The Quest for Immortality

Do not look upon what should not be seen; Do not conjecture what should not be guessed.

Shang Che’s expression was wooden, and in the end, he shook his head helplessly.

Enough said.

The Heavenly secret arithmetic is insufficient; one must not forcefully deduce, otherwise misfortune will surely ensue.

This time was lucky, next time Elder Master Xun may not be so amiable.

One learns from their mistakes.

Behind this child stands Elder Master Xun of Heaven Void cultivation, a man of great virtue and high esteem, which in other words, is akin to standing before the extensive Taixu Gate itself.

Unless there is a complete fallout, one must absolutely not offend again.

Shang Che silently etched the name ”Mo Hua” deep into his heart and then temporarily refrained from delving further.

...

On the other side, Mo Hua had already returned to the Sect.

Having visited Gu Family, played and eaten, he decided not to go anywhere this year and would earnestly practice Formation within the Disciple’s Residence.

Although it was a bit lonely, it was fulfilling.

Mo Hua’s level of Formation was also gradually improving.

Most of the Seventeen Patterns Second-grade Arrays passed on by Elder Master Xun, he had learned to the point of complete mastery.

And the festive period passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the start of a new year.

This was his third year at Taixu Gate.

Within this year’s time, he must solve the Mystery Formation, break through the bottleneck, advance to the Foundation Building Middle Stage, and then prepare for the subsequent cultivation.

He also needed to learn more about Seventeen Patterns Arrays.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the Heavenly Dao Laws that constantly nibbled at his Divine Sense were also something to be sated or somehow repaired.

Additionally, it was necessary to see if there could be improvements made to the Gu Family’s industry.

Gu Family’s banquet before the New Year made Mo Hua realize that the seemingly prosperous Gu Family was also facing ostracism from other families, and life was not necessarily easy.

And Uncle Gu belongs to the Gu Family; the Cultivators of Gu Family have been quite kind to him. Even in his possession is a secret order from the Gu Family.

In other words, Gu Family can also be considered as his ”backing”.

If the Gu Family prospers, he can frequently visit for meals.

If he encounters difficulties in the future, the Gu Family will also have the surplus strength to assist him.

If the Gu Family truly falls into hardship and cannot even take care of themselves, let alone help during critical times, there would likely not even be a table left to freeload a meal from.

Therefore, the decline of the Gu Family must be prevented at all costs!

Mo Hua silently vowed in his heart.

Yet, such affairs were complex and necessitated long-term planning and careful consideration...

...

Afterward, Mo Hua cultivated while slowly overcoming his bottlenecks, all the while contemplating about the Gu Family’s Tao Cultivation industry.

But before he could settle on a plan for the cultivation industry, other matters came knocking at his door.

One noon, Mo Hua, accompanied by Yu Er, was having lunch at the Disciple’s Residence dining hall.

Cheng Mo came running over in a hurry.

”Mo Hua,”

Mo Hua looked up at him with a faint expression.

Cheng Mo smiled and said, ”Junior Brother.”

Only then did Mo Hua nod in acknowledgment, signaling for him to continue.

Cheng Mo then said, ”I have a favor to ask of you...”

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised and after thinking briefly, said, ”Is it related to Formation?”

Cheng Mo came to me for help, which must mean it’s something he doesn’t understand but I do.

Mo Hua pondered and could only think of Formations.

As soon as Formations were mentioned, Cheng Mo’s head began to ache, ”Sort of, but not really...”

Mo Hua took a bite of the chicken leg.

Yu Er next to him also took a bite of her chicken leg.

Then both of them silently watched Cheng Mo.

Cheng Mo sighed: ”It’s about the Taoist Court’s rewards offer.”

Mo Hua was taken aback and shook his head: ”Elder Master Xun has grounded me, and I’m not allowed to go out, so I can’t join you for the bounty hunts.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Mo also showed disappointment.

He really wanted to have Mo Hua join them.

Mo Hua was smart, knew about Formations, was good at scouting, could cast Spells, was experienced, and had a wide network...

In short, it was always a good idea to bring Mo Hua along for any bounty hunt.

Cheng Mo had even considered clinging to his ’Junior Brother’s’ coattails.

But unexpectedly, Elder Master Xun, to make Mo Hua focus on learning Formations, issued a direct ”grounding order.”

Without Mo Hua, their bounty hunting would slow down again.

Seeing Cheng Mo with a frustrated and worried face, Mo Hua said:

”Tell me about the bounty hunt situation; maybe I can give you some advice.”

Cheng Mo pondered for a moment and then nodded: ”Alright.”

Since he had nothing else to do, he ordered some food, sat next to Mo Hua, and chatted while eating.

But as usual, he ordered two more drumsticks, a big one and a small one. The big one was offered to his ’Junior Brother’ Mo Hua, and the small one was given to Yu Er next to him.

”I took on a bounty to catch a flying thief. This thief is at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, average in strength, but with exceptional movement techniques, and he lurks near the Second Grade state boundary.”

”Situ Jian and I found some clues and have been staking out for a long time, but we’ve failed to catch him.”

”Sometimes we don’t encounter him; other times we do, but he’s alerted beforehand and escapes; or, when we do corner him, his movement technique is so good that we can’t capture him...”

Cheng Mo took a big bite of meat, ”These days I’ve been driven to distraction, lost interest in food, and have slimmed down...”

”For such a small amount of Merit Points, I’m at a deficit, but to give up now would be too embarrassing. I just can’t swallow my pride.”

Cheng Mo looked towards Mo Hua again, regretfully saying: ”It would be great if you were there, even without using Spells, you could set up a Formation to trap that flying thief.”

Mo Hua asked in confusion: ”Don’t you all know how to set up Formations? We all learned them in the Formation class, didn’t we?”

Cheng Mo gestured with his hand and said helplessly:

”It’s no good; it’s too conventional. That flying thief is experienced, he can spot whatever Formation media and their placement at a glance.”

”Moreover, if the Formation’s effectiveness isn’t up to par, there’s no guarantee it can really trap him...”

Mo Hua nodded slightly, then suddenly paused, as if he remembered something, and looked at Cheng Mo with a somewhat strange expression.

Feeling uneasy under Mo Hua’s gaze, Cheng Mo asked, ”What’s up...?”

After thinking for a bit, Mo Hua inquired:

”Are you financially comfortable?”

Cheng Mo immediately looked troubled, ”I have very few Merit Points.”

”Not Merit Points,” Mo Hua said, ”I’m talking about your Spirit Stones.”

”Spirit Stones?”

”Yes, Spirit Stones.”

When Spirit Stones were mentioned, Cheng Mo immediately puffed up again:

”I’ve got plenty of Spirit Stones!”

Mo Hua nodded thoughtfully, looking at Cheng Mo with bright eyes, as if seeing a very fat, juicy sheep.