[After only three days of entering the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, the members held a welcoming event for you. You got to know many Alchemists, Puppet Masters, Artifact Forgers, Spirit Plant Farmers, Medicine Gatherers, Talisman Masters, Beast Tamers... and others skilled in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation. Their status in the Three Clouds Market is second only to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the two branches of the Golden Core Sect.]

[Qian Hua, knowing you hadn’t verified with the Array Master, advised you to go to the Array Master Alliance in the center of the Three Clouds Market for an assessment. You were a bit taken aback.]

[You began purchasing cultivation items. Who would have guessed that an Array Master of some reputation did not even possess the most basic Cultivation Techniques or Skills?]

[You spent ten low-grade Spirit Stones to purchase a series of books: "Thirteen Common Cultivation Skills," "Three Hundred Techniques for Qi Refining," "Great Collection of Disguise Techniques," "The Most Compatible Martial Arts for Cultivators (Luxury Edition)," "Five Thousand Years of Cultivation World," etc.]

Ten low-grade Spirit Stones are not a small amount; even for a sect disciple, it would take ten years on a basic stipend.

An ordinary first or second stage Qi Refining loose cultivator would take at least ten years, and even more so when considering expenditures such as pills.

[You asked Qian Hua which Cultivation Technique you should practice. She glanced at you in slight bewilderment, and after some thought, she took out a ’Cost-Effectiveness Ranking of Cultivation Items’ chart and pointed at the third item on the list.]

["Five Elements Technique"]

"However, the versions circulating in the market are all basic versions, challenging for the average person to delve deeply into."

"In our Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, the Five Elements Technique is complete from Qi Refining to the Nascent Soul, and it even includes the Divinity Transformation Chapter..."

"Surprisingly, you have Five Spirit Roots, mixed Spiritual Qi, weak Spirit Root..."

"What a pity... but it doesn’t matter. It’s not the ancient times now; there is still a path for Five Spirit Root cultivators..."

"Come here..."

"Consider this Five Elements Technique an additional gift from me to welcome you..."

[You examined the Five Elements Technique; it was easy, and you could almost immediately grasp the basics. However, as you pondered further, you surprisingly found that seemingly simple text contained more complex information.]

[The Five Elements Technique is rumored to have been created 15,000 years ago by a rare True Immortal who ascended with Five Spirit Roots. He lamented the difficulties of Five Spirit Root cultivators and thus created the Five Elements Technique with the aid of Immortal Spirit Qi.]

[Afterward, the Five Elements Technique spread throughout the Jiuzhou Cultivation Realm.]

[This Cultivation Technique is simple to comprehend, yet it contains profound insights of the Great Dao. However, the talent of Five Spirit Root cultivators is too poor, so practicing this method is not particularly outstanding.]

[The Five Elements Technique is known for being balanced and peaceful, not adept in attack or defense.]

[Therefore, many Five Spirit Root cultivators practice other offensive or defensive techniques, but still, half of them cultivate the Five Elements Technique.]

[The Five Elements Technique is characterized by its balance and harmony; the cultivation speed is neither fast nor slow.]

[Moreover, it allows the refinement of Acquired Five Elements Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects to improve one’s Spirit Root Talent.]

[As such, some Five Spirit Root cultivators have risen to prominence among the masses.]

[However, the current era is different, with gradually depleting resources, far from the countless opportunities of ancient times.]

[You have consulted many books, and the information is quite inconsistent.]

[But it is certain that nearly 20,000 years ago, a great change occurred in Jiuzhou.]

[The Immortal Sect was established to manage Human Race forces, but it is too distant and mystical for ordinary cultivators to access, barely mentioned in these books.]

[No one knows who established the Immortal Sect or what happened, but it is known that after its establishment, numerous martial arts were spread. These martial arts contained the Path of Cultivation. Since then, the number of cultivators in Jiuzhou surged, and the divide between secular and cultivation realms thinned.]

[Mere mortals could detect their Spirit Roots through martial arts, and even if not chosen by a sect, there’s still a significant chance to become a loose cultivator. As long as they can cultivate, geniuses will inevitably emerge among the masses...]

Jiang Ming looked at the golden text, slightly silent.

Whether it was Xiang Wuji’s era or Ouyang Yun’s era.

Sects and the Immortal Dynasty chose cultivators based on ’fate’.

If fated, you would naturally come; if not, please start anew.

Often, sects would establish positions like Spirit Selection Envoys to send disciples into the mortal world to search for Spirit Root Disciples, also taking the time to travel the mundane world.

Talented individuals were usually easy to spot, and those with special constitutions often had other signs, so few were overlooked.

Those with lower talent were left to fate.

Thus, in Xiang Wuji’s era, although Five Spirit Roots were theoretically more numerous than Four Spirit Roots, there was about the same number between those with Four Spirit Roots and Five Spirit Roots in the sects, with a significant number of Three Spirit Roots forming the backbone.

It’s not that cultivators couldn’t check Spirit Roots one by one, but there wasn’t a need.

Now, it seems Jiuzhou has undergone reform.

Potential cultivation seedlings hidden within the realm of cultivation have all been found.

The population of cultivators is booming, yet the resources remain limited, even reducing, causing a relative scarcity.

The atmosphere of the entire cultivation realm is increasingly ruthless, with many treating ’the strong prey upon the weak’ as a treasure.

The emergence of countless Five Spirit Roots also led to the rare occurrence of a True Immortal of Five Spirit Roots, hence the emergence of the Five Elements Technique, making the path for Five Spirit Root cultivators somewhat smoother.

"What exactly happened twenty thousand years ago..."

Twenty thousand years, more than twice the lifespan of a Divinity Transformation Cultivator.

Even a Divinity Transformation Sect may not have records in this regard.

[However, the explosion in the number of cultivators also led to internal competition among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, with a number of talented individuals emerging to elevate each skill considerably.]

[Cultivators have also become increasingly focused on talent in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.]

[You reflect on the changes across the ages and also desire to know what exactly happened twenty thousand years ago...]

[You cast aside the distracting thoughts from your mind, placing the Five Elements Technique and the pile of books purchased from the market into your Storage Space, then returned to your room to cultivate.]

[You briefly glanced through basic history books and travelogues to roughly understand the current situation.]

[This is Central State, on Profound Nether Island, within the Qu Hong Cultivation Realm.]

[Now ’domains’ are no longer used for distinction, but rather ’islands.’]

[Because between the ’islands,’ there are ’chasms,’ is Jiuzhou seemingly fragmented into several islands? Or is it only Central State that is like this?]

[The Qu Hong Cultivation Realm is located in the inland region of Profound Nether Island, with little record of ’chasms,’ which also have no impact on the Qu Hong Cultivation Realm.]

[The Qu Hong Cultivation Realm has ten Golden Core Sect, but recently, Seven Extremes Sect’s Golden Core was severed and divided by three surrounding Golden Core Sects, including Shallow Cloud Mountain as one of them.]

[Big fish eat little fish; now there are few small sects left, with the ten Golden Core Sects, no, nine Golden Core Sects almost dividing the entire Qu Hong Cultivation Realm.]

[You briefly understood the changes between the current cultivation realm and the previous one, then calmed your mind and began practicing the Five Elements Technique.]

[Although the Five Elements Technique is said to progress slowly, compared to the rudimentary Breathing Technique comprehended from martial arts, you still feel an exhilarating improvement.]

[You began cultivating slowly within the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.]

[That same year, you gained initial insight into the Five Elements Technique, able to feel the excitement of the five Spirit Roots within you, just a step away from the Third-Layer of Qi Refining.]

[You learned the Fireball Skill, Vine Skill, Light Body Skill, True Essence Shield, Earth Barrier, Spiritual Rain Skill, Fertilization Technique, Spirit Eye Skill, Wood Armor Skill, Qi Gathering Skill, Concentration Skill, Giant Strength Skill—twelve of the "Thirteen Common Cultivation Skills," with the last one being the Golden Blade Skill you learned previously.]

[Mastering these thirteen skills truly marks you as a cultivator.]