Chapter 736: Chapter 571 Storage Ring_2 “Court Leader, are the requirements for apprenticing at the Qianxue State Sects very strict?” “Naturally…” Court Leader Zhou nodded, “Before one turns twenty, one must achieve Foundation Establishment, which is only the basic requirement…” “Beyond that, it also depends on what kind of Taoist Foundation you have established.” “Noble Clans and Sect Disciples grind their realms, consolidate their cultivation, circulate their Spiritual Power to the utmost limit, and then they establish foundation at the age of seventeen or eighteen.” “That kind of Foundation Establishment is what truly counts as Foundation Establishment.” 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂 “Ordinarily, cultivators from smaller powers are greedy for quick success and are rash, with uncondensed Blood Qi and thin Spiritual Power, hastily establishing foundation at the age of fifteen or sixteen. That kind of Foundation Establishment naturally doesn’t count…” ... Court Leader Zhou finished speaking and fell into a momentary stupor, casting a glance at Mo Hua, who was fifteen and had both scant Blood Qi and Spiritual Power, he said somewhat guiltily: “I didn’t mean you…” “It’s okay, no worries.” Mo Hua was very generous and didn’t take offense. His weak Blood Qi and low Spiritual Power were facts obvious at a glance, there was no need to be reticent. Moreover, he was proving the Dao with Divine Sense and had forged a Divine Sense Taoist Foundation, so Blood Qi and Spiritual Power didn’t really matter to him. Seeing that Mo Hua didn’t mind, Court Leader Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued: “And that’s just for Foundation Establishment, other requirements are also exceedingly strict…” “First is the Spiritual Root, in the Qian Xue State, the general sects only accept those with top-grade Spiritual Roots…” “Some sects with great power, long inheritance, ranking within the top ten, even only accept disciples with superior top-grade Spiritual Roots…” Mo Hua opened his mouth, “Not accepting anyone without a superior top-grade… Are the requirements really so harsh?” Court Leader Zhou nodded, also feeling helpless, “Spiritual Roots are the foundation of a cultivator, the better the Spiritual Root, the higher grade of Cultivation Techniques one can practice, and the deeper the Spiritual Power one can cultivate. It becomes easier to break through realms in the future, and one can journey further on the path of Tao Cultivation…” “However, that said, they are all top-grade Spiritual Roots, and the difference between superior top-grade and top medium-grade is just a sliver, so the disparity isn’t that huge.” “Those sects, the reason they only accept superior top-grade, is simply because there are too many prodigies, and the competition is too fierce.” “This threshold has been raised time and again…” “Thousands of years ago, some with a middle-grade Spiritual Root, as long as they possessed a firm Taoist Heart and had some specialty, could also be apprenticed in those sects, and might even become an Instructor or even an Elder.” “But now…” Court Leader Zhou sighed, “There are no people from high-class sects who come from humble families, let alone Loose Cultivators. With poor Spiritual Roots, you can’t even enter the gate…” “That’s why cultivators often say, in this world, once you’re born and your Spiritual Root is determined, your fate is also determined…” “And that’s just talking about Spiritual Roots…” Court Leader Zhou continued, “There are also considerations of family background, lineage, inheritance, and so on.” “Without a notable birth or a distinguished family, entering such sect is even more difficult.” “Furthermore, some sects even investigate the parents of those seeking to enter, what kind of Spiritual Roots they have, what their level of cultivation is, and who they are…” Mo Hua found it extreme to the utmost and couldn’t help sighing, feeling somewhat disheartened. It seemed that there was no chance for him in the Qianxue State. Not to mention anything else, just the condition of middle to lower Five Elements Spiritual Root blocked him firmly from entering any doors. Mo Hua’s expression became a bit downcast. Court Leader Zhou looked at Mo Hua, and with a sense of pity, said: “There are also some smaller sects that don’t require one to have an exceptionally high-grade Spiritual Root, but…” But their inheritance was doubtlessly shallow. Even if you entered their ranks, you might not be able to learn anything valuable. Court Leader Zhou sighed softly. Loose Cultivators had indeed too fragile a foundation, with Foundation Establishment being the ceiling for them. He still hoped that Mo Hua could apprentice at the Qianxue State Sects, systematically learn Tao Cultivation knowledge, increase his experience, and fill in his shortcomings so that he could go further in the future… But he also knew that in such places, where Noble Clans gathered and prodigies clustered, the barriers between formal sects were extremely deep. Even just stepping over the threshold was exceedingly difficult. Especially for a Loose Cultivator like Mo Hua… Court Leader Zhou said no more, only offering a few words of comfort to Mo Hua, speaking some pleasantries. Beyond that, there really wasn’t much else he could help with… Mo Hua felt somewhat disappointed, but after giving it some thought, he didn’t take it too much to heart. Having the chance to go to the Qianxue State to seek apprenticeship was, of course, good. But even without such an opportunity, it didn’t matter. One shouldn’t force what’s not meant to be in this world. Mo Hua returned home, as usual, read for a while, studied Formation for a period, and when his Divine Sense was exhausted, he felt a bit weary, so he spread the map of the Qian Xue State and looked at it again. After perusing it a few times, Mo Hua put it away. Since his Spiritual Root wasn’t sufficient and he couldn’t even secure entry, it was pointless to look any further; thus, Mo Hua placed the map into his storage pouch. Then after a moment’s thought, considering the map of the Nine States to be somewhat valuable and perhaps useful in the future, he decided to take it out of the storage pouch and once more put it into his Storage Ring. The Storage Ring was small, but Mo Hua’s hands were smaller, and he could only wear it on the thumb of his left hand. This ring was a gift from his master, and Mo Hua had performed a blood recognition ritual on it. Its design was simple and unremarkable. Mo Hua could see it, but others could not. This Storage Ring was a concealed storage bag. However, Mo Hua also felt that this ring could hide his aura, preventing others from seeing through his true strength. It was very similar to the Spiritual Artifacts on his junior brothers and sisters that “obstructed the probing of Divine Sense”. Beyond that, it served no other purpose. But because it was a gift from his master, Mo Hua treasured it. After placing the Qian State map into the Storage Ring, Mo Hua checked the other items inside the ring, then he suddenly froze. Within the Storage Ring, there was an extra Jade Slip. Mo Hua had no recollection of this Jade Slip. He had never seen this Jade Slip before when he put things into the Storage Ring. “Why would there be an extra Jade Slip?”