Instructor Yan said, "The breathing methods previously imparted by the sect, similar to cultivation techniques, can also cultivate spiritual power. However, they are quite rudimentary and only suitable for cultivators before the third level of Qi Refinement. After reaching the third level, one must choose a true cultivation technique to learn. Of course, one could continue using the breathing method, but the cultivation would be much slower..."
"Here is the cultivation method catalog provided by the sect for the Outer Gate disciples to practice. The catalog lists the names of the techniques, the compatible spiritual roots, the required spirit stones, the spiritual objects needed to break through bottlenecks, as well as the effects of the techniques. Have a look at it yourselves first."
Instructor Yan distributed the catalogs, and each disciple received a copy, including Mo Hua.
The catalog was thin, with only around a dozen pages, but it densely recorded about dozens of cultivation techniques and related matters.
"If you have any doubts, you can ask me," Instructor Yan said.
The disciples fell silent for a moment before one of them raised a hand and asked,
"Gentleman, are cultivation techniques also categorized by attributes and grades, just like spiritual roots?"
Instructor Yan glanced at that disciple indifferently and said,
"You're at the third level of Qi Refinement and still asking such a simple question. It seems you haven't been listening attentively in Instructor Zhou's classes. Go back and copy the 'Initial Understanding of Tao Cultivation' once, and bring it to me in three days."
Struck as by lightning, the disciple stood dumbstruck for a moment before hanging his head and saying, "Yes," filled with regret.
He had been careless, forgetting that it was not Instructor Zhou teaching, and had blurted out whatever came to mind...
Instructor Yan surveyed the group and spoke with heartfelt earnestness,
"Instructor Zhou is old and has a good temperament. He doesn't discipline you much, and you might not pay attention in his classes. But selecting a cultivation technique is a crucial matter. I'll explain it to you again. Listen carefully and don't find it tedious."
The disciples promptly sat up straight.
"A cultivator's spiritual root is divided by attribute and by grade, and so are the cultivation techniques."
"The attributes of spiritual roots are primarily based on the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Some roots pertain to a single element, some are mixed, and there are the rare ones that possess all five, known as the Small Five Elements and Big Five Elements. Beyond these, there are also special spiritual roots emerged from unusual variations of the five elements, such as ice, thunder, wind, and yin-yang spiritual roots. These roots are quite rare and typically hard to come by."
"Additionally, spiritual roots are divided into nine grades based on their quality, starting from the lowest: low-low, low-mid, low-high, mid-low… up to high-high grade. Each grade signifies a significant disparity. The higher the grade of the spiritual root, the better the natural talent for cultivation, and the higher the limit of spiritual power that the Qi sea within can hold."
"The classification of cultivation techniques is also divided by attributes, as well as by nine grades, which basically aligns with spiritual roots. In choosing a cultivation technique, one must consider their spiritual root—what attribute it is, and select a technique of the same attribute; the grade of the spiritual root should ideally match the grade of the technique as well."
"The attribute of the spiritual root determines the trait of the cultivator's spiritual power. The rarer the attribute, the more special the cultivator's spiritual power; the grade of the spiritual root determines the cultivator's natural talent for Tao cultivation. The higher the grade, the greater the natural talent."
...
"Is a rarer spiritual root always better?" a disciple asked timidly.
"Not necessarily. For disciples of great clans and sects with inheritance, this is a good thing. But for ordinary cultivators, the rarer the spiritual root, the fewer the cultivation techniques available, and some may not even find any techniques to learn, which is not a good thing," Instructor Yan explained.
"What if the attribute of the cultivation technique doesn't match the attribute of the spiritual root?" another disciple asked.
"It won't matter," Instructor Yan said, "because you won't be able to cultivate it. A cultivator with a gold water spiritual root simply cannot learn a cultivation technique of the earth and wood series."
"Are there no exceptions?"
Instructor Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "At least, there are none recorded in the Taoist Court's annals of over twenty thousand years. If you happen to encounter one, do tell me, so I can also broaden my knowledge."
The disciple shrank his head and stopped talking.
"Instructor, does the grade of the cultivation technique also have to match the grade of the spiritual root?" another disciple asked.
Instructor Yan said, "A higher-grade spiritual root can cultivate lower-grade techniques, but a lower-grade spiritual root cannot cultivate higher-grade techniques."
A disciple, confused, asked, "If one has a high-grade spiritual root, why choose a lower-grade technique? Wouldn't that mean less spiritual power cultivated?"
Instructor Yan explained, "The higher the grade of the technique, the more spirit stones are required for cultivation, and the rarer the heavenly and earthly treasures needed to break through bottlenecks. Some treasures simply cannot be afforded by ordinary cultivators. It's better not to choose a high-grade technique, only to find halfway through cultivation that you can't afford it, by which time regretting would be too late."
"What if someone with a low-grade Spiritual Root studies a high-grade Cultivation Technique?" the disciple asked again.
Instructor Yan said, "According to the 'Tao Cultivation Methods Canon,' if the grade of the Cultivation Technique exceeds one's own Spiritual Root, the cultivator will, more often than not, absorb too much Spiritual Power, causing damage to the Qi Sea. In severe cases, the collapse of the Qi Sea will utterly destroy one's Cultivation, and in even more drastic cases, one could succumb to demonic possession and die, with both life and path extinguished."
"So, there are those who succumb to demonic possession, but does that mean there are also those who don't?" a disciple's eyes lit up as he asked.
Instructor Yan gave him a meaningful look:
"Don't always assume you're the exception, that others may encounter problems but somehow you won't. While some people cultivating the Tao may have luck on their side, you should not stake your life on such an ephemeral thing as luck, seeking your own death."
Many disciples present had entertained such thoughts, and hearing this, they felt a chill in their hearts and dared not harbor any other thoughts.
Instructor Yan continued, "These are not isolated incidents, but bloody lessons from over twenty thousand years of the development of Tao Cultivation. Failing to learn from the experiences of our predecessors makes it easy to make a misstep. Once a Cultivator strays from the path, they often lose control of their own fate. Some are lucky enough to find their way back, while others are lost forever."
Instructor Yan let out a sigh, looking somewhat disheartened; Mo Hua felt Instructor Yan seemed to be troubled by something.
However, Instructor Yan didn't say anything more and instead pointed to the 'Cultivation Method Catalog of Tongxian Gate's Outer Gate Qi-refining' and said:
"As I have just mentioned, find something suitable for yourselves in there. Remember, in Cultivation, do not bite off more than you can chew; what's suitable is the best."
All the disciples then lowered their heads and began to flip through the catalog of techniques.
Having understood the general idea, Mo Hua started searching for a technique for himself.
With his lower-middle-grade Spiritual Root, he could only study lower-middle-grade techniques, but he was also curious about what the high-grade ones were like.
Mo Hua turned to the last section of the catalog and looked at a few high-grade techniques:
'Heaven and Earth, Mystery and Yellow Jue': Top-grade, suitable for cultivators with Earth Series Spiritual Roots, capable of cultivating one hundred and twenty Circulations of Spiritual Power. At least five thousand Spirit Stones are needed to reach the Qi Refinement Realm's completion, and it requires heavenly and earthly treasures like the Mystery Yellow Grass, Bitter Water Root, Heaven Mystery Stone...
'Gentle Water Decree': Top-grade, suitable for cultivators with Water Series Spiritual Roots, capable of cultivating one hundred and thirty Circulations of Spiritual Power. At least five thousand, two hundred Spirit Stones are needed to reach the Qi Refinement Realm's completion, and it requires heavenly and earthly treasures like the Hundred Years Rootless Water, Silver Snake Blood...
'Five Elements Absorption Qi Technique': Top-grade, suitable for cultivators with Spiritual Roots of the Five Elements series (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth), capable of cultivating one hundred and fifty Circulations of Spiritual Power. At least six thousand Spirit Stones are needed to reach the Qi Refinement Realm's completion, and it requires heavenly and earthly treasures like Gold Yuan Stone, Melting Fire Stone, Hundred Years Soil...
...
Mo Hua was astounded.
"To complete the Qi Refinement Realm, at least five to six thousand Spirit Stones are needed just for refinement, not including auxiliary Cultivation and the breakthrough of bottlenecks, some rare heavenly and earthly treasures might even exceed the cost of five to six thousand Spirit Stones..."
It took Mo Hua an entire month of hard work to earn just fifty Spirit Stones; the mere thought of consumption on the scale of thousands was enough to make his scalp tingle.
Mo Hua had heard others say that ordinary Loose Cultivators, even those with high-grade Spiritual Roots, simply could not afford to Cultivate high-grade techniques.
If one insisted on doing so, there were generally only two methods available.
One was to find a big Sect, take an Elder as a mentor, and enter the Inner Gate, binding oneself to the Sect for life, never to leave.
The other was to marry into a family, letting the family support one's Cultivation, but the family would demand you to change allegiances, abandoning your name, parents, background, and all past attachments. Though you might have a future, you would no longer be yourself...
No matter which option one chose, it essentially meant being dependent, with the promise of Cultivation but no control over one's own life.
No wonder Cultivators often say, first is fate, then luck, and third is geomancy.
A Cultivator's fate is determined twice: once by their Spiritual Root and once by their birth.
The idea of defying fate and turning one's luck around is easier said than done...
Mo Hua let out a long sigh.