Chapter 14

Tieyun and Amu left the Ancestor Hall, and it was already afternoon. Tieyun wanted to arrange accommodation for Amu.

In reality, Amu's current status was merely that of a novice disciple. According to the customs of Beihan, novices were not allowed to live alone or have their own caves. They could only live in designated areas with other novices.

These novices, selected from ordinary people by various sects to continue their lineage, were children with the potential to cultivate immortality. Their ages varied, but they could not exceed eighteen years old. After eighteen, their bones would be set, and they could no longer cultivate the immortal root.

Newly arrived novices mainly performed tasks such as gathering herbs, picking fruits, fetching water, and chopping wood. At the same time, they would slowly cultivate their immortal roots by absorbing the spiritual energy of the mountains.

All sects in Beihuang, regardless of size, had novices, ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands.

Sects generally held regular selections. Those who could cultivate their immortal roots within two to three years were considered to have good potential. They would then be taught the sect's qi condensation techniques and begin formal cultivation, free from menial tasks.

Those who failed to cultivate their immortal roots within five years would generally lose the right to cultivate. They could either return home to find another path or stay on the mountain to serve as lifelong laborers.

Although novices were seen as no different from ordinary people by true cultivators, they were highly regarded by the common folk. Many people were willing to send their children to the sects as novices, hoping they would become immortals, or at least gain some connections that could serve as a background or support when they returned home.

However, being a novice was not easy. Apart from those with exceptional talent who were favored by the sects, most novices had to offer large amounts of gold, silver, or even spirit stones to be accepted. Only a few, like Amu, who were directly brought up the mountain by the sect leader, existed in the vast Beihan Sect.

Tieyun was already well aware that Amu was no ordinary person. He could not be treated like a regular novice, performing menial tasks such as gathering herbs, picking fruits, fetching water, and chopping wood. His accommodation had to be private and secluded.

Tieyun then led Amu to another secluded place in the inner back mountain, about four or five li away from the Ancestor Hall.

There were a few ancient pines, a small courtyard, and two rooms, all quite elegant.

When Tieyun and Amu arrived at the courtyard gate, they saw a thin, pale youth in a white robe carefully sweeping the courtyard.

Seemingly hearing their footsteps, the thin youth looked up, stopped his work, and bowed to Tieyun, saying, "Greetings, Uncle Tie!"

Amu noticed the youth's thin frame and delicate features, but his face was pale, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

Tieyun nodded and smiled at the youth in white, then said to Amu, "His name is Lishui. He came up the mountain at six and has been here for over ten years, performing various tasks and learning some skills. He will be responsible for your daily life from now on!"

"Ah!" Amu was somewhat surprised. He had expected cultivation to be a rigorous process, but he did not expect to have someone to serve him, making him feel like a wealthy young master.

In both his past and present life, Amu was used to doing everything himself. Being served by someone else was not in his nature.

Seemingly understanding Amu's thoughts, Tieyun smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Amu, the hardships of cultivation are secondary. What cultivators lack most is time. An ordinary person's life is only a hundred years, and if one cannot enter the cultivation stage within a hundred years, they will end up as a handful of dust. Therefore, in the future, you will have no time for other matters and will focus solely on cultivation. It's better to have someone take care of the mundane tasks!"

Earlier, in the Ancestor Hall, Tieyun had also discussed some cultivation matters with Amu, so Amu already understood the hierarchy of cultivators. Therefore, he found Tieyun's words reasonable and nodded in agreement.

Tieyun then took out a simple, thin book from his pocket and handed it to Amu.

Amu took it and, upon seeing its appearance, knew it must be the lowest-level entry method of Beihan.

Sure enough, Tieyun smiled and said, "Brother Amu, this place is quiet and suitable for daily cultivation. You can stay here for now. This 'Root Cultivation Technique' is the basic practice for cultivating the immortal root in our Beihan Sect. You can study it on your own for three days, and it should be manageable. After three days, I will take you to the cave for cultivation. With the Qiankun如意Bracelet given by the Grandmaster, you won't need storage bags or other mundane items. For daily needs, you can find Lishui."

He paused and added, "If you have any questions about the Root Cultivation Technique, Lishui can explain them to you."

Amu nodded in gratitude. Although Tieyun was acting on orders, his sincerity had won Amu's favor.

Tieyun then gave Lishui a few instructions, emphasizing that Amu was a disciple brought up the mountain by the sect leader and would eventually join the sect leader's disciples. He asked Lishui to take good care of Amu.

Lishui glanced at Amu, his eyes flashing with surprise. Having been in Beihan for ten years, Lishui knew what it meant for the sect leader to bring someone up the mountain and for Tieyun to personally arrange everything. He hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Seeing everything arranged, Tieyun left to report back to Han Qianli about the situation in the Ancestor Hall.

"Brother Lishui, I'll be troubling you from now on!" Amu bowed to Lishui.

In Liuzhen, Amu had always been humble and gentle, without any arrogance. He was naturally very polite to Lishui.

Lishui, however, did not expect Amu to be so courteous and felt a bit nervous, saying, "Brother Amu... Brother... there's no need to be so formal!"

In Beihan, novices wore white robes but were not part of the disciple ranks. They were generally ranked by the order of their entry.

Since novices were not part of the disciple ranks, they addressed each other more casually. For example, Tieyun called Amu "Brother" purely because of his relationship with Han Qianli, to show closeness. Lishui called Tieyun "Uncle" to show respect, and Tieyun accepted it because, in the cultivation world, seniority was often determined by cultivation level. However, there were also cases where respect was shown without changing the title, such as Han Qianli, who was a major realm higher than Gao Mei, but still called him "Brother."

However, it was inappropriate for Lishui to call the newly admitted Amu "Brother."

Amu noticed that Lishui was somewhat timid. After ten years of being a novice, he must have felt inferior because he could not cultivate the immortal root.

"Brother Lishui, we are both novices. Since you entered before me, you should be my senior!" Amu smiled at Lishui.

Amu's smile was sincere and radiant, very infectious.

Amu's words left Lishui momentarily stunned.

In the cultivation world, the strong preyed on the weak, and it was cruel and merciless.

Because he could not cultivate the immortal root, Lishui was at the bottom of Beihan. Ordinary novice disciples often bullied him, and he was usually met with cold stares or scolding. It was already rare for someone like Tieyun to speak to him kindly.

There was no one like Amu, who was brought up the mountain by the sect leader and personally arranged for by Tieyun, who would become a great cultivator in the future, yet was so humble.

"Uh? Thank you! Brother Amu..." Lishui's pale face gained a bit of color.

"Hehe! That's right." Amu smiled.