Chapter 28. The Truth About Techniques.

The next day, a well-rested Rand woke up to the sound of the bell that rang every day without exception to announce the start of the day and summon the novices to their lessons, though today it called them for a different reason.

The novices gathered in the same building where the deacon usually taught them the intricacies of cultivation. Some of the young men and women still bore the wounds from the previous day, especially Eyron, whose body was beginning to heal, but as a result looked even more creepy. However, most of the young novices were already fully healed.

Fara arrived early and stood next to Balron. She was smiling widely and chatting with him, occasionally laughing. However, upon seeing Rand approaching, she seemed to grow nervous. Balron didn't notice, but her eyes darted around anxiously, as if searching for a place to hide or escape. After a few moments of panic, she managed to pull herself together, took a deep breath, and stayed put. To calm herself, taking Balron's hand in hers, and he smiled happily in response to this action of hers.

To the surprise of many, the deacon arrived earlier than most today, although he usually appeared only when almost everyone had gathered. For a few minutes, deacon Gerhard stood silently, waiting for the remaining novices to arrive. Once everyone was present, he began to speak:

"First of all, I would like to personally congratulate you all on the successful conclusion of the competition. Some performed better, some worse, but all of you, without exception, did well. Even you, Fang, don't be too disheartened about taking last place and not receiving anything. Later, when we head to the library, come see me, and I will tell you what to do next. As for the rest of you, today you will receive a technique. For most of you, it will be your first, so I must explain them in more detail than in my previous lessons to help you choose what you need. I should start with what I've already mentioned. There is a vast multitude of techniques, their variety and effects are countless. However, most can be classified into several main categories based on their fundamental functions. There are defensive, offensive, enhancing, restraining, healing techniques, as well as those related to movement, stealth, and indirectly, to cultivation. Some techniques may combine several functions. Each category also has many subcategories, but that's not important for you right now.

All techniques are divided into ranks based on their strength and applicability. Ranks are denoted by colors: white, black, red... Techniques of the white rank are mainly intended for use by cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage, while black rank techniques are generally designed for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. But there are exceptions. Also, each rank is conditionally, some do not recognize this additional division at all, divided into four grades or qualities: low, medium, high and superior. For example, according to this classification, Melissa's Ice Armor technique is white rank, medium grade, while Oberyn's Bronze Body technique is black rank, low grade. The higher the rank and grade of a technique, the stronger it typically is, but it also becomes more difficult and time-consuming to practice.

I should also mention, some of you may have already guessed, but the quality of the techniques in the Library is deliberately not indicated, so that each of you doesn't just rush to grab what seems to be the strongest technique, but instead looks for one that suits you and your needs. However, you can generally gauge the quality of a technique from its description. I advise against bothering the librarian with questions about the grades of techniques, as he does not appreciate it, and it may have negative consequences for you. The ranks in the library are simpler: the first floor is for white rank, the second for black rank, and so on."

"That's everything you need to know about techniques right now. At this point, you need to understand more which technique you should choose from the vast variety presented in the Library. As you already know, our sect specializes in the Path of Transformation, and to follow this path, you need a strong body. Therefore, I advise you to choose a technique related to body protection and strengthening today. Without such a technique, you won't be able to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage using our Mythical Blood cultivation method.

If you don't manage to find the perfect body strengthening technique for your needs, I can suggest a couple that are suitable for most. If you have a white order token, an excellent choice would be the Copper Body technique or the Stone Flesh technique. Both are of high quality, not too difficult to practice, and yield good results. If you have earned a black order token, a good choice would be the True Warrior technique. Although it is only of low quality black rank, don't be discouraged because cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage do not have access to higher quality techniques in the black rank. This technique provides impressive results, but I must warn you that it is challenging to cultivate, time-consuming, and very resource-intensive. So, evaluate your capabilities correctly. I believe I've covered all the important points. Does anyone have any questions?"

A forest of hands immediately shot up, but Quint was the first to raise his hand this time, having waited for the appropriate moment to ask his questions. The deacon nodded in his direction, allowing him to speak.

"Why didn't you recommend Oberin's technique to us, teacher? And is there a difference in achieving the Foundation Establishment stage using white or black rank techniques?"

"Good, two excellent questions. The technique Oberin practices is called the Bronze Body. It is a more advanced and refined version of the Copper Body technique. I didn't recommend it to you because Oberin is the only one here who can effectively practice it. Anyone else who tries to cultivate it will only see incredibly slow progress and achieve nothing. As for your second question, yes, there will be a difference in the strength of your future transformation, though not a significant one. However, later this difference can be mostly compensated for, although it will be quite expensive and difficult. I do not advise you to wait until you receive a black rank body strengthening technique because they are all very challenging, time-consuming, and expensive to practice, which will greatly slow down your cultivation progress. You will spend a huge amount of time and resources, and the end result will only be slightly better than what you could achieve with a white rank technique.

I see from your faces that you have many more questions. I thought we would finish quickly and head to the library right away, but that's alright. Who else wants to ask a question?"

This time, Balron was the first to raise his hand.

"If I start cultivating, say, the Copper Body technique of the white rank now, will I be able to switch to the True Warrior technique of the black rank in the future before I reach the Foundation Establishment stage? And will my previous practice of the Copper Body technique be of any use for the True Warrior technique?"

"That's a very good question, Balron. Indeed, you will be able to switch from the Copper Body technique to the True Warrior technique. As you already know from my lessons, techniques related to enhancing or fortifying parts of the body are almost always interchangeable, though there are exceptions, but we won't go into that now. For example, you won't be able to cultivate the Copper Body and True Warrior techniques simultaneously. Such practice is usually impossible because they would conflict with each other, and in most cases, the stronger technique would simply erase the influence of the weaker one. If you switch from one technique to another, the progress from the first technique is generally lost, with exceptions being techniques originally designed as a unified, related series, or if one technique is a simplified or slightly modified sub-type of another. For instance, the previously mentioned Copper Body technique is a simplified version of the Bronze Body technique. When switching from one technique to another, progress will not be completely lost."

After this detailed explanation, the forest of eager hands disappeared. Apparently, most had similar questions, and by answering a few, the deacon managed to address them all. For a moment, no one raised their hand, and the deacon was about to say it was time to go when unexpectedly, a very young novice decided to ask a question on a topic no one had considered. That novice was Weed.

"Teacher, I have two questions as well. Why did you say that the difference in the quality of techniques is conditional and not universally recognized? And my second question is, why take any technique at all when you could take another cultivation method and practice it alongside the Mythical Blood cultivation method? Wouldn't that be much better in the long run?"

If the first question didn't surprise the deacon at all and he seemed even prepared for it, the second question clearly threw him off track. He seemed slightly taken aback at first but managed to quickly gather his thoughts and find an answer.

"I'll start with your second question, and forgive me, but I'll answer with a question of my own. Have you been attending my classes? Or have you been daydreaming here? What did I say about the difficulties of practicing multiple paths? Why are you silent? Speak up now, or else..."

"Ah… well… now." Initially, it seemed that Weed wouldn't be able to respond. He stammered a few incoherent words, but then he stared at a point in front of him and began to repeat almost word for word deacon Gerhard's lecture from a few days ago about the difficulties of practicing multiple paths. "To understand why we don't practice multiple paths, we must first understand how these paths usually differ. There are actually many differences, but the main ones are only two: the state or nature of Qi and the primary location of Qi concentration, also known as power centers. Speaking of the first difference, for example, on the Path of Fire, Qi acquires a fiery nature, and on the Path of Water, as you might guess, a watery nature. Regarding power centers, for most paths, it is located at the lower point of the abdomen. For you and me, it is located precisely there, but there are paths where the power center can significantly shift. For example, on the Path of Weapons, the practitioner's power center gradually shifts to a sword, saber, or any other weapon depending on the practitioner's choice.

Now that we understand the main differences between paths, we can move on to the question: 'Why don't we practice multiple paths simultaneously?' The answer is very simple: because very often different states of Qi lead to conflicts within the practitioner's body, which, if they reach a certain level of intensity, can hinder the use of Qi, harm the body, or even kill the practitioner. If the paths have different power centers, then their joint cultivation is impossible from the start.

But you might ask, 'What if they have the same power center, and their Qi doesn't conflict or barely conflicts, then can we practice two paths, right?' The answer is both yes and no. Theoretically, it is possible, but it makes very little sense because it takes an enormous amount of time and yields little benefit. The reason is that cultivators require a balance of Qi in their bodies. Without it, the practitioner can neither use Qi nor increase its overall quantity, meaning they cannot advance their cultivation. For example, you are a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator on the Path of Water, and suddenly you decide to also follow the Path of Wood. It seems that the paths do not conflict, everything is wonderful, but there is one big 'but.' You will have to convert half of your water Qi into wood Qi, and this conversion will take you as long as the journey from the first level of Qi Condensation to the Foundation Establishment stage.

If you think you are the smartest and try to cultivate two paths from the beginning when you are still at the first level of Qi Condensation, you will very soon notice that you are progressing at least twice as slowly in cultivation as your peers." At this point, Weed abruptly fell silent. Everyone listening was stunned, and a single thought blazed in each of their minds: "How could he remember the deacon's speech so word-for-word? That's impossible…"

"Excellent response, Weed. You have an impressive memory for someone who isn't even a cultivator yet," the deacon said calmly. He was no exception; he too was amazed by Weed's memory but managed to regain his composure quickly enough that almost no one noticed.

"Now, you also need to remember that our sect's method carries its own unique path. Even if you find another method related to the Path of Transformation in the library, it will differ significantly enough that the Qi generated by it won't mix with the Qi created by our Mythical Blood cultivation method, resulting in the same problems as cultivating multiple paths. Regarding your first question about the conditional nature of the quality distinction of techniques, some esteemed individuals believe that the power of a technique depends too much on the specific practitioner to label techniques as 'weak' or 'strong.' However, I personally acknowledge this grading. I believe I have answered all your questions, and it's time for us to head to the library for your well-deserved reward."

The group immediately followed the deacon, who led the way. As they walked, Rand occasionally glanced at Weed, pondering over his peculiar display today.

"Perfect memory in a mortal body? No, something's off. That hesitation at the beginning, then his almost fixed, slightly darting gaze. It all reminded me of... reading? So he can somehow record everything that happens or just words? I'll need to consider this in future plans and conversations with him."

The group of novices, led by the deacon, passed through a portal arch and instantly found themselves at the library building, where they were greeted by its eternal guardian and caretaker, Elder Saran. Deacon Gerhard stepped forward, greeted the elder, and conversed with him using spiritual sense, then addressed the novices in a regular voice.

"Now, proceed into the library one at a time, starting with the winner. The next person can enter after ten minutes. You have one hour to choose a technique that suits you. Good luck. Once you're done here, you can go directly to the Outer Sect Repository for spirit stones, pills, and artifacts. My duties for today are over, so I'll be leaving now. Until tomorrow, novices."

Rand, along with the others, bowed to bid the deacon farewell. Shortly after, he heard the familiar voice of Elder Saran in his mind.

"Oberin, you are first. Congratulations on your victory. You may enter the second floor into the restricted black-rank section."