Chapter 10

The female disciple in charge of this batch of newcomers looked to be in her twenties, but that was only how she looked. In this world of cultivation, the higher one's cultivation, the easier it was to preserve one's appearance. There were also all sorts of pills that could keep female cultivators forever young.

"Those with five spirit roots, step forward. You and one other person will go to your assigned quarters."

Su Jiu knew that the Azure Tide Sect had a group of Laborer Disciples. New recruits with poor spirit roots who had yet to achieve qi induction were usually assigned to serve as Laborer Disciples first. Only upon reaching the third level of qi refining could they transfer to the Outer Gate and become ordinary Outer Gate disciples.

This was also why many lineages were unwilling to send disciples with five spirit roots here. Still, there was no shortage of those who reached for heights beyond their grasp. After all, the spiritual energy in the Azure Tide Sect was far denser than in aristocratic clans. Even if Laborer Disciples had a great deal of work to do, they could still achieve qi induction quickly. Once they reached the third level of qi refining, they could apply to enter the Outer Gate. With no more laborer duties eating up their time, their cultivation would advance a thousand miles a day. This was how many disciples with five spirit roots thought, but reality was cruel.

Aptitude-this single word held so many people back. Some spent a year, two years, or even longer trying to achieve qi induction. Without aptitude or comprehension, relying on time alone to grind away, they might already be nearing the end of their lives by the time they reached the third level of qi refining. Rather than that, they would be better off staying with their lineages, where they had plenty of time to cultivate and could also serve their families. But not every disciple with five spirit roots could see through this, which was why they continued choosing to join sects in an endless stream.

People always wanted to fly higher. That was understandable, really.

When Su Jiu's turn came to collect her supplies, she noticed a more probing look in the woman's eyes.

"Your name is Su Jiu?"

Su Jiu nodded. The woman said nothing more, seemingly only wanting to confirm her identity.

Su Jiu took the small bundle allotted to her and a wooden token from the woman's hands. Her room number and name were recorded on the token.

One hundred seventeen. Su Jiu.

Following the directions on the wooden token, Su Jiu reached her courtyard. It was reasonably clean and tidy, probably because Laborer Disciples swept it regularly. There was a room on each of its four sides, with two people sharing each room.

Although Su Jiu had yet to achieve qi induction, she knew that the concentration of spiritual energy here surely could not compare with her former cave abode. The spiritual energy was already thin, yet so many people had to share it.

Su Jiu pressed her lips together. Across both her lives, this was her first time receiving such treatment.

Then she gave a soft sigh. Never mind. Even this life was one I picked up. I'm merely starting over.

Several cultivators who had just entered saw Su Jiu's helpless expression quite clearly.

The woman at the front looked at the still-young Su Jiu and smiled. "What's this? Which lineage's pampered young lady are you, looking down on our Outer Gate dormitory?"

A girl of about twelve or thirteen behind the woman tugged at her arm. "Sis."

Su Jiu smiled too. "Of course not. It's very nice here. I'm just feeling a little homesick."

Even cultivators needed this sort of polite pretense.

The woman gave a faint snort and walked past Su Jiu. The girl following her, however, gave Su Jiu an apologetic look. "Sorry. My sister has a bit of a temper." Then she followed her sister back to their room.

Su Jiu considered her memory fairly good. She seemed to have seen that girl aboard the spirit boat, but she had never seen the older sister before. In other words, there was a strong chance this dormitory housed newcomers alongside existing Outer Gate disciples.

Very soon, Su Jiu confirmed her guess.

When Su Jiu returned to her own room, a female cultivator was inside, sitting in meditation with her eyes closed.

Not wishing to disturb her, Su Jiu first sorted through her belongings.

Opening the bundle, she found three books inside. The thickest was also the one Su Jiu knew best from her previous life: the Azure Tide Sect's rules, which every disciple had to memorize. The book recorded more than two thousand sect rules, both major and minor. Remembering how Su Mianmian had clutched the rulebook in her previous life, crying pitifully and complaining to her, she could not help smiling.

The second was the Outer Gate disciple handbook. It recorded matters Outer Gate disciples needed to know, such as when and where to collect their monthly allowance, when and where their lessons were held, and other things of that sort.

The third was actually just a few thin sheets of paper, with several illustrations accompanied by text. Su Jiu only glanced over them before recognizing them as instructions for qi induction. In her previous life, the sect leader had personally taught her how to achieve qi induction, so she had never needed these. Only now did she learn that Outer Gate disciples had to comprehend it entirely on their own.

Next was a small gray cloth pouch containing a bottle of pills. Su Jiu opened it and took a sniff. They were low-grade Spirit-Gathering Pills, with only ten in the bottle. There was also one Lower-Grade Spirit Stone and fifty Spirit Pearls. In the Azure Tide Realm, one Lower-Grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for a hundred Spirit Pearls, but people ordinarily did not make that exchange. Spirit Pearls contained extremely faint spiritual energy and could generally only serve as currency, whereas spirit stones could be used for cultivation. Thus, even if someone offered a hundred Spirit Pearls for a spirit stone, no one would be willing to trade.

Last was a moon-white robe, also known as the Azure Tide Order's sect uniform. Apart from Laborer Disciples, all disciples could wear only sect uniforms. Even these uniforms had different ranks, however. The one in her hands, for example, had black patterns only at the cuffs. It was the lowest-ranking sect uniform and the standard attire of all Outer Gate disciples.

In her previous life, as a Personal Disciple, she had worn a sect uniform with gold-edged embroidery at both the collar and cuffs. Su Jiu ran her fingers over the uniform in her hands and quickly felt the difference. This fabric was noticeably coarser and nowhere near as soft as what she had worn in her previous life.

After putting her belongings in order, Su Jiu began attempting qi induction.

Just as in her previous life, she had a strong affinity with the elements. Not long after entering a meditative state, she "saw" a shimmering blue glow floating around her: water-aspected spiritual power within the spiritual energy.

However, she discovered that even when she drew the water-aspected spiritual energy around her into her body, it soon flowed out in another direction, as though her body could not retain spiritual power.

This discovery made Su Jiu open her eyes at once, her entire body breaking out in a cold sweat.

She could not help pondering it. I have an ice spiritual root now, but ice and water share the same origin. Why can't my body retain the Water Essence? Do I have to cultivate in an ice cave? Su Jiu quickly rejected that possibility. It was unrealistic. After all, wind spirit roots and Thunder Spirit Roots also existed in this world. Surely those cultivators did not have to wait for windy weather or thunderstorms to cultivate.

What Su Jiu failed to notice was that the girl on the neighboring bed opened her eyes the instant she did.

"New here?"

The softly spoken question interrupted her thoughts.

Su Jiu cupped her hands and bowed. "My name is Su Jiu, from Peace City. I saw that you were cultivating earlier, Senior, and did not wish to disturb you. Please forgive me."

The woman smiled and waved a hand. "I'm only at qi refining. None of this 'Senior' business. Just call me Senior Sister Han."

"Senior Sister Han."

Senior Sister Han looked Su Jiu over carefully. "Are you six yet? You look a little younger."

"I just turned six."

Senior Sister Han found Su Jiu's solemn little-adult manner rather endearing and took a liking to her, prompting her to offer a few extra words.

"Now that you've joined the sect, speak less, listen more, think more, and do more. There's no camaraderie here." Senior Sister Han pointed outside the door. "Everyone out there is a rival."

Su Jiu paused, clearly not having expected a senior sister she had only just met to offer such guidance. She evidently was not a bad person. "Thank you for your advice, Senior Sister."

Senior Sister Han smiled and nodded. "Anyway, in this cultivation world, the most important thing is staying alive yourself."

She said it very softly. It was hard to tell whether she was speaking to Su Jiu or to herself.