Brother Xiu shook his head and then said, "For loose cultivators, obtaining high-tier techniques is truly very difficult, and the prices are extremely steep.

I see that you, Fellow Daoist Zhou, are a person with ambition, why not consider an Immortal Technique Sect?

Within the sect, anything might be lacking, but cultivation techniques are definitely not in short supply.

Don’t even mention advanced Five Elements Techniques, even top-level Five Elements Techniques are never scarce."

"Of course, I know that."

Zhou Changwang shook his head and said.

The problem is, is the entry into the sect that easy?

Even if he possesses the Water Cloud Order, with his Five Elements Spirit Root talent, he still wouldn’t be able to enter.

Only by adding his secondary occupation as a Tier One Middle-grade Spirit Plant Master to his identity does he have a chance to use this as a stepping stone to enter.

It’s like trying to get into a Fortune 500 company in the previous life; having just a college degree wouldn’t even get you through the door. Only special skilled individuals, introduced as special talents, have the chance to be accepted.

The same principle applies.

Only when you have something special to offer will others take notice. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

If you don’t have skills, you either struggle hard or lay low for an easy life.

After bidding farewell to Brother Xiu, Zhou Changwang then walked briskly towards the Spirit Plant Hall.

Today, the Spirit Plant Hall was much more bustling than usual.

At the assessment site, dozens of cultivators gathered together, and to Zhou Changwang’s surprise, he saw some familiar faces there.

The Zhao Brothers.

Just like him previously, they grew spirit fields at the foot of Changling Mountain. However, the two brothers had higher cultivation and planted medicinal fields, and they rarely interacted with ordinary Spirit Farmers.

It wasn’t until the last chaotic night, after they harbored many Spirit Farmers, that Zhou Changwang was invited to help them with pest control, leading to more interactions.

"Zhou Chang... Fellow Daoist Zhou, I didn’t expect to see you again and that you’ve already reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer."

With only about thirty people present, the Zhao Brothers quickly noticed him and came over as well. Zhao Qiang initially wanted to call him by name, but after sensing his cultivation was now on par with his, he immediately changed his address.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao Qiang, Fellow Daoist Zhao Jie."

Zhou Changwang did not deliberately hide his cultivation. Seeing the two, he greeted them and said, "I was lucky and managed to break through."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, are you also participating in the Spirit Plant Master assessment this time?"

Zhao Jie asked from the side as well.

"Are you two as well..."

Zhou Changwang was puzzled. He had always thought the two were already Spirit Plant Masters.

"We’ve taken it five or six times, but my brother is a bit more confident this time. I’m still a bit short, just giving it a try."

Now that their realms were comparable, Zhao Qiang became much more amiable, unlike before when he was hard to approach.

"Not necessarily. Over the years, I’ve been stuck on the Geng Metal Finger. Without a Gold Attribute Spirit Root, practicing this magic has been exceedingly strenuous.

These years, they’ve spent quite a lot of Spirit Stones for this Spirit Plant Master assessment, with no small amount from both of them.

Fortunately, if one becomes a Spirit Plant Master, the Spirit Plant Hall will grant three acres of Spirit Field for free cultivation, so it’s worth it."

Zhao Jie shook his head modestly, then said with a mix of emotion and hope.

"But seeing you, Fellow Daoist Zhou, so young and participating in the assessment, I suppose you have some confidence."

Zhao Qiang then curiously asked.

"I’m just trying too."

Zhou Changwang smiled humbly and said.

"Indeed, trying is a good idea, next time you’ll have confidence.

Unlike that person, who is said to be a disciple of the high-tier Spirit Plant Master Ku Qianhe. It’s said his spirit planting skills are outstanding, and he boasted early on that he would pass the third round with a Spirit Seed. I guess becoming a Spirit Plant Master is as good as settled."

Zhao Jie couldn’t help but pat Zhou Changwang’s shoulder, offering comfort, then looked towards a cultivator surrounded by people in the distance, expressing envy.

"Yes, try first, get familiar with the process. The next time you’ll have the confidence to pass the assessment in one go.

After all, you’re still young and have plenty of opportunities."

Zhao Qiang followed up, offering comfort.

"That’s what I think too."

Zhou Changwang could only respond as such, as his gaze also turned to that person.

He appeared to be in his twenties with rather ordinary looks, but his eyes were spirited. Even when praised by others, he didn’t display too much arrogance, standing among the crowd and handling everything quite adeptly.

"Gao Mingyi."

Zhou Changwang’s eyes glimmered as he recognized this person.

When Zhou Changwang was previously an apprentice in the Spirit Plant Hall, this person had already shown promising signs and was often held as a comparison. He was a leading figure among the apprentices at the Spirit Plant Hall at that time.

Especially when news came that he had been recognized by a First-Grade High-level Spirit Plant Master, his reputation soared to its peak.

Many apprentices in the Spirit Plant Hall once looked up to him as a role model.

Zhou Changwang’s previous self was also envious at the time.

Now, he hadn’t expected to participate in this Spirit Plant Master assessment with him.

Unknowingly, the assessment time arrived.

As the five examiners arrived, the original buzz of conversation died down accordingly.

Standing amid the crowd, Zhou Changwang also heard some discussions, "It’s Spirit Plant Master Yang Ping. I didn’t expect him to preside over this assessment."

"Besides Yang Ping, there’s also Spirit Plant Master Liu Yuanqing. Liu Yuanqing is a newly promoted First-Grade High-level Spirit Plant Master in the Spirit Plant Hall. I heard recently he was involved in cultivating a new type of Spirit Rice, said to be a rare type lost for nearly a thousand years, very busy. I didn’t expect he’d also spare time to preside over the Spirit Plant Master assessment?

It seems that the specifications for this assessment are very high indeed?"

"Two First-Grade High-level Spirit Plant Masters and two First-Grade Middle-level Spirit Plant Masters make the specifications obviously high.

I’ve heard there’s even a reward for this assessment’s first place."

"Isn’t there always a reward for getting first in the assessment?

I remember last month it was a Second-Grade Spirit Seed, and the one who got first the month before last, Wu Qiong, was directly taken as a disciple by a high-tier Spirit Plant Master..."