Chapter 3: with translation of chapter title

At this moment, Ye Zhangqing felt fortunate to have joined the Dao Yi Sect; as the leading figure of the orthodox path in Dongzhou, at least within the Dao Yi Sect he didn't have to worry about safety.

Moreover, the Dao Yi Sect has strict sect rules, and its disciples do not engage in mutual slaughter.

On the contrary, the disciples of the Dao Yi Sect are very united and friendly; at least Ye Zhangqing, even as a menial disciple within the sect, has not suffered any bullying.

This might be related to the Dao Yi Sect's recruitment examination.

Within the Dao Yi Sect there is a supreme treasure called the Heart‑Illuminating Mirror, which can discern right from wrong and know good from evil; every disciple who joins the sect must undergo its trial, and only those with a benevolence score above ninety can pass.

Only after that comes the aptitude test; if you can't even pass the Heart‑Illuminating Mirror test, then even if your talent is heaven‑defying, the Dao Yi Sect will not accept you.

This applies equally to menial disciples.

Precisely for this reason, there are no petty crooks within the Dao Yi Sect; the sect's atmosphere is harmonious, and with its relatively small numbers, it truly resembles a legendary immortal paradise.

The Dao Yi Sect's thirty‑six peaks have about seventy to eighty thousand outer‑door disciples, while the inner‑door disciples number just over ten thousand.

By comparison, the number of menial disciples is much larger, exceeding one hundred thousand.

However, given the sect's stature, such numbers are already considered scarce.

This is also the belief the Dao Yi Sect has always upheld: better to lack than to excess, not caring about how many disciples there are, but ensuring each one is an elite.

Taking the inner‑door disciples as an example, their lowest cultivation is the Golden Core Stage, and there are plenty with Purple Mansion cultivation, even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

As for outer‑door disciples, aside from age and talent there are no strict requirements; if one's aptitude, constitution, and comprehension are all of the highest grade and they pass the Heart‑Illuminating Mirror, they can become an outer‑door disciple.

But if one fails to break through the Meridian‑Opening Stage before the age of thirty, they will be directly assigned by the sect to the mundane world to manage the Dao Yi Sect's worldly holdings, which means they will have no further immortal destiny.

It is no exaggeration to say that if the disciples of the Dao Yi Sect were placed in the outside world, each would be considered a genius; this is also why the Dao Yi Sect has been able to stand firm in Dongzhou.

Of course, this naturally does not include menial disciples, because menial disciples actually do not care about talent.

Or to put it bluntly, menial disciples are mostly used for personal favors, just like Ye Zhangqing.

Even so, countless people still rack their brains trying to enter the Dao Yi Sect, even if only as a menial disciple.

He felt that the Dao Yi Sect was simply perfect for him; the sect's internal relations were harmonious and its strength great, so he could rest easy staying there.

He glanced at the time and realized it was almost Fàn diǎn.

The Divine Sword Peak canteen serves two meals a day, but usually only menial disciples come; outer‑door disciples never come, and even among menial disciples, the number who do is small.

The Divine Sword Peak has several thousand menial disciples, and the estimated number who come to the canteen each day is less than a hundred.

"Let's have braised noodles for lunch today."

He turned and walked into the kitchen, where Ye Zhangqing began preparing today's lunch.

At the same time, on the mountainside, two pretty girls were cleaning the courtyard for an outer‑door disciple.

This is also part of the menial disciples' work.

Having been busy since morning, they finally finished everything; one of the girls wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled.

"I'm afraid we won't have time to cook today; let's go eat at the canteen."

Menial disciples usually cook in small groups of three to five for themselves; outer‑door disciples need not be mentioned—they don't care what they eat, a single Five‑Grains Pill suffices, and compared to eating, they are more concerned with breaking through to the Golden Core Stage as quickly as possible to become inner‑door disciples.

Therefore, the canteen that Ye Zhangqing is in charge of is almost an invisible presence in Divine Sword Peak.

Unless it's like these two girls, who, because they have something to do and no time to cook, will go to the canteen to grab a meal.

Hearing this, the other girl frowned slightly and said.

"The canteen—its food is awful; I don't want to go."

"But there's no time now, and I'm really tired."

After working a morning, both girls were indeed tired; after a moment's hesitation, the girl who had been reluctant reluctantly nodded.

"All right, let's just get something to eat now, and we'll cook for ourselves tonight."

"Mm."

While the two girls were talking, the owner of the courtyard also came out—a handsome young man.

It goes without saying that there are no ugly people in the Dao Yi Sect; even the menial disciples are handsome men and beautiful women.

Of course, when it comes to looks, Ye Zhangqing absolutely belongs to the Top Prodigy level; so far no one can compare with him, which means the readers can only just barely tip the scales in his favor.

"You've worked hard."

He smiled and said to the two girls; hearing this, the two young women hastily gave a respectful salute.

"Wu Shī xiōng, you're being too serious; this is just our duty."

When facing menial disciples, this Wu Shī xiōng showed no arrogance whatsoever; on the contrary, he was very kind, which is also how Dao Yi Sect disciples usually treat each other—quite normal.

He gave them some silver as a token of appreciation, then let the two girls leave.

Although menial disciples have a lot of work, at least the food and daily living of the numerous outer‑ and inner‑door disciples of Divine Sword Peak are all handled by menial disciples.

But as long as they finish their work, the remaining time is theirs to arrange as they wish.

After leaving Wu Shī xiōng, the two girls walked down the mountain path toward the foothills.

At the same time, from various places in Divine Sword Peak, groups of two or three menial disciples were likewise heading toward the canteen.

Their numbers are small—at most about fifty or sixty—and these people are heading to the canteen for a meal for various reasons.

At the kitchen door, Ye Zhangqing had already set up a large pot and brought out a big table.

The pot was boiling water, ready to cook noodles at any moment, and on the large table beside it sat a big bowl of mixed sauce, along with green onions, cucumbers, and other assorted toppings.

To preserve the texture, Ye Zhangqing, having learned from his past life, did not pre‑cook the noodles; instead he waited for someone to arrive and then cooked and ate them fresh, which naturally makes the noodles taste better.

Not long after, the first batch of menial disciples entered the small courtyard, three youths coming together.

"Junior Brother Zhangqing, what are you doing?"

At a glance they saw Ye Zhangqing standing by the kitchen door, with a large pot and a table, and all three felt puzzled.

Before, wasn't it just cooking rice and stir‑frying dishes, then they would go and eat on their own? Why is he lighting the stove and boiling water today?

Facing their questions, Ye Zhangqing replied with a smile.

"I've invented a new dish, made especially for you to try—there are three of you, right?"

Hearing this, the three nodded.

"Hmm, three people."

Although that was the case, the three actually didn't hold much hope in their hearts; they had tried Ye Zhangqing's cooking before, and could only say it was edible, extremely ordinary, with nothing remarkable, so they didn't have much expectation.

As long as it fills the stomach, that's enough.