It was the day of the Lecture, delivered by one of the Foundation Establishment senior members of the sect.

  Ning walked towards the lecture at an unhurried pace. The buildings lined up in perfect bilateral symmetry on both sides of the path, like mirror images locked in place. Probably meant to represent balance or harmony or something lofty like that.

  'Noice,' Ning thought, giving a silent nod of approval.

  Before long, the General Affairs Hall came into view. He slipped inside and noted he was a good half hour early. A safe choice, after all, if you show up early, you will get ignored, but if you arrive fashionably late, people will definitely notice. And if the one noticing happens to be someone who could sneeze you into a smear on the floor, better not take the risk.

  "Brother Ning, you are here!" Wei Zhisuang called out, waving from a corner where he and his usual group were gathered.

  "Greetings." Ning returned the bow, hands cupped neatly just like he had practiced in front of the mirror.

  Glancing at the group, Ning was quite surprised.

  He knew that Wei Zhusang, Zhang Feng, and Lang Rulang were thick as thieves, so it wasn't a shock to see the three of them clustered together. What caught his eye was the fourth person among them.

  A young man with sharp brows, already in the second stage of Qi Condensation, wearing an expression that could only be described as "arrogant."

  "So, this is another member of your mutual aid association?" the young man drawled, giving Ning a once-over. "Hng. Looks… passable."

  Ning tilted his head slightly and let his gaze drift toward Wei Zhusang, wordlessly asking for context.

  Inwardly, though, he couldn't help himself. Who's this sassy lost child?

  "Ahem! This is Brother Su Fan," Wei introduced quickly, his tone. He leaned closer to add, "He's with the Alchemy Hall."

  Ah. That explained it.

  Ning understood immediately.

  This man was Rich, with a capital R.

  Wei, Zhang, and Lang all came from respectable cultivation families, but their connections had only secured them work in the Weapon Refining and Talisman Halls. Nothing to scoff at, as those halls ranked among the top of the "Hundred Immortal Arts."

  Still, where there are people, there is class division. Alchemy and Formation always sat a little higher on the ladder, even among the four great arts. Those two touched directly on cultivation itself: spiritual pills and arrays made or broke a cultivator's path. Weapons and talismans were prestigious, sure, but ultimately tools.

  "So, it's Brother Su." Ning offered a mild smile and clasped his hands. "Pleased to meet you."

  "Hmph." Su Fan barely dipped his chin in acknowledgment, his nose tilted skyward.

  Fudge. The mandatory young master has arrived.

  Wei Zhusang hurriedly stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Don't mind, Brother Su Fan. His background is… quite strong."

  Ning shook his head, tone calm. "It's fine. Brother Su Fan's cultivation is higher than ours. That must've taken effort. It's only natural he carries himself differently."

  Wei Zhusang blinked, then gave him a thumbs-up of respect. "Brother, I admire your mindset."

  At that, Su Fan finally spoke again, voice arrogant but no longer so harsh. "Hmph. It seems you are… acceptable."

  Ning resisted the urge to sigh. Of course he was listening. Privacy, after all, was a luxury rarely afforded in a world where cultivators could hear a needle drop through a wall. He didn’t need to look to know Su Fan had caught every word. Even though Wei Zhusang was closer to him, cultivators possess a much sharper sense, so he was not about to blunder here of all things.

  Suddenly, a figure wearing a moon-white robe descended upon the square. With grace, the figure disembarked from the sword, and it automatically sheathed itself.

  The arriving figure exuded an aura of immortal-like elegance, fulfilling the expectations Ning had for a cultivator.

  All of the disciples quickly saluted the figure, shouting in unison, "We have seen the elder."

  The majestic-looking elder merely waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Don't be so formal. You may call me Elder Liu. Today, I will provide a brief lesson on cultivation, so I hope all of you will pay close attention."

  With his opening remarks complete, Elder Liu delved into the subject of cultivation. Ning quickly focused on it.

  He explained that the goal of cultivation was to refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, to strengthen oneself and continuously improve one's realm, and ultimately to surpass the limitations of heaven and earth and become immortal.

  Elder Liu went on to say, "The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties and dangers. Thus, there are two methods of protection. The first is the use of magical techniques or spells. The second is the practice of martial arts."

  He explained that the magic method involved converting the qi of the body into natural elements such as fire, water, gold, earth, thunder, and wood, in order to attack. Low-level cultivators often used common spells like fireballs, lightning, and wind blades.

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  Martial arts, on the other hand, emphasized the power within oneself, using various techniques to imbue weapons with qi or to engage in close combat.

  "The cultivation realms - Qi Condensation, Foundation Building, Purple Mansion. Core Formation, Nascent Soul, to name a few - are divided into nine stages each. Remember, it's important to advance in your realm, but your foundation must be strong," Elder Liu Zhang reminded the disciples.

  Just then, a late arrival caught everyone's attention.

  A youth stumbled into the hall, clothes tattered, face smudged with dirt.

  Ning raised a brow.

  It was Xiao Fan.

  "How dare you come so late?" a voice rang out.

  Ning turned his head. Another youth, clad in flamboyant robes and dripping arrogance, sneered with a smirk. A little different than the one Su Fan had.

  "It's Xiao Hong," Zhang Feng muttered.

  Ning studied him. Another arrogant young master? Are they breeding these guys in the sect's backyard?

  "Xiao Hong? The one with high-grade spiritual roots?" Ning asked quietly.

  "Yes," Zhang Feng confirmed.

  Wei smirked. "This will be interesting."

  Ning's curiosity piqued. Entertainment was scarce when you were broke, so he was naturally not about to pass it up. "Interesting how?"

  Wei lowered his voice. "Xiao Fan's father was the Xiao Family heir, destined for greatness. Then he shocked everyone by marrying a seemingly ordinary woman. That gave Xiao Hong's father a chance to seize power. Later, both of Xiao Fan's parents vanished mysteriously. To make matters worse, Xiao Fan was diagnosed with congenital spiritual vein impairment. His heir status was stripped, and Xiao Hong inherited everything."

  Ning sucked in a sharp breath. Parents dead. Mysterious mother. Trash-tier talent. We've hit the holy trinity of protagonist backstory clichés.

  "But," Zhang Feng added with gravity, "a passing expert later repaired his spiritual veins. No one knows why."

  And the mysterious expert! He's stacking buffs faster than a mobile gacha game. Fudge! I might really be inside a third-rate xianxia script.

  On stage, Xiao Fan squared his shoulders. "I arrived late because three people blocked my way, on someone's orders." His glare shot toward Xiao Hong.

  "Is that so? Excuses." Xiao Hong sneered. "You dare disrespect Elder Liu with tardiness?"

  'The dialogue really does sound like a third-rate script,' Ning thought, calmly mingling with the crowd, blending in naturally.

  "You!" Xiao Fan bristled, fists clenched.

  "Silence." Elder Liu's voice cut through the air. With a flick of his hand, an oppressive pressure slammed into the disciples.

  Ning staggered. His eyes gleamed at the demonstrated power.

  So this is a Foundation Establishment cultivator? And that was just a wave of his hand? The power curve here is ridiculous.

  The elder's gaze swept across the room. "This is a lecture, not a stage for squabbles. Interrupt again, and you will be punished." His eyes landed on Xiao Hong, who promptly spat blood under the weight of the elder's aura. Then he turned to Xiao Fan. "You, listen carefully. Do not be late again."

  "Yes, Elder!" Xiao Fan bowed gratefully, then sent a smug glance at Xiao Hong, who clutched his chest in humiliation.

  "Yup, this guy is definitely going to send assassins or some shit," Ning thought. He had almost pegged Xiao Fan as the chosen one, though a sliver of doubt lingered. He needs to observe more.

  'If I hadn't survived my teenage years, this level of existential crisis would've flattened me,' Ning mused. After all, it's not every day you realize you might be stuck inside a xianxia novel.

  Instantly, his head was filled with the theory of parallel worlds, the multiverse, and different timelines, infinite worlds.

  Fortunately, before he could go much deeper into the rabbit hole, he was quickly drawn to Elder Liu's lecture. So much so that when Elder Liu stopped, Ning almost wanted to ask him to continue.

  Elder Liu's gaze swept over the disciples before he continued. "Now, I will inform you that the sect has recently granted an additional incentive to this batch. Anyone who reaches the third stage of Qi Condensation within a year may select a cultivation technique for free from the Sutra Pavilion. Those who reach the fourth stage will be granted an extra opportunity."

  "In this world, those who do not advance gradually fall behind. Most of you possess mid- to low-grade spiritual roots and will inevitably face bottlenecks in Qi Condensation. Even a small lapse in effort could prevent you from reaching the late stage before the age of thirty, causing you to miss the chance to build a solid foundation. That's why you must practice diligently, especially now, since your batch has come upon a rare period. Hence, the reward. So don't let the sect down." Elder Liu concluded and swiftly left without a second glance.

  "Rare period?' Ning's eyes narrowed in thought, gazing at the protagonist among us.