Above the head-sized patch of white light, a faint trace of blue-green slowly appeared. It was so pale that it almost seemed like an illusion, yet when one looked carefully, it was unmistakably there.
The middle-aged steward hesitated when he saw it, then looked toward the Inner Hall elder. The elder pondered for a moment before saying, “Lowest.”
Xu Ziqing’s heart gave a thump. He knew there was no hope of returning home now. Thinking back to the various pillars of colored light he had just seen, the better the aptitude, the brighter the color had been. Compared with those, his own wisp of light, thin as smoke, was clearly far inferior.
Not only would he have to stay, but his aptitude had also been placed in the very lowest tier. His future was truly uncertain.
He sighed inwardly. Since he was already here, he might as well accept it. Xu Ziqing stopped dwelling on the matter.
The remaining four or five youths were also tested. One of them likewise had four spiritual roots, but one was thick while the other three were thin, so his aptitude was also rated lower-middle.
Thus, of the twenty-three Xu branch-family descendants who had come from Fenglin City, six possessed spiritual roots, which was quite a good result. In particular, Xu Zishu and Xu Ziqian, the youth with four spiritual roots, both had lower-middle aptitude, something rarely seen among the bloodlines of the branch families.
The dozen or so youths without spiritual roots were led away by another maid to the Martial Reverence Pavilion in the Outer Hall, where they would seek the favor of martial experts. Those who still failed to catch anyone’s eye would be given a place to stay for the night and sent back to their respective homes the following morning.
Xu Ziqing and the other five followed the Inner Hall elder out of the Spirit Observation Hall and into a broad expanse of land behind it. The elder gave a sharp whistle into the air, and a great bird of prey suddenly descended from high above.
It had a red crown and white feathers and was about one zhang long. When its wings spread, they resembled a light cloud. It lifted its head and cried out, the clear call piercing the sky, and its bearing was extraordinarily majestic. In shape, it resembled an immortal crane, but unlike an ordinary crane, its long, sharp beak gleamed a dazzling gold.
Xu Zishu was still a young girl at heart. The moment she saw it, she could not help exclaiming softly, “What a beautiful white crane!”
The Inner Hall elder did not take offense. Stroking his beard, he smiled and said, “This is a Golden-Beaked Immortal Crane. It can travel ten million li in a single day. Throughout all of Dengzhou, only our Xu family has the wealth to raise spiritual birds of this kind.”
Elio’s Notes: This chapter uses several traditional Chinese units. Li (里) measures distance, zhang (丈) measures length or height, and ren (仞) is an old measure often used for height. Their historical values varied, and the novel uses them for cultivation-world scale, so I’ve preserved the source units rather than forcing modern conversions.
The Golden-Beaked Immortal Crane was no ordinary creature. Not only could it fly extremely fast, it was also remarkably steady when carrying passengers. Its temperament was comparatively docile as well. The difficulty was that it consumed one spiritual pearl every year, making it impossible for ordinary families to afford. Even a wealthy clan like the Xu family kept only ten in total.
Once the crane landed, it slowly crouched at the Inner Hall elder’s whistle. The elder raised a hand, and Xu Ziqing and the others suddenly felt their footing become unstable. Their bodies swayed, and in the next instant they found themselves already seated on the crane’s back. At another whistle, the crane soared into the air and flew straight into the clouds.
Wind roared past their ears and clouds curled around them. The Spirit Observation Hall had long since vanished beneath their feet. Xu Ziqing looked down and saw that the ground lay a hundred zhang below the crane, which had stopped climbing any higher.
After roughly seven or eight minutes, the crane drifted gently downward. Its steel-like talons gripped the grass, and it came to a perfectly steady stop.
The Inner Hall elder leaped down, his movements light and effortless. Having learned from the experience of getting onto the crane, Xu Ziqing and the other five climbed down by themselves this time. Most lowered themselves slowly, Xu Ziqing included. Only Xu Zishu jumped down. She bent her knees slightly on landing to absorb the impact and came neatly to a stop.
The Inner Hall elder gave Xu Zishu another look. She was not afraid and met his gaze with a playful smile. Amusement appeared in the elder’s eyes as well; he clearly had a very good impression of her. Naturally, this had something to do with both her attractive appearance and her fairly good aptitude. If someone with the lowest aptitude had tried to show off in front of an Inner Hall elder in the same way, they would probably have been rebuked as “impetuous and unfit for important responsibilities.”
Only then did Xu Ziqing turn his attention to their surroundings. Before them stretched layer upon layer of courtyards, too many to count, each far larger than anything he had seen in the branch family. Beyond them lay countless fertile fields, lakes, flower gardens, grassy grounds, and gardens of every kind. To the left rose a solitary peak a thousand ren high, wrapped in vast clouds and mist that concealed everything within. Simply staring at it for too long gave rise to an intense sense of fear.
Xu Ziqing was clearly not the only one whose attention had been seized by that lone peak. The others were also staring at it in shock, almost unable to move.
Perhaps because the Inner Hall elder often escorted new descendants with spiritual roots into the Inner Hall, he was entirely accustomed to such reactions. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, he said rather proudly, “That mountain is called Feijiu Mountain. It is where the outstanding disciples of our clan cultivate in seclusion. The height of one’s cave dwelling on the mountain depends on one’s cultivation level. You have only just entered the Inner Hall, and no one yet knows the limits of your potential. You are not qualified to go up there.”
Feijiu Mountain was so imposing that everyone had already begun yearning for it. Hearing that they were not allowed to ascend, each of them showed some disappointment.
Xu Ziqing wore the same expression, but other thoughts had arisen in his mind. He felt that the mountain could not possibly be so simple. There were clearly things the Inner Hall elder had left unsaid. Still, an elder of such status had already lowered himself by personally receiving a handful of youngsters like them. How could they expect him to explain everything in detail? If Xu Ziqing wanted to know more, he would have to make inquiries after settling in.
After briefly explaining the layout of the Inner Hall, the elder led them to a side hall. Another Inner Hall elder was stationed there as well, while the person who came out to receive them was one of the stewards of Feiling Pavilion.
The steward was short and plump. When he saw the Inner Hall elder approach, he greeted him with an exceedingly warm smile. “Elder Zhang, have you come to assign lodgings to the new disciples?”
The Inner Hall elder was nowhere near as courteous with the steward as he had been with the new disciples. He merely nodded. “Six in total. Two with lower-middle aptitude, one with low aptitude, and three with the lowest aptitude. Register them first.”
The steward hurriedly took out a palm-sized register marked with the years of the past decade. He opened it, recorded the names and aptitudes of Xu Ziqing and the other five, then produced a jade token about the length and width of a thumb and pressed it against each name before putting it away.
The young descendants watched in amazement as each name gave off a faint white glow wherever the jade token passed. It only made the methods of those on the immortal path in the main family seem even more extraordinary.
Only then did the steward smile. “It’s done.”
Elder Zhang brought Xu Zishu and the slightly better of the two youths with four spiritual roots forward and told the steward, “I’ll take these two to the Third Courtyard for training. Take the one with low aptitude to the Fourth Courtyard and hand him over to Fu Qing. As for the remaining three, assign them work according to the circumstances.”
The steward pulled the four-spiritual-root youth with low aptitude to his side and repeatedly assured Elder Zhang, “Please rest easy, Elder Zhang. I’ll certainly take care of such a small matter.”
Xu Ziqing and the other two youths with five spiritual roots were thus left behind. The steward directly handed them over to a sallow-faced young man who came out from the back, then led the four-spiritual-root youth toward the courtyards himself.
All three who remained had the lowest aptitude. Xu Ziqing had already lived two lives and was naturally even-tempered, so he was doing somewhat better, merely making himself look nervous on purpose. The other two were only boys in their early teens. Seeing the steward’s attitude turn so cold frightened them, and with their futures completely uncertain, there was even more sadness beneath their fear.
The sallow-faced young man was not particularly good-looking, but unexpectedly, he had a pleasant temperament. Seeing their miserable expressions, he smiled. “There’s no need to worry too much. You’ve only just arrived, so the tasks assigned to you won’t be too demanding.”
One of the boys asked anxiously, “W-what kind of tasks?”
The sallow-faced young man spoke gently. “First I’ll explain the basics of our Xu main family’s Inner Hall. After that, I’ll go over your options in detail. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
The three immediately nodded again and again.
It was true that anyone with spiritual roots qualified to enter the Inner Hall, but even here people were divided into clear ranks. The most exceptional place was naturally Feijiu Mountain. Under normal circumstances, only cultivators who had reached at least the third layer of Qi Refinement were permitted to cultivate on the mountain. Those whose aptitude was high or better when they first entered could be admitted as an exception. The Xu family had existed for more than ten thousand years, yet fewer than ten people of high aptitude had appeared in all that time. One could imagine how rare truly excellent aptitude was.
Apart from Feijiu Mountain, there were numerous courtyards where others could cultivate.
The main courtyards in the east were divided into four grades. The highest was called the First Courtyard, where newly admitted disciples with upper-middle aptitude could cultivate. The resources provided there, including spiritual medicines, cultivation methods, freedom, and guidance from elders, surpassed those of every other courtyard. The Second Courtyard came next and accepted disciples of middle aptitude, with somewhat fewer resources than the First. Following the same pattern, the Third Courtyard was for disciples of lower-middle aptitude, and the Fourth Courtyard for those with low aptitude.
Disciples with the lowest aptitude could only live in the South Courtyard together with servants. They could still learn some cultivation methods, but only the most basic ones. Their status was also a level below everyone else’s. They were not called servants in name, but in practice their position was little different.
Such disciples had three choices. They could accept monthly assignments and complete them in exchange for resources, which gave them greater control over their own time. They could perform miscellaneous work at a fixed place over the long term, receiving a fixed allotment of resources in return; this was stable, though it also meant they were unlikely to attract anyone’s notice. Or they could swallow their pride and choose to serve disciples admitted to the eastern main courtyards. If even a little knowledge slipped through their fingers, and if fortune favored them enough to raise their cultivation beyond the third layer of Qi Refinement and catch an elder’s eye, they might eventually become an Inner Hall steward. That would count as having finally made something of themselves.
If the main family supported the disciples with good aptitude, then those with the lowest aptitude had to support themselves.
Still, the disciples with good aptitude were not as carefree as they presently appeared. Once cultivators entered Qi Refinement, their lifespan increased to two hundred years. But if they failed to establish their foundation within those two centuries, then once their lifespan was exhausted, death would still be the end.
For the Xu clan to continue flourishing over the long term, it had established another rule. Anyone living in the eastern main courtyards who passed the third layer of Qi Refinement before the age of fifty could enter Feijiu Mountain to cultivate in seclusion. But when disciples reached one hundred and fifty years of age, those below the fifth layer of Qi Refinement would become senior stewards, essentially a lateral transfer in status. Those above the fifth layer but below the eighth would become Inner Hall elders and serve the main family. Those above the eighth layer but still below Foundation Establishment would become Supreme Elders, powerful figures who occasionally acted on behalf of the family to deter rival clans while continuing to strive for a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
In general, once someone reached that age without breaking through, the more mundane duties they had to shoulder, the harder it became to make further progress. Naturally, no one wanted to be reassigned as a steward or elder. Everyone wanted more resources so they could cultivate faster. Competition among the disciples was therefore extremely fierce.
These were the three paths now laid before the three new disciples with the lowest aptitude.
The sallow-faced young man smiled and asked, “So, what do you choose?”