The Quest for Immortality

"But..."

The Instructor sighed.

Mo Hua’s talents were only mediocre to inferior, far from the intermediate and superior level.

"There are no exceptions?" Mo Hua asked in confusion.

The Instructor regretfully said, "None..."

The rules were set by the Sect Leader and the Elders; they were rigid, and he, a mere Instructor, had no authority to change them.

Without rules, there can be no standards.

For years, the Ten Thousand Formations Sect had not made any exceptions to the entry requirements.

Only those with sufficiently powerful backgrounds could take shortcuts.

Mo Hua then asked in confusion, "Is Spiritual Root so important to a Formation Sect, too?"

Since the Instructor rather liked Mo Hua, he patiently explained, "Spiritual Root determines your Cultivation Technique, which in turn determines your Cultivation; naturally, it’s important."

"The higher your Cultivation, the stronger your Divine Sense will be, allowing you to become a higher-ranked Formation Master..."

"Otherwise, no matter how well you learn Formation, if your Cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment, at most you’ll become a Second Grade Formation Master. And you’ll never be able to learn the techniques above Second Grade for your entire life..."

"That being said, Spiritual Root isn’t as crucial for Formation as it might seem..."

"The reason the requirements are getting stricter..."

The Instructor pointed upwards as he explained, "is because the Four Great Sects are doing the same. They set the precedent, and the Eight Great Gates, Twelve Streams, and even the Qian Learning Hundred Gates have no choice but to follow suit."

"After all, if others have disciples of superior and high-intermediate grade, and your own Sect has only high-inferior and a few mediocre ones, it’s embarrassing..."

"Moreover, there are too many Cultivators nowadays, especially those with Superior Spiritual Roots. There’s simply no shortage of them..."

"So, the threshold has been raised step by step..."

The Instructor shook his head, somewhat helpless.

He truly wanted to accept Mo Hua, but it was impossible; being insignificant, his words carried little weight.

He also didn’t dare to ask the Elders for advice.

Because on several occasions before, when he encountered disciples with decent Formation talents but inferior Spiritual Roots whom he wished to take under his wing, he asked the Elders, only to be rejected every time.

In the words of the Elder, "We of the Ten Thousand Formations Sect are a Formation Sect. Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged Formation Masters? Aren’t they plentiful?"

"Rules are rules. Having one or two more Second Grade Formation Masters makes no difference; it’s not worth breaking the rules for."

Mo Hua sighed, resigning himself to abandon the idea.

He had to face reality and once again lower his standards, looking among the "Qian State Hundred Doors."

The entry standards of the Qian State Hundred Doors mostly required a "Superior" Spiritual Root, but some special demands, like talents in Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Refining Rune, or Drawing Formation, could lead to a relaxation of requirements.

They didn’t compare with the Four Great Sects, Eight Great Gates, or Twelve Streams, and they knew their place, so they were not as strict.

And indeed, there were Sects within the Qian State Hundred Doors willing to accept Mo Hua.

They were willing to lower the Spiritual Root standard for entry to "mediocre to inferior."

But Mo Hua couldn’t go there.

Because...

It was too expensive...

The Spirit Stone Donation, the entry fee for the Qian State Hundred Doors, was several times more expensive than that of the Four Great Sects, Eight Great Gates, or Twelve Streams!

Although they lowered the Spiritual Root standards, they did not lower the cost of the Donation.

Mo Hua couldn’t afford the Donation, so he still couldn’t gain entry...

The worse the Sect, the more expensive the Donation absurdly was!

Mo Hua sighed deeply, feeling somewhat helpless.

Qian State was not as it seemed on the surface.

And it was completely different from what he had imagined before.

It seemed that this was not a place merely for the "pursuit of learning"...

"What to do now?"

Mo Hua thought hard, but couldn’t come up with any good solutions. In the end, he decided to find a place to mix in and see how things would turn out.

If all else failed, he would just study Formation on his own, try to pass the test for a Second Grade Initial Stage Formation Master, then in the various Immortal Cities within the Qian Xue State Boundary, he would draw Formations to earn Spirit Stones, and look for other opportunities...

...

A few days later, Wenren Wan learned of Mo Hua’s situation as well.

She was busy taking care of Yu Er and had the Pill Master of the Wenren Family check whether Yu Er was injured, had hidden sicknesses, or was possessed by evil spirits.

Shangguan Yi also hired someone to calculate the consequences for Yu Er, to see if there were any signs of misfortune.

A few days later, Yu Er was safe and sound.

Wenren Wan breathed a sigh of relief and naturally thought of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua had made it clear that he wanted no repayment, but Wenren Wan felt somewhat guilty, so she had someone secretly protect Mo Hua and see what he was up to.

When she heard that Qian Taoist Sect had not accepted Mo Hua, Wenren Wan angrily said,

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"He is Yu Er’s savior; by what right do they refuse him?!"

Upon hearing that Mo Hua had applied to many places but had been rejected every time, Wenren Wan became even angrier:

"Blind as bats!"

"Such a good child like Mo Hua, and they refuse to accept him!"

Shangguan Yi, standing nearby, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

What does one have to do with the other...

Sects select disciples based on Spiritual Root, lineage, and background. What does that have to do with whether or not he saved Yu Er or if he’s a good kid...

Isn’t this making a fuss over nothing...

But Shangguan Yi dared not voice the words "making a fuss over nothing." Once spoken, he would be done for, doomed to sleep in the study for months to come...

All Shangguan Yi could do was nod and say, "Indeed, indeed..."

Shangguan Yi knew his wife’s temperament, her sense of loyalty and righteousness. Usually, she was very clever, but when it concerned people she cared about, she could be a little impulsive and protective.

He himself had once been the person she cared about the most. But ever since they had a son, he had been pushed to the sidelines...

Shangguan Yi felt somewhat helpless.