Chapter 7

There were three people in the pavilion.

Two women and one man, all wearing the newly issued Cultivation Disciple Daoist robes: light blue outer garments over White Short Jackets.

Si Tunan stepped forward and introduced Zhang Rongfang to each of them.

When the three first heard that Zhang Rongfang had taken Master Xiao Rong as his teacher, they were all somewhat surprised.

"Brother Rong Fang, I heard you came from the Man People? And you're from a Confucian Household?" one of the women suddenly asked.

Si Tunan nodded, confirming it.

At once, Zhang Rongfang felt the attention in the three people's gazes upon him lessen by more than half.

He did not mind. This was not the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Fourth Class Man People and a Confucian Household—those two labels together determined that no matter how capable he became, he would never be able to rise into the upper ranks.

This was not determined by personal will. It was written plainly into the laws of the Great Ling Imperial Court: those of Man People Confucian Households could not hold official posts in the middle or upper ranks.

The Great Ling Venerable Buddha revered Daoism, yet held Confucianism alone in extreme rejection—even disgust.

The group chatted for a while. Before long, another five people arrived one after another.

With ten people gathered together, the red pavilion felt somewhat cramped.

So they found an open patch of ground beside the pavilion and split into little groups of two or three to chat.

Zhang Rongfang and another Daoist, who appeared to have been isolated just like him, were both ignored by everyone.

The two simply stood together instead.

"People are so young these days, yet already so realistic. They cannot even be bothered to put on a pretense," the Daoist sighed.

"How should I address you, Daoist brother?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"Zhang Xintai."

"A pleasure. I am Zhang Rongfang."

Zhang Xintai discreetly pointed toward a man in the distance who was surrounded by several people.

"See that Zhou Ze? He is not even twenty yet, and he has already crossed the two great stages of Blood Nourishing and Tendon Forging to enter the grades.

"He cultivates the Mixed Origin Talisman. His talent is quite terrifying—practically one realm per year. Anyone with eyes can tell that he has a splendid future ahead, provided he can withstand future real combat."

Zhang Rongfang looked over. Zhou Ze was sturdily built, with thick brows and large eyes, his spirits soaring. He indeed carried an uncommon air.

"And Tao Mengjie. Her family is enormously wealthy, and they forcibly bought her a slot with money. Her martial arts are nothing to write home about, but money is a fine thing. If she cannot beat you, she has plenty of people who can." Zhang Xintai pointed out another slightly plump woman as he commented.

"Besides them, the rest have all cultivated at least one Talisman Art. They have either shown talent or wealth, and with the right connections in place, their promotion was no accident."

"They are all far stronger than I am," Zhang Rongfang sighed.

"Do not belittle yourself." Zhang Xintai patted Zhang Rongfang's shoulder. "I heard about Xiao Qingying too. You distinguish clearly between gratitude and resentment, and repay kindness without fail. You dared step forward despite the risk of offending certain people. That is what sets you apart."

"It was only what I ought to have done. There is no need to mention it further." Zhang Rongfang shook his head.

"Do not overthink it. The people I, Zhang Xintai, admire most in my life are those who value loyalty." Zhang Xintai patted Zhang Rongfang's shoulder again. "So what if your birth is low? There are plenty of highborn swine in our Great Dao Sect. People are always nobler than pigs."

Zhang Rongfang did not know what to say and could only smile bitterly.

"What martial realm are you at, then, Brother Xintai?"

"Me? Better left unsaid." Zhang Xintai laughed heartily. "I'm leaving. We can talk another time. If you have time, come find me at Profound Heart Hall."

Before Zhang Rongfang could reply, he turned and left. His steps were swift, and in a few strides he vanished into the woods.

Zhang Rongfang watched him leave, feeling inexplicably puzzled.

"When did you become acquainted with Senior Brother Zhang Xintai?" Si Tunan quietly edged over from the side.

"Senior Brother? Wasn't he newly promoted?" Zhang Rongfang froze.

"No. Senior Brother Zhang Xintai entered Second Grade in martial arts last year. Even the martial arts Talisman Art I practice was taught by one of his junior brothers." Si Tunan looked surprised.

Zhang Rongfang was instantly dumbfounded.

So he was the only one in the whole gathering who completely knew no martial arts? Even Si Tunan had been taught the Talisman Canon? Only because his physique and blood vitality still needed recuperation was he still practicing the Guanxu Skill.

After the uninteresting gathering, Zhang Rongfang saw Si Tunan chatting merrily with Zhou Ze, Tao Mengjie, and the others. He did not disturb her and left alone.

Not long after he left, Si Tunan suddenly remembered him in the middle of chatting and looked around for him.

"Are you looking for that Zhang Rongfang? He left quite a while ago," Zhou Ze said.

He had taken an interest in Si Tunan and another woman named Liu Meng, because the two were the prettiest among these newly promoted disciples.

Had Tao Mengjie not been constantly hovering beside him with such enthusiasm, he would have invited the two women out alone long ago.

Great Ling supported polygamy, after all.

"Yes. It was somewhat discourteous. I brought Zhang Rongfang here, so I should have returned with him." Si Tunan nodded and forced a slight smile in response to Zhou Ze's question.

"You have a good relationship with him?" Liu Meng asked from the side. She was slender, with straight legs and the curved beauty of someone who exercised regularly.

"I suggest you associate with him less. It brings you harm and no benefit. Given his background as a Man People Confucian Household, he will only drift farther and farther away from people like us in the future."

"Exactly. Some ties should be cut when they need cutting. Otherwise, they will eventually become a burden," Zhou Ze agreed with a nod.

"That is true. I used to have a Childhood Sweetheart I was close to. Later, the gap between our families grew wider and wider, and he was always coming to me for help. It was not that he was a bad person, nor that I did not want to associate with him. But after enough time passed, he became too embarrassed to come looking for me anymore."

Tao Mengjie sighed as well. "Later, a Best Friend told me that my Childhood Sweetheart had once said to her that after borrowing money and asking for help from me too many times, he always felt unable to lift his head before me. It made him feel miserable and stifled. So he..."

Her words were realistic, and they made Si Tunan feel somewhat uncomfortable. Yet she also understood that what the three said would very likely become reality.

"Just gradually interact with him less in the future. Given enough time, he will naturally understand," Zhou Ze consoled her.

Si Tunan shook her head slightly. In truth, she and Zhang Rongfang had a fairly good relationship. To cut him off immediately was not an easy thing for someone with her personality.

She looked at the three new friends around her, then at the direction in which Zhang Rongfang had silently departed.

On one side was a new circle that could help her development. On the other was an old friend who was gradually unable to keep pace with her.

As for how to choose, her heart had already leaned in one direction.

Creak.

The wooden door was swiftly opened, then shut again.

Zhang Rongfang exhaled and hurried into the room, sitting down on the only stool.

Then he lowered his head and looked at his body. As long as he focused on any part of himself, the Attribute Panel would appear.

The grayish-white Attribute Panel was extraordinarily clear across most of his Field of Vision.

Hiss. Zhang Rongfang drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled it in nine separate breaths.

His breath drew a white line through the air.

He rose and walked to the window. Beyond the open window was a wooden corridor.

A male and female Daoist stood against a Red Pillar not far down the corridor, chatting and laughing softly.

Both wore light blue Daoist robes with White Outer Jackets. They were both Cultivation Disciples.

This was no longer the row-house district for Servant Disciples, but the residence area belonging to Cultivation Disciples.

Zhang Rongfang gently shut the window and returned to sit beside the chair.

He closed his eyes to rest his mind, quietly waiting for his body to return to calm.

A full fifteen minutes later, he abruptly opened his eyes.

After this period of conditioning, the lower limit of my Life Attribute has risen by one point.

I do not know the full effect of this thing. I previously used Attribute Points to raise Life, so I will not touch it this time.

Zhang Rongfang shifted his gaze to the Skill Panel.

This time, I'll try a skill. Let's see how Attribute Points improve this one and only skill, the Guanxu Skill.

Now that his status had risen, his diet and nutrition had improved, and he no longer needed to do so much miscellaneous work, accumulating Attribute Points would not be as slow as before.

Previously, it had taken nearly half a year to save up one point.

This time, only a little over two months had passed, and he had gained one point.

Without further hesitation, he concentrated on the Plus Sign beside the Guanxu Skill and imagined pressing it.

Snap.

The number belonging to Attribute Points changed from 1 to 0. Beside the Guanxu Skill, the words "First Layer" appeared.

In an instant, a Warm Current surged from his chest like a spring, flowing continuously through every part of his body.

Zhang Rongfang felt as if his entire body had been immersed in a Hot Spring, incomparably comfortable.

The feeling lasted for quite some time before slowly subsiding.

He stretched his Legs and moved his arms and wrists before rising to inspect his condition.

Zhang Rongfang—Life 8-9, Skill: Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture). Available Attributes: 0.

Zhang Rongfang paused, swiftly recalling Senior Sister Zhao Dacong's explanation.

The Guanxu Skill's realm divisions are very simple: Essence Aperture, Body Transformation, Foundation Establishment, Inner Core, Nascent Soul, and Refining Spirit. I should now have properly entered the First Layer of Essence Aperture.

He tried swinging his arms and kicking his legs, but felt nothing unusual.

Other than feeling slightly more alert, there was no other change.

"This Guanxu Skill is really..." Zhang Rongfang shook his head inwardly. Fortunately, he had confirmed through testing that his Attribute Points could indeed improve skills.

This way, if he learned a Martial Cultivation Method in the future, he could swiftly catch up to the years of bitter cultivation others had spent.

This body of his was only sixteen years old. If he slowly accumulated Attribute Points in the future, the future was promising.

Having confirmed that skills could be improved with Attribute Points, a great stone in Zhang Rongfang's heart finally fell with a clatter.

Over the following days, Xiao Rong and Daughter returned, and Zhang Rongfang resumed his previous regular life.

Yet what puzzled him was that after that day's gathering, Si Tunan never spoke to him again. At most, when they met, she would nod, and that counted as a greeting.

At first, he could not understand it. Later, after hearing some rumors, he came to understand that this was her choice.

Si Tunan had joined Zhou Ze, Liu Meng, and Tao Mengjie's little circle, intending to draw a line between herself and a disciple with no prospects like him.

After lamenting the realism of people, Zhang Rongfang no longer thought much about it. Every day, he ate well, drank well, and slept well, merely waiting for his body to recover soon enough for him to qualify to cultivate the Martial Cultivation Talisman Canon.

What surprised him somewhat was that the First Layer of the Guanxu Skill caused his Life Attribute to slowly rise.

In the blink of an eye, time reached July.

Zhang Rongfang's Life Attribute officially broke through its upper limit of 10, becoming "Life 9-10."

He carefully recorded this phenomenon for further observation.

If the increase in Life brought by the Guanxu Skill exceeded directly adding points to Life, then he might consider focusing primarily on the Guanxu Skill.