The young master returns with little fanfare and seems happy upon seeing me bowing in front of the door, he didn't appear upset by my longer than expected absence and even squealed when I told him of my progress into the second stage.
The young master let me have some of his meal that night as a reward for my advancement but I can see the underlying worry, I am a far better servant then one in his position could usually ever hope to get and if not for me being with him before the discovery of his heritage he would not even receive a guard until he is 15 and sent off for one thing or another. Getting one not only talented and loyal like me would be simply beyond his reach, and if not for me agreeing to come it still would be.
In his eyes I have ruined any chance of a better life for his sake, but I have been raised to follow one master and one only so no matter what he is and always will be the one I give my life for this is my sole purpose.
The following week our normal lives return but a small change has come as a few more servants are finally sent here after months of us being here, although I knew we are considered worthless in the palace eyes they should have given us at least one during our first week but not as in their eyes he had me as a servant therefore such thing was not prioritized.
The young master turns nine 2 weeks later and a small celebration by me and one other servant a young girl who is clearly too new to the palace to truly realize her situation.
We clean the entire pavilion along with making sure the basic decorations are seen to, although small it is clearly up to basic standards despite only the two of us seeing to the entire pavilion because none of the other servants deem it worth the trouble as they will leave soon.
I have been given many offers since my advancement, but all have been turned down leaving many upsets and me a target of revenge, I tell my young master of each one so that he doesn't think of me trying to betray him.
I remain withdrawn from all but my work and only time I am alone is when I am cultivating so none have been able to trouble me or accuse me of wrong doing so far but I am sure once the young master turns ten and I can be his official aide it will change, my intelligence and capability is well known and although my master is simply too weak and low standing to be of worry I make them hesitant to fully ignore us.
Of course, should my true presentation become know they will try and claim me for themselves, but even if they try and claim me I have long since become resistant to the lust caused by my heats so they will have to fight me.
I look at my master who is back from the study time and feel worry as I know he will face more trouble thanks to my competency rather than less but he has ordered me to learn well, so all I can do is show myself but I have spoken to one of the guards and he told me if the young master is willing he can join a sect if he forsakes earthly desires and swears to no children.
I have not told the young master of this fact but knowing him he will agree to it for the sake of surviving, he intends to only follow him and so when the young master leaves he intends to follow but only personal attendants may do so.
If I do well enough, I can become his personal assistant in a year and can join him, he has already passed all the basic requirements the only thing left is for the young master to reach the age of ten when one may gain a personal assistant and also when one may join a sect.
So, the next year will him learning all he can and cultivating as much as possible as when he enters the sect he will be in the lowest position, he must be able to help the young master by then.
From medical books, to martial arts, even weaving and basic blacksmithing books are brought to me so that when we enter the sect no matter what the young master wishes to do I may teach him the basics and give him a good stepping stone, this year is the last year we shall spend in the palace I have to use it to the best of my ability.
Kneeling before the young master as we celebrate his tenth-year birthday, I bring forth the prospect, "Young master I have heard that one can join a sect by forsaking earthly ties, if you wish this personal assistant may bring the concept forth to the eunuch and send the word to his majesty. I will be with you no matter the choice you will make so all you must do is give the command and it shall be done."
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I can see the shock at the concept but also the look of relief as he knows this is his one chance at survival, he tells me to send the word today so it may see as a birthday request.
I pack the entire week for the young master and when the order of his highness comes it is with permission.
At the start of the new month a man in orange comes with a cow whip and a beautiful sword resting at his waist, the feeling he gives off is one of authority and he is clearly on the older end for people as he looks like a non-cultivator would at the age of 60 though there is no telling his true age thanks to cultivation.
I remain in a kneel as he reviews my young master and agrees to take him as an outer disciple who will be assigned to the sword peak.
I am ready to go but am stopped by the man and he says that only those capable of cultivating are welcomed within their mountains and I may not come, I inform him I am a cultivator and the personal servant of the young master, but this gets him to scoff and order me to prove this.
I send the rock at him causing shock as he clearly felt the amount of energy within the attack and when told I am 19 years old and a second stage person he agrees to me following the young master but I will be placed in the testing disciple section due to my advanced age, usually such people are not welcomed as disciples but due to my position I will be allowed to prove my worth.
Entering the pavilion for testing disciples I see most are either on the older end or too young to form their cores, he knows he will be able to go into closed cultivation at will now that he has left the inner court but also knows to keep it to once every three months as so to not overuse it.
He cleans the room provided to him before asking if he will be allowed to serve the young master or not, unfortunately only true disciples are allowed to have servants, and only lower disciples can be those servants.
He asked if he can visit the young master and is approved for a hour visit a day to help him adjust and to teach him if I wish, I bow to the one who answered and put the basic clothes of gray robes into the dresser provided and began to cultivate now that nothing can restrict him he can do this as much as he wills.
He will only be required to clean his quarters and do a few chores, but nothing like in the inner courts, he will have half a day free to do as he wills.
He is given a basic martial arts book for a sword art the next morning and told we will be tested for this and only when one can pass the basics may one become a lesser disciple, but they must do so by the age of 21 as that is one's body becomes set in its ways.
He knows they do not think he can do so but he is the best on adapting and changing to unknown things and doesn't doubt he will succeed; he visits the young master in his quarters for their daily cultivation before returning to his own.
He performed his chores of sweeping and helping to rub things down before spending the remaining morning going through all the forms one by one hearing the others snicker at his slow and methodical actions, most here already can do the forms decently but it is still not good enough as they lack the ability to use their energy with it.
But he knows his body can adapt to more things and is very versatile, he comes to the dining hall for lunch the returns to his practice before eating dinner and spending an hour with the young master.
He returns to cultivate on his own and slowly a new pattern sets in as he performs the martial arts then the young master followed by cultivating, he performs poorly in the first test a month after he arrives but until I turn 21, they will not kick me out unless I showed a lack of training.
Again, and again 3 months pass when finally, I release a small bit of energy on an out thrust, when the tester sees this, he is thrilled as it shows I can integrate my cultivation with this sword style.
I can see the hatred in the eyes of the older members as they know it means unlike them, I actually have a high chance to join the sect, I report all things to the young master, and I smile when he says the teachers praised him for his quickly increasing energy.
By the sixth month mark I finally have the energy of the martial arts form flowing cleanly all that remains is to increase my speed of performing it, once he is there he will be up to proper standards.
I can tell that the tester was happy that at least one of the older students wasn't a complete waste of his time, he doubts any of them actually expected him to succeed but by the time the first year came to an end he has achieved the basics required and was transferred to the 20-year-old group of lower disciples.
His young master cheered for him and now he could spend more time cultivating with the young master, he began to read all the books available to lower disciples and the one he is most interested in is array books.
The way the arrays worked seemed similar to his own cultivation and the one array he made using the free items provided once a month was more powerful than the average one, he slowly delved into it even asking if there is any sword martial arts for it but was saddened to learn that those where only for true disciples.
All well he has come this far using his own methods he can do so here as well; arrays are all about the flow and condensing of energy in certain shapes to make an effect so he is sure with enough training he can do so himself.
The young master turned 12 and soon formed his core to the praise and interest of all master's within the sect, he is taken to the inner disciple's place and meets the masters who speak of his possible future ultimately the young master chooses the sword path and the master for it offers him a position as his true disciple.
The young master agrees, and I am placed as his servant, now at 21 I am the servant of the potential next master of the sword mountain of a decent sect.