When those men heard him, they showed no sign of reining themselves in.
"So what if he became an outer sect disciple? How bright a future could a chamber-pot boy possibly have?"
"We don't care about any of that. Nobody's emptied today's chamber pots yet. Hurry up and find someone to do it..."
They left laughing and joking, none of them taking the matter to heart.
Even among outer sect disciples, there were differences in standing.
Some became outer sect disciples the moment they joined the sect, while others cultivated for several years before rising from menial servants to outer sect disciples. Naturally, the former looked down on the latter.
Those words were like a knife, stabbing straight into Lin Mo's heart, crushing the little joy that had welled up within him and lodging deep inside.
"No one reaches the heavens in a single step. Becoming an outer sect disciple doesn't mean your past disappears. What you need to do now is cultivate diligently. Once your cultivation surpasses theirs, you naturally won't hear those remarks anymore."
Steward Cui's voice came from ahead.
Lin Mo felt as though he could barely breathe.
"But Steward, wasn't Erhu the same? Didn't they issue a gag order about his time as a menial servant, forbidding everyone from mentioning it again?"
Hearing this, Steward Cui stopped.
He turned around and looked at the dejected young man before him with a somewhat sinister gaze, speaking without sparing his feelings.
"Can you compare yourself to him? He has a three-element spiritual root. He's a future elite of the Inner Sect. Barring any accidents, he'll definitely reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. In the future, he'll be an Outer Elder at the very least..."
Lin Mo had actually understood this reasoning long ago.
It was just that those words had nearly shattered his emotional defenses, leaving him unwilling to accept it.
In the end, it all came down to cultivation.
Cultivation, cultivation!
Lin Mo lowered his head and said softly, "I understand."
He now seemed to understand why those outer sect disciples had been so hostile toward him.
Prejudice in people's hearts was like a mountain.
Servant Disciples came branded with labels like "useless" and "drudge." Even after becoming an outer sect disciple, a Servant Disciple who did filthy work like Lin Mo could not escape being mocked. He might even face more ridicule than when he had still been a Servant Disciple.
If he truly had no potential whatsoever, those labels would follow him for the rest of his life.
But I have the Treasure Gourd!
With it, his future extended far beyond the outer sect.
He would become an elite of the Inner Sect, perhaps even one of the sect's higher-ups, then leave this region and see the wider world.
Once he reached the summit, his old labels would no longer be marks of shame, but bywords for strength built through patient effort and an unyielding mind.
All this prejudice came down to nothing more than... his cultivation being too low!
At that moment, his blood boiled with fervor.
"Steward Cui, I'll definitely cultivate diligently!"
Steward Cui stopped again, looking at the young man with some surprise.
This was the first time he had truly taken Lin Mo seriously.
He split his lips into a grin.
It was still just as ugly, but this time, his smile came from the heart.
"Good lad!"
As he spoke, ten spirit stones shimmering with faint light appeared in his hand, and he passed them to Lin Mo.
The position of steward of the Servant Disciples' Courtyard was a cushy job. Without an uncle who was an Outer Elder, he would never have landed it.
"If you really make something of yourself someday, don't forget me. Get me a position as an Outer Elder too."
Lin Mo did not refuse the ten spirit stones.
He simply committed this favor to memory and agreed.
"You went home to visit your family, then broke through not long after returning?"
The Outer Elder Cui Zhong closely resembled Steward Cui. His eyes seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts. At that moment, he studied Lin Mo with a trace of suspicion, smiling, yet looking like a tiger behind that smile.
This is bad!
Lin Mo's heart tightened.
Does he suspect I obtained a treasure at home and want to investigate?
Lin Mo was just about to offer an explanation when Cui Zhong interrupted him.
"Come off it, boy. Whether or not there was some fortunate opportunity in your home, even if there was, it only just pushed you into the First Layer of Qi Refining. Even if something like that were placed right before me, I couldn't be bothered to take it."
After casually teasing him, Cui Zhong took out an unremarkable little cloth bag and a token, placing them before Lin Mo.
"This is a Storage Bag. It can store things, and all you need is a thought to use it. Inside are your cultivation resources for this month and your outer sect disciple token. You can go to the Sect Affairs Hall to take on missions."
"The path of cultivation lies before you now. Walk it well."
An Outer Elder was, at the very least, a powerful cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. He had only said so much to Lin Mo out of consideration for Steward Cui.
Lin Mo happily put everything away. After thanking Cui Zhong repeatedly, he followed Steward Cui to a fairly refined little courtyard.
"This will be your residence from now on. I'm sure I don't need to explain the outer sect's rules to you. You'll figure them out after a few days of looking around."
"Come find me if you need anything. I'll be going now."
After giving him a few instructions, Steward Cui left.
He needed to hurry and find a few Servant Disciples to fill the vacancy in chamber-pot duty.
Lin Mo was actually very familiar with the private courtyards where outer sect disciples lived, but he still walked all around this one, delighted by its novelty.
From now on, this would be his home.
"Outer sect disciples receive ten spirit stones a month, and Steward Cui gave me another ten. I now have a full twenty spirit stones. Completing sect missions can also earn me sect merit to exchange for precious Heavenly Treasures or pills. The path to advancement really is much better than it was as a Servant Disciple."
"But with my current aptitude, these spirit stones probably won't be enough to break through to the Second Layer of Qi Refining. It looks like I'll have to take on sect missions as soon as possible and become a Spirit Plant Farmer. Only then can I fully bring out the Treasure Gourd's capabilities."
"Before that, I'd better hurry and turn these spirit stones into strength of my own."
He wanted to exchange these spirit stones for genuine spirit spring water, but he had no way of doing so at present. He could only ask around.
All in all, everything was looking up.
The promises he had made to his parents and Xiao He, as well as the boasts he had made before his fellow villagers, all seemed within reach, about to come true.
That night, under the moonlight, Lin Mo transplanted the Fire Spirit Fruit from his old courtyard into his new one.
He could set up formations in this courtyard to prevent others from entering, which was very important to Lin Mo.
However, the materials needed to construct and maintain such formations were currently beyond Lin Mo's means.
Whichever way he looked at it, he still lacked money.
He needed to complete a few sect missions as soon as possible.
Otherwise, without the sustenance needed for cultivation, the source of his progress would practically be cut off.
Lin Mo headed toward the Sect Affairs Hall along a familiar route. Seeing his pale blue robe, the people passing by were initially somewhat surprised that this "chamber-pot boy" had actually joined the outer sect.
Then their surprise turned to disdain.
Only three days remained before the deadline for the Sect Examination, and anxiety permeated every corner of the Azure Cloud Sect's outer sect.
The disciples were busy earning sect contributions or asking their families for money to bribe the examiners.
In short, everyone in the Azure Cloud Sect was restless these past few days. Yet with no decent entertainment available, quite a few people turned their attention to Lin Mo.
A Chamber Pot Boy who had barely made it into the outer sect in the final few days was simply the perfect punching bag.
But no matter what they said, Lin Mo acted as though he had heard nothing, passing them with a perfectly composed expression.
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