"Divine Physician Gu?"
At the gates of the Tianyang Sect, Zhou Lei was surprised to see Gu Qianshan.
Gu Qianshan possessed superb medical skills and charged low fees. He was particularly adept at treating internal and external injuries, so he enjoyed considerable fame in the martial world.
As a bounty hunter who took on capture contracts, Zhou Lei was often injured and had naturally received treatment from him before.
Gu Qianshan knew Zhou Lei too, and greatly admired the bounty hunter's character.
"So it's Hero Zhou." He cupped his fists in greeting. "Are you here to apply for a second-year teaching position too?"
"Yes. You too, Divine Physician Gu?"
Gu Qianshan looked a little embarrassed. Everyone else who had come was a martial artist; he alone was a physician.
Although he knew some punches and kicks, he had no internal power whatsoever.
"Ahaha, yes. As you know, I've made some fairly substantial achievements in theory."
Zhou Lei nodded in understanding.
Gu Qianshan's desire to practice martial arts was no secret. "Then may you get your wish, Divine Physician Gu, and win success the moment your horse arrives."
"Thank you."
"Come on, let's head up the mountain."
The two headed up together, encountering many other martial artists from Yu Province along the way. Some were going up, while others were coming down.
Those going up were brimming with enthusiasm; those coming down hung their heads in dejection.
As they saw more and more people coming down, the two also began to have doubts.
"Damn it, just what sort of people is the Tianyang Sect looking for?"
"Exactly. What a bunch of picky bastards. They wouldn't even pass someone like me. If they're so capable, why don't they teach the students themselves? Why hire anyone?"
"Watch your mouth. They're still a major sect, after all."
"It's fine. They can't hear us anyway. Can't I even grumble a little?"
Hearing the complaints of those descending, the pair's spirits plummeted a thousand fathoms.
After a while, Zhou Lei spotted someone he knew and hurriedly called out, "Hero Fang."
Hero Fang was walking down with his head lowered. Hearing someone call him, he looked up and hurriedly cupped his fists in response. "Brother Zhou."
Zhou Lei stepped forward and asked, "Hero Fang, even you didn't pass?"
Hero Fang was also a bounty hunter. He was fifty this year and in the Fifth-Grade Realm.
"That's right. Their assessment is very strict."
"But you're in the Fifth-Grade Realm!" Zhou Lei could hardly believe it.
Hero Fang said, "Sect Master Zhang and the Tianyang Sect's fifth elder are personally handling the recruitment assessment. They don't look at your grade. They look at whether you can teach, and at your personal understanding of internal cultivation.
"Although I'm in the Fifth-Grade Realm, I only got here through years and years of cultivation. I don't really understand internal cultivation, the dantian, or the meridians. I practiced however my master told me to, so naturally, I couldn't meet their requirements."
"I see." Zhou Lei nodded, his confidence in being selected growing.
Most people cultivated by circulating their power as their masters instructed or as their cultivation manuals described. Few explored its underlying nature.
Few asked why; they simply accepted whatever others said.
Those willing to study the underlying nature of things and delve into cause and effect would naturally succeed.
It was like how everyone knew that apples fell when ripe, but then someone surnamed Niu asked why, which set him thinking, and he eventually became a great scientist.
The two exchanged a few more words. Hero Fang also greeted Gu Qianshan before hurrying away.
The remaining pair exchanged a glance, their fighting spirit soaring once more, and headed up the mountain.
On the mountain, a sign read "Recruitment room." The two walked toward it.
Inside the Tianyang Sect, Zhang Qingyuan and Fifth Senior Brother were still conducting interviews.
Upon reaching the square outside the recruitment room, Zhou Lei and Gu Qianshan both involuntarily drew a deep breath.
A dense crowd filled their view. The line stretched from beneath the covered walkway to the middle of the courtyard. By a rough count, there were still at least thirty or forty people.
The air was thick with anxiety and tension, forming a sharp contrast with the lush, vibrant scenery outside the mountain gates.
The waiting martial artists wore all sorts of expressions. Some stood with their arms folded and eyes closed, resting their minds. They seemed calm, but their faintly furrowed brows and fingers tapping their arms from time to time betrayed their inner unrest. Others craned their necks, constantly peering toward the tightly shut recruitment room door, as though they could see through it. More gathered in twos and threes, speaking quietly in tones full of uncertainty and self-reassurance.
"Ah, I've been waiting for two hours. My legs have gone numb from standing. If I'd known there'd be this many people, I would've come earlier," a man in a short martial outfit complained quietly.
Beside him, a man dressed as a scholar but wearing a sword at his waist replied, "What good would coming earlier do? Didn't you hear what the people who came out said? A high grade isn't necessarily useful! The Tianyang Sect is recruiting teachers this time, not hired muscle. They're testing your ability to impart knowledge and resolve doubts, along with internal cultivation theory and such."
"That's true enough," interjected a middle-aged man with a sallow face but a keen, piercing gaze, "but martial principles are mysteries within mysteries. Many can only be grasped intuitively, not conveyed in words. Practicing yourself is one thing. Breaking it apart, grinding it down, and explaining it to children who might not even have sensed their meridians yet is another matter entirely. It's hard!"
His words struck a chord with many. A burly man with a rough, booming voice slapped his thigh. "Exactly! When I practiced the Vajra Art back then, my master only told me, 'Sink your Qi into your dantian and channel strength through your limbs.' I practiced like that for three years before I even reached the threshold! And you want me to explain it to students? What could I say besides repeating my master's words? Am I supposed to tell them to hold their breath as hard as they can, and that they're doing it right once their bellies feel hot?"
His words carried a measure of self-mockery, but they also voiced the predicament of many present. Most martial artists followed the paths laid down by their predecessors, cultivating step by step. If pressed on why Qi had to sink into the dantian or how strength flowed through the limbs, eight or nine out of ten would probably be left speechless.
Just then, the recruitment room door creaked open, and Old Fifth stepped out and called, "Next!"
Near the front of the line, a swordsman in blue robes who had waited a long time perked up. He hurriedly straightened his robes, drew a deep breath, and strode inside. Everyone outside instantly fixed their eyes on the door as it closed again, and quiet discussion resumed.
"It's Brother Zhao, the Flowing Cloud Sword. His swordsmanship is light and nimble, and he's among the finest of Yu Province's younger generation. I wonder whether he'll catch Sect Master Zhang and the fifth elder's discerning eyes."
"Hard to say. Brother Zhao's swordsmanship is passed down through his family, and its approach is rather unusual. It might not be suitable for teaching widely. Besides, I heard the assessment doesn't just ask about theory. Apparently, you also have to give a mock lesson on the spot and point out mistakes in a hypothetical disciple's cultivation!
"Besides, they're testing internal cultivation here. His swordsmanship may be superb..."
"A mock lesson? Th-this... how would I know how to do that? Practicing myself is fine, but teaching..." Some were already beginning to beat a retreat, their expressions bitter as they grew increasingly flustered.
Listening to the discussions around him, Gu Qianshan felt his palms grow a little sweaty too. Although he knew nothing of internal power, medical principles connected with the principles of the meridians. In understanding the body's meridians and the circulation of Qi and blood, probably no one present could surpass him. He constantly rehearsed possible questions in his mind, along with ways to use plain, accessible language to explain complex medical principles and pulse patterns in connection with internal cultivation.
The line moved forward slowly. Every person who entered drew dozens of pairs of eyes behind them. Whenever someone emerged with their head hanging, low sighs and even more animated discussions rose from the crowd. The tension was like a bowstring being drawn tighter and tighter.
Amid this oppressive wait, at last, only the final few people ahead of Zhou Lei and Gu Qianshan remained. The first light of victory seemed just before their eyes, but the pressure of having success or failure hinge on this one attempt suddenly multiplied several times over.
"Will you go in first?"
"You first."
The two politely deferred to each other for a moment. In the end, Gu Qianshan straightened his clothes and walked inside.