Nan Yan had always considered herself a good child. Her mother, unskilled in parenting, left Nan Yan to learn from romance novels, resulting in a vocabulary filled with flirtatious words. Now, facing discipline for the first time, she was at a loss for how to react.
After moving into Meng Ying’s quarters, Nan Yan glanced at the stone window. Realizing Ji Yang’s location was just a tree away, she felt the need to negotiate. “Brother, can we discuss something?”
“Go ahead,” Ji Yang replied.
“I think we can delay the writing practice. I’m only eight years old. Why not let me start with qi cultivation and bone marrow cleansing first? I’ve heard that after refining qi, one’s senses sharpen and memory improves significantly.”
“Alright,” Ji Yang agreed. He tidied up, pulled up a stool across from Nan Yan, and handed her a scroll containing Yang Yue Sect’s qi cultivation mantra. “Go ahead and try. I’ll watch.”
Nan Yan examined the mantra. While she recognized each character individually, their combination baffled her. After squinting for a while, she only understood one instruction: to position herself with the five points facing heaven to sense spiritual energy.
Under Ji Yang’s patient gaze, Nan Yan attempted the posture. However, the difficulty of aligning her crown, palms, and soles upward proved challenging. While thinner practitioners might manage, her plump figure made it nearly impossible to keep her soles facing up while cross-legged.
Struggling under Ji Yang’s increasingly peculiar stare, Nan Yan held her breath and forced her feet into position. Unfortunately, her soft, chubby body betrayed her, and she toppled onto the couch after mere moments.
“…”
Hugging her numb knees, Nan Yan pleaded, “Can’t you help me adjust?”
Ji Yang replied, “Boys and girls shouldn’t sit together after age seven. Get up yourself.”
“But I’m eight,” Nan Yan countered.
Considering her logic, Ji Yang relented. He knelt by the bed, helping her into position while massaging her arms and legs. As he adjusted her, he lectured, “Most cultivation mantras are obscure. Even for beginners, you should at least memorize the major acupoints to avoid confusion when practicing…”
Ji Yang guided her without referring to the scroll, pointing out several major acupoints and supporting her to prevent her from toppling over during meditation.
As his voice faded, Nan Yan closed her eyes and extended her awareness. At first restless, she soon developed a “sixth sense” beyond the darkness. A familiar essence, reminiscent of plants and morning dew, gathered around her.
This must be spiritual energy, she thought. It entered through her nostrils and crown, automatically flowing through her meridians. However, the energy dissipated after circulating halfway through her body.
When Nan Yan opened her eyes, she felt more alert but noticed no other changes. Looking up at Ji Yang, she admitted sheepishly, “I couldn’t retain it. Was my posture wrong?”
Ji Yang regarded her coolly. “Did your mother teach you qi cultivation before?”
“Yes, she did,” Nan Yan replied. “When we were short on money, she’d take me to the neighboring bun shop to cultivate qi so we wouldn’t feel hungry.”
Ji Yang was stunned. Realizing she had never practiced qi cultivation before yet could sense spiritual energy on her first try, he recognized her exceptional talent—a prodigy even among the Twelve States beyond the realm. Unfortunately, his current cultivation level prevented him from determining Nan Yan’s exact spiritual root constitution.
“Should I try again?” Nan Yan asked.
“No need. As new disciples, we should first take on sect duties before pursuing other matters.”
Nan Yan had heard from her mother that the Yang Yue Sect combined both magical arts and alchemy. The sect owned numerous spiritual herb fields at the mountain’s base, requiring many outer disciples to tend them.
Following Ji Yang out, they joined other new outer disciples gathered under a suspended bridge. A small pavilion stood nearby with wooden boards displaying bamboo slips listing tasks for outer disciples.
By the time they arrived, the boards were already surrounded by new disciples.
“I’m going to get our sect uniforms. Don’t wander off,” Ji Yang instructed before leaving.
Squeezed by the crowd, Nan Yan retreated to the side, overhearing others discuss the sect’s situation.
“The best positions? Naturally, they’re in the pill refinement, talisman, and equipment forging rooms. Any scraps of knowledge there are invaluable. If you’re lucky enough to receive guidance from an elder, you’ll never worry about your livelihood again.”
“But outer disciples are responsible for tending spiritual fields—two acres per person, with three first-grade spiritual herbs due monthly. Where’s the time for extra work?”
“That’s mortal thinking. Once you reach the Qi Condensation stage, even at the beginning, you can learn simple water control techniques. Watering every few days becomes effortless, leaving plenty of time for side jobs.”
“Hmph, we’re not the only outer disciples. The senior disciples have already taken all the good positions. We’re left with weeding spiritual fields or mining spiritual stones.”
Sure enough, several outer disciples in cyan-white robes soon arrived. The new disciples made way, allowing them to choose tasks first. Each senior disciple took five or six bamboo slips, leaving only about a dozen slips for the grueling spiritual stone mining tasks.
The new disciples looked disappointed, but the senior disciples didn’t leave. Instead, they exchanged knowing glances and announced, “Fellow junior disciples! Your seniors have something to say!”
As the new disciples turned their attention, two senior disciples spread out a cloth, displaying a pile of bamboo slips and a dice cup.
The crowd quickly grasped their intentions.
“Are you proposing to gamble with sect tasks, senior brothers?”
“Indeed,” one senior disciple replied, sitting down. “Yang Yue Sect is a righteous sect that looks after its new disciples. You should have received some Bone-Warming Pills, right? Let’s have some fun—bet five pills for a chance to choose any task from those before us.”
Most new disciples hesitated. Each had a bottle of ten Bone-Warming Pills, which not only aided cultivation but also helped recover from physical labor. They were reluctant to gamble them away.
Noticing their hesitation, the senior disciple smiled and said, “I heard some of you lost bets on your way up the mountain, losing three spirit stones each. Let your senior brother remind you: in cultivation, oaths are crucial. Breaking a gambling oath at the start of your journey could harm your future cultivation.”
Many in the crowd grimaced. A month’s work earned three spirit stones, while a good task could yield more than one spirit stone plus other benefits. They didn’t want to start their sect life empty-handed.
“If the senior brothers don’t mind, may I go first?” The speaker was Meng Ying, the girl who had exchanged quarters with Nan Yan. Looking refreshed, she approached the seniors with a sweet voice. “We delicate girls rely on these Bone-Warming Pills for rest. Senior brothers, please don’t take advantage of your junior sister.”
The senior disciples, delighted to interact with a beautiful junior, replied, “Of course, of course. If you’re worried, you can shake the dice cup yourself. We won’t touch it.”
Meng Ying didn’t hesitate. She placed her Bone-Warming Pills on “big” and shook the cup three or four times with her slender hands. Upon opening it, she smiled triumphantly.
It was indeed “big.”
“Junior sister has good luck. Given your delicate appearance, the pill refinery needs someone to watch the fire. It’s perfect for you.”
The senior disciple wasn’t lying. The pill refinery was the most coveted position. The spiritual herbs’ vapors could benefit one’s cultivation even after a few hours of exposure.
“Thank you, senior brother!” Meng Ying happily took the bamboo slip for the pill refinery and left.
The senior disciple then announced, “Junior brothers, there are only four positions in the pill refinery. Better hurry before they’re all gone.”
“I’m in!” The new disciples immediately crowded around the gambling mat.
Nan Yan watched from the side. Soon, she noticed passing senior disciples wearing mocking expressions. She found it strange, and sure enough, no one else won in the next few rounds. The two seniors running the game had won fifty or sixty Bone-Warming Pills, worth about thirty spirit stones.
Some suspected foul play, but whenever the atmosphere tensed, a new disciple would win and leave happily. Despite more losses than wins, people continued to gamble.
Nan Yan grew increasingly suspicious. At one point, she closed her eyes and sensed the spiritual energy flow. She detected a thin stream of energy flowing underground towards the dice cup, causing the dice to suddenly turn from “small” to “big” as they settled.
“Wow, they’re cheating,” she thought.
As Nan Yan watched, she imagined how to intercept that subtle energy flow. Suddenly, the surrounding spiritual energy condensed and cut off the force controlling the dice.
“Small! I won!” A new disciple exclaimed joyfully, reaching for the bamboo slips. The senior disciple’s face darkened as he slapped away the junior’s hand.
“Who said you could touch that?” The senior disciple scanned everyone’s faces angrily, unable to detect who had successfully cultivated qi. His expression grew gloomy.
“Senior brother, what do you mean? I clearly won…” The winning disciple looked hurt.
After a moment of silence, the senior disciple snorted, “We were trying to help you newcomers, but someone has entered with hidden skills!”
Entering with hidden skills meant beginning cultivation before joining the sect. Such disciples needed to report to the sect for screening against demonic cultivators or spies from other sects.
His accusation shocked the new disciples. The recent winner quickly defended himself, “Senior brother, I’m from Hejian Prefecture and have never cultivated before. You can check my dantian.”
The two senior disciples, only at the initial stage of Qi Condensation, couldn’t possibly check everyone. But having made the accusation, they couldn’t back down. They coldly announced, “Since you entered together, I’ll give you a chance. Identify the possible hidden cultivator among you, and the rest will be spared investigation.”
Nan Yan finally understood. These senior disciples were taking advantage of the newcomers with a rigged gambling game, using spiritual energy to control the dice and swindle Bone-Warming Pills. Now that someone had interfered, they were using this accusation to cover up their scam.
“Oh no, they might target me,” Nan Yan thought. Her instinct was correct. As she tried to leave, a fellow new disciple pushed her to the center.
“Senior brothers, we’re all from ordinary families. Only this chubby one managed to climb the three thousand steps first during the trial. It must be her!”
“You’ve guessed correctly,” Nan Yan thought sarcastically.
As Nan Yan raised her head to explain, she saw the two senior disciples eyeing her skeptically. They sneered, “Do you take us for fools? How could this little piggy climb the Heavenly Stairs? There must be an accomplice among you. I’ll count to three. If no one comes forward, I’ll report this to the sect elders for a thorough investigation of your entire group!”
The other senior disciple pressed, “Speak up! Where’s the accomplice?”
As the noise around her became overwhelming, a calm voice spoke behind Nan Yan.
“The accomplice is here. What guidance do the senior brothers have to offer?”
Ji Yang stood behind her, his gaze cool. He wore the same cyan-white robes, but while some wore them like wolves, he appeared as elegant as the crescent moon.
“He’s so handsome,” Nan Yan thought.