With a nod of acknowledgment, Elder Du set the agenda for the day. "Today, we'll be concocting some lower-grade fasting pills. The new seeds can observe. Starting tomorrow, you two will also participate in the process."
Han Cai and He Jun assented with a nod.
The rest of the day was spent in one of the larger alchemy halls, where Han Cai and He Jun observed Elder Du and the other disciples engaged in the art of pill concoction. Elder Du concocted the first batch of pills and then asked Han Cai and He Jun to attempt creating the pills. They both tried in succession. The pills they were concocting were lower grade fasting pills. These pills, used as food substitutes by many cultivators, were very tiny. Han Cai easily concocted more than ten pills in a single batch. They practiced all day and by evening, Han Cai had successfully concocted around a hundred fasting pills.
When night fell, they were all sent back to their respective courtyards. Han Cai, however, made a quick stop at the dining hall to satiate his hunger before retiring for the night, where he resumed his cultivation.
The following day, upon arriving at Elder Du's courtyard, they were greeted by Shu Tao. "Yesterday, Elder Du demonstrated a pill concoction for you. Starting today, you two will begin creating low-grade fasting pills. He Jun, you are expected to produce three thousand pills by the end of the month. Yan Kai, your quota is five thousand pills per month. At the end of the month, you will be rewarded with ten spirit stones. If you fail to meet your quota, you will be punished. Each missing pill equates to one lash."
He Jun was taken aback. What was going on? Han Cai only shook his head. It was all marketing facade, whatever he had heard about the sect. Upon joining the Azure Dragon Sect, they were promised the world. The best sect in the country, the sect that only accepted heaven-grade talents, the sect that ensured them a bright future. They were supposed to receive a generous amount of resources and cultivate. But the truth was, much like other sects, the sect didn't care much about the outer sect disciples. The only advantage of joining the sect was that their families could establish businesses in the major cities of Azure Dragon Country.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Han Cai was disappointed, but he hadn't expected much from the beginning, so he wasn't as surprised as He Jun.
The mention of lashes made Han Cai realize the reason behind Elder Du's earlier inquiry about their backgrounds. The old man had been determining the extent of labor he could extract from each disciple, and Han Cai, with no influential background to speak of, was assigned the heavier workload.
This realization shed light on the fate of Elder Du's previous disciples. They were likely overworked or succumbed due to punishments. This is why, when all elders were supposed to have eight disciples, Elder Du only had five. Most of the elders might have been just like him. Han Cai pondered his fate as a supposedly weak heaven-grade talent and what would happen to his clan after his death. Upon investigation, he discovered that if a disciple died, their clan would still retain the right to trade in the major cities for five years. After five years, if no other heaven-grade talent from the clan is selected by the sect, the clan would lose all its rights to own businesses in the major cities.
Since their primary task was to produce fasting pills, the task was relatively straightforward for Han Cai. Each batch yielded around fifteen to twenty pills. He would finish a batch within thirty minutes, and by the end of the day, he was able to produce over four hundred pills. Things were not the same for He Jun.
He Jun did not possess the legendary dormant ability that made concocting easier for Han Cai. After concocting three batches, he was almost out of stamina and Qi. Despite this, he persisted and created two more batches of pills. However, by the end of the day, he was only able to concoct fifty pills.
Throughout the month, Han Cai and He Jun spent all their waking hours in the alchemy halls, concocting pills from dawn till dusk. The other four disciples faced an even more grueling schedule, concocting pills day and night with only a break every four to five days. Their monthly quota was a staggering ten thousand pills. To reach this quota, they would even work at night. The despair on their faces made it clear that they dreaded the lashes.
During their breaks, the disciples gathered in the dining hall. Their faces showed a clear sign of suffering as they sat silently around a large wooden table. They stared at their simple meals, barely making a sound apart from the occasional scrape of utensils against plates. The scene was far from the lively chatter and lively life that they expected they would be having with fellow disciples when they arrived at Azure Dragon Sect.
Han Cai observed these moments day after day, a neutral spectator to their shared despair. He had heard that disparity brought people together. This was a good example of it.
These young seeds, all heaven-grade talents, found themselves as co-laborers. Their hopeful dreams were replaced by the harsh reality of their situation. Their experiences were similar, leading to an understanding and mutual respect among them, even in their silence.
Shu Tao, however, remained distant from the group.
Han Cai thought about why the outer sect disciples didn't tell their families about their tough situation. He wondered why they kept their struggles a secret. But then, he figured out that some disciples might have actually told their families. However, their families might not know what to do about it.
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Gifts are always appreciated, but golden tickets and power stones matter a lot too.
If we reach 2000 power stones, I will release two supplementary chapters.
If we reach 1000 golden tickets, I will release five supplementary chapters.
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