Li Fan wasn't being sarcastic.
The Mountain-Sitting Art truly wasn't originally created for cultivators.
Its exact origins were already lost to time. But according to the technique's records, one could only make progress with the original version of the Mountain-Sitting Art by literally sitting on a mountain.
By selecting a mountain and relying on its continuous growth in height, the practitioner would receive corresponding cultivation feedback in return.
This process was far too lengthy.
In ancient times, mountains and rivers weren't as easily altered as they were today. A mountain might require thousands of years to grow just a tiny bit taller.
If the Mountain-Sitting Art wasn't created as some kind of joke, then it seemed less suited for human cultivation and more appropriate for the trees and rocks upon the mountains themselves.
Yet to Li Fan's knowledge, there were no tales of plant spirits, tree demons, or demonic beasts in the current cultivation world.
The slightly more powerful exotic beasts only controlled a trace of supernatural power through their bloodline inheritance, but they absolutely couldn't cultivate.
Perhaps spirits and demons existed in the earliest era of this world, but then, some catastrophe occurred, causing all the demonic creatures to disappear? Li Fan wondered.
Still, regardless of the truth, it had little bearing on Li Fan's practice of the Mountain-Sitting Art. He only speculated briefly, knowing deeper investigation would prove futile.
The original Mountain-Sitting Art was fundamentally unusable for cultivators. But as the Great Reformation descended, causing increasingly frequent changes to mountains and rivers, the Mountain-Sitting Art paradoxically became barely practicable.
Then, a thousand years ago, a remarkably talented individual accidentally obtained the Mountain-Sitting Art.
Grasping its essential principle of "sitting on a mountain and reaping its rewards," this person modified the technique.
Now the practitioner could also make progress in the technique through their own cultivation. Furthermore, they expanded the scope from only mountains to include people. This officially transformed the Mountain-Sitting Art into an exceptionally rare and precious technique.
Unfortunately, this peerless genius only recorded this modification in the technique's preface, without leaving their name behind.
Like the Sea-Calming Sword Art, the Mountain-Sitting Art was a Golden Core technique. It would certainly be sufficient for Li Fan's cultivation needs in this lifetime.
Following the technique's instructions, Li Fan began circulating his energy. Within moments, he had grasped the fundamentals of the Mountain-Sitting Art.
But then that familiar sensation of stagnation during cultivation reappeared.
Clearly, the Mountain-Sitting Art also didn't harmonize with Li Fan's Foundation Establishment Curio, the Deepsea Pearl.
After a moment's hesitation, Li Fan activated the Taishang Primordial True Scripture.
He completely dissolved his cultivation of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture and began cultivating the Mountain-Sitting Art instead.
Supported by his vast and refined Foundation Establishment cultivation, Li Fan soon advanced the Mountain-Sitting Art to the Foundation Establishment realm.
Next, I need to test the effectiveness of its reward-reaping effects. Li Fan thought.
If the effect is mediocre, I'd be better off cultivating the Sea-Calming Sword Art instead.
Having made his decision, Li Fan took out the jade slip containing the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture.
No kindness surpasses that of transmitting a technique, especially in a world where the law of the Exclusivity of Immortal Techniques holds sway. The grace of transmitting a method was nearly akin to the gift of a second life.
He Zhenghao previously showed me considerable favor, likely because of this reward-reaping effect.
Unfortunately, his vision was too narrow, limited to minor favors and small benefits. Even if he could receive cultivation feedback, it probably wouldn't amount to much.
Investment follows a simple principle—the greater the input, the greater the return.
Since that's the case, I might as well make a major investment and see what this Mountain-Sitting Art is truly capable of.
He immediately took out the Mini Tianxuan Mirror and began checking the market prices of Nascent Soul techniques.
Within the Myriad Immortals Alliance, Qi Refinement realm techniques generally ranged from 1000 to 3000 contribution points.
Foundation Establishment techniques typically started around 5000 contribution points.
Starting from Golden Core techniques, there was a massive leap in prices.[1]
Even the lowest-tier methods cost tens of thousands of points, with more exquisite Golden Core formation methods commanding increasingly higher prices.
Nascent Soul techniques could cost up to hundreds of thousands of contribution points.
Li Fan even spotted a technique called Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Participation Concordance listed for an astonishing number of points.[2] He wondered what profundities it contained.
Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi—this lifetime, I won't allow you two brothers to turn on each other.
Li Fan smiled faintly and chose to sell the Nascent Soul technique, Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture.
A faint glow swept over the Mini Tianxuan Mirror.
After a moment, it offered a price of around 90,000 points.[3] Considering the Tianxuan Mirror took a cut for purchases, this indicated the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture was indeed exceptional.
Li Fan didn't hesitate and accepted right away.
A golden contract flew out from the Mini Tianxuan Mirror, hovering before Li Fan.
Li Fan read it carefully.
The contract spelled out the various terms of the technique transaction. Once it was finalized, ownership of the technique would pass entirely to the Myriad Immortals Alliance, and any future use of it would bear no relation to its original owner.
The transaction was irreversible, and the original owner's memory of the technique would automatically vanish after the transaction.
Under no circumstances should copies be retained or traded with others—violators would bear the consequences.
Li Fan had no objections. Using spiritual power as a brush, he signed his name on the golden contract. The contract then dissolved into countless golden particles, a portion of which disappeared into Li Fan's body, while the rest carried the jade slip back into the Mini Tianxuan Mirror.
With the transaction complete, Li Fan's memory of the specific contents of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture vanished.