Dawn had just begun to break when Mo Tiange was startled awake by noises from next door.
She opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while before remembering she was now in the ancestral house.
The quilt carried a damp, musty smell. She frowned, got up, and started putting on her clothes.
Dressing herself was no trouble—she had been doing it since she was four. It was only when she tried to braid her hair that she found it troublesome. No matter how she tried, it never looked as good as when her mother had done it. Struggling to hold back the urge to cry, she wiped her eyes, opened the door, and stepped out.
In the kitchen next door, Aunt Lin was already preparing breakfast. In the courtyard, Uncle He was chopping firewood—he handled all the heavy labor in the house. Several other servants were sweeping the yard or feeding the pigs.
Just as Mo Tiange finished fetching water to wash her face, she heard Aunt Lin call from inside, "Hey, you there."
She turned her head, looking at Aunt Lin with confusion.
Aunt Lin stood with a spatula in one hand and the other on her hip. "I'm talking to you. Come here and help me tend the fire."
Mo Tiange glanced around, then lowered her head and walked over.
Aunt Lin pushed her toward the back of the stove. "Use the outer opening for a strong fire, the inner one for a gentle fire."
Mo Tiange watched as Aunt Lin turned back to chopping vegetables, clearly having no intention of paying her any further attention. She bit her lip, sat down behind the stove, and began feeding the fire.
Fortunately, breakfast was quick. Aunt Lin boiled a pot of thin porridge, steamed or stir-fried a few side dishes, and it was done. The aroma made Mo Tiange's empty stomach growl even more fiercely.
Once breakfast was ready, Aunt Lin saw her emerge from behind the stove and said, "Go wash your face, then go eat."
Mo Tiange wiped her face and realized it was smudged with soot. She obediently went to the courtyard, fetched more water, and washed again. Only when she felt clean did she head to the dining hall.
This meal was much like the last. Despite her gnawing hunger, she found she couldn't eat much. She finished hastily, then left for the village school with Mo Tianqiao.
Walking along the path, Mo Tianqiao chattered excitedly about something, but Mo Tiange didn't hear a word.
It wasn't until Mo Tianqiao tugged her sleeve and asked with concern, "Tiange, what's wrong?" that she snapped out of it.
Mo Tiange came back to herself but only shook her head.
Seeing her like this, Mo Tianqiao fell silent for a moment. The two walked quietly for a stretch before Mo Tianqiao hesitantly spoke again. "Tiange... are you missing your mother?"
Mo Tiange froze for a second, then lowered her head without denying it.
Mo Tianqiao glanced at her, then squeezed her hand firmly and said earnestly, "Tiange, I know you're very sad. But... your mother is gone now. Being sad won't change that."
Though it was clumsy comfort, Mo Tiange still managed a small smile. "Thank you, Tianqiao."
Seeing her smile, Mo Tianqiao immediately relaxed and resumed her excited chatter. This time, Mo Tiange managed to offer a few responses.
When they arrived at the school, they found the teacher was already there. They hurried to their seats.
Seeing them arrive late, Mo Tianjun made a face at them from his seat. Mo Tianqiao glared back defiantly.
"Ahem!" The Old Master cleared his throat, and the students instantly quieted down.
"Have you all copied the passage ' On Fraternal Duty'?"
The students produced their copied texts and laid them out on their desks for inspection.
The Old Master's gaze swept over them. Seeing Mo Tiange's desk was empty, he said, "Tiange, has your injury healed?"
Mo Tiange quickly stood up. "Teacher, I'm fine now. I'll make up the missed assignments tomorrow."
The Old Master nodded. "Very well. You've missed several days of school and must have fallen behind. Today we are only checking the copying assignment. You may go read in the library. Come back this afternoon for remedial lessons."
"Yes, sir."
The Old Master scanned the room again. "Those who have passed the copying check may also go read."
Mo Tiange gathered her books, writing brush, and inkstone, bowed to the teacher, and then entered the library.
After several days away, the library looked exactly the same. Yet today, she had no heart for reading.
She randomly pulled a book from the eastern shelf. Opening it, she found it was the very same "Tianji Brief Records" she hadn't finished reading the other day. She suddenly remembered that dream—the voice claiming to be a Mo family ancestor and the things it had said.
With this thought, she opened the book again. It was clearly written by a mortal, with only hearsay descriptions of Immortals. A thought stirred within her. She stood on a stool to search the books on the higher eastern shelves.
She flipped through them one by one, finding nothing special. Then, she suddenly found a book titled "Qinglian Notes."
Opening it, the preface was an author's note. The author called himself Layman Qinglian. The preface stated he was originally a scholar from the State of Jin. Full of talent but never recognized, he had wandered freely among mountains and rivers, traveling the world. Unexpectedly, he had encountered an Immortal opportunity and obtained an Immortal Method for cultivation. Unfortunately, he achieved no great success. Feeling his lifespan nearing its end at over two hundred years old, he wrote this book to pass on to later generations.
Mo Tiange immediately put the other books back and carried this one to the window to read.
The book's beginning detailed Layman Qinglian's background. Mo Tiange wasn't interested and skipped past it. Later, Layman Qinglian began recounting his experience of encountering the Immortal opportunity.
It turned out that during his wanderings, he had once come to a place called Mount Tianmu. Nearby residents all said the mountain was perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds, with occasional flickers of five-colored light—it must be where Immortals resided. Layman Qinglian ventured up Mount Tianmu alone. The mountain was indeed wondrous, with vast seas of clouds and strangely shaped rocks. Once inside, one would inevitably lose their way. While lost, he arrived at a place that seemed like an Immortal's cave dwelling. Inside were paintings and writings of bizarre shapes and patterns. Finding them miraculous, he copied them down. After leaving the mountain, he actually managed to comprehend an Immortal Method from them.
Further on, Layman Qinglian had already cultivated the Immortal Method. He felt his hearing and sight sharpen, his mind grow keen. Slowly, Immortal Qi appeared within his body. He could even strike objects from a distance and became impervious to blades and spears. By this point, he was already somewhat more powerful than the greatest martial artists in the world.
He cultivated the Immortal Method contentedly, unaware of its origins. Later, he accidentally encountered others who also cultivated Immortal Methods and learned that there were actually many people like him in the world. They had their own separate world called the Cultivation World, and people like them were called cultivators.
Mo Tiange recalled that the ancestor had indeed mentioned the term "cultivator." It seemed what this Layman Qinglian described was true.
After learning of the Cultivation World, Layman Qinglian came into contact with other cultivators and gradually learned some common knowledge about cultivation.
In the distant Primordial Era, when gods still walked the mortal realm, Spiritual Qi was abundant and spiritual objects were everywhere. There were many cultivators with great supernatural powers, many high-level spirit beasts, and also demons and monsters possessing strange powers. Often, cultivators or spirit beasts would ascend to become Immortals or spirits, while demonic cultivators and monsters would become demons or fiends. But for some unknown reason, a great war suddenly erupted across heaven and earth. Immortals, humans, and beasts perished in great numbers. The world underwent strange transformations—mountains split, seas shifted, and everything was destroyed.
After the Primordial Era came the Ancient Era. The Ancient Era saw the separation of the realms of gods, Immortals, spirits, demons, and monsters, leaving the mortal realm to those who had not attained the Dao, both humans and beasts. At this time, the mortal realm still possessed Spiritual Qi and an environment not inferior to the Primordial Era. Sects flourished, marking the peak of human civilization. Countless cultivation techniques, magical treasures, and more were created. After tens of thousands of years of peace, a great war between the righteous and demonic paths erupted. Spirits and demons joined the fray, moving mountains and overturning seas. Mortals were nearly wiped out, and the world slowly became what it is now.
Over the past hundred thousand years, cultivators with great supernatural powers vanished. High-level spirit beasts also disappeared. Spiritual Qi began to thin. Many spiritual objects went extinct. Cultivators began to withdraw from the secular world, no longer living among mortals.
In the current Cultivation World, cultivation sects are established in places abundant with Spiritual Qi, far from the mortal world. They only venture among mortals when selecting disciples.
As for mortals, not just anyone can cultivate anymore. Only those possessing a Spirit Root, which allows the body to retain Spiritual Qi, can cultivate. And Spirit Roots are exceedingly rare among mortals—only one in ten thousand. The chance of a Spirit Root appearing is greatly increased only among the descendants of cultivators.
The body is divided into two poles; Spiritual Qi belongs to the Five Elements. This means physical constitution has Yin and Yang attributes, while Spiritual Qi has the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Most people's constitutions are a mixed blend of Yin and Yang, which repel each other during cultivation. As for Spirit Roots, the Five Elements mutually generate and restrain each other. If one possesses mutually restraining Spirit Roots, they cancel each other out. Therefore, the purer the constitution and the fewer the Spirit Roots, the better.
Within the Cultivation World, those with Three Spirit Roots or Four Spirit Roots are most common. Cultivation with Three Spirit Roots isn't too slow, but such individuals generally cannot achieve greatness. Four Spirit Roots and Five Spirit Roots are considered poor Spirit Roots; those with them are usually trapped in the Qi Refining stage for life, and Foundation Establishment is extremely difficult. Layman Qinglian himself had Four Spirit Roots and no special opportunities, so he could never achieve Foundation Establishment.
For those with better than Three Spirit Roots, having Dual Spirit Roots no longer holds back one's aptitude. Furthermore, there exists a type of Exotic Spirit Root, a mutation of the Five Elements, whose cultivation speed is in no way inferior to those with a Single Spirit Root.
However, having a Spirit Root alone is not a guarantee of everything. Cultivating Immortal Methods also involves Comprehension and Mindset. With a slightly poorer Spirit Root, if one's Comprehension is excellent, the speed won't be much slower. As for breakthroughs in cultivation realms, they relate to Mindset. With a firm and resolute Mindset, one won't be trapped by mental obstacles during breakthroughs. But all of this is built upon the foundation of the Spirit Root. If the Spirit Root is too poor, even the best Comprehension and Mindset are useless.
Mo Tiange remembered what the ancestor had said: she possessed a Pure Yin constitution and Dual Spirit Roots, so her cultivation speed was in no way slower than those with a Single Spirit Root. Yet, the ancestor had also said she possessed Five Element Spirit Roots—what Layman Qinglian described as the poorest Spirit Roots, generally not destined for great achievements.
Her mood sank. Although she hadn't deeply pondered the events of that day, knowing her Spirit Roots were poor still made her unhappy.
"Tiange, what are you reading?"
It was Mo Tianqiao, who had pushed the door open and come in.
Mo Tiange closed the book. "Tianqiao, did you pass?"
Mo Tianqiao's face lit up with joy. "Yes! I copied all last night and finally passed."
"What book do you want to read? I can help you look."
Mo Tianqiao took the book from her hands, flipped through a couple of pages without much interest, and handed it back. "You read it. I'll just browse around."
"Alright."
Watching Mo Tianqiao wander among the bookshelves, Mo Tiange looked at the book in her hands, hesitated for a moment, then stuffed it into her school bag.