Tension and anticipation mingled on the faces of the children gathered in the lecture hall.
Meanwhile, the two who had still failed to reach Qi Refining Stage 1 sat behind the folding screen in lotus position, their faces pale.
A short while later, Steward Wang Jin entered the lecture hall.
An outer disciple followed him in, carrying a wooden chest filled with small pouches.
Wang Jin slowly surveyed the new recruits.
“Today marks the hundredth day. Most of you have succeeded in Drawing Qi into the Body. Not a bad result.”
Wang Jin’s gaze shifted toward the folding screen.
“Zhu Ming.”
The young boy flinched and rose to his feet.
“Yes.”
“You will be sent down to the Menial Labor Compound. If you succeed in Drawing Qi into the Body within six months while working there, I will allow you to enter the Outer Gate.”
The boy’s face brightened.
“Thank you, Steward!”
“There is no need to thank me. The work at the Menial Labor Compound will be far harder than what you have been doing here.”
“I’ll work hard.”
Wang Jin turned his head.
“Gao Ze.”
This time, a young man rose from his seat.
“Yes.”
“Leave through the Mountain Gate.”
The color drained from the young man’s face.
“Steward, please give me just one more chance. I swear I’ll...”
“Enough! Zhu Ming cultivated diligently. He merely lacks talent, but that does not mean he has no potential. You, however, lacked both talent and effort. Leave the mountain.”
The young man bit his lip but could say no more.
The outer disciple who had entered with Wang Jin escorted the two of them out of the lecture hall.
Wang Jin opened the roster.
“From now on, those whose names I call will be formally accepted as outer disciples of Qinghe Valley.”
The atmosphere in the lecture hall changed. The children straightened their backs.
“Outer disciples receive one low-grade spirit stone and ten Hunger-Warding Pills each month, along with a modest amount of contribution points. You can earn additional contribution points by performing exceptionally well in your assigned duties or by completing separate missions. Contribution points can be used to borrow or purchase cultivation arts, techniques, pills, magic tools, and other items. This month’s supplies have already been placed inside the storage pouches you will receive today, and your contribution points have been recorded on your new identity tokens.”
Wang Jin called out the names one by one.
The disciples whose names were called stepped forward, returned their old wooden tokens, and received a new identity token and a storage pouch.
Soon, it was Lee Hyun’s turn.
“Lee Hyun.”
“Yes.”
“Your assigned duty is assistant caretaker for Spirit Field No. 73 on Medicinal Field Peak.”
Lee Hyun’s expression brightened.
“The caretaker of Spirit Field No. 73 is Lu Baishan. That fellow has handled spirit plant work in the Outer Gate for many years, so you should have plenty to learn from him.”
“Understood.”
Lee Hyun received his new identity token and a storage pouch that looked like a small cloth bag, then returned to his seat.
The new identity token was made of dark blue-black wood. It was about the same size as the old one, but the emblem of Qinghe Valley had been intricately carved into the front, while the back bore Lee Hyun’s name and the words Outer Gate.
He still had no idea how to use the storage pouch, however.
Before long, the last disciple received their items and returned to their seat.
After having the wooden chest removed, Wang Jin took an old storage pouch from his waist.
“Most of you have probably never seen a storage pouch before, so I’ll show you how to use one.”
He placed a finger against the mouth of the pouch.
“Channel spiritual power into the formation engraved around the opening, then send your consciousness inside along its flow. You do not need much spiritual power. A strand as thin as a thread is enough.”
Lee Hyun placed the storage pouch on his palm along with the other disciples.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a pouch made of gray cloth. A black cord was tied around its opening, and faint silver patterns were embroidered across the fabric.
He drew up a small amount of Primordial True Qi from his dantian and channeled it into the patterns.
At first, nothing happened.
When Lee Hyun closed his eyes and focused his consciousness on the pouch, the patterns began to glow faintly. At that moment, an empty space appeared in his mind.
It was dark in every direction, with indistinct boundaries. Inside lay a transparent stone and a wooden vial.
‘Oh... that’s fascinating.’
Lee Hyun thought about taking out the stone. A cold sensation immediately touched his palm.
It was a transparent stone about two knuckles long. Inside it, something like a pale white mist slowly swirled as though alive.
Exclamations of wonder rose around him.
“Is this a spirit stone?”
A boy seated in the front row asked.
“That’s right. A low-grade spirit stone.”
Wang Jin took an identical stone out of his own storage pouch.
“Spirit stones are formed when heaven-and-earth spiritual qi condenses over a very long period of time. They can occur naturally in mineral veins, and they can also be artificially produced around spirit veins.”
One boy clutched his spirit stone in both hands and tried to draw out the spiritual qi within it. The mist inside the stone quivered slightly, and Wang Jin immediately rebuked him.
“Don’t absorb it recklessly.”
Startled, the boy loosened his grip.
“You can hold a spirit stone and draw out its spiritual qi directly. But at your current level, you cannot properly refine the spiritual qi contained within it. More than half of it would simply disperse into the air.”
Wang Jin rolled the spirit stone between his fingers.
“The most common use for spirit stones is powering formations. It’s the same when cultivating. If you obtain a portable Qi-Gathering Formation and place a spirit stone into its formation plate, it can draw the surrounding spiritual qi into a confined space. Cultivating inside it is several times more efficient than absorbing a spirit stone directly.”
Several children’s eyes lit up.
“Where can we get a portable Qi-Gathering Formation?”
“You can buy one at the Artifact Hall with contribution points or spirit stones. Even a crude one will cost at least fifty low-grade spirit stones.”
The children who had looked eager only moments before immediately deflated.
As though he had expected that reaction, Wang Jin continued.
“If your spiritual power is exhausted in battle and your life hangs by a thread, you may have no choice but to absorb from a spirit stone directly. But unless you are in such a situation, do not waste them. Spirit stones are the most widely used currency in the cultivation world, so keep them safe.”
Lee Hyun put the spirit stone back into his storage pouch.
The wooden vial inside contained ten bean-sized Hunger-Warding Pills. When he focused his consciousness on the identity token, the words 10 contribution points appeared faintly beneath his name.
“Do not try to put living animals or people inside a storage pouch. Even if you try to force them in, the formation will not activate.”
The children repeatedly put items into their storage pouches and took them back out.
Lee Hyun also put his identity token, spirit stone, and Hunger-Warding Pills in and took them back out several times. Once he grew accustomed to it, he could store and retrieve items with a mere thought without even opening the pouch by hand.
...
Once their duties and residences had been assigned, the new outer disciples dispersed from the lecture hall.
Most returned to their old quarters to pack their belongings. From now on, they would either live in quarters near their assigned duties or move into Outer Gate residences established on the various peaks.
Lee Hyun likewise returned to his room and packed the clothes, bedding, and books he had been issued.
Once he placed the bulky bedding and wooden dishes into his storage pouch, the belongings that had occupied one corner of the room vanished in an instant.
Wang Shao was crouched in front of his bed, completely absorbed in putting his belongings into his storage pouch and taking them back out again.
“Brother, look at this.”
He opened his hand, and a wooden dish appeared. He turned his hand over again, and the dish vanished.
“I feel like I’ve already seen that dozens of times.”
“Isn’t it still amazing? If I buy a bunch of storage pouches later, maybe I could even carry a whole house around with me.”
“Can you put one storage pouch inside another?”
“I tried it with another friend earlier, but it doesn’t work. The openings just close up as if they’re repelling each other.”
“Where were you assigned?”
“The Spirit Beast Garden.”
Wang Shao’s voice grew slightly quieter. Thinking he was unhappy with his assignment, Lee Hyun tried to console him.
“I heard not many people get the work they want right from the start. If you work hard at the Spirit Beast Garden, you might be able to learn swordsmanship later.”
Wang Shao shook his head.
“That’s not it. I asked around, and apparently aspiring sword cultivators are often sent to the Spirit Beast Garden when they first become disciples.”
“Why?”
“A disciple who’s only just reached Qi Refining Stage 1 isn’t much use, is he? Take someone like that on a Dharma Protector Hall mission and they’d only be a burden. So at first, they haul feed for the spirit beasts or clean their pens to build up their strength, while learning not to panic when dealing with spirit beasts.”
Unlike a moment earlier, Wang Shao now spoke with obvious excitement.
“I’ve been assigned to the area that looks after Azure-Horn Deer, a Tier 1 spirit beast. They’re docile, so it shouldn’t be dangerous.”
Wang Shao looked as though he had already stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter in swordsmanship at the Spirit Beast Garden.
“That’s good. Still, be careful not to get hurt.”
“I told you, they’re docile. I’m more worried about you, Brother. You might end up pulling weeds in a field all day.”
“It’s what I wanted, so I don’t mind.”
Wang Shao fastened his storage pouch securely at his waist.
The two of them had shared the same room for one hundred days. It was both a long time and a short one, depending on how one looked at it. Wang Shao certainly talked a lot, but thanks to him, Lee Hyun had been less bored as well.
“Let’s meet again in the Inner Gate someday.”
“I told you, I have no intention of entering the Inner Gate.”
“No one knows what the future holds. Brother might accomplish something great in the field of spirit plants and catch an Elder’s eye.”
“Then you get into the Inner Gate first and save me a place.”
“Of course.”
Wang Shao held out his fist. Lee Hyun bumped it with his own.
“Take care.”
“You too, Brother.”
...
Lee Hyun headed toward Medicinal Field Peak.
The entire mountain had been carved into the shape of a gigantic staircase.
Countless spirit fields stretched upward in terraces from the foot of the mountain to its middle reaches. Low stone walls and waterways divided the fields, and different spirit herbs grew in each one.
Some grasses had silver patterns flowing across their green leaves, while other plants had red roots protruding from the earth like human fingers.
Scarecrows woven from straw turned their heads on their own to drive away birds.
Small clouds drifted slowly through the air above the spirit fields. When a cultivator in gray robes formed a hand sign, a fine rain began to fall from one of the clouds.
In another spirit field, slender silver needles darted rapidly between the leaves, piercing tiny insects.
‘Looks like I came to the right place.’
The farther he climbed, the stronger an indescribable fragrance became amid the scents of earth and grass.
A sweet floral scent drifted from one spirit field, while another gave off a pungent odor sharp enough to sting his nose. Formation patterns had been carved into every stone wall, and whenever Lee Hyun drew close, his identity token trembled faintly.
Most of the senior cultivators paid no attention to him.
Lee Hyun checked the signposts along the paths as he made his way toward his assigned spirit field.
...
Spirit Field No. 73 lay near the edge of Medicinal Field Peak.
It was about as large as several of the fields in White Wood Village put together, where Lee Hyun had first settled after arriving in this world.
Green grass grew neatly within the low stone walls. At the center of the spirit field stood a small pond and a single-story building with earthen walls and a tiled roof.
It was not an ornate building, but it seemed more than adequate to serve as both a workshop and residence for the spirit field’s caretaker.
On one side of the front yard, bamboo mats had been spread out for drying spirit herbs. Beside them stood rows of earthenware jars filled with soil and medicinal ingredients. Along the edge of the pond, potted medicinal herbs Lee Hyun did not recognize had been lined up in a row.
An old man was bent over in the field, pulling weeds.
More than half of his hair had turned white, and deep wrinkles lined his sun-darkened face.
Lee Hyun approached and greeted him.
“Are you Senior Brother Lu?”
The old man raised his head.
His gaze moved from Lee Hyun’s face to the identity token hanging at his waist.
“You’re the new recruit?”
“Yes. My name is Lee Hyun. I’ve been assigned as assistant caretaker for Spirit Field No. 73.”
Lu Baishan straightened up.
“Follow me.”
He led Lee Hyun toward the building at the center of the spirit field. Up close, bundles of dried herbs could be seen hanging beneath the eaves, while dirt-stained boots and bamboo baskets of various sizes rested against the wall.
Lu Baishan opened the door.
“Come in.”
The interior was more spacious than it had appeared from outside. All manner of farming tools, including hoes, sickles, and watering cans, hung from one wall, while scrolls depicting various spirit herbs and listing their characteristics covered the opposite side.
A long table stood in the middle of the room. Several small pots containing young spirit herbs sat atop it alongside worn books and a teapot. A kitchen and two rooms lay farther inside, making it clear that the building served as living quarters as well as a workshop.
Lu Baishan lightly dusted off his hands. A faint glow passed over them, and the dirt vanished without a trace. He sat behind the table and took a sip of his cooling tea.
“Sit.”
Once Lee Hyun had taken a seat across from him, Lu Baishan asked,
“What cultivation art do you practice?”
“The Primordial One-Qi Art.”
Lu Baishan stared at Lee Hyun for a moment, then clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. Steward Wang recommended that art again, did he?”
“Is there a problem with that cultivation art?”