Chapter 10 – People Think I’m Kind, but I’m Just Avoiding Trouble!
Ren Qiu stood in front of Jun De, his face flushed with equal parts shame and humility. The top of the staircase, which led to a courtyard in front of the gates to the Sect, was filled with a few hundred of the successful candidates.
They were still and silent as they looked on. Ren Qiu had mocked Jun De in front of everyone, certain of his superiority.
But no, after witnessing Jun De ascend the staircase with ease and grace, everyone knew the truth.
There was no comparison between them.
Ren Qiu lowered his head and dropped to one knee, about to fulfill the terms of their earlier wager. Mei Lian watched with satisfaction and made no attempt to hide her feelings.
“I, Ren Qiu, was arrogant and blind. I mocked someone far beyond me. As promised, I-”
“Stop.”
Jun De’s voice was gentle but firm. He stepped forward and lightly raised a hand, halting Ren Qiu before he could complete his sentence. His expression was calm and serene, untouched by any pride or mockery.
“There’s no need for that. There is no grudge between us.” Jun De stated, with a friendly smile on his face and helped Ren Qiu to his feet.
“If every careless word required a lifetime of debt, none of us would walk free.”
The onlookers stirred, and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Off to the side, Mei Lian watched him with wide, shining eyes. To her, it was as if golden light surrounded him even now.
‘He’s not only handsome and elegant, but gracious and kind to even those who scorn him.’ She thought.
Ren Qiu bowed his head in respect as Jun De turned and walked toward the front of the crowd where the Tranquil Mountain Sect’s Elder Shen waited, leaving everyone in quiet awe of what they had witnessed.
‘Whew! That was close!’ Jun De screamed internally. He knew that making an enemy of some young noble was about the worst thing you could do in a Cultivation Novel. First, the young man would attack him, then his friends and family.
Jun De wouldn’t have been surprised to find that some Elder in the Sect was looking out for Ren Qiu, making his life difficult.
Better to prevent all that from happening.
Who cared about ‘Face’ when his life was at stake!
Elder Shen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the folds of his blue robes gently stirring in the breeze. His long beard swayed slightly as he watched the final candidate approach the gates where he stood.
His sharp eyes lingered on Jun De, and a rare smile curved his lips. As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had lived for over two centuries, he had seen many people enter the Sect, but few had impressed him as much as Jun De.
‘Exceptional, and humble. That’s the kind of disciple worth nurturing.’ The Elder thought as he nodded his head in satisfaction. He knew that several of the Sect’s higher-ups were watching; he could feel their Spiritual Sense sweeping over him occasionally, and he had no doubt the young man had caught their eye.
Behind him stood the gates of the Tranquil Mountain Sect. They were carved from Spiritual Redwood, grown in the Sect for two thousand years before being harvested. Each piece radiated with Qi, and the craftsmanship was flawless.
Across the arching beam above the doors, the words Tranquil Mountain Sect were etched into the wood with sweeping calligraphy, glowing faintly with spiritual light. Each stroke of the characters was elegant, but forceful, as though the very essence of the Sect had been embedded into the wood by a master’s chisel.
The crowd of candidates grew silent as Elder Shen faced them.
“This is your final test.” He stated to the group as he gestured to the gate behind him. His voice carried with ease across the courtyard.
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“These gates are not merely symbols of our Sect; they are inscribed with a strong restriction, a formation that was placed by our Sect’s Ancestor. It tests one thing only: Intent.”
He paused to let the weight of his words settle on the crowd.
“If you carry hatred or resentment toward the Sect, if your ambitions are rooted in treachery, the gates will not permit you to enter. But if your heart is true, if you come to learn, to walk the Dao, then once you pass through these gates, you will officially be disciples of our Tranquil Mountain Sect.”
A surge of quiet anticipation spread through the group, and their eyes turned once more to the great wooden gates.
“And once you are inside, your performance will be reviewed and rewards distributed accordingly.”
Elder Shen’s eyes swept over Mei Lian, Ren Qiu and finally rested on Jun De. Mei Lian came third in the test, nearly reaching three hundred steps, while Ren Qiu came second at over four hundred.
But Jun De was the clear winner of the trial, passing the thousand stairs with ease.
One by one, the group approached the gates. The first to pass through was a young man who walked with hesitant confidence. As he moved through the gates, the carved characters above the arch gleamed with spiritual light, and a faint shimmer passed over the surface, then vanished.
With a sigh of relief, he stepped through without trouble.
When most of the group had officially entered the sect, an older youth, dressed in fine robes, neared the gate. They shimmered with a harsh red light, and the young man screamed in panic.
“No! There must be a mistake-”
Before he could retreat, the gates flared with brilliant, searing energy. A blinding light struck him like a hammer and, in the space of a heartbeat, his body disintegrated.
Where the young man had stood, there was nothing but a sudden burst of bloody mist that stained the stone beneath. The crowd gasped and stepped back in horror. Some of the Tranquil Mountain Sect Elders, watching from behind the gate, drew in sharp breaths.
“The gate sees through the heart. That one harboured malice; he would have brought ruin to our Sect.” Elder Shen said quietly as he shook his head.
No one dared to move for several long moments.
Jun De stepped forward, his expression composed, and walked toward the gate with the same serene grace he had always done.
Internally, he was chanting a mantra to himself.
‘I like the Sect! I love the Sect! I cherish the Sect! Please don’t kill me!’ Jun De would repeat the words endlessly as his feet drifted toward the gates.
He wasn’t sure if his Cheat Mode was activated or his mantra worked, but the gates glowed with a soft, golden light that flowed down from the arch in waves as he passed through the gate.
A hush awe fell over the courtyard, while Jun De could have jumped for joy. Desperately maintaining his calm expression, a small smile slipped out as he took his place with the other new Disciples.
Fortunately, no one else was punished by the gates, and soon, the crowd had made it through the gates and entered the Outer Sect.
The Outer Sect of the Tranquil Mountain Sect sprawled across a broad valley nestled between two towering ridgelines near the bottom of a mountain. It was a place of quiet order and discipline, beauty, structured to reflect the Sect’s values of balance, perseverance and harmony with the Dao.
At the heart of the Outer Sect stood a large, multi-tiered Training Hall built from smooth stone and reinforced wood, its eaves were decorated with talismans and fluttering prayer strips.
This was where the disciples would gather for daily communal lectures, martial instruction and cultivation guidance. A bronze bell hung at its entrance that would only ring for important announcements or to summon all the Disciples at once.
Surrounding the Training Hall were thousands of simple, but elegant stone pavilions and dormitories, arranged in concentric rings. These were assigned based on rank and merit. New disciples, regardless of their background, were given modest accommodations near the outer ring where the Spiritual Energy was less dense.
As a person increases their cultivation level or rank in the Sect, they receive better living quarters, eventually even gaining room for a small spirit field, personal meditation chambers, and protective wards.
Higher up, on both sides of the Outer Sect on the ridges, were large immortal caves with courtyards where the highest ranked Outer Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Elders would reside. The spiritual energy of the Upper Ridges was dense, nearly equaling that of the Inner Sect, and it was everyone's goal to live there.
Small spirit ponds and stone gardens lent the area a sense of tranquillity, and birds could be heard singing in the trees.
A large pagoda dominated the far end of the Outer Sect, and Elder Shen informed them that they could redeem tokens and contribution points for techniques, manuals, and all other sorts of knowledge and equipment.
This was the Nine-Treasure Pogoda, whose importance in the Outer Sect was equal, or greater, than the Training Hall. Everything inside it was suitable for Qi Cultivation Cultivators, and they would all be allowed to select one technique from inside once they reached the 1st level of Qi Condensation.
Near the Nine-Treasure Pogoda was a long, stone stairway that led up the mountain, where only those who had reached the 7th level of Qi Condensation and achieved the required Sect merits would be allowed to enter the Inner Sect
To the new disciples who had just passed through the gates, the Outer Sect felt like a new world, one filled with potential.
They were all given their blue Disciples robes, lacking in trim to signify their status as Outer Sect Disciples, along with a book containing a basic Cultivation Method, before being shown to their lodgings.
“Jun De, in recognition of your performance, you have been granted a cultivation cave on the Upper Ridge. Please inform me if there is anything you need assistance with, or if you require guidance on your cultivation.” Elder Shen said kindly, patting Jun De on the shoulder.
