A Simple Test

Li Lang's mind went into overclock mode as he contemplated how to answer the two elders before him. The two had suddenly pressed him regarding how he succeeded in every single one of his pill refining attempts.Is this not normal? Have I shot myself in the foot or can I get away by posing as a genius? But they'll easily find out once they spend more time with me…Unsure of the norms or implications of the question, Li Lang decided to mix truths with lies."This…is normal for me. I get this intuition that nudges me in the right direction while I refine pills I've succeeded in before. That's why I rarely fail in my refining.""I see. A rare talent for alchemy indeed. I've heard many great alchemists have similar abilities, but that is when their cultivation has reached a much higher level. Still…it is a shame about your aptitude…""He will still be a valuable boon to our sect's many disciples." Elder Cao added."Right, right. Let us finish the tests, then. Little Lang, do you have any experience with the other crafts?" Elder Wang's voice became much more cordial after having found out about Li Lang's talents."Other crafts?""Brushweaving, Formations, Woodcrafts, and Forging. It is fine if you don't.""Apologies Senior, I do not have experience with any of them.""Very well, then the last test will be an interview with the Guardians."The name spooked Li Lang, but he didn't really have a choice. The trio exited out of the massive network of underground tunnels and back to the surface. This time, they went even further away from the massive tree than before.Li Lang could even make out a transparent barrier in the distance that he only spotted due to the barrier blocking the rustling leaves from entering.They went into one of the tall towers by the edge of the barrier and entered a small room. There was nothing in it except for desks and chairs. The door soon opened behind them, and an imposing woman in light brown robes strode in."Li Lang, was it? I will be asking you several questions. I ask that you do not break eye contact with me throughout this entire process."Her questions weren't anything Li Lang expected. It wasn't a quiz on his knowledge or about his past. There were random questions such as what his favorite color, food, or weather was. The mundaneness of the questions made the interrogation feel much longer than it actually was."I am done here. Elder Wang, I found no issues or traces of hypnotism or anything related to the demonic cultivators." The woman didn't even wait for the elder's response before she impatiently walked out of the room.The elder didn't seem to mind and turned to Li Lang."Congratulations little Lang. You have passed the special admission test. You are hereby an official outer disciple of the Spirit Grove. Work hard, and there may be an opportunity for you to redeem Ascension Pills with merit points so you may make full use of your talents."Elder Cao simply nodded toward him instead of giving out any congratulatory words."If you would follow me," Elder Wang said. "We'll go prepare your sect token and I'll introduce you to the deacon who will be in charge of you from now on."Li Lang was once again led through the grounds of Spirit Grove, but this time, he did so as an official member of the sect. The elder was used to his job and quickly prepared a metal token that served as the sect's identification token.The token didn't appear anything special at first glance, with its only unique feature being the engraving of a colossal tree. Upon closer inspection, it had a faint aura of Qi.The elder then completed his job by dropping off Li Lang at the three-story building belonging to the alchemy department."Li…Lang was it? I'm Yu Xue, I'm one of the deacons overseeing the alchemy needs for the outer disciples. You can call me Deacon Yu or Senior, whichever is easier for you.""Greetings Senior Yu. I am Li Lang. I look forward to your guidance." Li Lang clasped his fist and respectfully greeted.He had suffered one too many times working under an unpleasant senior researcher in his younger days, so he wanted to make the best impression possible to avoid all the drama."Good. I hear from Elder Wang that you can help us refine pills. You can come for the materials and drop off the pills to me as well once you're done.""Senior Yu…may I ask a question?""Of course, go ahead.""Do I get paid for refining pills?""Yes, but it depends. For the pills you refine with the sect materials, you will be awarded contribution points. You can trade these contribution points for Qi stones or the regular coins people use if you wish. Or you can purchase the materials from the sect yourself and you can do what you want with the pill.""Thank you for the clarification, Senior Yu.""No problem. It is still your first day in the sect. Here is an introductory booklet with everything you need to know. It even has a map. You should take the day to familiarize yourself with the sect.""Should I come find you in the morning, then?""That is up to you to decide. Outer disciples are mostly free to do as they please. However, I recommend you start off by going around and see what you can spend your initial contribution points on first. You'll be able to quickly grasp their value that way."So this is like a university, where we are responsible for ourselves. I guess it makes sense, considering outer disciples are people they don't care too much about. If we are talents they want to cultivate, we wouldn't be an outer disciple in the first place.After thanking the deacon, Li Lang listened to his suggestion and read through the introductory booklet he received. He mainly went over the map and list of facilities. Now that he was officially in a sect, he wouldn't waste this opportunity to dig up information regarding cultivating.As a man of science, he needed to study the path to immortality systematically. Having become a sect disciple was a minor but important step toward uncovering the mechanics of cultivation.While the map wasn't especially detailed, it was enough to help Li Lang navigate to the five-floor pagoda that was the cultivation library for the sect. There were several adult members of the guardians by the entrance in light brown robes.As expected, the guards didn't just let Li Lang pass by unhindered. They checked him for his sect token before he was able to enter.The moment he entered, he was greeted with dozens and dozens of bookshelves that were all filled. He glanced around curiously, taking in the new sight. There were only a few people here, and the quietness reminded him of the libraries of his world."Is this the first time you're here, boy?"Li Lang turned in the direction of the speaker and found an old lady with a head full of white hair smiling in his way from behind the counter by the door."Yes, senior." He replied with a palm holding his fist. "My name is Li Lang. It is indeed my first time here.""I see. Well, let me know if you have any questions. As a new disciple, you can browse through the first floor freely, and can take the manuals out as long as you have the contribution points."At her words, Li Lang grasped onto his sect token and reminded himself that he currently only had one hundred contribution points. He told himself he couldn't waste them, and he had to be mindful of how many he had as he didn't know how to check his balance yet.He dove straight into the books and skimmed through the titles. On each bookshelf, there was a wooden sign with the amount of contribution points required to check out the book.The first few shelves he went through were all martial arts. The cheaper ones had simple moves of how to coordinate the Qi to boost your movements, whereas the more expensive ones involved more complicated Qi manipulation.They all had boastful names like 'Meteor Kick' or 'Explosive Fists' that only made Li Lang more skeptical of them, as they were most likely low-level techniques if all the outer disciples had access to them. The few that had boring names like 'Force Palm' also didn't attract Li Lang's attention.Not being able to come to a decision, Li Lang moved on to the next category, which was Qi arts. These techniques were far beyond him as they required at least a cultivation of the middle stages of Energy Gathering, so he went to the next set of shelves.The next category was cultivation techniques. He remembered being taught about them back when he was living with the Zi family. Cultivation techniques were the basis of all cultivators, but it was known that they only became vital once one broke through into the Foundation Establishment realm.For the Energy Gathering realm, the only difference was the speed at which cultivators absorbed the ambient Qi.However, what caught Li Lang's attention was how cheap the cultivation techniques were compared to the others and how few of them there were. It only took a moment to read through the titles before his eyes settled on one.It was titled 'Spirit Grove Basic Cultivation Technique'.As an unexplored discipline of science, starting from the basics is a must. I wonder what the difference is between a proper cultivation technique and the one I made up…