What do you mean I'm a cultivator?-Chapter 31

Jiang Cheng stood outside the great doors, watching as Fang Lin entered first, the sun slowly setting, coloring the marble floors in a fancy hue.

He waited, diving deep in his mind, as he thought what Fang Lin must be going through. Perhaps the elders were speaking to her, their powerful presence bearing down on her, as they bickered with one another on who would take the credit of raising her up from the outer sect, as if she didn't put all that effort by herself, alone.

But the real question, was why was he called?

Was it because of his rapid development twice in a row now?

Or was he special?

Who knew.

Later, Fang Lin opened the heavy doors, stepping out.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, there was a flicker of something. Understanding, perhaps, or simple acknowledgment. Her presence felt different now, more refined, sharper. It was clear that whatever had transpired within, she had walked out changed.

The silence between them stretched, but neither spoke. There was no need. She simply gave a nod, a silent farewell or perhaps a wish of fortune, before stepping away.

Now, it was his turn.

Jiang Cheng stepped forward, the doors closing behind him as he entered the dimly lit chamber. The room was vast, its walls adorned with ancient banners bearing the insignia of the Falling Star Sect.

A...star, vibrant and sparkling, the banner coated in a vibrant hue, depicting said star moving downwards.

Before him, seated on an elevated platform, were five elders. Their presence weighed on the room, suffocating yet restrained, like a great storm held at bay. Among them, Elder Feng sat with his usual unreadable expression, arms folded within his sleeves.

Cheng could tell that despite them hiding their aura, that each one of them could crush them like a ant under their foot. There was no way, other than that these elders, were above the foundation establishment.

It would make sense. As he remembered when he first took a look at elder feng, the first time he had set on delivering the monthly gathering pills, he had heard of his realm. Third stage spiritual sea, was it? probably.

Jiang Cheng immediately cupped his hands and bowed deeply.

“Disciple Jiang Cheng greets the honored elders.”

For a long moment, there was only silence. Then, the elder in green robes, the one who had leaned forward during the assessment, spoke first.

"You are young." he said, his voice even, devoid of emotion. "Yet, you have reached the tenth stage of Qi Condensation at such an age.

Tell me, who has been guiding you?"

Jiang Cheng hesitated. He had expected this question, yet that did not make it any easier to answer.

"Disciple has received guidance in the way of woodworking and craftsmanship from elder Liu of the weapons shed." Cheng spoke answered truthfully, smart enough to know that lying to people this powerful, was akin to suicide.

"But my cultivation progress has been through my own efforts."

A few of the elders exchanged glances.

"How interesting indeed, elder Feng." Another elder, this one with streaks of silver in his hair, scoffed.

"You sure you haven't been pampering this kid?"

This elder spoke, likely not in good terms with elder Feng, from his attempt to make it seem like he was favoring a outer sect member, something that would be quite the hit to his reputation, aside from being called out for favoritism.

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"I find your words quite insulting, Elder Shen. The boy is simply talented."

"Or perhaps, that mission the boy was in had more than reported?"

The female elder spoke, her piercing eyes boring on Jiang Cheng's head.

Another silence. The elders studied him as though seeing through his very bones.

Elder Feng was the one to break the tension.

"However you may have progressed this fast is unimportant. Tell me. Why have you kept visiting Elder Liu?

The records show your mission has ended more than two years ago."

Elder Feng spoke, his gaze locked on Jiang Cheng.

"Honorable elder Feng. I felt like the path of crafting was calling to me. It interested me. When I first carved something in my spare time, I felt frustrated. And I wanted to remove that weakness, no matter how small it may have been." Jiang Cheng spoke, still keeping his head down.

A flicker of approval flashed in Elder Feng’s eyes, gone as quickly as it came.

"Wise words for one so young." the green robed elder murmured.

The silver haired elder scoffed again but said nothing further.

The elder at the center, who had remained silent until now, raised his hand. "You are dismissed, Disciple Jiang Cheng. We will be watching your progress with interest."

Jiang Cheng bowed deeply once more. "This disciple thanks the honored elders for their guidance."

With measured steps, he backed away before turning to leave the chamber, the heavy doors closing behind him with a resonant thud.

Inside the chamber, silence reigned for several moments before Elder Shen broke it with a snort.

"A craftsman? From the outer sect? What could he possibly forge that would be of use to the inner disciples?"

The female elder tapped her finger against the armrest of her seat. "You underestimate the boy, Shen. If that fool Liu took him as a disciple then perhaps so ."

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"Indeed." the green robed elder nodded. "The disciples have been complaining about training weapons these years. "

"The boy could fill the gap." the center elder concluded. "Especially with the Verdant Summit Tournament approaching in the coming years. Our disciples would benefit from having better quality training weapons."

"You place too much hope in a outer sect trash." Elder Shen protested.

"His cultivation might be impressive for being in that dump, but-"

"Ender Shen. Do not forget that the outer sect, is still one with our sect."

Elder Feng spoke, likely not pleased by his words ,considering he was one of the elders with more involvement with it.

Elder Shen simply scoffed. Perhaps he was the reason for the distain of outer sect disciples by the outer ones.

"I propose we allow his path to unfold naturally. If he Breaks through to the foundation establishment, we can then guide him toward the Forging Pavilion."

Jiang Cheng stepped out of the grand hall, the weight of the elders scrutiny still pressing on his mind. The murmurs of disciples faded behind him as he walked the winding path back to his cabin, his thoughts heavy.

He reached his small dwelling and slipped inside, latching the wooden door behind him. The room was dimly lit by the glow of the moon filtering through the cracks in the walls. He exhaled slowly. The day had been long, filled with too many eyes watching, too many unspoken judgments. But now, at last he could return to his routine.

Dawn came early, as it always did. Jiang Cheng rose before the bell rang, stretching his limbs before heading out. The morning was spent in the usual drudgery, hauling wood this day. Despite his cultivation progress, he was still an outer disciple, and the sect work did not lessen just because his Qi had grown stronger.

As the sun reached its peak, he made his way to the weapons shed. Master Liu was already inside, seated on a worn stool, sharpening the edge of a practice sword. The scent of oiled wood filled the air.

“Late today, boy. How so?” Liu grunted without looking up.

Jiang Cheng stepped in, rolling up his sleeves. “Got caught up with the elders.”

Liu snorted. “That so? And they let you go in one piece? Must not have been too bad.”

Jiang Cheng just shook his head and grabbed a worn blade from the rack. He had long since learned that Liu wasn’t one for idle talk.

He set to work, polishing, sharpening, reforming the training weapons that the sect’s disciples had all but worn to splinters. His hands worked with practiced ease, his Qi flowing subtly through his fingers as he mended minor cracks in the wooden hilts and tested the weight of the blades.

Indeed, his new skill had progressed. The first time he had mended a Wooden pole with his skill, Master Liu raised a eyebrow, as he had not taught him that technique yet.

But of course, he just told him to keep up the good work, and moved to working with the weapon he was fixing himself.

The hours passed in a steady rhythm. Hammering out bumps, sanding, reforming. Sweat beaded on his brow, but he relished the work. There was a satisfaction in creation, in taking something broken and making it whole again.

By evening, the last of the weapons had been repaired, and Master Liu tossed him a damp cloth to wipe his hands. “Good work, kid. Better than last time.”

Jiang Cheng gave a small nod. He didn’t need praise, but coming from Master Liu, that was as close as he’d get.

As the sun dipped below the mountains, he returned to his cabin once more. This was his time. His true time. He sat on the thin mat, legs folding into the lotus position, breath steadying.

He reached inward, drawing Qi from the night air, guiding it through his meridians, feeling it circulate, compress, refine. Each night, he pushed further, testing his limits. He could feel the stagnation in his Qi, the barrier between him and the next stage. But he would break through.

Though, he had been getting a bit antsy lately. Sure, he enjoyed practicing under Master Liu, but that left him with little time to read in the tower of records. Seems like his routine might need some adjustments.