Chapter 40

Matters Within the Grotto-Abode

For an outer sect disciple like Ruan Ci, her movements were extremely free. If she had no close friends or relatives in the sect to worry about her, perhaps no one would even know if she died. Even if her cultivation base made no further progress and she never opened her meridians, she could live a carefree life like this until her lifespan ended, and no one would come to ask after her. In any case, the sect was vast and had deep resources; the monthly stipend provided to outer sect disciples was merely a tiny expense. As long as Ruan Ci's name had not been struck from the register, the monthly stipend would naturally be delivered every month. As for the rest, it was entirely up to her; whether she focused on cultivating the Dao or spent her days in leisure, the sect would never interfere. The spirit jades were allocated in full every month, and the supply of robes, vegetables, and meat was never cut off. If a servant or attendant died due to some cause, four more would be replenished for her as usual, until the three sticks of divine incense lit at the time of apprenticeship were extinguished. Only then would someone strike her name from the register and collect her remaining belongings, fulfilling the ties of the master-disciple relationship.

It was precisely because of this that the conduct of a disciple was extremely important to the servants. These beautiful maidens and strong men originally had established families in the Nine Kingdoms below the mountain; if not for that, they wouldn't even have been able to make the list for selection. But once they entered the mountain, let alone their future prospects, even their lives were no longer their own. If they encountered those gloomy and violent people who would beat or kill their servants at the slightest provocation, they would truly have nowhere to seek justice even after death. The Spirit Valley Peak usually didn't want to step in, simply waiting to fill the vacancies with batch after batch of people. Even if they met a gentle-natured disciple, if the disciple themselves were not doing well, they naturally couldn't talk about looking after their subordinates or bestowing elixirs to open their meridians for cultivation. For a servant like Lü Qi, who not only stepped onto the immortal path but also managed to obtain a position within the sect, her luck was already as good as it could possibly be. Most servants eventually faded into obscurity; being able to open their meridians and cultivate before their lifespan ended, living a hundred years longer than those below the mountain, was already a decent outcome.

The Profound Heaven Sect had occupied the Central Continent for several eons; how could the Nine Kingdoms below the mountain not know of this? Knowing the fate of servants, they could still let go of worldly wealth and enter the mountain to serve. These servants each had their own spirit and capability. Ruan Ci spoke a few words with the four of them, but did not make them change their names or surnames, simply taking their surnames and smiling, "From now on, I shall call you Zhang Ji, Li Ji, He Tong, and Li Tong."

The four of them naturally flattered their master to the utmost, kneeling to thank her upon hearing this. Ruan Ci said, "There is no need for that."

She had originally wanted to say that if not for the convergence of fate, her own background was actually not as wealthy as theirs. But now that some people in the sect thought she was a descendant of a wealthy family from the South Zhuzhou, it was inconvenient to say this. Furthermore, knowing that immortal fate and fortune were just a matter of luck, and that the aptitude of these four was not inferior to many disciples of the Grace Sect or Peace Sect, why bother saying it out loud and stinging their hearts?

She swallowed the words back into her stomach and sighed, "I am a newcomer here and have no relatives in this place. Even though I have received some care from the Purple Void Grotto-Heaven, being in the outer sect, it is inconvenient to ask for help with everything, otherwise, it would be counterproductive. You should tell me about some of the taboos regarding the disciples in this sect, so as to avoid accidentally offending some prominent figures. I haven't even started cultivating yet, and I've already made enemies in the sect."

Her future was closely tied to the four of them; there was no reason for the four servants to harm her, and they hoped for her advancement even more than anyone else. Hearing their master personally admit her connection to the Purple Void Grotto-Heaven, their faces beamed with joy. Li Ji said, "Miss, you can set your heart at ease. Not everyone who enters the sect as a newcomer can apprentice under a Grotto-Heaven gate. Since you have caught the eye of Wang Zhenren, who among this generation of cultivators would dare to make things difficult for you?"

When Ruan Ci chose her people, she had also put in the effort, not selecting close relatives of the imperial family—these close relatives, unless there was a special reason, would not come up the mountain to serve, and they likely had some stories in their hearts, wanting to use their influence to return home in glory. If they were Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivators, they wouldn't care about these things, and would take them if they wanted to. For Ruan Ci, if the other party apprenticed under her, she would naturally be greatly disappointed, and she would have no use for these people either.

She chose those from second or third-grade families of the Nine Kingdoms, descendants of military or noble households. For these families, if they could not inherit the family business, serving in the mountain was also a good destination. It was likely that every generation had people trying to enter the service, and after their service period ended, they would return with long lives, marry, have children, and pass on their bloodline. It could be said that they were well-versed in family traditions, their connections were naturally extensive, and before entering, they would also try their best to inquire about many taboos, which was just right for Ruan Ci's current use. Sure enough, as soon as she asked, they all spoke at once, explaining the life of Qi Condensation disciples in the sect clearly.

Whether they were true cultivators or miscellaneous cultivators, when a cultivator apprenticed into the mountain gate, there was no tuition, and the sect even issued a monthly stipend. Such a good thing naturally could not last forever; once sect disciples had a certain level of cultivation, they had to take on tasks for the sect. For instance, at that time, Chen Yuzi and Liu Jizi were ordered to guard the Song Kingdom. The two of them should have been taking turns, and while stationed in the Song Kingdom, they could not cultivate, which in a sense also delayed their progress. It was likely that the Lingxiao Sect must have given them considerable compensation for this task.

In ordinary sects, there were tasks to do after entering. Some tasks were specifically designed to temper disciples, and there were monthly exams, annual exams, and even the sixty-year grand exam, sect grand competitions, and various hero gatherings of the sects, all of which were merely to temper talents and let outstanding disciples stand out. But for a prosperous sect like the Profound Heaven Sect, the rules were different from those of the flourishing sects. Qi Condensation disciples were not assigned tasks by rule. Only after reaching Foundation Establishment were tasks assigned, but the assessment was only once every hundred years, and they often even missed the exams. This was because the sect was full of talents, and there were no mediocre people occupying high positions, nor any worries about not engaging in production.

But this did not mean that Profound Heaven Sect disciples could be leisurely. Cultivating in the sect to Nascent Soul, or even directly entering the Grotto-Heaven, the number of disciples lost during the Qi Condensation stage was no less than in other sects, and perhaps even more. This was because the Profound Heaven Sect had another rule: the external medicine needed for a cultivator to break through the realm was never provided by the sect, and disciples had to find it themselves. In short, whether it was sect assessments or auctions, as long as it was hosted within the sect, the shadow of breakthrough medicine would never appear.

In the Langhuan Zhou Tian, most cultivators needed precious materials and external medicine to harmonize when breaking through realms. For example, opening meridians and Foundation Establishment; opening meridians by rule required three types of spiritual objects as primers, and Foundation Establishment also required three. When condensing the Golden Core, the number of external medicines was even greater and more precious. These breakthrough medicines were of many varieties, their quality varied, and their origins were all over the world. Moreover, the external medicine needed by a cultivator was not necessarily fixed; it had to be sought according to their cultivation technique and their own constitution. If one was unlucky, a Qi Condensation cultivator might need an external medicine produced in the South Zhuzhou that could only be kept fresh for a few years when breaking through. According to the rules of the Profound Heaven Sect, they could only try to search for it in the Central Continent first, or beg their sect elders to come forward. If they still couldn't find it, they could only take a boat to the South Zhuzhou to seek their own fortune.

Ruan Ci had heard Dong Shuangcheng say that the rule of the Taibai Sword Sect was that after Foundation Establishment and before Core Formation, one had to go to the ten great dead zones to temper oneself. It seemed that this was also a way for various sects to temper their disciples. With the ability of the Profound Heaven Sect, if they were willing, what external medicine in the world could they not collect? Doing this was naturally to add a shackle to the disciples, so that they would not only know how to cultivate and blindly stack magic power, but would instead not know how to respond when encountering things.

If one wanted to ask the elders to bestow it, one had to curry favor with the teachers and try to make oneself valued. If one wanted to search for it with heavy money, one had to try to profit from trade and earn a fortune. If one wanted to seek it out oneself, one could not avoid wearing out one's iron shoes, traveling through mountains and rivers, experiencing dangerous situations, and not knowing how many struggles and how much human malice one would have to endure. Doing this was much more useful than any sect grand competition, but it was just more time-consuming, and the loss of talent was also greater than in sect grand competitions.

However, the Profound Heaven Sect was a prosperous sect of the world. There were only those who begged to apprentice but could not find a way in, and none who could not recruit disciples. This loss of talent was naturally not taken to heart. Therefore, there was no requirement for the cultivation base of the disciples, and no assessment was added. They only tempered the Dao heart at this hurdle, and the level of future achievement depended entirely on the disciples themselves. For the disciples here, although Foundation Establishment was just a matter of course for them, after apprenticing into the sect, they did not dare to be the slightest bit slack, trembling with fear. After just getting familiar with things for a few days, they had to start preparing to search for external medicine.

"It is good for Miss to know that the reason why we servants of the Nine Kingdoms are trusted by the young masters and young ladies is also because of this connection." Li Ji was eloquent and naturally took it upon herself to explain, "Hearing the elders in the family talk about it, most sect disciples do not want to trouble their elders with everything. Even for the bloodline of Grotto-Heaven True Persons, many of them start searching for external medicine on their own from the Qi Condensation stage. After all, human favors are not easily obtained, and it is a pity to waste them on small matters. Within our Nine Kingdoms, there are also quite a few spirit realms and dangerous places that produce many external medicines. The sect does not collect them itself; they are all bought by merchant firms outside the mountain gate. They can buy and sell, and it is a business they have been doing for tens of thousands of years, which is quite trustworthy. If the external medicine Miss needs can be found within the Nine Kingdoms, it is also cheap. For some remote and hard-to-find items, you can send word to inquire first, and if there are any, buy them first."

Ruan Ci found it interesting and couldn't help but smile, "But I don't have spirit money, what should I do? High-quality external medicine must not be cheap."

Li Ji covered her lips and smiled, "You can just owe it first, that's fine. If it's really inconvenient to accommodate, we have some meager assets in our families and will naturally do our best to help. After Miss establishes her foundation and goes out to walk, what spirit money won't you be able to earn back?"

Although Ruan Ci looked young, she was not an ignorant child. Having worked as a hired hand in the Altar City for two years, she had seen many tricks. Hearing this, she understood immediately, knowing that if she nodded, many businesses would come to her in the future, many of which would only be easy to do by borrowing her status as a Profound Heaven Sect disciple. As for whether there were traps hidden behind these businesses, that would depend on luck. In most cases, they should be small businesses that it wouldn't matter whether she did or not. In any case, looking at this Central Continent, the status of cultivators was far superior to that of mortals, and Profound Heaven Sect disciples stood at the top among cultivators; there were not many people who could shake their status. And Li Ji and the others, and even the families behind them, could also profit from it, and perhaps even gain more than she did.

Although that was the case, for Ruan Ci, all external medicines had Dao rhyme, so she could eat them, but eating them wouldn't have any effect. All precious materials and external medicines that could not be used to absorb spiritual energy with the Donghua Sword were useless to her, so she just listened to it as a story. After listening, she neither agreed nor refused, just asking about other things. Learning that everyone had already planted rice seeds in the spirit fields this morning and had also raised two little birds sent by Steward Feng, she said, "How many people are needed to cultivate this spirit field usually?"

Asking and learning that two people could cultivate it on ordinary days, she let the two male servants farm the land, and the two maids wash clothes, cook, and clean the courtyard for them. They were not to come to the main house often if there was nothing to do. She would go out to cultivate from time to time, and perhaps also go to the Purple Void Grotto-Heaven to open her meridians. If she was not seen, there was no need to panic and search, and so on.

These four people were originally here to look after her daily life and clean the house; these were their basic duties. And they also knew that Ruan Ci had now obtained a cultivation technique, and the most important thing was to open her meridians and cultivate, otherwise, there was no need to even attend the courses at the Clear Wind Disorderly Book Hall of Spirit Valley Peak. Therefore, they all accepted the order and withdrew. On the way back to the room, He Tong said to Li Ji, "Li Ji, you are too impatient. Miss hasn't even opened her meridians yet, and you are already talking about Foundation Establishment external medicine. Being so hasty, I'm afraid it will be counterproductive."

Li Ji disagreed and smiled, "Is there anything false in what I said? Isn't it all the truth? Our family background is not as good as others, and if it were local disciples, they wouldn't pick us anyway. We can only muddle along here for a few years and go back in disgrace. It was Miss who had the wisdom to pick us four. How could we not serve her with our lives? I am doing it entirely for Miss's sake, and Miss will naturally understand my loyalty."

The implication was that she implicitly considered herself the leader of the four, and suspected that He Tong was competing with her for power. He Tong shook his head, not wanting to argue with her, and went to get the farm tools himself.

As for Ruan Ci, after she cultivated the Dao, her ears and eyes were sharp, and she actually heard a bit of the servants' argument, but she didn't take these verbal disputes to heart. Seeing that all four had withdrawn, she took out the unfinished spirit beast meat jerky from her bundle, chewed a few pieces to satisfy her hunger, changed out of her Daoist robe, put on a short-sleeved outfit, took out the Spirit Hua Jade Disk and hung it on her chest, wore a long sword, and decided to do something slightly suicidal—go to the back mountain for an excursion (or hunting, as one might call it).

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Updated, sorry for the long wait, everyone. Today for lunch I had a stir-fried beef with peppers set meal... still takeout TAT. Although my dad is back, he's in good spirits and went out to play with friends from back home. I can only continue to live on takeout, crying.

Q&A time: Why do you still need to absorb spiritual energy to cultivate after Intent Cultivation?

It's actually stated very clearly in the text. Intent Cultivation is just a cheat for the reincarnation of a great power. A level 80 character can roll back to any level between 1-80, but cannot exceed 80, and still needs to continue cultivating upwards. For a big shot, this is an optional item. For Ruan Ci, this is a mandatory item, mainly because she cannot break through the realm through normal cultivation and can only cultivate to the full at this stage. If she doesn't do Intent Cultivation, she has to switch to Vessel Cultivation.

The red envelope from the previous chapter will be sent after the update tomorrow. Sigh, I didn't write any buffer chapters yesterday, I went out, I hope I can write more today...

. Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me during the period 2020-07-26 20:05:02~2020-07-27 12:05:26~

Thanks to the little angel who cast a rocket launcher: Wan Tang x1;

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Time's Delusion, Orange Flavor Abundant x1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: yj993206 x10 bottles; Has it not been updated yet x6 bottles; Fatty loves to eat, Qin Se, sidewalker, A Dai x25 bottles; Open it, I'm counting 123, Qi Qi x3 bottles; Dyeing, Laughing to Death, 18205385, Chen Xiao Chuang x1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!