The video's content was brief, but the information it revealed was enough to leave everyone stunned.
Just as they'd suspected, cultivation was indeed possible in this era—but that didn't mean everyone could do it. First, you needed your own Dao, and you had to be true to it.
Even among Daoist and Buddhist practitioners, not all could cultivate. Though they'd entered monastic life, not all of them truly believed in their Dao.
Those unrecognized by their sects naturally had no right to cultivate.
The government had established a dedicated department long ago, attempting to create a universal cultivation method accessible to all. As of today, they had failed.
They'd also searched existing techniques for one that would let a person cultivate without needing unwavering commitment to a so-called path. That search had also come up empty.
The Dragon Kingdom's sects extended beyond Daoism and Buddhism. Confucianism, Legalism, the School of the Military, the Mohists—each of these traditions possessed their own cultivation methods. But just like the Daoists and Buddhists, only disciples with unshakable conviction in their Dao could cultivate.
Nine years of compulsory education meant that virtually everyone could technically be considered part of the Confucian tradition, and some harbored genuine passion for literature and the written word. In theory, they should have been able to cultivate Confucian methods—but they couldn't.
Because for them, what they loved was literature, not Confucianism. They disagreed with many of Confucianism's tenets.
Comparatively, Daoist methods were actually the most accessible and easiest to cultivate.
Because the Dao encompassed too much. Literature, law, military strategy, the natural order of heaven and earth—all of it could be an expression of the Dao.
The Dao's approval didn't require you to follow the teachings of the ancient sages. You simply needed a belief you would uphold for the rest of your life—a path you were determined to walk.
That path could be literature, slaying demons, or the natural world itself.
Everything in existence was the Dao.
If a Buddhist disciple believed that "the Buddha is inherently the Dao," then they too could cultivate Daoist methods.
At the end of the video, the speaker announced a foundational Daoist technique: the Longevity Art.
They urged people to look inward, to ask themselves whether they had ever found something they loved and wished to pursue for the rest of their lives. As long as that path didn't break the law or harm others, it could be anything at all.
For those who felt even a glimmer of understanding, they could attempt the Longevity Art and see whether they could successfully cultivate.
Those who succeeded and wished to learn more advanced techniques could visit the Spiritual Energy Bureau to verify their identity and select their desired cultivation method.
In the current era, cultivation methods had become an invaluable resource for the Dragon Kingdom.
While various techniques still existed on the internet, even before the Spiritual Energy Revival they had been incomplete—their most critical portions deliberately excised.
The times were changing. During the first Spiritual Energy Tide, when the Earth's spiritual energy first revived, no one could cultivate—regardless of their sect, regardless of how deeply they believed in their Dao.
It was only after the second Spiritual Energy Tide that disciples gradually began to cultivate.
Would this latest spiritual energy anomaly—or the next Spiritual Energy Tide—further lower the threshold for cultivation? Until one day, everyone could cultivate?
It was only a possibility, but no one dared bet against it.
The internet exploded with activity over the video and the Longevity Art.
"I know that with this many people unable to cultivate, my chances are slim, but I just have this feeling that I'm special."
"Last time with the Awakened abilities, I also thought I was special, and then..."
"Awakened talent didn't work out, but surely cultivation will?"
"I'm out—going to try it right now. Maybe I can cultivate. I was a loser in school, a loser as an adult, still a loser after school. I think I might've been walking the Dao of the Loser my entire life."
"???"
"The Dao of the freaking Loser? Wouldn't that mean you definitely can't cultivate? What if you stop being a loser—how are you supposed to keep calling yourself one with a straight face? Wouldn't the Dao of the Loser collapse on itself?"
"!!!"
"Holy crap, I didn't even think of that!"
Laughter rippled across the internet, and then the number of people chatting visibly dwindled as one by one, they went off to try the Longevity Art.
As time passed, while the vast majority remained lost—still searching for their path—a small number had already succeeded. They excitedly posted their success stories online, earning the envy and admiration of others.
These people came from all walks of life—doctors, teachers, lawyers. Without question, their ability to cultivate came from their unwavering commitment to the principles of their profession.
Whether it was healing the sick, educating the young, or opposing every violation of the law—they were the real deal.
They were model doctors, model teachers, model lawyers. They rightfully earned the public's respect, and their success inspired others in similar professions to strengthen their own resolve.
Beyond the initial video, the government released no further announcements. They didn't over-publicize or force anyone to cultivate.
Nor did they need to. Family, friends, classmates—they would all take the initiative, asking each other whether they could cultivate, whether they'd tried. Curiosity spread naturally, and more and more people attempted it.
Before long, the Dragon Kingdom had entered an era of mass cultivation.
Having grown up watching wuxia dramas and xianxia shows—even if declining production quality, laughable special effects, and disappointing acting had eventually driven many away—there was no denying that deep in every person's heart lay a dream of wuxia and xianxia.
They'd once thought Awakened abilities would be their chance to realize that dream, only for reality to tell them they didn't have the talent.
They'd thought that was it—that it was over. They never expected cultivation methods to actually emerge.
What was so great about Awakened abilities anyway? Cultivation was what truly matched their Dragon Kingdom DNA. If xianxia was out of reach, xuanhuan would do just fine.
Nurtured by their cultural heritage, people embraced cultivation with enormous enthusiasm and interest.
Though many couldn't cultivate yet because they hadn't found their Dao, the same was true for those around them. And every day, new cultivators appeared online—their emergence spurring others to search harder for their own path.
Perhaps it really was because this latest spiritual energy feedback had once again lowered the threshold for cultivation. More and more people online were succeeding, and sometimes a friend or relative would suddenly be able to cultivate out of nowhere.
The results were plain to see. Under such dense concentrations of spiritual energy, anyone who could cultivate at all wouldn't be slow about it.