Chapter 8

Han Je stood by the door of the classroom, took a deep breath, and tightly held the letter containing secrets that his mother had given him.

Jealous glances were cast at the young man as Han Je, from behind the supply room, discovered ten large jars. He immediately carried two buckets of water and walked.

After a long walk, a spring came into view. The scenery around the spring was so beautiful that he had never imagined it. Even the sound of the spring water was enchanting.

However, he was not in a position to leisurely admire the view, so Han Je filled the buckets and returned to the mountain.

The task of fetching water continued until dusk. If he hadn't filled his stomach with sweet potatoes in the afternoon, he might have collapsed. However, his feet and shoulders ached so much that even a slight movement caused pain.

Han Je filled the buckets halfway with water and found a place where no one was around. After confirming that no one was nearby, he took out the stone pillar he had hidden in his chest, placed it in the bucket, waited for a moment, fished out the stone pillar, and drank the water.

At that moment, a warm sensation spread through his stomach, and the muscle pain in his body slowly disappeared. Although it didn't have the effect of dew, he was still quite satisfied.

Regaining his strength, Han Je continued to carry water. By the end of the day, he had filled about one and a half jars.

The effect of the water with the stone pillar was quite remarkable, so he wasn't very tired, but to avoid drawing attention, Han Je pretended to be very exhausted and went back to his room. Soon, Jang Ho also returned, looking very tired. The two of them ate sweet potatoes and chatted for a while.

According to Jang Ho, since becoming a disciple of Dae San Sect, he had been cutting wood for three years. At first, he could barely eat one meal every three or four days and filled his stomach with water, but now he was more accustomed to it and could eat once every two days.

Jang Ho also mentioned that disciples had to handle miscellaneous tasks for ten years and be able to eat three meals a day before they could learn basic immortal techniques.

Formal disciples did not handle miscellaneous tasks, had individual masters, and each had their own room. Their main task was cultivation.

In addition to formal disciples and disciples, there were also intermediate disciples, like Ihyan, who were essentially servants.

Through Jang Ho, Han Je also learned about the concept of "talent" in Dae San Sect. Talent referred to spiritual energy, which everyone had, but the amount varied from person to person.

A person with sufficient spiritual energy could learn immortal techniques in a year, while someone with insufficient spiritual energy might find it difficult to master them even after ten or a hundred years of practice.

People with ordinary talent found it hard to learn proper immortal techniques, which is why Dae San Sect placed the greatest importance on spiritual energy when accepting disciples.

★ ★ ★

It had been a month since Han Je arrived at Dae San Sect. During this time, he drank water infused with the stone pillar every day, and his body had improved to the point where he had energy to spare even after doing hard work.

At first, it took him six days to fill ten jars, but now he could do it in three days without rushing.

However, to avoid suspicion, he still got up before dawn and carried buckets of water to the mountain. When he completed the task in three days, everyone was surprised, but they thought it was because he had been working diligently from dawn to dusk.

During the month, he met many disciples, but most of them looked down on and mocked him.

However, Han Je ignored them. He knew that the disciples' hearts were all twisted.

These were the lowest-ranking members of the sect, who had been ignored and pressured. When Han Je entered the sect after a suicide attempt, he became the lowest of the low, making him the perfect target for their frustrations and bullying.

In the sect, the strong were respected, and the early disciples were physically stronger than Han Je and even knew some basic immortal techniques.

Therefore, confronting them would only result in his own loss, so Han Je chose to ignore them. Besides, he wasn't naturally weak.

He also stored in his heart all the bullying and mockery from the disciples, planning to repay them one by one when he became stronger.

Han Je tried using the stone pillar with various liquids, from spring water to dew, sweat, and even blood.

Among them, dew, especially the dew that formed on the stone pillar at dawn, was the most effective, followed by dew that formed at night and dew that formed on other objects.

After dew, spring water was the most effective. Blood and sweat had almost no effect.

To avoid drawing attention, Han Je found gourds and placed them in secluded areas of the deep mountains to collect dew.

He only took out the gourds to collect dew and soak the stone pillar, drinking the water when he was tired. He carried a gourd filled with spring water and drank it whenever he was tired, and the fatigue would disappear as if by magic.

Han Je also discovered a phenomenon that was hard to understand. Every night or at dawn, a considerable amount of dew would form on the surface of the stone pillar, but when he tried to collect it, most of it would disappear, leaving only a fraction of the original amount.

Han Je concluded that the stone pillar absorbed the dew. It was an absurd idea, but he couldn't think of any other reason.

★ ★ ★

One day, as dusk approached, Han Je, who had just filled three water jars, approached Yu Sahyung, a yellow-robed man who was in the middle of cultivation.

"Yu Sahyung, I'm going home tomorrow."

Yu Sahyung glanced at Han Je and simply replied, "Mm-hm."

According to Jang Ho, disciples could visit their families three times a year. They could apply to Elder Son at any time and receive a pass that allowed them to enter and leave the sect freely.

Since his father's birthday was coming up, Han Je decided to visit home and went to see Elder Son.

Dae San Sect consisted of five auxiliary courtyards and six main courtyards. The five auxiliary courtyards were divided into Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, where the disciples resided.

Formal disciples and elders resided in the main courtyards. It was a place Han Je had always envied from a distance. Now, he had a reason to go there.

Elder

Han Je arrived at the main courtyard, looked around, and then called out loudly at the door.

"Disciple Han Je requests an audience with Elder Son!"

A young man in white emerged from the door, looked at Han Je, and said arrogantly, "Are you Han Je?"

Han Je, recognizing the young man's white robes, nodded quietly.

In Dae San Sect, disciples wore different colored robes based on their rank. Formal disciples, in particular, were ranked based on their abilities, and their robes were purple, black, white, and red.

The young man in white pursed his lips and then turned to enter the main courtyard. Han Je quietly followed.

Soon, they arrived at a flower garden where flowers and grasses mingled. The young man in white informed Elder Son of Han Je's arrival and stood to the side.

An elderly voice came from the flower garden.

"Understood. Bring the disciple in, and you can go back to your duties."

The young man in white smiled lightly and left.

Han Je, tense, opened the door to the flower garden and was greeted by a strong medicinal smell. He couldn't understand why the smell didn't reach the outside of the door.

"What are you standing there for?"

An annoyed voice came from one side of the flower garden. Han Je quickly composed himself and said, "Disciple Han Je, I request an audience with Elder Son. Tomorrow is my father's birthday, and I would like to visit home."

"So you're Han Je. Hmph, as a cultivator, one should seek to sever ties with the secular world. How can you still be preoccupied with worldly matters? If you continue like this, you will never reach the realm of a cultivator!"

The elderly voice scolded Han Je.

Was it the pent-up frustration that burst out? Han Je, without realizing it, frowned and retorted, "I haven't learned any immortal techniques yet. How can you call me a cultivator?"

Han Je quickly shut his mouth, and a long silence followed. Finally, Elder Son broke the silence.

"The limit is three days. This is a Thousand Mile Talisman that will speed up your journey. Return quickly."

As he finished speaking, a plain yellow paper flew through the window and landed at Han Je's feet. Han Je carefully placed it in his chest.

Han Je already knew from Jang Ho that all disciples visiting their families received such talismans. The reason Dae San Sect provided these talismans was simple: they wanted more people to send their children to the sect's disciple exams if they saw immortal techniques in public.

The Thousand Mile Talisman was simple to use; you just attached it to your leg. However, it wasn't a particularly good talisman.

Some formal disciples who could use immortal techniques collected many Thousand Mile Talismans to sell or exchange for other items. They used the talismans unfairly to get what they wanted and had already accumulated many by using the excuse of visiting their families.

After leaving the main courtyard, Han Je returned to his room, packed his things, said goodbye to Jang Ho, and descended the mountain. It was already a starry night.

Originally, he planned to leave the next morning, but to avoid being late for his father's birthday, he set out late at night, unsure of how fast the Thousand Mile Talisman would be.

★ ★ ★

That evening, Elder Son, who was collecting herbs in the garden, was startled. The orchids he had planted were all withered.

He approached and examined them closely. Not only the orchids but all the herbs were withered.

He had seen the herbs alive and well in the afternoon, but they had withered in just half a day, which was strange.

He stared at the withered orchids for a long time. They seemed to have lost all moisture, but the soil nearby was still moist.

Finally, Elder Son muttered to himself, "The only person who came here this afternoon was that disciple. How could he...?"

He thought for a moment, then levitated and a rainbow-colored cloud appeared beneath his feet. Soon, he arrived at the disciples' supply room.

"Who is in charge here?"

Elder Son's stern voice made the yellow-robed young man in charge of the supply room rush out. He knelt on the ground and bowed repeatedly.

Elder Son frowned and said,