The Quest for Immortality

A few days later, Mo Hua and a few others arrived at Shangtai City.

Shangtai City was but a Little Immortal City, even smaller than Tongxian City, with fewer Cultivators undergoing Foundation Establishment within it.

The streets were not busy, and the Cultivators who came and went were dressed in humble clothes; their faces bore expressions of worry and suffering.

Mo Hua let out a small sigh.

It seemed that not only the Loose Cultivators in Tongxian City lived in hardship, but most Loose Cultivators in the world likely shared the same plight.

And it was possible that their suffering was even more severe than that of others.

The group entered the city and found an inn to rest.

Mr. Zhuang took Mo Hua aside for a conversation.

Sitting respectfully on a small stool, Mo Hua listened attentively to Mr. Zhuang’s words.

Mr. Zhuang asked gently, “Do you know what you need to do on this journey?”

After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua answered,

”Learn Formation?”

”Anything else?”

”Umm…” Mo Hua thought for a bit, then added, “Foundation Establishment?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded, “You are different from ordinary people, and from ordinary Formation Masters. The Cultivation Technique you practice is the Heaven Yan Jue, whose bottleneck lies in Formation mastery.”

”Your Formation skills and Cultivation are actually one and the same.”

”If you can’t master Formations well, you won’t be able to decipher Mystery Formations; if you can’t break through the bottleneck, your Cultivation won’t improve.”

”If your Cultivation doesn’t improve, you can’t break through the boundary, and you won’t be able to learn higher-grade Formations…”

”What’s more crucial is that the Formations you need to learn are much more profound than what others learn. Studying ordinary Formations won’t enable you to solve Mystery Formations or break through the bottleneck…” ṙἈꞐȫＢЁṨ

Mo Hua nodded, having anticipated these issues already.

If he wanted to become a Great Formation Master, he must become a Great Cultivator; and if he aspired to be a Great Cultivator, he must also become a Great Formation Master.

”Master, what should I do before I attempt Foundation Establishment? Continue learning Formations?” Mo Hua inquired.

Mr. Zhuang affirmed with a nod, “Correct.”

”But… which Formations should I study?” Mo Hua asked, puzzled.

He had mastered the Reversed Spirit Formation with Thirteen Stripes, and he had also learned the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation.

Suddenly, Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, “Can I study Second-Grade Formations?”

Mr. Zhuang, seeing through Mo Hua’s thoughts, smiled and shook his head, “No…”

Mo Hua felt somewhat disappointed.

Mr. Zhuang explained, “The Spiritual Power structure of Second-Grade Formations is entirely different from that of the First Grade. You can’t learn Second-Grade Formations until your Cultivation has reached Foundation Establishment, as you lack the mercury-like Second-Grade Spiritual Power.”

”Then, can I still learn Large Formations?”

With an expression that was a mix of a smile and seriousness, Mr. Zhuang replied,

”How many Large Formations are there for you to learn? There aren’t many First-Grade Large Formations to begin with, and most are highly confidential and exclusive. I don’t have many in my possession either…”

”Besides, even if you learn them, how will you construct the Large Formations?”

”The resources and manpower required for Large Formations are extremely vast.”

”Unless there is a Big Demon that appears, and Tongxian City is at risk – and they all trust you, willing to work wholeheartedly with you – otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to construct the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation.”

Mo Hua was taken aback and upon reflection, realized that this was indeed the case.

The cost and risks involved in constructing a Large Formation were too high, and within a state boundary, there were only a handful of forces that could possibly gather the resources to construct a Large Formation.

These forces had either already established a Large Formation.

Even if they hadn’t, and wished to construct a new one, they wouldn’t consider Mo Hua, a thirteen-year-old Junior Formation Master, as the main Formation Master.

They would not place their trust in Mo Hua to be the main Formation Master of a Large Formation.

Scratching his head, Mo Hua asked, “So, what else can I learn?”

Mr. Zhuang said, “Do you remember the Ultimate Formations I told you about?”

Mo Hua thought for a while and nodded,

”Formations above Thirteen Stripes of the First Grade that deviate from the Taoist Court standards, requiring Supreme Divine Sense and knowledge that surpasses the norm, are called Ultimate Formations.”

Mr. Zhuang nodded in confirmation, “To other Formation Masters, Ultimate Formations are unattainable, but for you, they are essential. You can and must learn them.”

Mo Hua originally also wanted to learn more challenging Formations, but upon second thought, he meekly asked,

”Master, if I don’t study Ultimate Formations, will I still be able to achieve Foundation Establishment?”

Mr. Zhuang replied with a smile that was not quite a smile, “Generally speaking, your current level of Divine Sense and Formation expertise is already sufficient for Foundation Establishment.”

Mo Hua’s face brightened with delight.

Mr. Zhuang then added, “…But merely reaching Foundation Establishment is not enough.”

Mo Hua blinked, “Is it because my Divine Sense is not strong enough…”

Mr. Zhuang nodded his head and said, “Compared to cultivators of the same realm, your Divine Sense is already very strong, but it’s not strong enough.”

Mo Hua expressed his doubts, “Then how strong does it need to be to be considered strong enough?”

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze became slightly intense as he slowly spoke:

”At least above thirteen stripes…”

Mo Hua’s mouth fell open, “Above thirteen stripes… Is that the middle phase of Foundation Establishment?”

”Correct,” Mr. Zhuang spoke gravely, “At the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, Divine Sense ranges from ten to thirteen stripes. Above thirteen stripes, one enters the middle phase of Foundation Establishment.”

After he finished speaking, Mr. Zhuang paused for a moment then added:

”Do you still remember what I told you about Divine Sense Foundation Establishment?”

”I do,” Mo Hua nodded.

Mr. Zhuang spoke with an earnest expression:

”Foundation Establishment is the first major breakthrough of realms. After the breakthrough, the quality of Spiritual Power changes and Divine Sense multiplies.”

”Therefore, before Foundation Establishment, one must establish a solid foundation.”

”If you fall behind before Foundation Establishment, you’ll be far behind after it, and as you continue to cultivate, the gap will only grow larger.”

”Many cultivators do not focus on their foundation, only blindly chasing progress in their cultivation, recklessly achieving Foundation Establishment, causing their foundation to be insufficient. Despite a glorious start, they will quickly fade into the crowd. Thus, simply achieving Foundation Establishment is not enough. One must choose their own path, lay down a foundation, and then forge their Taoist Foundation.”

”My path… It’s Divine Sense, isn’t it?”

Mo Hua still remembered what Mr. Zhuang had said about Divine Sense Proving the Dao.

Mr. Zhuang nodded, “The disadvantages of your physical body and Spiritual Root are difficult to overcome, and you will never be able to compare with those Proud Sons of Heaven. However, your Divine Sense could potentially leave them all in the dust, making all peers look up to you in vain…”

”That’s why I want you to enhance your Divine Sense to the extreme before Foundation Establishment.”

”If you possess a Divine Sense above thirteen stripes, at the middle phase of Foundation Establishment, once you’ve established your foundation and your Divine Sense has multiplied, you might directly step into the late stage of Foundation Establishment!”

As Mr. Zhuang spoke, he too felt a tremor in his own heart.

To have Divine Sense comparable to the late stage of Foundation Establishment right upon entering it.

That would truly be an exceptional and monstrous talent.

Divine Sense may seem obscure, not as direct and powerful as Spiritual Power or Blood Qi, but that’s because other cultivators’ Divine Senses aren’t strong enough.

If one’s Divine Sense becomes extremely strong, then it is an absolute terror.

Supreme Divine Sense, reigning over everything, is a fearsome force that can make all beings and creatures in heaven and earth submit and tremble.

Although Mo Hua didn’t fully understand how powerful this was, he was shocked speechless.

Soon after, he asked with some anticipation:

”Then how can I strengthen my Divine Sense to above thirteen stripes…”

Mr. Zhuang came back to his senses, his eyes twinkling slightly as he said, “Still the old method, and it’s a crude one… Drawing Formations.”

Comprehending Formations, refining Divine Sense.

This task, other Formation Masters might not be able to do, but Mr. Zhuang knew that Mo Hua could.

Mo Hua had some unidentifiable opportunity in him that even he could not clearly see.

Mo Hua had drawn formations many times, far more often than other Formation Masters, surely practicing formations incessantly day and night.

This was something many Formation Masters could not do.

Moreover, when Mo Hua practiced formations, the growth of his Divine Sense seemed to be more than that of other Formation Masters.

It seemed as if he had comprehended something profound in the process.

So as long as he kept practicing formations, especially those that highly consume Divine Sense, Mo Hua’s Divine Sense would continuously grow.

”The Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation is a first-grade eleven-stripes Large Formation,” Mr. Zhuang continued.

Mo Hua was taken aback, then thought to himself that it was indeed so.

He had long suspected that Mr. Zhuang had deceived him…

It wasn’t deception, at least not entirely. He had hidden something and hadn’t told him the whole truth.

Mr. Zhuang said, “In other words, your Divine Sense is actually eleven stripes now.”

”Divine Sense at eleven stripes is stronger than that of cultivators who have just entered Foundation Establishment, and even some who are in the initial stage with shallow cultivation.”

”You are now at eleven stripes, so practicing the ten-stripes Reversed Spirit Formation won’t increase your Divine Sense by much any longer.”

”You can practice formations at eleven stripes, but there is no opportunity for you to actually draw them, so it’s not very meaningful…”

”Moreover, drawing the pivot of a Large Formation takes too long. It’s a less efficient way to refine Divine Sense.”

”Therefore, you need to learn an Ultimate Formation that is at eleven stripes or even higher. This will enhance your understanding of formations, and by using formations, you will further refine your Divine Sense.”

”The only bottleneck of Heaven Yan Jue lies in formations, and the key to formations lies in Divine Sense…”

Mr. Zhuang looked deeply at Mo Hua and said:

”The stronger your Divine Sense, the better you’ll learn formations. The better you learn formations, the smoother your cultivation, and the farther you’ll go on the Path of Longevity…”

”Therefore, you must cultivate your Divine Sense to the utmost.”

”In the future, use your Supreme Divine Sense to Prove your own Dao!”