The next morning.
The morning bell rang, and the Daoists inside Qinghe Palace came out of their quarters one after another, those on patrol went on patrol, those responsible for cleaning cleaned, and those offering morning greetings did so.
The Martial Cultivators returning from practicing in the back mountain also trickled back in, changing clothes to prepare for morning lessons.
"Establish the furnace and set the cauldron in Qiankun, refining essence to control the soul; gather and disperse the ethereal to create transformation, dare to discuss the mysteries lightly."
"Swallowing saliva and absorbing Qi are human acts, the prescription can create life. If there are no true seeds inside the cauldron, it's like boiling an empty cauldron with water and fire...."
Chants from Daoists continuously spread out.
The Palace Master Chen Heqiu stood in front of the Profound Heart Hall, quietly observing the true disciples' morning lesson chanting.
Chen Heqiu was stern and reserved in nature, now over eighty years old, yet still walking swiftly.
Due to his literary and martial skills and mastery of the twelve talismanic skills in the Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual, he had gained fame traveling outside, earning him the nickname: Heart Talisman Daoist in the martial world.
At this moment, Chen Heqiu was standing at the hall entrance, watching the true disciples for a while, then turning his gaze towards the palace gates.
Not long after, outside the palace gates, a Welcoming Daoist led a team of five into the palace.
Each member of the team wore official attire, with official swords at their waists, and donned brimmed iron helmets and brown hard leather armor.
This was typical attire for the Great Spirit's soldiers.
The leader, dressed in a narrow-sleeved green robe and a two-winged official hat, with a broad physique, walked with large strides into the square in front of the Profound Heart Hall.
"Brother Heqiu, long time no see, I trust you are well." This person appeared to be over sixty, yet spoke with abundant vigor.
"Lord Zheng, you're here about the mountain bandits?" Chen Heqiu smiled slightly and descended the steps to greet him actively.
"Indeed. After the rebellious army was defeated, it split into nine main groups. One of them came to our Mountain Province, and after being defeated by the provincial garrison, it further dispersed into dozens of teams, many of which have now flowed into our Huaxin County," Lord Zheng sighed. "These days, I'm at my wit's end, unable to even rest peacefully."
"Please speak freely, my lord. Whatever assistance Qinghe Palace can offer, we will certainly do so." Chen Heqiu restrained his smile and said solemnly.
"Thank you for your understanding, Brother Heqiu. It's like this..." Lord Zheng lowered his voice and spoke carefully with Chen Heqiu for a while.
"We will do our utmost." Chen Heqiu responded with a serious expression.
"That's for the best." Lord Zheng smiled.
Soon after, Lord Zheng left.
Qinghe Palace sounded the gathering drum, summoning the masters and stewards to the Profound Heart Hall.
Soon, many Daoists spread out, disseminating the new directives of the Palace Master.
Between Shangde Garden and the back mountain, there was a transitional area, where a pavilion named Health Pavilion stood.
The pavilion often entertained guests and nobles who would inscribe words within.
At this moment, in the Health Pavilion, a handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows was sitting opposite an elderly Daoist with a goatee.
Between them was a charcoal brazier, with a purple clay teapot above it, slowly brewing.
Though one was young and the other old, their facial features bore some resemblance.
"Wuyou, hasn't Xiao Qingying been won over yet?"
The old Daoist reached to uncover the teapot lid, releasing rich heat mixed with the scent of milk, transforming into white steam.
This was a popular salt milk tea in Great Spirit.
In the milky white tea, a few bright red goji berries occasionally surfaced.
"I failed the first two attempts. I'm thinking of relying on nurturing feelings slowly. Though Xiao Qingying grows fonder of me, she always adheres strictly to decorum at crucial moments, making it difficult to forcefully proceed."
The young Daoist was Chen Wuyou, the second disciple of Xiao Rong.
"The time for the Palace Master to change positions is near. Xiao Rong's stance is crucial. He has seniority and a broad network, with several stewards supporting him." The old Daoist picked a pinch of salt from a nearby condiment plate and sprinkled it into the teapot.
"Don't always think about using force. For those who succeed, there must be no flaws left. Seize an opportunity and then give a small push, and you'll wish fulfilled with ease."
"Father, what do you mean...?" Chen Wuyou asked in confusion.
"Today, the Palace Master issued a directive for Martial Cultivator disciples to go out and patrol the surrounding forests, also requiring skilled hands to assist the soldiers in patrolling various places in Huaxin County," the old Daoist replied. "Not just us, but also Bailing Temple and Black Spring Sect will send people to cooperate. This is an opportunity."
"Are you talking about having those people act again?" Chen Wuyou whispered.
The old Daoist rolled his eyes at him.
"Foolish! Your mother has already arranged everything. Don't always think about forcing it. Given Xiao Qingying's personality and her feelings for you, you just need to create an opportunity to see her entire body. At that moment, can she still marry someone else?
When that time comes, things will fall into place, and even if Xiao Rong knows the inside story, he can only endure."
"Father is brilliant!" Chen Wuyou suddenly realized, his mind becoming clear.
"During this patrol, as a Surveyor, I can intervene in the team assignments. If you have anyone in mind, report back to me later," the old Daoist finally said.
The Surveyor is the steward responsible for security in the Daoist Palace and reports directly to the Monastery Rector. Besides the three Hall Masters and the Palace Master Rector, the steward is the actual person in power within Qinghe Palace.
Among them, the Surveyor overseeing security and defense holds the greatest power as a steward.
"Understood." Upon hearing this, Chen Wuyou suddenly thought of that companion of Xiao Qingying who had ruined his plans before.
If it weren't for that person sending an early alert and quickly releasing a message tube, his design would have succeeded long ago.
Thus, this time, he had to deal with this person first.
It was said he had also started practicing Martial Cultivation... and encountering danger during patrols was common, especially with rebellious soldiers turning into mountain bandits entering the boundaries of Huaxin County.
*
*
*
Dong dong dong.
The urgent knocking sound startled Zhang Rongfang awake from his afternoon nap.
"Zhang Rongfang, are you awake? Want to go to the training ground?" A voice full of energy came through the door.
Zhang Rongfang exhaled, rubbed his eyes, and got off the bed.
"Coming. Let's go."
"Let me wash my face first." He walked over, opened the door, and outside stood a young man who looked like a pale-faced scholar.
The young man wore ordinary martial cultivator disciple attire, holding a gourd used as a water bottle in one hand, with a gray towel made of cotton slung over his shoulder.
"Why are you still not up after nearly half an hour?"
The time system of the Great Spirit follows the twelve-hour system, but for convenience, Zhang Rongfang had converted it in his mind, still calculating according to twenty-four hours.
"I overtrained this morning," Zhang Rongfang replied, pulling a wooden basin from under the bed and placing a towel in it as he prepared to go out and fetch water.
In truth, the real reason was that he had just upgraded the mountain-shaped talisman and couldn't resist practicing a bit longer.
"Can you still make it?" the young man said, speechless.
"If even Dong Dafang can manage, why wouldn't I?" Zhang Rongfang smiled.
Dong Dafang was his occasional martial practice companion during these times.
Like him, Dong was also of the fourth-class Barbarian Race, but since he wasn't a scholar, he was slightly better off.
After washing up and changing clothes, the two left the room together, heading towards the dojo.
Many people were already exercising and practicing at the dojo.
Zhang Rongfang and Dong Dafang walked skillfully to a corner, joining two others who were already practicing there.
"You're a bit late today."
A dark-skinned female Daoist greeted them warmly. Her name was Xu Mingyu, a pleasing name, but her skin was truly dark, rumored to have some African bloodline in her ancestry.
"Didn't rest well. Why are there so many people today?" Zhang Rongfang replied.
"It seems to be the Palace Master's decree affecting everybody, so most martial cultivators have to go out on patrol. If you don't train hard now, you might fail outside,"
another female Daoist said with a smile. She was tall, with well-proportioned limbs, a strong and sturdy back, and particularly healthy, rosy, and glossy skin.
Aside from a rather average-looking face, she had no other flaws, with a well-stacked front. Though not as impressive as Xiao Qingying, she was still remarkable.
Her name was Li Fuhua; she was also one who first practiced the mountain-shaped talisman.
"Are you Kun Dao going, too?" Dong Dafang asked.
"Yes, many of us practice five talismans focused on healing, and we also have to accompany the team," Li Fuhua nodded, a worried expression appearing on her face.
"I heard that Zhou Ze passed the ranking yesterday, passing the first-grade assessment and now leading a team on his own. Is it true?" she said softly.
"It's true, Zhou Ze's talent has been renowned among our groups, one year nourishing blood, one year muscle forging, ranking in two months... truly remarkable!" Dong Dafang nodded.
"I've been practicing the mountain-shaped talisman for two years now and there's still no progress... I wonder how much longer it will take... Is blood nourishment really so difficult?" Li Fuhua sighed.
"I've been practicing for a year and a half, just wait. Without three years, don't even think about it. Someone like Zhou Ze is very rare," Dong Dafang comforted her.
"Nourishing blood is key; practice martial arts, invigorate blood, eat well, drink more, rest well to nurture. If we could eat better, perhaps blood nourishment would be faster," Xu Mingyu added.
"Like Tao Mengjie? Splashing money? Throwing various blood nourishing pills, three-day medicinal baths, one large pill every five days?" Li Fuhua countered.
Zhang Rongfang stayed silent, merely listening. At this moment, a thought stirred within him.
If there were better meals and powerful elixirs, perhaps it could further shorten the time needed for attribute point acquisition.
He glanced around at the three people beside him. Including himself, the four of them were all martial cultivators without background, talent, or money.
Dong Dafang, Xu Mingyu, Li Fuhua, all three had only just started with a single talismanic skill.
To fully master it would take at least another one to two years, or even longer.
Because completely mastering a talismanic skill signifies reaching the blood nourishment level.
Otherwise, if qi and blood are insufficient, it's impossible to smoothly execute a complete set of talismanic skills.
'So have I now reached blood nourishment?' Zhang Rongfang mused inwardly.
If so, with attribute points plus his own diligent practice, in at most six months, he could cross into muscle forging and reach his rank.
Thinking of this, Zhang Rongfang suddenly asked.
"Once ranked and passing the Spirit Official Hall assessment, can you take a government position?"
"Specifically, you can take a position at the Battalion Officer. But not for you or me," Dong Dafang replied with a sigh.
"Why?" Zhang Rongfang asked, puzzled.
"Fourth-class Barbarians are not allowed to hold military positions," Dong Dafang's answer caused Zhang Rongfang's expression to freeze.
Barbarian Race, Barbarian Race, Barbarian Race, again it's the Barbarian Race?!
"Even if we advance in rank in the future, we still can't take official posts in local government military offices, we can only take the announced Jixian Institute route," Dong Dafang replied.
"Carrier?" Zhang Rongfang was confused.
"It's about accompanying higher-ranking officers, being other people's guards, escorts, or mentors," Dong Dafang's words suddenly enlightened Zhang Rongfang.
He only now understood why Xiao Rong could easily promote him to a cultivation disciple and even let a cultivation disciple serve as his daughter's attendant.
So, the root of the issue was here?
"Besides being a carrier, is there any other way for our Barbarian Race to rise?" Zhang Rongfang couldn't help but ask.
After the incident with Xiao Rong's attitude towards him, he felt he must find a way to break free from his current identity.
But a teacher for a day, a father for life, and the Great Spirit values the teacher-disciple relationship greatly.
To sever such a relationship is extremely difficult.
However, if he simply stopped following Xiao Qingying, that might be manageable.
So, if he could take a position as a ranked officer, even Xiao Rong wouldn't be able to keep him with Xiao Qingying all the time.
"There is, you can take the special channel through the Jixian Institute, but the assessment is very difficult. At least a second-grade ranking is needed to get a position, and even then, the position is much lower than other races. Our second-grade equates to their first-grade..." Dong Dafang said.