As modern civilization progressed, the environment on Earth underwent earth-shaking changes. The spiritual energy in the world became increasingly thin, to the point where it could no longer support the cultivation of practitioners.
Consequently, cultivators became rare, while martial artists—who focus on internal power and techniques—began to rise to prominence. Today, it has effectively become a world for martial artists. As for cultivators, due to the development of modern industry, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth has become so sparse it is almost negligible, making the presence of true cultivators all but impossible to track.
Lin Xiaolong was only able to become a cultivator because of the fortuitous encounter he had at Longyang Cave. Although the modern world is thin on spiritual energy, it is not entirely absent. Especially in untainted, famous mountains and great rivers, there are places where spiritual energy can still be clearly felt.
Chapter 165