Unlike when I'm building up the art or method the normal way, I couldn't select any option willy-nilly. Rather, under the foundational parts, there were really only a few things I could alter.
For starters, it was the number of forms and I immediately selected the maximum option, which was 12. If this was gonna be a versatile method that I need it to be, it needs to have as many avenues as possible, and 12 was as may as I could add.
Internal logic cohesion was another one that I could change, and I settled on yet another utmost I could: Dao-Harmonized, which cost me a whopping 1,250 points.
In the energy and elemental integration part, there was only one thing I could change as the new method would inherit the base from Enduring Eternity: I could add traces of elements. The issue was that, no matter the combination, there would be a 'dominant' one, which then further locked the options down the line that I could select from. And, if I tried to infuse some of the more complex and layered ones, they'd all come with a 'flaw'.
For instance, trying to infuse trace of 'Time' into the method would result in massively increased cultivation speed at the expense of double Qi consumption. Not for cultivation, no, but across the board.
Trying to infuse 'Chaos' (a trace of which would cost me 3,000 points), would make it so that whoever cultivated the method would have Chaos Qi--which meant that the martial arts would be infused with any random kind of Qi as Chaos Qi would simply inherit the properties of one at the point of origin. Which one? Random. Really. The literal case of, 'random bullshit: go'.
Ultimately, I ended up infusing a rather strange concept: Stance.
It had no drawback unlike most others within its range, and it was surprisingly close to the exact thing I wanted.
[Stance Concept: assume the body position of an inherent attack, changing the aspect of Qi and altering the perception of comprehension. Supports all concepts other than Primal]
Best I understood it, if someone like Xi Zhao assumed the same pose he does when he attacks with a sword, the nature of his cultivation would shift to favor the sword. Inversely, someone like Dai Xiu might take a stance she does when punching out, changing that nature.
If it's true or not... honestly, it was a pretty big gamble on my part, as the concept cost a whopping 1,000 points, meaning that I was basically already halfway through my allotted 5,000. Nonetheless, it was one of the three that kinda sounded like what I'd want, and the other two both cost in six digits... so that wasn't gonna happen.
I'm pretty sure the bulk of the remaining points will be spent on the next section, Specific Effects and Characteristics.
Off the rip, I added a whole heap of basic enhancers: cultivation speed, Qi purification, breakthrough assistance, body tempering, resistances to mental obstacles, and a small assortment of very minor boosts that ultimately didn't add much by themselves (or together, to be honest) but also cost about 200 points in totality. By the time I was done, I'd nearly crossed the 3,000 points threshold, sitting at a pretty 2,935.
When the basic bits were out, I started scouring through the more specialized ones.
[Array-Tempered: while using this method to cultivate under a Qi-tampering array, the effects of the array are doubled. Cost: 600 CP][Stone-Lung Cycle: while cultivating in areas with thin or polluted Qi, efficiency is reduced less severely. Cost: 500 CP][Hollow Reservoir: maximum Qi capacity is increased at the expense of reduced recovery speed. Cost: 1,000 CP][Hidden Trace: breakthrough signs are almost fully concealed from the outside observers. Cost: 800 CP][Soothe the Five Organs: minor internal and external injuries recover slowly while cultivating. Cost: 650 CP][Moonwell Trance: entering deep meditation becomes easier beneath moonlight. Cost: 120 CP][Thousand-Breath Extension: stamina consumption from prolonged cultivation is reduced. Cost: 1,500 CP]
There were literal hundreds of the ones like these littering the options, ranging from generic to something very specific like:
[Frostbound Touch: cultivating Cold Qi forms tiny icicles on the skin, increasing defense against the next martial art. Cost: 100 CP]
It took me a long while, actually, to come across even one that I considered using as there was no way to 'sort' them, so I just had to scroll and read through them one by one.
In the end, I could only add two as they were quite costly. Since I wanted to save some points for the last few stages of creation, I also put a couple in the back of my mind in case there wasn't anything else I'd want to spend points on later down the line.
[Steadfast Heart-Soul-Body: cultivation sessions can last much longer. Optimal state persists twice as long upon fresh start. Cost: 1,000 CP][Heavenly Concealment: martial artist is naturally shrouded from the peering eyes, become almost completely invisible to the Divine Sense. Cost: 800 CP]
That left me with a whopping 265 points.
Coming upon the Unique Properties, I immediately went back and removed Heavenly Concealment as there two things here that I absolutely had to add.
The first was 'Self-Correction'--at the cost of 600 points, it would passively correct the kids taking wrong paths of guiding Qi. While it might be a bit of an overkill, I'd rather be safe than sorry.
The last bit was reduced learning curve. Prior to this attempt, I only had the option to lower it by one, but now, for a whopping 400 points, I could lower it by two steps. Which was a no-brainer. honestly.
In totality, I was now sitting at 4,935 spent points out of 5,000. I looked around for a bit looking for anything else I could add, but there was nothing at that price range, so I simply confirmed the creation without a second thought because I didn't want to second guess my choices--
--shit. I forgot the name. Again. WHY AREN'T YOU DESIGNED TO PROMPT ME WHEN I DON'T NAME THE ART?!
[--congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Protean Song of Eternity' cultivation method][...][Protean Song of Eternity][Type: Cultivation Method][Rank: quasi-Divine][Host Comprehension: Minor][...][Taking the baseline of Enduring Eternity, which was stability and endurance, the method proliferates the ways of comprehension by attempting to tackle the daunting task of all-purpose acceptance. Though it ultimately fails as its rank is too low, it does what no other method before it managed: illuminate a path. As it inherits from a relatively low-level method, its foundational aspects err on the side of slow, but it more than makes up for it with its ability to alter and purify strange forms of Qi, specifying the form of Qi added to one's dantian purely through comprehensive stance. Despite the attempts to bolster the cultivation speed, ultimately, however, it still ranks among the lowest within its rank; rather, many, many methods exist with even lower ranks that far outpace its ability to gather Qi. As it forgoes speed to offer unheard of layers of versatility and stability for its rank, it would be considered a strange and curious anomaly for all those who cannot glimpse the truth beyond the surface. Malleable by those who practice it, through time they can slowly erode the aspects they do not need and specialize it for their own use. Suited for both those who are just beginning the journey, as it self-corrects their mistakes with passive guidance, and even those who have journeyed for a long while as it allows them to adjust it completely to their own needs. In its current form, it can be used up to Eternal Barrier Realm][...][Creation Points Value: 4,935/1,000 (5,000)][Comprehension Difficulty: ???][...][Creation Bonus: Host's ability to force-enter his Disciples into the state of Enlightenment is being infused directly into the method][New Effect: once every 3 months, the first cultivation session of all your Direct Disciples who practice Protean Song of Eternity is guaranteed to trigger the state of Enlightenment that will last at minimum for one hour][...][Only one of the effects of the Enduring Eternity is being carried over][Achieving Perfect Comprehension will immediately raise one's cultivation to the peak of their current realm. If they are already at the peak, breaking through into the next major realm will immediately force them to the peak of that realm. This effect is only active for those at or below the Nirvana Realm][...][A special reward is triggered, granting a new effect][All those practicing Protean Song of Eternity will experienced shared-in cultivation; a very small percentage of the Qi and comprehension is shared equally across everyone of lower realm and comprehension than the person practicing][...][As Host has achieved an unprecedented feat, legendary reward has been triggered][...][New Item: Living Mountain (Dao)][Living Mountain (Dao) -- can be expanded to the size of an actual mountain or shrunk to fit the palm of a hand. Must be empty of all strictly non-sentient life to be shrunk. All things built on top of it--including arrays and formations--are shrunk alongside of it while maintaining function. Cannot be deployed as an attack; area must be clear of all life for it to enlarge. Its soil quality never degrades, allowing for repeated cycles of cultivating herbs][...][...][System has consumed 5,000 of Host's existing points to shroud the Host from the world. The method's creation should have triggered Dao's Song, but the system prevented it. Host should be advised that, in the future, you should locate isolated spaces as it is not always going to be possible for the system to block the phenomenon][...][Creation Bonus Triggered: A relevant hint][Answer to the mystery that has remained unsolved for well over 100,000,000 years resides somewhere on the Nirvana Frontier Island][...][Good luck, Host!]