Mo Hua got up at 6 A.M and began his routine cultivation practice.
An hour later, his cultivation practice ended, and he headed to the classroom to wait for the instructor.
Instructors are the general term for those who teach Sect Disciples at Tongxian Gate, imparting specific lessons in cultivation, formations, alchemy, artifact refining, and so on. They are also responsible for overseeing and guiding the cultivation progress of the Outer Gate Disciples.
Like other sects in the Cultivation World, Tongxian Gate also classifies disciples into three categories: direct disciples, Inner Gate, and Outer Gate.
The Sect's Outer Gate is open to the public for teaching the Tao and instructing others in cultivation, relying on the tuition fees charged for disciples' admittance as a source of income. The techniques taught to Outer Gate Disciples are ones the Sect is willing to make public; once these disciples graduate or leave, they retain a sentimental bond with the Sect, but without any actual ties.
The Inner Gate is the core of the Sect; Inner Gate Disciples depend on the Sect and manage its various industries in addition to their cultivation, such as spiritual mines, spiritual lands, caves, and businesses.
Inner Gate Disciples have access to the Sect's not readily-transferred techniques and spells. Bound by the relationship between master and disciple, their connection to the Sect is vital and inseparable. Should an Inner Gate Disciple commit an offense outside, their Sect can be held accountable; if one were to betray their Sect, they are often viewed as committing a grave and unforgivable act, with severe consequences.
Direct disciples of the Sect are the legitimate successors from within the Inner Gate Disciples. These disciples are either blood related to the Sect Leader or Elders or share a deep bond of master-disciple kinship. They are the core of the Sect and often go on to succeed as Sect Leaders or Elders in highly significant positions.
Direct disciples learn the Sect's most core techniques and other profound teachings that are forbidden to be transmitted externally. Should a direct disciple betray the Sect, they must be hunted down and killed.
The "Taoist Law" prohibits cultivators from exercising private justice or indiscriminate killing. Hunting down a Sect's direct disciple for betrayal violates the Taoist Law and would result in the Taoist Court's accountability. However, most affairs related to betrayal are managed by the local Taoist Court. The Taoist Court holds the greatest power, and its subordinate departments, which oversee each state, realm, and even each city, are not always staffed by powerful cultivators.
As the betrayal of a direct disciple concerns the core teachings of a Sect, it carries significant weight, and generally, the local Taoist Court will not intervene—especially not with the Great Sects that dominate a region.
However, none of this has much to do with Mo Hua.
He was merely a Class C disciple of the Outer Gate at Tongxian Gate, neither from the Inner Gate, nor to mention a direct disciple. Even if he wished to be hunted down, others wouldn't deem him worth the effort...
Mo Hua wanted to join the Inner Gate, but he had neither Spirit Stones nor connections, making it unlikely for him in this lifetime, let alone become one of the Sect's direct disciples.
Mo Hua calmed his mind and focused his energy, sitting in his place for a while until he saw Instructor Yan enter with a serious expression on his face.
Instructor Yan, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, was very strict and had already reached the Qi Refining Ninth Level in his cultivation.
Within Tongxian Gate, Instructor Yan held a high position because, among all the instructors, only he taught formations, and it was said he might become a Class A Formation Master after an upcoming assessment in a few years.
All the Qi Refinement Realm disciples at Tongxian Gate had their formation lessons taught by Instructor Yan. Regardless of whether they were from a Clan or Loose Cultivators, Instructor Yan treated everyone equally, spared no one's dignity when it came to mistakes, and administered reprimands and punishments where due.
Hence, the disciples of Tongxian Gate both respected and feared Instructor Yan.
The Sect's tuition is paid annually, hence the lessons are held once a year as well.
Today marked the last day of Tongxian Gate's annual cultivation, and once it passed, there would be an extended break of over half a month. The assessment results for various courses taken by the Sect Disciples would also be issued today.
In his hands, Instructor Yan held a stack of report cards.
The disciples felt uneasy, and though Mo Hua normally wouldn't care much, seeing his fellow disciples looking like they were facing a great enemy made him feel nervous as well.
Soon, Mo Hua received his own Sect assessment results.
As usual, his formation assessment was graded Class A, his strongest subject. There weren't many disciples in Tongxian Gate who could achieve Class A in formations, and Mo Hua was one of them.
His cultivation was only rated as Class B, not due to lack of effort, but because of limited potential. With his medium-grade Small Five Elements Spiritual Root, there was only so much he could do—his achievements fell short when compared to some and were barely above others.
For the other subjects that could be mastered with time, such as Taoist Calendar history, Qi Refinement overviews, he mostly secured Class A grades. But for subjects requiring spending Spirit Stones on materials, like alchemy and rune making, he scored either Class B or C.
Coming from a poor family, Mo Hua could not even afford to borrow a Pill Furnace, naturally leading to poor performance. During assessments, he could only rely on intuition in his attempts to refine anything, leaving success up to chance, which meant his results were not only a matter of luck but also highly unstable.
Overall, though, his grades were quite good. As the saying goes, "One excellence can cover a hundred flaws." After all, mastering formations was no easy task, and achieving Class A in that field was quite commendable.
Instructor Yan spoke a few words before he had to leave temporarily. The students in the room then started to whisper among themselves as they compared their grades.
"Mo Hua, you've got a 'Class A' in formations again!" A disciple sneakily glanced at Mo Hua's report card, then exclaimed with admiration.
"Again a Class A..."
"I've always been a Class B..."
"I'm still at Class C."
"Formations are so hard to learn; just looking at formation patterns gives me a headache..."
"..."
The disciples flocked to Mo Hua's side.
"Hmph!" A disciple from the Qian Family, clad in a silver-white Taoist robe, dissatisfied with the scene, snorted and said,
"What's so great about that? Just drawing a few simple formations for the sect gets you a 'Class A'."
"And what did you get?" another disciple asked defiantly.
"Why should I tell you?" the Qian family disciple scorned.
Another disciple sneakily glanced at his scorecard, then burst into laughter, "He got a 'Grade C'!"
The disciples were stunned for a moment, then roared with laughter.
"You got a 'Grade C' and still mock someone who got an 'A'; you've got some thick skin!"
"Thicker than an Artifact Furnace!"
"And you're a Qian Family disciple too, so clumsy. You're not even as good as I am; I got a 'B'."
The Qian family disciple flew into a rage, "So what if it's 'Class A'? No Formation Master among the Loose Cultivators, do you understand?"
Pointing at Mo Hua and the others, he said, "You bunch of Loose Cultivators, frogs in a well, without any inheritance. Listen carefully. For a lifetime, yes, for a lifetime, not one of you can become a Formation Master. Pah, talking about 'Class A'! Remember this, there can never be a true Formation Master among Loose Cultivators! If you don't understand, I can repeat it."
"Loose Cultivators will never be worthy of becoming Formation Masters!"
The surrounding disciples kept silent.
Mo Hua looked at him as if he were a fool, then stood up, facing behind the Qian Family disciple, and bowed with respect, saying,
"Instructor Yan, good day!"
It was as if the Qian Family disciple had been struck by lightning. His head stiffly turned around, and sure enough, he saw Instructor Yan standing right behind him, his face ashen.
"The sect is a place for imparting the Tao and cultivating the Tao, not for you to compare and belittle your peers!"
"Your own formation studies are so poor, and you still have the shame to mock your peers?"
"Now go outside and stand as a punishment until it gets dark."
"Also, draw the basic Five Elements Formation Patterns a hundred times. Show them to me when the school starts next year. If you can't do it, don't bother coming back..."
The Qian Family disciple's face turned ashen, but he didn't dare to retort even a single word.
Instructor Yan's position was high, able to discipline even a direct descendent of the Qian family, let alone him, a distant relative with faint blood ties.
The Qian Family disciple slinked away to his punishment.
Instructor Yan stood in front of Mo Hua, fell silent for a moment, then reached out and patted Mo Hua's slender shoulders, sighing, "Don't mind what others say, focus on your studies."
Mo Hua's expression was unchanged as he respectfully bowed to Instructor Yan, "Your disciple will keep this in mind."
Instructor Yan nodded, then walked over to the instructor's seat. He instructed the disciples for a few more sentences and then announced the year-end break for the sect, allowing everyone to go home.
The disciples suppressed their excitement, thanked the instructors for a year of guidance in their cultivation, then scattered like birds and beasts.
The sect's year-end break brought joy and elation to the disciples.
Yet Mo Hua felt a complexity in his heart.
These Qi Refinement Realm disciples, most of them still young and carefree, could hardly comprehend the hardships of the life of cultivation.
Thinking of his father's injury-laden body after hunting monsters and his mother's haggard look, Mo Hua felt a sourness in his heart and couldn't help but sigh.
Becoming a first-grade Formation Master was still a distant dream, but within his means, he wanted to give his parents a better life.
Mo Hua packed up his scorecard and, with twelve Spirit Stones in his arms, he didn't head home after leaving Tongxian Gate but walked towards the Market Town instead.