The Quest for Immortality

What Kind of Foundation Should Be Built?

Mo Hua had never considered this question before, so he asked:

”Is there a difference between foundations?”

”Naturally, there are great differences between cultivators, and so the foundations they build are also different,” Mr. Zhuang explained.

”The foundation of a cultivator relies on their spiritual awareness, spiritual power, and physical body.”

”Different cultivators have different innate seas of consciousness, seas of Qi, and physical bodies. The methods and Dao they cultivate also vary widely, and the choices they make will lead to different paths of cultivation.”

Mo Hua was a bit troubled.

He originally thought that being able to build a foundation was good enough, but he didn’t expect there to be so many considerations and choices to make.

He had never thought about these matters before and didn’t know what to do.

”Sir, can’t I just take it one step at a time?” Mo Hua asked softly.

Mr. Zhuang said, ”Cultivation is about building a solid foundation through Qi refinement, paving the way step by step. From the beginning, you need to consider what path you want to take and what Dao to cultivate. If you want to change course later, it will be very difficult.”

Mo Hua paused, then weakly asked, ”Sir, what do you think would be suitable for me?”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and said bluntly:

”Your physical body is not strong, and your spiritual roots... are actually not that good either.”

Although Mo Hua was aware of his weak constitution and mediocre spiritual roots, hearing Mr. Zhuang say it made him feel a bit disheartened. He tentatively asked:

”Is it really that bad?”

He thought it wasn’t too bad, at least his spiritual roots were below average.

Mr. Zhuang, seeing Mo Hua’s watery eyes, couldn’t bear to be too blunt.

”It’s not that bad...” Mr. Zhuang said tactfully, ”It’s just that your potential is very high!”

Mo Hua was taken aback, his expression becoming complex.

Mr. Zhuang’s words were indeed very tactful...

Great potential for the future meant that his current abilities were very poor...

”Then in the future, is there any chance that my physical body or spiritual power will have any advantages?” Mo Hua still held a bit of hope.

Mr. Zhuang stroked his chin, ”That depends on who you’re comparing to.”

”What do you mean?”

Mr. Zhuang said, ”Firstly, your spiritual roots are of lower-middle quality, which might seem decent compared to independent cultivators in Tongxian City. But if you compare them to family cultivators or disciples from sects, especially those from third or fourth-grade forces, you’re not even in the same league.”

Mo Hua nodded; that was indeed the case.

The spiritual roots of some family and sect disciples were much better than his.

”Do you know about the inheritance of spiritual roots?” Mr. Zhuang asked.

”Yes,” Mo Hua nodded.

He had heard from An Xiaofu that the spiritual roots and grades of children born to parents with different spiritual roots follow a certain pattern, which is the inheritance of spiritual roots.

Mr. Zhuang said, ”More than twenty thousand years ago, when the Dao Court was first established, high-quality spiritual roots were indeed very rare. Even lower-tier high-quality spiritual roots were highly valued and heavily cultivated...”

”But since some families discovered that spiritual roots could be inherited and this inheritance could be controlled, all families and sects began to arrange marriages for their children according to this principle.”

”And because of this, high-quality spiritual roots are now common in larger families and sects. Lower-tier high-quality spiritual roots are no longer rare.”

Mr. Zhuang glanced silently at Mo Hua, not saying anything.

Lower-tier high-quality spiritual roots were not rare, let alone Mo Hua’s lower-middle quality roots.

There were three levels of difference between lower-middle quality and lower-tier high-quality roots.

Mr. Zhuang kindly did not point this out.

Mo Hua understood Mr. Zhuang’s meaning and couldn’t help but droop his head, letting out a long sigh.

But Mr. Zhuang wasn’t finished yet, and he continued:

”This is only compared to ordinary disciples of family sects. If you compare yourself to the prodigies among them, the gap is even greater.”

”Take Zisheng and Zixi, for example. The gap between your physical and spiritual root talents compared to theirs is like the difference between the clouds and the mud.”

”Is the gap really that big?” Mo Hua asked quietly.

Mr. Zhuang hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth, ”The gap is not just that big; it’s actually larger than I’ve described...”

Mo Hua was shocked.

He didn’t know that Zisheng and Zixi’s talents were so high.

Or maybe it was his talents that were so low?

Mo Hua thought of Mr. Zhuang’s previous mention of the ”Dao of Heaven” and ”spiritual awareness,” and said:

”Then should I focus on cultivating spiritual awareness?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded, ”Exactly. Since your physical body and spiritual roots cannot compare to others, then don’t compare them. Focus on your spiritual awareness.”

”Your physical body and spiritual roots are weaker than you think, but your spiritual awareness is actually stronger than you think.”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, thinking silently, ”It might even be stronger than I think...”

Mo Hua didn’t know what Mr. Zhuang was thinking and was still troubled by his physical body and spiritual roots. He asked:

”Can my physical body and spiritual roots be improved?”

Mr. Zhuang shook his head slightly and said:

”Weakness is an innate problem. It can be improved, but not fundamentally changed. At most, your body won’t be as weak, but it won’t be much stronger, and it can’t compare to those with natural body cultivation talents.”

”Spiritual roots are even more innate. Whatever spiritual roots you’re born with, that’s what you’ll have for life. You can’t change it. If you’re weaker than others, you’re just weaker. There’s no other good solution.”

”So, should I focus on my strengths and avoid my weaknesses?” Mo Hua said.

Mr. Zhuang nodded, ”Spiritual awareness, spiritual power, and the physical body are the foundations of a cultivator’s practice. All three are essential, but the Dao of Heaven is harsh, and human talent is limited. It’s impossible to excel in all areas. Cultivation doesn’t require you to be better than others in everything. If you can excel in one aspect, that’s enough.”

Mo Hua nodded, feeling a sense of clarity, then curiously asked:

”Are there people who excel in all aspects?”

Mr. Zhuang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, ”There are, but such people are rare geniuses, encountered once in a millennium in the entire cultivation world.”

Mo Hua felt a bit envious, but then decided against it.

He knew without thinking that to cultivate all three aspects—spiritual awareness, spiritual power, and the physical body—required profound cultivation heritage, abundant spirit stone resources, and extremely rare heavenly materials.

Even if he had such extraordinary talent, without the heritage and resources, it would be like a pearl covered in dust, wasting his potential.

One shouldn’t be too greedy. Focusing on spiritual awareness was good enough.

But if he focused on spiritual awareness, could he really reach the Dao? And he hadn’t heard of any cultivators focusing solely on spiritual awareness.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked, ”Sir, are there other cultivators who focus on spiritual awareness?”

”Very few.”

”How few?”

Mr. Zhuang said, ”Normal cultivators wouldn’t focus on spiritual awareness.”

Mo Hua was stunned, feeling conflicted. Did that make him an ”abnormal” cultivator...

Mr. Zhuang smiled, ”The physical body and spiritual power are tangible and obvious, but spiritual awareness is elusive and difficult to grasp. Except for some array masters who need strong spiritual awareness for their formations, other cultivators rarely choose this path.”

”I see...” Mo Hua sighed softly.

Mr. Zhuang’s eyes sharpened, ”But you’re different. Your weak body and average spiritual roots mean that spiritual awareness is almost your only strength, and it’s much stronger than you think...”

”In that case, focus on cultivating your spiritual awareness to the extreme, to the point where other cultivators can only look up to you in awe...”

Mr. Zhuang looked at the small Mo Hua with a deep gaze and said:

”As long as your spiritual awareness is strong enough, one day, you can prove the Dao with your spiritual awareness and glimpse the true essence of the Dao!”