"They lose their lifespan?! Why do it at all?"
"There's a simple reason, practicality. It is easier to have False Demi-Human cultivators that are so strong rather than normal cultivators. Normal cultivators strive to grow stronger and would not stop their journey to be a simple guard. Instead Freedom Haven uses normal mortals who gain this strength easily, but just as easily can be controlled or taken away"
"I see, yeah that makes sense. But are there people who use False Demi-Human cultivation themselves, not as guards? It seems like such a strong thing?"
"There are, but not as many as you would think. It's because, it's an extremely hard technique both in itself and resource-wise. Think, you need a strong animal to combine with. If you combine with a normal dog there's little worth and would just harm you in the long run."
"Yeah, that does make sense. So I guess it only makes sense for already strong cultivators... Then what about them, the strong cultivators? Do they ever use it?"
"Exactly. Most use it as a last resort, a final burst of power before death. It's often cited as the ultimate killer move, combining the strength of divine creatures to let out a final offense."
"That answers my question then, I was thinking maybe False Demi-Human cultivation could be something I might use. But now that I know the downsides, probably not."
"Even if you wanted to still, I wouldn't allow it. You do not need it, just with your talent and fortuitous encounters you will become far stronger yourself. Anyway you said you had a few questions, ask away,"
Hou thought about the ring, he needed help to unseal it, he created a lie to explain how he knew about the ring with Yue's help as he was walking back to the inn.
He couldn't outright lie, so he needed to formulate a way to get Mo Huai to help without being explicit. Yue was still a secret that Hou wanted to hide from Mo Huai. But still, he was unsure whether it would work.
Hesitant on whether the plan would work, Hou pulled out the ring.
"Enough about guards, this thing's the real mystery... I actually lied a bit since Xiao Ye was there. I know somewhat why it 'unsealed' seemingly randomly. That first inheritance I got, the one in your...farm? Whatever you called it, when I was a traditional cultivator. That inheritance was based around blood and it had a probing technique that when I used with the ring activated it!"
Mo Huai stood back up and rubbed his chin with hand,
"Back then... Perhaps I should explain that whole place for you. Maybe that might help me explain that ring"
Hou sat up straighter and leaned forward, nodding quickly. Mo Huai saw this and thought to himself,
'I guess I should have told him this long ago,'
"The land you came from, first let's explain that. You came from a place called 'Sealed Solar Tomb'. It was a place established after Zhou Tian established traditional cultivation but before Yao Tian rose to reform the world. It was the tomb of an ancient couple of cultivators, it was a completely sealed world. It had its own atmosphere and rules. When Yao Tian reformed the world, Sealed Solar Tomb' was left alone."
Hou was dragged back to 'Sealed Solar Tomb', he had been living in a large tomb, it turns out. He listened in as Mo Huai continued,
"However, what the Sealed Solar Tomb' once was, was a whole continent of the world. It was taken by the main cultivator there, Golden Crow Immortal. They sealed the whole continent, forming it onto a world. In that continent was a Myriad of different cultivators, all leaving behind their inheritances. What you gained was just one of these many, and looking at that ring I think I know who's it is."
"You do?!" Hou was shocked, he tightened his fist.
'I thought master was lost to history...'
"While little is known in the time after Zhou Tian and before Yao Tian, the big names are remembered and revered still. The inheritance you have taken, I suspect it is from Bloodfiend Asura!"
"Bloodfiend... Who was he?"
"He was arguably the strongest Traditional Cultivator after Zhou Tian himself. Some even argue he may have surpassed him, his blood techniques were strong enough to cleave entire continents if he wanted to. And if you were chosen... You might become the next Bloodfiend!"
Hou looked at Mo Huai as he told the story, each sentence he eyes sparkled more. He did not know he was such an important figure, even Mo Huai seemed impressed.
Mo Huai looked at Hou's eyes, filled with excitement, and such he continued,
"And this must be an artifact he left, somehow still working all these years. But I can tell it is sealed, but this should be an easy thing to fix. Allow me to look at the ring, I'll examine it and see whether it can be unsealed,"
Mo Huai held out his hand in front of Hou. Hou dropped the ring in his hand, as it left Hou could still sense it through his blood connection.
Mo Huai took the ring and observed it with his eyes, then he started to use his technique. He spoke to Hou,
"Watch carefully, this is an elder level move equivalent to a Cirrus level technique."
He threw the ring into the air, as it was in the air he moved his hands. He close this eyes to concentrate as his hands did several seals and movements, letting out thin strands of mental energy.
He exhaled, and a vortex of miasma swallowed the ring whole, inside the vortex a storm started to brew. Sweat beaded on Mo Huai's brow as the vortex churned and grew. The miasma storm crackled with lightning, casting jagged shadows across the walls.
As Mo Huai was investigating the ring, Hou could feel it. It was being probed from every direction, both inside and out. The miasma infected it, becoming one with the ring in order to find out it's secrets.
Then Mo Huai opened his eyes, the miasma contracted. It did several of these contractions, become smaller and smaller, then in one big burst of light it vanished.
"Not yet..." Mo Huai's voice strained.
He stretched out his hand and grabbed. The ring appeared in his hand again. He opened it up for Hou to take.
Mo Huai fell to the ground and spoke exhausted,
"I've figured it out, the ring, it's... Let me rest for a second... I may be an Elder, but I'm not an expert in this field of investigation. My techniques weigh heavy on my mental energy, just a few moments."