"What people are you?" Xiao Rong suddenly asked.
"Replying to Mage, this disciple is of the Man People." Zhang Rongfang answered truthfully.
"What about your ancestors?"
"My ancestors were a Confucian Household."
Xiao Rong immediately showed a look of regret.
"I see. Go back for now and carry on as usual. Once I have secretly verified whether this is true, I will summon you again."
"Yes."
Zhang Rongfang's expression did not change. He bowed, saluted, and withdrew.
The Man People were fourth class, while Confucian Households, under Great Ling's ten-tier classification, were only a little better than beggars.
Put together, it was no wonder Xiao Rong had reacted that way.
Zhang Rongfang had not originally belonged to this world, so he had no real feeling toward either identity.
But just now, Xiao Rong had clearly been tempted and wanted to take him as a disciple. Yet upon hearing of his background, there had suddenly been no further word.
For the first time, Zhang Rongfang truly understood just how strict Great Ling's class system was.
Clearly, even though he possessed a Daoist Registry, his origins as Man People and a Confucian Household would affect his future development.
Zhang Rongfang did not know exactly what effect it would have, but judging by Xiao Rong's expression, he knew it would not be simple.
After leaving the training ground, the image of Xiao Rong's regretful look continued flashing through Zhang Rongfang's mind.
If Xiao Rong had taken him as a disciple, he would have been able to enter the ranks of Cultivation Disciples in one leap.
At that point, not only would he no longer need to perform menial work, but he would also have plenty of time to cultivate Civilian Skill and martial arts. His meals and treatment would improve drastically, and in the future, he might even be granted a Daoist Title and become a Mage.
Most importantly, he would then be able to accumulate Attribute Points faster and improve himself.
Up until now, his Attribute Panel had only contained two options: Life and Skills.
What exactly counted as a skill? Zhang Rongfang had tried many things, but none had worked.
And just now, he had been so close to succeeding. What a pity. Success and failure had been separated by only an instant.
After sighing inwardly, Zhang Rongfang returned alone to his room.
Qinghe Temple's treatment was actually quite good. Every disciple had a room of their own, though it was so crude and narrow that it could only fit a bed and a stool.
Still, it was better than having a crowd squeezed together to sleep.
After word of the news spread, Zhang Rongfang continued as before, keeping to his daily routine: Morning Bell Evening Drum, Morning and Evening Homework, and menial chores for the rest of the time.
This continued until the assessment period for Cultivation Disciples had passed and June was approaching.
At last, there was a response from Xiao Rong.
May 14th.
In the early morning, mist filled the air, like smoke winding around all of Qinghe Temple.
Zhang Rongfang was preparing to head to the Laundry Room for work.
"Zhang Rongfang, Mingguang Dharma Master is summoning you! Go to the Master's Residence on the Back Mountain."
Suddenly, a Servant Disciple stepped forward midway along the road and called out to him.
The nearby Servant Disciples immediately turned their gazes toward him upon hearing this.
"Understood." Zhang Rongfang kept his expression unchanged, though inwardly he let out a slight breath of relief.
He followed that Servant Disciple, one after the other, quickly making their way toward the Back Mountain.
From afar within the temple came the chanting of other Daoists, along with the laughter and conversation of distinguished Incense Guests in Shangde Garden.
"Today, a Mage is holding a Scripture Recitation Meeting, and quite a few distinguished guests have come. Watch out for guests carrying Yellow Ruyi Tokens. Do not offend them." The Servant Disciple ahead of him gave a quiet reminder.
Zhang Rongfang understood and thanked him.
The other party was clearly not reminding him casually. No one would offer kindness for no reason to a completely unfamiliar Servant Disciple.
Therefore, it was quite possible that there was good news from Mage Xiao Rong's side.
He recognized this person. This Servant Disciple was different from the others. It was said that every year, he donated a considerable amount of money and valuables from his family to Mage Xiao Rong, thereby earning the chance to attend the Mage at close range.
That reminder just now was clearly a gesture of goodwill, and Zhang Rongfang remembered it.
"May I ask Senior Brother's name?"
"You flatter me. My surname is Sun, given name Yuanfeng. I have no courtesy name." The Servant Disciple smiled as he answered.
"So it is Brother Feng—" Zhang Rongfang paused abruptly, suddenly sensing something inappropriate. "Thank you for Senior Brother Feng's guidance. Zhang will remember it."
"It is a small matter." Sun Yuanfeng waved a hand.
Soon, the two passed through one alleyway after another, crossed corridors, training grounds, and disciple quarters, and found a cluster of pavilions enclosed by red walls at the very back of Qinghe Temple.
The three-story pavilions, with red walls and gray tiles, were scattered in a pleasing arrangement.
Sun Yuanfeng led Zhang Rongfang inside, and they soon arrived before one of the pavilions.
Xiao Rong had a well-proportioned figure. He stood on the second-floor balcony, dressed in light yellow short clothes with a Gray White Cloak draped over them, as though he had just finished practicing martial arts.
Qinghe Temple belonged to Great Ling's Great Dao Sect and revered the Three Pure Ones. The sect's disciples mainly cultivated along two paths, civil and martial. Civilian Skill was more common, while martial arts were fewer.
All those Zhang Rongfang had seen in the training ground had been cultivating martial arts.
At this moment, he followed Sun Yuanfeng beneath the pavilion and waited at the entrance.
"Come in first." Xiao Rong's tone was mild. His gaze swept over Zhang Rongfang.
"Yes."
Zhang Rongfang bowed in salute, entered the first floor of the pavilion, and stood at the entrance to the sitting room to wait.
Not long after, Xiao Rong came down from the second floor. Holding a warm, damp towel, he wiped his face and palms before handing it to an Attendant Disciple beside him.
He waved his hand, signaling the surrounding disciples to leave.
Only after everyone else had departed, leaving just Sun Yuanfeng and Zhang Rongfang, did he clear his throat.
"Zhang Rongfang."
"This disciple is here!" Zhang Rongfang hurriedly replied.
"Are you willing to acknowledge me as your Master and enter under my tutelage?" Xiao Rong offered no explanation and went straight to the question.
The question came out of nowhere, without the slightest warning. Both Zhang Rongfang and Sun Yuanfeng were slightly stunned.
Fortunately, Zhang Rongfang recovered quickly and immediately dropped to his knees in a bow.
"This disciple, Zhang Rongfang, greets Master!"
This was not an apprenticeship as a true inheritor. In the Great Dao Sect, taking a master came in two forms. One was an ordinary initiation master.
It was also called a Lesser Master.
Acknowledging a Lesser Master only made one that Master's ordinary disciple, a nominal affiliation. There would be no major investment in one's training, only the proper Daoist Registry, position, and treatment.
There was another kind afterward, called acknowledging a Grand Initiation Master. That was the true inheritance at the core, where one would be granted a Daoist Title and offer gifts and red envelopes.
After acknowledging a Grand Initiation Master, the relationship between Master and disciple was like that of father and son. There could even be corresponding inheritance rights over property. The disciple also bore many obligations toward the Master.
Only after coming here did Zhang Rongfang learn that things were unlike those TV series from his previous life. It was not as though anyone who entered the Daoist Sect could casually receive a Daoist Title.
From an Ordinary Initiation Master to a Grand Initiation Master, a disciple had to undergo many trials in between.
At that moment, Zhang Rongfang felt a wave of relief. He knew he had finally taken the right first step.
Though he had only acknowledged a Lesser Master.
As long as he escaped the harsh life of a Servant Disciple, he would surely climb step by step to greater heights as he accumulated Attribute Points.
Thud, thud, thud.
As Zhang Rongfang knelt and kowtowed, beneath Xiao Rong's smile, he finally took a step forward. He had broken free from being a Servant Disciple who could be discarded at any time and become an official Cultivation Disciple.
A trace of envy flashed through Sun Yuanfeng's eyes. He had no idea what dog-shit luck Zhang Rongfang had encountered to be personally chosen by Mage Xiao Rong as a disciple.
Even he, despite his family sending so much money every year and despite his dedicated service at the Mage's side, had still not been accepted as Mage Xiao Rong's disciple after four years.
In the Great Dao Sect, when a Mage accepted disciples, he had to set aside a portion of his own treatment and resources to train them.
Thus, Mages were generally extremely cautious when accepting disciples. As a result, in many Dao Palaces and Daoist Temples, the number of disciples remained the same year after year, neither increasing nor decreasing.
Therefore, Sun Yuanfeng guessed that there had to be some reason Zhang Rongfang had caught Mage Xiao Rong's eye, making him willing to take Zhang Rongfang under his wing despite his background.
Zhang Rongfang was born among the fourth-class Man People, his parents were a Confucian Household, his appearance was unremarkable, and he did not seem to possess any outstanding talent.
Anyone with eyes could immediately guess that Zhang Rongfang must have displayed something extraordinary recently that had caught Xiao Rong's attention.
After he finished kowtowing, Xiao Rong examined Zhang Rongfang.
"From now on, follow Xiao Ying. Her temperament is not good, so watch over her more and remind her."
"Yes." Zhang Rongfang hurriedly answered. As a disciple, what tasks he was assigned were not for him to decide.
From those words, it was clear that Xiao Rong had accepted him for the sake of his daughter.
"Also, the Civilian Skill cultivated by Qinghe Temple disciples is the Guanxu Skill, while Martial Cultivators practice the Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic. Your qi and blood are insufficient, so cultivate the Guanxu Skill first and nourish yourself." Xiao Rong instructed.
"Yes."
With his head lowered, a trace of joy finally flashed across Zhang Rongfang's face.
He had always harbored a suspicion that the Skills section on his Attribute Panel most likely referred to authentic Daoist cultivation methods.
"May I ask Master, if martial arts are cultivated well, can one Leap Over Eaves and Run on Walls? Strike the Cow Through the Mountain?" He could not help asking respectfully.
"Hehe." Xiao Rong smiled. "If movement techniques are cultivated to their peak, then one can indeed Leap Over Eaves and Run on Walls. But people have their limits. Martial arts were merely created so that we could better exert our own strength.
"Of course, there are also some martial arts that can strengthen and train the body itself. But the limit of a person lies there. No matter how much you train, you can only reach a certain point."
Looking at Zhang Rongfang before him, he seemed to recall something. His gaze turned distant.
"Martial arts can allow you to fight five people alone under the same physical conditions. If they come at you one after another, you may even fight ten, but that is the limit. Also, remember this: someone barehanded generally cannot defeat someone carrying a weapon, and someone carrying a weapon generally cannot defeat someone wearing full body armor and weapons."
"Furthermore, if you face elite officers and soldiers, then even for an expert, fighting five alone is the limit."
He paused, then continued.
"Also, the Guanxu Skill cultivated by Civilian Cultivators is for self-cultivation and nurturing one's nature. Unless you can pass the assessment for Martial Cultivation Disciples, cultivating only the Guanxu Skill can merely make your body healthy and grant you longevity. It has no other use."
Zhang Rongfang was immediately stunned.
"But I clearly heard before that a Hall Master successfully formed a core and became a Nascent Soul."
"Oh, you mean Senior Brother Zhang from the Wealth God Hall. Senior Brother Zhang's Daoist arts are profound, and he truly did condense a Nascent Soul. But he is not a Martial Cultivator. After condensing his Nascent Soul, he became so delighted that he accidentally fell down. His forehead struck the stone steps and swelled into a huge bump."
Xiao Rong sighed. "The Three Pure Ones above, later they invited Senior Sister from the Elixir Room to treat him. Fortunately, there was no serious harm."
"..." Zhang Rongfang had no idea how to describe his feelings.
"That is nothing. In our Taiqing Palace, there are quite a few who have condensed an Inner Core. Counting them, there are at least twenty, and most of them are Civilian Cultivator Daoists.
"Martial Cultivators do not have such leisure. They are all tempering their tendons and bones, honing their strength. Therefore, if your aptitude is not particularly good, do not choose to cultivate both civil and martial paths. Remember this, remember this well."
Xiao Rong gave the instruction earnestly.
"Then, Master, what benefits are there to condensing an Inner Core?" Zhang Rongfang asked again, unwilling to give up.
"If one suffers no illness or disaster, one can live beyond ninety." Xiao Rong smiled.
"This is the art of longevity."
After saying that, he looked somewhat wistful.
"Speaking of Civilian Cultivator Daoist arts, our Daoist Sect once had the Four Seasons Daoist, who cultivated beyond the Nascent Soul into the path of Refining Spirit.
"It was said that he had already touched upon the realm of Return to Emptiness after Refining Spirit. Unfortunately, he was arrested and imprisoned by the County Magistrate of that time, who interrogated him about a rapid method for attaining longevity. Unable to endure the torture, he dashed his head against a wall and died."
"..." Zhang Rongfang had nothing to say.
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