before applying to the Heavenly Right Pavilion of the Taoist Court for a promotion in rank.
Rank advancement is a top priority for any sect, requiring years of preparation, as well as managing relations with the Taoist Court, and spending considerable human and financial resources.
Within Tongxian Gate, only the old Sect Leader is a Foundation Building Cultivator, far from meeting the requirements for a Second Grade sect. Moreover, it is estimated that they will not qualify for rank advancement within a hundred years.
In addition, Tongxian Gate's estate encompasses only three mountain peaks: Tongling Peak, Tongxuan Peak, and Tongming Peak.
At Tongxian Gate's Outer Gate, disciples in the early stages of Qi Refinement, that is levels 1-3, practice and learn on Tongling Peak. Disciples at the middle phase of Qi Refinement, levels 4-6, are on Tongxuan Peak, and the few Outer Gate disciples in the latter phase of Qi Refinement, levels 7-9, are also on Tongxuan Peak. These disciples are so few in number that they are simply accommodated together.
The Inner Gate disciples including legacy students, as well as the sect's Sect Leader, Elders, and Instructors, are all located on Tongming Peak.
It is said that there used to be a Tongxian Peak, exclusively for the Sect Leader and Elders to reside and cultivate. However, due to poor management of the Sect and insolvency, they had to sell the peak with tears in their eyes.
How could Tongxian Gate still be called "Tongxian Gate" without Tongxian Peak?
Generations of Sect Leaders of Tongxian Gate have vowed to redeem Tongxian Peak, but unfortunately, this grand aspiration has not yet been realized.
The disciples from each peak of Tongxian Gate are divided into four classes: A, B, C, and D, with the quality of the disciples decreasing from Class A downward. The sect's attention to and cultivation of them decrease accordingly.
Class A usually recruits so-called "heaven's proud children" with good Spiritual Roots, high aptitude, and quick cultivation progress.
Of course, if you have a relationship with the sect's Sect Leader or Elders, or are willing to donate a significant number of Spirit Stones to the sect, you can also enter Class A.
In short, you need either talent, connections, or Spirit Stones.
Class B enrolls disciples with average Spiritual Roots but decent aptitude and perseverance, and solid performance in various disciplines.
Disciples in Class C have average Spiritual Roots, average aptitude and achievements, while those in Class D have even poorer Spiritual Roots and achievements, basically just muddling through their days.
Mo Hua was assigned to Class B, belonging to the kind of disciples with average Spiritual Roots, but relatively hardworking and with decent performance in courses.
Since Mo Hua was only at the second level of Qi Refinement, his lodgings and cultivation place were all on Tongling Peak, which housed the largest number of disciples in Tongxian Gate.
After entering the sect and greeting familiar fellow disciples, Mo Hua began a year of study and cultivation.
Even the poorest cultivators at the bottom of the hierarchy gather some Spirit Stones to send their children to the sect for cultivation, to at least lay down some foundation in cultivation and not to be too ignorant of the various knowledge in the Tao Cultivation World. Thus, the most disciples in the early stages of Qi Refinement are in Tongxian Gate.
As for reaching the middle phase of Qi Refinement, whether one can continue to cultivate depends firstly on the cultivator's talent and secondly on their family's wealth.
Some Loose Cultivator families simply cannot afford the Spirit Stones and have to let their children drop out of school to help in Artifact Refining or go monster hunting in the mountains to barely make ends meet. The annual stipend of one hundred Spirit Stones is no small sum. Otherwise, the family would starve to death before the child made any progress in cultivation.
Those who can continue to cultivate in the sect during the latter phase of Qi Refinement are even fewer.
Mo Hua's familiar fellow disciples were nowhere to be seen. After asking around, he learned that several of them, due to their impoverished family conditions and some difficulties, could not afford the tuition and had to drop out of school.
Practicing Tao cultivation is diverse and profound. Without a teacher's guidance, one cannot fathom the number of detours they might take. Dropping out during the early phase of Qi Refinement, unless blessed with an incredible stroke of fortune, it is difficult to make any significant progress in Tao cultivation.
Mo Hua let out a small sigh, feeling quite sorry for them, but his own situation wasn't much better, leaving him little time to dwell on these feelings.
While attending classes, Mo Hua continued his cultivation practice, and in his free time, he busied himself with Drawing Formation, leading a hectic but fulfilling life.
Several months later, Mo Hua had imperceptibly broken through to the third level of Qi Refinement.
The practice of the Qi Refinement Realm relies more on persistence and accumulation. Daily dedication to cultivation, over time, along with the proper expenditure of Spirit Stones, naturally leads to breakthrough.
However, what Loose Cultivators lack the most is always Spirit Stones.
Small realm breakthroughs rely on accumulation, while breaking through the middle realms will encounter bottlenecks. These bottlenecks often require certain rare materials or Pills to aid in breaking through.
As for major realm breakthroughs like advancing from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, it's more a matter of fate. For most of the lower-tier Loose Cultivators, it's a chasm they can never bridge in their lifetime.
Each ascension in realm brings immense benefits for a Cultivator.
Now at the third level of Qi Refinement, Mo Hua felt his Spiritual Power was more abundant, and his Divine Sense naturally stronger.
The Bright Fire Formation that used to be a strain to complete was now well within his grasp, and he didn't even need much rest after finishing it.
Even though it was expected, Mo Hua was still pleasantly surprised.
No wonder so many Cultivators endure the tedium of cultivation with the sole focus on improving their realm; the plain joy that comes after such tedium is the true form of happiness.
At the age of ten, Mo Hua's cultivation had reached the third level of Qi Refinement, ranking him in the upper-middle tier in his class.
Now that he had reached the third level of Qi Refinement, it was time for Mo Hua to choose his Cultivation Technique.
One day after class, Instructor Yan asked several disciples at the third level of Qi Refinement to stay behind, including Mo Hua.
Instructor Yan kept Mo Hua and others back and then got straight to the point,
"This is normally handled by Old Instructor Zhou, but since he's feeling slightly unwell, I am taking on the task temporarily to discuss the matter of Cultivation Techniques with you."
"The most important thing for a Cultivator is Spiritual Power. Whether you're a Body Cultivator or a Spiritual Cultivator, whether you work on Formation Painting, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Rune making, all require Spiritual Power. If your Spiritual Power is strong, you stand above others; if it is weak, you're a notch below. The most fundamental difference among Cultivators is the difference in Spiritual Power."
"The source of a Cultivator's Spiritual Power is determined by their Cultivation Technique, and the Cultivation Technique is determined by the Spiritual Root. What kind of Spiritual Root you have dictates which Cultivation Technique you should practice, and the Technique you choose will define the abundance of your Spiritual Power."
"Spiritual Roots are innate, predetermined by nature and cannot be changed later. You can't choose your Spiritual Roots, but you can choose which Cultivation Technique to practice."
"Selecting an appropriate Cultivation Technique can greatly benefit your future cultivation. Even with lesser Spiritual Roots, choosing the right Cultivation Technique can lead to a lengthy path of Tao Cultivation, whereas mismatching a superior Spiritual Root with the wrong Technique could effectively sever your eternal cultivation journey."
"Thus, regardless of the quality of your Spiritual Root, the choice of Cultivation Technique must be undertaken with extreme caution..."
"Cultivation Technique..." Mo Hua silently mulled over it in his heart.
Mo Hua possessed a second-grade, lower-tier Small Five Elements Spiritual Root, which was considered below average among his peers in Tongxian City.
He wondered what kind of Cultivation Technique his Spiritual Root would allow him to learn.
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