"Why do you cultivate?"

Wu Zhi went home to think about the new offer. When he got to the dorms he ran into Shen Zhi. "Oh, look who it is. I haven't seen you in a month, where did you go". "I went into secluded cultivation". "Oh, I heard about that, that's where they lock you in a room and you do nothing but cultivate right". "That's right I was able to make it to the first level of qi refinement because of it". "WHAT! you already made it to qi refinement!" "shush, stop yelling, yes I did, and if you want to get to where I am you should try secluded meditation too". "Maybe I should... hey wait, tell me what its like to hit the first level". "Its not much different than before, you do feel more energized, stronger, healthier and better in every way. But that's about it". "What do you mean that's about it that sounds awesome". "Well you'll have to see for yourself, anyway I got something I need to meditate on. I will see you later" He said as he went to his room.

'Now I have to think about what I'll do in this situation. Hmm, I think I should take the deal with the exception of the marriage proposal. It's too much, but I won't outright refuse it, I'll just say I need more time to choose a partner. I don't want to be tied down so heavily to people I don't know. At the very least I have to meet my fiancé-to-be before I make a choice on if I should wed her or not. For now, I should just focus on cultivation, when I feel like it, or more likely when I come of age I can focus on having a wife or not'. 

With his decision made it was time to sleep without worries. Come morning he would go to the deans office to give his answers.

When morning cam he did exactly that. *Knock* *Knock* "Come In" he heard. "Welcome Wu Zhi, I hope you made the right decision". "Yes, I have come to take you up on the offer, however I would like to add that the decision to marry off your daughter to me becomes postponed. At least for now, I don't feel comfortable marring somebody I haven't even met". "A wise decision, I can have you two met later. For now, I wanted to ask you some questions". He said as it he took a glass ball with a crystal inside it out from his pocket. "This is a truth device, truth devices are any devices that can determine whether someone is saying the truth or not. They come in many forms, however this one is very simple, if it lights up, it means you told the truth, if it doesn't light up it means you told a lie. Do you have any questions?" "No" he responded. "Great, then let's start off with the basics. Your name is Wu Zhi, correct". "Yes" he responded. The crystal lit up. "You have a talent score of 68, a blood element, and a dual specialization in dual cultivating and meditation, correct". "Yes" he responded. The crystal lit up. He then went on to ask his affiliations, his ancestry, his cultivation and lastly his motivation. "Why do you cultivate"? "Sorry" he replied 'The question kind of seemed out of left field'. "Why do you cultivate" he repeated. Wu Zhi looked over to the crystal inside the ball and responded "for fun". Elder Ming was left speechless, as he saw the crystal light up. "For fun?" he repeated. In truth it wasn't that outrageous, 'after all he is a kid'. Ming thought to himself. Wu Zhi responded with "what's the point of living a life you don't enjoy". Now elder Ming was truly left speechless. After a while he asked "Is that the only reason you cultivate"? "Of course not, I cultivate to feel stronger, I cultivate for the euphoria that comes with breakthroughs, I cultivate for a sense of purpose other than a mundane life that awaits me if I don't. I cultivate to feel the pleasure of cultivation, to feel the pleasure of a longer life with a longer lifespan, I cultivate so that others feel respect when they look at me. To be complemented, to be loved, to be feared, to feel better than if I had never cultivated". With that the crystal shone bright. Elder Ming was rarely left speechless, but he had to admit, this was a first for him. He had no idea what he was supposed to say or do after Wu Zhi had said all that. After a moment he just heard a laughter from across the room "HAHA, well said, I couldn't of said it better myself". A man appeared out of nowhere he had brown hair and a full beard and a fine mustache to complement it with. "Hello Wu Zhi, I am elder Ren, but you can just call me Ren. I heard elder Ming found a new sprout to water so I showed myself in". "Of course you did" elder Ming grumbled to himself. "In any case, now that you have passed all the necessary tests we can enter into the agreement we both agreed too". With that he pulled out a piece of paper, made some last minute changes to it, took out a knife and cut himself with it. He let a few drops of blood be absorbed into the paper and said "Your turn, this is a soul binding contract, should you not uphold your part of the deal the punishment will be what is listed, which is a crippling of your foundation, before you ask, it is the same punishment for me as well". With that he handed him the paper and the knife as well. Wu Zhi had a look over the contract to make sure there was no fine print that would bite him in the ass. It looks like elder Ming had all the correct details listed, it was the same offer he had gave him but with the marriage taken out. The punishment was also listed, an injury to the foundation of your cultivation. He didn't know in detail what that would be, but he didn't want to find out. So he signed his name and dripped some of his blood onto the paper. With that done the paper glowed a bit, but otherwise it was fine. "Great, I will have your things brought over to your dorm later today". That marked the end of the conversion as he exchanged some pleasantries and small talk with both the elders before bidding them farewell. 'Ugh what stress' he thought to himself 'but now I got the good stuff'. He happily made his way home with a smile on his face.