"Ugh.. I hate coming out here," Rebecca complained, "we're in the middle of nowhere, hours from the nearest sect, and the Elders expect us to visit how many more of these little podunk towns? I mean, how likely is it that we'll find more than a handful of new disciples with even an inferior spirit root?"
Stephen let out a sigh, as he tried to be patient. He wondered how Rebecca had ever been able to cultivate, given her temperament. She had no patience, and no mental fortitude that he could see. "Rebecca, we're half-way through this recruitment tour. We only have a few dozen towns to visit, then we'll be on our way back to the sect before you know it. As Elder Babbot says, 'When there is a mountain of laundry in front of you, you must start by folding a single towel.'"
"I don't think you're remembering that correctly," Rebecca said, giving him a sideways glance.
"It's close enough. Anyway, look, we're already at the next town. Let's go down!" Stephen told her animatedly, clearly ready to be done with the conversation. Rebecca rolled her eyes, as they both guided their flying swords towards the town.
It was a small town, more of a village really. The houses were spread out over miles of corn and wheat fields. The handful of businesses were resting on a crossroads, where the farmers would bring their crops and livestock for export. In the center of the town, there was a small bank, built from flagstone, across from a two story government building that had a belfry on top. Next to these were a gathering hall, a post office, a bakery, a clothing store, an open-air farmers' market, and a couple of small restaurants that likely served soups and sandwiches. It was almost identical to every other town in rural America.
The cultivators disembarked from their swords in front of the gathering hall. The locals had been informed of their arrival well in advance, and would waiting in the gathering hall with their children, hoping that their child would be one selected by the sect. Even a junior outer disciple could bring their family prosperity. A few low grade spirit stones were worth more than most mortals could earn in a year.
As the pair walked into the hall, they were greeted with polite applause. They stepped over to the dais at the back of the hall, then Rebecca announced, "alright, have the children line up here so we can begin."
-Sam-
The morning began with a great deal of commotion as Sam's parents gathered him and his two older brothers onto their wagon. The wagon was loaded with goat's milk, cheeses, meats, eggs, and hides that their parents would sell when they got to town. This wasn't so unusual except that Sam and his brothers were made to get up early so they could wash, and put on what their mother called "proper clothes," which were just button-down shirts, slacks, and polished boots.
Sam had heard his parents talking about Immortals, sects, and cultivators, but he didn't understand any of it. He could tell, though, that everyone was excited, which made him feel excited. Whatever was going on, it must be something good.
When they arrived in town, Sam was shocked to see so many people gathered. He knew some of them from trips to town with his parents, but many of them he had never seen before, and he had certainly never seen so many people in one place. Everyone was talking while corralling children into the gathering hall. Sam wondered how everyone was going to fit into the building.
There were folding chairs lined up in rows all across the hall. His parents directed Sam and his brothers to a group of empty seats and told them to sit down and behave. Their parents sat down on either side of them and chatted with the other adults. It felt like forever that he had to be quiet and wait, so he busied himself with wondering what an immortal cultivator looked like. He had never seen one before. His oldest brother said cultivators could fly, so would they have wings instead of arms? Would they have feathers like a duck or scales like a dragon? He wondered if they would be waddling in on webbed feet. He giggled at the thought.
Sam was interrupted in his daydreaming when a hush fell over the room, then all the adults stood up to clap. He was too short to see properly, but he guessed that the cultivators must have arrived. Through a gap in the crowd, he could just make out a man and a woman at the front doors, wearing strange robes. Then suddenly they disappeared. When he looked around he saw that they were already standing on the stage! How did they move so fast? His brother was right that cultivators used magic. He forgot about his boredom and became excited.
The woman spoke, and when she did, although she did not speak loudly, he heard her as if she were sitting right next to him: "alright, have the children line up here so we can begin."
There were murmurs around the room as parents sent there children up to present themselves to the cultivators. Sam and his brother climbed up onto the raised platform, and stood next to the other children who were lining up next to them. Now that he was closer to the cultivators, he saw that they were both very beautiful to look at, like the jewelry his mother saved for special occasions, or fresh flowers in the spring. He had never seen anyone as pretty as the man and woman in front of him. He was disappointed, however, to note that they did not have wings or any feathers. At least not that he could see.
The cultivators began walking from child to child, putting a hand on each one in turn. Sam did his best to stand still and be quiet, like his parents had told him to. He didn't want embarrass them, or offend the cultivators. When the woman got to him, she spoke "hmm.. this one has a lesser spirit root. What's your name, child?"
"My name is Samuel Platt, but everyone calls me Sam, ma'am." The woman smiled slightly when he called her "ma'am," so he was glad he had remembered his manners.
"How old are you, Sam?"
"I just turned six last market day, ma'am!"
"Alright Sam, are your parents here with you?"
"Yes ma'am! They're right over there," Sam turned and waved at his parents in the crowd. They stood and bowed respectfully to the the cultivator, who waved to them to come up to the stage. While his parents were walking up to the stage, the woman moved on to the next children in line, who were his brothers, but she did not stop after checking either of them. Sam noticed that the man had stopped in front of a child further down and was asking her the same questions, before summoning her parents up as well. When Sam's parents arrived at the stage, the woman directed them to stand at the back of the stage and wait with him.
Sam and his parents watched quietly while the cultivators finished checking the rest of the children. It didn't take much longer, and at the end Sam, two girls, and another boy were each selected to go stand at the back of the stage with their parents.
The cultivators announced to the hall that everyone else should leave. The siblings of the children were told they could wait in the chairs, but that they had to remain quiet. The crowd shuffled out, and although many were disappointed, nobody dared to say so while the cultivators were in town.
Once that was done, the cultivators spoke to the four remaining families. Stephen began, "So, as you were no doubt told ahead of time, those who are selected will be recruited into the sect as outer disciples. You will be given an initial fee of... um.. what was the conversion rate again, Rebecca?"
Sam thought he saw Rebecca glare at Stephen, but her face was back to normal before he could be certain. "They will be receiving the mortal equivalent of ten low grade spirit stones, which will be one thousand dollars in this continent's currency."
Sam heard a gasp from all of the parents. He had learned numbers, adding, and subtracting, so he knew one thousand was a big number, but he had a hard time picturing it. Usually when his parents let him pay for things he used coins, the smallest being a penny, and the largest being a quarter. There were twenty five pennies in a quarter, and four quarters in a dollar. He had only seen dollars a few times, when his parents were selling the stuff they brought in the wagon. The traders like to buy a lot at once, so they had to use dollars. He also knew that he could get sweet bread from Mrs. Augustine at the bakery for five pennies, or one nickel. It was a big loaf of bread, too, that he could share with his brothers.
"Right," Stephen continued, "so you'll be receiving one thousand dollars as the initial payment. After one year, your children may send money back to you by mail, but their resources will be limited, so it will be up to them. Our head of recruitment, Elder Babbot, will be here soon to take them back to the Jade Peak Sect, so say your goodbyes, and then we'll be on our way."
Sam's father accepted the envelope full of cash that the man handed him, while his mother turned to him with tears on her cheeks to give him a hug. "Now, you be sure to write to us as soon as you can. We don't care about the money. If you have extra, we don't mind the help, but if you need it for yourself, then don't worry about us. We make enough on the goats, and the money they've just given us will see us through plenty of bad weather."
His father spoke next, "Sam, remember no matter what to mind your manners. Speak properly to your elders, and look out for your juniors. Don't start any fights, but if someone starts it with you, make sure you finish it."
"Peter!" his mother scolded his father. "What?" His father asked, "it's good advice."
"Sam, the most important thing is that you stay safe and protect yourself. Do not forget to send letters."
"Barbara, the boy barely knows his alphabet, how's he supposed to write to us?"
"He'll learn. I'm sure they'll teach him. And in the mean time, he can ask for help. I'm sure someone there will be looking after him." She choked up a little at that.
Another man in strange robes showed up, and this time Sam saw him jump down from his sword before making the sword disappear. Stephen and Rebecca bowed, and said in unison, "Greetings, Elder Babbot." Sam was surprised, as the man did not look old enough to be called "Elder." In fact, he barely looked older than the other two cultivators, and was just as pretty to look at. His parents bowed, and pushed his head down to bow, too.
"So there are four in this town?" The elder asked. "Yes, Elder, three with inferior grade spirit roots, and one with a lesser grade spirit root," Stephen replied.
"Well the roots can be improved later. Four is still a good number for a town of this size. Well, let's get going then. Hug your parents, children, then follow me," Elder Babbot instructed.
Sam's parents hugged him tight, then told him to get going. Sam was still a little confused about everything. A lot had happened today, and even though his parents had explained everything to him beforehand, he hadn't really understood most of it. He decided to do as he was told, and so he followed Elder Babbot, and the other three children did as well.
Elder Babbot did not pull out the flying sword, as Sam had expected, but instead pulled out what appeared to be a tree leaf. Sam stared in fascination as the leaf quickly grew in size, until it was as big as a row boat. The elder put it on the ground and told them, "get in, quickly now." So they did. Once they were all in the leaf boat, the Elder instructed them to sit down and stay still. He then sat down as well, and the boat began to rise into the sky. The children all looked over the edges of the boat, and Sam was in awe, watching as the buildings got smaller and smaller. Soon they were so high up that the clouds were below them, and he couldn't see the ground anymore. Then they shot forward so fast that the clouds became a blur. He thought he should have been flung from the boat, but something made it so that he did not feel the change in speed at all. Usually when Sam rode in his parents' wagon, there were a lot of bumps, and he would get pushed forward and backward as the horses changed speeds, but he didn't feel anything like that now. The boat ride was so smooth that he might not have known he was moving, if not for the clouds going by so fast.
"Have any of you heard of 'Chi'?," Elder Babbot asked. One of the girls spoke up, "Chi is life energy, and it's what cultivators use to fly and stuff, right, Elder?"
The elder laughed, "that's right, girl. A bit simple, but it's right. Where did you learn that?"
"From my father, Elder. He works with books in the city hall library, so he knows all kinds of stuff, sir."
"Hoho, that's not bad, what's your name and how old are you?"
"I'm nine years old, Elder, and my name is Emily."
"Junior disciple Emily, then. There is much more to know about chi. It is everywhere, and exists in everything, though it is denser in some places than others. You're right that chi is important for a cultivator, and you are all four capable of feeling chi, if only barely. Since the trip back to the Jade Peak Sect will take several hours, even by a Jade Leaf Boat, I'm going to teach you your first breathing technique, so you can begin practicing it on the way. Once you are able to breathe this way without thinking, you will be able to move chi into your dantian, and begin cultivating. If you don't know what I mean, that's okay, it'll be explained properly later. For now, just worry about learning this breathing technique. While you breathe, be sure to direct your attention inward, and maybe you'll be able to feel the chi moving through your body."
Elder Babbot then instructed the children in a strange breathing pattern, that involved a series of short and long inhales and exhales that made Sam feel dizzy by the time he was done with the first set. He kept trying though, and after a few hours, he felt like he had the hang of it, although it was hard. He noticed that the other children, who were all older than him, seemed to be having an easier time of it. He didn't let that bother him though. He kept going.
Now that he had the breathing pattern memorized, he turned his attention inward. With his eyes closed, he paid attention to his body, and what it felt like. He was familiar with meditation, since everyone in town would meditate in the evenings before bed. Now that he was doing the breathing technique, he did notice that he felt something different than usual. There was a warm sensation that started in his lungs and spread to the rest of his body. He thought this might be chi, so he kept paying attention to it. After a few more hours, the Elder spoke up, "You're all doing very well. The breathing technique I taught you is the most basic breathing technique that we teach to all of the children. It allows you to feel chi, and soon you will start being able to move the chi, then eventually guide it into your dantian. If you were not able to feel the chi, don't despair. The important thing today was for you to learn the breathing technique. One of the reasons we teach it to children is that it helps improve focus. You may have noticed that the trip seemed to go by faster than expected. That was because of your breathing technique. Now! We have arrived!"
As the Elder finished speaking, Sam could just see mountain peaks above the clouds coming into view in the distance. They were rapidly approaching, and Sam wondered if they would slow down in time, but to his surprise they kept going past the first peak, and several more after that. As he looked forward, the mountains stretched on as far he could see.
Eventually the Elder began slowing down, and when Sam looked below him, he could see buildings on the mountain tops, and through the clouds that parted he could see what looked like a town. Except that it was much bigger than his town looked earlier. The buildings below spread across mountains and valleys, and he thought they must have gone on for miles. Some of the buildings were also very tall, and there were other people on flying ships and swords down below. It even looked like some people were riding strange animals, like a man who was riding a large cat with lightning coming out of its paws.
Sam couldn't continue gawking, as the boat arrived at their destination. A large pavilion grew in front of them, and the Elder landed them at the front gate. "Normally," Elder Babbot told them, "when returning to the sect, you will go by foot, in which case you will use the outer gate. Since we are flying in, however, we must enter here, at the flight pavilion. If you try to fly in anywhere else, the sect's protection formations will tear you to pieces. You won't have to worry about that for a long time though."
As they landed, they found themselves standing on the stone floor, with the boat now vanished. Sam was still confused by some of what the Elder was telling them, but it seemed like everything would be explained again later on.
They followed the Elder into the pavilion where he was greeted by a young woman behind a desk. "Greetings Elder Babbot," she said as she stood and bowed to him. The Elder simply nodded, and touched a jade ring on his hand to a jade slip on the desk. "Your arrival has been recorded, Elder, along with four outer disciple recruits."
"That's right Junior Sister Jen. Carry on." Elder Babbot led the children to a staircase on the side opposite from where they had entered the pavilion. It led them down and eventually exited on the side of the mountain. Sam wasn't sure how they had gone so far. When he looked up he saw that they were now well below the clouds, nearly at the base of the mountain. "Space array," the Elder commented, "in case any of you are wondering. Shortens the distance between one place and another. Most senior cultivators don't need them for such a short walk, but since we often bring children with no cultivation this way, we installed one a few hundred years ago. We discovered, after a few incidents, that it was better to get new recruits settled before putting you through any gauntlets. Ahahaha!"
Sam was confused once more, but was starting to feel like this elder was strange. He wondered if all cultivators were so unusual.
The sun was now setting behind the mountains, and lights turned on all around them. Some of them came from sconces, and others seemed to have no obvious source. The streets looked beatiful, lit up as they were. Sam was feeling tired though. He'd woken up early that day, and quite a lot had happened. Luckily the Elder wasted no time in showing them where they would be staying.
It was a building bigger than his town's city hall, or even the gathering hall. Inside was an entryway for taking off their shoes, then a raised wooden floor leading into the hallway that turned to the left and right, and immediately in front of them were two large double doors. Two disciples came out and greeted the Elder, before showing them to their rooms. The Elder left without comment. The girls went to the left, and the boys to the right. The disciple escorting them told the boys, "You'll each have your own room. The rooms are small, but eventually you will be able to earn enough contribution points to move somewhere bigger. Baths and toilets are at the end of the hall. The double doors you saw at the entryway lead to a cafeteria that feeds the residents in this building. You should keep in mind that there will not always be toilets in every building, since more advanced cultivators do not need them. If you ever get an assignment in the inner sect, there will be no toilets at all, so bear that in mind before going out. You are expected to keep your room clean. I know you're both young, but you shouldn't have trouble cleaning up after yourselves. It's getting late, so I'll let you both go to bed. I'll be by in the morning to check on you. My name is Andrew, so you should call me 'Senior Brother Andrew' from now on, got it?"
"Yes, Senior Brother Andrew," the boys both said, before giving a bow. The custom was not so different from at home, and the boys adapted easily. Andrew went to his room, which was in one of the first doors at the beginning of the hall, and the boys went to the rooms they had been shown.
Sam shut his door behind him, took off his clothes, and went straight to bed. It was an adult's bed, and felt enormous to Sam. He crawled under the covers feeling like he was laying on a cloud in a castle, before falling asleep.