Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Brought out of my musing by the sudden touch. I instinctively lashed out with a fist at the person who touched me.
"Woah-- senior brother Chen li calm down it's me Gao Xing-Fu", quickly said the person whom I identified as my junior, as he barley dodged my fist by moving his head away.
"Ah… junior brother Gao, what are you doing so early in the morning", I said in surprise, as I knew Junior Gao usually woke up around an hour after sunrise.
"What are you talking about Senior, it has already been an hour or so since sunrise, I just came to the training ground to look for you, and found you staring at empty space, I tried calling you but you didn't respond. Who would have known that you would try to punch me when I touched you", he said with fake anger, as I laughed and apologized sheepishly for attacking him.
Unlike me Gao Xing-Fu did not join the sect through recruitment as a child, but through a test that the sect conducted every 4 years.
Unlike the recruitment the test can be taken by anyone of 18 years and under, but it seems that its acceptance requirements are harsh as one need to be at a certain stage in the Qi condensation realm in comparison to how old the one is.
Gao Xing-Fu is currently in the 8th stage of Qi condensation, though not extraordinary in the sect still impressive for 16 years old. As for me I'm currently still in the 9th realm of Qi condensation, one level away from achieving complete Qi condensation stage.
"Anyway senior, I came here because Elder Feng has asked me to call you to come to his abode", Gao Xing-Fu told me with a serious expression.
As soon as I heard that my expression turned hard.
The reason for our serious expressions is my age, I'm already 18 years old and even though my realm is high in the Qi condensation realm according to the sect rules those who have not reached the complete Qi condensation realm before the age of nineteen are to be expelled from the sect.
In any other average sect achieving 9th stage of the Qi realm at the age of 18 would be considered a bit above average and in even smaller sects anyone who achieved that would be considered talented, but in the Thousand sword sect that is considered barley passable, this goes to show how demanding the sect requirements are, but it also goes to show how lofty and powerful the sect is.
As this was the most likely reason for the elder to call for me, I am afraid that I'm being called to receive a warning about my current cultivation stage, and that would signify that if I do not breakthrough to the complete Qi condensation realm in the near future I am to be expelled.
"Alright, thank you junior brother Gao, I will be heading over to him now"
"Ah before you do that, I think you should probably take a shower first senior" Gao Xing-Fu said, while pinching his nose and wiping the hand he touched my shoulder with, on a nearby training dummy.
I blushed as I realized that I was feeling sticky all over, and probably reeked of sweat after my morning training. The intense atmosphere that was present from the Elders calling for me disappeared without a trace.
"Ahaha...alright I think I'm going to head back to my cottage first", I said awkwardly in embarrassment, as I started heading back.
"Okay senior, good luck"
"Gao Xing-Fu…" I said, as I suddenly paused.
"yes senior"
"Thanks" I thanked him, as I knew that he had said that to ease my tensed nerves.
"Haha anytime" he said, as I headed back.
...
Reaching the cottage, I took out a barrel that was about my size then headed towards the only well in the living area, which was located in the middle between the two rows of cottages. Waiting in line for my turn, as there were numerous disciples drawing water this early in the morning. After it was finally my turn, I filled the entire barrel with water, then easily hefted it over my shoulder, as I circulated Qi in my body, after which I walked back to my cottage as I greeted back the disciples that walked by, taking extra caution not to spill the water.
Going to the back of the cottage I poured some of the water inside a small tub that I kept there to wash my dirty clothes in, I then took out some plant stalks from the inside of a small bag I kept in the back, moving back to the small tub I squeezed the plants in my hand till a purple fluid started to spill out into the tub, the water in the tub started to bubble as purple foam formed in it. These plants were called the purple foam plants, they were quite common that at certain point in time they were considered weeds, the plants' uses are quite numerous as they could be used in a variety of ways, such as washing your hair, body, teeth, clothing…etc.
Done with the tub I stripped out of my clothing not caring if anyone would see me, as I knew that there would be no one, for most of the disciples would be at the training grounds right now, as for the disciples that were drawing water from the well, they were mostly female disciples that lived on the other row of cottages, throwing the filthy clothing into the tub I started cleaning myself.
After getting my self cleaned, I put on some clean white worker disciple uniform, and started moving towards the Elders quarters at the base of the mountain I was stationed on. Worker disciples unlike other disciples did not live on the mountains that the Thousand sword sect occupied but surrounding it, and unlike official disciples, worker disciples weren't taught official sect techniques, the so-called standard sect techniques where actually common foundational techniques that even the smallest of sects did not treasure.
So if the Thousand sword sect did not care about its worker disciples, and if the worst of those disciples would be considered average in other sects then why wouldn't they just leave the sect into another one that treated them better, why fuss about getting expelled, well that was because of the series of mountains that the sect occupied, the area that the sect occupied was actually a Qi vein, it was so rich with Qi that even someone like me with barely average talent managed to reach the 9th stage of Qi condensation at the age of 18.
...
Passing through the stone pathways towards the base of the mountain, I ignored what could be called a heavenly scenery, as I couldn't take my mind of what was about to happen. I started getting nervous, my mind started wandering about what was about to happen, and before I knew it I was in front of the elders' courtyard.
Opposite of what one would expect of an elder managing worker disciples, the elders' courtyard was not hectic and was in fact quite, other than a disciple coming around at the morning and dusk - Gao Xing-Fu - to clean the courtyard, nearly nobody came here, as in actuality other than the annual stage testing, the elder never interfered with the disciples unless there was a disruption, such as a fight, or if someone achieved complete Qi realm, in the first situation a disciple would come and report the situation, as for the latter situation the disciple would report to the elder, and he would then be led up the mountain. Other than those two situations the elder resided inside his quarters and would not interfere with anything that happened.
Walking into what reminded me of historical architecture of some eastern country in my last life, I clasped a fist in front of my chest and bowed my head slightly, and spoke respectfully.
"Worker disciple Chen Li reporting to Elder"
The courtyard remained silent for a while before I heard the elders' voice.
"Disciple Chen Li", an old voice spoke slowly from inside the elders living quarters.
"I have called for you today to ask about your cultivation progress"
'It was about my cultivation after all', I thought, as my hope that it was about something else died out.
"I am currently in the 9th stage sir" I reported quickly.
"I see that you have broken-through since the last annual test, you must have worked hard considering your talent" the elder praised.
"But I am afraid that your progress is still not enough, although it pains me to tell such a hardworking disciple this, but if you do not break-through into the complete Qi condensation stage in time for the annual test in two months, you will thus be expelled from the sect" said the elder in a neutral tone, that told me he couldn't care less if I got expelled.
Hearing the dismissal in his tone I responded with a quick "yes elder", and left the courtyard with sullen face.
On my way back to the workers area, I started thinking about what to do, I knew that with my Qi sensing talent I wouldn't be able to break-through naturally in time, Its not to say that their weren't any other ways to help me break-through, its just that I couldn't afford them, the sect did not pay worker disciples for their labor, they considered them living near the sects Qi vein enough payment. They just did not care if the disciples had enough time to cultivate with all the work they needed to get done, most disciples would have to cut their sleeping time to cultivate, and someone with barley any talent like me had to sleep even less than others to be able to keep up.
When I first arrived into the sect, I had thought that I was finally about to start my legend. When the sect gathered the children they have recruited, they make them enter enclosed cultivation, after enclosed cultivation they picked the children that had most potential and fostered them as core disciples, the others would either be sent as inner disciples, or for those who had barley any potential were sent to start as worker disciples.
I and a few others were unfortunately of the latter, and were sent to different places to work our way up from worker disciples, that was when I realized that I was not actually recruited for my potential or anything, I was merely picked up by those disciples to fill up their quote.
Even with my hopes let down once again, I refused to give up, if I was not some special talent all I had to do is work harder than anyone else, and carve my own way up the ladder.
Children were not given any hard work when they are first recruited, so I had the time to solely focus on my cultivation, and so I did. The first few breakthroughs were the fastest though slower than everyone it seemed that my hard work was paying off, but as I grew up and with my workload increasing it just seemed that no matter how much I cultivated I barley advanced.
Watching others advancing faster and moving on to become official disciples did not help either with every person my age advanced it would chip at my will to go on, but every time I was on the verge of giving up I would look at the necklace my mother had given me and remember my promise to myself, though my parents were dead that would not mean I would just give up on their hopes and my dream of accomplishing something in this life of mine.
Even though I preserved and did my best to cultivate, the gap of talent seemed to be too much, the children who were like me recruited to just fulfill the quote either gave up and returned to their hometowns, or went on to other sects after accomplishing some success. I was the only one who had remained, for I knew that if I wanted to ever accomplish something in this life with my meager talent, I would need a sect of this level at least, but it seemed that all that hard work would be blown with the wind.
'I cannot let it end like this ', I thought with gritted teeth.
'If one cannot accomplish anything no matter how hard he worked for it'
'If one cannot achieve anything the right way no matter how much one worked.'
'Then that means that he was doing it the wrong way since the beginning' I thought with a resolute look in my face, as I knew that I would be doing something dangerous and stupid, but necessary.
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