After Master Luo finished speaking, he stood up and took his leave.
"Little Mo, I’ll take my leave now. You can think about this matter carefully; there’s no need to rush into a decision,"
After finishing, he sighed and added, "The path I offer is one I think is quite good, but it may not necessarily be the best. You have many choices, just choose the best among them."
Master Luo was indeed considering Mo Hua’s best interests.
In the days that followed, Mo Hua also understood what Master Luo meant by "many choices."
Major and minor Sects and families within the nearby state boundaries had all extended invitations to Mo Hua.
Some invited Mo Hua to become a Formation Instructor; some promised him a position as an Elder outright; some forces, with fervent and impassioned words, invited Mo Hua to "discuss grand undertakings and plot groundbreaking initiatives";
Then there were some families who wanted Mo Hua to marry into their families and attached portraits of young, either innocent or charming, female Cultivators to their invitations…
Mo Hua didn’t say much, but Liu Ruhua was particularly angry.
She threw all these portraits into the stove and said to Mo Hua:
"Families with such crooked ideas, tempting people with beauty, are no decent families. You mustn’t go to them!"
"If you’re to find a partner, it should be a proper and chaste lady."
Mo Hua replied somewhat helplessly, "Mother, it’s still early for that..."
"Better safe than sorry!" Liu Ruhua said earnestly.
"Alright…" Mo Hua responded.
A few days later, Zhang Lan also came looking for Mo Hua.
"There are a few things I want to discuss with you."
Zhang Lan sat in their usual spot in the restaurant, ordered a pot of wine and some dishes of meat, and while drinking, he said to Mo Hua,
"You’re not trying to rope me in as well, are you?" Mo Hua asked in confusion.
Zhang Lan, whose intentions were seen through, choked on a sip of wine, thought for a moment, then nodded, "In a more subtle way, it’s called setting up good karma, to put it bluntly, it’s indeed roping in."
"The Zhang Family?"
Zhang Lan sighed, "Not just them."
He then produced a document, "This is a personal document from the Court Leader. You can join a Sect that is directly under the Taoist Court."
"Directly under the Taoist Court?"
"Yes, those that are directly affiliated with the Taoist Court and train talents for the Taoist Court. They require internal connections within the Taoist Court to join, and a city Court Leader has a quota for recommendations, though very limited…"
"Isn’t that quite valuable?"
"Of course," Zhang Lan nodded, "This is also a gesture from the Court Leader. If he ever runs into trouble in the future, you mustn’t stand by and watch."
"Don’t worry, I have a good relationship with the Court Leader; I will definitely help him!" Mo Hua assured.
Zhang Lan nodded in satisfaction.
"After completing studies in the Sect, can I enter the Taoist Court?" Mo Hua asked.
"Not necessarily."
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.
Zhang Lan explained, "It depends on the situation. Generally speaking, as long as one cultivates earnestly and one’s character isn’t too flawed, and one’s conduct isn’t extreme, after completing studies, they can take a position at the Taoist Court."
"And it’s not restricted by status," Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua, "Outsiders, as Loose Cultivators, find it difficult to enter the Taoist Court, but it’s much easier from these Taoist Court-affiliated Sects."
"There are so many twists and turns…" Mo Hua couldn’t help but complain.
"Naturally," Zhang Lan took a sip of wine, his gaze becoming focused,
"Those who set the rules always leave some loopholes to benefit themselves. The Cultivators below don’t know the rules and can’t skirt around the barriers, and can only crash into them, bloody and bruised."
"The Cultivators above are familiar with these twists and turns and can easily cross over these barriers."
"That’s why the Loose Cultivators at the bottom aren’t informed; even if they have talent, they might not do as well as those mediocre but well-connected Cultivators from noble families."
Mo Hua nodded.
Without Zhang Lan telling him, he would have had no idea about these things.
"What about the not-so-ordinary situations?" Mo Hua asked.
"There are two types of those situations," Zhang Lan answered, "One is if one’s aptitude is too poor, and one’s learning is dreadful, to the point of being hopelessly useless."
"Such a person can enter a Taoist Court-affiliated Sect solely based on connections. Unless they use their connections again, they shouldn’t even dream of securing a position with the Taoist Court."
"The other situation is if one’s aptitude is too good, and their learning is exemplary. Such Cultivators have the potential to enter the Taoist Court directly."
"The Taoist Court?" Mo Hua was surprised, "Not the Taoist Court Office?"
"Correct," Zhang Lan nodded, "The central Taoist Court, not the local Taoist Court Office."
Immediately after, Zhang Lan sighed, "But you shouldn’t dwell on that."
"Is my Spiritual Root really that poor?"
"Yes," Zhang Lan said regretfully, "Your talent in Formation is actually exceptionally good..."