Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Hundred Skills of Cultivation! Gold or Scrap Iron?
News of another case of Martial Arts Psychosis in the outside world brought a sigh of relief to the people at the Training Camp.
But it also sparked further discussion.
Yang Shen’s name was brought up constantly at the school. Although the suspicion against him was fading, the frequency of his name being mentioned had definitely risen.
And so, on the evening of the fifth day, Yang Shen, far away at the Training Camp, completed the main mission he had thought would be difficult but turned out to be surprisingly easy.
"Family Reputation: 10 (Qi Cultivation Patriarch)"
(The news of your Uncle’s wrongful death is gradually fading, but your own name as a ’genius’ has begun to spread within a small circle, earning the recognition of many of your peers. However, this fledgling reputation is also mixed with a dose of negative gossip, suggesting ’this person might be a little crazy’.)
"Main Mission Reward: One random inheritance and basic techniques from the Hundred Skills of Cultivation."
"New Main Mission: Raise the cultivation of all family members with a Spiritual Root to the first level of Qi Cultivation."
"New Mission Reward: One Family Heirloom."
In his room at night, Yang Shen reviewed the system messages over the sound of Huang Gang’s snoring.
A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
’The Hundred Skills of Cultivation... these are undoubtedly things that can ensure the family’s long-term survival, a foundation upon which to build.’
’It’s an inheritance, a source of strength, and a cornerstone for business. It might even provide a long-term, effective way to make money!’
However, according to the Cultivation World General Knowledge he possessed, the Hundred Skills of Cultivation were all-encompassing.
They included the noble "Four Great Arts of Cultivation": Pill, Artifact, Array, and Talisman.
There were also the "Four Great Control Arts of Cultivation," such as Beast Taming, Puppetry, Soul Manipulation, and Corpse Refining.
And then there were unimpressive contenders like Spirit Weaving and Dream Interpretation, which seemed to be there just to fill out the roster.
Of course, for the current Yang Shen, anything would be a help. But given the chance, who wouldn’t want to get something good?
Yang Shen thought, ’Either give me something that can help raise my cultivation level or provide immediate combat power to get through this current crisis.’
’Or give me a way to make money, so I can plan for the family’s long-term business endeavors.’
’Just don’t give me some strange ability that’s all for show and no use, like something that drains several points of my Qi and Blood Value per minute.’
Yang Shen took a deep breath and chose to claim the main mission reward in the system.
Since it was a non-physical reward, everything happened silently within Yang Shen’s mind.
"Claiming reward..."
"Reward distributed!"
"Hundred Skills of Cultivation Inheritance and Basic Techniques: Spirit Plant!"
’Spirit Plant? What the heck is that!’
Before he had time to think, countless pieces of information flooded into his mind!
Spirit Plant...
The "Hundred Skills of Cultivation" were described in the general knowledge section of the Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique as "all capable of leading to the Great Dao."
Each one was not merely a single piece of Magic or a Divine Technique, but a "skill" with its own complex system.
Therefore, what Yang Shen received was not a lone Technique, but a system of knowledge:
He could use Spiritual Power to investigate and identify Spirit Flowers, Spirit Grass, Spirit Wood, and Exotic Fruits. As long as they weren’t too far above his own grade, he could vaguely sense their effects and whether they were poisonous, even on the first encounter.
He mastered the method for harvesting Spirit Plants.
He could infuse them with Spiritual Power to preserve their effectiveness and freshness after being picked.
Additionally... many Techniques appeared in his mind. Just like with the Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique, it was as if he had already practiced them a thousand times in his mind without any physical component. The variety was immense:
"Ganlin Curse": Uses Spiritual Power to create a special rain that nourishes crop growth, removes plant diseases, and fertilizes the soil. It is more effective when used during rainy weather. Conjuring rain on a dry day is not something a low-level Cultivator can accomplish.
"Withering and Flourishing Curse": Consumes Spiritual Power to accelerate crop growth. It is also effective on mundane items, but the higher the grade of the Spirit Plant, the more Spiritual Power it consumes.
"Exorcism Spell": Uses Spiritual Power to create a special sound to drive away pests and wild beasts. It also has a slight effect on demonic creatures. It can be cast using one’s throat, but is best assisted by a bell or drum-type Magical Artifact.
"Bee Control Technique": Control swarms of beneficial insects, such as bees, to participate in pollination or honey collection...
"Fertilizer Fermentation Technique": Accelerate the fermentation and decomposition of fertilizer, and distribute it evenly throughout the soil...
There were many other such "Spirit Plant Minor Magic," but the further down the list he went, the less useful they became, even including pointless things like the "Seed Screening Technique."
Yang Shen rubbed his temples. The information flooding his mind this time was far more complex than the single Cultivation Technique of the Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique...
It was giving him a headache.
’Isn’t the "Fertilizer Fermentation Technique" a bit half-baked? Is this even a proper Technique?’
From his perspective, if you ignored the rarity of Spirit Plants themselves, many of the Minor Magic could be replaced by technology. Take the Seed Screening Technique, for example... it was so easy to buy seeds these days; you could get whatever kind you wanted.
It seemed the "planting methods" of the Cultivation Realm were still stuck at the level of a "small-scale peasant economy"... to think they actually had to screen their own seeds to farm.
Yang Shen mused, ’I’ll have to actually use them to know how good they are... The stones of other mountains can be used to polish my own jade...’
He discovered that the Hundred Skills of Cultivation seemed to be interconnected.
For instance, the Minor Magic, Bee Control Technique, required Spiritual Power. By controlling the same bee swarm over a long period, the swarm could potentially advance in grade. It might not become "Spirit Insects," but its intelligence would surpass the limits of its species.
This method achieved a similar result to the "Beast Taming" skill among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, just through a different approach.
The "Ganlin Curse," meanwhile, was a requirement for some basic "Arrays."
And the basic techniques for harvesting Spirit Plants were a necessary prerequisite for "Alchemy."
From this, it was clear that although the "Hundred Skills of Cultivation" were categorized separately, they had many overlapping aspects.
Although Yang Shen lived in a world without a "Cultivation Realm," meaning he couldn’t obtain many things through trade or study and had to rely entirely on system rewards...
...human imagination was limitless. In the future, as he mastered more skills and walked further down this path, could he not conduct his own research, or even develop some Minor Magic of his own?
This was especially true if he could complement them with the various technologies of Cyan Blue. After all, Spiritual Qi was the "Source."
Though the methods of application were different, Cyan Blue had been messing with the "Source" for thousands of years, and since the modern era, development had truly blossomed.
For example, the lettuce in the sandwich from Xu Bamboo he’d eaten earlier was a specially cultivated "High Source variety," which could theoretically be considered a "Spirit Plant."
Yang Shen held out his palm and tried to cast the "Ganlin Curse" according to the method in his mind.
The system’s tutorial was all-inclusive; he already knew the method of execution by heart.
A wisp of mist gradually appeared in his palm.
The mist grew denser, condensing into a small cloud, from which sparse droplets of water began to fall faintly.
This magical scene made Yang Shen’s eyes widen!
’This is Magic?’
At the same time, the "Qi and Blood Value -0.1" notification flashed continuously.
’I haven’t reached the third level of Qi Cultivation yet, so I don’t have a Qi Sea in my body. All my Spiritual Qi is stored in my limbs and bones, which is why using anything drains my Qi and Blood Value...’
But the feeling of a small cloud raining in his palm...
’...is really cool!’
It was different from Martial Arts... It didn’t have that grand, sweeping power, but it was more...
...divinely mysterious and profound.
Yes, divinely mysterious and profound. That was how Yang Shen felt.
Yang Shen was filled with joy. He had been too arrogant just now; he had to apologize to the "Spirit Plant Inheritance."
’I underestimated you!’
Spirit Plant... Spirit Plant...
A line of poetry from the inheritance flashed through Yang Shen’s mind.
Three acres of Spirit Fields to nurture the foundation of the Dao,
One world as a garden to Refine heaven and earth.
This was the inheritance the Jianghuai Yang Family was meant to have, a crucial foundation for the family’s development!
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