Zong En paused for a moment, then looked at Zhang Deming and continued, "While being a Spirit Farmer won't make you rich, it's a stable path.
My Spirit Root Talent is limited, so it's uncertain if I'll ever be able to reach the Tai Chi Position.
Besides, I don't have the kind of ambition that would make me risk my life for it. So, I'll choose to be a Spirit Farmer for now. If a real opportunity to advance to a Tai Chi Cultivator comes along, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
And skills like gentle rain have their own advanced versions, like summoning storms. Even if I reach the Tai Chi Stage, I won't have to start over from scratch."
Hearing Zong En's words, Zhang Deming nodded. 'Seeking hope through stability... that's Zong En's personality, all right.'
"Brother Ming, what about you?"
Zhang Deming tossed two books onto the table. "I haven't decided yet."
Zong En heard him and flipped through the two books.
*Growth Technique*, *Wind Blade Technique*
Seeing the two books, Zong En's expression grew serious. He looked at Zhang Deming hesitantly, his lips parting as if to speak, but he didn't seem to know what to say.
Seeing his reaction, Zhang Deming laughed. "What is it? You don't have to hold back with me."
At that, Zong En didn't hesitate any longer. "You want to be a Mage?" he asked directly.
Zhang Deming raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
Zong En said, "The *Growth Technique*, while an option for Spirit Farmers, can also be used for healing and ensnaring enemies. It's a versatile, jack-of-all-trades kind of Technique. Of course, that alone only shows a slight inclination.
The main thing is the *Wind Blade Technique*. It's almost purely a combat-oriented Spell. It's next to useless for a Spirit Farmer.
Put them both together, Brother Ming, and your intentions become very clear.
If you choose the *Growth Technique*, you plan to start as a Spirit Farmer and then transition to being a Mage.
If you choose the *Wind Blade Technique*, you're giving up on being a Spirit Farmer entirely and locking yourself into the path of a Mage.
So no matter which you choose, Brother Ming, you want to walk the path of a Mage, don't you?"
Zhang Deming chuckled. "Heh, you can read me like a book. It's not as set in stone as you make it sound, but I'm definitely leaning that way."
Zong En didn't smile back. He said grimly, "Brother Ming, if I remember correctly, you only have a twenty-one-point Spirit Root, right?
Among the six major paths of Cultivation, the Mage path may be the greatest, but it's also the most dependent on Talent.
It took you eight years just to learn the Little Cloud Rain Skill. Have you really thought this Mage path through?"
'He wasn't saying it directly, trying to be tactful, but the underlying message was loud and clear.'
'You spent eight years struggling with the most basic Entry-Level Magical Technique. Do you really not know your own limits?'
'Or have all those seductive sycophants in the courtyard been flattering you so much that you've forgotten your own worth?'
'Before I got my golden finger, I wouldn't have dreamed of taking the Mage path, which is so incredibly demanding of Talent.'
'But now... heh, I'm the guy with the golden finger.'
Zhang Deming smiled. "I know what you're trying to say, but I've already made up my mind.
You've got to have some ambition in life.
I won't be satisfied if I don't at least give it a shot. Besides, who knows if we'll ever even reach the Tai Chi Stage.
We're just a couple of Junior Apprentices, why think so far ahead!"
Seeing Zhang Deming shed his usual lazy attitude, Zong En paused for a moment. He reached out and pushed the *Growth Technique* manual in front of Zhang Deming.
"Then choose this one," he said. "The Growth Technique is a bit harder to learn because it's so versatile, but at least with this, you still have some leeway.
Even if you learn Wind Blade, the most you could do when farming is mix a bit of wind into your Little Cloud Rain Skill.
If you fail to become a Mage, all your effort will have been for nothing."
Zhang Deming nodded. 'He's right,' he thought. 'Developing my skills through farming before the Tai Chi Stage is a good option.' He was, in fact, already leaning toward this choice.
Having made his decision, Zhang Deming placed the other Spell manual back on the shelf.
The two of them sat there, browsing until noon.
Zhang Deming looked up. "Alright, let's go. Since we've decided on our Techniques, we should go get them copied. It's almost lunchtime. We should get back soon so we don't miss our midday Casting."
While they were browsing, they had both used the ambient Spiritual Qi in the Scripture Pavilion to recover the Spiritual Power they had spent that morning.
Although the Outer Sect was still unsuitable for direct Cultivation, the Spiritual Qi was much denser, allowing for far faster recovery than on Little Qing Mountain.
Zong En nodded, and the two of them took their Spell manuals to the counter.
The young man who had helped them earlier took the books without a glance and tossed them into a hidden compartment behind him.
The compartment swallowed the two books, and a Light Curtain materialized.
The young man made a few quick inputs on the Light Curtain. A moment later, two brand-new, thread-bound books shot out of a special slot in the counter.
Meanwhile, the two original copies that had been tossed into the compartment had already been returned to their shelves.
Without another word from the young man, the two took their respective books and left the Scripture Pavilion.
...
By the time the two of them returned to the Paddy Field division of the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard on Little Qing Mountain, lunchtime was almost over.
They barely made it in time for lunch. After eating, they each returned to their rooms, planning to rest before heading out for another round of Casting.
Zhang Deming returned to his room but didn't lie down to rest.
Instead, he took out his personal stash box and placed three Spirit Stones inside, bringing his total to eight.
Then, Zhang Deming took out his *Basic Cultivation Technique* manual.
'Through his exploration of the editor's warehouse, Zhang Deming had learned that while it could store items, anything taken in would be converted into Runes, usable only as editing materials.'
'Strictly speaking, it wasn't a Storage Space at all.'
And so, he sat there, holding the *Basic Cultivation Technique* in one hand and his newly acquired *Growth Technique* in the other.
Zhang Deming was torn. He had chosen the Little Cloud Rain Skill without hesitation yesterday because he had just been experimenting with the editor and assumed a successful edit would simply mean he had learned the Magic.
He had mastered the Basic Cultivation Technique long ago, so there was no need to edit it.
But after formally casting the skill today, he finally understood.
'Editing a skill didn't just teach it to you; it gave you an incredible level of Mastery.'
'Even when he had deliberately slowed down today, he was still faster and more skilled than Zong En, who had been practicing the Little Cloud Rain Skill for half a year.'
'And that was just the effect of the lowest-level plug-in. The golden orb of light he had today was script-level, for starters.'
'He already knew the Basic Cultivation Technique, but his progress in Cultivation was painfully slow. Editing the technique might change that.'
'But it was only a possibility.'
'So he had to make a choice: gamble on a possibility, or choose the *Growth Technique* for a safe bet?'
'After all, he was just starting out. Every bit of Energy was precious, to say nothing of Advanced Merit.'
After a long while, Zhang Deming glanced at the white orb of light in his warehouse, which had already more than halfway formed.
'Screw it, I'll take the gamble. I can probably use a white orb on the Growth Technique later anyway.'
Having made his decision, Zhang Deming tossed the *Growth Technique* manual into his personal stash box and held on to the *Basic Cultivation Technique*.
His Heart Spirit entered the warehouse and took out the golden orb of light, which was flashing with a "Branch" Rune.
A notification popped up on the editing panel in his mind: "Advanced Energy: 1. Small script can be edited.
Editing conditions met!
Only the Dantian Disc category is currently unlocked. Please input a command to navigate to the Dantian category and edit plug-ins."
Following the prompt, at the flashing '|' cursor on the main page, Zhang Deming used the same method as before and typed '/Dantian'.