Book 1- The Start of Cultivation Chapter 8: That Old Bastard Screwed Me Again

"Let's be on our way then. You know how Master is," the young man said.

"Of course. Lan Shui, you're in charge of the others. Let's go."

As they began to board, Jin Fu turned to Xue San, a rare hint of warmth in his eyes. "Well, young friend, good luck. I hope you find great success within the sect."

With a nod and a final deep breath, Xue San took his first steps toward fulfilling his dream of achieving immortality.

Upon embarking on the ship, Xue San quietly followed the girl named Lan Shui and the others, unsure of what awaited him. The grandeur of the vessel was overwhelming, making him feel small amid its opulence.

"This is Master's personal flying vessel," Yan Yi explained. "Although it's extremely fast, there aren't enough rooms for all of us. There are a total of four rooms, and I'm currently using one."

"Ha ha ha, don't worry about it, Senior Brother Yin," Long Huo interjected with a sweet smile. "I'll take one room, Lan Shui another, and the four of them can share one," she said, casting a glance at the Long clan disciple and Xue San.

"Verry well then, the rooms are located in the lower part of the ship, you can go there now if you want, our journey will take about two days"

Lan Shui nodded, bowing before leading the others away.

Inside the ship, Lan Shui reserved the largest room for Long Huo and instructed the others to occupy the remaining room. "Remember you shouldn't be prowling about the ship and embarrassing the young lady." she said sternly

When Xue San entered the cramped quarters with the others, he was about to look around when a sharp pain exploded on his cheek.

"A slap," he realized, stunned.

"God damn it, you filthy peasant!" snarled one of the boys. "Not only you stile my younger brother spot as an outer sect disciple, but you also dare to steal glances at junior sister Lan Shui, when you aren't even a cultivator?"

"Yeah, tell him, Long Shang," jeered the other two, their eyes glinting with malice.

Xue San was taken aback. Jin Fu had warned him that such things could happen, but he hadn't expected this from members of his own "faction".

"I..." he began, but another slap cut him off.

For a moment, he saw nothing but white, a searing pain radiating from his other cheek.

"Who allowed you to speak, you filthy animal?" Long Shang spat.

Xue San was speechless. Were people really this insane? How could he promise something that wasn't his to give?

"Break his arms and legs, Long Shang," one of the boys sneered. "Let's see the young miss throw this crippled mortal out of the flying ship."

Horror washed over Xue San. Was this how it would all end? Crippled and thrown off the ship before even reaching the sect? Jin Fu hadn't fully conveyed how cruel this world could be.

Just as Long Shang grabbed Xue San's arm to twist it, the door swung open. Lan Shui stood there, fury blazing in her eyes.

"You damn pigheads!" she seethed through gritted teeth. "What do you think you're doing, you lowlifes? Do you still think this is Dragon Fort City? We're not even at the sect, and you're already embarrassing our young lady. Do you think I won't kill you if you cause trouble for her?"

The men froze, stupefied.

"Junior Sister Lan..." Long Shang began.

"Shut up!" she snapped. "Your little show was already seen by Young Master Yin. This ship is under his full control; nothing happens here without his knowledge. He's informed the young lady, and she is enraged by your behavior."

The Long Clan disciples had horrified expressions when they heard that.

Turning to Xue San, she said, "As for you, go to the young lady's room. She wants to speak with you."

Xue San stood stunned for a moment but then bowed in gratitude before hurrying to Long Huo's quarters.

Inside, Long Huo sat cross-legged, eyes closed in deep meditation. Unsure of how to proceed, Xue San stood quietly, waiting for her to address him.

"Your name is Xue San, right?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"Yes, young lady," he replied, bowing respectfully.

"Come here," she commanded, her gaze piercing as she opened her eyes. "Place your hand on this crystal."

"What for?" Xue San instintivly

Long Huo's face fell, but remembering that Yan Yi might be watching, she suppressed the urge to slap this country bumpkin for questioning her.

"This will send a strand of spiritual power into your body," she explained. "After completing a full cycle, it will reveal whether you have even a scrap of talent—or if you're completely useless."

A surge of excitement coursed through Xue San after hearing Long Huo words. He believed in his potential; after all, the old man had hinted at his aptitude, even suggesting that becoming an alchemist wasn't impossible for him.

He stepped forward confidently, extending his hand toward the crystal ball. Long Huo observed him curiously, noting the proud smile and the confidence radiating from his eyes.

"Could this guy actually be an arrangement from Jin Fu? Does he have an excellent aptitude for cultivation?" she pondered.

Xue San placed his hand on the crystal ball and felt like a tiny stream of cool water entered his body. After a moment, it exited the same way it had come. Then the crystal ball gave a tiny grey, almost dark, glow.

Seeing this, Long Huo snorted in contempt.

"What a poser," she sneered in her heart. "Why walk so confidently when your talent is pure garbage?"

She looked at Xue San and declared, "You have low-tier Human Talent. With this kind of trash aptitude, you'll be lucky to reach even the middle stage of the Qi Condensation Realm—that's it. What a waste of space and resources. But since I gave my word, you'll still be able to join the sect as an outer sect disciple. Just remember: don't embarrass me or the Long clan, or you'll regret the day you were born," she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Hearing Long Huo words Xue San stumbling out of her room. He felt like his world spinning. He didn't dare return to the others; the threat of another beating loomed large.

He could only clench his fists and curs in his heart "That old bastard screwed me again," he said bitterly. "He could've just told me I lack the talent. Now it's too late to turn back."

On the verge of tears, he made his way to the deck to at least savor the scenery.

It was the right choice. From this vantage point, he saw the Sleeping Giant Mountain for the first time—it truly resembled a colossal figure in slumber. Cities sprawled below like intricate patterns, their inhabitants mere specks. Roads stretched out like cracks in a mirror.

Gradually, Xue San felt himself calming down.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a voice said beside him. He turned to see the silver-eyed man known as Senior Brother Yin.

"Young Master, I'm sorry," Xue San stammered, his heart sinking. He feared this man might be like the bullies below. And who could blame him? He was just a fourteen-year-old from a remote village, naïve to the world's cruelties.

"Ha ha, no need to apologize," Yan Yi said warmly. "I also enjoy the view from up here. My name is Yan Yi, but most call me Senior Brother Yan."

"Senior Yan Yi, I'm sorry for disturbing your resting place. I'll leave now," Xue San said while bowing.

"Stay," Yan Yi replied with a smile. "If you truly feel sorry, how about sharing your story with me?"

Xue San hesitated but then began to speak and when he did, it was like a dam broke loose, all his pent-up emotions came up. He told of his humble village, his dreams of immortality, and the rewards he'd been given by the Long Clan. He even shared how Long Huo had told him that his talent was worthless.

By the time he finished, night had enveloped the sky, stars shimmering like scattered diamonds.

"You certainly have an interesting tale," Yan Yi said. "While this is indeed a great opportunity, if your cultivation is lacking you will have a harder life than most mortals, perhaps staying with your family would've been a better choice."

Xue San's shoulders sagged, feeling even more dejected.

"But remember," Yan Yi continued gently, "cultivation is about defying the heavens. Who knows? Maybe you'll turn your fate around. The cultivation world has many stories of people beating the odds and becoming great cultivators." 

He waved his hand, and a small medicinal bottle materialized. "As Master's disciple, I can't let the person who found exactly what he needed, walk away with just a house, some gold coins, and the position of an outer sect disciple. So consider this an additional reward from me finding the Phoenix Fern."

He handed Xue San a small bottle containing a dozen round blue pills.

"When you get to the sect and start cultivating, these will be extremely helpful to you. I hope you use them wisely."

"What are these, Senior Brother?" Xue San asked as he inspected the bottle.

"These are Qi Replenishing Pills. They help restore Qi more quickly after battles and can also accelerate your cultivation. The spiritual energy in these pills is purer and easier to absorb than what you'd gain from a normal cultivation session."

Xue San marveled at the sight of the pills; they seemed, absolutely flawless to him.

"These are Mid-Grade Qi Replenishing Pills, so be careful not to show or tell anyone about them."

"Mid-Grade Qi Replenishing Pills? What does that mean?" Xue San asked, puzzled.

"Well, when an alchemist refines a product, some of the energy from the materials is lost. The product is still considered a success if it retains at least 50% of its potency, but its effects will be much weaker and will contain many impurities that the cultivator will have to expel later to avoid complications."

"But Senior Brother, if it's harmful, why even take poor-Grade products?" Xue San wondered.

Yan Yi laughed at his naivety. "Xue San, even if it's a poor-grade product, taking one or two pills a month does no harm. And even if you take more, there are methods to eliminate the residual impurities. For example, if you consume a Poor-Grade Qi Replenishing Pill, it might take about one hour to fully 'digest' the energy inside the pill. That pill would be equivalent to a day of meditation. Now, imagine taking two pills a month for twelve months—that's like gaining almost twenty-four extra days of cultivation."

"I see," Xue San said, amazed. And these were only the poor-grade pills; the ones he had were Mid-Grade. "Then these pills..."

"Yes, so be extra careful not to show them to anyone."

"Yes!" Xue San replied excitedly. "Senior Brother, can you tell me more about the classification of pills?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.

"Well, I suppose I can. It's not like is a secret; you'll find out sooner or later after you join the sect. Alchemical products are classified into Poor-Grade, Low-Grade, Mid-Grade, High-Grade, Peak-Grade, and finally, the legendary Perfect-Grade."

"How does one determine the quality of a product Senior Brother?" Xue San asked eagerly. He had read The Compendium of Alchemy: Volume One, but besides memorizing herbs and plants, there was nothing about pills, and for some strange reason, he couldn't read some parts of the book.

"Hmph, so that old bastard isn't done screwing me," Xue San thought bitterly. He now realized that the old man had duped him all those years ago; perhaps there was nothing special about the book after all.

If Huo Ming knew that Xue San was cursing him he would probably end up coughing blood from anger.

"It's actually quite simple. You can determine the quality of a product by various factors—its color, shape, smell, and so on. Poor-Grade products retain only between 50% and 59% of their potency. Low-Gradeproducts contain between 60% and 69%. Mid-Grade products have between 70% and 79%, High-Grade between 80% and 89%, and Peak-Grade between 90% and 99%. As for Perfect-Grade... those are extremely, and I mean extremely rare. Some alchemists may spend their entire lives without ever concocting even one Perfect-Gradeproduct."

"Why is that, Senior Brother?"

"Perfect-Grade products are also called Flawless Products because they retain 100% of the energy from the materials used and have no impurities. Legends say that in ancient times, only when an alchemist was able to concoct a Perfect-Grade product could they earn the right to advance to the next stage. It didn't matter if they could concoct products of a higher stage; no one would recognize them without that perfection."

"But, Senior Brother, a Peak-Grade pill is already so close to 100%. Does it really make that big of a difference?" Xue San asked.

"Of course it does. Perfect-grade products are on another level entirely. An alchemist who can concoct them is said to be capable of creating almost any product of that stage; it represents complete mastery of that tier and signifies that the alchemist is ready to advance. But alas, it's something only possible in ancient times. Nowadays, one just needs a 30% success rate and they can advance in their ranking" Yan Yi said with a hint of pity, as if he regretted being born in this age.

And so, Xue San spent his time talking with Yan Yi well into the night.

Aware of his situation, Yan Yi let Xue San stay in his cabin until they reached the Soaring Sword Sect.