Chapter 17: Cultivation Techniques
Chapter 17: Cultivation Techniques
Instructor Yan spoke, "The breathing technique taught by the sect prior is similar to a cultivation technique and can also be used to cultivate spiritual energy. However, it is rather rudimentary and only suitable for cultivators below the third level of Qi Refining. After reaching the third level, you must choose a genuine cultivation technique to follow. Of course, you may continue with the breathing technique, but your progress will be significantly slower..."
"This is the catalog of cultivation techniques provided by the sect for external disciples like yourselves. It includes the names of the techniques, the compatible spirit roots, the required spirit stones, the spiritual objects needed to break through bottlenecks, as well as the effects of each technique. Take a moment to browse through it."
Instructor Yan distributed the catalogs, and each disciple, including Mo Hua, received a copy.
The catalog was thin, only consisting of about ten pages, but it listed several dozen cultivation techniques along with relevant information.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me," Instructor Yan offered.
The disciples remained quiet for a moment before one brave disciple raised their hand and asked, "Teacher, are cultivation techniques also categorized by attribute and grade, similar to spirit roots?"
Instructor Yan gave the disciple a nonchalant glance and replied, "You're already at the third level of Qi Refining, and you're still asking such basic questions. It seems you haven't been paying attention during Instructor Zhou's lessons. Go back and copy the Cultivation Primer for Beginners once, and hand it to me in three days."
The disciple was stunned as if struck by lightning, remaining silent for a moment before reluctantly lowering their head and murmuring, "Yes." However, they felt immense regret in their heart.
I've become careless. I forgot that it's not Instructor Zhou teaching today. I just blurted out whatever came to mind...
Instructor Yan scanned the room, and with a solemn tone, he said, "Instructor Zhou is older and has a more relaxed demeanor, so he doesn't discipline you as strictly. You may not have paid much attention during his lectures. But choosing a cultivation technique is of utmost importance, so I will explain it to you once again. Listen carefully, and don't find it boring."
The disciples straightened their postures, eager to absorb his words.
"A cultivator's spirit root is categorized by both attribute and grade," Instructor Yan began. "The attributes are based on the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Some spirit roots possess a single element, while others have a combination of elements. There are also rare cases of small and grand five-element spirit roots, which encompass all five elements. Aside from the five elements, there are special spirit roots that arise from variations and transformations of the five elements, such as the Ice Spirit Root, Thunder Spirit Root, Wind Spirit Root, and Yin-Yang Spirit Root. These spirit roots are exceedingly rare and seldom encountered."
"Furthermore, spirit roots are graded from one to nine, with lower-lower, lower-middle, lower-upper, middle-lower, and so on, up to upper-upper grade. There is a significant difference between each grade. The higher the grade of the spirit root, the better the innate talent for cultivation, and the greater the capacity for spiritual energy within the Qi sea."
"Cultivation techniques are also categorized by attribute and nine grades, similar to spirit roots. When choosing a cultivation technique, you must consider your spirit root. Select a technique that matches the attribute of your spirit root. If possible, choose a technique with the same grade as your spirit root."
"The attribute of your spirit root determines the quality of your spiritual energy. The rarer the attribute, the more unique your spiritual energy will be. The grade of your spirit root, on the other hand, determines your innate talent for cultivation. The higher the grade, the greater your talent."
...
"So, is it better to have a rarer spirit root?" a timid disciple asked.
"Not necessarily," Instructor Yan explained. "For disciples from prominent clans and sects with a long heritage, having a rare spirit root is advantageous. However, for ordinary cultivators, a rarer spirit root means fewer compatible cultivation techniques to choose from. In some cases, they may not even find a suitable technique to learn, which can be detrimental."
"What if the attribute of the cultivation technique is different from that of my spirit root?" another disciple inquired.
"It won't make a difference," Instructor Yan replied, "because you simply won't be able to cultivate it. A cultivator with a metal and water spirit root, for example, wouldn't be able to practice a technique belonging to the earth and wood systems."
"Are there no exceptions?"
Instructor Yan raised an eyebrow, "At least, there are none recorded in the more than two thousand years of archives in the Dao Court. If you come across such a case, feel free to let me know so that I may broaden my horizons as well."
The disciple lowered their head, remaining silent.
"Teacher," another disciple spoke up, "Must the grade of the cultivation technique match the grade of the spirit root as well?"
"A high-grade spirit root can cultivate a low-grade technique," Instructor Yan answered, "but a low-grade spirit root cannot cultivate a high-grade technique."
A confused disciple asked, "If my spirit root is of a higher grade, why would I choose a lower-grade technique? Wouldn't that result in having less spiritual energy?"
"The higher the grade of the cultivation technique," Instructor Yan elaborated, "the more spirit stones are required for cultivation, and the more precious the heavenly treasures needed to break through bottlenecks. Some heavenly treasures are so expensive that they are simply beyond the means of ordinary cultivators."
Instructor Yan replied, "According to the records in the 'Daoist Cultivation Manual,' if the grade of the cultivation technique exceeds one's spirit root, most cultivators will suffer damage to their Qi sea from absorbing too much spiritual energy. In severe cases, the Qi sea collapses, ruining all progress, and some even fall into madness, perishing both body and soul."
"So, it means there are cases where people don't fall into madness?" A disciple's eyes lit up with this question.
Instructor Yan gave him a meaningful look and said, "Don't always think that you're the exception. Just because others may face issues doesn't mean you'll be fine. Some people may have good fortune on their path, but don't stake your life on such fleeting luck. Don't go looking for trouble."
Many of the disciples present had harbored similar thoughts, and upon hearing this, they felt a chill in their hearts, deterring any further rebellious ideas.
Instructor Yan continued, "These are not isolated incidents but lessons learned from the blood and tears of countless cultivators over the past two millennia. If we don't learn from our predecessors' experiences, it's easy to make wrong turns. Once a cultivator strays from the right path, they often lose control of their destiny. Some may find their way back, but others never will."
Instructor Yan sighed, his expression somewhat dejected, and Mo Hua felt like the instructor was burdened by something.
However, Instructor Yan didn't elaborate further. Instead, he pointed to the catalog and said, "Based on what I've told you, find a suitable technique for yourself from this catalog. Remember, in cultivation, don't aim too high. Suitable is best."
The disciples lowered their heads and began flipping through the catalog of cultivation techniques.
Now that Mo Hua had a general idea, he started his search.
With his middle-low grade spirit root, he could only cultivate middle-low grade techniques, but he was curious about what the high-grade techniques were like.
Mo Hua flipped to the back of the catalog and looked at a few high-grade techniques:
Here is the rewritten text with the requested changes:
The Gentle Water Technique: Upper and lower grade, suitable for cultivators with a water-attribute spirit root. It allows one to cultivate spiritual energy for 130 cycles, and to reach perfection in the Qi Refining stage, one needs to refine at least 5,200 spirit stones. Heavenly treasures required include the Hundred-Year Rootless Water and Silver Snake Blood...
The Five Element Absorption Technique: Upper and lower grade, suitable for cultivators with spirit roots of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It allows one to cultivate spiritual energy for 150 cycles, and to reach perfection in the Qi Refining stage, one needs to refine at least 6,000 spirit stones. Heavenly treasures required include the Golden Origin Stone, Molten Fire Stone, and Centenarian Soil...
...
Mo Hua was astonished by what he read.
"Just to reach perfection in the Qi Refining stage, one needs to refine at least 5,000 to 6,000 spirit stones, and that's not including the heavenly treasures needed for auxiliary cultivation and breaking through bottlenecks. Some rare heavenly treasures might cost even more than 5,000 or 6,000 spirit stones..."
Mo Hua had worked hard for a month to earn just 50 spirit stones, and the sheer amount of 5,000 spirit stones required made his scalp tingle.
He had also heard from others that ordinary loose cultivators, even with high-grade spirit roots, couldn't afford to cultivate high-grade techniques.
If one insisted on cultivating such techniques, there were generally only two options.
One was to find a large sect, become a disciple of one of the sect elders, join the inner sect, and bind oneself to the sect for life, never leaving.
The second option was to marry into a family, have them support your cultivation, but in return, the family would demand that you sever all ties with your past—your name, your parents, your origins, and everything else. While this path offered a future, you would no longer be yourself...
Whichever path one chose, it essentially meant giving up one's freedom, and while it improved one's chances of becoming a cultivator, it also meant giving up control of one's life.
No wonder cultivators often said, "Life is determined by fate, luck, and geomancy."
A cultivator's life was decided by their spirit root and their background.
To go against the heavens and change one's fate was no easy task...
Mo Hua sighed deeply.
(End of Chapter)
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