The Prerequisite for Cultivation

Ling Wuyuan could not quite put into words what he was feeling right now.

Thinking of the five years he had struggled through—five unbearably long years!

Constantly struggling for survival amid the shadows.

Only now did he finally have a bed of his own!

His feelings were truly complicated and hard to contain.

Now, he chose to lie on the bed and quietly think for a while.

"Hmm..."

"Although the mattress isn't particularly soft, it's far better than the hard ground, and this quilt is quite nice too..."

For a moment.

His thoughts were somewhat chaotic and complicated.

Still.

He quickly got up and began looking around the rest of the room.

He opened the wardrobe to have a look, then checked beneath the bed to see if there was anything there...

In the end.

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with anything.

He walked over to the mirror.

It was not a bronze mirror, but an ordinary mirror in the literal sense. There was no essential difference between it and the mirrors from Ling Wuyuan's previous life, aside from being relatively expensive.

In this world.

Many things from his previous life, such as gunpowder, mirrors, and clocks, actually existed as well. The only differences lay in their methods of manufacture and how widespread they were.

After all, civilization in this world had existed for who knew how many years...

At this moment.

In Ling Wuyuan's eyes, the figure in the mirror was a cold, black-haired little ghost with quite decent looks.

Although his features were still extremely youthful because his body had yet to mature, the general appearance he would have as an adult could already more or less be seen from his facial features.

"Hmm~"

"As expected of me~"

"I'm just dressed a little too rustic..."

"I still need to collect the gang uniform later..."

Looking at his expressionless reflection.

Ling Wuyuan was fairly satisfied.

As for why he was expressionless?

It could not be helped. Due to the environment he had lived in, he had grown somewhat accustomed to keeping an expressionless face over the years.

However.

His inner thoughts were as abundant as ever.

After that, Ling Wuyuan opened the door and walked outside.

He planned to wander around the vicinity of White Crow Mountain and familiarize himself with the surrounding environment first, such as taking a look at the dining halls...

According to what the guide had said earlier, the White Crow Gang had four dining halls in total. They operated independently and prepared communal meals in large pots at fixed times each day. All White Crow Gang members could eat for free using their membership tokens.

For Ling Wuyuan, who had spent years going hungry nine meals out of ten and enduring hunger every day, this was an enormous temptation...

Of course.

If they did not want to eat communal meals in the public dining halls, members could also pay separately to order dishes there, or eat at other private restaurants.

All in all, it was quite well-organized, giving Ling Wuyuan the feeling of his previous life.

Early the next morning.

Ling Wuyuan silently swept his gaze over the other newcomers around him.

There were roughly seventy of them in total.

Adults made up half, while children and teenagers made up the other half.

But now, everyone wore the same clothes and stood perfectly straight.

As if they were being inspected in a military parade.

The main reason was the figure standing directly before them.

He was a tall man who looked to be around sixty-five, yet had hardly any white hair on his head.

Though advanced in years, when he surveyed the newcomers present with a stern gaze, everyone felt as though they were facing a fierce tiger.

Even though his clothes were rather loose.

They could still vaguely make out the muscles beneath them.

Facing that old man, even though he did not reveal any killing intent or hostility.

Everyone could still feel an inexplicable chill.

It was as though their instincts were warning them that they could never possibly be a match for the man before them.

"Let me introduce myself first. I am the manager of the Newcomer Training Grounds, Feng Shuyun. You may call me Elder Feng!"

"For quite some time to come, all of you will be living under my command."

"The reason is simple. As newcomers, every last one of you needs to be tempered. Otherwise, you are nothing more than a rabble of street thugs..."

His voice was incomparably loud and full of vigor.

Though it carried a trace of an old man's raspiness, it remained exceptionally clear. It did not make anyone feel that he was old and feeble; it only made him seem vigorous despite his age.

As soon as he finished speaking.

Eager looks rose in the eyes of many newcomers.

Within the White Crow Gang.

Elders and Hall Masters held positions of the same rank.

Above them were the Vice Gang Leader, Grand Elder, and Gang Leader.

The Grand Elder generally referred to a former Gang Leader who had stepped down.

Therefore.

Elders could basically be regarded as the peak of ordinary authority.

No matter how one looked at it, they were people with genuine power.

Especially when the man was their direct superior.

Thus, the moment they heard that they would be living under him for a long time to come, many newcomers immediately began considering how they might curry favor with him.

Meanwhile.

After Feng Shuyun briefly introduced himself.

He immediately pointed in a direction and asked everyone present:

"Now, all of you who cannot read, or can barely read, stand over here."

Upon hearing that.

Ling Wuyuan's eyes immediately lit up.

He was the first to step over.

Based on the information he had learned from the guide yesterday.

He understood that illiterates like himself would next be assigned to the Gang Academy, where they would receive the most basic education.

It generally lasted one year.

During that time, they had only one task: reading and learning characters!

Because if one could not read, then even if a secret manual were handed to them, they would not understand it.

Some secret manuals were even recorded in the form of poetry.

So forget about those who could not read—those who truly could read might not necessarily understand what the secret manuals were saying either...

Therefore.

Reading and literacy were among a cultivator's essential lessons.

A gang with history like the White Crow Gang regarded them as the most basic mandatory assessment requirements.

If a newcomer still remained half-illiterate after one year in the Gang Academy, they would receive physical punishment at best and be kicked out of the White Crow Gang outright at worst.

Faced with such a situation.

To be honest, many newcomers might feel somewhat disappointed.

Studying and such.

It truly had little to do with the flashing blades, flying shadows, and joyous settling of grudges they had imagined.

But Ling Wuyuan eagerly welcomed it.

He knew that in any world, knowledge was unquestionably something important!

And the systematic basic education provided free of charge by the Gang Academy was precisely what he needed in order to keep moving forward!

Next.

Just as he had learned, all those who could not read were assigned to the Gang Academy without distinction, regardless of age or gender.

From this day onward.

They all had to seriously study and learn characters, and they would undergo assessments at regular intervals.

Once their grades fell short, they would be punished!

As for those who had received basic education and could already read, they could begin martial training directly.

As a basic benefit of joining the White Crow Gang.

They could select one basic martial arts secret manual from the gang's Treasure Library for cultivation.