"Senior Mo, just how old are you, really?"
Mo Tiange was sitting cross-legged in meditation when the Lv family girl, Lv Qiongying, propped her chin in her hands and suddenly asked this.
Mo Tiange opened her eyes and smiled faintly. "Why ask that?"
Lv Qiongying tilted her head, her gaze puzzled. "I think you look very young, not like someone who's taken a Dingyan Pill or something like that. But Grandfather says you're already at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and you might even be older than him..."
This girl, to say such things out loud—was she truly naive and innocent?
Mo Tiange glanced at her. "You have a good eye, being able to tell if someone has taken a Dingyan Pill?"
Lv Qiongying scratched her head sheepishly. "Please don't take offense, Senior. I've seen a few of my grandaunts before, and while their appearances are young, their movements always seem a bit unnatural... But with you, Senior, I can't tell at all."
Of course not. Although Mo Tiange had also taken a Dingyan Pill, she was barely a hundred years old. For a Core Formation cultivator's lifespan, she was still young.
But she merely smiled and said, "I have taken a Dingyan Pill as well. I'm now over a hundred years old, but since my lifespan isn't even half over yet, you simply can't tell."
"Oh, I see..." Lv Qiongying lost interest for a moment, but then her eyes lit up again as she eagerly pressed on. "Senior, have you been to many places? Any interesting stories?"
This question gave Mo Tiange pause. She thought for a moment before replying, "When I was young, I wandered all over with my uncle. We went to many places, but my cultivation was still low back then. Every day, I was just thinking about earning enough spirit stones to cultivate. How could there be any interesting stories? If I could cultivate peacefully and have enough spirit stones to buy pills, that was already more than enough."
Lv Qiongying blinked upon hearing this. "So Senior had such a hard life before..."
"What hardship is this? My uncle was, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The two of us still had a place to stay, which was already quite good. There were many minor cultivators who couldn't even rent a cave dwelling with decent spiritual energy..." As she spoke, she recalled the many injustices she had witnessed during those years with her Second Uncle and couldn't help but fall into a daze. Finally, she sighed. "It's not easy being a loose cultivator..."
It had been a long time since she'd thought of these past events. Her cultivation was now profound, her status extraordinary—she was no longer that minor cultivator struggling at the very bottom of the cultivation world. Yet now, looking back, she missed Second Uncle even more. How wonderful it would be if he could see her today.
Pulling her thoughts back from the memories, she glanced at this little girl and suddenly smiled gently. "I know what your grandfather sent you here to do. For a young girl like you who hasn't experienced the world, such a task is rather difficult. Forget it, I'll be honest with you. If I intended any harm toward your Lv Family, with my cultivation level, I wouldn't need to play these games. Of course, befriending you does serve my purpose. Since we're being clear, we might as well speak frankly."
Her gaze, though calm, held a hidden sharpness. Lv Qiongying's heart skipped a beat in alarm. Her grandfather had indeed sent her to probe whether this Senior Mo had ulterior motives. If she didn't, then they could seize the chance to ask for some guidance. If she seemed suspicious, then the Lv Family could prepare early.
She had always been clever and quick-witted, deeply doted on in the family. She thought that by pretending to be innocent and naive, she could easily fool this senior. But she hadn't considered that she was only eighteen—how could she compare to this senior who had lived for over a century? A hint of regret now stirred in her heart. If this senior truly had malicious intentions, with her mere Qi Refining Level 7 cultivation, how could she possibly preserve her life?
"S-Senior..."
Mo Tiange smiled slightly, still as amiable as before. "No need to be afraid. I don't want anything from your Lv Family. I just want to ask some questions. If you answer them well, I'll leave right after."
"Senior!" Hearing this, Lv Qiongying grew anxious again. Her grandfather had instructed her that as long as this senior meant no harm, they must absolutely try to win her over. After all, it was rare for them to encounter a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Mo Tiange remained unmoved. She raised a hand, stopping Lv Qiongying's words, and continued, "Answer well. If I'm satisfied, I'll naturally give you some benefits."
Lv Qiongying hurriedly swallowed her following words. Though anxious, she knew she couldn't afford to offend this senior. Moreover, the other party had promised her benefits...
"Senior, whatever you wish to ask, this junior will tell you everything she knows." At this moment, Lv Qiongying's attitude was respectful and proper. She shed the deliberately naive tone of a little girl and sounded more like a proper cultivator.
Mo Tiange found this demeanor more pleasing. She smiled again, still speaking gently. "First, tell me about the general situation in Yunzhong."
A flicker of surprise passed through Lv Qiongying's eyes. She clearly didn't understand what was going on, but she answered honestly, "What exactly does Senior Mo wish to know?"
"Sects, spiritual veins, nations... tell me everything," Mo Tiange said calmly. "Say as much as you know. The more you say, the greater the reward." As she spoke, she reached into her Qiankun Bag, took out a jade bottle, and tossed it to Lv Qiongying.
Lv Qiongying caught it and opened it. It was actually a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills—a full bottle, containing thirty to fifty pills.
Her heart swelled with joy. Even as a highly favored junior in the Lv Family, what she usually consumed were Nourishing Qi Pills. She only received a small bottle of Qi Gathering Pills each year, about five or six pills. This Senior Mo was actually so generous.
Thinking of this, she became even more respectful. "Yes."
This Lv Qiongying was a clever girl. Hearing Mo Tiange's words, she guessed that this senior probably wasn't from Yunzhong. So she began carefully explaining from the geography of Yunzhong, then slowly moved on to sects and the like.
Mo Tiange simply listened quietly.
Yunzhong was vast, with connections in all directions. There were also many nations, though only three could be considered major powers: the Dongtang Kingdom, the Nanzhou Kingdom, and the Northern Lin Kingdom. These three occupied most of Yunzhong's land. Unlike the Tianji Region, these three kingdoms were all backed by cultivation sects. The Dongtang Kingdom and Nanzhou Kingdom were territories of the righteous path, while the Northern Lin Kingdom was the territory of the demonic path.
Usually, these three kingdoms coexisted peacefully. After all, in Yunzhong, there was no concept of an irreconcilable conflict between righteousness and demonic paths. Whether righteous or demonic, the principle was to focus on one's own cultivation and affairs. They only fought when conflicts of interest arose.
The Dongtang Kingdom was primarily populated by Daoist cultivators and was the largest of the three major kingdoms. There were countless medium and small sects. The ones considered major sects numbered five: the Jiuyan Sect, the Danxia Sect, the Jingxu Sect, the Zhengfa Sect, and the Five Elements Valley.
Among these five major sects, the Jiuyan Sect was the most powerful. It was said that under its Founding Patriarch, there were nine disciples. These nine disciples were exceptionally outstanding and together established the sect, honoring their master as the Founding Patriarch—hence the name Jiuyan Sect.
The Danxia Sect was originally second only to the Jiuyan Sect and was also a major sect. However, in recent years, it had declined. Among the five sects, it was only slightly stronger than the Five Elements Valley.
The Jingxu Sect and the Zhengfa Sect were comparable in power. The Jingxu Sect had more female disciples because its Founding Patriarch was a woman.
As for the Five Elements Valley, it was a sect that primarily focused on array formations. It was said that all its disciples had considerable attainments in formations. However, sects that emphasized such specialized skills were usually not very prosperous, so the Five Elements Valley was the weakest of the five major sects. Even so, other sects didn't dare to bully them at all. After all, the greatest protective barrier for any sect's mountain gate was its grand protective formation. If they offended the Five Elements Valley, they'd be in trouble during any conflict.
In the Nanzhou Kingdom, Confucian Cultivators held the reins of government, while Buddhist Cultivators controlled the state religion. Most commoners in Nanzhou believed in Buddhism. Buddhist temples were everywhere, with incense burning ceaselessly. Confucian Cultivators controlled the state's power, using academies to educate the people. Because the goals of Confucian and Buddhist cultivators differed, yet their doctrines had some common ground, the two coexisted quite harmoniously.
Mo Tiange was very curious about this. Although she knew Buddhist Cultivators existed elsewhere, she had never seen any in the Tianji Region. She couldn't help but ask a few more questions. Unfortunately, this Lv Qiongying had never traveled outside, and Nanjie Island was far from the mainland. She wasn't very familiar with Buddhist sects either.
However, even if Lv Qiongying wasn't clear on the details, Buddhist Cultivators were common in Yunzhong, so she knew the general idea.
So-called Buddhists sought enlightenment. It was said to be a teaching passed down from ancient times. They emphasized karma, strictly disciplined themselves, believed all evil thoughts arose from the mind, severed human desires, and cultivated arduously to achieve Buddhahood.
This struck Mo Tiange as somewhat strange. Naturally, she understood the concept of karma. Daoist scriptures also contained such content, but not with the same emphasis as Buddhist cultivators.
The cultivation path of Buddhist Cultivators could be summed up in three phrases: All conditioned phenomena are impermanent; all phenomena are without self; Nirvana is peace. 'All conditioned phenomena are impermanent' meant everything in the world was transient. 'All phenomena are without self' required Buddhist cultivators to let go of attachments in their hearts and seek their true selves. 'Nirvana is peace' was the final destination pursued by Buddhist cultivators—neither born nor destroyed, to prove eternal life.
Mo Tiange slowly contemplated this, deeply feeling that so-called Buddhist cultivation actually had points of connection with their own Daoist cultivation. For example, karma, the impermanence of worldly affairs, and abandoning attachments. But on the other hand, the doctrines of Buddhism were also greatly different from those of Daoist cultivators.
Daoist scriptures said: Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. That is to say, Heaven and Earth had no concept of benevolence or its lack. All things were born and perished according to their own destined paths. Therefore, cultivators in the Tianji Region never had any concept of so-called benevolence. The path of Immortal cultivation was one strewn with thorns. To cultivate into true Immortals, they had to carve a bloody path forward. They fought with the demonic path, with demon beasts, even with their own kind. According to Lv Qiongying's description, Daoist cultivators in Yunzhong were no different from those in Tianji.
But Buddhist cultivators were not like this. They cultivated their minds and selves, rarely giving rise to killing thoughts. Only when absolutely necessary would they kill to stop killing.
Therefore, in Yunzhong, among cultivators at the Core Formation level and above, Buddhist cultivators rarely suffered from mental obstacles. Their advancement to Core Formation and Nascent Soul was generally easier than for Daoist cultivators. But their weakness was that their cultivation speed was too slow. If, among Daoist cultivators, one out of a hundred Qi Refining cultivators could reach Foundation Establishment, for them, it took several hundred.
Hearing all this, Mo Tiange fell into deep thought. She felt as if she had grasped some key point.
Whether Daoist cultivators or Buddhist cultivators, there were contradictions within their doctrines. But Buddhist cultivators had fewer, at least able to form a coherent system. Daoist cultivators, however, seemed completely illogical in certain aspects.
Cultivating the mind while cultivating immortality—this was something all Daoist cultivators knew from the moment they stepped onto the Immortal path. So why was it also filled with bloody struggles, just like with demon beasts?