Talisman cultivation had a low entry barrier, so even resource-poor rogue cultivators tended to choose the talisman path first.
This led to an oversupply of talisman masters. Tier 1 Talisman Masters struggled to find work, low-tier talismans exceeded demand, and their prices shrank. Only by becoming a Tier 2 Talisman Master could one scrape by.
One thing Li Xiuchang was certain of was that he could never cultivate only a single Cultivation Technique in the future.
The proficiency of a technique was closely tied to its Length Value. Learning several more techniques would also make it easier for his Length Value to grow.
For others, it was "biting off more than they could chew," but for him, it was "the more skills, the better."
Thus, learning a simple, easy-to-master technique with little competition in the early stages was also a good choice.
Once he had accumulated a certain amount of Length Value, he could then choose a popular technique. By then, he would have the capital to compete with others.
Li Xiuchang continued flipping through the list: puppetry, immortal brewing, beast taming, soul control, medicine, meridian seeking...
He quickly gained an understanding of one Cultivation Technique after another. When he turned to a certain page, he suddenly stopped and stared at its title: Spirit Chef!
A Spirit Chef who prepared spiritual dishes—Li Xiuchang immediately felt that this profession suited him perfectly. He had inherited the culinary skills of his predecessor, Li Chang, which meant he already had a foundation.
However, this technique was also relatively unpopular.
The spiritual dishes prepared by Spirit Chefs often had all sorts of miraculous effects, but for nearly all of those effects, one could find medicinal pills as substitutes.
Moreover, medicinal pills were generally cheaper than spiritual dishes.
It was just that the deliciousness of spiritual dishes was something medicinal pills could never possess.
Thus, spiritual dishes were basically consumed by upper-level cultivators who pursued a higher quality of life, and the market was not very large.
Li Xiuchang was rather tempted by the Spirit Chef path. His only concern was that this technique seemed unable to make use of Length Value to provide any advantages.
Could he really add a bit of length to the ingredients?
Li Xiuchang hesitated for a while. Should he choose the paths of alchemy and artifact crafting, which had larger markets but fiercer competition, or the Spirit Chef path, which had a smaller market but was something he already had a foundation in?
He had not forgotten that he had come this time precisely to hear Senior Brother Song Yu's opinion. Thus, he explained all his considerations and asked Senior Brother Song Yu for advice.
Senior Brother Song Yu pondered for a few breaths before giving his suggestion:
"If we don't consider outside factors and only take your own circumstances into account, among the paths of alchemy, artifact crafting, and culinary arts, I would recommend that you cultivate the Spirit Chef path.
"But there happens to be an opportunity before you. If you can seize it, you might consider choosing the alchemy path."
"What opportunity?"
Senior Brother Song Yu replied, "Our Immortal Dust Sect has inheritances for all the Hundred Cultivation Arts. However, relying on inheritance alone, without guidance from a senior and simply counting on oneself to puzzle things out, will definitely make progress slow.
"With guidance from a renowned master, one can achieve twice the result with half the effort and avoid many unnecessary detours. But the sect does not assign a master to every outer sect disciple. Whether one can successfully take a master depends entirely on personal fortune.
"Recently, an alchemy grandmaster has expressed an intention to take on a disciple. Junior Brother, if you can become this grandmaster's disciple, your future will be bright."
Li Xiuchang's heart stirred when he heard this. Anyone who could be called a grandmaster was at least a Fourth Tier Alchemist!
If he could take such a person as his master, it would certainly count as a considerable opportunity.
However, Li Xiuchang also had his concerns. He was afraid that after taking a master, the additional restrictions would make it inconvenient for him to cultivate other techniques at the same time.
"Senior Brother Song, if I were fortunate enough to successfully become his disciple, would it be inconvenient to switch to or cultivate other techniques alongside it in the future?"
"You're overthinking it. The fact that you can ask such a question means you don't understand the rules of our Immortal Dust Sect's outer sect." Song Yu smiled. "Among the outer sect disciples, there are plenty who cultivate several techniques at once. So long as you bring one technique to Tier 1 before cultivating another alongside it, no one can say anything."
"For example, there's someone called Zhang Wanzhi who has quite a reputation. I've heard that he cultivates more than ten techniques alongside one another. Among those who possess several skills, many have taken more than one master."
"You can take several masters?" Li Xiuchang asked in surprise.
Senior Brother Song Yu explained, "In our Immortal Dust Sect, masters are divided into two types. One type guides cultivation and teaches Dao techniques. Such a master is called a Dao Master. One can have only a single Dao Master, and unless one graduates from that master's tutelage, one cannot take a new Dao Master.
"The other type teaches Cultivation Techniques. Such a master is called an arts mentor. One can take several arts mentors, and there are not many restrictions on the relationship between mentor and disciple. An arts mentor does not need to be responsible for a disciple's progress in a technique. If a disciple feels they are no longer learning anything, they can take another arts mentor at any time and study under someone else."
Arts mentor... Li Xiuchang's thoughts briefly wandered in a strange direction. He found that if he interpreted Senior Brother Song Yu's words another way, they actually made perfect sense as well.
Returning to the main subject, Li Xiuchang more or less understood. This loose mentor-disciple relationship also existed to provide outer sect disciples with a better learning environment.
If a disciple and their master did not get along, the disciple could turn to someone else without being held in the master's grasp.
If a master felt that a disciple was "a rotten piece of wood that could not be carved," they could also give up on that disciple without investing any more effort.
Now, Li Xiuchang had completely lost his reservations. His only worry was whether that alchemy grandmaster would take a liking to him.
"Speaking of this alchemy grandmaster, you've met him before. He's none other than Elder Zhao Yuansi of the outer sect," Song Yu said.
Li Xiuchang thought back briefly and recalled that "literature enthusiast." Realization dawned on him. "The Elder Zhao who loves Confucian culture?"
At the same time, his heart trembled. This person's identity was far from ordinary. He was not only an alchemy grandmaster but also an Outer Sect Elder!
Even a Tier 4 Alchemy Grandmaster could not become an Outer Sect Elder. To become one, a person needed to possess at least one Fifth Tier Art.
Song Yu nodded. "Elder Zhao has long been a Fifth Tier Alchemy Grandmaster. If not for the restrictions of his Cultivation Level, he might have already become a Sixth Tier Alchemy Grandmaster. He once refined a Sixth Tier medicinal pill with the assistance of a senior at the Void Refinement Stage."
Li Xiuchang yearned for such an opportunity and said, "When Elder Zhao takes a disciple, I'm afraid all the outer sect disciples will fight tooth and nail for that one spot. Senior Brother, do you think I have a chance?"
Song Yu smiled. "You're right. Elder Zhao hasn't taken a disciple in a long time, so naturally, when he finally takes one, the entire outer sect will fight until their heads bleed. That's why Elder Zhao set a threshold: he will choose only from among the outer sect disciples recommended by people he knows."
Li Xiuchang's eyes lit up. With Song Yu's words reaching this point, how could he fail to understand? He lowered his voice and asked, "Senior Brother, do you have a connection?"
Song Yu nodded. "My master is acquainted with Elder Zhao, and I usually address him as Senior Uncle Zhao. Recommending someone is naturally no problem. However, you will still have to compete with the outer sect disciples recommended by others. Whether you can seize this opportunity will depend on you."
"That's only natural. Thank you, Senior Brother Song!" Li Xiuchang sincerely expressed his gratitude. "May I ask what aspects Elder Zhao values when choosing a disciple? I can go back and prepare."
"When a grandmaster like Elder Zhao takes a disciple, what standards could there be? There's only one requirement: they have to look pleasing to him." Senior Brother Song Yu spoke.
"Look pleasing?" Li Xiuchang thought for a moment. Considering the loose mentor-disciple relationship between an arts mentor and a disciple, he could understand it.
"However, based on my understanding of Senior Uncle Zhao, he will probably set some kind of trial when choosing a disciple."
The moment he heard that Senior Brother Song Yu was going to help him predict the examination topic, Li Xiuchang immediately listened with rapt attention.
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