No Cheat Cultivator
What happens after you die?
Chen Li frequently pondered that question over the last few years. Was there a proper procedure, or proper etiquette? Was there a possibility to screw things up?
Surely… Surely the matters of handling deaths should be of utmost importance! Right?!
'… Did I seriously miss something?' Chen Li wondered once again. 'There was no light, no sound, nothing. I died… Then I was born again.' As always, a sigh subconsciously escaped from Chen Li's lips. 'This is messed up. Seriously messed up…'
"Stop daydreaming you brat!" Someone slapped Chen Li's head then continued with the same blatantly disdainful tone. "Go to the village hall; heavenly masters can arrive any minute now!"
Disdain wasn't for the "heavenly masters" of course, but for Chen Li. The 8-year-old village orphan.
This was the reason why Chen Li was wondering if he messed up something after his death. Because he had reincarnated into a Wuxia world!
Probably.
Instead of responding to the village smith, Chen Li rubbed his head to alleviate the pain and started walking towards the village hall.
Of the 22 buildings in the village, the legendary hall was the only community owned space. This revolutionary two-story building was not only the most marvelous structure of the whole village, but it also rumored to double as the village granary during the times of plenty. Rumored, was the key word.
As Chen Li walked through the only street of the tattered settlement, he saw the little kids of the Lin family playing near the village well. Clearly, he wasn't the only one late, but the 5-year-old triplets wasn't his problem. The village elder, the sole authority around these parts (largely thanks to his advance age), would just have to handle his incest born sons on his own.
'I wasn't a bad person or anything, I was just an ordinary paper salesman. Wires must've been crossed or something. Seriously.' Chen Li dusted off the old hemp sheet he wore as he continued to contemplate over his fate.
Not a minute later he was in front of the village hall. The usually deserted structure was now witnessing the gathering of nearly a hundred people! Almost all of the village was present, even the disdainful smith was solemnly standing some distance away!
This was the biggest gathering of people that Chen Li saw in this life.
'Sh*t, coming people must really be bigshots…'
Could "heavenly masters" be just a euphemism? Chen Li thought that was a big possibility. Though he had overhead many stories about immortal masters cleaving mountains in two with a single sword strike, those were stories told to children. His common sense of this world was severely lacking!
'Could they be bandits? …Maybe slavers?' Once the possibility of slavery entered Chen Li's mind, he immediately decided not to stand out in any way. 'Sh*t, if the visitors are really slavers I'll be the first one to be tossed on their laps.'
While he was assuming the worst -a habit that formed after spending years in this place- Chen Li realized that everyone's attention was focused on the sky. He reflexively joined them and saw a dozen or so black dots seemingly hovering on air.
Within a few breaths those dots turned into silhouettes, then into people riding flying swords while wearing blue Daoist robes.
Chen Li couldn't even notice his wide-open jaw, instead his eyes found the hunchbacked village head in the crowd. It was unbelievable! That piece of sh*t was actually telling truth the whole time?!
'This isn't a Wuxia?! It's a f*cking Xianxia?!'
Obviously, he had ready many Xianxia's before. He wasn't crazy or anything about the genre, but he read enough to know the basics. Heaven defying MCs, young masters, face slapping, wiping one's family to the 9th generation…
This shocking revelation left Chen Li in a stupor. To be fair, he was only hoping that this was a Wuxia world. Mostly out of desperation. Because reality would've been too cruel otherwise.
Chen Li wordlessly watched the villagers kowtow, then neatly arrange their kids into a line so that they could be tested. At some point he was also thrown to the queue. The villagers didn't dare offend the heavenly masters by hiding a child, of course. Though as expected, they made sure that he was the last, even if the gesture had no meaning whatsoever.
Heavenly masters, or rather disciples of the Twilight Thunder Sect, seemed profound and otherworldly to the villagers, but inside, they were quite anxious! Because they couldn't find a single kid with spiritual roots!
Of the 104 villages they visited, not one kid had spiritual roots! The young inner sect disciples were aiming for at least 4 so they could get extra commendations, but at this rate they wouldn't even be able to meet the minimum requirements!
The youngest disciple sent a voice transmission to the eldest.
The eldest meaningfully glanced towards the end of the line. Towards the filthy boy in dirty rags that looked like he was about to collapse. While it was true that the boy did not kowtow like the rest of the villagers, such a sight wasn't uncommon. When a person was truly shocked, their actions could not be explained through logic. Recognizing this was also part of their training as disciples.
Suffice it to say, the youngest had doubts, but he didn't dare voice them.
This last village under the jurisdiction of their team was smaller than the rest. Only thirteen children to be tested wasn't the sight that the disciples were hoping for. One by one, they tested the kids for their spiritual roots. Each failure meant they were one step closer to a demerit! Therefore, the disciple's anxiety started to grow to disproportionate levels.
"Final one, step forward." The situation was so bleak that a few disciples almost flinched at their eldest's serene voice!
12 kids, 12 failures. Truly, they were fated to fail this mission!
"Place both of your hands on this crystal, if you are fated to cultivate, you will receive the guidance of the Twilight Thunder Sect…"
Chen Li looked at the cloudy crystal ball then back at the ridiculously handsome cultivator in stylish blue robes.
After years of living in this place, he didn't dare hope.
'It's fine. I just want to leave this village; it doesn't matter whether I become a cultivator or not.'
Chen Li did as instructed. The moment he touched the measuring crystal a faint yellow light appeared on the surface. Not even enough to illuminate his hands, but clearly a different result from the previous kids!
Disciples held their breath. Because they didn't dare hope either!
"I see. Looks like you have Earth roots. It seems it was fate that we met here." With the smiling acknowledgement from their eldest brother, the disciples collectively gasped! They looked at each other in disbelief at first. Then a moment later, the youngest suddenly moved towards the kid kneeled with one knee to meet the boy's eyesight.
"How wonderful to meet you, little brother! I'm Kong Yue. Kong as in palace, and Yue as in moon. What is your name?"
"… Chen Li."
The youngest smiled. "Good name! Chen Li… No, little Li! Our Twilight Thunder Sect is respected across the continent. No one will dare bully one of our disciples! And we will be happy to take you with us! You only need to give us your word."
All of the disciples were from the inner sect. Every single one of them had tremendous talent, and fortune. If it wasn't for the special circumstances, they wouldn't even think of taking a recruitment mission like this!
However, right now, they didn't need to be a genius to understand the situation. For whatever reason, this kid was being ostracized from the village. A single look was enough to determine the truth! The youngest acted decisively on this to convince the boy! Senior disciples were relieved that they had such a reliable junior!
Enthusiasm from the yet another ridiculously handsome cultivator caught Chen Li off guard. Truthfully, he couldn't completely understand what this gorgeous man just said due to his lacking vocabulary, but it was obvious that they were asking him to join their sect!
Chen Li couldn't help but look around the other cultivators. All of them had the same type of blue robes. Though a few of them seemed to grim faces, they didn't seem like disciples of a blood thirsty demonic sect. On the contrary, they had an air of sophistication around them!
'If the recruitment people are like this, then their sect might be one of those righteous sects…!'
It was as if Chen Li finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly he felt light, and his thoughts became nimbler. This was the time to act!
"Chen Li greets seniors."
Seeing the boy's clumsy martial salute, disciples finally couldn't hold themselves back.
"Little brother!"
"Haha! Little brother! Welcome!"
"Little Li!"
Even the eldest disciple smiled as his team surrounded the boy, but he kept his emotions reserved as usual. With this, their unfortunate mission was over!
Their warm, -perhaps a bit too warm- welcome surprised Chen Li greatly. He smiled and slightly bowed as he greeted the cultivators one by one. Years of living in the nameless village had taught him some unfortunate lessons, which was why a seed of doubt appeared in his heart.
'Why are they being so friendly?...'
Of course, all of this was happening right in front of the entire village. The aloof heavenly masters were acting familiar with the village bastard that was shunned by everyone.
A few of the slower villagers thought to curry favor with Chen Li, but they didn't have the courage to act. And those that did have the courage realized what a futile effort that would be.
Though Chen Li was only an 8-year-old, his judgment was often sharp, and his thoughts were frequently unknowable.
While the village head was hoping that Chen Li would leave and forget them due to excitement, he heard one of the heavenly masters ask an unfortunate question.
"Little Li, what do you wish to do with these villagers?"
The eldest's question was rather surprising to the other disciples, but still understandable. If this boy was to be a cultivator in their sect, however low his rank may be, he still deserved to enter with peace of mind! A new disciple's state of mind usually determined their success!
Chen Li also understood the purpose of the question and gave another martial salute towards the leader. "I am not a part of this village. I don't have blood relations, or karma with anyone."
The youngest disciple raised an eyebrow. "So be it."
The disciples of the Twilight Thunder Sect all nodded their heads. Though the talent of this little kid was lacking, he had the right mindset. The odds of the little boy passing the secondary examination increased, and that put their minds further at ease!
"With this, our visit here has ended." Eldest disciple's voice filled with dignity echoed across the village. He made an eye gesture to the youngest before turning back, which made the latter fiddle with a bag hidden under the blue robes.
"Little Li, initiates of the Twilight Thunder Sect wear grey robes like this one. Though you are not officially accepted yet, with your temperament I'm sure it is only a matter of time. As such, there is no harm if you wear it early."
Chen Li had a lot of question. Starting with how he fished out a robe that was clearly thrice the size of the bag.
'So that's a cosmos bag… I'm really in a Xianxia…'
Seeing was believing, but this wasn't the time to dwell on minor matters. He kept his thoughts to himself while accepting the robes with clumsy martial salute.
Chen Li's silent curiosity naturally didn't escape the disciples' attention. This little boy not only had aloof nature, but also had an inquisitive mind! With only a few adjustments to his appearance, he would sure to leave a favorable impression on the examiners!
Kowtowing villagers watched Heavenly Masters take the Chen Li under their wings. At some point a terrifying energy started weighing down on everyone. Some of them fainted out of fear, some soiled themselves.
After so many stressful days, the disciples of the Twilight Thunder Sect were simply too overjoyed to have found one potential disciple, no matter how talentless he may be. Putting some cultivation pressure on the villagers was a cheap way to impress the boy and make him more willing to follow the sect rules.
Chen Li wanted to leave as soon as possible after glancing at the villagers' state. While his life here wasn't easy, he wasn't the kind of person to enjoy others' suffering.
The eldest disciple looked at Chen Li and smiled. "Let us go"
By the time the pressure on the villagers disappeared, the Heavenly Masters and Chen Li were long gone.
* * *
Chen Li was shocked by sword flight at first. How could he not? It felt as if he would fall of just by dozing off! But the reality was different, and the cultivator had already wrapped the surrounding area with so sort of force field. Perhaps Chen Li couldn't fall even if he tried.
Mountains, rivers, hills, cities, it felt as if they crossed half the world in half a day. Fortunately, their destination showed up on the horizon with the last light of the day.
"That is the Twilight Thunder Sect." Said the eldest disciple. A moment later he emphasized. "Our sect!"
Built in the middle of tall mountains, where the only viable method of travel was sword flight, the sect was just as Chen Li imagined!
On top of the mountains there were white and gold structures, even at a distance they looked like immortal residence. Proud and aloof.
At the base of those mountains, Chen Li couldn't even select the individual buildings.
'Are those the mountain peaks that the sects have?'
Some mountains looked like modern cities from above, while others looked charming villages.
As they got closer Chen Li realized the sect was divided into many layers by tall walls. He speculated them to be the stereotypical core, inner, outer sect regions.
They landed near the outermost wall. As Chen Li watched from the side, the leader of the group talked with someone in their 50s.
'So they do get older' Chen Li thought as he watched their conversation from afar. 'This might be a lower-powered Xianxia. Makes sense considering they're recruiting disciples from fringe villages.'
The man in his 50s, the elder as Chen Li silently labeled him, glanced at Chen Li, then gave something to the group's leader. A disciple near Chen Li sighed with relief and the group came together.
"Chen Li." The group leader addressed him solemnly. "Everyone's journey started here. We will meet again, if fate wills it!" Both the leader and the group gave him Dao salutes with smiles, then turned back and left!
"Follow me." Said the elder while shaking his head.
Seeing the elder leave, Chen Li started running after him. He was only 8 years old (probably) and couldn't match the speed of an adult easily. The elder seemed to have noticed it and eventually matched Chen Li's walking speed.
"Fighting and stealing within outer sect selection is prohibited. You will be expelled immediately." The elder started explaining, his voice not containing any trace of emotion. "If you cripple, you will get crippled. If you kill, you will be killed."
Chen Li nodded while walking, though he didn't know whether the elder cared if he understood or not.
"All entering disciples will be assigned training and work. You may not pick or choose; you may not trade training or work with others. You will be expelled even if you attempt anything."
They entered a big building with some text written on the entrance. Chen Li wondered if or when he could learn to read and this world's language.
The elder stopped. "You will stay at the farthest room to the right. Training starts before the first light of the day." He glanced at Chen Li before leaving. "If you can't sense Qi before your 10th birthday you will be expelled. Work hard."
Chen Li felt like a fish out of water as he stood alone within the huge building. Growling from his stomach brought him back to his senses and he started looking for his room.
As he walked through the corridor he could hear noises from kids, some seemed to be training while others were talking. He hadn't eaten anything in two days, so he didn't even think of stopping and listening. Finding somewhere to sleep was his primary objective.
'This is the last room.' Chen Li looked around once more to make sure, then he knocked the door.
No answer came after a few knocks, so he pushed the heavy door.
'… No one's here?'
Six bunk beds were all empty. Though the room felt big to Chen Li, thinking from an adult's perspective, the place was cramped! Aside from the bunkbeds there wasn't much of anything.
Unexpectedly, he saw a pair of clean clothes, and a plate full of food on one of the beds!
Chen Li's feet worked on their own and suddenly he found himself in front of the still piping hot food. Bread, mushrooms, some leafy greens that he couldn't identify, and of course a bowl of rice; since he was born in this world Chen Li hadn't smelled anything this enticing!
Was this reserved for someone? Was it the dinner of another disciple?
Though he was drooling, Chen Li thought this was the only explanation! As unfortunate it was, this was someone else's food!
'It's fine, I can eat something tomorrow.' Chen Li thought and reluctantly headed for another bed. Then he heard something, a voice that sounded like it was inside his head.
Chen Li looked around but there was no one else! Was he losing it, or was this the classic Xianxia technique of voice transmission?
'The voice… sounded like that elder…'
Though the said elder seemed to treat him coldly, could it be that they treat the disciples fairly?
With another mighty roar from his stomach, Chen Li bowed deeply where he stood, not knowing whether the person would see or care. "Thank you, elder." He said respectfully. Then he started devouring everything like a wolf!
'Wait, what's this?' He had bitten deep into the bread, but unexpectedly it had something inside. Something meaty, something full of flavor!
Chen Li was so absorbed; he couldn't notice the tears running down his cheek.
Far away, the elder in his 50s that received Chen Li sighed.
Chen Li woke up before the first light of day as usual. In this world, early bird got the worm, and early boy got the bird!
After waking up he realized yesterday wasn't a dream. He really entered an immortal sect! Almost! He was almost there!
He opened the heavy door to take a look around, and was surprised to see so many kids up an about. Some were going outside through the backdoor while others were walking toward the main entrance like zombies.
Looking at their attire, Chen Li changed into the matching clothing and went outside. The kids that were using the backdoor disappeared into the gardens. Not knowing what to do, Chen Li went to the main entrance, then followed the kids to another building.
'Oh, this is a dining hall…'
Chen Li queued up without thinking. Yesterday he had eaten at least two days' worth of food, yet in the morning he was still hungry! It felt as if his body understood the change in his circumstances and demanded a compensation!
By the time Chen Li came to himself, he was looking at the empty table. Everything between queuing up and now, was just a blur!
"Hahaha, you really were starving before!" The kid's voice caused a few other disciples near Chen Li laugh.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Chen Li responded with a smile. "Maybe a little… My name is Chen Li."
"I'm Liu Bei!"
All three boys looked older than Chen Li, but Liu Bei was the oldest. Upon a closer look the group also had well-toned bodies for their age, and the martial clothes they wore looked full. Unlike that of Chen Li's.
"Let's go or elder Zhang is going be angry!" Said Liu Bei with fear. The other disciples surrounding them were either gone, or were getting up.
Chen Li followed the boys without a word. By the time they arrived at a training spot, he was out of breath!
A few elders herded hundreds of children into a grid and started showing them martial arts moves. Kicks, punches, stances. Chen Li tried his best to follow, but his body was too feeble. Even to him, it was obvious he was the worst performer there.
After what felt like an eternity the training was over.
"Chen Li, come here!" Shouted Liu Bei while beckoning. Chen Li got up with difficulty and followed. "You're new right? We need to get missions from elder Zhao now and do them for the rest of the day!"
'Missions?' Chen Li thought.
What kind of a mission could an 8-year-old go through?
Upon arriving at the spot, he realized he was overthinking it. The missions were chores. Cleaning, watering gardens, more cleaning, latrine cleaning, beast pen cleaning… Liu Bei read some of the labels and the points they earned to Chen Li could understand.
"What do the points do?"
"You can get pills, elixirs, refinement fluids, all sorts of stuff!" Explained Liu Bei with confidence.
'Well, at least it isn't slave labor… Technically…' Chen Li thanked Liu Bei and took an easier chore. Cleaning the garden paths.
Chen Li spent the rest of the day brushing off the leaves from a stone path distance away. By the time he finished, it was already time to eat. He went back to the dining hall listlessly, but almost everyone had already finished. Thankfully, the workers didn't seem to mind Chen Li's lateness, and even gave him extra portions! Chen Li thanked them profusely and ate everything with relish.
Once he got back to the dormitory, he wanted to find Liu Bei, but the light was almost gone, and all doors were already closed.
Final few steps seemed torturous, but as he collapsed on his bed, Chen Li felt content.
* * *
The next day Chen Li didn't see Liu Bei. Was he accepted into the sect? Or was he expelled for some reason? He asked around but none of the kids seemed to know anything. Asking elder Zhang was out of the question; he was the one that gave Chen Li a meal during his first night, so Chen Li didn't want to trouble him.
Would he even be able to remember the name of a random child anyway? Chen Li doubted the possibility.
Today's training wasn't martial arts, but breathing exercises! Chen Li's eyes immediately lit up!
Nose to inhale, mouth to exhale while adhering to a rhythm. Chen Li never would've believed if someone on Earth 1.0 said that this was cultivation!
But he flew on a sword! A "frickin" sword with his own words! So Chen Li was ready to believe anything, even if the skeptical side of him was frowning in annoyance.
In the afternoon he chose a "light" chore and barely completed it until dinner. At night, he practiced the breathing technique until he fell asleep!
The next few days passed in a blur. The improvements to his body were astonishing. The task that he could barely finish after a whole day could be done within a few hours! Still, compared to other kids he had a long way to go!
Days passed, and Chen Li started to notice many new kids were coming while the old ones were disappearing. Some of this was due to the size of the dormitories! The grounds that he cleaned, the laundry that he carried, the training space, the markets, they all counted as the training grounds by the sect. This huge place was meant to separate wheat from chaff, and do it en masse! Of course he wouldn't be able to able to see the same people every day!
Two weeks later, Chen Li was finally able to follow through with the martial arts training from start to finish. A week after that he realized his height was growing. Now his body filled the clothing! Just like the other kids!
A month after his arrival, Chen Li started to get suspicious.
The kids, they seemed to be changing too fast!
Were there that many "chaff" among them? But even the thought of that was ridiculous! He had spent a month here, and was nowhere close to sensing Qi! If he was still here, why would they give up?
After accumulating more than a hundred points, Chen Li looked for a way to redeem them. If this was a Xianxia, then pills or dans or whatever should help him sense Qi, right?
But to his dismay, he learned that the pills, elixirs, and refinement fluids couldn't be bought with his points! The real deal was only available to outer sect disciples! The points for chores were only for buying normal herbs like a few years old ginseng! And even the cheapest one of those cost 200 points!
After his daily night meditation, Chen Li fell into deep thought.
'Some of those kids definitely entered the outer sect. My aptitude is just poor. There's no question. But this is fine.'
Having spiritual roots was already a surprise beyond his imagination. So what if his aptitude was poor?
'Think. Think. Think. What can I do to counteract my poor aptitude…'
Most transmigrators in novels either received cheats, or were cheat-like existences themselves. To Chen Li though, it was painfully obvious that he wouldn't receive a cheat. Perhaps it was due to his early experiences this life, but he had already thrown the idea away.
Still, the fact that he a transmigrated person remained. And the world, including the Twilight Thunder Sect, was eerily similar to that of generic Xianxia from his previous life.
Was it so far fetched to try some of the web novel methods, here in a real Xianxia world?
'I have Earth roots, so I should have affinity with Earth Qi? Or Earth Spirits? Does this world have Earth Spirits?'
Knowledge was hard to come by for an 8-year-old orphan with no backing!
'Alright, what do I have to lose anyway?'
The next day, after completing his chores, Chen Li found a rocky area. In his mind, Earth roots represented soil, and rocks. Remembering one of the web novels on Earth, he piled small and medium sized rocks on himself, and repeated the breathing exercises.
"…"
Unfortunately, nothing happened!
But Chen Li wasn't disheartened!
Obviously, with his poor aptitude, he wouldn't get immediate results! Obviously!
The next day he tried burying himself with loose soil. But as expected, he failed to sense Qi.
Months passed with Chen Li burying himself under rocks and soil in different locations. He paid special attention so that no one else was near when he was "one with nature" as he called it. Though he didn't have an expectation to be able to hide himself from elders. This being a Xianxia, how could a disciple hide from others with higher cultivations?
One night, 4 months after his arrival, Chen Li fell into deep thought once again.
By now, his height had surpassed most other kids! Doing multiple chores a day while increasing the difficulty over time had done wonders for his physique! Save for a few others, it was obvious that Chen Li was the oldest disciple at this point.
'So burying myself in dirt doesn't work. Meditating in open air doesn't seem to work either. Or at least neither made any difference.'
A few days ago he had eaten one of the cheapest ginsengs he could buy with his points. But he couldn't feel any difference after eating it! If he wasn't sure that this was a Xianxia sect, he would've thought he got scammed!
'Ok, what about the Chinese elements? There was… Wood, Earth, Fire, Metal, and Water. Yeah, they interacted and countered each other… I think…'
Chen Li's memory depended on the fuzzy details of Xianxia-babble. It was unfortunate he had never researched the Chinese elements themselves!
'Water should extinguish Fire while Fire should melt Metal, right? What about Earth? Earth should counter… Water? Then which element does it have affinity with?'
The next day, he meditated in the river. No results.
The day after that he tried breathing exercises inside the storehouse he was supposed to clean. This was the only place he could find large amounts of iron laying around. He had never tried meditating during his chores before, thankfully no one saw or reprimanded him! Unfortunately, he still had no results!
Over the next month he tried meditating next to a tree, on top of a tree, underneath a tree, even tried breathing exercises inside a hollow tree! Tried meditating near burning wood, bonfire, cooking fire, blacksmith forge fire. Buried himself in ash! All resulted in nothing!
Meditating during sunrise or sunset, nothing made a difference!
But Chen Li persevered! This was a cultivation world! How could he accept defeat so early?!
A year since his arrival at the Twilight Thunder Sect, Chen Li had established a routine for himself. Morning exercise, followed by the most arduous chores until the afternoon. Then he would spend the rest of the day with breathing exercises and meditation.
According to Elder Zhang, 10-years-old was the cutting line. Chen Li had no idea when he was born, the villagers certainly never told him anything like that. Realistically, he assumed he had less than half a year. Judging by his height and accounting for malnourishment, he should be close to becoming 10-years-old.
Chen Li couldn't help but sigh. If he couldn't get into the Twilight Thunder Sect, what would happen to him?
'Well, at least I'm not starving and can do physical work now. I guess it won't be as bad as the village.'
He shook his head and continued doing his breathing exercises. After spending a year in meditation, he no longer had the pessimist outlook from before.
If he became a cultivator, that was fine. If he didn't, that was also fine!
Two months later, when the summer was nearly over, while doing breathing exercises on next to a charcoal kiln, Chen Li finally felt something!
Something, that he could only describe as a strand, was inside of him!
Chen Li gasped upon realizing what had happened!
'This…' It took Chen Li a few seconds to understand that someone sent him a voice transmission. Then he stood up and gave the most respectful Dao salute he could manage. Only after a long bow did he dare to sit down.
A smile appeared on his face as he thought back at his experiences. Entering the outer sect did not bring him joy, or excitement. He only felt contentment.
* * *
Far away.
The elders of the disciple selection looked at each other in surprise. They were the ones that monitored the disciples and accepted them into the outer sect once they stepped into the threshold. Such a position didn't require a profound cultivation base, and was considered to be unworthy position for the truly talented ones.
Hence why these elders were acutely aware of what talent meant, and what difference did it make. Chen Li sensing Qi gave them a surprise, but soon they shook their heads.
"At least his comprehension isn't bad…" Said an elder that kept an eye on Chen Li. He had followed the disciple's antics over the year and was impressed by the kid's tenacity.
"Maybe he will succeed us after we're long dead!" Said another one while laughing. At their position, most of them had learned to poke fun at themselves.
* * *
After cleaning himself thoroughly, Chen Li silently returned to his room. Though the space was supposed to be shared, the entire time he lived in this dormitory, he was always alone. The building certainly had space, but it would be a lie if Chen Li didn't wonder the reason of him living alone.
There wasn't anything to pick up; what could a 9.9-year-old kid own in this world anyway? He changed into the clean robes that he received a month ago and went outside without looking back.
'Considering my talent, or lack thereof, I guess I'll stay a Qi Condensation disciple for the rest of my life huh…' He thought as he walked the road to the outer sect. 'At least the people here don't seem as ruthless as generic Xianxia I've read. I guess I should be fine.'
After hours of walking, finally the sect gates were on sight. Thankfully, Chen Li's endurance was forged by tedious chores! This amount of walking was unthinkable during the time he stayed at the village!
The guards at the sect gates didn't even give him a glance as Chen Li entered. Soon a boy that looked to be in his late teens greeted him. "New disciple, is that you?" Seeing Chen Li's nod the boy gestured with his head. "Follow me."
The teenage disciple led him toward the skirts of a mountain, far away from the gates. "The rules of the outer sect are simple." He explained while walking. "No fighting, no stealing. Every week outer sect disciples need to complete a mission appropriate for their cultivation. This is mandatory for everyone; no amount of connections can allow a disciple to skip their obligations."
Chen Li nodded seriously. Though he had no idea what missions were like, knowing that nepotism wouldn't work made him feel better. 'Well, I guess people with connections can find other means, but I don't have any so what do I care?'
"The time allocated for your cultivation will increase with your cultivation. 1st stage of Qi Condensation has to complete a mission every week. 5th stage every 5 weeks, 10th stage every 10 weeks. Understand?" The disciple glanced at Chen Li.
"Yes, thank you, senior brother." Chen Li gave a respectful answer.
The disciple nodded. "Good. Every month you will receive pills, the amount will depend on your cultivation and contribution. Inside the outer sect spirit stones are forbidden, these pills double as the unofficial currency. You will need to save them if you want a forging disciple to make a weapon for you. So don't just blindly use the pills for cultivation, alright?"
'Pretty standard so far…' Chen Li thought as he answered the disciple. "This junior is grateful for senior brother's wisdom."
"You seem sensible, not bad." Chen Li's answer seemed to put the disciple in a better mood, he continued without pause. "You can find out about the rest on your own, but let me give you an advice." Chen Li detected a subtle change in the boy's tone as he listened. "There are open lectures every day, given by a different inner sect disciple. This will be the only place an outer sect disciples can ask questions about cultivation."
To the disciple, it was obvious that the newbie following him didn't have any backing. Seeing the newbie's respectful behavior, he felt pity in his heart! Hence he explained more than usual.
"Connections are very important inside outer sect. But they are not everything. Don't get discouraged. Cultivate diligently and contribute! Twilight Thunder sect never leaves a disciple behind!"
For the rest of the way the disciple talked about little things that are related to living inside outer sect. Accommodations, the lay of the land, nature of missions, how to choose a cultivation method, all were basic information, with a few tips and tricks added by the disciple.
"My name is Guo Jing, I can't help you if you get into trouble, but if you want to ask more about the sect you can find me at Radiant Dragon Pavilion." He said with a smile, then without waiting for a response turned back and left.
Before entering outer sect, he thought there would be rows and rows of houses. But apparently, outer sect had tiers within, and this mountain, along with a few neighboring ones did not accept talented disciples. Inside the outer outer sect, housing consisted of thousands of wooden huts scattered around the valley.
The scenery gave Chen Li a sense of quaint countryside, rather than a sect! But since the view was to his tastes, he smiled with contentment.
His personal abode didn't have anything inside but a straw bed and a praying mat. Not even a candle was present!
'Let's see, Guo Jing said that 100 meter radius of the hut is considered my residence. Should I dig a pit, or maybe make a kiln? I felt Qi near a kiln, maybe I have affinity with it?'
He found some dry grass outside and created a makeshift broom with fallen branch, then cleaned the inside as best as he could. Then he sat on the praying mat and tried to sense Qi once again.
An hour later…
"F*ck! Why can't I sense it again?!"
Another hour later….
"F****CK!!!"
Many hours later, Chen Li had started doubting everything! Clearly, his talent was so trash that he couldn't even consistently sense Qi!
'God, I might die of old age as a 1st stage Qi Condensation Realm disciple…'
Chen Li took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The interior of the hut was already dark as the sun was setting outside. Once again, he tried to sense Qi.
'… The f*ck?'
At first he couldn't believe it, but he had succeeded once again! Then he tried it again, and again. An hour later he found out he couldn't feel any Qi once again!
Being a reader of Xianxia, Chen Li immediately came up with variety of ideas.
'Let's see… Time of cultivation can matter, right? Was it the time? But when I sensed Qi earlier it was midday, and I only started sensing Qi now during sunset…'
After thinking about it for a long time, Chen Li couldn't find a correlation. He sighed and laid down on floor, he had already thrown the straw "bed" outside. Hard floor couldn't hinder his ability to sleep at all, since the first soft-ish bed he saw in this world was when he entered the sect. Wood simply wasn't capable enough to pose a threat!