Ethan watched as the sect members, one by one, discovered their Qi nature by placing their hands on the huge colorless crystal.
Once they did, the stone sent Qi through the contact, retrieved it from them, and then transferred it into one of the nine different colored crystals.
Whichever one glowed revealed the Qi nature of the sect member.
There were nine conventional elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Wood, Ice, Lightning, Light, and Darkness.
Among them, Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind appeared the most often, while Wood was somewhat rarer.
The remaining elements were extremely rare, showing up only three or four times in a couple of hundred people.
There were also unconventional Qi natures, but they were extraordinarily rare.
People with them were usually found in unusual environments, which might have influenced the development of such Qi natures.
The sect had a reason for checking Qi nature a second time: within the sect, the concentration of Qi was quite high.
This even affected mortals who had yet to begin cultivation, meaning their Qi nature might have developed further over the past three days.
Furthermore, during the initial check for Qi attunement, some sect members had shown only an affinity for Qi but no distinct Qi nature.
After three days of living in a Qi-rich environment and consuming Qi-rich foods, it was highly unlikely that they would remain without valid Qi natures.
This, along with giving new members time to learn the fundamentals of cultivation, was one reason the sect allowed three days where nothing happened except classes, leaving the members mostly on their own.
Ethan was not in any hurry as he waited for the sect member in front of him to finish their test.
As expected, everyone had some sort of Qi nature.
Most were Fire, Earth, or Water.
Even Wind Qi nature seemed unusual, and a few had Wood Qi natures.
One person possessed Light Qi, another had Ice Qi, and a couple of sect members displayed dual Qi natures.
Once their Qi nature was revealed, they were given several choices of cultivation techniques appropriate for their element, and they could choose whichever one they preferred from the collection on the table.
Soon, Ethan's turn came, and he approached the colorless crystal.
"Place your hand and don't resist," the elder instructed.
Ethan did as she said, placing his palm on the crystal and relaxing as Qi entered his body before being drawn out.
A few seconds later, one of the nine crystals, the yellow one representing Lightning, began to glow brightly, even brighter than the last time.
But that was not what shocked Ethan, nor the three elders.
Another crystal beside the Lightning one also lit up, a pure white crystal, representing the Ice element.
"Another dual-elemental Qi nature?" one elder exclaimed in surprise.
"Lightning and Ice… It is already amazing to possess one rare elemental nature, but to have two is extraordinary," another elder said, placing his hand on Ethan's shoulder.
"As expected, you are no ordinary person," the woman elder, who had been observing Ethan intently, said with a gleaming smile.
"What the hell is with this woman? Does she know something about me?" Ethan wondered, though he kept his expression calm.
He turned his attention back to the two crystals glowing yellow and white.
"I only had Lightning Qi three days ago, but now it seems I have developed Ice Qi as well…" Ethan thought.
He could not help but suspect it was because of the training he had done with the aid of three powerful and effective potions.
There were many training methods Ethan knew that could have produced similar results, but he had chosen this one because it increased the chances of unlocking hidden potential within the user.
Usually, such training resulted in unexpected gains like enhanced energy absorption or sharper cognitive power.
He had not noticed any such effects yet, but this second elemental nature was likely a result of his efforts.
"So this is an unexpected gain," Ethan smiled to himself, as the elder guided him toward a table filled with cultivation techniques designed for dual Qi natures.
"You can choose from any of them. Each book contains a cultivation technique specifically created for those with dual Qi natures, regardless of your duel elemental Qi natures. No matter what you choose, every single one of them is excellent," the woman explained, waiting for his decision.
Ethan flipped through the first pages of several books before asking, "I have a question."
"What is it?" she asked.
"Instead of choosing one dual-element cultivation technique, can I take two single-element cultivation techniques?" Ethan asked.
"Why would you do that?" she replied, narrowing her eyes.
"Why not?" Ethan countered.
"Because once you begin cultivating, you cannot change the type of cultivation. If you use a single-element technique despite having dual Qi natures, you will be locked into that path. You will also miss out on the full benefits of your dual Qi nature... Again, why would you do that?" the elder pressed.
"I have my own way of cultivating, which I am not going to explain. All I want to know is whether I can take two single-element techniques instead of one dual-element technique," Ethan said simply.
Every cultivator had their secrets, their own unique methods and abilities, and no one was obligated to share them.
In fact, many cultivators would consider it rude if asked about their cultivation practices.
The elders exchanged glances.
Two of them shrugged, and then the woman answered, "You can take them, but keep the techniques to yourself. We will know if you share them with anyone else."
"Fine... I have no one to share them with anyway," Ethan muttered, picking up one Ice Qi cultivation technique, one Lightning Qi cultivation technique, and the three tokens given to all new members after choosing their techniques.
These tokens were used for free resources, access to a cultivation area with high Qi concentration, and one basic-level combat technique from the sect.
"For the next seven days, focus on your cultivation," the woman instructed. "On the eighth day, the tournament will take place. That will determine your standing in the sect. Keep that in mind as you train."
"Do not worry about it… I will soon become unbeatable," Ethan replied.
His tone carried no arrogance, only pure confidence, but to others, it sounded like nothing but arrogance.
"Such arrogance..."
The elder, especially the woman known as Elder Shiya, wore a curious expression as she watched Ethan walk away.
...
Leaving the sect members behind, Ethan went to the Alchemy and Research Department (AAR) and used one of his three tokens to receive the free cultivation resources the sect graciously provided to new members: a bag containing ten pills.
After that, he headed to the residential area, where he picked up a few vials of potions, two bottles of Qi-rich water he had gathered earlier, and the bag of pills from the AAR. With everything in hand, he made his way toward the northern palace.
He jogged for about an hour, following a road that cut through the middle of the forest, until he finally reached the cultivation grounds.
Passing through the mist-covered, frigid forest, he came upon a massive structure resembling an arena.
However, unlike a typical arena, it had no open grounds within its walls; instead, all four sides were lined with thick stone chambers.
After presenting his token to the guards at the entrance, he was permitted inside.
"This place is cold and cloudy, probably an effect of the rich concentration of Qi in the atmosphere," Ethan muttered as he stepped into one of the hundreds of rooms, many of which were already occupied.
Fortunately, he found an empty one.
"Let's see," Ethan murmured, settling into the small but comfortable chamber before reviewing the two cultivation techniques in his possession.