“Gengzi Courtyard. This is the place.”
Having confirmed the designation on the archway, Xu Changshou stepped inside.
Beyond the gates stood a two-story structure shaped like the outstretched wings of a wild goose, harboring five rooms on each level.
Covered walkways ran along both sides, with two pavilions at each corner.
The central courtyard was meticulously landscaped with vibrant flora, presenting a scene of pristine tranquility.
At that moment, eight or nine youths were gathered in one of the pavilions, chattering animatedly.
“Oh? Another newcomer.”
“Number ten.”
“Just one more to go.”
Spotting Xu Changshou, the group of boys and girls immediately swarmed over.
Suddenly confronted by a crowd of peers his own age, Xu Changshou was taken aback. He hadn’t expected such a reception.
Sweeping his gaze over them, he noted the youngest appeared barely ten, while the eldest was no more than twelve.
Every single one of them was a Qi Condensation cultivator. The most formidable among them was a remarkably quiet girl radiating the aura of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation-a full layer above his own.
The rest ranged anywhere from the first to the third layer.
The Ten Daos Mantra contained a rudimentary utility technique known as the Qi Observation Technique. It was incredibly simple to master; by channeling Spiritual Qi into one’s eyes, a cultivator could peer into the cultivation base of others.
Xu Changshou had grasped the concept instantly, allowing him to clearly gauge the depths of everyone present.
Naturally, the Qi Observation Technique was limited by boundaries. It only worked on cultivators in the same major realm; a Qi Condensation cultivator could not see the level of someone in Foundation Establishment.
“Senior Brother, are you assigned to room ten?”
A bright-eyed, clever-looking boy spoke up. His aura hovered at the first layer of Qi Condensation.
Xu Changshou nodded after a brief pause. “I am. Fellow Daoists, this poor Daoist is named Xu Changshou. I beg for your guidance.”
Mimicking the practiced, lofty tone Zhang Zhengyuan used in the mortal realm, Xu Changshou offered a brief introduction.
The clever boy, possessing a naturally familiar demeanor, grinned brightly. “I am Jiang Xiaochuan, hailing from the Danyang Jiang Clan. Senior Brother Xu, allow me to introduce you. This is Senior Sister Ye Shanhu, of the Wanbao Pavilion Ye Clan.”
As Jiang Xiaochuan spoke, he gestured respectfully toward the quiet girl at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation.
“Greetings, Junior Brother Xu,” Ye Shanhu murmured, offering a slight, poised nod.
“Su Mo, from the Su Family Fort.”
“Han Zong, of the Sanxing Mountain Han Clan.”
“Zhang Feixian, from the Shulong Commandery Zhang Clan.”
“Qian Yuanbao, of the Qian Family Manor.”
“Shi Wantong, hailing from the Great Chu Kingdom’s Shi Clan.”
“Lin Xian’er, of the Yuezhou Ducal Estate.”
“Li Linhao…”
The others stepped forward to introduce themselves, and Xu Changshou politely returned each greeting.
Xu Changshou felt a twinge of inferiority. He quickly realized that, with the sole exception of Li Linhao, every single child here was the scion of a cultivation clan. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
No wonder Zhang Zhengyuan and Liu Chuansheng had lamented that Foundation Establishment was far easier for those with connections and resources.
It seemed this harsh reality extended all the way down to the lowest rungs. Although they wore the title of ‘Miscellaneous Disciple’, anyone capable of securing a foothold in a super faction like the Green Immortal Sect was far from ordinary.
Many cultivation families existed around a major sect like the Green Immortal Sect.
An ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator typically enjoyed a lifespan of around one hundred and fifty years. The Green Immortal Sect allowed cultivators to leave the sect when they reached a hundred.
Many returned to their mortal homelands, laying down roots, siring descendants, and grooming the next generation to funnel back into the Sect.
Others waited until after leaving the sect to marry and begin a lineage. Over time, cultivation families of this sort emerged.
Zhang Zhengyuan had brought Xu Changshou up the mountain almost by chance. Otherwise, he might have spent his whole life as a cowherd.
“Senior Brother Xu, which illustrious clan do you hail from?” Jiang Xiaochuan inquired eagerly.
Sigh.
Why must you poke the very thing I hoped to avoid?
Xu Changshou hesitated for a fraction of a second. “The Xu family of Laiyang Commandery…”
He had instinctively almost said ‘Xu Family Village,’ but swallowed the word ‘Village’ just before it escaped his lips.
The Xu family of Laiyang Commandery…
The group nodded politely, asking no further questions. There were countless small families; it was perfectly normal to have never heard of them.
“Fellow Daoists, please excuse me. I must retire to my quarters and unpack.”
Xu Changshou cupped his hands in a parting salute and headed for the stairs. Jiang Xiaochuan followed him. “Senior Brother Xu, allow me to assist you!”
The building housed ten quarters in total. Rooms one through five occupied the ground floor, while six through ten lined the upper level.
Xu Changshou’s assigned quarters, room ten, sat at the far eastern end of the second floor.
Every door was sealed by a formation, requiring a matching identity token to bypass.
Cultivators valued privacy, so even Miscellaneous Disciples had rooms protected from intrusion.
“Senior Brother Xu, may I enter your room to assist with the cleaning?”
“You may.”
Only upon receiving explicit permission did Jiang Xiaochuan cross the threshold.
Stepping inside, Xu Changshou swept his gaze across the room. It was furnished with a bed, a cabinet, and a table. Fresh bedding and basic toiletries were neatly arranged.
Xu Changshou nodded in quiet approval. Truly a Sect of immortals. Even a Miscellaneous Disciple’s room was better than Landlord Wang’s house.
In the past, such a room would have made him happy. Now he felt little.
In one day he had seen more than he had in all his life.
Immortals lived in the mountains. Buildings could have several floors. Boats could fly among the clouds.
These sights were rapidly broadening his view of the world.
The room was immaculate, requiring no real effort. Xu Changshou swept the floorboards, wiped down the desk, and pulled the fresh bedding from the cabinet.
“Junior Brother Jiang, you have my thanks.”
“Don’t mention it, don’t mention it! I’m right next door in number nine. It is only right for neighbors to look out for each other.”
Number nine?
Xu Changshou couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “Junior Brother Jiang, when exactly did you arrive at the peak?”
Jiang Xiaochuan beamed. “I only got here yesterday.”
“And the rest of them?”
“Senior Sister Ye and the others only arrived a few days prior.”
“How did you all travel here?”
“Our family elders brought us, naturally..”
As they talked, Xu Changshou learned that Jiang Xiaochuan and the others had entered through the usual recruitment process. Unlike them, he had been sold to the sect by Zhang Zhengyuan for three Spirit Stones.
Every three years, the Green Immortal Sect opened its gates to recruit a new batch of Miscellaneous Disciples. Anyone at least ten years old who had sensed Qi could be sent to the sect.
Xu Changshou asked, “Junior Brother Jiang, if you hail from established clans, why enter the Sect as Miscellaneous Disciples?”
Jiang Xiaochuan let out a wry, self-deprecating laugh. “Senior Brother Xu, the Green Immortal Sect does not care how powerful your family is. Even the sons and daughters of great families become Miscellaneous Disciples when they join the Green Immortal Sect.”
“Besides, I hardly qualify as a scion of a great house. The Danyang Jiang family is only a small family.”
Xu Changshou pressed further. “What dictates the boundary between a minor house and a great clan?”
Jiang Xiaochuan explained, “A minor clan is any family lacking a Foundation Establishment ancestor. To be recognized as a great clan, a house must possess at least one Foundation Establishment powerhouse to anchor their lineage.”
“Naturally, the vast majority of our peers here hail from minor houses. One of us does come from a great family, though.”
“Who?”
“Senior Sister Ye Shanhu, of course.”
Ye Shanhu..
“What makes her background so formidable?”
“Did you not hear my introduction? She belongs to the Wanbao Pavilion Ye family!”
“Wanbao Pavilion?”
“You… you’ve seriously never heard of the Wanbao Pavilion?”
“Er..”
Jiang Xiaochuan seemed surprised that he had never heard of it.
Then, he quickly explained, “The Wanbao Pavilion is a remarkable establishment. Three centuries ago, the Ye Clan birthed an impressive cultivator named Ye Qingfeng. He was a Pill Alchemist hailing from Danxia Peak, a powerful Golden Core cultivator! He single-handedly forged the Wanbao Pavilion..”
So that’s how it is..
Xu Changshou thought about it. Ye Shanhu fit perfectly into the category Zhang Zhengyuan had described: a “second-generation immortal.”
She was a mere ten years old, two full years his junior, yet her cultivation base thoroughly eclipsed his.
Otherwise, how could a ten-year-old girl possibly cultivate at such a terrifying speed?