Chapter 57 - 23: Qi Cultivator, Class Acquired!

Chapter 57: Chapter 23: Qi Cultivator, Class Acquired!

Before arriving, many of the neighbors who came to offer their congratulations seemed amicable on the surface. Deep down, however, they were brimming with jealousy and bitterness. They assumed Jiang Xuan had merely stumbled upon some sheer luck to scrape by with an "Excellent" rating.

But that single glance just now changed everything. The soul-cleansing Ascension Dao Rhyme radiating from Jiang Xuan could not be faked in the slightest.

Overwhelmed by this realization, the lingering bitterness and disbelief hidden in their hearts vanished into thin air.

"This kind of presence that calms the heart... No wonder he got an Excellent rating. He truly embodies the Great Dao!"

"The Jiang Family... has actually produced a rising star!"

With Jiang Xuan’s abilities thoroughly confirmed, the crowd’s enthusiasm multiplied, and they pressed in even tighter. Naturally, their fervor stemmed from the firm belief that he would soon be recruiting a group of followers.

Whether in his past life or in this Cultivation World, exceptional experts were never short of supporters. In his previous life, Han Gaozu Liu Bang rose from obscurity with a group of old brothers from Peixian County by his side. In this world, Noble Family’s Descendants like Dong Hao, Su Linyin, and Zeng Jun had long begun secretly recruiting loyal subordinates.

The utility of these followers went far beyond helping them secure Inner Sect Disciple quotas. In the future, once they truly entered the Inner Sect and held high positions, they would need to fight for legacy, resources, and authority, expanding their influence step by step.

But human energy was ultimately limited.

As an Inner Sect Disciple, one’s primary duty was always Cultivation—to scale the peaks of the Great Dao. However, focusing solely on Cultivation was far from enough. To walk the path of Cultivation faster and more steadily, one had to fight for more resources and scout for hidden opportunities. All of these required manpower.

To put it darkly, if they encountered life-threatening danger while adventuring in the future, having followers by their side provided countless escape routes.

They didn’t need to outrun the danger; they merely needed to outrun their own people. They might not even need to run at all. If trained properly, those loyal followers would willingly cover their retreat, trading their own lives to buy their master a sliver of Vitality.

For all these reasons, trusted followers held irreplaceable importance to Cultivators.

It wasn’t innate servility that drove these neighbors to offer their children as Jiang Xuan’s followers. On the contrary, attaching themselves to a prodigy with a limitless future was the best possible way out for ordinary people with mediocre Talent.

Relying solely on themselves, they would likely be trapped in Cui Bamboo Town for the rest of their lives, guarding their small patch of land with little hope of making a mark. But following a prodigy changed everything.

As a prodigy expanded their influence and gathered resources, they would inevitably place their loyalists in key, lucrative positions. Through this connection, these followers could secure a promising future that others couldn’t even beg for. Not to mention, even the scraps of Spirit Stones and resources that passed through their hands would be enough to keep their families fed and clothed without worry.

This was a mutually beneficial arrangement and a long-standing norm deeply ingrained in the bones of this Cultivation World.

However, following a powerful figure was never easy.

Take Zhou Lin, who stayed by Su Linyin’s side. Not only was her own Talent decent, but her father was also a Steward of Cui Bamboo Town. Only with such a background was she qualified to follow Su Linyin. Even Jiang Xuan himself only got his chance because his father had paid the blood tax for the Su Family years ago. That was precisely why, when he initially gave up that path, so many people accused him of being ignorant and overly capricious.

Now, Jiang Xuan’s Talent had been certified by the Daoist School. His future was boundless, and he happened to have no trusted aides yet. It was no wonder these neighbors were acting so crazily.

"Don’t push, everyone, don’t push..."

The crowd’s fanatical mobbing forced Jiang Xuan to expend a monumental effort just to break free. He slipped through his front door and hid in his bedroom.

"Phew... That was insane. It was several times more exhausting than when I was condensing my Spirit Core Awakening."

After locking the doors and windows tightly, Jiang Xuan leaned against the door and let out a long sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the neighbors’ endless praise and flattery from moments ago didn’t stir the slightest bit of arrogance in him, nor did it tempt him to recruit a group of subordinates.

"My path of Cultivation has just begun," he thought. "Right now, I merely possess raw potential without the strength to match it. Being too flashy at this stage is definitely not a good thing.

"Furthermore, to repay Dong Hao for the resources he gave me, I promised to bring him into the Inner Sect with me. That won’t be an easy task."

Fortunately, Jiang Xuan had the confidence to back up such an ambitious goal.

"System, open my Attribute Interface," he murmured in his heart.

HUMMM!

Following his silent command, a soft hum echoed, and a translucent screen resembling a game interface instantly materialized before his eyes.

[Player: Jiang Xuan]

[Age: 14]

[Talent: Spirit Root (Profound Middle Grade) (Blue)]

[Cultivation: Spirit Core Awakening · Initial Stage (36 acupoints)]

[Main Profession: Clear Heart Swordsman (2/5), (Empty)]

[Sub-Profession: Daoist Acolyte (3/3), (Empty)]

[Cultivation Technique: Nine Breath Qi Refining Method (First Realm Introduction, 279/300) (Blue), One Qi Sword Technique (Second Realm Proficient, 1405/4000) (Blue)]

The above were all of Jiang Xuan’s current Attributes. The Daoist Acolyte and Clear Heart Swordsman professions could be expanded to view detailed Professional Skills.

However, as Jiang Xuan opened his attribute panel this time, his gaze didn’t fall on the two professions he had already taken. Instead, he stared intently at the empty slot in the main profession column.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he issued a mental command.

"Take the Qi Cultivator profession!"