Cultivation problems.

CHAPTER 16: Cultivation problems.

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A year had passed since Ethan joined the sect, and many things had happened during this time.

After moving into his lodgings, which he shared with Da Shu, he began to learn more about the sect and its rules.

First of all, the daily routine of the disciples.

It wasn't much, as most of the time, everyone spent cultivating or training in the designated areas of the sect.

During the remaining time, they either attended some classes held by seniors or elders of the sect or spent their time doing small chores here and there to earn contribution points.

Yes, in the sect, the external world's currency was not used but contributions.

Everything from the buying and selling of items to attending various knowledge seminars held by the seniors was paid for with contribution points.

These contribution points could be earned by doing tasks, chores, or accepting the sect's missions.

One could also obtain contribution points without working, through the monthly stipend that the sect provided to each of its disciples.

This monthly amount was not very high; it was only the minimum necessary to prevent disciples from starving.

After all, it happened that due to an injury, a disciple might be bedridden for a long time, and in these cases, they wouldn't be able to earn enough to meet their daily needs.

To remedy these situations, the sect had established a basic monthly payment that all disciples would receive.

The same applied to resources.

Every weekend, the sect would distribute low-grade Qi cultivation pills to all disciples, so they could accelerate, even if only slightly, their cultivation.

The remuneration that the disciples received varied according to their rank. It was low for the outer disciples of the sect and a bit higher for the inner ones, and so on.

This was one of the reasons why people wanted to be part of a sect.

Not only did they provide accommodation and an area suitable for cultivation, but they also provided materials to improve one's cultivation, materials that, although they could be procured from the market, were expensive.

An average person couldn't afford to spend so much on cultivation materials, even those of low level. 

Another thing Ethan learned by reading the sect's regulations was that each year, the disciples would be tested to assess their progress.

According to what the sect had established, if within a year a disciple had not yet entered the Body Refining realm, they risked expulsion.

Body Refining was the lowest level of cultivation. It was the first stage that cultivators had to face in their cultivation journey.

According to what Ethan had learned, each cultivation level was divided into 10 grades.

The first level was Body Refining, the level where the body was refined and the foundations for future cultivation were laid.

Following Body Refining were:

- Qi Refining

- Dantian Expansion

- Soul Cultivation

- Body and Soul Integration

Currently, the top experts of the Long Empire had all reached the Body and Soul Integration level, and the master of the Phoenix Sect was one of them.

The emperor of the Long Empire, on the other hand, had already reached the ninth grade, becoming the strongest known living cultivator.

According to what Ethan had read in some books in the sect's library, there had been a cultivator in the past who had managed to surpass this level, but there was little information about him.

Personally, Ethan didn't care much about knowing if such a cultivator had existed in history.

At the moment, he was more concerned with his own situation.

There was only a month left until the evaluation, and Ethan had not yet entered the Body Refining level.

Ethan initially thought there was a problem with his cultivation technique, but then learned that the technique given to him was the same basic technique that was given to all disciples who joined the sect, and these disciples did not have had problems using it, so the problem was not in the technique, but perhaps in him.

This issue had been stressing him out in the past few months, because no matter how hard he tried to cultivate, he didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

It was as if there was a barrier preventing him from accumulating enough Qi to reach the first level.

At that moment, Ethan was walking through the crowded streets of Sun City while on an errand for the sect at the Medicine Pavilion.

The Medicine Pavilion was where doctors, better known in this world as Alchemists, worked.

The Medicine Pavilion was also the association that promoted alchemists, and to become one of them, you had to pass a difficult exam that, according to what Ethan had heard, only 10% of people managed to pass.

He had been tasked with collecting some pills that had been requested to be prepared at the pavilion, and now that they were ready, he had been sent to pick them up.

Ethan had gladly accepted this errand, even though the pay was low, because he had heard that the alchemist profession was very lucrative.

For a money lover like Ethan, going to see a place where these people worked was a must, so he accepted this mission because he wanted to take a look around.

He wanted to know more, and if he saw that it was feasible, he would study to become an alchemist.

If there was one thing Ethan was good at, it was studying.

According to Ethan, if you learned alchemical recipes and the basic theory behind them, it was possible to create them easily.

It was precisely because he was driven by this idea that he was eager to see how these masters of alchemy worked.

After some time, he finally arrived in front of a large, dilapidated building.

Above the entrance of the building, it was written in large letters on a sign: "Medicine Pavilion."

Confirming that he was in the right place, Ethan crossed the entrance and entered the pavilion.

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FRANK_LEE_JUNIOR: 

And here is the second chapter of the day. If I can, I'll try to upload another one within the day.

So see you later, or tomorrow.

And as always, if there are any errors of any kind, please report them, and I will try to correct them as soon as possible.