The Quest for Immortality

And so, we continued our journey, drawing formations as we went, beating up bandits, and feeding Big White. Along the way, we took in the local customs and practices.

Several months later, Mo Hua and his companions finally arrived at South Yue City.

South Yue City was larger than Tongxian City.

Standing on a mountain peak outside of South Yue City, Mo Hua gazed into the distance and roughly estimated that South Yue City was about twice the size of Tongxian City.

The city walls were taller but looked somewhat shabbier.

The formations on them weren’t particularly sophisticated either.

Of course, that was from Mo Hua’s perspective.

The city walls were old and weather-beaten, showing signs of cracking and discoloration.

Before entering the city, each person had to pay an entry fee of one Spirit Stone.

Not all Immortal Cities charged an entry fee.

Tongxian City didn’t.

And almost half of the cities they passed through on their way didn’t either.

Even for those that did charge a fee, it wasn’t normally this much.

One Spirit Stone was not a small sum for the average Loose Cultivator.

Not to mention, the Minor Wilderness State Boundary seemed even poorer than other places.

Mr. Zhuang, Old Kui, plus the three young disciples—a total of five people in their group.

Mo Hua paid five Spirit Stones.

The gate guards accepted the Spirit Stones and allowed them to pass.

They didn’t dare to trouble Mo Hua.

That’s because he had the tall and imposing Big White standing beside him.

A Cultivator who could afford to use such a Spirit Horse and ride in such a carriage was not someone they could afford to offend.

Mo Hua and the others then passed through the city gates and entered South Yue City.

Inside South Yue City, the streets were even wider.

But the stone bricks on the ground were pitted and eroded by the wind, and there was a lot of dust. The Cultivators coming and going mostly wore simple clothing, and their faces showed signs of hardship.

”Master, where shall we go?”

Mo Hua asked while sitting atop Big White.

”Let’s find an inn to settle down first.”

”Okay.”

Mo Hua asked a few Cultivators for directions and then followed the streets, turning left and right until they arrived at a street corner.

There was an inn at the corner. It had a weathered signboard hanging above, inscribed with the four characters ”Nanyue Inn.”

Nanyue was just one character different from the city’s name, South Yue.

This inn was neither luxurious nor crowded, but it looked neat and clean.

Mo Hua and his group decided to stay at the Nanyue Inn.

They checked in, and the attendant served them tea.

Mo Hua then said to the attendant:

”Could you feed Big White for me?”

”Sure thing!”

The attendant called out and then asked, ”Young man, what kind of fodder would you like to use?”

”Is there a difference between the fodders?” Mo Hua asked.

”Yes, there’s ordinary, superior, and top-quality fodder. The prices and qualities differ, but they’re definitely worth the cost,” explained the attendant with articulate clarity.

After inquiring about the price and finding that even the top-quality fodder was affordable, Mo Hua generously said,

”Feed him the best one!”

The Minor Wilderness State Boundary was somewhat barren, and they hadn’t found much good fodder during the journey. Big White hadn’t eaten well and had gotten thinner.

Although he still looked big and strong, Mo Hua knew that Big White had definitely lost weight.

”You got it!”

The attendant cheerfully went to fetch the fodder.

Mo Hua then went over to caress Big White, ”Wait for the good food, make sure you eat plenty!”

Big White nodded his head and affectionately licked Mo Hua’s face with his tongue.

Mo Hua smiled back.

After making sure Big White had something nice to eat, he also went for a meal.

The inn provided food and drink.

Mr. Zhuang and the others had already taken their seats.

Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua with a mix of envy and curiosity, asking,

”Why is Big White so affectionate with you?”

Mo Hua said with conviction, ”Because I feed him!”

Bai Zisheng shook his head, ”That’s not it.”

It wasn’t like Big White was willing to eat from just anyone. At least, when he tried to feed him, Big White seemed to despise it a bit.

Mo Hua asked, ”Is it because the food you feed him is too bad, and that’s why Big White despises you?”

Bai Zisheng frowned, ”Isn’t it all just grass? What’s the difference?”

”Of course, there’s a difference. Some grass tastes good, and some taste bad,” replied Mo Hua.

Bai Zisheng frowned, ”I’m not a horse, how would I know which grass tastes good and which tastes bad?”

He then looked at Mo Hua in shock, ”You didn’t taste it yourself before feeding it to Big White, did you?”

Mo Hua looked at Bai Zisheng with a touch of disdain, ”I’m not you, why would I be so silly?”

”I’m your senior brother, and you’re calling me silly?”

”Who said a senior brother can’t be silly?”

...

The two of them chatted back and forth, whispering and muttering.

Bai Zisheng was still puzzled and couldn’t help but ask again:

”How exactly do you know which grass tastes good and which tastes bad?”

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then whispered:

”I’m only telling you because you’re my senior brother…”

```

”Mmm!” Bai Zisheng nodded repeatedly.

Mo Hua then offered some pointers:

”There’s a knack to pulling up grass.”

”The grass on the ground, when you look at it with your eyes, mostly looks the same color...”

”But when you use Divine Sense, the ’complexion’ of each blade of grass is different.”

”Some grasses are pale blue, rich in Spiritual Energy; some are tender green, indicating they are fresh; some are dark green, signifying they are somewhat old; some are red, indicating they are somewhat evil; and yet others are purple or even black, which means they are poisonous...”

”When feeding Big White, you need to pull up the fresh grass. Even the dark green ones can’t be too old, and of course, it would be best if you can pull up grasses containing Spiritual Energy...”

Following that, Mo Hua gave Bai Zisheng an indifferent glance:

”The grass you pulled up may look the same, but the aura is red and green, some even poisonous. It’s a wonder Big White doesn’t mind you...”

Bai Zisheng’s eyes were opened to a whole new world.

Pulling grass can actually reveal so much knowledge.

”How do you know all this?” Bai Zisheng couldn’t help asking.

Mo Hua looked puzzled, ”How else to know? Just look with the eyes, sweep with Divine Sense, and you’ll know, right?”

Bai Zisheng’s expression was complicated.

Okay then, his little junior brother had tricked him again...

But then, his brows furrowed again.

Is it really so?

He seemed to have also swept with Divine Sense and had never seen the colorful aura Mo Hua described...

Could it be that his Divine Sense was not strong enough?

Bai Zisheng was grappling with the intricacies of pulling grass on one side.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua was blissfully enjoying his meal on the other side.

After being busy for half the day, he was very hungry.

As he ate, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and asked Mr. Zhuang:

”Master, may I go look for Instructor Yan?”

Mr. Zhuang took a sip of his wine, nodding, ”You may.”

Having said that, he instructed, ”Zisheng and Zixi, accompany him.”

”Mm,” Mo Hua nodded.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi both nodded and said, ”Yes, Master.”

After everyone finished eating, Mr. Zhuang rested at the inn while Old Kui attended to the carriage.

Mo Hua, together with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, took a stroll in South Yue City to see if they could find Instructor Yan.

Mo Hua started from the perspective of a Formation Master.

Instructor Yan was a Formation Master, and if he had come to South Yue City, he would likely have interactions with other Formation Masters.

Mo Hua asked the inn’s servant and got directions to the residences of several famous Formation Masters in South Yue City.

Some of them were First-grade Formation Masters who had passed the assessment.

Others were capable of Drawing Formation of a First Grade Nine Pattern Formation but had not crossed the threshold and had not been assessed, so they were considered ”pseudo First-grade” Formation Masters.

Mo Hua noted down the residences of these people and drew a line on the map of South Yue City, planning to visit them one by one.

The threshold to become a Formation Master is high.

Not just in terms of talent, but even the literal threshold in front of their residences is formidable.

At least three junior cultivators like Mo Hua could not cross it.

Despite looking exceptional, he was indeed too young and appeared too tender.

The doorkeepers stopped them from entering, but they were still polite, simply saying:

”The gentleman is receiving important guests and cannot be disturbed at this time.”

Mo Hua then asked, ”When will he be finished receiving guests?”

”That, well, is hard to say…” the doorkeeper hesitated.

After all, there were so many lining up to see their master, and it would take more than a month to get through them all.

Moreover, whether the master had the time to see these three junior cultivators was not certain.

He thought that Mo Hua and the others had come to apply as disciples.

This was a common occurrence.

The doorkeeper then tactfully said, ”Three young friends, please return for now.”

Having no other option, Mo Hua took out the Heaven Shu Ring to declare his genuine identity as a ”First-grade Formation Master.”

The moment Mo Hua produced the Heaven Shu Ring, he could clearly feel the doorkeeper trembling all over, and even his voice shook:

”You, you... this...”

He was somewhat at a loss for words, not knowing what to say.

How could there be a First-grade Formation Master who was only about ten years old?

The doorkeeper thought it was fake, but he didn’t dare to bet on it.

He too was a Formation apprentice, someone learning about Formations.

If it were fake, stopping them would be fine.

But if by chance it was real, he would have truly offended a First-grade Formation Master, and he really would have to pack up his belongings and leave...

Moreover, even if it was a counterfeit, to know to use a ”Heaven Shu Ring” as a fake meant the identity was not ordinary; at least they were ”insiders.”

The doorkeeper then respectfully said:

”Young brother, please wait a moment, I will go and report this.”

It didn’t take the time of one cup of tea for a Formation Master, dressed lavishly with half-white hair and beard, looking like the owner of the residence, to come out, smiling and saying:

”May I know which young friend here is a First-grade Formation Master?”

Mo Hua showed him the Heaven Shu Ring again.

The Formation Master glanced at the diminutive Mo Hua, then at the Heaven Shu Ring that was one size too large for his thumb, then again at Mo Hua, and once more at the Heaven Shu Ring...

He was clearly at a loss for a moment...

After the doorkeeper told him there was a visiting First-grade Formation Master of minor age, he naturally didn’t believe it at first.

Now, even though he saw the Heaven Shu Ring with his own eyes, he remained skeptical.

It was only after he invited Mo Hua inside and personally saw Mo Hua effortlessly draw a First-grade Formation, and after exchanging a few words about Formation knowledge, that he was utterly convinced.

His attitude towards Mo Hua then became exceedingly polite, even carrying a measure of respect.

There is no seniority among scholars—the learned are accorded respect.

This little gentleman truly possessed the knowledge of a First-grade Formation Master.