The Quest for Immortality

The true Yuan Magnetic Formation involves the principles of Original Magnetism and requires the drawing of two layers of Formation Patterns, unlike the Small Yuan Magnetic Formation, a superficial method. The difference between them is like that of heaven and earth.

He originally thought he had rated Mo Hua’s Formation skills highly enough.

But he had still underestimated this Junior Brother.

”So...”

Ouyang Feng whispered, ”Can you break the seal now?”

Mo Hua said, ”I’ve just learned, can’t really say I can, nor can I unlock all of them, and there’s a good chance I’ll have to rely on luck...”

Mo Hua exaggerated the role of ”luck” to mask his own ”strength.”

”Relying on luck...”

Ouyang Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

No wonder...

He had thought that Mo Hua really could use his Formation skills to consistently break the seals...

That would be too outrageous.

And too dangerous...

Since it was based on ”luck,” everyone nodded slightly and said no more.

Mo Hua suddenly remembered something, opened his Storage Bag, took out the Jade Slip of the Minor Five Elements Stealth Skill, and asked:

”Elder Brother, Senior Sister, do you want to copy this Concealment Technique?”

Hidden elder-second was captured by everyone together, the Merit Points were distributed together, so logically, the spells should be shared as well.

Everyone hesitated for a moment, then shook their heads.

Ouyang Feng said, ”We don’t study Concealment Techniques, and they aren’t very useful to us, you keep it.”

”Alright.”

Mo Hua put away the Jade Slip and then asked, ”By the way, if I submit this spell to the Sect, can I exchange it for Merit Points?”

Murong Caiyun pondered briefly, then nodded, ”You can, but it’s a bit troublesome...”

”Troublesome?”

”Yes.” Murong Caiyun said, ”The Sect’s Cultivation Techniques and spells are already quite extensive. If you submit it, the Elders will have to compare it with existing spells before they decide whether to include it...”

”That’s not a problem...”

”The issue is that many spells need to ’avoid coincidence’ with those from other Sects...”

”Some spells, if they have deep connections with certain other Sects, are not suitable to be included in the Book Pavilion of Taixu Gate.”

”Rashly including them can occasionally lead to disputes...”

”Although as long as you submit them, as long as the spell isn’t too commonplace and the provenance is clear, the Sect will usually reward some Merit Points, no matter what.”

”However, these Merit Points likely won’t be much...”

”Overall, the Sect still hopes that disciples will earn Merit Points by taking bounties and missions, rather than submitting inherited skills...”

”That’s right, that’s right!”

Hua Qianqian’s voice was crisp as she nodded repeatedly, gossiping to Mo Hua:

”It’s said that Sever Gold Sect, also known as the ’petty gate,’ once had this kind of situation...”

”Some Disciples, to earn Merit Points, stole inheritances from their own families and submitted them to the Sect in exchange for Merit Points.”

”Sever Gold Sect, greedy for inheritance, silently accepted them and shamelessly listed them as the ancestral Taoist Skills of the Sect...”

”Later, when other families came knocking, Sever Gold Sect, for the sake of face, adamantly denied it, leading to disputes between the two sides and became a laughingstock to others...”

”Since then, the Sect has become much more restrained in accepting inheritances, and the Merit Points given have also reduced...”

Murong Caiyun helplessly glared at Hua Qianqian, ”Qianqian, Sever Gold Sect is petty-minded, don’t talk too much about their bad side...”

Hua Qianqian chuckled.

Mo Hua nodded slightly and thought of another question to ask:

”Senior Sister Murong, suppose...”

Mo Hua blinked, emphasizing:

”I mean, ’suppose’...”

”I ’accidentally’ come across a few spells’ inheritance from other Sects in Qian State, can I learn them?”

Murong Caiyun’s gaze was meaningful as she softly asked, ”Are they of high rank?”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”Not high, all low-level, inferior...”

He couldn’t afford the Superior, High-Rank spells...

”Then it doesn’t matter...” Murong Caiyun said.

”They won’t give me trouble for it?”

Murong Caiyun shook her head and replied:

”Unless you obtained them through ’killing and robbing,’ with nefarious origins, afraid to be exposed... Otherwise, generally speaking, learning such low-level, inferior spells, and using them won’t have much effect.”

Seeing that Mo Hua was still somewhat unclear, Murong Caiyun further explained:

”Low-level spells, learned by many cultivators and used by even more, are diverse in schools of thought and complicated in lineage. Often, they are quite similar to each other; it’s very hard to prove which spell definitely belongs to whose heritage.”

”For example, something like the Fireball Technique...”

”You use it, he uses it, and on the surface, it looks like nothing more than a fireball. Even if there are differences, ordinary cultivators can’t distinguish the subtleties. There’s no way to investigate further.”

”But superior spells are different...”

”These kinds of spells have too distinct characteristics. As soon as you use one, others will recognize it and there’s no denying it.”

”Therefore, within the Qianxue State Boundary, as long as the origin of a low-level spell is clear, there’s no issue in learning and using it.”

”But with superior spells, unless they are from your own sect, once acquired, they must either be handed over to the Taoist Court or returned to their original owners, to be given back to the respective sect.”

”Otherwise, there will be big trouble...”

”Thank you, Senior Sister,” Mo Hua nodded, ”I understand now!”

What it means is, with low-level spells, one can freely exploit them.

But with mid to high-rank spells, especially superior ones, one cannot simply learn or use them willy-nilly.

Like the Sever Gold Sword Control Jue.

If I want to learn it, I must be extremely cautious.

I shouldn’t use it carelessly, and when I do use it, I can’t let ”others” see...

Just like Boss Jiang.

Now that Mo Hua understood this point, he felt much more at ease.

The carriage returned to the Qianxue State Boundary, and Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian said their goodbyes one after another.

When Ouyang Feng got out of the carriage, he gave Mo Hua an extra glance, seemingly preoccupied with something, but he didn’t speak.

Hua Qianqian watched Mo Hua, her eyes brimming with gentle waves.

She found this Junior Brother Mo to be naively innocent, a bit cunning, and occasionally fierce...

Which only made him more endearing.

Afterward, the three returned to Taixu Gate. Shangguan Xu had matters to attend to and left first, so Mo Hua walked with Senior Sister Murong for a while.

When they parted, Murong Caiyun paused, then reminded Mo Hua:

”Don’t mention the unsealing to others lightly...”

”Hmm.”

Mo Hua nodded and then asked, puzzled:

”Is there something taboo about unsealing?”

Mo Hua knew in his heart that the Yuan Magnetic Formation was difficult to learn and master, and unsealing such enchantments was somewhat out of the ordinary.

But this was just his speculation; the actual reasons he didn’t know too clearly.

Murong Caiyun sighed, ”Unsealing is very difficult...”

”In the Qianxue State Boundary, there are so many sects, and most of the sect inheritances are recorded in Jade Slips, which are ’sealed’ through Formation Patterns...”

”Because unsealing is so difficult, that’s why Jade Slips are widely used to store spell points and form barriers to inheritance...”

”If everyone knew how to unseal, then in this Qianxue State Boundary, a vast number of heritages would be stolen...”

”So...”

Murong Caiyun left it at that, giving Mo Hua a meaningful glance, ”Whether you unsealed it by your own abilities or by ’luck,’ don’t just casually speak about it...”

”Even if it was by ’ability,’ you should say it was by ’luck’...”

Mo Hua took the hint and smiled, ”Thank you, Senior Sister, I’ve got it!”

Seeing this, Murong Caiyun also smiled gently.

...

After they separated, Mo Hua returned to the Disciple’s Residence, where he immediately began to eagerly study the secret Ultimate Technique of the Five Hidden Gate, merged with the Five Elements, hidden between heaven and earth: ”Minor Five Elements Stealth Skill.”

This Stealth Technique was much more effective than his current Concealment Technique.

Hidden elder-second, although experienced, didn’t have a strong Divine Sense, and couldn’t fully maximize the effect of concealment.

Moreover, he had been using this technique for wrongdoing, so in his hands, the technique really was a pearl cast before swine.

Mo Hua took out the Jade Slip, ready to take a closer look, but then suddenly remembered something Hidden elder-second had said...

At the time, the elder’s smile was stained with blood. He said the Five Hidden Gate...

”Is no more...”

”This Jade Slip is the last inheritance. The Five Hidden Gate is also going to be stricken from the records...”

Mo Hua slowly furrowed his brow.

The Five Hidden Gate, forced to relocate from the Qianxue State Boundary due to poor management, had they been... annihilated?

Was this true, or not?

If it was just a lie fabricated by Hidden elder-second, that would be one thing...

But if it were true, then what exactly happened within the Five Hidden Gate...