Chapter 15: The Four Kinds of Disciples
Editor: celllll, Nou
Legends from the mortal realm speak of cultivators living free and unfettered lives. The reality, however, is that this was not always the case and only applied to only two specific kinds of cultivators.
One type had an abundance of cultivation resources and wealth. On top of practicing their cultivation and spiritual skills, each day was filled with exchanging pleasantries between friends, brewing wine and tea, and enjoying the day’s sunrise and sunset. This type was exempt from any worldly worries.
The other type included those who’d given up on the path of immortality. For them, resources were extremely hard to find and they fully understood there was no way they could advance any further. They would either waste their days sleeping or wander into the forests and mountains, hoping to find caves filled with treasures or a master cultivator who could take them in as a disciple—all so they could continue to freely live their lives into old age.
Aside from these two types of cultivators who had such leisurely days, everyone’s life at the sect was intense and busy.
Resources were everything in the beginning stages of cultivation. With them, it was possible to advance by leaps and bounds; without them, a cultivator would be stuck forever, unable to move even an inch forward.
The plump Daoist Yu Sanliang had never given up hope. He ran errands all day long just to earn the pittance of Spirit Stones offered to him, but to Yu Sanliang, this was his way of life. He enjoyed having his days filled with purpose, even if it made no real difference at the end of the day.
Fang Xing evaluated and came to understand this about Yu Sanliang.
Whatever Yu Sanliang’s purpose was, Fang Xing wouldn’t challenge his delusions of one day achieving something noteworthy. Without that bubble of delusion—without any glimpse of hope—who knew what would become of him?
After befriending Fang Xing, Yu Sanliang—of all people—had become extremely warm-hearted and zealous. He would voluntarily pay the silvers required for Fang Xing’s meals every month, and he always patiently reminded Fang Xing not to waste his days lazing about.
"On top of some silvers, there are other benefits too. Where do you think I get the money for your meals each month? Of course, most importantly, you can earn another Spirit Stone every three months! That is practically double the income of a regular D-Rank disciple! Shidi Fang, are you sure you’re not moved by this? Don’t block your ears…."
As they drank, Yu Sanliang talked endlessly in an effort to convince Fang Xing to join him at the Miscellaneous Department. In his mind, Fang Xing had already become a layabout who only slept and ate all day long.
"Say it again and I can’t promise I won’t kick you out.…" Fang Xing covered his ears, itching to send Yu Sanliang flying again. ‘I have more than thirty Spirit Stones all to myself; why should I run errands for them? Now, if only there were more hours in a day so I could practice more….’ Of course, no one else needed to know any of this.
"Fine, I’ll stop…" Yu Sanliang relented with a concerned expression, "but what are you going to do about your resources?"
Fang Xing just rolled his eyes. "Isn’t it almost time to get another Spirit Stone from the sect’s distributions?"
"One Stone every three months, how could that be enough! Plus, who knows whose hands it’ll actually end up in…."
‘So having two every three months would be enough?’ Fang Xing thought to himself while giving Yu Sanliang a withering glance, only to interrupt when he saw the plump Daoist was about to say something more. "Ok. That’s enough. I don’t want to go to your Miscellaneous Department. Remember the last time you treated them to wine? Remember how they acted all holier-than-thou? None of them even had a decent cultivation level! You want me to kiss their *sses like you do? The only reason I’d go there is to smash that place into pieces!"
Despite Fang Xing's young age, his temper was not to be taken lightly. Unable to try to reason with him further, Yu Sanliang was left with no other option but to relent. However, he was still reluctant to give up on Fang Xing, causing him to mutter, "Yeah, but you still need to earn some Spirit Stones somehow…."
Fang Xing laughed at that. "I’ll show you how I earn Spirit Stones one of these days!"
—
The day all the disciples had been waiting for had finally arrived: the day of the Spirit Stone distribution. This time in particular included the D-Rank disciples who were finally allowed to receive their Stone after their three-month wait.
The C-Rank disciples received one Stone every second month, B-Ranks would receive one every month, and the A-Ranks would be given two every month. The outer court was divided into these four ranks, and although the distribution occurred on the fifteenth day of each month, only those of the eligible rank were allowed to collect.
"Shidi Fang, are you awake yet?" Yu Sanliang planned to take Fang Xing to collect their Spirit Stone from the sect and had arrived in front of Fang Xing’s cottage early in the morning.
"Argh! What’s with all this noise so early in the morning!" Fang Xing was still half asleep. He’d only just now gone to bed after a long night practicing Qi and breathing exercises, and he was clearly in a bad mood.
"Oh my, wake up now, Shidi Fang Xing! The earlier we go, the less likely things are going to happen." After throwing Fang Xing’s robe over his head, Yu Sanliang dragged the tired boy out the door.
The monthly Spirit Stone distributions were conducted at the Qing-Mu Hall around three miles away and—although the sun had yet to rise—the path to the hall was already filled with people heading towards the same destination.
Long queues could be seen at the Qing-Mu Hall even at this time of day. There were four lines, with only the leftmost—the line for the A-Rank disciples—nearly empty. Within the thousands of outer court disciples, only a dozen were of the highest rank and they didn’t need to come early at all. Inside a small pavilion, an elderly, silver-haired man was speaking to an A-Rank disciple while slowly fanning his palm-frond fan.
The second line from the left was for the B-Rank disciples. There were only a handful of them present at the moment, and all of them were in rather high spirits. In comparison to the A-Rank, the B-Rank had a good hundred disciples, and although they might have been inferior to the highest of ranks, they were no doubt extremely talented when compared against those in the C and D-Ranks.
The C-Rank disciples had been allocated to the third line, and several dozen had already queued up for their Spirit Stones with more still eagerly joining. Although they all appeared to be less arrogant than the B-Rank disciples overall, the looks they gave towards the rightmost line were filled with contempt and ridicule.
The D-Rank was naturally the worst one within the sect. With over one hundred of the total six hundred disciples already present in the hall, their queue stretched all the way down to the stone staircases. Each and every one of these people also appeared to be excited, and they bobbed their heads up and down to see if their place in line had moved forward or not. No one in this queue had the guts to look back at the C-Rank disciples sneering their way—it was obvious the D-Rank disciples felt a sense of inferiority towards them.
Essentially, the higher ranks looked down on the lower ranks. A-Rank disciples looked down on everyone, B-Rank disciples looked down on the C and D-Ranks, C-Rank disciples looked down on the D-Ranks, and those within the D-Rank... looked down on themselves.
Of course, as was the case with everything in this world, there were exceptions. Disciples with a wealthy clan would have enough money to buy their own Spirit Stones, and some of them may even be better off than those in the A-Rank. Those exceptionally wealthy disciples were the least likely to be here early, especially for the sake of only a Spirit Stone or two. To them, it didn’t make much of a difference at all.
—
Feeling bored, Fang Xing lazily stood in the line with the other D-Rank disciples until he noticed someone sneering at him from the C-Rank queue. "What are you looking at?" Fang Xing asked. "You want me to dig out your eyes?"
The disciple was of a feeble stature and looked more like a scholar than a disciple of the sect. After seeing Fang Xing being squeezed between all of these tall people—particularly behind a rather plump man that made the boy seem even smaller—he couldn’t help but find the sight amusing. Who would have thought this little brat had such a temperament? With only one look, Fang Xing began to verbally lash out at him like a shrew.
Although the C-Rank disciple was indeed frail, he’d always looked down on those in the D-Rank. He might have allowed this to slide if it was from someone else, but a kid in a lower rank? There was no way he was going to let this go. "Humph! A D-Rank disciple. How impetuous, such poor manners!"
"Hey you sissy, what did you say?" A loud shout drew everyone’s attention. Fang Xing had always had a dislike for people like this.
"Who did you just call a sissy?" the feeble disciple angrily asked, his face growing red.
"Who do you think? Sissy! You d*ckless eunuch!"
"You’re a sect disciple, too; why would you use such vulgar words?" the feeble disciple questioned again, growing uneasy.
"Vulgar like your mom! Sissy!"
The feeble disciple stomped his foot and pointed his finger at Fang Xing. "Such... disrespect!"
Fang Xing’s cursing and scolding skills may have even surpassed two of those
Faced with someone so inarticulate, Fang Xing found this as easy as drinking a glass of water.
Chapter 16: Wishing For A Chaotic World
Editor: celllll, Nou
The abusive banter between Fang Xing and the feeble disciple grabbed the attention of those around them, and everyone in the hall soon burst out into laughter.
Unable to defend himself from Fang Xing’s words, the feeble disciple broke into tears. A friend of his—a tall, beefy man—was finally unable to hold in his anger and pointed his finger towards Fang Xing. "Watch it, you brat! You need some soap to wash out that mouth of yours!"
"What has this got to do with you, you hairy cow! Are you defending him because you’re his lover or something?" Fang Xing cursed at the other man without holding back, his hands moving to rest on his hips.
The feeble disciple took out his handkerchief to wipe away his tears, "See…." With this, the two men looked even more like a loving couple.
"Hahahaha! Thought so!" Fang Xing pointed at the two men, laughing hysterically.
The beefy man walked out of his queue towards Fang Xing, his eyebrows knitted together and his face beet red.
Showing no signs of fear, Fang Xing simply turned to the rest of the onlookers. "Shixiongs, these two lovebirds are looking down on us D-Rank disciples! I heard them muttering something about how giving us Spirit Stones was a waste of resources and that we should hand them all to the C-Ranks instead! How could I possibly stay quiet about this?"
This remark immediately caused a few of the D-Rank disciples to grow angry. Although they couldn’t say for certain the feeble man had actually said such words, the looks of ridicule and disdain on the faces of the C-Rank disciples towards the D-Rank disciples were as clear as day. The sight of the beefy man walking towards their queue without any good intentions—coupled with Fang Xing’s provocation—began to trigger the D-Rank disciples’ rage.
"Why didn’t you get into B-Rank, huh? What’s so good about your C-Rank, anyway?"
"Us D-Rank disciples belong to the sect as well! Why would we fake anything?"
"It’s not like you C-Ranks are any better when it comes to the number of people who qualify for the inner court every ten years!"
Several D-Rank disciples began to noisily argue in that moment. With so many hostile reactions of the opposing queue, the beefy man stopped in his path, pale as though drained of blood.
Seeing everyone’s reactions, Fang Xing wasted no time in throwing out even more provocations, "Hey, you hairy cow! Do you really think we’re easy targets? Beat him!"
Just as Fang Xing was about to start a group brawl, Yu Sanliang—who’d been trying to stop Fang Xing the entire time—finally managed to grab him by the arms. Yu Sanliang was astonished throughout the entire event and couldn’t understand how simply lining up could almost lead to a large brawl. Fang Xing seemed to want to cause chaos wherever he went….
For the new D-Rank disciples in particular, this was effectively a fight for pride and honor. Without having a solid grasp of the sect rules, they didn’t have any second thoughts about picking a fight with these C-Rank disciples. Furthermore, the number of people in the D-Rank was much higher than any other ranks, anyway; if a genuine brawl were to break out, they would be the ones with an advantage.
As for the C-Rank disciples, their faces paled as they felt a deep sense of threat.
They believed that one day they would be far ahead in the world of cultivation, but that was all a matter of the future. Right now, the differences in cultivation levels between the two ranks were minimal, and if a large brawl was to truly break out, the difference in numbers would make the outcome hard to predict. The beefy C-Rank man returned to his queue with the other C-Rank disciples, frightened and covered in cold sweat.
As the conflict between the two parties began to reach its climax, an elder at the front of the lines coldly exclaimed, "Silence, all of you! Do you not want your Spirit Stones anymore?" His voice was coated with a dense Qi that sent cold shivers down the legs of the hot-headed disciples. In the same moment, Fang Xing hastily straightened his back and immediately pretended he was nothing more than an innocent bystander.
It was fortunate the elder had no intention of finding out who the main culprit was; instead, as soon as the pavilion returned to its originally tranquil state, he simply continued his job of handing out Spirit Stones.
In fact, the elders had all seen arguments and fights of the same topic numerous times in the past, and there had even been far worse cases where the disciples got quite physical with each other. The sect would always strive to sit and watch, remaining indifferent unless actual violence broke out.
Any elder could easily stop such a low-level brawl, after all, and being competitive and hot-blooded in youth wasn’t always a bad thing. If these kids were unable to satisfy their thirst for winning with physical fights, they would likely turn towards their cultivation practice with more diligence in the hopes of one day overpowering the people who looked down upon them.
After all, no matter their talent or rank, a disciple would still obtain instant success and admiration once their cultivation rose above everyone else!
After waiting for a bit and seeing that the elder didn’t want to chase the matter further, Fang Xing once again took the initiative and squinted his eyes towards the feeble man in provocation. The feeble man, on the other hand, was already intimidated by what Fang Xing had done; he only lowered his head and pretended not to notice what was happening.
It didn’t take long for Yu Sanliang to notice what Fang Xing was up to behind him, either. Without any other options, he dragged Fang Xing in front of him and started into a lecture him on reining in his temper—there was no reason to be picking fights with people instead of focusing on cultivation.
The moment after the feeble disciple received his Spirit Stone and was just about to leave, he gave a fierce glance towards Fang Xing.
"Sissy!" Fang Xing muttered under his breath without a second thought.
The beefy man pulled at the feeble disciple and said in a low voice, "We’ll show him who he’s dealing with in a moment."
Once it was Fang Xing’s turn to collect his Spirit Stone, the elder gave him a meaningful look just as he was about to receive it. "Young man, instead of wasting your time arguing with others, wouldn’t it be better to use all of that energy practicing Qi and cultivation? Someone will improve your aptitude if you can make it into the inner court!"
These words startled Fang Xing—it turned out the elder knew what had happened all too well. Fang Xing nodded, putting on his most sincere smile before responding, "Yes, of course! I shall work extra hard and make the entire Qing-Yun Sect proud!"
"Such a smooth talker you are," the elder smiled back, checking Fang Xing’s wooden token before passing a small Spirit Stone over.
Once both of them had received their Spirit Stones, Yu Sanliang once more cautioned Fang Xing about the usual procedures. "Shidi Fang Xing, now that we’ve got our stones, we’ll need to head back to our cottages as soon as possible. Do not look anyone in the eye, and even if someone tries to pick a fight with you, pretend not to notice…."
Fang Xing simply rolled his eyes at the warnings. "What do you mean?"
"Just do as I say. I would never mislead you about such things." A hint of helplessness flashed across Yu Sanliang’s gaze as he placed his precious Spirit Stone surreptitiously into his robe, as though afraid someone would take it from him.
Fang Xing himself wasn’t too worried; he still had over twenty stones remaining inside his storage ring, after all!
Disciples returned to their cottages in small groups. Some chatted and walked at a leisurely pace, others seemed to be in a rush, and a few were arrogantly bossing others around. One person even deliberately showed off his Flying Sword by gliding over a crowd, causing a scene and drawing envious gazes.
Fang Xing scoffed at such grandstanding. In theory, the lowest requirement to use a sword as a flying tool was to have an aptly-named Flying Sword, which only needed to have Qi poured into it from its cultivator. In practice, however, this method was extremely wasteful of Qi; especially for the level of an outer court disciple, the sword wouldn’t fly more than thirty feet before the user’s Qi was completely used up. It was important to note that even among the core disciples with cultivation levels like Xiao Jianming and Shijie Linyun, the preferred method of transportation was respectively an iron falcon and the white crane.
Even Fang Xing had a Flying Sword of his own... although it wasn’t exactly appropriate to be revealed just yet, of course.
Rather alarmingly, there were groups to either side of the path staring coldly at the passersby, appearing more like members of a gang than disciples from a respectable sect. Yu Sanliang lowered his head to avoid any eye contact with these people before grabbing Fang Xing’s sleeves, urging him to go faster.
"What the hell are these bastards staring at?" Fang Xing couldn’t help but mutter after seeing so many malicious glances on the way towards their cottages.
Yu Sanliang lowered his voice, "My good shidi Fang Xing... I know you don’t like it when someone offends you, but this is not the time to show off your temper. You have to know your place in this world, and with our cultivation level, there is no way we would be able to get away unhurt. If you don’t hold your temper, what if they come up to us and give us a beating before taking all of our Spirit Stones? What will you do then?"
"Does the sect not care?" Fang Xing questioned, his voice quivering.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
0 Power
stone 
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