In the year 20,022 of the Dao Calendar, on the tenth day of the ninth month.
In Tongxian City, outside the mountains of Tongxian Gate.
Mo Hua, at the age of ten, dressed in a simple outer disciple Dao robe, squatted bored behind a huge rock at the foot of the mountain, holding a grass root in his hand, immersed in drawing intricate patterns on the ground.
As the hour approached towards dawn, disciples from the sect began to ascend the mountain one after another, chatting and laughing in pairs.
A chubby-faced boy in the standard outer disciple robe, adorned with precious jade ornaments, accompanied by two or three followers, found Mo Hua enjoying himself behind the rock, engrossed in his drawings.
Glancing around to ensure no instructors were present, the chubby boy timidly called out, "Mo Hua!"
Mo Hua looked up, revealing a delicately handsome face, his eyes clear like a pool of water.
Lowering his voice, the chubby boy asked, "Is it done?"
Mo Hua, mature beyond his years at ten, patted his chest, "I've got it covered, don't worry." He then took out several arrays from his storage pouch—white paper with red ink—and handed them to the chubby boy.
"Check to see if there's anything wrong."
The chubby boy solemnly took them, flipped through the copies, and with a troubled expression said, "I can't understand..."
Mo Hua patiently explained, "The assignment was the basic array patterns of the Five Elements. I've drawn them for you and intentionally made six mistakes to prevent the instructors from realizing these aren't your own work..."
"Six mistakes... Isn't that a bit too much?"
Mo Hua silently looked at him.
The chubby boy soon realized his mistake and reflected, "One shouldn't be too greedy. If I can just turn in the assignment as instructed, that's good enough. Doing too well might raise suspicions. If the instructors find out and tell my father, I'll surely get a severe beating. It's not worth the risk, not worth the risk..."
Mo Hua nodded, "Indeed, Young Master An, you've figured it out so quickly!"
The chubby boy slipped two spirit stones into Mo Hua's hand, "Mo Hua, you have a good eye. You know I'm clever! The spirit stones are for you. Next time there's an assignment on arrays from the instructors, I'll come to you again!"
With that said, he tucked the arrays into his chest and dashed up the mountain.
Mo Hua carefully pocketed the two spirit stones, then resumed drawing on the ground with another piece of grass.
A moment later, a slim young man swaggered over with a gilded paper fan, his face sharp and his robe was adorned with even more jade ornaments.
Mo Hua handed him a diagram of an array. The young man glanced at it, then signaled to his servant. The servant stepped forward, took the diagram, and handed Mo Hua two spirit stones.
Taking the diagram, the young man lingered, folding his fan arrogantly, "This young master is also extremely skilled in arrays. I simply didn't have time for these basic formations, which is why I had you do it for me."
Mo Hua ignored him and picked up a grass root, continuing to draw on the ground.
The slim young man felt somewhat annoyed and sneered, "I've heard among the Qi Refining stage cultivators of Tongxian Gate, your array formations are the best. I wonder how you compare to this young master. Perhaps we should compete when we have the chance?"
Mo Hua thought to himself, "You had me help you with your array assignment, and now you're questioning my skill?"
However, following the principle of harmony brings wealth, Mo Hua still raised his head and complimented with flattering words, "Naturally, the young master's mastery of array formations must be much higher. The Qian family is the largest clan in Tongxian City, and their array formations are not something other cultivators can match."
The slim young man's expression softened slightly, and he asked again, "Then tell me, among the Qi Refining stage cultivators of Tongxian Gate, is there anyone whose array skills can surpass mine?"
"Well, there are some..."
The slim young man frowned, "Who are they?"
"Like myself..." Mo Hua certainly wouldn't say something foolish like that.
"There are quite a few, too many to count at once."
The slim young man was clearly displeased.
"But, that's good!" Mo Hua blurted out.
The slim young man sneered, "If their family background isn't as good as mine and they don't have as many spirit stones as I do, but their array formations surpass mine, are you suggesting they're more talented than me? How is that a good thing?"
Mo Hua replied, "In Tongxian City, even if a cultivator has exceptional talent and learns exceptionally well, won't they eventually have to go to the Qian Family's Wanbao Pavilion to refine equipment, refine elixirs, and draw array formations for you Qian Family members?"
"Just think about it. Even though you're only at Qi Refining stage, cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage will work for you. Even though you're just a first-rank Array Master, second-rank Array Masters will obey your orders. Isn't that very impressive? The stronger the abilities of the cultivators under your command, the more capable you appear to be!"
The slim young man was stunned, then suddenly realized, "It seems to make some sense!"
"Understood."
The slim young man nodded, looking down at the myriad cultivators, his neck craned higher:
"Well said! No matter how talented or hardworking you are, in the end, won't you still be working like an ox or a horse for my Qian family?"
With a sneer on his face, the young master Qian arrogantly swaggered away.
After hoodwinking the young master Qian, Mo Hua continued to practice array formations on the ground using the grass roots.
Before long, several wealthy cultivators approached, exchanging money for goods, buying several sets of arrays from Mo Hua with spirit stones. By the time Mo Hua finished trading the hand-copied arrays, he had accumulated twelve spirit stones.
Twelve spirit stones might be significant for a wandering cultivator, but for a Dao practitioner, it was still far from enough.
Mo Hua sighed, a hint of helplessness on his young face.
For lower-level cultivators, there seemed to be no hope in cultivation...
In the Dao Calendar's inaugural year, over twenty thousand years ago, the greatest power in the cultivation world—the Dao Court—unified the Nine Provinces of cultivation, enfeoffed noble families and sects, and established a unified hierarchy system, regulating the grades of cultivation professions.
Author Note: Enfeoffed was used in feudal systems, it means granting land in exchange for loyalty.
The Dao Court also declared the "Dao Laws", also known as Dao Code. restraining cultivators from wanton killing, looting, and pillaging.
With these regulations, the cultivation world prospered for over twenty thousand years, flourishing expansively with countless cultivators.
However, while the Dao Court thrived and noble families enjoyed prosperity, sects dominated regions, those at the bottom, the wandering cultivators, had no one to rely on, leading lives of hardship with no hope in cultivation.
Over the course of twenty thousand years of development, ordinary people without spiritual roots gradually became obsolete, leaving behind only those with spiritual roots capable of cultivation. Yet, as the number of cultivators increased, so did the consumption of spiritual energy in the heavens and earth, depleting it almost entirely.
Today, for cultivators to cultivate, they needed both heritage and spirit stones.
Yet, with large families monopolizing spiritual mines, lower-level wandering cultivators faced a shortage of spirit stones. Major sects monopolized heritage, leaving ordinary wandering cultivators without access to cultivation methods.
In Tongxian City, the vast majority of wandering cultivators lacked heritage and spirit stones, and for their entire lives, they could only achieve the Qi Refining realm.
The Qi Refining realm was just the lowly ants under the vast heavens' Dao.
And Mo Hua was one of these countless ants.
Moreover, it was likely that he would be one for his entire life!
Mo Hua's young face showed a hint of bitterness.
Perhaps the heavens were fair, but cultivation was anything but equal...
Mo Hua was a second-level Qi Refining wandering cultivator, born into a family of Qi Refining wandering cultivators. Both his parents were in the Qi Refining realm.
His father, Mo Shan who hunted demons for a living was constantly battling with demonic beasts leaving him covered in scars. His mother worked in the kitchen of a restaurant, exposed to the heat of the stove, often suffering from lung pains and coughing.
Despite their frugality, saving every spirit stone they earned, it was only enough to allow Mo Hua to enter Tongxian Gate's outer sect for cultivation.
However, no matter how hard Mo Hua practiced, with his mediocre spiritual roots being slightly better than average, in a world filled with geniuses, he was destined to be just an ordinary cultivator.
No matter how much he cultivated, he might only be a Qi Refining cultivator.
With a difficult family situation and no spirit stones for cultivation, Mo Hua would be no different from other disciples, leaving the sect after reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, then finding a way to learn some trade to make a living.
But Mo Hua was also born with weak physical constitution!
The tools for making a living in the Qi Refining realm, such as refining tools, hunting demons, and other tasks, usually required strong-bodied cultivators. Mo Hua, born with congenital weakness, might not even qualify for a simple job to make ends meet.
If he were to marry and have children in the future, the burden would increase, and all the spirit stones would be used to support the family.
Without spirit stones for cultivation, Mo Hua's cultivation would forever stagnate, and he would only be a Qi Refining cultivator for the rest of his life.
Just like all the poor wandering cultivators in Tongxian City.
And like the countless billions of bottom-tier cultivators in the cultivation world.
A lifetime of just Qi Refining!
Ten-year-old Mo Hua sighed, adjusted his mindset, and then went to class in the sect. After a day of cultivation, Mo Hua returned to his disciple residence, studied some cultivation classics, and lay down on his bed by midnight.
As Mo Hua closed his eyes, in his sea of consciousness, appeared a broken tablet.
There were no words on the broken tablet, but from the moment Mo Hua saw it, he seemed to know its name:
Dao Tablet!
(End of the Chapter)