The second comment wasn't anonymous either, and the signature was pretty arrogant.
[Carefree Sword Immortal: Let me tell new disciples something interesting - Perfect level spiritual qi requires great opportunities and at least Golden Core realm to achieve, and it's not even guaranteed. Flawless level spiritual qi is even more interesting - even Nascent Soul cultivators might not reach it.]
The conclusions that followed were pretty much the same - basically all advising against learning it.
[Cave Spirit: I'm already at Golden Core, why wouldn't I just practice Upper Grade techniques directly!]
[Moon Dweller: Don't know which senior created this technique. Looks powerful but is actually useless. Don't recommend learning it.]
Of course, there were some special cases too.
[Reed Flute: If it's Perfect level spiritual qi, it's actually pretty good. Any Middle Grade technique is harder than Spirit Severing Blade, and from personal experience, with Perfect level spiritual qi, Spirit Severing Blade's power is quite good among Middle Grade techniques. Both the cultivation difficulty and spiritual qi consumption are much lower than Middle Grade techniques.]
[Anonymous: Alright, we get it - you had Perfect level spiritual qi during Qi Refining. By the way, friend, I just love talented people like you. If you see this, could you reply? I'd like to make friends!]
[Reed Flute: Divine Ability Peak, Cave Dwelling No. 14.]
Li Hanfeng: "..."
Good luck to this Reed Flute senior!
After reading so many comments, Li Hanfeng finally understood why the Shushan Sect didn't promote this technique.
The Spirit Severing Blade had no universal applicability - for most people, it was basically useless.
"Since the teaching elder recommended this technique to me, that means my spiritual qi should have reached Perfect level, right?"
If it was Ordinary or Excellent level, there'd be no need to learn it, because it couldn't compete with other techniques - might even be worse.
Without Perfect level spiritual qi, even if your spiritual qi was Excellent level, you'd face the Spirit Severing Blade's weaknesses - cultivation difficulty among the highest of Lower Grade techniques, while power was just average.
But if he had Perfect level spiritual qi, this became an advantage - cultivation difficulty was far lower than Middle Grade techniques, but power was quite good among Middle Grade techniques.
Just a thin line separating them, but the results were worlds apart.
On the shelf partition, there were lots of grooves, each corresponding to a specific technique.
Li Hanfeng didn't hesitate at all. He took out his identity token and placed it in the groove corresponding to Spirit Severing Blade.
As the identity token glowed, a jade slip suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"This is the jade slip recording Spirit Severing Blade - it just appeared like that. Spatial power?" Li Hanfeng was amazed.
A small Lower Grade technique, yet they used what seemed like teleportation.
He reached out and grabbed the floating jade slip. It immediately lost its external support and he easily held it.
After putting away the jade slip, he fell into thought: "Got the first technique. How should I choose the other two?"
He could quickly decide on the first technique because of the elder's recommendation.
Without that recommendation, he felt like a headless fly.
"Should I choose the classic Fireball technique?"
Fireball was quite a famous technique - many renowned experts had it as their first technique.
But after thinking for a while, he shook his head. He only had three technique selection opportunities. Having used one, the remaining two had to be carefully considered. Even after choosing, it'd be best to ask the teaching elder's opinion.
The Shushan Sect's teaching elders also liked answering disciples' questions - at least his teaching elder Jiang Tongheng was like that.
Still, he couldn't help thinking about what techniques to choose.
"Spirit Severing Blade is an offensive technique. With limited slots, choosing another offensive technique wouldn't be wise. In actual combat, defense is important. Right - a defensive technique should take one slot. The remaining choice... recovery type, utility type..."
Torn, Li Hanfeng walked to the defensive technique area. There were quite a few people here too.
He even met someone familiar - Wang Mingyue, who'd invited him to do a mission together last time.
"Big Brother Hanfeng!" Wang Mingyue's face immediately lit up when she saw Li Hanfeng, her cute little dimples showing. She seemed completely unaffected by being rejected last time.
"Mingyue." Li Hanfeng nodded and greeted her. "You're here choosing techniques too!"
Wang Mingyue immediately said: "Yeah, someone told me to choose a defensive technique."
She had almost no guard around Li Hanfeng, casually revealing very important information.
Li Hanfeng naturally caught the keyword "someone" right away. Curious, he asked: "Mingyue, who taught you to choose techniques like this?"
"After we separated yesterday, a pretty sister found me and said she wanted me as her disciple. Don't worry though - I listened to you and didn't agree to any stranger's demands or go with her!"
Saying this, she carefully glanced at Li Hanfeng. Seeing he didn't speak, she continued.
"That sister didn't force it either. She just said she was the Spiritual Sword Peak Master and would arrange for me to go to Spiritual Sword Peak once I became a formal disciple."
"Then that sister said since I couldn't escape anyway, she'd start exercising master's authority and gave me lots of pills - I couldn't refuse... There are so many pills I can't use them all, and they seem better quality than what the sect gives out. Oh right, Big Brother Hanfeng, let me give you some! Perfect timing meeting you here - I was actually planning to find you after choosing techniques..."
Thinking of something, she quickly added: "Oh right, I had the teaching elder check the pills before eating them - no problems. I didn't randomly eat things from strangers."
Watching Wang Mingyue about to look for pills, Li Hanfeng felt his conscience being condemned.
Whenever Wang Mingyue had good things, she thought of giving them to him.
In comparison, he was just...
He didn't lack pills and felt too embarrassed to take them, so he immediately refused: "Mingyue, no need. I have enough pills for cultivation."
Wang Mingyue looked at her Big Brother Hanfeng with clear, slightly confused eyes: "But that sister said the pills the sect gives out aren't enough for Upper Grade aptitude."
"..."
Damn me!
Hearing these sincere words, Li Hanfeng didn't know what to say. He could only respond: "I really don't lack pills. Let me tell you secretly - I'm already at the fourth layer of Qi Refining... Also, be a bit more 'selfish' with outsiders in the future, okay? Cultivation really needs resources."
"But Big Brother Hanfeng isn't an outsider." Wang Mingyue immediately interrupted, even seeming a bit angry.
Li Hanfeng said helplessly: "Anyway, I don't lack resources. Just keep them for yourself. Don't let me become a formal disciple while you become a servant disciple - then we won't be able to meet as easily!"
Of course, given Wang Mingyue's current situation, he might end up with lower status in the sect.
Hearing this, Wang Mingyue couldn't insist and could only pout: "Oh, okay then!"
She was actually feeling wronged!
Then they talked about technique selection.
As expected, Wang Mingyue's technique choices were also related to the pretty sister she mentioned.
The Spiritual Sword Peak Master of Shushan Sect - giving resources and advice.
How could ordinary probationary disciples get such treatment?
Li Hanfeng fell into thought.
He remembered the Great Karma that Wang Mingyue had triggered before.