"Cultivation is an arduous process of self-refinement. The path may vary in terms of turns and smoothness, but a the end of the journey, the destination remains the same.

"Think of cultivation like a journey on a boat. In the beginning, the speed accumulates, the small canal becomes wider with each turn, the calm water becomes more turbulent the further you go, the stream turns into a river and the river falls into the ocean. You, the boatman, are bound to make mistakes at first, veer off the path, and lose control. But as you move further into the wider stream, you gain experience, you learn the rules, you become strong enough to ferry yourself into the vast ocean that awaits ahead; that is, of course, if your mistakes do not drown halfway.

"All of us cultivate to attain immortality and for a chance to reach the end of the road, where lies the gateway to the celestial realm, what one may call the Heavens.

"So what is it that makes a cultivator worthy of becoming a celestial? Worthy to find that vast sea ahead?

A high, formidable cultivation base? Powerful techniques? Incredible comprehension? A grand dao of their own?

"The answer is...none of them.

To be worthy of reaching the peak, every step must be steady. So what if you are a peerless swordsman? Once your sword falters, you're a dead swordsman.

So what if your cultivation base is higher than all living being? It is limited, it will exhaust itself faster than you think, if the tiniest flaw exists in that vast ocean of qi.

This is where the essence of our lessons comes in. To attain the steadiness you need, to find the tricks to become a good boatman- in other words a good cultivator, to perfect your craft, the most important thing is the practical, boring, and repetitive process of cultivation.

"How do we cultivate? We all know the answer. We absorb qi, cycle it through our body, let it nourish our physique and soul, let it imprint itself on our cultivation base.

Then we do it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

The cycle continues.

"At your age, it is natural to feel that this is boring, repetitive. It is also natural that this thought may lead to a lapse in concentration and thus failure to complete a cycle. Many times, the qi can also slip out of your commands when you do not pay attention.

Thus, they damage your cultivation base, your meridians slowly, steadily, repeatedly.

The gradual damage accumulates into a great flaw one day and suddenly you find yourself failing to live up to what is expected of a cultivator of your level, simply because that flaw in your base keeps expanding and threatening your abilities.

"Sounds scary, eh?

"Well, that's what you get for being a lazy prick who doesn't bother to put 100 percent of their focus on cultivation because it's boring.

"Now, to start off today, I see that most of you have already reached at least the first layer of physique transformation, with five of you already past the fourth layer."

The elder's voice rang throughout the large hall while every disciple listened with relish. His voice was very pleasant to hear, as if he was using some sort of technique to make them attracted to each of his words.

"Those five above the fourth layer of physique transformation, stand up!"

Everyone looked on with scorching gazes as five disciples stood up from various parts of the hall, each of them with their unique disposition.

"Disciple Lu Wei greets the elder."

"Disciple Nian Yi greets the elder."

"Disciple Chen Yao greets the elder."

"Disciple Shi Ruoxi greets the elder."

"Disciple Xiang Wei greets the elder. "

The five different disciples spoke smoothly in perfect synchronization, as if they already had decided on a hierarchy among themselves.

Elder Kong nodded curtly and then shouted again.

"I've heard there are three disciples with no cultivation at all. All three of you, stand up."

In quick succession, Han Xuhan, Mu Ran and an unfamiliar female disciple stood up from the masses, attracting countless curious gazes from the rest.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Boss, you go ahead," Xuhan turned to Mu Ran.

"No, underling Xuhan. A true mighty figure like myself must always be the one to end events. It helps increase my charisma."

"Disciple Yuen Zhou greets the elder."

While the two were bickering about who should go first, the female disciple greeted the elder softly and looked at them with a peculiar expression, which was mirrored by the rest of their peers.

"Fine. I'll go first. Disciple Han Xuhan greets the elder," Xuhan finally gave in and shouted.

The elder furrowed his brows at his lackadaisical attitude. Just as he was about to scold the young man, the third and final disciple suddenly spoke up.

"Disciple Mu Ran sends his greetings to the elder," his lazy, haughty voice cut through whatever the elder had been trying to say.

The impressive-sized hall full of disciples fell silent, everybody stunned by his manners...well, the lack of it.

Was this still a greeting and not an open taunt?

Is this guy retarded?

Apparently, elder Kong Ye felt the same. His attention was now fully focused on this disciple who, despite having no cultivation base to speak of, seemed to treat himself as the most important person in the room.

"Boy, you sure look pure and honest! How about detention for the next whole week? No, make it two weeks, and a fine of 20 spirit stones. Yeah, that should teach you some humility. "

The room was filled with a collective sound of gasping. What a vicious elder!

Mu Ran's eyes widened. It was apparent that he hadn't expected the elder to be an asshole like himself.

What the hell is wrong with this elder?

How would he show off his capability and attract useful attention if this goes on?

Exasperated, Mu Ran turned to look at his underling Xuhan, who wore a similarly dumbstruck expression as he watched the exchange.

Their eyes met, and Mu Ran emphatically gestured at him to provide backup, just as an underling should.

Han Xuhan, who had gotten the silent message and felt his heart constricting, gritted his teeth and turned to look at the elder with a pained expression.

"Elder Kong! This is unfair! Is it wrong to speak confidently even when one has the ability to back it up? Naturally, my martial brother Mu Ran is a man who is above such petty behavior! He simply speaks this way due to his natural disposition of being the most powerful person in the room, no matter who he faces. Is this not a demeanor of an expert that one should try to attain from a young age?"

Breathlessly, Xuhan shouted at the elder while his mind continuously spun webs. The logical leaps his thoughts made in order to make that explanation sound serious astounded even himself.

Upon hearing his words, the previously silent room went into an uproar!

"Fuck, I think I just lost half of my intelligence!"

"His reasoning has destroyed my auditory senses! Can someone slap him and make my auditory nerves return back to full function? I don't want to miss this!"

"Hey, what has slapping HIM got to do with YOUR auditory sense?"

"Are you saying you don't want to slap him?"

"...You're right, someone slap that guy!"

Han Xuhan was sweating profusely from the onslaught of shouts from the disciples. Elder Kong seemed a tad too stunned to retaliate and gaped at him foolishly.

Boss, I've taken a great risk for you. Do not let the dignity of the protagonist be stained! My job depends on this.

Mu Ran smiled widely. Even though his underling was a bit foolish at times, he sure knew how to handle difficult situations.

Sure enough, elder Kong grinned ferociously at Xuhan before turning to Mu Ran.

"Was what he said correct? Do you really think you are the strongest disciple in this room?"

Mu Ran's smile became wider.

"Hmph, in the same realm, no one is a match for me. My martial brother is absolutely correct!"

The commotion among the rest of the disciples grew further.

Such gall, such audacity!

"Mu Ran, I'll fight with you today and teach you some humility! How dare you take that tone with the honorable elder!"

A disciple stood up with an enraged expression and bowed toward elder Kong, who in turn, nodded in agreement after a second's contemplation.

Mu Ran sighed VERY elegantly and walked out from the middle of the crowd while the rest of the disciples cleared a space for the duel.

Han Xuhan was quite elated.

Finally! Things were going according to the tropes. Despite how boastful Mu Ran was, he had proved himself to be capable of keeping his promises. He didn't know what was about to happen in the duel, but there was no need for Xuhan to worry about being punished for his retaliationagainstt the elder. Mu Ran would snatch all the limelight from him!

At that moment, while speculating about the outcome of the battle from the crowd, he noticed the only other disciple with no cultivation base in the room standing close to him with an interested expression on her face as she observed Mu Ran and his challenger.

Waifu alert!

Han Xuhan was immediately on guard. This disciple was on the prettier side. Surely, she wouldn't be able to escape the protagonist's "harem king" aura. He had to do his best to avoid this young lady.

"Tian Zi, disciple of the Crimson sword peak, second layer of physique transformation realm. Please advise me!"

The enraged disciple gave a short bow toward Mu Ran and took a standard boxing pose with his impressive fists clenched.

"Mu Ran, disciple of the black sheep peak, zeroth layer of physique transformation realm. "

Skipping a part of the greetings, Mu Ran stood upright while running his hands through his hair stylishly.

"Damn! No wonder he's such a retarded fellow! He's from the Black Sheep peak!"

"What the hell is the zeroth layer of physique transformation realm? Isn't it the same as saying he has barely cultivated and still hasn't broken through to the first layer? What a shameless fellow! Making up imaginary layers to satisfy his vanity. Tian Zi, I'll give you a treat if you can slap a few of his teeth away!"

The onlookers started gossiping immediately after hearing the short exchange.

Tian Zi had flared up and spat on the floor.

"Zeroth layer? Are you so ashamed of your powerlessness that you're inventing something so absurd on the spot?"

Mu Ran sneered and ignored him.

Tian Zi howled, feeling insulted. His fists suddenly took on a dark red shade and began to emit an ominous glow.

"Let's see you run your mouth after eating this!"

He growled and swiftly moved toward the nonchalant Mu Ran with a gloomy expression.

BAM!

Every single being present in the hall went silent upon seeing what transpired...