Chapter 10: Still as a Mountain

On the second half of the journey, Zeran began to take extra care to protect her troop of laborers. She cleared away the overgrown underbrush and even pointed out the lairs of dangerous spirit beasts. As a result, the laborers were exhausted but all in one piece when they reached the giant entrance gate of the sect."If I could, I'd like for you to remember something." Zeran turned back to address the disciples before they entered the sect. "Even though you're a laborer today, that doesn't mean that you'll forever be one. Everyone who enters the Nine Thunders Sect begins their cultivation the same way. They're given a copy of the Sky Thunder Scriptures to learn how to open their aperture. It's the same one that the first sect leader used.""Even us?" one of the laborers asked."Everyone. The scripture is but a single aspect of your cultivation. To grow, you need the heart and will to practice even when you're tired or unhappy. Elder He was correct in saying that cultivating needs courage. But I believe that cultivation is more than that. It's a process where you learn about and accept each part of yourself, both good and bad. They are all a part of you."The laborers had confusion in their eyes, but nodded along."If you do so, I believe that you will become disciples. When that happens, I have a personal request to make of you. Would you consider joining the alchemist faction, led by Elder Lifeng? We're known to be one of the most united factions in the sect."Everyone hurriedly voiced their promise to join the alchemist faction. Disciple Zeran had cared for them after the exam, and that kindness had been magnified by the disdain the previous two elders flung at them.Xun, however, tugged Dashan's sleeve to stop him from making any such promises. When the larger boy looked confused, Xun shook his head.A small kindness used in the right place is far better than a heavy gift at the wrong time.In his past life, sect entrance exams were a time when all the different factions within the sect competed to recruit the most disciples. More disciples meant more power, which led to more resources.But the real prize was actually the laborers. Most people ignored them, given the low chance of most laborers becoming cultivators and the fact that very few would ever get past the Foundation Realm. But there were ten laborers for every disciple. And at least one in five laborers eventually graduates to disciple. Zeran, by hiking with everyone, won the hearts of all the laborers in one swoop. If any of them eventually become an outer disciple, they'd not only join her faction but also be loyal to her.The other two elders each had their eyes set on the most talented students of the year. In some ways, their choice wasn't wrong. It was usually better to bet on a sure thing than to gamble on an unknown possibility.But when the cost to win the hearts of the laborers was just a bit of time? It was simply good business to take such an opportunity.Zeran nodded her thanks to the group and pointed them to the entrance of the sect. The group bid her farewell as they walked under the sect's entrance gate with their heads held high. Many of them were probably dreaming of the day that they proved their talent and became outer disciples of the sect.—The moment the students crossed the entrance gate and became official laborers, outer disciples who had been standing by the sect entrance pounced forward."What took you guys so long?" One of the larger disciples asked."We…" Pengzi began. He looked back and found that Zeran was nowhere to be found. "We didn't realize that senior disciples were waiting for us. I'm sorry.""Bah, this happens every year." This came from one of the other disciples, a smaller man with a mustache. "You see, these laborers still think that they're the same as everyone else."A third disciple, this one chubby, stepped forward. "Listen up. You might have been the smartest kid in your village, or even your town, but you're laborers now. You know what that means? It means that you're on the lowest rung of the sect. Do you know why you had to walk up the mountain while your peers came up on clouds? It's because you deserve to grovel in the ground to make up for your lack of talent."In the end, the laborers were split into multiple groups, each for a different function. Some people became smith apprentices, while others were assigned to become pill servants or paper makers."Pengzi, Lanhua, Liubo, Anlin, Wangpan, Zhuge," the chubby disciple said. "You six are assigned to spirit farming. I'm Disciple Fanpin. Come with me."Dashan had been assigned to the alchemists. Xun didn't have time to say goodbye before getting separated by the impatient disciples.Disciple Fanpin marched the group for two hours to one of the side mountains, a fair distance away from the main sect mountain. It was split into three sections. At the bottom was a small smattering of huts with a small fire pit at the center. The middle, which comprised most of the mountain, had been transformed into terraced farms. The top was wreathed in trees, with a small cabin nestled in the forest."This is the Bright Sun Farm. Your new home." The disciple scanned over his new laborers, and his gaze lingered on Lanhua for a brief moment. Xun shivered as he got the sense that the laborer was looking at them as if they were cattle.