Chapter 17: Cultivation Technique

Instructor Yan said, "The breathing methods taught by the sect previously are similar to cultivation techniques; they can also be used to cultivate spiritual power, but they are relatively crude and only suitable for cultivators before the third level of Qi Refinement. After the third level of Qi Refinement, you must select a true cultivation technique to study. Of course, you can continue using breathing methods, but your cultivation will be much slower..."

"This is the catalog of cultivation techniques provided by the sect for outer disciples. The catalog lists the names of the techniques, the applicable spiritual roots, the required spirit stones, the spiritual items needed to break through bottlenecks, and the effects of the techniques. Take a look for yourselves first."

Instructor Yan distributed the catalogs, and every disciple received one; Mo Hua was no exception.

The catalog was very thin, only about ten pages, but it was densely packed with records of approximately dozens of cultivation techniques and related matters.

"If you have any doubts, you may ask me," Instructor Yan said.

The disciples were quiet for a moment, after which a disciple raised their hand and asked

"Teacher, are cultivation techniques divided into attributes and grades just like spiritual roots?"

Instructor Yan gave the disciple a flat look and said

"You are already at the third level of Qi Refinement, yet you ask such a simple question. It seems you haven't been listening attentively to Instructor Zhou's lessons. Go back and transcribe 'The Basic Understanding of Cultivation' once, and give it to me in three days."

The disciple felt as if struck by lightning. After a moment of dazed shock, they could only lower their head and say, "Yes." Inwardly, however, they were filled with regret.

They had been careless, forgetting that the current instructor was not Instructor Zhou, and had blurted out the question on a whim...

Instructor Yan looked around the room and said earnestly

"Instructor Zhou is older and has a good temper; he doesn't discipline you much, so you might not necessarily listen attentively during his classes. But choosing a cultivation technique is a matter of great importance. I will explain it to you once more. Listen carefully and do not find it tedious."

The disciples all sat up straight and attentive.

"A cultivator's spiritual root is divided by both attribute and grade, and the same applies to cultivation techniques."

"The attributes of spiritual roots are primarily based on the Five Elements: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Some possess a single element, some are mixed, and there are also 'Small Five Elements' and 'Great Five Elements' where all five are present. Aside from the Five Elements, there are also special spiritual roots that arise from the transformation of the Five Elements, such as Ice, Thunder, Wind, and Yin-Yang spiritual roots. These are quite rare and generally difficult to encounter."

"Furthermore, spiritual roots are divided into nine grades based on talent, ranging from the lowest of the low, low-middle, low-high... all the way to the highest grade. There is a significant disparity between each grade. The higher the grade of the spiritual root, the better the cultivation talent, and the higher the upper limit of spiritual power that can be contained within the Qi Sea."

"The classification of cultivation techniques also divides into attributes and nine grades, essentially the same as spiritual roots. When choosing a technique, you must base it on your spiritual root: choose an attribute that matches your spiritual root, and ideally, choose a technique of the same grade as your spiritual root."

"The attribute of the spiritual root determines the characteristics of the cultivator's spiritual power; the rarer the attribute, the more unique the spiritual power. The grade of the spiritual root determines the cultivator's talent; the higher the grade, the higher the talent for cultivation."

...

"Is a rarer spiritual root always better?" a disciple asked timidly.

"Not necessarily. For disciples with legacies from great clans or sects, it is a good thing. But for ordinary cultivators, the rarer the spiritual root, the fewer cultivation techniques available to choose from. Some may even find no techniques to learn at all, which is not a good thing," Instructor Yan explained.

"What if the attribute of the cultivation technique is different from the attribute of the spiritual root?" a disciple asked.

"Nothing will happen," Instructor Yan said, "because you won't be able to cultivate it. A cultivator with a Gold-Water spiritual root simply cannot learn Earth-Wood系 cultivation techniques."

"Are there no exceptions?"

Instructor Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "At least not in the records of the Imperial Court spanning over twenty thousand years. If you encounter one, you can tell me, and I shall broaden my horizons as well."

The disciple shrank their head back and fell silent.

"Instructor, must the grade of the cultivation technique also be the same as the grade of the spiritual root?" another disciple asked.

Instructor Yan said, "A high-grade spiritual root can practice low-grade techniques, but a low-grade spiritual root cannot practice high-grade techniques."

A disciple asked in confusion, "If the spiritual root grade is high, why choose a low-grade technique? Wouldn't that mean the spiritual power cultivated is less?"

Instructor Yan said, "The higher the grade of a technique, the more spirit stones are required for cultivation, and the more precious the natural treasures needed to break through bottlenecks. Some natural treasures are simply beyond the means of an ordinary cultivator's resources. Do not choose a high-grade technique only to find halfway through that you simply cannot afford to continue cultivating; by then, it will be too late to regret."

"Then what if a person has a low-grade spiritual root but learns a high-grade technique?" the disciple asked again.

Instructor Yan said, "According to the 'Classics of Cultivation Techniques,' if the grade of a technique exceeds one's own spiritual root, most cultivators will suffer damage to their Qi Sea due to absorbing excessive spiritual power. In severe cases, the Qi Sea will collapse, their cultivation will be completely destroyed, and some may even suffer Qi Deviation, leading to death and the dissipation of their Dao."

"If some suffer Qi Deviation, does that mean there are those who don't?" a disciple's eyes lit up as they asked.

Instructor Yan gave them a meaningful look

"Do not always think that you are the most special one—that while others would have problems learning it, you might be fine. Some people may have luck in their cultivation, but do not entrust your life and death to such ethereal luck and seek your own path to death."

Many disciples present had harbored such thoughts; hearing this, they felt a chill in their hearts and did not dare to entertain such ideas again.

Instructor Yan continued, "These are not isolated cases, but lessons written in blood by countless predecessors over twenty thousand years of cultivation history. If one does not learn from the experiences of those before, they will easily stumble. Once a cultivator wanders onto the wrong path, they often lose control over their own destiny. Some can turn back, but others can never turn back again."

Instructor Yan sighed, looking somewhat despondent. Mo Hua felt as if Instructor Yan had something on his mind.

But Instructor Yan said no more, instead pointing to the *Tongxian Sect Qi Refinement Outer Disciple Cultivation Technique Catalog*

"Follow what I just said and look through it yourselves to find a suitable one. Remember, do not be overly ambitious in cultivation; what is suitable is what is best."

The disciples bowed their heads and began flipping through the catalogs.

Having gained the general idea, Mo Hua began searching for a technique.

He had a low-middle grade spiritual root and could only practice low-middle grade techniques, but he was curious about what high-grade techniques were like.

Mo Hua first flipped to the end of the catalog to look at several high-grade techniques

*Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Art*: Upper and lower grades, suitable for Earth-attribute spiritual roots. Can cultivate one hundred and twenty cycles of spiritual power. Reaching the perfection of the Qi Refinement stage requires refining at least five thousand spirit stones. Requires natural treasures: Profound Yellow Grass, Bitter Water Root, Sky Profound Stone...

*Gentle Water Art*: Upper and lower grades, suitable for Water-attribute spiritual roots. Can cultivate one hundred and thirty cycles of spiritual power. Reaching the perfection of the Qi Refinement stage requires refining at least five thousand two hundred spirit stones. Requires natural treasures: Hundred-Year Rootless Water, Silver Snake Blood...

*Five Elements Qi Absorption Art*: Upper and lower grades, suitable for Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth spiritual roots. Can cultivate one hundred and fifty cycles of spiritual power. Reaching the perfection of the Qi Refinement stage requires refining at least six thousand spirit stones. Requires natural treasures: Gold Essence Stone, Molten Fire Stone, Hundred-Year Earth...

...

Mo Hua was left speechless.

"Reaching the perfection of the Qi Refinement stage requires at least five or six thousand spirit stones just for the stones that need to be refined. That doesn't even include the natural treasures used to assist cultivation or break through bottlenecks. Some rare natural treasures might cost even more than five or six thousand spirit stones..."

Mo Hua had worked hard for a month only to earn fifty spirit stones. This expenditure of five thousand stones at a time made his scalp tingle with dread.

Mo Hua had also heard others say that even if an ordinary rogue cultivator had a high-grade spiritual root, they simply could not afford to practice high-grade techniques.

If they insisted on practicing them, there were generally only two ways.

First, they could find a great sect, become a disciple of a sect elder, enter the inner sect, and bind themselves to the sect, never being allowed to leave for the rest of their lives.

Second, they could marry into a clan to have the clan support their cultivation, but the clan would require them to change their lineage, abandoning their name, parents, origin, and everything from their past. Although they would have a future, they would no longer be themselves...

Whichever way they chose, it was essentially a form of personal dependency. Although there was hope for cultivation, they would no longer be masters of their own fate.

No wonder cultivators often said, "First is fate, second is luck, third is feng shui."

A cultivator's fate is determined once by their spiritual root, and again by their origin.

To defy heaven and change one's fate—how difficult it truly was...

Mo Hua let out a long sigh.