The rhythmic tapping of a foot against the wooden floor of the mansion could be clearly heard by anyone in the room. Rinako Suzuki is the one they originate from. She is seated in front of her desk, head in hand, grading papers.

'I swear that these taps do more psychic damage than the grandfather clock in my dad's house' Kenki is of course referring to his father from back on Earth.

A stealthy glance left and then right lets him know that the other initiates around him are also feeling the pressure. Naoe, Aiko, Hana and Takumi.

Out of the one hundred and twenty six street rats, only fifteen had managed to survive the trial, and of those fifteen only these four could actually read.

Ken moves his attention away from that tragedy… it is difficult to be reminded of it, and he would be lying if he said that he did not bear any resentment from the slaughter that had occured that day. Only Naoe and Yuto had managed to survive out of the twelve others that had been on his own caravan, they'd spent months together just… getting along.

And then they were gone.

Once again he suppresses the memory. How Verdant Sword does not expect resentment to build up against their sect with such barbaric hiring practices he does not know. The way Dongmei had him ascend had been a thousand times better. Quite the gentle method in comparison, if he does say so himself

"Hashi, how did they do on the practical test?" Rinako speaks out after a lengthy period of silence, she turns her head to face the elderly servant beside her.

"They all performed admirably, with the exception of initiate Hana, that is. I do not believe that she is ready to leave the mansion. She's obviously been studying, however the level of her knowledge is not to the point where I am certain she would not cause a problem. A week more should be enough to straighten her out."

"Well you heard her, did you not, Hana?" Rinako directs a pointed question to the girl standing beside Kenki.

"I did, Master Rinako." She performs the proper bow and gestures, as has been taught to her over the last week. "I will pass the test next time."

"Make sure that you do, but until then…" Rinako's gaze moves away from Hana and focuses directly on Ken "...do you know what it is that I am holding in, Kaito?" She presents one of the papers, nonchalantly pinched in between her index and thumb.

"My test, Master Rinako?" Ken replies to her with a slightly questioning tone, his actions mirroring those of Hana but without the bowing.

"Not. At. All." She declares with a scowl, the action making Kenki almost jump out of his skin

"What I have in my hands is an open insult to any scribe that has ever lived on the lands of this empire, those that have lived before us, those that walk among us today and those that will live in the future" she reads through what is written on the paper once more "The quality of this writing is an open mockery on each and every one of them. Had I not been a cultivator I'm afraid that I would not have been capable of deciphering these runes. I will say this with my utmost honesty, I've had an easier time decrypting and interpreting some cultivation methods than whatever the hells this is." The paper is thrown on the desk without much care, making the transmigrator look down in shame

'Is it that bad?' He questions himself 'I'll admit at any day of the week that my handwriting is awful, but to such a point?'

"But…" Rinako continues, her expression shifting to one of resignation. "It is also the only test here that I would give a perfect score to. The legibility is horrible beyond belief but the wording itself as well as the method of expression are sublime. Good job" she says, her demeanor doing a complete one-eighty.

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"Kaito, Naoe, Aiko, Takumi" she throws out a necklace to each of them in turn, every one of the necklaces consisting of an intricately carved jade held by a simple metal chain.

'So this will be the key to our new home?' Ken examines the jade, moving the talisman on his forehead out of the way. He notes the intricate carvings on its surface but fails to discover any of the characteristic glow that inscriptions usually have.

"The significance of these items has already been covered by the test." Rinako explains as she pulls on her own necklace with a hand, revealing it from its hiding spot in between her cleavage in an all too sensual manner. It is larger and several degrees more detailed than those of the four initiates "Congratulations, you are now true disciples of the Verdant Sword sect." She waves them off.

"Oh, and Kaito. You are to return here at first light the following day. One of my servants will be assisting in practicing your calligraphy. And that will continue, every morning of every day, until you learn how to properly use the brush."

Kenki only bows in response, as is proper, before leaving the room.

=========================

"Hah hah hah hah!" For her own part, Naoe could not stop laughing at Kenki's misfortune.

"What did I tell you, huh? What did I tell you, pretty boy!? C'mon you know what I've been warning you about over the past few days" she continues to laugh and jeer. Causing the few people walking past to look at them questioningly, be it disciples or servants.

"That dogs can write better than I can." Kenki replies in a monotone voice while looking dead ahead, not daring to make eye contact with the erratic girl that is Naoe.

"Oh come ooon. I never said something so tame. No, I called you an absolute masochist for wanting to get your ass slapped by the fair and kind sister Rinako, for what other choice did she have when presented with the horror that is your writing?"

"I made it out without a problem, didn't I?"

"Yeah. Barely" Naoe brings her index and thumb together, almost touching them but not quite. "She was this close to taking down your pants and giving you a proper beating in front of everyone"

Kenki frowns at the actions of his supposed friend 'Is she projecting? Did she get an ass whooping at the brothel she grew up in when she hadn't done as she'd been told' he wonders, not bothering to grace the lanky girl with a reply. 'My writing is not that bad'

"..."

'Or maybe she just wanted me to see me out of my pants that much. She hasn't stopped calling me pretty boy since we met' the thought pulls the edges of Ken's mouth up. 'Maybe she was the pervert all along.'

"Where are we going to anyways, you aren't just randomly walking around the paths, are ya?" Naoe changes the topic, boredom overtaking her after not managing to drag a reaction out of Kenki.

"I'm headed to the resource distribution wing" he explains "We are given ten spiritual coins upfront for becoming members of the sect, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I guess it did say that in the scrolls…" Naoe looks up as if just now remembering that particular fact. "...Waah! No way, don't tell me!" She exclaims.

"Kaito, spiritual coins weren't the only things that they gave you!" She accusingly points at him with a finger, a blush forming on her cheeks.

'What is she flustered about… oh, right. It brain had short circuited when I had read about the second part of the reward, so much so that I almost forgot about it'

"Yeaaaaaah…." Ken drags out the word for as long as his breath allows him to before awkwardly averting his gaze. "I'll skip the second reward; I'm feeling a bit queasy about it."

"O-oh, really?" The girl inquires, her friend's reaction putting a stop to her outrage.

"I can manage myself, you know? I can handle my own laundry, cooking and cleaning, basic things like that. Why would I require a servant for such simple tasks?"

The topic of their conversation is the so-called 'servant token,' enabling a cultivator to access the 'mortal resources' section of the outer sect and select someone to serve them without any queries or objections, as that's simply the established norm.

And for a modern man like Kenki? One who has been born and raised in America? Well it just did not sit right with him.

Just the word 'mortal resources' had sent an ice cold shiver down his spine when he'd first read about it. It's like an unholy combination between the HR and a slave market.

Needless to say, Kenki did not like the corporation he used to work in, the human resources department especially.

"Why's it got you so flustered anyways?" Mildly annoyed he throws a question her way.

"Well, I have my reasons." she replies cryptically, scratching the back of her head.

If Ken possessed mind reading capabilities he would have punched Naoe in the face right then and there without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"Right…" he'd spent a lot of time with her on that caravan, to the point where he could tell that she was thinking something derogatory about him. Nevertheless he lets it slide.

Ken moves on to a different topic.

"Welp." He says with a pop "My plan is to get my first time bonus pack, go and find out which one of those huts is actually mine…" Kenki sweeps his hands over the rows upon rows of single room houses where all the outer sect disciples live as he speaks. There is a wide patch of grass in between each hut/house, one that is at least twenty meters wide. "...and then close myself off until I get a better control of my Qi. I wanna finally remove this blasted piece of paper from my forehead."

"Don't forget that you still have calligraphy lessons." Naoe chimes in, reminding him of his failure earlier in the day

"Yeah yeah, I haven't forgotten." He waves her off "Come on, I can almost see the building"