"Dou Disciple: First stage!"
Looking at the dim characters flickering on the Dou Qi test monument, the boy's face revealed an unusually excited smile!
The surrounding children of the same age cast envious glances. They were all orphans brought in from outside by Misty Cloud Sect. Only those who cultivated to the first stage of Dou Disciple within a month would be allowed to stay and become outer disciples of Misty Cloud Sect. Those who couldn't pass the assessment would be sent back where they came from!
The white-robed elder in charge of the test swept a indifferent gaze over the group of children in front of him. His slightly hoarse voice showed no joy or sorrow: "Class C, Number 13, passed!"
"Thank you, Elder Yun Fan."
The boy bowed to the old man.
Yun Fan glanced slightly surprised at the boy. If he remembered correctly, this little boy in front of him was picked up from the beggar heap in the Imperial Capital.
As for the reason, it was purely a matter of affinity.
The boy had delicate features, and even with a dirty face, it couldn't conceal the ethereal temperament on him. Among the beggars, he stood out conspicuously.
As proven by facts, regardless of the world, the first impression people have is based on appearances!
"Go to the registration hall for outer disciples."
Yun Fan casually sent the boy away without special attention.
After all, over the years, he had brought back orphans for Misty Cloud Sect from the outside, numbering not less than a thousand.
But this was not for charity; it was to select children with aptitude to cultivate them into disciples for the sect.
The majority of orphans couldn't pass the first round of aptitude assessments, resulting in their expulsion from the sect.
Misty Cloud Sect does not keep idle people!
"Name, age."
Ge Ye, the outer disciple steward of Misty Cloud Sect, registered the list with a brush in hand.
"Sir, the junior's nickname is Tianming, six years old this year, without a surname."
A child's face full of innocence revealed a hint of shrewdness in his eyes.
In the Dou Qi Continent, most people with names and surnames are born into a certain family. Common ordinary folks do not have their own surnames, such as Qingling, and so on.
As for why the boy knew about Little Fairy Doctor and Qingling, the answer was simple: he was a transmigrator!
As for the various things from his previous life, let's not dwell on them.
In short, one day when he woke up, he had transmigrated to the Dou Qi Continent, becoming an unnamed and surnameless beggar boy. He was picked up by passing Misty Cloud Sect elders.
To be honest, anyone who has read the original novel knows that Misty Cloud Sect is not a good place. It was the first opposing force destroyed by the protagonist, Xiao Yan, in the early stages.
Unfortunately, he did not transmigrate into the offspring of a major family. Starting as a beggar, he had no choice but to passively arrive at Misty Cloud Sect.
Faced with the first assessment, he had to cultivate to the first stage of Dou Disciple within a month. Being a beggar by birth, he had no prestigious bloodline, and his cultivation talent could not even be described as mediocre; it was downright poor.
After a month, he could only sense an extremely faint Dou Qi, not even reaching the first stage.
Just when he was extremely anxious, last night he finally awakened the golden finger as a transmigrator—the system!
[Strengthening System]
This system could strengthen all things in the world, including Dou Qi, Dou Technique, Qi Method, Pills, weapons, and so on. The strengthening level would be determined by the host's own level.
Tianming first strengthened his own weak Dou Qi. Finally, at the last deadline of one month, he reached the first stage of Dou Disciple. He successfully passed the assessment to become an outer disciple of Misty Cloud Sect.
"No surname? It happens to match the sect's surname. Let's call you Yun Tianming!"
"Starting today, you are now an outer disciple of my Misty Cloud Sect!"
Ge Ye said expressionlessly.
For the sect, orphans without a family background were preferable as they could be cultivated into the most loyal disciples. When necessary, even if it meant sacrificing them, they would willingly lay down their lives for Misty Cloud Sect!
"Thank you, sir!"
"Kid Yun Tianming, willing to give my life for the sect!"
The boy deliberately acted grateful and moved.
In reality, he, with the mindset of an adult, had long seen through Misty Cloud Sect's manipulation of people's hearts.
In his previous life, although he was an ordinary commoner, he was a free person with a name and surname.
The reason he concealed his surname today was to gain Misty Cloud Sect's trust.
Even though he is currently just an outer disciple of Misty Cloud Sect, purely a disposable existence, as long as he demonstrates talent in the future and becomes a formal disciple, having no family background would make it easier for him to enter the higher echelons of Misty Cloud Sect.
For example, the current sect master, Yun Yun, also originated as an orphan taken in by the former sect master, Yun Shan. The elders of Misty Cloud Sect all share the Yun surname.
As for people like Ge Ye, with an external surname, he is likely born into some middle-tier family in the Jia Ma Empire. At best, he can only serve as an outer disciple steward, finding it difficult to enter the core of Misty Cloud Sect.
"Well, work hard and strive to become a formal disciple of Misty Cloud Sect in the future. Life will get sweeter!"
Ge Ye was very satisfied with the boy's loyal performance and skillfully painted a rosy picture for him.
"Sweeter!"
Yun Tianming nodded innocently, his eyes shining.
————————
Four years later.
In the medicinal fields behind Misty Cloud Sect, a ten-year-old boy sat on the muddy ground, hands emitting a verdant Dou Qi, carefully nurturing medicinal seedlings.
Under normal circumstances, the growth cycle of the lowest-level medicinal herbs is at least three to five months, while higher-level herbs require even longer. Therefore, it is necessary to have dedicated individuals for cultivating herbs.
For outer disciples of Misty Cloud Sect, besides their daily cultivation, they actually spend more time undertaking various chores for the sect.
Yun Tianming was detected to possess Wood Attribute Dou Qi, so he was assigned to the back mountain to cultivate medicinal fields.
"It's done! This Blue Spirit Grass has grown."
Looking at the vibrant light blue spirit grass in front of him, Yun Tianming's face revealed a joyful smile.
Wood Attribute Dou Qi not only has the effect of nurturing herbs but also can shorten the growth cycle of medicinal herbs.
Although this is a tough task, for Yun Tianming, during the process of cultivating herbs, he can also practice Dou Qi.
It is through these four years of daily hard work that he has progressed from being a first-stage Dou Disciple to a fifth-stage Dou Disciple!
"Still not enough."
"Compared to Xiao Yan, who had reached the ninth stage of Dou Disciple at the age of ten, my cultivation speed is as slow as a crawling turtle!"
Yun Tianming's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a strong sense of crisis arose in his heart.
Through gathering information, he learned that in the timeline he currently occupies, he happens to be the same age as Xiao Yan. In other words, when Xiao Yan destroys Misty Cloud Sect, as a disciple of Misty Cloud Sect, he will inevitably be implicated!
"To become stronger, I must find a way to obtain more cultivation resources!"
A glint of determination flashed in Yun Tianming's eyes.
Pills are undoubtedly the best items to enhance cultivation speed.
As a lowly outer disciple, to obtain Pills, he needs to contribute to the sect.
For instance, the medicinal fields where Yun Tianming is located, by cultivating high-quality herbs, he can receive rewards from the sect.
However, this is obviously not an easy task.
Firstly, these medicinal seedlings are not easy to nurture, requiring the continuous use of Wood Attribute Dou Qi for a long time.
For most young outer disciples who lack patience due to their age, the work is simply unbearable.
Yun Tianming, on the other hand, has no issues in this regard. In his previous life, he experienced the challenges of the college entrance examination, postgraduate entrance examination, and civil service examination, already cultivating a strong and unyielding will.
Therefore, he can often spend an entire day in the medicinal fields without any problems. Thanks to Yun Tianming's careful attention, the survival rate of the herbs in the fields he manages reaches an impressive 75%! Among the contemporaneous outer disciples tending to the fields, the average survival rate of the herbs is only about 30%, and those below 25% not only receive no rewards but also face punishments from the sect.
Light punishments may include cleaning toilets, while severe punishments could lead to the removal of Dou Qi and expulsion from the sect!
"Now, let's begin."
Yun Tianming held a Blue Spirit Grass in his hand, opening the system interface—
[Ding~]
[Discovered a Blue Spirit Grass of 1.1 quality. Using enhancement can upgrade it to 1.4 quality. Would you like to enhance it?]
"Enhance!"