Chapter 76: Method To Enter The Sect Early
After sorting things out in the quiet room for half a day, Fang Shu hesitated no longer.
He leaped out of the well opening, his steps light and eager as he went to find Du Yu Er, planning to compensate for the damaged rock wall in the quiet room and ask her where the Dojo Master was, as he had something to report.
“What, you damaged the quiet room? How badly? Is it unusable now?”
Du Yu Er asked Fang Shu with a strange look on her face upon hearing this.
Fang Shu could only cough lightly: “It can be used, but it’s a bit unsightly.”
Du Yu Er spread her hands: “The inner courtyard quiet rooms are important places in the institute, accessible only to inner courtyard disciples. If you really think you’ve damaged the quiet room too much, then repair it yourself. Just ask the front courtyard masters for materials.
If you’re too lazy to repair it, then wait until the Dojo Master discovers it, and explain to her then.”
She paused, then added: “By the way, the Dojo Master has been in seclusion for six or seven days recently and is expected to come out the day after tomorrow. Go to the assembly hall to find her in the afternoon then.”
Fang Shu said solemnly: “Yes, thank you, Senior Sister Yu Er.”
After taking his leave, Fang Shu hesitated and returned to the quiet room to check it out.
He found that the quiet room was indeed excessively messy. If the Dojo Master discovered it, it might lower his impression in her eyes.
So he thought to himself: “Good thing there’s nothing else to do. Anyway, it’s just stacking bricks outside the gold-iron steel pillar.”
This was no difficult task for him now.
Afterward, Fang Shu had his second uncle find people to prepare blue-black thick stones for him in the front courtyard.
He himself spent half a day carrying the stones into the courtyard, using his hand as a knife to attach them piece by piece to the quiet room’s inner wall, restoring it to its original state.
After finishing, Fang Shu looked at the neatly tidied quiet room and sighed for a moment:
“It seems I can’t test methods like this anymore.
I must find a suitable place, otherwise repairing after damaging is still a bit troublesome.”
Another day passed.
The Dojo Master should have come out of seclusion by now, so Fang Shu hurried over in the afternoon.
The purpose of his visit this time was none other than to report to her that he had passed through the “Soft Bones and Tender Flesh” tribulation and formally become a Second Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal.
A cultivation breakthrough like this was purely good news, so Fang Shu wouldn’t hide it, not even from his own Master.
He secretly hoped in his heart that his Master would, seeing his diligent cultivation and rapid progress, give him some benefits to reward his arduous cultivation.
Harboring such thoughts, Fang Shu quickly stepped into the assembly hall.
Upon entering, he found that he was not the only one there today. Someone had already been waiting in the assembly hall, probably also waiting a few days, knowing the Dojo Master was coming out today and coming specifically.
And this person was none other than the spiritual root disciple who was the center of attention in the Du Gu Guan—Qin Min.
Qin Min seemed to have been talking with the Dojo Master for a long time. When Fang Shu walked over, he only heard her saying softly:
“Yes, Master, this disciple will study it well.”
After a few simple words, the Dojo Master served tea to see her off: “In that case, you can go down first.”
After taking a sip of tea, the Dojo Master turned her eyes to the approaching Fang Shu. She didn’t speak, just signaling with her gaze for him to speak if he had something to say.
Seeing this, Fang Shu spoke frankly and decisively:
“Reporting to Master, this disciple has now passed the Second Tribulation and has come specifically to inquire about matters of cultivating to the Third Tribulation.”
“Cough cough.” The Dojo Master hadn’t paid much attention at first, thinking Fang Shu had some cultivation issue to consult. At most, she thought he wanted to prepare to pass the Second Tribulation and came to ask about the key points of passing the tribulation.
But she hadn’t expected her own disciple to have silently passed the Second Tribulation, which truly surprised her.
Not only was the Dojo Master surprised, Qin Min, who was walking toward the hall entrance, also heard it.
The woman couldn’t help turning her head to glance at Fang Shu, her eyes showing surprise.
Facing the Dojo Master’s astonishment, Fang Shu calmly cupped his hands in salute.
The next moment.
The Dojo Master stood up abruptly, came to Fang Shu’s side, and extended a withered hand, signaling Fang Shu to extend his hand so they could test each other.
Fang Shu did as told and extended his hand.
Bang bang!
Their arms collided. He withstood two strikes from the Dojo Master, only grunting once and retreating two steps.
“It seems you have truly passed the Second Tribulation, and the quality is good.”
The Dojo Master clicked her tongue: “What kind of treasure marrow did you refine? It feels somewhat different from the gu marrow in our dojo.”
Fang Shu answered without concealment:
“Reporting to Master, this disciple used the Lead Skill method, with mercury as the medicine, and refined White Mercury Poisonous Marrow.”
Hearing the three words “White Mercury Poisonous Marrow,” the Dojo Master’s face showed no surprise, just nodding, as if she had already guessed it and was only confirming verbally.
And regarding Fang Shu’s approach of using Lead Skill as primary and Insect Skill as auxiliary, she didn’t find any problem with it, nor did she think it deviated from the school’s teachings.
The Dojo Master even praised him:
“Refining marrow with Lead Skill is quite dangerous and rare. For you to pass the tribulation this way, supplemented by the toxicity of lead and mercury, obtaining White Mercury Poisonous Marrow—it’s a wonderful combination.”
She looked at Fang Shu with a smile: “Did you think of this yourself, or did someone tell you?”
Fang Shu had the complete texts of Insect Skill and Lead Skill, and he was already clear on the content for the first and second tribulations of both methods. Naturally, it was a choice he made after deep consideration, not randomly.
“It was this disciple’s own idea.” He responded respectfully.
These words made the Dojo Master’s gaze even more appreciative:
“Not sticking rigidly to our dojo’s method, but researching pros and cons yourself—your comprehension is indeed extraordinary.”
After praising Fang Shu, the old woman pondered and spoke:
“In just over a year, you’ve passed the first and second tribulations. This being the case, if you push harder, you might catch the early sect entry next spring. Conveniently, you won’t be eighteen yet then.”
Fang Shu’s expression shifted slightly as he asked: “What is early sect entry?”
“This matter is also called ‘Spring Examination.'” The Dojo Master smiled and explained immediately.
It turned out that in Gu Ling Town, ordinary dojo disciples and even scattered immortal cultivators in the marketplace usually entered an immortal sect by passing the Third Tribulation, fully completing the Third Tribulation cultivation, tempering the body thoroughly, before possibly being selected into the immortal sect to seek refining qi opportunities.
This path was the most common: possible under eighteen, under twenty-five, even under thirty-five could try.
But besides this method, there was another path into the sect, specifically for Daoist Children under eighteen.
As long as the Daoist Child had passed the Third Tribulation, no matter when, they could participate in the selection competition.
And once successfully selected, the competing Daoist Children could enter the immortal sect early for a study and cultivation period of over three months, totaling one hundred days.
After a hundred days, if the Daoist Child showed little progress, they would be sent back down the mountain to complete the Third Tribulation fully before entering the immortal sect again.
The Dojo Master spoke candidly:
“Don’t think three months is too short. Three months of cultivation in the immortal sect is worth three years down the mountain.
So although it’s only three months, apart from a few, those who enter early basically don’t come back down and choose to enter the immortal sect again.”
Pausing, the Dojo Master continued:
“But those who don’t return aren’t all successful in refining qi. Many are like ordinary Daoist Children: either dying on the refining qi path or staying on the mountain in endless arduous cultivation, too ashamed to face family and friends down the mountain.”
Fang Shu understood and said thoughtfully:
“Even if just passing the Third Tribulation, cultivating three months in the immortal sect would allow reaching refining essence completion. Then, naturally, no need to go down the mountain.”
The Dojo Master looked at Fang Shu approvingly: “Exactly so.”
Then she said meaningfully:
“This Spring Examination opportunity happens every two or three years, gathering a batch before selecting. You’re not young; if you miss this batch, you can only take the ordinary path into the sect.”
The old woman seemed to be encouraging Fang Shu overtly and covertly to compete for the early sect entry spots.
This made Fang Shu momentarily suspect that if he succeeded, she might also profit.
But this early sect entry was indeed an opportunity for him!
Fang Shu said solemnly:
“This disciple understands and will surely redouble efforts in arduous cultivation to participate in the Spring Examination and enter the sect early!”
“Good!” The Dojo Master looked pleased.
Her eyes full of expectation, she showed an ambitious look, seemingly happier than Fang Shu himself after his breakthrough.
“Right.” Coming back to herself, the Dojo Master instructed:
“Since you’re so diligent, there must be a reward. Go find the Snake Master and select an item for yourself from the treasure vault.”
Hearing this, joy finally showed on Fang Shu’s face.
As expected, coming to see his Master this time, he gained another benefit.
After chatting a bit more with the Dojo Master and hearing some cultivation advice, Fang Shu respectfully left the assembly hall.
As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he was about to head lightly toward the Du Gu Guan basement to claim a good item.
But at that moment, a crisp voice rang out in front of the hall:
“Senior Brother, please wait!”
