Lady Cultivator

The three people split up, placing about a hundred feet’s distance between them, proceeding one after another at a speed that was neither too fast nor too slow.

In fact, if Mo Tiange spread out her divine sense, this distance was tantamount to having no distance at all between them, but this was still better than nothing. If she restrained her divine sense, the influence of her divine comprehension would be decreased.

Mo Tiange was rather looking forward to the second test. If everything went well, she would enter Closed Door Meditation until she reached the peak stage of the Foundation Building realm after this matter was settled then she would try to form her Gold Core. For cultivators like her, who had never gone through the process, Inner Demons were the scariest obstacle during core-formation. If the second test’s Five Hindrances Overturning Senses was indeed similar to Inner Demons, then this would be tantamount to her experiencing a similar Inner Demon test before her core-formation. With this experience under her belt, she’d know what to do when she really tried to form her Gold Core.

“Why’s there no movement?” Ye Jingwen finally asked in a low voice after the three of them walked for a while.

He was transmitting his voice through his divine sense, so the surroundings were still completely quiet.

Mo Tiange also felt that something was amiss. She frowned and pondered the matter for quite a while before she finally asked, “Why’s there no one else here aside from us?”

Ye Jingwen was startled. “You’re right! According to reason, although we broke out of the formation rather quickly, it’s been quite a while now, so shouldn’t some people have broken out of the formation already?”

Luo Fengxue mused, “When it comes to our Foundation Building disciples, there are neither too few nor too many who can pass the first test. However, it definitely wouldn’t be just us…”

After frowning for a long time, Luo Fengxue suddenly called out: “Maybe we’re already in the second test, the Five Hindrances Overturning Senses! That’s why we can’t sense the situation around us!”

Mo Tiange turned to examine her surroundings. This place was already deep inside the mountain. The surrounding rock walls still looked the same as before, but the terrain already looked different now; the area of soil had started to increase, countless spiritual plants grew densely all around, and daylight, which came from an unclear source, had somewhat brightened the place.

Ye Jingwen’s flying sword was unsheathed and flew around him as a precaution. “Junior Martial Sister Luo, are you sure? Will there be dangers around us?”

Upon hearing Ye Jingwen’s question, Luo Fengxue also started to attentively examine the surrounding situation. She then closed her eyes and focused her senses. Eventually, she cautiously nodded and said, “I should be right. Try using your divine sense; how far can you spread it out?”

Both Mo Tiange and Ye Jingwen spread out their divine senses just like Luo Fengxue told them to. Before long, their expressions turned grave. There was indeed something wrong. They could only spread their divine senses for several dozen feet with the limit being the area bound by the three of them.

Luo Fengxue said, “Let’s begin; maintain our mental state—let’s not affect each other anymore.”

By being together, the three of them could remind each other, but if one of them experienced deviations in their perceptions, the other two would also be affected. Therefore, each of them better pass their respective tests on their own.

Neither Mo Tiange nor Ye Jingwen objected to Luo Fengxue’s suggestion. They each looked for a place, intending to experience the trial of the Five Hindrances Overturning Senses.

Just in case anything unexpected happened, Mo Tiange first laid a simple defense formation around her before she finally sat cross-legged on the ground.

Upon closing her eyes, she cut off her perception of everything around her and shut off her divine comprehension, focusing only on her sea of knowledge. The spiritual aura inside her body moved around automatically, calmly and steadily.

Very soon, she felt she had entered a kind of mystical realm. Everything around her became far away; it was as if she was in an empty, open plain. There were only soft rustling noises from the breeze that was blowing gently. In this world, she was the only one there.

Mo Tiange didn’t expect she would happen to be able to enter a state of non-existence.

One’s mental state was a riddle wrapped up in an enigma. Generally speaking, this kind of mental state perception was very difficult to articulate to others. Even when a master taught their disciples, they could only guide their disciples slowly. However, everyone’s perception was different, so they could only rely on themselves in the end.

To cultivate one’s mental state, they must see, hear, and experience more things. It was only by comprehending things that one could progress. There was no other way.

In her twenty-plus years of traveling, Mo Tiange hadn’t gone through much on her own initiative. Most of the time, she was trapped inside the Dao-Achieving Pagoda. Nevertheless, in reality, the pressure she endured when she was inside the Dao-Achieving Pagoda with Ren Yufeng constantly watching over them from the outside was also a kind of mental cultivation. Moreover, inside the Dao-Achieving Pagoda, she also studied the personal note Mo Yaoqing left behind, witnessing Mo Yaoqing’s lifetime experiences—this was also a form of mental cultivation.

Arriving in the secular world, going to the Ye Clan, looking after the Ye Clan on second uncle’s behalf; accidentally going into Ziwei’s Immortal’s Cave, learning about Wanderer Ziwei’s life experience, witnessing Yao Zixiu and Shang Ruwan’s ill-fated love; going to the northernmost glacial zone, running into Ren Yufeng, arriving at the Eastern Sea…

Mo Tiange unconsciously spent more than twenty years experiencing all that. Under situations which even she herself wasn’t aware of, her mental state had grown and reached a certain realm, so in this Inner Demon-like Five Hindrances Overturning Senses trial, she could easily enter a state of nonexistence.

After some time, in her half-conscious state, Mo Tiange seemed to return to Mo Family’s Village in Jin Country—

“Husband, are you really going to go?” Although the woman was dressed like a married woman, her appearance still retained the softness of a young girl. She was staring at the man in front of her like she didn’t want to part with him.

The man looked more or less like he was in his thirties. Compared to his wife, he was indeed quite a lot older. However, he was gentle, elegant, and calm, so it seemed like he had the charm of twenty-some year old young man who wasn’t mature yet.

He looked at his young wife, saying in an appeasing tone, “Don’t worry—I’ll come back after several days.”

“But…” The woman looked like she was hesitating to say something. In the end, she just looked down and said nothing.

A gentle smile appeared on the man’s face as he tugged at his wife’s hand then placed both their hands on her flat underbelly. “I’ll rush back as quickly as I can before the child’s born. If you have any problems, go and talk to Sister Awang. I already asked her to take care of you.”

The woman looked rather shy. “Husband, you already knew?”

“How could I not know?” He stared at his wife’s still flat belly with a gaze that contained hard to perceive, hidden thoughts. “… I wish this child… will be safe and sound.”

Several years later—

“Mother, why do I not have a father?” a little girl, whose face had some purple marks, asked her pale, sickly-looking mother.

The mother was softly smearing some medicine on the child, but her movements stopped when she heard the child’s question.

“Mother?”

The woman regained her train of thought. She shook her head and said, “Don’t listen to their nonsense. Your father left because he had something to attend to; he’ll come back when he finishes his affairs.”

“But…” The little girl looked confused. “Did father go to a very, very far away place? So far that he hasn’t come back until now?”

“En, very, very far away…”

Consequently, she made a wish that day, wishing her father could come back a bit sooner so that no one would say she was a child with no father anymore.

Later—

“Tiange! Tiange! Your father came back!”

That day was her birthday. Her mother had prepared longevity noodles and even a poached egg for her, but she suddenly heard the voice of Aunt Awang next door.

A man walked in from outside the courtyard. He was covered in dust but he had a smile on his face.

Father was exactly as Mother told her—he was kind and gentle. When he smiled, he made her feel warm.

“Tiange, you’re Tiange!” Her father lowered his body. “You’ve grown so big! I’m your father!”

Her mother came out of the house; her eyes were brimming with tears.

Her father smiled, held her up then walked towards her mother. “Wife, I’m back. I’m back to take you both away.”

…

Her wish was realized. Everything was vague as if she was dreaming. However, from the bottom of her heart, she was happy she could finally see what her father looked like. This kind of happiness was unexpectedly genuine.

Her father took them back to Kunwu and taught her about cultivating. Aura Refining, Foundation Building, everything went so smoothly in this life… She grew up and advanced into the Core Formation realm, and Ye Clan didn’t decline… Later, she met a man. They fell for each other and became Dual Cultivation partners… Later, she advanced into the Nascent Soul realm, moving unhindered in the Celestial Pole, hence becoming unrivaled…

What she had continued to increase. No matter what she wanted, she eventually got them, be it familial love, friendship, romantic love, family, cultivation, or numinous treasure… Eventually, she advanced into the Deification realm, becoming a God-like existence in the secular world.

She stood at the top of the world, staring at the human world below her. Everything was within her grasp, but she felt empty as if she hadn’t obtained anything.

All of a sudden, she started to doubt—was this all real? If this wasn’t, why did it feel so real then? If this was real, why was everything she saw always vague?

She really liked this kind of successful feeling because the kind of regret that couldn’t be buried wouldn’t exist in her heart. But… why did she feel empty like she hadn’t obtained anything at all?

Suddenly there was a cold sensation in her chest, rousing her from her beautiful dream.

Mo Tiange opened her eyes. For a moment, she was overwhelmed with fear. She already entered a state of nonexistence and kept her heart steady, but she was actually still caught. If she had an unsteady mental state, she really didn’t know what would’ve happened.

When she raised her head to look at her surroundings, she discovered about five or six people were sitting around sporadically, including Ye Jingwen and Luo Fengxue.

Sure enough, Luo Fengxue had guessed correctly. In fact, not long after they left the first test area, they already entered the second test, but they were completely oblivious to it, so they couldn’t see the situation around them.

Greed, anger, stupidity, laziness, doubt—this test made Mo Tiange realize that although she wasn’t entangled in anger, stupidity, laziness, or doubt, greedy thoughts were still hidden deep inside her heart.

She wanted to return to her childhood, get her father back, and have a complete family. She wanted a smooth entry into the cultivation world instead of roaming all around for more than a dozen of years. She wanted to have a family, friends, and a lover—to completely have all of them. She also wanted to succeed in her cultivation, advancing into the Deification realm, being proud and free in this world… As it turned out, she was unexpectedly so greedy.

As it turned out, she never forgot these childhood regrets.

Ever since she came to Xuanqing School, her journey on the path of cultivation had been very smooth. She herself also always thought she had no other desires in her heart aside from progressing on the path of cultivation. Unexpectedly, however, she still had some greedy thoughts which she had unknowingly pressed deep into her subconsciousness.

As Mo Tiange thought about this matter, a cold sweat started to emerge on her forehead. If she didn’t enter the Ten Thousand Laws of Nature Formation this time, she would’ve never realized there were still some holes in her mental state. If she tried to form her Gold Core without realizing this problem, she would’ve definitely had a hard time later.

Fortunately, before she tried to form her Gold Core, she happened to enter this Ten Thousand Laws of Nature Formation, thus discovering the weaknesses in her mental state. After this matter, she definitely had to resolve these greedy thoughts before she could proceed with her core-formation.

Upon making that resolution, Mo Tiange closed her eyes and spent some time adjusting her breathing. It was only after her mental state regained its tranquil state that she finally stood up and picked the spiritual plants growing in the vicinity.

Regarding what to do next, she actually felt a bit awkward. Ye Jingwen and Luo Fengxue were still here. From time to time, their faces would show pained or happy expressions—obviously, they were still inside the Five Hindrances Overturning Senses test. They originally agreed to take care of each other, but her current situation was rather special; after she passed the second test, she hadn’t been thrown directly into the third test like Luo Fengxue said would happen. If she remained here, she wasn’t sure if she would experience some hallucinations again or not—what would happen if she later considered the several people here her enemies?

Time passed by, but none of the people around woke up. Each of them was still going through their respective mental tests.

Mo Tiange pondered the matter for a moment then stood up and continued to walk inside.

Both staying and leaving had their own downsides, so she might as well do as she wished. Besides, the spiritual plants around here were indeed numerous. It would also be good if she could pick a bit more.

She continued to walk, all the while picking spiritual plants, gradually getting further and further until she slowly forgot where she was…