The Legend of Fangren

"this……"

Fang Shi was speechless for a moment, then Zhu Dalin said, "But I don't think you'll listen to advice right away. After all, you've climbed the long steps to heaven, so how could you give up so easily?"

As he spoke, he pointed to a towering wooden building on the mountain hundreds of meters above his head. "That building is called the Dragon Summoning Pavilion. It's located in the upper inner sect area. New disciples all go there today to receive their disciple belts and introductory cultivation techniques. I advise you to take the belt and come back. Otherwise, asking for the cultivation technique will only invite ridicule from others and cause you a lot of trouble."

"Thank you, senior."

Fang Shi simply thanked him and headed towards the Dragon Calling Pavilion, as if he hadn't heard the warning at all.

"Hmph..." Zhu Dalin behind him shook his head in disappointment, somewhat disdainful.

That's how mortal disciples are. They clearly lack talent, but they think they're extraordinary for climbing up the mountain and consider themselves superior. At first, they might have some spirit, but after a few days, they find that they can't even do menial tasks as well as other human-ranked disciples with a little talent. They become frustrated and lose their enthusiasm for work. In the end, they either go down the mountain in despair or are kicked off the mountain for failing to complete their tasks.

That's why those people in front of me started this commotion, because everyone knew that these disciples from other sects would become lazy and incompetent in their work within a few days, causing more trouble than they were worth, and just wasting time.

If the kitchen hadn't been short-staffed these past few days, Zhu Dalin wouldn't have bothered to talk to this kid about a job.

After a while, once the lower-ranking disciples are assigned, the manpower will be sufficient, and the mere mortal outer sect disciples will have no competitive advantage whatsoever.

That's why some people say that the outer disciples of the Dragon River Sect are now just a name. Originally set up for mortals with strong will, they are now mostly low-ranking human disciples. These disciples have limited talent and have reached the end of their cultivation path. Once they pass a certain age, they will be demoted to outer disciples. These disciples often leave the sect shortly after being demoted and go to the towns and cities down the mountain to find a decent job. This is much more comfortable and carefree than being at the bottom of the mountain and not even being able to find a cultivation partner. They are also respected by others.

However, Fang Shi certainly won't give up now, nor will he in the future.

Others may not know, but he knows he is truly capable.

Regardless of how his disciples viewed him along the way, he walked to the end of the street and continued up the nearest mountain path.

This climb was incredible; he felt like he was walking on air, and it was several times easier than yesterday.

There were many disciples on the mountain path heading to the Dragon Summoning Pavilion, all of them at the Human Rank, but none of them were as nimble as him.

Pshaw, I don't really see how skilled those with qualifications are.

Just as Fang Shi was thinking this, a figure lightly touched the toes and passed him.

Other passersby recognized him and exclaimed, "It's Feng Zhonghua, the young master of a prominent family in Qingye City. Rumor has it that he has the talent of a Heavenly Rank!"

"Why would a Heavenly Rank disciple be in the outer sect territory?"

"I don't know. It's a matter for large families, and I dare not ask..."

After listening to the gossip, Fang Shi looked up at Feng Zhonghua's back. In fact, he was observing the other's footwork, which seemed to have some tricks up its sleeve.

Following suit, Fang Shi imitated the footwork slightly and found it to be even more agile. With a little more effort, his climbing speed increased dramatically, almost catching up with Feng Zhonghua, which startled him so much that he quickly stopped.

That was close! I almost stole someone else's trick.

However, this footwork is truly amazing. It is incredible that it can have such effects just by secretly learning it. The path of cultivation is truly wondrous.

He remembered the boxing technique that Master Zhang had taught Luo He a few days ago. After watching it for a while, he secretly practiced it a few times, which made his training that day much more effective.

In this light, it seems that cultivation techniques are not so difficult to learn. In fact, the fist technique is a relatively simple method of self-cultivation. When we arrive at the Dragon Summoning Pavilion, if there are really no cultivation techniques for the outer sect disciples... then we will make full use of our eagerness to learn.

Upon reaching the inner sect's boundary after climbing the mountain path, before we could even admire the scenery, we were blocked at the entrance of the Huanlong Pavilion by a large crowd.

The three doors in front of the building, from left to right, represent Heaven, Earth, and Man.

The Heavenly Rank Sect has only a few dozen disciples per generation, leaving the area in front of the sect deserted.

There were only a couple hundred disciples in the Earth Rank Sect, but they were organized despite the large number of people.

The only exception was the fact that the Human Rank Sect had over a thousand disciples, most of whom were children from ordinary families. Their manners were not strict, and the place was crowded and chaotic.

Fang Shi thought to himself that he had no connection with these three people, and since he had nothing to do today, he might as well stay here and observe and listen more. Otherwise, disciples of the outer sect could not enter the inner sect without a reason.

He then stepped over the ranks of human-level disciples, attracting a crowd of curious glances.

Then he stepped over the group of Earth-rank disciples, drawing a chorus of puzzled glances.

What's going on? Could this guy dressed in coarse linen clothes be a Heavenly Rank disciple?

As expected, Fang Shi walked towards the Heavenly Gate, the gate for Heavenly Rank disciples.

There were few people at Tianmen, and since it was deserted at the moment, he simply sat down on the side.

So you're the gatekeeper?

The disciple who had been peering out silently withdrew his gaze and refocused his attention on his own cultivation technique.

Inside the Dragon Summoning Pavilion was a large hall, piled high with books and belts of various categories. The elders who distributed them determined which cultivation method was suitable for each disciple and provided it to them.

The elders at the three tables were acting differently. The elder from the Heavenly Rank Sect was very relaxed, the elder from the Earthly Rank Sect was focused on evaluating the cultivation techniques of his disciples, and the elder from the Human Rank Sect was as busy as a wholesale market.

The less talented a disciple is, the less fuss there is; just practice hard and leave the rest to time.

Fang Shi stood at the entrance, listening intently to the analysis of each disciple's aptitude by the elder of the Earthly Rank Sect.

At this moment, the leisurely male elder of the Heavenly Rank Sect noticed him and, thinking that a Heavenly Rank disciple had finally arrived, beckoned him to come forward.

Fang Shi, as if possessed, stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Elder."

"Well, I'm not that old either, you can just call me senior brother." The elder was kind and approachable, like a friendly older brother next door.

Is this the treatment given to a Heavenly Rank disciple?

So Fang Shi changed his address to: "Greetings, Senior Brother."

"Okay, tell me about your qualifications."

Fang Shi thought for a moment. Since telling the truth would likely not get him the cultivation technique, he might as well use his intelligence.

In his previous life, he was an electrician who was transported by electricity. Did he lack courage and confidence? Of course not, he was just a little cunning.

So he said, "The Primordial Chaos Form."

"Oh? This qualification sounds interesting. What did the elder who examined your qualifications say?"

When the elder asked this question, Fang Shi raised an eyebrow.

So the elder who administers this technique is just someone who reads prescriptions and writes medicine. He thought he would examine his aptitude carefully like before.

So I can just make things up however I want? I was prepared to get scolded for being silly from the start anyway, so if this turns out to be a good thing, wouldn't that be a huge win?

Fang Shiqing lowered his voice and said, "My innate primordial body, Elder Liu Yiyuan said this... This child has all five elements in his body, flowing smoothly and extremely actively, which is the ultimate primordial state of the five elements."

"But if we do that, won't we be unable to determine which zodiac sign's cultivation method to practice?" This senior brother was probably just a temporary worker who had been brought in. He didn't think much of it and was actually fooled. He started to analyze based on Fang Shi's fabricated stories.

Fang Shi panicked a little. The more carefully the other party thought, the more likely they were to see the flaw. So he quickly said, "Senior brother, the elder also said that my aptitude is special. So he specifically instructed me to try out the cultivation methods of several zodiac signs and then determine the direction based on reality."

Are you sure?

"Of course, as you probably know, senior brother, the cultivation method is inherently uncertain at the beginning, and it needs to be adjusted according to one's own aptitude."

Fang Shi immediately put what he had just learned to use, bringing out the self-cultivation techniques he had just heard the elder of the Earthly Rank Sect explain at the entrance.

"That's true, giving it all to you at once will save you the trouble of making another trip."

The elder thought about it and agreed that it made sense. Since he had been idle all morning, he should get some work done.

He picked out five books on self-cultivation based on the zodiac signs from the pile of cultivation manuals behind him and handed them to Fang Shi.

Wow! I really got something for free! This senior looks so handsome, but he doesn't seem very smart.

Fang Shi was both shocked and overjoyed. He tried his best to keep his expression natural, showing only a calm joy, and then walked to the door... and ran away as fast as he could!

It was probably from this moment on that his path of cultivation was destined to be filled with the pursuit of knowledge.