Chapter Fifteen: Miscellaneous Disciples

  A quiet night, a courtyard at the foot of the mountain, simple houses, with 4 small beds.

  The moonlight shone through the window, and three snoring sounds rose and fell. Luoyu was completely unaware of this, as she sat cross-legged on her bed practicing her cultivation. It wasn't until the first ray of sunlight touched her face that she slowly opened her eyes. Luoyu stretched her waist, although her body felt a bit stiff, but her spirit was better than ever before.

  Luo Yu was assigned to do chores at Dawn Peak, and on the second day of entering the sect, she was arranged to work as a kitchen helper in the cafeteria. This was because her age was really too young, and she couldn't do tasks like fetching water or farming. The person in charge, Sun Shijie, gave her this easy job. She would rush to the cafeteria every morning and wouldn't return until afternoon. Fortunately, the custom here was to eat two meals a day; if it were three meals, wouldn't they have to work until late at night before resting?

  Every morning in the first month, Master Sun teaches everyone to practice calligraphy and guide the breath into the body. If you can't spare time at this moment, then you can only study by yourself. Fortunately, most people have a certain foundation, so they are not in a hurry, except for a few who are anxious to the point of being on fire.

  Luo Yu's fellow disciple, Li Dahuang, is 10 years old this year. He was selected by the Tianxuan Sect from among the common people and has a slightly better aptitude than Luo Yu. As he is in charge of fetching water for the cafeteria, he naturally cannot attend the morning classes.

  Li Da Yu was pacing back and forth anxiously in the house, she had finally managed to leave that uncaring family behind, would she really have to give up on this path to success just because she couldn't read?

  Luo Yu said, "Sister Li, don't worry, every day after returning from the cafeteria, I'll teach you how to read and breathe in energy."

  Upon hearing this, Li Dabao was so excited that her body trembled. She tightly grasped Luo Yu's shoulders: "Luo Yu sister, is what you said true? I...I..." Li Dabao choked and couldn't speak further.

  "It's true, I learned it in my clan school before. Besides, this is not a big deal, you don't have to take it too seriously." Luo Yu patted Li Da Ya's arm, who was already pinched sore.

  Li Da Yu hastily let go of his hand, with a face full of tears and a beautiful complexion, what a lovely young woman!

  "I'm the eldest at home, with 2 younger sisters and 1 younger brother. My parents only dote on my brother, and scold or beat us sisters. The night before the matchmaker came to our village, my parents discussed in the next room sending me to be the tenth concubine of Old Man Wang in town. I heard that Old Man Wang has beaten to death 9 concubines already, and no decent family's daughter dares to marry him. My parents are tempted by the 50 taels of silver betrothal gift from Old Man Wang, saying it will be used for my brother's education. At that time, I was desperate, working hard every day just hoping my parents would treat me a bit better, but instead I'm being sold off."

  "If I can't enter the first layer of Qi training in a year, I'll be sent back. Luo Yu, sister, if I go back, my parents will definitely marry me off to Old Man Wang's family... I don't want to die, I really don't want to die..."

  Watching Li Dabiao get more and more agitated, Luo Yu hastily hugged her: "Sister Li, no one is driving you away, and you won't die either. Once you master the spell, we'll go kill that Wang old man to avenge you."

  The little radish head, saying such fierce words, only made people laugh. Li Da Yu burst into tears and laughed, she wiped away her tears, looked at Luo Yu steadily and said: "Luo Yu sister, from today on, you are my own sister! No, even closer than a real sister!"

  "No, Sister Li, we are friends, fellow travelers on the path of cultivation." If she acknowledged Li Da as her elder sister, she would want to put her under her own protection, but Luo Yu's small shoulders couldn't bear that responsibility; being friends was simpler.

  "Alright, let's be friends." Li Dabiao agreed, but in his heart he had already made up his mind to take care of her as a younger sister.

  It's been a month, and Luo Yu still hasn't stored any spiritual energy in her dantian. She's getting anxious - if she can't reach the first level of Qi training after 11 months, does that mean she'll have to return home? This annoying purple ball, you've even gotten two sizes bigger, why can't you spare some spiritual energy for her to complete her task?

  This was her monthly rotation day off, and she had previously asked Sun Shijie to send a message paper crane to her brother. At dawn, Luo Yu rode the celestial crane to the outer gate of Huoyun Peak, where Zi Ye was already waiting at the door. She hurriedly slid down from the high body of the celestial crane, then put a low-grade spiritual stone into the small brocade bag on its neck, and the crane nodded and flew away with a flap of its wings.

  This crane is really black-hearted, and just this one trip has cost her a tenth of her annual income. Luo Yu sighed, it seems she needs to hurry up and advance to the outer sect to improve her treatment.

  Luo Yu and her brother walked hand in hand on the bluestone path leading to the outer courtyard, listening to Luo Yu chattering away about their life over the past month. The dull and exhausting days had somehow brought out a humorous side of her.

  The grey walls of the courtyard, the red fire cloud tree, and the set of rooms. Luo Yu looked around her brother's one-bedroom apartment, sighing in admiration, it was much better than their four-person dormitory.

  "Sister, stop pacing around and sit down quickly. Tell me about what happened on the day of the entrance exam." Zi Ye looked at Luo Yu helplessly as he walked back and forth in the room, not knowing why he was so anxious!

  Luoyu obediently sat down cross-legged on the couch beside her brother. Until today, she still hadn't thought of a way to explain things to her family, which was why she had been pacing back and forth in this simple room.

  "The data from the aptitude test on the day I entered was indeed different from that time in my clan, and I think it's not a problem with the instrument, but my aptitude has really changed." Luo Yu decided to tell the truth selectively.

  "Brother, do you remember that Father once mentioned in a casual conversation that he saw a saying in the family's hidden books, 'A person's spiritual root takes shape at the age of five, but their final talent can only be determined at the age of ten.' That is to say, the purity of one's spiritual root can change." Luoyu analyzed carefully.

  "In that case, your sister's talent can still be further improved!" Zi Yun excitedly grabbed Luo Yu's hand.

  "Yes, brother. But there might be a little trouble."

  "What trouble is this that can be solved?" Zi Xi's heart fell from heaven to hell, and the extreme joy and sorrow made his face a bit pale.

  Luo Yu was afraid, and hastily nodded: "I can, I can solve it! I've thought about it carefully, in the two tests, except for the Huo Ling Gen, the purity of the other four Ling Gen has improved, so I guess that in the end, the five Ling Gen will have the same purity, and I'll become a Hunyuan body. But before that, the spiritual energy I absorb will be used to improve my qualifications, and can't exist in the Dan Tian, which means it's possible that even after a year, I won't be able to enter the first layer of Qi cultivation, and at that time, I'll be expelled from the sect." Luo Yu said in one breath, not daring to pause.

  "'Will the inhaled spiritual energy be used to enhance my qualifications?' - That means you could have guided the energy into your body long ago. Why didn't you ever tell me and Father?" Zi Yun raised his right hand.

  Luoyu hastily bowed her head, a pitiful expression of "do as you please". But in her heart, she was shouting, "Big brother, isn't the key point something else?!"

  Seeing this, Zi Yun couldn't help but laugh and cry, and again put down his hand. "With improved talent, becoming a mixed yuan body, the speed of cultivation will increase greatly. Unfortunately, it's said that the special technique for cultivating the mixed yuan body has been lost, so we can only cultivate the ordinary five spirit technique, wasting sister's innate talent."

  "Brother, don't be mad at me anymore. Actually, I wasn't intentionally hiding it from you guys. Earlier, I thought my body was special and the spiritual energy I absorbed just disappeared, so saying it out loud would only make everyone worry more. After the entrance test, I couldn't find a chance to say it, so that's why I hid it until now."

  "You, I won't argue with you. However, there is a way to enter the Qi Refining stage earlier. Before coming to the sect, Father and Mother had each prepared an Spirit Gathering Plate for us two. Previously, I thought you didn't have the ability to absorb Qi, so it wouldn't be of much use, that's why I didn't give it to you."

  Zi Yun took out a cloth bag from the storage bag, then took out a palm-sized Spirit Gathering Plate and a small pile of low-grade spirit stones and put them into the cloth bag.

  "Put the 10 spirit stones into the empty slots of the Spirit Gathering Plate in sequence, and press the middle button to use it. I have prepared 100 spirit stones for you, which should be enough for a month's use. Come back here when the time is up."

  Luoyu understood that the Ling Stone would be safer with her brother. If a servant were to carry a bulging cloth package, it would either attract thieves or make her worry about the 100 Ling Stones.