A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity-Chapter 53 - 52: Switching Cultivation Method

Lü Zhong had the Receptionist fetch the introductory pamphlets for the three cultivation techniques and began to compare them.

The Qi Refining Chapter of the Four Spirits Technique was likely an improved version of the Little Four Symbols Technique. It cultivated all four spirit roots simultaneously, resulting in incredibly profound Spiritual Power. The Qi Sea’s capacity would be equivalent to four times that of a cultivator at the same realm. Importantly, the Spiritual Power it produced had a purifying property, which would automatically refine the cultivator’s Spiritual Power, making it especially suitable for Four Spirit Root Cultivators like him.

While this technique certainly looked good, its drawbacks were equally obvious. A massive Qi Sea capacity meant sluggish cultivation that would demand more time and energy, and the required cultivation resources would double.

Like the Little Flame Monarch Mantra, cultivating this technique also carried a hidden risk. One had to join a Sect called the Heling Sect to obtain a Secret Skill that could harmonize the four attributes of the Spiritual Power. Otherwise, the conflicting Spiritual Power in one’s body would sooner or later cause them to explode and die.

The Qi Refining Chapter of the Little Primordial True One Mantra was less a technique for cultivating all four Spirit Roots at once and more of an attributeless cultivation technique. It produced Primordial Spiritual Power. The benefits were obvious: one could indiscriminately absorb all types of Spiritual Qi during cultivation, resulting in an extremely fast training speed.

It had drawbacks, too. The Primordial Spiritual Power was mottled and impure, and it took painstaking effort to purify one’s Magical Power.

According to the pamphlet, this was a cultivation technique passed down to those outside the Primordial Sect. Cultivating this technique wouldn’t endanger one’s life, but the sect specifically mentioned that by joining the Primordial Sect, one could obtain the "Primordial Pill," a secret medicine that was highly efficient at purifying Primordial Spiritual Power.

When Lü Zhong read this, he couldn’t help but think of the term ’rat race’.

’This Primordial Sect has really gone all out with its cultivation techniques to compete with other sects.’

He read on, coming to a rare, life-extending cultivation technique.

The Qi Refining Chapter of the Waterdrop Sutra. The technique’s name was inspired by the idiom "dripping water wears away stone." Cultivating it was extremely slow, but the upside was that one would almost never run into a bottleneck. It was said that one would never face a bottleneck while advancing between small realms and would only get stuck when breaking through to a great realm.

This technique cultivated Spiritual Power with rejuvenating properties. This kind of Spiritual Power was useless for combat, but it could extend one’s lifespan.

This cultivation technique came from the Water Element Palace and also provided a highly tempting description: after joining the Water Element Palace and earning enough merits, one could borrow a special treasured location within the palace, which would drastically increase the technique’s cultivation speed.

All three cultivation techniques had their own distinct advantages and disadvantages.

After weighing his options for a long time, Lü Zhong finally decided to choose the Four Spirits Technique.

His main consideration was the Gray Mist Space. It lowered the cost and time he needed to learn magic skills. Paired with the incredibly profound Spiritual Power of the Four Spirits Technique, he could practically become a walking magic cannon platform.

More Spiritual Power meant more opportunities for casting.

By using different combinations of magic skills, he could gain a tremendous advantage in combat.

And this advantage in magic skills could be maintained all the way to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

As far as Lü Zhong knew, magic skills were also a crucial part of combat for Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

Having profound Spiritual Power also came with another benefit: he could increase the number of times he performed Talisman Making, which would in turn significantly increase his output of talismans. That would be a perfect way to earn more money and cover the deficit in cultivation resources.

Having made his decision, Lü Zhong looked up.

"I’ll take this Four Spirits Technique. How many Spirit Stones for it?"

"The Qi Refining Chapter of the Four Spirits Technique is priced at three hundred Spirit Stones." The Receptionist glanced at Lü Zhong, who wasn’t wearing a Dharma Robe, and said hesitantly, "Fellow Daoist, are you certain you want to choose this cultivation technique?"

Lü Zhong was a little stunned to hear that.

He hadn’t expected the Four Spirits Technique to be even more expensive than the Water and Fire Cyan Wood Technique.

He could only assume that the Heling Sect had set the price deliberately to weed out cultivators who weren’t particularly wealthy.

If one couldn’t even afford the Four Spirits Technique, then the subsequent cultivation would be out of the question.

After haggling with the Receptionist for a good while, Lü Zhong successfully purchased the Qi Refining Chapter of the Four Spirits Technique for two hundred and ninety-five Spirit Stones, and even got a scroll of the Talisman Summoning Technique thrown in as a bonus.

The Talisman Summoning Technique was an essential magic skill for using talismans in combat; without it, one couldn’t launch them.

...

Back home, Lü Zhong eagerly began to read the Four Spirits Technique.

According to the cultivation technique’s instructions, if one had practiced a different technique before, they had to cultivate a short mantra included within it to convert their Spiritual Power before they could begin.

He glanced at it and found the mantra wasn’t difficult to master—in fact, it was quite easy.

In no time at all, he had learned it.

He then activated the mantra, and the original Water and Wood Spiritual Power in his body began to convert. After countless Minor Circulations, all of his Spiritual Power started to shift toward the four attributes.

The entire process took three full days and nights to complete.

Once the spiritual power conversion was complete, Lü Zhong discovered that the amount of Spiritual Power in his body had decreased by nearly half, but its purity had improved dramatically. It was no longer mottled and impure as it had been before, and the color of the Spiritual Power had also become purer.

When he tried to channel his Spiritual Power, he was pleasantly surprised to find the process much smoother, without any of the previous, distinct awkwardness.

Forming hand seals and chanting, he quickly cast the Late Sun Sword Skill.

Compared to the Magic Sword cast using the Water and Wood Sword Mantra, the one condensed with the Four Spirits Technique was noticeably more solid. As its edge grazed the bluestone floor tiles, it carved deep gashes as if slicing through tofu.

’I’ve only just finished converting my technique, yet the improvement is already this significant.’

Seeing this, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but sigh. ’No wonder those Sect Disciples can slaughter Loose Cultivators as if they were dogs. The difference in strength between the two sides is established from the very beginning, and it’s almost decisive.’

This gap was incredibly difficult to close and would only widen as other factors came into play.

But then, his expression changed slightly.

Closing his eyes and sensing carefully, he could clearly feel the four types of Spiritual Power clashing within his body.

Water and fire repelled each other, while wood and earth clashed.

The four-attribute Spiritual Power from the Four Spirits Technique was potent, but its side effects were not to be underestimated. He had to constantly harmonize it to remain safe; otherwise, his strength would be greatly diminished due to the conflicting Spiritual Power.

In severe cases, it could even cause him to explode and die.

Lü Zhong quickly activated the Four Spirits Technique. Once a Minor Circulation was complete, the spiritual power conflict in his body weakened significantly, shifting from a state of mutual opposition to one of mutual generation.

After circulating his energy a dozen more times, the Spiritual Power within him became harmonious and smooth, and the danger of his body exploding was gone.

However, it seemed this state could only be maintained for a short time.

’Looks like I’ll have to join the Heling Sect after all,’ Lü Zhong thought. ’But that’s something to consider only when I reach the Late-stage of Qi Refining. I don’t need to worry about it right now.’ He pushed the distracting thoughts aside and settled into meditative cultivation.

The more he cultivated, the more he felt that the Four Spirits Technique was truly miraculous.

The Water and Wood Sword Mantra couldn’t even hold a candle to it.

Whether in terms of the purity of the Spiritual Power it cultivated or the sheer amount it added, the Four Spirits Technique far surpassed the Water and Wood Sword Mantra—not to mention its spiritual power also possessed a purifying property that was constantly refining itself.