In the Outer Sect of the Three Elements Sect, a mirror-like lake dotted the landscape amidst the encircling mountains. Chongshan Hall sat in the center of this lake, the primary hub where Outer Sect disciples handled daily affairs and awaited assignments.
Passing through an inconspicuous small door on the side of the main hall, a short walk down a dimly lit corridor led to Chongshan Hall's Scripture Pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion wasn't large, and its furnishings were simple.
Several rows of tall wooden shelves nearly touched the ceiling, densely packed with books and Scrolls. The scent of old paper and wood hung in the stuffy air.
A few long wooden tables and benches were set against the walls for reading and copying. As soon as Chen Yu entered, he saw several disciples already there, hunched over the tables and diligently writing something.
Most of the books here were ancient, their pages yellowed and curled at the edges. They primarily recorded basic cultivation methods, sect regulations, geographical gazetteers, and illustrated guides to common plants and minerals.
There were also precious Cultivation Technique books that could only be redeemed with Dao Coupons.
Chen Yu couldn't find a single Dao Coupon on him, so he clearly wasn't here for those.
The grind was real in the Three Elements Sect, but the benefits were plentiful too.
Disciples who maxed out the basic cultivation technique, the "Founding Scroll," or who advanced to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, could go to the Scripture Pavilion to receive an advanced Cultivation Technique for free.
Compared to the merely foundational "Founding Scroll," the advanced Cultivation Techniques were far more sophisticated, introducing complex principles like the circulation of the five elements.
Which brought him to the current problem.
He only knew that advanced Cultivation Techniques could be obtained at the Scripture Pavilion, but no one had told him *how* to do so.
Just as he was fretting, an elder within the pavilion ambled over. He glanced at Chen Yu, then waved his Duster to shoo him away.
"Shoo, shoo. This is a quiet place for study. What's a junior like you doing just standing there?"
"I'm here to claim an advanced Cultivation Technique from the sect."
The long-browed elder sized him up again, then reached out to take his pulse, his eyes narrowing.
"Hmm... Your Spiritual Power is abundant, and its purity is indeed at the level of Middle Stage Cultivation."
"Follow me."
The elder led the way to the back of the Scripture Pavilion. With a wave of his Duster, several Cultivation Technique books on a tall shelf trembled and floated down.
He donned a pair of reading glasses and picked up a ledger to make a record.
"Name."
"Chen Yu."
"Residence?"
"Bamboo Forest."
"Hmm... You joined the sect four years ago. To have made this much progress in your Cultivation, you must have put in quite a bit of effort."
'Indeed, he had put a great deal of effort into eating.'
'He just wasn't sure if 'eating diligently' counted as 'cultivating seriously'.'
"Did you learn how to choose an advanced Cultivation Technique before coming here?"
"Yes, I..."
"No need to answer so quickly. Allow me to explain it to you."
The elder muttered, "In years past, plenty of disciples who chose the wrong Cultivation Technique tried to pin the blame on me. I'm going to make it crystal clear for you this time, so don't come crying to me if you have regrets later."
"Alright."
'In Chen Yu's view, choosing a Cultivation Technique was a lot like choosing a college major. No matter which one you picked, someone always ended up regretting it.'
'It was either a problem with the technique or a problem with the master. It could never be their *own* fault.'
'Of course, there were also the idiots who chose wrong on a whim, and the unlucky souls who had no access to information.'
'The whole business was actually quite a minefield.'
"Ahem..."
The elder cleared his throat.
"Listen up, kid. Let me tell you the difference between a basic Cultivation Technique and an advanced one."
"That 'Founding Scroll' you've been practicing is the sect's most fundamental skill. Its purpose is to nourish your meridians, expand the 'pool' that is your Dantian, and lay your foundation."
"Its advantage is that it's perfectly balanced and moderate, leaning in no particular direction."
"As for advanced Cultivation Techniques..." The elder clicked his tongue as if recalling something troublesome. "Well, that's a whole different story."
"Divided according to the five elements, you have your basic techniques: the Cyan Wood Evergreen Skill, the Mystic Water True Skill, the Heart Scripture of Li Fire, the Earth Carrying Scripture..."
"Then you have the more complex dual-attribute techniques: the Geng Metal Bing Fire Formula, the Yi Wood Gui Water Scripture, the Earth and Fire Separation Skill... the list goes on and on."
"Single-attribute techniques are easy to learn but hard to master. Dual-attribute techniques are hard to learn but easy to master. Which one you choose is up to you. It depends on your own skill and patience."
"And let me tell you this up front..."
"If you choose correctly, that's your own skill. If you choose wrong... well, that's your own path to walk. Just don't come crying to me, these old bones can't take the trouble."
"I want the Nine Fortresses Birth Palace Formula."
'In Void Profound Heaven, the concept of Spirit Roots didn't really exist—or rather, Spirit Roots here were different from what he'd imagined.'
'Cultivation theory held that every Cultivator was born with all five elements complete, meaning everyone had five-element Spirit Roots.'
'It was just that these five-element Spirit Roots were like five wooden sticks: some were long, and some were short.'
'Someone with a long Water Spirit Root, for example, would have a talent for the Dao of water.'
'Chen Yu's five-element Spirit Roots were all the same length—in other words, they were all equally short. He could choose a technique of any attribute; it all came down to preference.'
'In that case, he would naturally choose the dual-attribute earth-and-wood Cultivation Technique that suited him best—the "Nine Fortresses Birth Palace Formula."'
The elder raised an eyebrow at him.
"Have you thought this through, kid? The prospects for the earth-and-wood path haven't been good for decades. Shengkang has enjoyed a century of peace. There are no wars, no territorial expansions. Earth-and-wood Cultivators just scrape by on repair jobs, and the working conditions are harsh."
"A number of your senior brothers are over at White Bone Mountain building a Spirit Vein Mine. The conditions are so bad and Devil attacks so frequent that three more of them up and quit last year."
"I've made up my mind."
"You..."
The Duster in the elder's grasp twitched, and he shook his head with a sigh.
"Fine. You seem like a decent sort, so I'll give you a tip. Since your five elements are balanced, why not choose a fire-element Cultivation Technique? First, go to Black Mountain Pass and stand guard against Devils for twenty years. If you perform well, it's not impossible that you could be transferred back to Chongshan Hall to work as a gate guard."
"Er..."
'Twenty years of seniority just to be a gate guard? The grind in the Three Elements Sect is completely out of control.'
"What, not satisfied?"
"Let me think... The Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons needs someone to guard its entrance, an inspector to monitor the Devils' movements. It's a bit dangerous in there, to be sure, but if you happen to have a knack for Alchemy, and you spend a few years honing your skills and getting familiar with poisons, you might get assigned back to the Pill Hall and taken in by Elder Lin."
"..."
"Don't worry, Elder. I'm not the type to up and quit."
'He wasn't cultivating the Nine Fortresses Birth Palace Formula with career prospects in mind, so there was really no chance of him quitting.'
'He had his own work, after all. Construction projects in Zeyarira probably counted as a major undertaking, right?'
'Even if it was just construction for his own Swamp Territory.'
"Since you've made up your mind, I won't try to dissuade you further. But this Cultivation Technique is just the foundation. If you really want it to be effective, you'll need Daoist Skills."
"So, kid, do you have any Dao Coupons ready? Daoist Skills aren't free, you know."
"None."
Chen Yu's answer was firm, spoken with the utmost confidence—the confidence of someone who was absolutely certain he didn't possess a single Dao Coupon.
The elder shot a quick glance toward the entrance and lowered his voice.
"That's no problem. I can get you a Dao Coupon for ninety-five Shattered Spirits. This is a limited-time offer, miss it and it's gone."
"Elder, you're moonlighting?"
"What do you mean, 'moonlighting'? Is it so wrong for a retired old man to earn a few extra Spirit Stones?"