Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique - Chapter 247 - 232: A-class Disciple (Part 2)
Chapter 247: Chapter 232: A-class Disciple (Part 2)
“I broke through last night.”
“Junior Brother Ji didn’t take any Breaking Realm pills, right?”
“Of course not, Junior Martial Uncle Jia Yu reminded me.”
“Good, good! Junior Brother, please follow me.
Congratulations on your breakthrough, Junior Brother. You will now enjoy the treatments of an A-class Disciple in the sect. The Chao Origin Stage is within reach.”
Ye Changqing clapped and laughed heartily; the A-class Disciple treatment is the sect’s recognition.
Cultivators of this class enjoy more resources and bear the responsibility of leading the sect towards prosperity.
He turned around and walked ahead, his steps swift as wind towards the rear hall, forcing Ji An to increase his stride to keep up.
There are two ways to obtain the A-class Disciple jade token: upon entering the sect with Earth-Grade Talent, or breaking through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment before turning one hundred.
The first method relies on innate talent, which is enviable but unattainable, while the second depends on a cultivator’s efforts and fortune.
The two stopped at the rear hall entrance, Ye Changqing softly spoke:
“I don’t have the authority to grant the A-class Disciple jade token, Junior Brother, please wait, I’ll go and report to the Hall Master.”
He stepped into the great hall slowly and came out soon, smiling:
“Junior Brother, follow me, the Hall Master invites you.”
The Hall Master of the Diligence Hall, Zhang Zizhao, is a High Cultivator of the Chao Origin Stage, with a thin face, phoenix eyes slightly open or closed, and a few strands of long beard on his chin.
Ji An stepped into the great hall, bowed, clasped his hands, and said:
“Disciple Ji An, pays respects to Hall Master Zhang.”
“Ji An, you are very impressive, breaking through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment before sixty. The sect needs cultivators like you, now hand over your jade token.”
Zhang Zizhao had just reviewed Ji An’s detailed information on the Spirit Disc, feeling very pleased with this disciple who only had Middle-Grade Talent.
In his view, such a disciple is certainly blessed with a degree of good fortune.
“I dare not accept Junior Martial Uncle’s praise,” Ji An held the jade token in his hand and passed it over.
Zhang Zizhao placed the jade token on the Spirit Disc, operated it for a few moments, and took out a token of the same size, densely woven with golden thread Dharma prohibition inside.
“Force out a drop of blood and drip it in, then return it to me.”
Ji An took the jade token, dripped blood into it, and handed back the token.
Zhang Zizhao placed the golden jade token on the Spirit Disc, and then took hold of the cyan jade token.
The jade token was engulfed in blue flames, then gradually disintegrated.
The cracks crisscrossed evenly, each piece of jade no larger than a soybean.
Discarding the fragmented jade, he said:
“Alright, your contribution points and small merit have been transferred to the new jade token.
Becoming an A-class Disciple is a new beginning, enjoying the sect’s resource privileges, you will have to take on more responsibilities in the future.”
Zhang Zizhao gave a few words of encouragement and discussed issues regarding Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.
He handed out the jade token, and further added:
“For details on the treatment of A-class Disciples, let Changqing explain it to you in detail.”
Ji An sensed a hint of dismissal from the other and kept the jade token:
“Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle, disciple takes leave.”
Ye Changqing also clasped his hands:
“Hall Master, disciple takes leave.”
After the two left, Zhang Zizhao’s lips slightly curled upwards, saying:
“A fifty-six-year-old Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, comparable to the cultivation progress of Earth-Grade Talent, plus Senior Brother Jia’s special commendation.
I’m very curious if the other party’s potential is equally strong.”
Their talent is only Middle-Grade; when breaking through the Chao Origin Stage, such innate ability can be somewhat of a hindrance.
…
Walking down the road, Ye Changqing gently patted Ji An’s shoulder, and laughed heartily:
“Good lad, truly impressive, breaking through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment silently. I took ten years of delay back then to achieve it.”
He understood deeply, during Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, how much the cultivator’s talent matters; slow refinement of Spiritual Qi is manageable, at worst, by using more resources.
The most despairing moment comes when breaking realms; every step is arduous.
Most cultivators take too long on breakthroughs, eventually losing the possibility of further advancement gradually.
Ji An grinned and explained:
“I originally thought it might take a long time to break through, but for some reason, the bottleneck was naturally surpassed.”
“Tsk tsk, hearing that, I feel the urge to give you a good beating.”
Ye Changqing vigorously patted Ji An’s shoulder, causing his own hand to hurt.
He took a deep sniff and asked:
“Where’s that scorched smell coming from?”
“Oh no!” Ye Changqing grinned, immediately rushing to the front hall.
Ji An followed closely, finding the Wind Furnace still ablaze with Spiritual Charcoal, the kettle on the stove emitting billowing black smoke.
Ye Changqing used the Object Control Technique to toss the burnt kettle out.
“What a pity about my kettle.”
He shook his head with a bitter smile; the water in the kettle was running low due to rushing off; he’d forgotten to take it off the stove.
“Out with the old, in with the new. Let’s just use a different teapot and try a new flavor.”
Ji An took out a very petite white jade jar, smiled, and said:
“Top-grade Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea, offering it to Senior Brother for evaluation!”
The jar was only as big as a toddler’s fist; alas, when the jar is large but contains little, sending it out doesn’t look good.
Sending a small jar lowers others’ expectations first, then when they open it to find the tea tightly packed, it brings an unexpected surprise.
A little psychological trick learned from the previous life.
“Junior Brother’s kindness, I gratefully accept.”
After receiving the jar, Ye Changqing immediately opened it. The Jade Dew Golden Bud tea leaves appeared in strips, akin to tiny white jade pillars entwined with golden thread.
A faint fragrance drifted out, carrying a slight coolness.
He held the jar at his nose, inhaled deeply, and sighed in comfort.
“Good tea!”
Ye Changqing praised; Senior Brother Lin Mao’s Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree is also planted in a Tier Two Spirit Field, having been cultivated to top-grade level last year.
From this point of view, Junior Brother Ji’s ability in cultivating spirit plants matches the sect’s strongest Spirit Farmer.
He took out a new kettle from his Storage Bag, cleaned it, and filled it with Spirit Spring Water.
The two sat down, quietly waiting for the spring water to boil.
Ye Changqing propped his arms on the table to support his body, and said:
“I’ll briefly explain the benefits the A-class Disciple receives, first, exchanging contribution points needed for cultivating techniques is halved compared to ordinary disciples;
Second, exchanging resources such as spiritual objects and spiritual artifacts enjoys a twenty percent discount;
Third, every six months, you’ll be able to listen to the lecture from Chao Origin Stage Junior Martial Uncles;
It’s a bit unfortunate, last month’s lecture from Junior Martial Uncle Lin at the Law Enforcement Hall just passed, the next one is five months away.
Fourth, the number of pills received annually from the sect is double that of second-class cultivators, and you can exchange the same number of pills with small merit;
Junior Brother can now go to the Treasure Pavilion at Sunrise Peak to claim this year’s quota.
Fifth, the A-class Disciple jade token can resist three attacks from Chao Origin Stage cultivators…
The kettle emitted a ’bubbling’ sound, and Ye Changqing, using hot water, prepared a teacup and poured two cups of Jade Dew Golden Bud.
The tea fragrance elegantly dispersed in the great hall.
…
Leaving the Diligence Hall, Ji An passed through the deep bamboo forest path and entered the Inheritance Hall.
The guarding cultivator was wearing a red Daoist robe, clearly from the Artifact Refining Hall.
A jade slip was placed on the cultivator’s forehead, both brows tightly knit, pondering some complex issue.
Ji An located the Late-stage Foundation Establishment portion of the Evergreen Wood Skill, placed his jade token on the light curtain of the Magic Array.
The curtain vanished, and he retrieved the jade slip shimmering with cyan light from the niche.
Ji An approached the great hall entrance, placed the jade slip and jade token on the table, and cupped his hands:
“Senior Brother, please duplicate the jade slip.”
The cultivator snapped out of it, glanced down at the faint golden jade token, raised his eyebrows slightly, revealing a trace of smile:
“Junior Brother seems unfamiliar, you must have just broken through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment?”
He himself is an A-class Disciple; a month ago, when the Chao Origin Stage Junior Martial Uncle gave a lecture, he didn’t notice this Junior Brother participating.
The sect’s Late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples are just dozens, forming a small circle.
Even if not well acquainted, they should at least be familiar.
Ji An smiled:
“I am Ji An, just broke through yesterday.”
“Haha, I am Teng Zhiyuan.
It’s a joy that the sect gains another A-class Disciple.
Junior Brother, let’s exchange Magic Seals and stay in touch!”
Quite the extrovert.
Ji An cheerfully responded:
“I felt as if we were old friends upon meeting, was about to ask Senior Brother for a seal.”
After exchanging Magical Marks, the two began a round of friendly banter.
Teng Zhiyuan finally remembered his duty and picked up the cultivation technique jade slip, using the secret key to unlock it, and laughed:
“Ordinary disciples need twenty thousand contribution points to exchange for Late-stage Foundation Establishment techniques; Junior Brother only needs ten thousand.”
