darknovel Chapter 21 Cultivating First Leads to Cultivating Later
Chapter 21 Cultivating First Leads to Cultivating Later
Shen Qing suddenly stood up from the futon; he had made the right bet.
The system recognizes newcomers! As long as someone genuinely acknowledges the Qingyun Sect and the Qingyun Academy, the system will recognize them regardless of whether they are a formal disciple or not!
Suppressing his excitement, Shen Qing repeatedly reminded himself: There's no need to panic over such a trivial matter!
As dawn broke on the horizon, Shen Qing awoke from his meditation.
On the system panel, the total number of bound disciples remains at eighty-seven.
The system is only thirteen people away from achieving the hundred-person node as predicted by Shen Qing.
If things proceed step by step, it will be achieved in three to five days at most, and the loyalty of the newly recruited disciples is increasing slightly every day.
With patience, the effort of a hundred people can be easily accomplished.
But Shen Qing didn't want to wait.
It wasn't because he was impatient; he just needed to know as soon as possible what the rewards for the next stage of achievements would be.
With very few Qi Gathering Pills left and no spirit stones available, the Qingyun Sect's resources were nearly depleted.
If the rewards for the next stage of achievements are generous enough, Shen Qing will dare to do more; if the rewards are not ideal, he will have to reconsider many of his ideas.
In the afternoon, the children were escorted down the mountain by Zhao Shoucheng and other inner disciples.
Shen Qing stood at the entrance of the academy, watching the forty small figures gradually disappear along the mountain path.
A child's innocent voice drifted on the wind, reciting the Three Character Classic they had just learned that day.
"At birth, people are inherently good. Their natures are similar, but their habits differ..."
Shen Qing listened for a while, then turned and walked towards the training ground.
On the training ground, in addition to the disciples who were on duty to escort the children, who were already lined up, the new and old disciples were mixed into six rows.
Wang Shouzhou stood on the far right of the first row, his back straight and his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Su Shoujing stood in the first position of the second row, while Zhong Xiu, the girl, remained in the corner.
Shen Qing walked to the front, his white robes billowing in the mountain wind.
"I have gathered you all here today for only one thing."
Shen Qing's voice was very loud, so loud that everyone could hear it clearly.
"I have a question for you today: Why do you cultivate immortality?"
The training ground fell silent for a moment. The disciples, wondering what their sect leader was planning, looked at each other in bewilderment, none daring to be the first to speak.
Shen Qing's gaze fell on Wang Shouzhou, the shill she had carefully cultivated: "Wang Shouzhou, you speak."
Wang Shouzhou was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered, stepped forward, puffed out his chest, and shouted:
"Reporting to the Sect Master! I came up the mountain specifically because of the free room and board! Later, the Sect Master taught me to read and write and to cultivate, and I felt that I could not let the Sect Master down!"
Wang Shouzhuo's straightforward words caused many disciples' lips to twitch; clearly, they were struggling to hold back.
Especially the first batch of disciples who went up the mountain, and the group of brothers that Wang Shouzhou brought along.
At least 80% of the time, this was the reason why they went up the mountain.
Shen Qing ignored the others and looked at Wang Shouzhou, continuing to ask, "Besides this, is there anything else?"
"Of course there are more..."
Wang Shouzhou's voice suddenly lowered, "This disciple wants to stand tall. Before, when I was carrying bags at the docks, anyone could kick me. Now, when I walk down the mountain in this blue robe, no one dares to look me in the eye. This disciple wants to always have this feeling."
Shen Qing nodded, then turned to Su Shoujing: "Su Shoujing, what about you?"
Su Shoujing lowered her head and said softly, "I didn't know what I was capable of before. At home, my parents said that girls were a waste of money."
"From the time I can remember, I've always had endless chores to do, and I thought that was how my life would be. It was the sect leader who showed me that women can also read, cultivate, and be called 'senior sister'."
She became more and more agitated and louder as she spoke: "I cultivate immortality, not for the sake of eternal life. I just want to prove to everyone that women are not a burden."
As Shen Qing's gaze continued to move, everyone shared their reasons and thoughts.
In Shen Qing's view, it might seem a bit simple, or a bit naive, but every word came from the bottom of his heart.
Finally, Shen Qing's gaze fell on Zhong Xiu.
"Jung-soo, what about you?"
The girl was silent for a moment, then raised her head and said, "This disciple wishes to see the world outside the mountains."
Shen Qing looked at her but didn't ask any further questions.
"What you're saying is all true. But it's not enough."
His voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"Wang Shouzhou wanted to stand tall, but do you know why everyone could kick you out of the docks back then? It wasn't because you were weak, it was because you had no roots! You were a laborer who could be replaced at any time. They kicked you out, and they just replaced you with someone else tomorrow!"
"Su Shoujing wants to prove she's not a burden, but do you know why others think she is? It's not because you did anything wrong, it's because in their eyes, you can't study, you can't earn money, you can't bring honor to your family, and you'll have to get married sooner or later, so you're a burden!"
"Zhao Shoucheng wants to protect Qingyun Sect, but do you know why Qingyun Sect is coveted? It's because we're weak! No one dares to mess with a mountain guarded by a tiger. But everyone wants to take a bite out of a mountain guarded by a rabbit!"
His gaze swept across every face. "Each of you has something you want to change. But you can't change it on your own!"
"Wang Shouzhou, even if he goes down the mountain alone, will still be called Wang Ergou! Su Shoujing, even if he can read and write, will still be scolded as a good-for-nothing when he goes home! Qingyun Sect only has one person, even if I successfully establish my foundation, I still can't protect this mountain!"
The training ground was completely silent.
Shen Qing's voice suddenly softened.
"But you are not alone."
"You are disciples of the Qingyun Sect. If Wang Shouzhou is bullied, Zhao Shoucheng will help him. If Su Shoujing is looked down upon, Zhong Xiu will stand by her side. If the Qingyun Sect is coveted, all seventy-three of us will defend it together."
"This is what Qingyun Sect gives you. It's not just a few meals or clothes, but a root. It's something that will make you no longer drifting duckweed or stray dogs."
Shen Qing pointed in the direction of the academy.
"This academy was built for you. But it's not just for you. When you've finished your studies, you'll go and teach those young children."
"Once they have mastered their skills, they will teach even more people. In ten or twenty years, I want everyone in Qinghe County to know the significance of the name Qingyun Sect."
"By then, who would dare kick you, Wang Shouzhou? Who would dare call you, Su Shoujing, a good-for-nothing? Who would dare covet Qingyun Mountain?"
Shen Qing's voice rose again: "At that time, each and every one of you will be the root of the Qingyun Sect! The Qingyun Sect will also be the root of each and every one of you!"
"I teach you to read not so that you can write your own names, but so that one day you can teach others to write their names!"
"I'm giving you new names not so they'll sound nice, but so you'll remember that you are no longer who you were before; you are members of the Qingyun Sect!"
"If Qingyun Sect is strong, you are strong! If you are strong, Qingyun Sect is strong!"
He suddenly raised his hand and pointed to Qingyun Mountain behind him.
"Those who cultivate first will guide those who cultivate later, and together we will build the path to immortality."
"This is the motto of my Qingyun Sect!"