Senior Brother Song Yu's Recommended Technician

The barrier to entry for Talisman Masters is low, which is why those rogue cultivators lacking resources also prioritize studying the Talisman Path.

This has led to a glut of Talisman Masters, making it difficult for Tier 1 Talisman Masters to find employment. The supply of low-tier talismans far exceeds demand, causing their prices to plummet. Only by becoming a Tier 2 Talisman Master can one make a living.

Li Xiuchang was clear on one point: he couldn't just focus on a single Cultivation Technique in the future.

The Proficiency of a technique is closely related to its Length value. Learning multiple techniques would also make it easier for his Length value to grow.

For others, it might be a case of "too much learning leads to confusion," but for him, it was "the more skills you have, the better."

Therefore, learning a simple, easy-to-master, and less competitive technique in the early stages was a good choice.

Once he accumulated a certain Length value, he could then choose popular techniques and have the capital to compete with others.

Li Xiuchang continued to flip through the pages: Puppetry, Immortal Brew, Beast Taming, Soul Manipulation, Medicine, Pulse Sensing...

He quickly gained an understanding of various Cultivation Techniques. As he turned to a certain page, he suddenly stopped, staring at the title: Spirit Chef!

Spirit Chefs, who cook Spirit Delicacies, immediately felt like this was the perfect fit for him. He already possessed the culinary skills from his previous life as Li Chang, which provided a foundation.

However, this technique was also relatively niche.

The Spirit Delicacies cooked by Spirit Chefs often had various miraculous effects, but these effects could generally be replicated by elixirs.

Moreover, elixirs were usually cheaper than Spirit Delicacies.

It was just that the deliciousness of Spirit Delicacies was something elixirs couldn't offer.

Consequently, Spirit Delicacies were primarily consumed by upper-class cultivators who pursued a higher quality of life, resulting in a limited market.

Li Xiuchang was quite interested in the path of the Spirit Chef. His only concern was that this technique didn't seem to offer any convenience through "Length."

He couldn't exactly add Length to the ingredients, could he?

Li Xiuchang hesitated for a moment. Should he choose the Alchemy or Artificing paths, which had larger markets but fiercer competition, or the Spirit Chef path, which had a smaller market but where he had a foundation?

He hadn't forgotten that he came here precisely to seek Senior Brother Song Yu's advice, so he explained his considerations and asked for his guidance.

Senior Brother Song Yu pondered for a few breaths before offering his advice:

"If we disregard external factors and only consider your personal situation, among Alchemy, Artificing, and Cooking, I would recommend you study the path of the Spirit Chef.

"However, there is a current opportunity. If you can seize it, you might consider choosing the path of Alchemy."

"What opportunity?"

Senior Brother Song Yu replied, "Our Immortal Dust Sect has inheritances for all the Hundred Cultivation Arts. However, relying solely on inheritances without guidance from elders and figuring things out on your own will definitely slow down progress.

"With guidance from a renowned master, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort and avoid many detours. But the sect doesn't assign a master to every Outer Sect disciple; success in finding a master depends entirely on individual fortune.

"Recently, a master of Alchemy has expressed interest in taking on a disciple. If you, junior brother, can become this master's disciple, your future will be promising."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuchang's heart stirred. Anyone referred to as a master must be at least a Tier 4 Alchemist!

Being able to apprentice under such a figure would be a significant opportunity.

However, Li Xiuchang also had concerns, fearing that becoming an apprentice would mean more restrictions from a master, making it inconvenient to concurrently study other techniques.

"Senior Brother Song, if I am fortunate enough to successfully become an apprentice, will it be inconvenient to later switch to or concurrently study other techniques?"

"You worry too much. Asking that question shows you don't understand the rules of our Immortal Dust Sect's Outer Sect," Song Yu chuckled. "Among Outer Sect disciples, many concurrently study multiple techniques. As long as you reach Tier 1 in one technique, no one can say anything about you studying others."

"For example, there's someone named Zhang Wanzhi who is quite famous. It's said he concurrently studies over ten techniques. Many of these multi-talented individuals have taken on more than one master."

"You can take on multiple masters?" Li Xiuchang was surprised.

Senior Brother Song Yu explained, "In our Immortal Dust Sect, there are two types of masters: one is the 'Dao Master,' who guides cultivation and teaches Dao principles. You can only have one Dao Master, and you cannot take on a new one unless you graduate.

"The other type is the 'Technician,' who teaches Cultivation Techniques. You can have multiple Technicians. The relationship between master and disciple doesn't have significant constraints. Technicians are not responsible for their disciples' progress in their techniques, and if a disciple feels they are not learning anything, they can always take on more Technicians and learn from others."

Technician... Li Xiuchang's mind wandered for a moment, realizing that Song Yu's words could be interpreted in another way.

Returning to the main topic, Li Xiuchang roughly understood. Such a loose master-disciple relationship was also intended to provide Outer Sect disciples with a better learning environment.

If a disciple and master didn't get along, they could find another, without being controlled by the master.

If a master felt a disciple was "unteachable," they could also abandon them without investing more effort.

Now, Li Xiuchang had no remaining concerns, only worrying if that Alchemy master would even take a liking to him.

"Speaking of this Alchemy master, you've met him. It's Elder Zhao Yuansi from the Outer Sect," Song Yu said.

Li Xiuchang recalled for a moment, remembering the "literary enthusiast," and suddenly realized, "Is it Elder Zhao, the one who loves Confucian culture?"

At the same time, he was shaken. This person's status was not ordinary; not only was he an Alchemy master, but he was also an Outer Sect Elder!

Even a Tier 4 Alchemy master wouldn't become an Outer Sect Elder. To become an Outer Sect Elder, one must possess at least a Tier 5 technique.

Song Yu nodded. "Elder Zhao has long been a Tier 5 Alchemy master. If not for his cultivation limitations, he might have already become a Tier 6 Alchemy Grandmaster. With the assistance of a Void Refinement stage senior, he once refined a Tier 6 elixir."

Li Xiuchang felt a sense of yearning and said, "Elder Zhao is accepting disciples. I'm afraid all the Outer Sect disciples will be scrambling for this single spot. Do you think I have a chance, Senior Brother?"

Song Yu smiled. "You are correct. Elder Zhao hasn't accepted disciples in a long time. It's rare for him to take one, so naturally, the entire Outer Sect will be fighting for it. Because of this, Elder Zhao has set a prerequisite: he will only select from Outer Sect disciples recommended by acquaintances."

Li Xiuchang's eyes lit up. With Senior Brother Song Yu saying this much, how could he not understand? He lowered his voice and asked, "Senior Brother, do you have a way?"

Song Yu nodded. "My master is acquainted with Elder Zhao, and I usually call him Uncle-Master Zhao. Recommending someone is naturally not a problem. However, you will still have to compete with other recommended Outer Sect disciples. Whether you can grasp this opportunity still depends on you."

"Of course. Thank you, Senior Brother Song!" Li Xiuchang expressed his sincere gratitude. "What aspects does Elder Zhao value when choosing a disciple? I'd like to prepare accordingly."

"For a master like Elder Zhao, what standards are there? It's just one requirement: he finds you pleasing to the eye." Senior Brother Song Yu said.

"Pleasing to the eye?" Li Xiuchang pondered for a moment, recalling the loose master-disciple relationship between Technicians and their disciples, and he could understand.

"However, from my understanding of Uncle-Master Zhao, he will likely set up a test when choosing a disciple."

Upon hearing that Senior Brother Song Yu was going to help him "predict the questions," Li Xiuchang immediately listened attentively.