Taiyi Five Elements Art

Though towering waves had already surged through his heart, he kept his expression remarkably calm.

Returning the beast hide to the wooden shelf, Xu Yan dusted off his hands and looked at the old man in hemp robes. "I would like to exchange spirit stones for the cultivation art on this beast-hide scroll. How much would it cost?"

The old man in hemp robes looked surprised at Xu Yan's words, his aged eyes scrutinizing him.

After a few breaths, the old man gave an odd chuckle. "I never would have guessed you had a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root. But since you're only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, your spiritual root is probably low-grade. I advise you to choose another cultivation art and spare yourself the trouble."

"I was actually understating how difficult this art is to cultivate. To be precise, since ancient times, not a single cultivator of the Immortal Sects who practiced it has reached Qi Refining perfection before their allotted lifespan ran out, let alone broken through to Foundation Establishment. That's why the entire Cultivation World considers it a worthless art."

The old man clearly wanted Xu Yan to recognize the difficulty and retreat, but this cultivation art suited him perfectly. There was no way he would give it up.

After a few breaths of silence, Xu Yan addressed the old man respectfully. "I appreciate your kind intentions, Senior. As you guessed, I have a low-grade Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root. After frittering away half my life, I'm still only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. I know my chances of reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime are slim, so choosing this art or any other makes no difference to me."

Seeing the old man staring fixedly at him, Xu Yan calmly continued.

"This happens