Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Becoming a Disciple

In the eastern part of Anping County, there was a residential area that offered a quiet retreat from the city’s hustle and bustle. It lacked the overwhelming opulence of the southern district, possessing instead an elegant serenity. Most of its residents were scholars, refined gentlemen, or respected clerks serving in the County Yamen.

Daoist Zhang’s mansion was located here.

Following the directions Wuu Shang had given him, Chu Bai arrived before a large, black-lacquered gate with a plaque that read "Zhang Mansion." The door knockers were unadorned, exuding an air of simple antiquity.

He gently rapped the door knocker. A moment later, a side door creaked open. A young Daoist acolyte with his hair in topknots poked his head out and looked Chu Bai up and down.

"Are you Brother Chu Bai?"

"I am."

"The master has been waiting for you in the meditation chamber. Please, follow me."

Following the acolyte over the threshold, Chu Bai’s eyes widened in admiration.

The courtyard’s layout was exquisitely planned. The rockeries and streams were artfully arranged, not merely for aesthetic appeal, but to secretly conform to a specific Feng Shui pattern.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Chu Bai felt the air was much fresher than outside. A faint, pleasant sensation with each breath caused the dormant Spiritual Qi in his body to stir restlessly.

’So this is a true cultivator’s residence? Just as I thought, there are traces of a Spirit Gathering Array...’

Chu Bai sighed to himself. ’Wealth, companions, skills, and location... The last one, "location," is truly no small matter. If one could cultivate here long-term, even a pig would achieve enlightenment.’

They passed through several winding corridors and arrived before a quiet room in the rear courtyard.

"Come in." Daoist Zhang’s calm voice came from within the room.

Chu Bai straightened his robes and entered.

The meditation chamber was simply furnished, containing only a daybed, a small table, and an incense burner. Daoist Zhang sat cross-legged on the bed. Behind him hung a large scroll with the character for "Dao," and he was watching Chu Bai with a smile.

"Greetings, Master Zhang," Chu Bai said, bowing respectfully.

"No need for such formalities. Sit." Daoist Zhang gestured to the cushion in front of him.

After Chu Bai was seated, Daoist Zhang didn’t speak right away. Instead, he studied him with a scrutinizing gaze, as if examining a piece of uncarved jade.

"Wuu Shang has told me everything about your time at the Zhao Mansion this past month."

Daoist Zhang began to speak slowly. "He said you are tough-minded, remain calm under pressure, and have excellent comprehension, able to learn and adapt quickly in real combat. Such high praise is rare indeed, especially coming from that arrogant Instructor Wuu."

"It is all thanks to Master Zhang’s recommendation that I had such an opportunity for training," Chu Bai said humbly.

"The opportunity was given to you; seizing it was a matter of your own skill," Daoist Zhang said, waving a hand dismissively. "I called you here today not just to hear about your recent experiences, but more importantly, to see how much progress you’ve made in your cultivation."

"Go ahead and perform the Small Qi Gathering Technique once. Don’t hold anything back."

"Yes."

Chu Bai took a deep breath, cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts, and instantly entered a state of meditation.

With a thought, a panel appeared before him.

[Small Qi Gathering Technique: Skilled (67/200)]

As the cultivation technique began to circulate, the aura around Chu Bai changed abruptly.

If a month ago, his ability to draw in Spiritual Qi was like a gentle breeze on his face, now the pull was like a trickling stream. While it still wasn’t powerful, it had the advantage of being continuous and extremely stable.

EXHALE—INHALE—

The Spiritual Qi in the meditation chamber responded to the call, surging joyfully toward him.

A sharp glint flashed in Daoist Zhang’s eyes, and his half-closed lids suddenly snapped wide open.

’This aura... he’s actually accumulated no less than ten threads of Spiritual Qi?’

’And this rate of absorption... he can produce a thread every two or three days?’

Daoist Zhang was inwardly shocked.

One had to understand that for a disciple of ordinary aptitude, the standard was Three Days of One Thread. Furthermore, most couldn’t even reach this theoretical speed due to issues like distracting thoughts and a lack of resources.

And yet Chu Bai, a lower-class youth with no family backing who could only earn resources by being a sparring partner, had actually increased his cultivation speed to this level in just one month!

How could this be explained by mere diligence? This was clearly a case of exceptional inborn talent!

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Chu Bai slowly withdrew his energy, opened his eyes, and looked at Daoist Zhang with some apprehension.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Daoist Zhang said the word "good" three times, no longer able to conceal the broad smile on his face.

"Chu Bai, I truly wasn’t mistaken about you." Daoist Zhang stroked his beard and sighed in admiration. "At your current rate of progress, forget about just being the best among this batch of Inner Sect students—even in all of Anping County, your talent is exceptionally rare."

"I dare say that you are the only one in this group who has a chance of breaking through to the Qi Cultivation First Layer before the Daoist School selection trials in six months!"

Receiving such high praise, Chu Bai felt a wave of relief, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

Daoist Zhang looked at the calm and composed young man before him, his expression suddenly growing serious.

"Chu Bai, although you call me Master Zhang at the academy, that is ultimately just a nominal instructor-student relationship. It cannot be considered a true master-disciple lineage."

"I called you here today to ask you a single question."

"Are you willing to enter my tutelage and become my Inner Disciple?"

Inner Disciple!

Chu Bai’s heart pounded in his chest.

In this world, the relationship between a master and disciple was not as simple as that between a teacher and a student. It was a close bond, like that of a father and son.

Once you took a master, you prospered together and fell together.

A master would teach his disciple everything he knew, providing not only resources and cultivation techniques but also paving the way for him in the Cultivation Realm and even in officialdom.

Daoist Zhang hailed from the Daoist School and had deep roots and extensive connections in Anping County. For someone like Chu Bai, who had no background to speak of, becoming his disciple was equivalent to latching onto an incredibly powerful backer!

Moreover, Chu Bai had long since committed to memory the kindness Daoist Zhang had shown him through his repeated help and support.

"I am willing!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Bai dropped to his knees in a formal kneel and respectfully kowtowed three times.

"Master, please accept my obeisance!"

"Good, my good disciple. Get up, quickly."

Daoist Zhang accepted the ceremony, then reached out to help Chu Bai to his feet. The look in his eyes had changed from scrutiny to the affectionate gaze one gives their own junior.

"Now that you are officially my disciple, there are some things you should know."

Daoist Zhang led Chu Bai to a tea table at the side and personally poured him a cup of Spirit Tea.

"In my life, I have taught countless students at the academy and the Daoist School, and I have an unknowable number of nominal disciples. But as for true Inner Disciples who have performed the ceremony and been formally accepted into my lineage, there were only five before you."

"Only five?" Chu Bai asked, surprised.

’Daoist Zhang was so famous that the line of people wanting to become his disciple could probably stretch from the east side of the city to the west. I hadn’t expected the requirements to be so strict.’

’He must have been extremely selective during his many years at the academy to have chosen so few.’

"Quality over quantity," Daoist Zhang said with a faint smile. "Your five senior brothers and sisters have all passed the Daoist School’s selection and have their own bright futures."

At this point, a note of pride entered Daoist Zhang’s voice. "Your eldest senior brother, in particular, not only passed the Daoist School exams but also had his name placed on the Golden List in last year’s Celestial Examination. He now holds a position in the Qingzhou Water Department as a true Regular Ninth-Grade Immortal Official!"

Qingzhou Water Department! A Regular Ninth-Grade Immortal Official!