Intent on ignoring the Elder staring at him, Mo Duan settled comfortably into his seat and took a moment to enjoy the benefits of his new body. He had grown used to the problems associated with an aging body, so his current lack of pain and aches was something worth savoring. Being in a young body filled with supernatural power did a lot to make him feel like he wasn’t just the grumpy old man he used to be.
After the moment passed, Mo Duan turned his focus to the ongoing ceremony.
Unlike his predecessor, who cared very little about his obligations, Mo Duan felt he had a responsibility to pay attention to the ceremony given that some of the kids would soon be placed under his care.
…Unfortunately, it didn’t take him very long to realize that watching a bunch of kids take a written exam was mind-numbingly boring. The most exciting thing happening was the kid who appeared to be on the verge of fainting from anxiety.
Actually, now that I look, I’m pretty sure one of them is out cold…
Mo Duan was sure that from the perspective of the kids this was probably the most important day of their life, but he only wished that they would hurry up and move on to the more interesting parts.
Although it became clear a few moments later that he wasn’t the only one who found the ceremony uninteresting.
“You haven’t missed anything of importance, Elder Mo.” said a tall, muscular man with short hair and piercing eyes. “We still haven’t passed the first portion of the ceremony.”
While every cultivator was trained in combat due to the extensive dangers they could expect to face in this world, the physical cultivators that studied under Elder Wuxing Zhen tended to be the sect’s most powerful combatants. It wasn’t any particular surprise that he wasn’t interested in the first portion of the ceremony.
Mo Duan barely stopped himself from letting out a sigh of relief as he felt the Elder who was watching turn her attention away from him so she could berate Elder Wuxing.
“You believe this to be nothing of importance? I hope you’re not under the impression that our sect can function without its scholars,” said Elder Yuanlei Xin, a stern-faced and sharp-eyed woman who appeared to be middle-aged.
For most immortals, visibly aging was a sign that their cultivation had stalled and that they were approaching the ends of their long lifespans, but Mo Duan knew that Elder Yuanlei was an exception. It wasn’t public knowledge, but his predecessor learned through his research of the sect that both the woman’s aging and the scar that covered half her face were caused by the actions of a demonic cultivator.
After learning that, the previous Mo Duan had been wise enough to avoid her, although it seemed like his efforts had not been effective enough.
Mo Duan pushed away his worrying thoughts and hummed as he searched through his memories and considered the woman’s words.
Most of the xianxia that he could remember reading depicted their worlds as lawless lands with barely anything resembling civilization or rule of law. In such a world, Mo Duan would expect every cultivator to focus nearly exclusively on combat and do nothing but seek power, but this world seemed to be different from what he expected… to a certain degree.
From what he could tell, Elder Yuanlei was indeed correct that her valley’s scholars were vitally important to the sect.
“I said no such thing, but I doubt even you could find much interest in watching something so… tedious,” Elder Wuxing said gruffly, crossing his arms as he turned to face his fellow Elder.
“The written portion of the ceremony is only tedious if you are ignorant of what to look for,” said Elder Yuanlei, pursing her lips in annoyance. “Many of these children come from clans with a historical tradition of producing scholars, the competition between the heirs of the Sima Clan and the Jiang Clan alone has the potential to change the balance of power in Emerald Forest City. For them, this test is one of the most important that they will take in their life.”
From what Mo Duan could tell from his memories, Elder Yuanlei was undoubtedly correct. The societies of this world were complex enough that they did need highly skilled and educated people, sometimes with very specialized knowledge. Obviously, nobody was going to let things be run by mortals, so the kingdoms and the sects put a decent amount of effort into training and education.
“This portion of the ceremony is also necessary to find those worthy of being assigned to my valley, therefore I also find it quite interesting,” said Elder Feng Ke, a cold and stoic man who specialized in creating Talismans and Formations. “This test is effective at separating the hopeless from those who might have some value.”
Elder Wuxing let out an annoyed huff, obviously disagreeing but uninterested in starting an argument.
The Elders continued to talk among themselves about a variety of topics, but Mo Duan stopped paying attention and turned his focus onto analyzing his memories and thinking about his current situation. He hadn’t had much chance to do so when he first arrived in this world before falling into a stupor.
He wasn’t sure how long he was lost in his own thoughts, but Mo Duan eventually noticed that the written exam was coming to a close and the kids were being herded into another building.
“I’m glad that's over. Now we can get to the part that’s at least slightly interesting,” said Elder Wuxing, losing his bored expression and sitting up in his seat.
“What interest could you possibly have in watching mortals walking along an illusionary path until they grow exhausted?” asked Elder Yuanlei, her expression disapproving
“You have your interests, and I have mine,” Elder Wuxin said dismissively. “Not only does the second trial reveal which of them has any talent for physical cultivation, but it also tells us which ones have the determination necessary to be cultivators. If they lack determination, then no amount of intelligence will stop their cultivation from stagnating.”
“They are young and malleable. Determination is something that can be taught and nurtured, but fools will always be fools.”
“If you say so,” Elder Wuxing replied with a hint of disinterest. “Truthfully, this trial is only slightly more interesting than the last one. It would be much more entertaining if we still tested their abilities in a more… practical manner, as it was done when we first joined the sect.”
“I’m sure it would be more entertaining for you,” Elder Yuanlei said with a roll of her eyes. “But this is a selection ceremony, not a bloodsport.”
“Are the two really so different?” Elder Wuxing asked with a sly grin. “Both involve competition and the chance for us to observe the potential of these children. I just prefer a more hands-on approach.”
“Must the two of you get into the same argument every three years?” Elder Ying asked with exasperation, interrupting their impending argument. “There’s truly no need for this.”
“I agree,” said Patriarch Songyu, his tone kind yet leaving no room to argue. “I believe it would be best if we discussed our future disciples, rather than the examination itself.”
Nobody was willing to argue with the Patriarch, so conversation trailed off as the kids were brought to the building where they would be examined for their physical ability. The building itself was no different from any of the others that Mo Duan had seen in the sect, with a sweeping roof and stone walls that were adorned with intricate carvings, but its interior was doubtlessly not what any of the kids were expecting.
Mo Duan could see many of them, especially those who didn’t look like they came from Clans that had a tradition of producing cultivators, looking around in confusion as they realized that they entered a room that was completely empty.
After all, it would be difficult for those who weren’t familiar with cultivation to realize that the various lines and diagrams etched into the ground were part of a giant Formation.
Mo Duan watched as one of Spirit Rest Valley’s Hall Masters made their way to the front of the room.
“Greetings, children,” said a bald man dressed in a simple black robe. His voice was deeper than Mo Duan expected and his piercing gaze seemed to cause each of the kids to tense up. “I am Hall Master Lin, and I will be explaining to you the second portion of the selection ceremony.”
The children were completely silent as the Hall Master paused, sweeping his eyes through the crowd to make certain he had everyone’s attention.
“The second portion of the ceremony will test your physical capabilities,” said Hall Master Lin, causing a stir of excitement to ripple through the crowd.
Many of the children, especially those who looked as if they already had some degree of training, seemed eager to have the chance to show off their abilities. After all, when most kids imagined cultivators, they imagined powerful warriors who flew through the air and possessed magical abilities, not scholars who studied the Spiritual Beasts for their weaknesses, or administrators who managed a sect’s businesses.
“However, if you believe that this trial will involve combat, then you are sadly mistaken,” said Hall Master Lin with an amused smirk on his face, causing the excitement in the room to quickly deflate. “Many of you come from vastly different backgrounds, so attempting to evaluate your talent for combat through a single trial would be an exercise in futility. Instead, you will be tested on your endurance and determination.”
Mo Duan watched as the Hall Master infused a portion of his Qi into the floor, causing the entire Formation to begin glowing.
“This Formation will place each of you in a separate illusionary world,” said Hall Master Lin, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “Once you are inside, each of you will find yourself at the bottom of a mountain path. This path represents your journey to becoming a cultivator, and the difficulty you will find while climbing it will be a reflection of the challenges you will face as you follow your Dao.”
The Hall Master paused for a moment to let his words sink in before continuing.
“Some of you may find this trial easy, while many of you will struggle. But know that no matter how difficult the climb may seem, it is essential that you push through and persevere. Only those who reach the end of the path will be deemed worthy of joining our sect. The rest of you will be returned to where you came from.”
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The Hall Master’s words immediately sent a ripple through the crowd, as they looked at each other with either determination or fear. This was a crucial moment for them, as it would determine the course of the rest of their lives.
At least that’s what I’m sure most of them are thinking, thought Mo Duan with a hint of amusement.
In truth, there would hardly be any among the kids who would be sent home at this point in the ceremony.
After all, each and every one of them had passed an evaluation before being brought to the sect that guaranteed that they all had a minimum amount of talent for cultivation. The Verdant Valley Sect wasn’t going to waste the effort they made in bringing them here, only to allow them to leave afterward. If they had reached this point, then none of them were so worthless that they couldn’t be put to use.
The path did not have an actual end, and the Hall Master’s words were simply a way to encourage the children to continue walking until they were completely incapable of continuing any further.
“Prepare yourselves, children. I will now activate the Formation,” said Hall Master Lin, slowly infusing more of his Qi into the Formation. “Remember, not only is this trial being watched by the sect’s Elders, but it is also being watched by the Patriarch himself. If any of you wish to attract their attention, then I recommend you perform to the best of your ability.”
With those words said, the Hall Master activated the Formation, and each of the examinees was suddenly covered with a strange glowing light. Their eyes slowly began to close as their minds were transferred to an illusionary world while their bodies stayed behind.
Mo Duan expected them to begin falling over, but it seemed like the Formation was keeping them in place.
As soon as the Formation was fully activated, the Spiritual Tool they were using to watch the ceremony divided itself into nearly a thousand separate floating mirrors for each of the children and their illusionary worlds.
If Mo Duan were still a mortal or even a weaker cultivator, then they would be far too small for him to make out any details. But as it was, he had no trouble seeing even the smallest details of each mirror and keeping track of all of them.
As the test got underway, Mo Duan suddenly began to grow curious about the test itself. A part of him had expected the trial to include a test for strength, or at least a few different tests other than one for endurance.
His predecessor was not a physical cultivator, nor was he particularly experienced in teaching, so there was nothing in his memories to help answer Mo Duan’s questions.
He glanced toward Elder Wuxing, who was currently watching the ongoing trials with intense focus. Mo Duan had kept quiet up to this point both because he was nervous about giving himself away, and because his predecessor had a quiet personality.
Well, I can’t keep quiet forever… and I’ll need to speak up eventually if I want to begin fixing the problems that the bastard whose body I stole left me with…
“Elder Wuxing, I have a question about the trial, if you are willing to indulge me,” Mo Duan said politely, causing the other Elders to end their conversations.
“Yes? What is it, Elder Mo?” asked Elder Wuxing with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
“I was wondering why the physical exam was structured in the way that it was,” said Mo Duan. “I would expect that we would perhaps test for strength or dexterity, instead of simply endurance. Is there a particular reason that we do not do so?”
Elder Wuxing hummed thoughtfully before answering, “Well, the truth of the matter is that there’s a limited amount of information we can gain from tests like these. Even the weakest of these children could become the strongest if they are well-suited for physical cultivation, so testing their current strength by making them lift heavy rocks would be pointless.”
“If that is the case, then why do we bother testing their endurance?” asked Mo Duan, confused about the difference between endurance and other physical traits.
“Oh, that’s quite simple. What we are testing isn’t actually their endurance, it’s their body’s ability to absorb Qi while undergoing physical exertion,” explained Elder Wuxing. “If they are well suited for physical cultivation, then they will passively absorb ambient Qi while pushing their bodies to the limit and run much farther than their peers. The only exceptions to this would be those who have unique constitutions, but of course, those have already been identified”
Elder Wuxing quickly scanned through the mirrors with a speed only possible for a cultivator before pointing out a specific kid.
“That one has a bit of spiritual beast somewhere in his ancestry, likely a tiger or something similar,” said Elder Wuxing, eyeing the kid as he ran down the path.
Mo Duan looked at the kid, an unusually muscular boy with wild untamed hair that wasn’t showing the slightest amount of strain. If a spiritual beast reached a certain level of cultivation, then they would gain the ability to take on a human form, so it wasn’t surprising to see kids with strange features popping up every now and then.
“His blood gives him a better physical constitution than the rest of the brats, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that his body is more suited to physical cultivation than the rest of them.” said Elder Wuxing before he paused, considering. “I’ll have to take him aside and get a closer look.”
That made sense to Mo Duan and did a lot to satisfy his curiosity, although the comment about unique kids already being identified reminded him that the Elders had been given jade slips containing information about the kids. His predecessor had never bothered to get one out of a general lack of interest.
“Elder Yuanlei, do you have any more jade slips?” asked Mo Duan, curious about what he could learn from it.
“Why do you ask, Elder Mo?” Elder Yuanlei asked sharply, turning her full focus to him. “You haven’t shown even the slightest amount of interest in the new disciples since joining the sect. Has something changed?”
The previous Mo Duan hadn’t shown any interest in the new disciples because he had no intention of staying in the Verdant Valley Sect long term. He had been recruited as a Guest-Elder for his specific skills and vowed to stay for at least twenty years, but that was not a vow he had any intention of keeping.
The sect didn’t care that much that Mo Duan had no interest in properly training anyone. The only reason they gave him his own valley and disciples was due to cultural expectations. If Mo Duan neglected to train them, then that was simply taken as an indicator that he didn’t intend to stay after the twenty years were over.
Training disciples was largely an investment into the future and served as a way for powerful cultivators to build a power base that would aid them in the future. Cultivators needed large amounts of resources to continue advancing their cultivation and power bases in the form of kingdoms, sects, clans, or disciples were a good way to acquire them.
But building these power bases was an investment in time and resources. No cultivator would waste efforts if they didn’t intend to stay long enough to reap the rewards of their investment.
So the sect adjusted accordingly and only gave him disciples which nobody had any use for.
But now, Mo Duan had changed, and his priorities had changed. The kingdom that his predecessor had come from was overrun by demonic cultivators and was a uniquely horrific place to live. He wanted absolutely no part in it.
If he left the sect before his oath was over, then he couldn’t stay within the Celestial Jade Empire without being hunted down, and it wasn’t like he was likely to get a better offer from a better sect.
So that being the case, Mo Duan might as well try to establish himself in the Verdant Valley Sect and build a life.
…Well, that and he had an idea about how to use his disciples to help solve the problems caused by his demonic cultivation method. Fixing the problems with his cultivation would have to be one of his highest priorities in the short term.
Just by thinking about it, Mo Duan could suddenly feel it slithering just beneath his skin, hungry for blood and ready to devour any living creature around him. Mo Duan ignored the sensation and turned his focus back to the Elders.
Well here goes nothing.
“Yes, it has,” Mo Duan said seriously. “I’ve decided to turn more of my efforts into training my disciples, and I would also like to see if there are any talented new disciples with a wood spirit root.”
At his words, Mo Duan suddenly found himself to be the center of attention, with even Patriarch Songyu turning his attention to him.
“Oh, what has brought about this change, Elder Mo?” Patriarch Songyu asked lightly.
“This one believes his duties in the Vanishing Mist Woods will be more difficult than expected, Patriarch,” said Elder Mo, using the excuse that he had prepared for this line of questioning, referring to the problem that the sect had recruited him to solve.
The Vanishing Mist Woods was once one of the sect's most profitable sources of Spiritual Plants but had recently become too dangerous for any disciples to enter. Those who entered the woods had a tendency to inexplicably lose their sense of direction and travel deeper into the woods, never to be seen again; even those who possessed wood spirit roots were generally not safe. Not only that, but many of the Spiritual Beasts inside had suddenly grown significantly more powerful.
The only reason Mo Duan was able to easily navigate the woods was because his cultivation method had the side effect of allowing him to sense the spirits of plants. It made it trivial for him to notice when he was going somewhere he didn’t want to go. Not to mention the fact that he was at his most powerful when surrounded by nature, and had a high enough cultivation to easily defend himself.
Mo Duan had been recruited to the sect as a Guest-Elder in exchange for his help in figuring out what was going on, and for gathering rare and essential Spiritual Plants that suddenly became inaccessible.
Obviously, all of that was just one more problem that his predecessor had never put any effort into solving, which meant it was now Mo Duan's problem to worry about.
“What does that Vanishing Mist Woods have to do with your interest in the new disciples?” asked Elder Yuanlei. “The two subjects seem unrelated.”
Mo Duan nodded and directed his response to Elder Yuanlei so he wouldn’t need to continue speaking so formally, “Much of the time I spend in the woods is dedicated to gathering Spiritual Plants, and not to investigating the source of the problem. I wish to train one of the new disciples in a cultivation method that would allow them to assist me.”
“You intend to take on a direct disciple?” asked Elder Yuanlei, sounding surprised for the first time in the conversation.
If a cultivator took on a direct disciple, then that meant they would be sharing nearly everything with them, including large amounts of cultivation resources and their personal cultivation methods.
“No, I do not,” Mo Duan denied quickly.
Although he felt a certain degree of responsibility to the kids under his care, he had no intention of taking on a direct disciple. That implied a level of attachment and commitment that he had no interest in giving to some random kid.
I’ve already raised one kid before, and given how that turned out… I’m not interested in trying again.
Besides, his cultivation method was absolutely not something that he would ever share and he had too many things to worry about already.
“I possess another cultivation method besides my own that would allow for a cultivator to safely navigate the Vanishing Mist Woods,” said Mo Duan, surprising most of the Elders.
Cultivation methods weren’t exactly something that grew on trees, so the fact that he had another that could allow someone to navigate the woods, and share it with one of the sect’s new disciples, was unexpected.
Most of them probably assumed that Mo Duan had gotten it from some adventure during his time as a wandering cultivator, but his predecessor had just picked it up from a random cultivator that he had robbed and killed.
Patriarch Songyu hummed consideringly and stared at Mo Duan with an assessing gaze. He wasn’t sure what the Patriarch was looking for, but he must have found it because he suddenly threw Mo Duan a jade slip.
Mo Duan couldn’t help but feel surprised as he caught the slip; he had been expecting a much more thorough interrogation of his motives and the complications he was having with his investigation.
“This one is grateful, Patriarch,” said Mo Duan, bowing to the man deeply.
“Your gratitude is unnecessary, Elder Mo,” said Patriarch Songyu, offering him a kind smile. “You are an Elder of this sect and such information is your right. We can discuss these matters more during the Elder Council Meeting being held in a few months. For now, I believe it would be best if we returned our attention to the ongoing trials.”
Ah, there it is…
Mo Duan decided that he would worry about that later and turned his attention to the jade slip. Although it looked like nothing more than a square piece of jade no more than a few inches in length, Mo Duan knew it was a Spiritual Tool that allowed for the storage and retrieval of information.
It was sort of like a magical USB stick that transferred information directly between people instead of between computers.
Without wasting any more time, Mo Duan infused a small thread of Qi in the jade and began looking through the information for someone who fit the criteria he needed.