There was a noisy crowd that was slowly gathering under the early morning mist before an elegant building made of beautiful white stones. The crowd was mostly young teenagers both men and women. They all wore similar uniforms representing the sect with either a blue talisman or a red talisman hanging by their waists. These are the new Qi condensation disciples gathering to register for classes, fresh out of the valley.
Finlay had departed earlier under the disdainful gazes of his ‘friendly’ neighbours and had just arrived here.
‘It seems we’re all a bit early given that no senior seems to be around to give instructions to the crowd.’
The senior from the previous day had left him without much information about the registration process. So, he decided to chat up with someone to find out more. He quickly identified a small group of new disciples and went up to chat.
“Hello brothers, I suppose you’re here for the registration as well?”
“..oh! Yes we are.”
“I just arrived. Did I miss something? What are we supposed to do? Everyone just seems to be standing around?”
“About that, we’ve arrived earlier but apart from asking us to wait, we received no further instructions.”
Finlay simply waited around and tried his best to socialise with others in the meantime. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait for long before a middle aged man came out of the building to give further instructions.
“All the new disciples here to register, please proceed to the training facility. The registration will occur there. You can follow this young man, your senior, if you do not know where that is. Proceed calmly and in an orderly fashion.”
Finlay and the other new disciples followed their senior to reach the training facility. The registration happened inside a relatively spacious building where a slightly older young man sat with a weird contraption and a book beside him.
“Everybody, line up here and come up one by one with your disciple badges once done, we will have an orientation class.”
All the students lined up except for a few trouble makers with young master syndrome who cut the line or spoke rudely. There were hardly 100 people in total, so most people simply didn’t want to make trouble and just stayed away from them to wait for their turn. Everybody here is taking their first steps into a prestigious sect and for those without a big background, leaving a bad impression by causing unnecessary trouble was simply not worth it.
Ofcourse, since some trouble was happening right beside Finlay, he would undoubtedly be getting some as well. He was mocked by a group who clearly seem to have come from some big shot clan. The event played out almost exactly as it had the previous day.
“Haha brother, it seems you’re also an inner sect disciple.”
“Ah yes hello. I go by Fan Lei. It’s nice to meet you.”
Hearing his name, the other party’s face changed subtly.
“I don't believe there is any clan with the Fan surname, but does brother Fan belong to any Cultivation family or perhaps the 3 feathers society?”
“Huh? …no I do not belong to any Cultivation family and what’s a 3 feathers society?”
“Huh?!...”
*Pft* “Young master, stop wasting your time. He’s clearly a country bumpkin.”
“Haha Don’t be rude Tengfei. Now that we’re fellow disciples from the same sect. We should just get along well and forget about things like status.”
Although the young master said pleasant words, he clearly looked at Finlay with derision. He even stopped talking after that, refusing to even offer a name. Finlay was also pissed at the words said by the other fat one beside him.
“Hehe brother speaks the truth. Before the eyes of the sect, what’s the point of these statuses? We should just forget about them and get along well from now on. I wonder what’s this good brother’s name?”
“*snort* An Idiot like you should already be happy that the young master even spoke to you. Stop trying to act friendly. Now scram!”
“Hehe, why is a servant interrupting the conversation? Brother, you’ve got such a rude servant,” Finlay didn’t even gaze at the rude ‘servant’ and replied in a clearly mocking tone. That bothered the ‘young master’ enough for him to turn around with a frown.
“You!..Se-Servant?!” The ‘servant’ in question was seething at the remark, but he had been a little too loud at the end which attracted the attention of the distant middle aged senior here to oversee their registration.
*snort*
A snort was all it took to calm everyone down. The small group went quiet and simply lined up as they shot a few glares towards Finlay. Finlay also didn’t want to escalate things and simply lined up a bit away from them.
‘*sigh* I got to calm down. I shouldn’t attract unwanted attention. I have to remember that I’m in a stupid cultivation world and all the unreasonable people associated with it…’
“Next!”
…
It wasn't long before it was Finlay’s turn. The man at the desk took his red badge and placed it in a designated slot. The contraption quickly infused some Qi before the man recited Finlay’s information. Finlay was fascinated by whatever this Qi contraption was. Hopefully, he will get a chance to find out at some point.
“Yes the information is correct.”
“I see. Here’s the information booklet. It contains basic information about the local facilities available for a new disciple and a simple map of our surroundings. Go wait in the next room.”
There were only around 100 students in total. Of which, only about 20 were women. With such a small number, it wasn’t long before everyone was done with registration and the middle aged man from before began the new disciple orientation.
It started with a long winded speech about how righteous the sect is and how grateful everyone should be to be a part of it. He repeatedly emphasised the importance of the sect’s face and how a disciple’s conduct cannot negatively affect the sect’s prestige and on and on. By the time it ended, Finlay was barely able to fight his urge to take a nap by using his Qi. He was sure he would be having a nice dream in his nap if not for his cultivation.
After what seemed like an eternity, the man finally got to the useful parts.
“The primary point of these classes is to first, to learn the important history of our sect and the cultivation world. Second, to learn the basic etiquette befitting of a cultivator of our great True Sky Immortal sect. We will also later have other classes and tests on Alchemy, Artefact making, Formations, combat, Theoretical studies etc but that is all secondary to the first 2 topics.
“In fact, it is so important that that is all you will be doing for the next month. We teach over 500 students at any time on average and this time’s the largest batch so far at 96. You might be wondering why then does the place look so empty. That is because you trash don’t even yet understand how to behave like a cultivator. At the end of the month, you will meet your seniors when you do learn.”
Finlay was not too bothered by the berating tone in the teacher’s tone but several young masters had indignant expressions. He couldn’t help but chuckle at their reactions.
“The classes start tomorrow sharply, at 9 am. The schedule going forward will also be provided to you then. For now, please follow your senior from before. He will provide you with a tour of the premises and the facilities available for you.”
Finlay was only too happy to bolt out of there and judging from the sudden crowd at the exit, he wasn’t alone in feeling that way.
----------------------------------------
“Everybody, with that your Orientation is officially over, but there is one last thing. There is food over here and I’m sure you’re hungry after all that walking. A bit of advice as your senior, the food is really good quality, so don’t hesitate to eat your fill, if you wanted to eat with your own money, it would be very expensive.
“Ahh! One more thing. There is a bit of a friendly competition organised later on, strictly unofficial and voluntary only. There will be no winning prize, it’s just something to test your strength physically to better gauge your ability as you progress.”
That last bit drew the attention of the disciples who were ready to pounce on the free food. But it was clear that many of those who come with a bit of background were already informed. Finlay’s interest was also piqued. He also wanted to test his strength, but he was hesitant over participating in the event and getting too much attention. Any attention this early on would just be wasting all of the effort he and Senior Kang had to put in to maintain the little anonymity he had.
It wasn’t long before his mind changed though.
“Wait, so there will be bettings over the event??!”
“Of Course! I overheard one of the seniors discussing it as well. Dammit! I wish I had brought more money now.”
Finlay had the help of the system to help identify strength. Not only that but he had received 10 Low grade spirit stones as a gift to help with his cultivation. Finlay had no plans to advance in cultivation at the moment. So he decided that he would employ his talents to earn big today. Luckily, he brought along most of his easy to carry valuables along with him.
It wasn’t long before the excitement for the event spread through the crowd. He even spotted some seniors who had come to watch and perhaps to enrich their pockets. Amongst those seniors, he also saw the 2 neighbours.
“Hello neighbours, we meet again!”
“*che* what is this idiot coming to us for?”
“Haha don’t be like that seniors. We’re going to be neighbours for a while. Isn’t it better for us to get along?”
“*scoff* An ignorant is an ignorant. Do you really think you are going to stay at that fancy accommodation for much longer? We’ll see if you can still stay there at the end of the week.”
Finlay couldn’t help but frown at that.
‘What are they talking about? Did Senior Du forget to tell me something?’
“Look! Brother Chen, it’s the Jin clan’s child!”
“I heard he was taken in as a core disciple. That means he is a direct disciple of a powerful Foundation establishment cultivator.”
“Of course! I heard he was a prodigy with the sword and he is a special lightning attribute cultivator! Not to mention the prestige associated with the Jin clan.”
Finlay was intrigued by what was said about the newcomer. He wanted to check his stats with his system, but the other was too far away at the moment.
“Yes, if such an elite scion of the Jin clan doesn’t become a core disciple, who else can? Certainly not idiots like this here *scoff*”
Finlay tried to be nice to his neighbours so far but they kept misunderstanding his politeness for weakness again and again. The last comment was the nail in the coffin. Staying undercover was important, but he wasn’t completely spineless. He decided that he will prune the arrogance of these idiots today.
“Hehe I’ve been trying again and again to not cause trouble, but you arrogant assholes keep pushing it too far!”
“Wha-WHat did you say?!!”
“Yo-you dare?!!”
The 2 seethed with an indignant expression instantly. They couldn’t imagine that this uncultured peasant would dare say talk back to them in such a tone.
“Listen here you little shits, I’ve had enough playing nice with you. Since you seem so far up your own noble asses, let’s resolve this with a bet. That guy…” Finlay pointed over to the newly arrived supposed core disciple that the 2 were just fawning over.
”I’ll beat that guy fair in the coming event. I’ll bet 5 Low grade spirit stones. Do you dare to match my bet??”
“You…! Haha you arrogant buffoon! Do you even realise how foolish what you’ve just done is? Do we dare? Why won’t we??”
“Haha! Well said brother Yu.
“I don’t know how an idiot like you has come across such money, but this would be the easiest earnings we’ve ever had. We will each bet 5.”
“Hahaha good! Let’s wait and see who will have the last laugh.”
5 Low grade spirit stones was almost half the fortune of the current Finlay. But at the same time, if he could earn back 10, he would become rich instantly even without selling off the stock of pills he had on him. And he wasn’t too worried about losing to anyone in terms of physical strength.
Soon, the preparations for the event were complete. There was a large, circular punching pad attached in front of a contraption. There was a small black slate on top, almost looking like an LCD screen. He didn’t have to wait long before his curiosity was resolved.
“Juniors, since this is the first time you are probably seeing this contraption, let me explain. This device was made by one of the Alumni to measure the punching power of a low tier cultivator. One simply has to punch this area and the corresponding force’s value will be displayed above. Remember that there will be no use of Qi for today’s event. If you do try to sneak in some Qi, we’ll be watching and trust me when I say that we can definitely tell.”
Once the senior left, another old hunched back man came waddling over excitedly. With a tipsy expression, he loudly announced.
“Hehehehe, young’uns, I’m the one organising the bettings. Come come come, don’t be shy. Betting is a cultivator’s right whether you’re man or woman.”
Finlay couldn’t help but frown at the shady looking, drunk old man being the organiser of the bettings. The other’s appearance didn’t exactly scream trustworthiness. His opinion quickly changed when he checked him using his Analyse skill.
Identity :
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Old Qian
Male
62 yrs old
????
Job :
Honorary Elder of the True Sky Immortal Sect
Cultivation :
Qi condensation level 7 (Wind attribute cultivation)
The other juniors on the other hand couldn’t shake the perception of that of a con man. Fortunately, the seniors were very respectful towards the drunken old man as they greeted him or discussed their bettings. This soon eased the juniors enough for them to approach him too.
The event was voluntary only, so there was no particular order to those who wanted to try and soon people lined up to show off their strength. Finlay paid rapt attention to each competitor. He used his Analyse skill and his eyes to determine the performance of each individual.
A Muscular and burly man was the first to walk up to it and announce his name and clan.
Identity :
Ding Nianzu
Male
17 yrs old
Job :
Inner sect disciple
Cultivation :
Qi condensation level 1 (Earth attribute cultivation);
Body transformation completed (Earth)
The display showed a number after a second.
*ting* 1750
“Woah! 1750 is not bad!” one of the seniors exclaimed.
Next was a slender, pretty looking man.
Identity :
Ge Fan
Male
18 yrs old
Job :
Outer sect disciple
Cultivation :
Qi condensation level 1;
Body transformation completed (Wind)
He scored a 1600. Next was an athletic woman, followed by another scrawny man and more people soon followed. The bettings had already started. There were various bettings like one for the highest score, the second and the third etc. These were definitely the most profitable for the old man since no matter who wins, there would be a large payout from all those who made the wrong calls. The most active bets were the small scale ones like who would have the highest score amongst the next five participants or if the next candidate would be stronger than the last.
That last one was what Finlay was aiming for. He first paid attention to the first 5 participants to get an idea for what strength corresponds to what punching score. He started betting from the 6th person onwards. The old man had a few disciples who assisted him.. Finlay started with 1 poor grade spirit stone but soon, it turned into a low grade spirit stone for each bet. It went without saying that he started winning almost every time. He didn’t win every time, perhaps because some wanted to hide their strength.
It wasn’t long before people caught on and stopped betting against him. This meant that there was none to very few profits to be had for both the one doing it and organising it. The old man discreetly offered him a low grade spirit stone to get out of there since he was losing out on making some money. Finlay could only begrudgingly leave. He also took the 2 rude neighbours to place a private bet with the old man as the arbitrator.
As Finlay was observing, he noticed that the core disciple got closer to the group to better observe as well. He took the chance to check his stats in depth.
Identity :
Jin Yuan
17 yrs old
Male
Sword cultivator
Character type :
neutral good
Mortality :
Sura (Mortal)
Job :
Young master of the Jin clan
Titles :
Core disciple - True Sky Immortal Sect
Cultivation Talent
Qi Cultivation : Low(D+)
Body : Mid(C)
Constitution : Lightning
Cultivation :
(Spiritual)
Qi condensation level - 1; Body cultivation Tier 2 level 1
“Shit!” Finlay’s expression couldn’t help but change a little. He had never before seen someone with a Mid level talent in either the Qi or body cultivation. Although his overall talent far surpassed the opponent, he didn’t use any special means to cultivate his Body transformation stage and neither does he possess any martial arts to optimise his physical strength. Moreover, a lightning only constitution type is rare and special in its own way compared to even a five element constitution. Even if he had no reason to worry about his own strength, if the opponent ended up being too strong and FInlay beat him, then there would be unwanted attention.
*Breath*
‘I got to calm down. I’m panicking unnecessarily. I doubt his strength will be that much higher than a decent earth attribute cultivator. Let’s just wait and see and act accordingly.’
After thinking a bit, he decided on how he would beat the opponent. To further reduce his worries, he made another safe bet that he would end up in the top 5 positions with money he made from the earlier bettings, which amounted to a total of 2 low grade and 22 poor grade spirit stones, including what the old drunkard offered him under the table.
In total, there were only about a 100 of the newcomers in total and some of them didn’t want to participate either. So, it wasn’t long before almost everyone was done and it was the turn of the core disciple. Everybody’s attention was gathered on him as he proudly approached the punching machine.
Finlay was also paying rapt attention now. The lightning cultivator took what was clearly a very practised martial arts pose and unleashed his full strength through his lightning infused fist. There was a loud bang as the fist connected, a large cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, everyone could see the strength of the terrifying punch.
*Ting ting ting* 2506
There were a lot of woahs and ahhs, expressing the spectator’s awe at the might displayed by someone who had just used his body transformation stage strength. There were especially appreciative gazes from some of the seniors who understood what that number represented.
Finlay on the other had let out a sigh of relief knowing that he was in fact over thinking things. It seems, although stronger, the opponent isn’t that much stronger than an average strong cultivator of the same realm. He didn’t miss the disdainful chuckles from his ‘good neighbours’ nearby though, no doubt guaranteed about the misfortune about to befall Finlay. He obviously ignored them and slowly proceeded towards the punching machine, past the retreating Jin Yuan.
“Poor guy. I don't know why he waited till now. No matter what he does, he will look stupid after that performance.”
“Yeah perhaps he didn’t realise who that was before.”
“Yeah but let’s see. One can’t be too dismissive.”
Finlay stood before the punching machine and took up a fighting position with his fists as he concentrated. After the previous amazing performance, the crowd was a bit excited and wanted to see how the next performance would fare, but no matter how they saw it, the posture was a little too simple. Any kid who had fought in the streets would know to do that. Especially given the lack of notable background of Finlay, most of them lost interest and averted their eyes to discuss the previous performance.
Finlay slowly extended his right arm until it was about 2 inches from the punching machine. He concentrated on the strength he was to apply in his arm and with a shout, he punched with a calculated force. There was a bang, although not as loud as the one before.
*ting ting ting*
Everyone turned to look above the machine only to be utterly shocked. They all had a dumbfounded expression. Especially the 2 rude neighbours who had mouths agape with a blank, confused gaze, looking at the proudly staring back FInlay and the number above.
‘Bitches! Who is having the last laugh now? Huh???’
The entire crowd was silent as FInlay looked around proudly. He slowly turned around to see the number himself just to be sure.
2504
“Huh?!!” It was now Finlay’s turn to be dumbfounded with his jaw on the floor.
“NO! My money!” there was soon a loud grieving scream.
Unfortunately, nobody got the last laugh.
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