Chapter 103 Water Passing Step (Two More)_1 Translator: 549690339 Mo Hua’s companions were indeed mostly Loose Cultivators with limited horizons, but there were also not a few Cultivators with exceptional insight. Not to mention anyone else, the gentleman who taught Mo Hua Formation techniques was definitely not an average Cultivator; the woman called “Aunt Xue” by Mo Hua, shrouded in a veiled haze, could possibly perform Illusion Techniques, let alone other spells; there were also the two children who strolled the streets with him that day, seemingly surnamed Bai, with appearances and manners that indicated an extraordinary background; and then there was his father Mo Shan, who, although having average cultivation, had spent years hunting monsters in the mountains, and his judgment and experience were certainly not weak… Zhang Lan pondered in his heart, if they came to know that he had taught Mo Hua a movement technique as common as dirt, it wouldn’t be Mo Hua who was looked down upon. A mere child, what could Mo Hua understand? When the time came, the one to be scorned would only be himself, Zhang Lan. Just the thought of that veiled woman looking at him with disdain made Zhang Lan somewhat unable to accept it. No, he couldn’t afford to lose face! “This matter concerns not just my personal dignity, but also the face of the Zhang Family; I cannot let others think that the Zhang family lacks a foundation in Tao Cultivation,” Zhang Lan justified to himself. “These movement techniques are all quite ordinary; I’ll teach you something different,” Zhang Lan told Mo Hua. “Different?” “Yes, different from the usual movement techniques.” Mo Hua was actually troubled; his original intention was to have Zhang Lan give some pointers on which spells to study, preferably ones that everyone had heard of and practiced before. If everyone had practiced them, then those spells must be practical and not too shabby, for Cultivators wouldn’t idle away their time learning a spell that was utterly useless. And if everyone had practiced them, it meant the spells were relatively stable; even if Zhang Lan stopped teaching later on, Mo Hua could still find others to consult should he have any doubts about the spells. But now Zhang Lan intended to teach Mo Hua something different—this made Mo Hua apprehensive, as the cultivation of this spell could require some precious spiritual objects which he truly couldn’t afford… “What’s with that expression?” Zhang Lan couldn’t help but tap the table lightly, “Why do you look so reluctant? Others beg me to teach them, and I refuse; don’t try to act cute when you’re getting a bargain, kid!” “I’m just worried about causing Uncle Zhang trouble,” Mo Hua scratched his head, “How about you just pick any movement technique from this book to teach me?” Mo Hua spread open the “Qi Refining Technique Compilation.” It contained common Qi Refinement Realm techniques, well-known to bottom-tier Loose Cultivators, and Mo Hua felt more at ease learning from it. “No way! I can’t afford to lose that much face!” Zhang Lan firmly disagreed, no matter what. Mo Hua didn’t understand—how could learning a spell be a cause for shame… Making up his mind, Zhang Lan gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll teach you the Water Passing Step; it’s the Zhang Family’s Ultimate Technique!” Mo Hua hesitated for a long time before asking weakly, “Is your clan’s Ultimate Technique so worthless that you’ll teach it to anyone just like that?” Zhang Lan was so angry he nearly spat blood, he grabbed Mo Hua’s collar, lifted him with his Spiritual Power and said, “Follow me!” Liu Ruhua saw it all from a distance, but she knew that Zhang Lan was a Supervisor of the Taoist Court and had a good relationship with Mo Hua; he wouldn’t make things difficult for Mo Hua, so she didn’t interfere. She just thought to herself that Court Leader Zhang, despite his age, still had a temper not much different from Mo Hua’s… Clutching Mo Hua’s collar, Zhang Lan brought him to the foot of a mountain outside Tongxian City. This place was concealed by lush woods and tranquility—it rarely saw visitors. Feeling Spiritual Power lifting him, Mo Hua’s feet left the ground, and the world spun around him, the surrounding scenery receding backwards. After a while, when he regained his senses, they had reached somewhere outside Tongxian City. “Uncle Zhang, why have you brought me here?” Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask. “Stab me with this sword.” Zhang Lan tossed to Mo Hua a sword inlaid with gold and pine patterns, clearly not a commonplace item. Mo Hua opened his mouth, “This doesn’t seem right.” “If I tell you to stab, then stab.” “What if I hurt you?” Mo Hua expressed his concern. Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua speechlessly, making her realize that she might have overestimated herself a bit. With Mo Hua’s cultivation, if Zhang Lan stood still and let her stab him with a sword all day, she might not even damage a hair. “Fine, then.” If Zhang Lan wasn’t afraid, what was there for her to fear? Mo Hua gripped the sword, ready to stab Zhang Lan, but after trying, she said, “No, it won’t work.” “What do you mean it won’t work now?” Zhang Lan asked. “I can’t move this sword…” Mo Hua said softly. What kind of sword was Zhang Lan using? Why was it so heavy? Could it really be a sword meant for a spiritual cultivator? Zhang Lan sighed and pointed up slightly. Before Mo Hua could understand what had happened, a section of a branch fell from a tree. “Use this branch.” “Oh,” Mo Hua nodded. She took the branch, held her breath to focus, channeled her strength through the branch, and thrust vigorously at Zhang Lan. Of course, Mo Hua’s strength was almost negligible—after all, she was not a body cultivator. But the next scene left Mo Hua dumbfounded. Mo Hua’s branch had pierced through Zhang Lan’s body. Mo Hua was startled, but on coming to her senses, she realized there was no force feedback on the branch. She hadn’t actually hit anything. As she took a closer look, she saw Zhang Lan’s figure gradually blur and then vanish, with Zhang Lan reappearing a step away. Although Mo Hua didn’t know what had happened, it felt incredibly powerful! “Is this a movement technique?” Zhang Lan lightly chuckled, then his figure dispersed like mist, creating many afterimages around Mo Hua. She could neither discern with her eyes nor lock on with her divine sense. After a short while all the spiritual power dissipated, and Zhang Lan appeared back in his original spot, as if he had never moved. Mo Hua was utterly shocked. Seeing Mo Hua’s inexperienced look, Zhang Lan felt quite refreshed, but his facial expression remained indifferent. “Now you want to learn, right?” Mo Hua couldn’t help nodding. “This movement technique is called the Water Passing Step, an ultimate technique of my Zhang Family, not ordinarily taught to outsiders. The Water Passing Step is a movement technique for spiritual cultivators that uses spiritual power to manipulate the body, enabling swift and nimble movement within tight spaces to dodge attacks from cultivators. And at its advanced stages, one can even create afterimages to confuse someone’s vision and disorient their divine sense…” Mo Hua listened intently, then worriedly said: “But if you teach me, won’t that be considered disclosing it? Won’t the Zhang Family penalize you? If so, let’s forget it.” “You don’t like this technique?” “It’s good, but I don’t want to cause you trouble,” Mo Hua said, somewhat torn. Zhang Lan paused for a moment, and then laughed, “Don’t worry. If I dare to teach you, it’s definitely not going to be a problem. Those old stick-in-the-muds in the clan can’t do anything about me.” I’ll just be locked up for a few months or kneel in the ancestral hall for a few days at most… Zhang Lan silently added in his mind, of course, he wouldn’t say something that would diminish his status out loud. “Oh, okay,” Mo Hua nodded, then asked, “But if I learned it, wouldn’t your family kill me to keep the technique a secret…” Zhang Lan couldn’t help but tap Mo Hua’s forehead again, “What is your little head filled with? How can you spout such nonsensical things?”