Chapter 69 Surprises

Duncan looked outside through the window and found the sun rising in the east. He felt that the sunlight was extremely beautiful at this time of the day.

Duncan felt his vision was a lot more clearer than it had been the previous day. The image that was visible to him currently was sharper, rich in colors and with more details. It was a unique experience for him as he had never seen things this clearly before.

This brought a smile to his face.

Duncan realized that this was the side effect of absorbing the qi. He wondered what the vision of cultivators, who had been cultivating for a long time, was like. If cultivating for a single day could improve his vision to this degree, he didn't even want to imagine the level of clarity someone like his master possessed.

He didn't know if it was his delusion or not, but he felt as if he was completely energized and stronger than he had ever felt before. Clenching his hands Duncan punched the air twice and heard crisp sounds from his fists.

Duncan smiled hearing those sounds.

With a small smile on his face, Duncan decided to get done with the things he needed to do before coming back to cultivate. His master had given him two weeks. Duncan was determined to make it count.

Both for his own safety and not to disappoint his master.

He didn't know what he would do if his master decided that he wasn't sincere enough and revoked his direct disciple status. After chatting with Little Wan yesterday, Duncan could was clear on one thing.

The reason he was being respected by Little Wan and the person manning the registration desk was that he was a direct disciple of his master. Without his master's protection, he would be bullied everywhere in this sect.

That was the naked truth. The only reason they even bothered with him was because of his status. Not because of him, or his strength. To them, he was like an ant. Their reaction to his cultivation level made it clear. But, they didn't dare to step on this ant because of the elephant that was standing behind him.

So, Duncan knew that his biggest supporter and the tree that he depended on was his master. It was only prudent not to disappoint him by being lazy. Once he settled with his normal affairs in the sect, he need to come back and concentrate on cultivation. Only then, could he impress his master with his dedication and gain more favors from him.

Duncan was not some little kid who hasn't seen the world. While his knowledge of the world, in general, and cultivation were lacking, he knew how things functioned in reality.

Knowledge could be gained slowly. He hadn't needed such knowledge while being a miner, so it wasn't a big issue. He could slowly learn about these things. But, for him to have enough time to learn that, he needed someone to protect him in this sect.

And that someone currently was his master.

He had seen Little Wan's reactions and the way the person manning the registration sped up his process at the mere mention of his master. He also knew that his master was the Vice-Sect Master of the entire sect now. That meant Duncan was under the good graces of one of the most important people in the sect.

While working as a miner, he had seen how being in the good graces of the guards or the supervisor had come in handy a lot of times. Those people who managed to do that will be given more leeway and even less strenuous jobs in the mines.

He knew that the same principle applied here as well. Being in his master's good graces can amplify his chances to not be bullied and always act as an advantage inside this sect. And he knew that he needed all the advantages he could get.

After all, many people have made it clear that he was starting late in the path of cultivation, including his master. That meant, he was already lagging behind everyone and he needed to put in double the effort to reach the same standard as someone else.

If he could put in that needed effort and gain back some acknowledgment from his master, then it was a win-win in his book. Only a fool would waste such an opportunity. Whatever he may be, Duncan was no fool.

When Duncan stepped out of his dwelling he felt the air around him was fresher than it was yesterday. He didn't know if it was because he was a cultivator now. But, he welcomed the change gladly. He also felt it was easier for him to breathe currently.

Duncan felt that this day was teeming with a lot of surprises. Just cultivating for a day alone made him feel as if the world around him was much more than he had imagined previously. From his vision to the very air, everything felt different to him.

And Duncan's surprise didn't stop there.

When he arrived at the administration building where he was told to report for task assignment in the booklet that was handed to him, he was surprised to find out that the direct disciples didn't need to do any work around the sect. It was one of the privileges afforded to direct disciples.

Things didn't end there. Duncan was then advised to go to the weapons pavilion to pick up a weapon. Apparently, it was common knowledge that sects provided a low-grade weapon to new disciples along with basic pills needed for cultivation like fasting pills.

As he had been with Little Wan, the person at the desk had failed to inform him. Duncan figured that the person was more shocked to realize that he had been made a direct disciple without any cultivation and thus forgot to mention that tidbit.

As for Little Wan, the person in the administration building informed him that servant disciples aren't given that privilege, so Little Wan wouldn't know apparently.

Duncan thanked that disciple for the information and went about collecting the complementary things the sect provided for joining new disciples. He first visited the medicine hall and obtained fasting pills.

If he had these pills with him last night, he wouldn't have needed to get dinner and could have cultivated without a break. Duncan felt such a pill was handy and decided to always stock up on it.

He also learned that once someone broke through the Spirit Sea realm, they wouldn't need to eat. Thus, these pills were useless to cultivators above the Spirit Sea realm. This made these pills not that high in demand. Duncan asked how he could buy these pills and was pleasantly surprised to find out that these pills could be exchanged in bulk for gold coins as well.

Enquiring further, Duncan understood that low-level pills can be exchanged for gold coins, but the ration for exchange was really horrible. On the other hand, high-level pills could never be exchanged for gold coins bar some special circumstances. The default currency was the spirit stones that he had been provided while registering yesterday.

Also, the pills that were given to him yesterday while registering were called the Qi Gathering pills. They were low-level pills that were also only usable till the Spirit Sea realm. Their function was intriguing to Duncan as he learned that they helped a cultivator to refine qi in their dantain faster.

He made a note to try them out when he returned to his dwelling later. Duncan then made his way to the weapons hall. After showing his identification badge, he was then led into a small storeroom filled with a lot of weapons.

Duncan learned from the disciple accompanying him that these were all low-grade weapons. Apparently, even the weapons cultivators used had different grades to them. Cultivators would usually exchange their low-grade weapons for higher-grade ones or buy new ones completely when they rise in their realms.

When asked why it was so, the person accompanying him replied that as one increases in their realm, the power that was in their attacks multiplied several times. Hence, lower-grade weapons will not be able to handle them for long. This, in turn, made the prospect of owning a higher-grade weapon a much-desired option.

Initially, Duncan was of the mind to choose some other weapon other than a sword as he had a sword already. But, after listening to the explanation, he choose a sword that was identical to the one he owned fearing the original sword he had would break down soon, now that he was a cultivator.

When Duncan stepped out of the weapon hall, he was in a complicated mood. He was kind of attached to the sword Granny Jiao had given him. That sword had saved him countless times in the last few months. Learning that it might not accompany him for much longer in his journey made him feel a bit complicated.

While he understood the reasoning and explanations, his heart still felt troubled abandoning the sword that had been with him through several battles. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he was really reluctant to part with the one item that he had that was connected to his past in a meaningful way.

Duncan returned to his dwelling and once more immersed himself in his cultivation. Duncan liberally used the fasting pills in a bid to cultivate diligently. Initially, things progressed smoothly for Duncan.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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