After spending a day in his cave dwelling, the next day Han Li once again stood before Li Huayuan and his wife, listening as his master said in a calm tone:
"Han Li, have you thought about what you want your master to give you? You can speak up now!"
"I'd like a cultivation technique that suits me. I hope Master will grant my request!" There was nothing to deliberate over — Han Li had already made up his mind long ago, so the answer came out of his mouth immediately.
Li Huayuan showed no surprise. Instead, he smiled faintly at the young woman beside him, as if to say: See? Wasn't I right? He's asking for a technique after all!
Then he turned back to Han Li and said unhurriedly:
"Hmm, not a bad choice. Come closer and let me examine the attributes of your Spirit Root, then I'll decide what technique to bestow upon you."
Han Li didn't dare hesitate and quickly stepped forward. Li Huayuan seized his wrist, and a stream of heat rapidly circulated through his meridians.
"Apart from metal-attributed techniques, you can cultivate any of the others. A four-attributed Spirit Root — now that does surprise me! That day I could only tell from your appearance that your Spirit Root was mixed, but I never expected it to be this extreme!" After examining him for a moment, Li Huayuan's expression turned somewhat peculiar, and he let out a soft sigh.
The young woman beside them also looked slightly surprised. Though she said nothing, she couldn't help sizing Han Li up a few more times.
"My aptitude is poor. I've disappointed Master," Han Li said with a faint blush, a touch of shame in his voice.
"Don't worry about it. Since Heaven allowed you to succeed in Foundation Establishment, there must be some fortune of your own. It's just that this makes choosing a technique a bit troublesome!"
"What do you mean?"
Han Li blinked at these words. Though he didn't press the question directly, his confusion was written all over his face.
"You really are something — just explain it properly to your disciple instead of talking in riddles all the time. What your master means is, he originally wanted to pick out a decent technique for you, but now that he's seen your Spirit Root attributes, he's having second thoughts. After all, the better the technique, the harder it is to cultivate. It might be better to give you a simpler one so you can advance faster!" The young woman chided Li Huayuan, then turned to Han Li and explained gently.
"That's right. What my wife said is exactly what I meant." Li Huayuan nodded repeatedly. Then he went on to explain in detail:
"You should know that the cultivation techniques we immortals practice can generally be divided into three categories based on their power and effectiveness! The first type involves techniques whose speed of magical power advancement is average or even somewhat slow, but the supernatural abilities and combat methods they come with are remarkably powerful and extraordinary. In actual combat, practitioners of these techniques thrive — even when their magical power is still at a low level, they can overpower cultivators of a higher rank. For this reason, most cultivators who know they have no hope of reaching Core Formation in their lifetime tend to choose this type."
"The second type is the exact opposite. These techniques have astonishing effects on advancing magical power — they're easy to cultivate and practice, and the chances of hitting a bottleneck are far lower than for those who choose the first type. But there's always a trade-off. The advantages of the first type of techniques are precisely the fatal weaknesses of this category. Techniques of this type basically have no strong means of self-protection, and their supernatural abilities are pitifully small. Once you choose this type of technique, you're essentially destined to remain one of the weaker cultivators among your peers. However, those who aspire to pursue the higher realms of immortal cultivation and dream of treading the Great Dao are by no means few in choosing this type — after all, they're the easiest way for cultivators to get close to Core Formation."
When Li Huayuan reached this point, he paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said to Han Li:
"So, which type of technique do you think you'd choose? Or rather, which type do you believe suits you best?"
Han Li was taken aback by the question and hesitated before asking:
"Master, aren't there three types? Why have you only described two?"
After hearing Han Li's question, Li Huayuan exchanged a knowing smile with his wife before answering kindly:
"Indeed, apart from the first two types, there is also a very small number of third-type techniques. These are the supreme cultivation methods sought after by countless cultivators. However, I would not recommend that you practice one! And none of your seven senior brothers have chosen to cultivate this type either. Although they combine nearly all the strengths of the first two types — possessing both tremendous power and astonishing magical power advancement — cultivating them comes with numerous restrictions and difficulties. Moreover, the cultivation process is extremely dangerous; one slip and you could be cast into eternal ruin! Your master's wife practices one of these supreme techniques, and despite being so careful, she nearly lost her life. So unless a cultivator's aptitude far exceeds that of others, practicing these techniques is practically no different from suicide!"