8: Chapter 8 Entering the Outer Sect for the First Time, New Fools

[As the first ray of morning light falls upon your face, you slowly open your eyes.]

[A night of cultivation has made the magical power within your Dantian a sliver more robust.]

[You stand up and stretch, your bones emitting a series of crisp popping sounds, feeling a sense of power.]

["First Layer of Qi Refining... doesn't feel like much after all."]

[You sense the total amount of magical power in your body and curl your lip.]

[Although your magical power is more condensed and pure than that of Cultivators at the same stage, the total amount is still too small. It's probably only enough to cast three to five of the lowest-level "Fireball Technique" or "Light Body Technique."]

["The revolution is not yet successful; comrades still need to work hard."]

[You sigh with emotion and begin to look around.]

[Your "home" has turned into a pile of ruins. Your only property—several baskets of unsold Chinese cabbage—has also suffered, scattered everywhere by the airwaves.]

[You walk over, pick up one that is still relatively intact, pat off the dirt, and take a crisp bite with a "crunch."]

[Crisp, refreshing, with a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste.]

["Mm, the vegetables I grow myself still taste the best."]

[While munching on the cabbage, you stroll toward the Outer Sect Management Office.]

[Along the way, all the Utility Disciples who see you stop in their tracks from a distance, bowing to you with eyes full of awe and curiosity.]

["Good morning, Grandpa Tang!"]

["Congratulations to Senior Tang on stepping onto the path of immortality!"]

[You respond with a smile all the way, exercising the effect of the 'Affable and Amiable' trait to its fullest.]

["Morning, young man. The weather is nice today."]

["Congratulations to us all. Everyone must work hard."]

[By the time you reach the Management Office, Steward Li has been waiting for a long time.]

[He looks at the half-eaten cabbage in your hand, and the corner of his eye twitches again.]

[This Senior... truly has a unique style.]

["Senior Tang, your identity procedures have been completed." Steward Li hands over a brand-new set of green robes and a wooden token engraved with your name.]

["These are the Outer Sect Disciple's attire and identity token. Your Immortal Cave is arranged in Ding District, Number 9527. The Spiritual Qi there is relatively thin, but it has the advantage of being quiet, which suits your preferences."]

[He speaks very politely, but the meaning is clear: as a newcomer who only reached the First Layer of Qi Refining at ninety, don't expect to be assigned to any good place.]

["Thank you for your trouble, Steward Li."]

[You don't mind. Taking the items, you offer your thanks and turn to leave.]

["Wait, Senior Tang," Steward Li calls out to you.]

[He hesitates for a moment before taking a small booklet out of his Storage Pouch and handing it to you.]

["This is... the 'Qingyun Sect Outer Sect Disciple's Handbook' issued by the sect to new Outer Sect Disciples. It records some sect rules and matters of attention. Also, here is a 'Detailed Explanation of Basic Spells.' I'll give them both to you."]

[He shouldn't have been so proactive, but for some reason, looking at your Affable and Amiable face, he felt that forming a good relationship with you wouldn't be a bad thing.]

["Oh? There are such good things?"]

[Your eyes light up, and you take them without ceremony.]

[The 'Qi Guiding Art' only teaches you how to absorb Spiritual Qi, not how to use it. You currently have a body full of magical power but can't even conjure a fireball. You were just worrying about where to learn.]

["Thank you, Steward Li. You really are a good person." You pat his shoulder, praising him sincerely.]

[Steward Li is stunned by your sudden friendly gesture, then gives a dry laugh. "Senior is too kind. It's only right, only right."]

[Holding the items, you leave the Laborer Courtyard with satisfaction—the place where you lived for seventy-two years.]

[You do not look back.]

[Because you know that your journey is the sea of stars.]

[Following the map instructions on the token, you soon find your "Immortal Cave."]

[It is at the foot of a mountain, in the most remote corner—a cave that looks like it was hastily excavated. The entrance is overgrown with weeds, without even a proper stone door, only a dilapidated wooden fence.]

["Ding District 9527... truly VIP treatment."]

[You make a sarcastic remark and push open the fence to enter.]

[The cave is empty, with only a stone bed and a stone table. It's damp and cold, permeated with a musty smell.]

[The so-called Spiritual Qi is so thin it's negligible, no different from the woodshed you lived in before.]

["Fine, anyway, I don't rely on the environment to Cultivate."]

[You are quite satisfied with this.]

[The more dilapidated the place, the fewer people come, and the more suitable it is for you to make a fortune in silence.]

[You do some simple cleaning, then eagerly sit cross-legged on the stone bed and flip open the 'Detailed Explanation of Basic Spells.']

[The book records basic Spells of the Five Elements, including: the Metal-type 'Sharp Metal Technique,' the Wood-type 'Accelerated Growth Technique,' the Water-type 'Water Condensing Technique,' the Fire-type 'Fireball Technique,' and the Earth-type 'Earth Wall Technique.']

[They are all common Spells, not very powerful, but practical.]

[Equipped with the 'Good Memory' trait, you only read them once and have memorized most of the energy circulation routes and incantations for all the Spells.]

[You decide to start practicing with the coolest one, the "Fireball Technique."]

[You extend your withered finger, mimicking the book, forming hand seals while chanting incantations, simultaneously mobilizing the meager magical power in your Dantian.]

["Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe... uh, no, that's not it... Heaven and Earth without limits, borrow power from the universe... that doesn't seem right either..."]

[You struggle for a long time, your fingers almost tying themselves in knots. In the end, let alone a fireball, not even a spark appears.]

["Strange, where did the problem occur?"]

[You are completely baffled.]

[Just then, the effect of the 'Effort Will Be Rewarded' trait begins to manifest.]

[With every failed attempt, although you don't successfully cast the Spell, your control over the flow of magical power becomes more proficient at an imperceptible speed.]

[Every wrong hand seal gives you a deeper understanding of the correct gesture.]

[You immerse yourself in the joy of "trial and error," trying again and again.]

[Finally, after hundreds of failures, a small cluster of orange flame pops out from your fingertip with a "pfft."]

[The flame is only the size of a bean, flickering as if it might go out at any moment.]

[But you are ecstatic!]

["Success!"]

[Like a child who got a new toy, you continue practicing with great interest.]

[With the first success, things go much more smoothly afterward.]

[The flame on your fingertip grows from the size of a bean to a soybean, then to a peanut...]

[Half a day later, you can finally successfully conjure a fireball the size of a fist!]

[The fireball floats in your palm, emitting a scorching temperature, illuminating the entire dark cave.]

[You look at this fireball as if looking at your own child, your face full of affection.]

["Go!"]

[With a thought, you throw the fireball at the stone wall.]

["Boom!"]

[The fireball hits the stone wall with a dull thud, exploding into a brilliant spark, and then... it's gone.]

[On the stone wall, only a shallow, fist-sized black mark remains.]

[You: "..."]

[Isn't this power a bit too underwhelming?]

[You estimate that if this thing hit a person, it would probably just feel like being scalded by boiling water, at most causing a blister.]

["It seems the power of a Spell is related to both the quality and quantity of magical power."]

[Although your magical power is pure, the quantity is too small, and your application of Spells is still very clumsy.]

["No rush, take it slow."]

[You then practice the other four Spells one by one.]

[The 'Water Condensing Technique' allows you to conjure a handful of clear water out of thin air, just solving your future drinking water problem.]

[The 'Earth Wall Technique' can raise a half-person-high earth wall in front of you. Although it could be kicked down, it should be fine for blocking a stray arrow or something.]

[- The 'Sharp Metal Technique' can make your fingernails as sharp as blades. You tried it and could easily carve characters on the stone table; it can be used for self-defense or... clipping nails in the future.]

[What surprises you most is the 'Accelerated Growth Technique.']

[You cast it on a weed at the cave entrance, and the weed grew a section taller at a speed visible to the naked eye.]

[Your eyes instantly light up as a bold idea springs to mind.]

["What if I use this Spell to accelerate the growth of Spirit Medicine?"]

[The more you think about it, the more feasible it seems.]

[You already have the 'Little Expert at Farming' trait (though it's not currently equipped) and have insights into planting. If combined with the 'Accelerated Growth Technique,' wouldn't you be able to become a professional Spirit Medicine Cultivator?]

[This is a golden path to making a fortune!]

[Just as you are immersed in your future business blueprint, an untimely voice drifts in from outside your Immortal Cave.]

["Hey! Newcomer, are you there? Come out and pay this month's allowance!"]

[The voice is arrogant and domineering, full of impatience.]

[You raise an eyebrow and walk out.]

[You see three young men in Outer Sect Disciple robes standing outside the cave. The leader is a shifty-looking fellow at the Second Layer of Qi Refining, looking at you with ill intent.]

["Allowance? What allowance?" you ask with your hands tucked in your sleeves, looking kind and gentle.]

["New here, aren't you? Don't know the rules?" The shifty-looking fellow sizes you up, his eyes full of disdain.]

["I'm Zhao Tiger, the boss of this Ding District. All new Disciples must hand over half of the monthly allowance issued by the sect in their first month as 'protection money' to honor us Senior Brothers. Understand, old man?"]

[The two lackeys behind him are also at the First Layer of Qi Refining, currently crossing their arms and looking at you mockingly.]

[On your first day entering the Outer Sect, trouble has actively come knocking.]

[Looking at these three young men whose average age doesn't exceed twenty, swaggering before you, an "old monster" who has lived for over a hundred years, you can't help but find it a bit amusing.]

[You even feel a bit nostalgic.]

[How is this scene so similar to when Wang Hao was looking for trouble with you over seventy years ago?]

[Except, back then, you were a Mortal without the strength to truss a chicken.]

[But now...]

[The smile on your face becomes increasingly Affable and Amiable.]

["Oh, so that's how it is. Then... what if I don't pay?"]