The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua soon realized that the Passing Water Step wasn’t as difficult as he had initially thought.

The challenge of the Passing Water Step lay in using Spiritual Awareness to control spiritual power and using this power to guide the physical body. The stronger the control of Spiritual Awareness over spiritual power, the more agile the manipulation of the body.

According to Mr. Zhuang, the Heavenly Proliferation Technique, an ancient cultivation method, does not amplify spiritual power or strengthen the Five Elements. Instead, it focuses on enhancing the control of Spiritual Awareness.

Being an Array master who dealt with array formations daily, Mo Hua naturally had a stronger application of Spiritual Awareness than ordinary cultivators. After cultivating the Heavenly Proliferation Technique, it was like adding wings to a tiger, as controlling spiritual power and activating bodily movements became effortless.

The previous difficulties were mostly due to his inherently weak constitution, which made it easy to lose balance and thus hinder the execution of physical techniques.

For ordinary cultivators, even if the physical body wasn’t strong, it was sufficient for practicing physical techniques. The difficulty lay in how to delicately control spiritual power to precisely operate it through the limbs, channels, and acupoints.

For Mo Hua, however, the most challenging aspect was his weak body, making the flow of spiritual power through channels and acupoints seem trivial.

Moreover, the circulation of Mo Hua’s spiritual power was even more meticulous than required by the heart method charts of the Passing Water Step. In some complex physical moves, Mo Hua could execute even more complicated variations.

In just over ten days, Mo Hua had nearly mastered the movements of the Passing Water Step.

But merely learning them wasn’t enough; Mo Hua felt the need for actual combat practice.

That day, Mo Hua went to the foot of the mountains outside Tongxian City and found a tree with deep roots and lush foliage.

The tree was laden with wild fruits that were small and tart to the taste, inedible and therefore abundant; almost every branch was heavy with them.

Mo Hua kicked the tree hard, but the tree remained unmoved, leaving him with a numb sensation in his foot.

With no other choice, Mo Hua drew a simple Earth Movement Array and buried it under the tree.

The Earth Movement Array was a basic Earth-type array formation, not complicated in its array patterns, and simple to draw. Once activated with spiritual power, it would produce vibrations.

After Mo Hua injected some spiritual power, the array flashed a dusty grey light and started vibrating, causing the tree to tremble and the wild fruits to fall.

The falling fruits aimed straight for Mo Hua.

His spirits lifted as he started dodging the fruits using the Passing Water Step.

Of the dozen fruits that fell, Mo Hua dodged most but still got hit by two—one on the shoulder and one on the head.

Mo Hua clutched his head, sucking in a breath from the pain.

It was a miscalculation—he hadn’t expected it to hurt so much.

Mo Hua glanced at the towering tree, then walked away somewhat angrily, returning about an hour later wearing a small helmet that Master Chen had crafted for him on short notice. It was simple and lightweight; while it might not withstand an attack from a cultivator, it was more than enough for a few falling fruits.

Unfazed, Mo Hua reactivated the Earth Movement Array and resumed dodging the falling fruits with the Passing Water Step.

Initially, Mo Hua was fully focused and hardly got hit. As time passed, although his Spiritual Awareness remained sharp, his limbs grew weary, his movements less agile, and his spiritual power weakened, resulting in him getting hit by more fruits.

As dusk approached, Mo Hua patted the big tree and said, “I’ll come back tomorrow,” before heading home.

At home, Liu Ruhua tenderly applied medicine to him, saying worriedly, “Where have you been playing to end up bruised and swollen like this…”

“It’s nothing, Mother, it doesn’t hurt.”

Liu Ruhua pressed a bit harder with her medicine application, causing Mo Hua to cry out in pain.

“Still say it doesn’t hurt?” she retorted, a touch of tenderness softening her movements.

“It’s just superficial injuries, nothing serious.”

“You didn’t get into a fight, did you?”

“Don’t worry, Mother. I was practicing my body techniques. This way, I can escape if there’s any danger…”

“Really?” Liu Ruhua asked.

“Mhm.” Mo Hua nodded.

Liu Ruhua sighed in relief, “That’s good.” Seeing the bruises on Mo Hua’s body, she couldn’t help but add, “Just be careful.”

Mo Hua confidently replied, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ve just started learning. Soon, even a heavy rain won’t wet the hem of my robe…”

Liu R

uhua chuckled and shook her head, playfully pinching Mo Hua’s nose, “Such big talk!”

The next day, Mo Hua’s “injuries” were not yet healed, and the bruising on his shoulders hadn’t subsided, making every movement painful. Although his skill in the Passing Water Step had improved, his performance wasn’t better than the first day.

By the third day, the pain had eased somewhat, and his technique improved further, so the number of fruits hitting Mo Hua decreased.

Each subsequent day, Mo Hua practiced his body techniques under the tree. As the number of fruits on the tree decreased, his skill in the Passing Water Step similarly improved.

By the time Mo Hua’s mastery of the Passing Water Step had become somewhat proficient, there were only a few fruits left on the tree.

In front of Mo Hua, the towering tree stood silently. A few unripe fruits hung forlornly on what were once lush branches.

It looked somewhat desolate…

Feeling somewhat guilty, Mo Hua drew a Water-Wood Array and buried it at the base of the tree.

The Water-Wood Array could accumulate moisture and nourish the spirit wood, helping flowers and trees grow—it was Mo Hua’s way of apologizing.

Nourished by the Water-Wood Array, the tree’s leaves seemed to grow lush once more.

Although Mo Hua had become quite skilled at the Passing Water Step, how it would perform in actual combat was another matter.

After all, the trajectory of falling fruits was predictable, but in a real fight, the attacks and spells of an opponent might not follow a set pattern.

It was time to find someone to spar with.

But who?

Mo Shan was going into the mountains to hunt demons, and whether in terms of cultivation level or actual combat experience, he was far superior to Mo Hua, making him an unsuitable partner. Da Hu and his group, having become demon hunters, also frequently ventured into Dahei Mountain. Whether they were away for a few days or half a month, they were too busy upon their return, certainly too busy to be bothered.

Da Zhu and his companions were also busy learning artifact crafting from Master Chen daily.

Zhang Lan then?

Mo Hua thought for a moment but then shook his head. Although he seemed idle, Zhang Lan was after all a registrar of the Dao Court and couldn’t truly be doing nothing all day. Moreover, Zhang Lan had taught him the technique, so asking him to practice with him again would be rather shameless.

Mo Hua couldn’t think of a suitable candidate.

A few days later, Mo Hua brought wine and food to Mr. Zhuang and asked him a few questions before bidding him farewell.

Walking under the great locust tree, Mo Hua saw Bai Zixi calmly and elegantly reading a book, the crystal-clear locust flowers gently falling upon her.

Beside her, Bai Zisheng lay back under the tree with a book covering his face, displaying a bored and listless demeanor, occasionally rolling over in a manner hardly dignified.

Mo Hua sighed.

Bai Zisheng, hearing the sound, immediately sat up, his eyes bright and focused on Mo Hua.