It took a while for the Senior Kang to calm down after that. After checking that nothing else was wrong with his cultivation and he had not suffered any issues from such a quick cultivation, Finlay could finally let out a sigh of relief internally as he had to focus hard on keeping his meridians closed when Senior Elder Kang was checking his body personally. Thankfully, it seems the other didn’t suspect anything afoot as Finlay wasn’t asked any other questions regarding his cultivation.
He still took the opportunity to get some of the minor questions he had regarding cultivation answered. Senior Kang was in a very good mood after discovering Finlay’s performance. Originally, FInlay wanted to see if he could get some free resources like a better cauldron or pill recipes, but after the reaction he received towards his first time asking for resources, he was too scared to do it again. Worst case, he can still buy it with the money he had saved up.
After chatting with Finlay a bit more, Senior Kang finally explained his plans for Finlay.
“I have arranged the identity of a normal inner court disciple for you. Now that these 2 months of seclusion have ended, it is just about time for the history and etiquette classes to start.”
Finlay had to do a double take at the words “history and etiquette classes”. He really lamented having to go through school or worse, cram school again. Yet he knew that it was time that the sect discussed or educated the disciples who graduated from the valley about various important matters one must know as a cultivator or as a resident of this world.
‘*sigh* I suppose school is the best way to do such things.’
“We will first enter some details regarding you and your origins. Do not worry too much kid, it is just a formality. We will also discuss together to create a fake alternate version of the same information in case someone sees these records and is able to identify you.”
Finlay nodded, expressing his consent. He was also very happy with the meticulous arrangements by Senior Kang and the sect elders. This way, trouble makers like Peng An should have a harder time causing problems for him in the future as long as he keeps a low profile for a while.
Senior elder Kang clapped his hands and shortly after, a scholarly looking young man entered the hall carrying various books and scrolls. They discussed and entered the various details as agreed upon. When it came to enter his name, Finlay asked privately with Kang if he could take on a name he chose upon.
According to his current background, he was an orphan and orphans do not usually have last names and only once one reaches a high official position or enters a sect and becomes a cultivator, do they have the opportunity to officially choose a last name. Also, most orphans are named by the orphanage itself, as is the case for Finlay’s “Ming” alias. It is not uncommon for people to choose their own names at some important points in their lives. FInlay wanted to use this opportunity to change his name from “Little Ming”.
Originally, he wanted to change it into Finlay since that was his original name and he wasn’t sure if he would ever truly feel natural with some other name. But he eventually discarded the idea since the name ‘Finlay’ was simply too unique and very different from the kind of names common in this part of the world. Not only that, it is possible for the evil goddess to be able to somehow find out about his true identity if such a suspicious name appeared in the same period as when he appeared in the world. It would not be too hard to dig out the truth. So, he settled on an alternate name.
“Senior Kang, I have a small request when it comes to my name.”
“Oh? What is it? You want to choose your own?” senior Elder Kang easily guessed FInlays thoughts with a smile, causing Finlay to be surprised a bit.
“He he he, do not look at me like that kid, this is far more common than you think here at the sect, especially orphaned kids like you. It’s not uncommon to name yourself with grand names. Heaven's born, Thunder master, Sword child, Dao seeker etc. are all things I’ve heard about Ha ha ha ha…”
Finlay was a bit dumbstruck at the truly cringey names. He was now a bit hesitant to expose the name he personally chose. Despite his hesitation, he still had to say it in the end.
“How about “Fan Lei”, Senior Kang?”
Senior Kang raised one of his eyebrows at the name before slowly expressing his opinion.
“Fan as in Mortal and Lei as in Thunder? Thunder can also represent the might of the heavens. Meaning the words together could be real as Mortal yet mighty like a Thunder??”
Finlay chose this name after some deliberation. It wasn’t considered a particularly manly name despite the meaning, yet he did want to choose something as close to his real name as possible without completely butchering the meaning behind it.
“Hmm.. truly an interesting choice for a name, especially for someone like you who is just starting his cultivation. I like it, despite the unusual sounding name, it has a truly profound meaning. Not bad, Kid.”
Finlay let out a sigh of relief. He had been truly worried about the name he chose. He was, after all, not someone from this world or culture and had a difficult time naming someone for the first time, let alone the fact that said first time being his own name. Senior Elder Kang’s words let him rest his worries. From this day onwards, he could simply use his own name…well, not quite the same but close enough.
After the final details are sorted, Finlay received a medal, made from an unknown material. It looked bright red in colour and there was a carving on it representing the True Sky Immortal sect. The red represented that he was an inner court disciple. He was also handed over a uniform indicating a first year inner sect disciple. He also secretly received another Jade green medal, representing his core disciple status, but this was only for emergencies when it was inevitable to expose his identity.
Finlay changed into his new clothes and hung the red medal at his waist. He was very satisfied to be finally wearing some colourful clothes after coming to this world. The uniform was a mostly white, robe like shirt with decorations and borders of Gold along with some pants that went well together. There was also a belt that was white in colour that allowed one to hand some things like bags at his waist in a secure manner, so that they do not get in the way during a fight. Finlay immediately hung his sword at his waist and found that it fit in very well together with the rest of the attire. The bright red medal looked conspicuous and beautiful on his waist.
Once he was done with the formalities, Senior Kang immediately left due to his busy schedule and Finlay was to be escorted to his temporary student quarters for the duration he will be attending the History and etiquette classes. They took another Flying platform to their destination.
Their destination was a small mountain peak with relatively larger portions of flat areas somewhere around halfway to the top. Those were the training grounds and classes for the students. The student housing was arranged above and below the halfway point on the sides of the mountain. The mountain looked very picturesque with the mountain houses and the walking trails snaking up and down the mountain. The trails were filled with students walking and chatting. The training grounds were full of students sparring. There was even a scene where some people were tackling each other and rolling on the ground as the onlookers cheered them on.
Finlay got off along with the Senior disciple, Du Zhen close to the training grounds. They walked along a trail leading up the mountain. The path took them to a corner with a small courtyard that acted as a common space for 3 different student quarters. The Senior Disciple, Du Zhen took out a talisman as he checked the number on each of the three entrances before confirming something.
“Ah here it is brother. This is No 57. This is your assigned place. You can register the key by leaving some of your Qi in this talisman…Here.”
Finlay took the unremarkable looking talisman, a bit confused about what the other person meant by his words. He slightly channelled some Qi into it. It instantly sucked up a portion of the channelled Qi that then seemed to have been tightly sealed inside it through some mechanism. Finlay raised his head to look at the Senior Brother from amazement.
“Ha ha ha, here you go. This metal talisman is the associated quarters’ key. To open the door, simply place it like this against it and channel some of your Qi. Why don’t you try it?”
Finlay did and there was a click and a woosh as though some mechanism in the sturdy door moved automatically and just like that, it was open in a moment. Finlay originally saw this world as technologically backward despite the magical and fantastical nature of it. Yet this simple door mechanism convinced him to look at it from a different perspective. How is this different from the most modern doors of his previous world?
“This door is made very sturdy. No one should be able to disturb you in case you’re cultivating or practising any secret arts. In fact, it is very important you indicate your availability, using this small mechanism. Otherwise, if you were at a critical point in cultivation and someone bangs on the door looking to share a drink, things might end in a disaster.”
Finlay paid attention to the various things explained by the senior disciple, things that seemed very essential and fundamental to live here peacefully for the next brief period of time, however long he would need to attend these classes for.
The student quarters here were a lot more generous than the shared housing provided to the candidates in the valley, which was in line with one's increased status as an official disciple. There was a much larger cultivation room and it had a small formation that gathered a small amount of Qi but more importantly, it also calmed one's mind and allowed one to concentrate quicker and for longer periods of time, ideal for cultivation or learning various arts. There was also a much more equipped kitchen with various formations that can be activated and controlled with Qi to cook or clean. Interestingly enough, some of these formations were very similar to the ones in his Alchemy cauldron and there was even a simple cooking recipe etched onto one of the walls. Finlay understood the hidden purpose. They were secretly encouraging students to understand the basics of Alchemy or Formations through such methods.
There was also a separate bedroom that was purely for resting and a bathroom for cleaning, bathing and showering. A common area with decently built chairs and tables was also present so that one can receive some neighbours or other guests. Finlay was obviously beyond satisfied with these arrangements. He was expecting a dilapidated stone cave that was worse than most prisons of his previous life when he imagined dwellings for a low level student before this, but the accommodation could be said to be luxurious compared to his expectations.
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“Alright Brother Fan Lei, it is time for me to leave. Haha, interesting name btw. Take care and I’m sure you will live up to the expectations of Senior Elder Kang and Grand elder. But don’t be too stressed on these things, one has to live a little sometimes.”
With that, the senior disciple winked at FInlay and left. The first day and registration for this term of the classes begins early tomorrow morning near where the classes are going to be held. Finlay set his luggage down and went outside to see if he could find any of his neighbours.
Luckily it seems the other 2 immediate neighbours just happened to come back as he came outside. Their clothes were similar to Finlay’s with another 2 Red talismans hanging conspicuously by their waist, signifying their status as inner sect disciples.
Finlay went over enthusiastically to greet his neighbours. The 2 youths walked over without any luggage, indicating that they had joined the classes here before him.
“Greetings Senior brothers! My name is Fan Lei. I will be your neighbour for the near future. I hope we get along ha ha ha.”
Faced with the cheerful greeting, the two paused and looked at each other as they whispered amongst themselves without saying anything.
“Who is this guy? Wasn’t it empty in the morning?”
“Who knows? Looks just like some country bumpkin who got lucky with his selection to the inner sect.”
“We still can’t just not greet him…let me ask some questions about his identity.”
Finlay with his sensitive and sharp hearing could clearly make out their conversation but maintained a poker face.
“Ha ha ha, so it is brother Fan. Might I ask where brother Fan comes from?”
Even though the other party asked in a cheerful tone, they did not mention their name and even their question was a bit peculiar.
“Oh, doesn't everyone here come from the Valley?”
“Che…such a waste of my breath.”
*Tsk Tsk* “Ignore him brother, just another country bumpkin, he will be gone soon enough.”
The duo left right after. Finlay could only sigh as he calmly walked towards the railing to enjoy the view of the beautiful setting sun. He could only put aside these troubles to deal with later. Because today is the day that marks the start of the new life of Fan Lei, a simple inner sect disciple.
To be continued.
Preview - System Status
Identity :
Finlay
Male
14 yrs old
–
Mortality :
Sura (Mortal)
Job :
None
Titles :
None
Cultivation : (Body cultivation)
Perfected Body Transformation stage;
Perfect Harmony of all elements;
Cultivation : (Spiritual)
Qi condensation realm Level 2; (🠕)
Origin Qi;
Skills :
The All seeing eye (Analyse) :
(Grade D- ) (🠕)
Authority granted by the first god of the world, Dinn. You can peer into the secrets of things and beings of this world as long as you know what you’re looking for. (Requires activation conditions)
Dabbling in Alchemy:
(Grade F-) (🠕)
Rewarded for your meagre efforts in Alchemy. It boosts your success rate of any pill below Tier 3 by 5 %; Improves the control of the user over the Qi infused into the pill.
Inventory space :
(Dantian space)
(Locked until Foundation Establishment)
Universal Language comprehension (Grade A+);
Mana Blast (Grade F+)
Preview - Stats
Spiritual :
Cultivation Talent :
S+ Grade (Appears as C-)
Divine Sense :
None
Law Comprehension :
S Grade
Physical :
Body Type :
Five Element body (Grade : B+(Aggregate)) (Appears as C-)
Elemental Attunements :
Metal
S- Grade
Five Element Body Type
(Dominant trait)
Earth
A Grade
Wind
C+ Grade
Fire
C Grade
Water
D Grade
Light/Darkness(Yin/Yang)
D- Grade
Lightning
F+ Grade
Other Talents :
Weapon Talents :
Sword/Bladed type
A+ Grade
Ranged
C+ Grade
Hand to Hand
C Grade
Polearms/Spear
D Grade
Soul based/Mental type
D- Grade
Qi Circuits :
(Arrays, Formations, Magical Restrictions)
B- Grade
Crafting Talent :
C+ Grade
Alchemy Talent :
D+ Grade