Disciple Ba Lin had volunteered to take the recruits to the place chosen for their little village. He usually didn't like taking on extra jobs, but he felt like they might provide him with some more entertainment after what had happened on their road back.
That, and he needed money. Despite his glorious name, he wasn't exactly balling in cash.
And while he didn't experience anything out of the ordinary, just seeing the excited faces turn mortified after realizing how utterly fucked they were, granted him some satisfaction.
He could still remember how bad they had it when he first joined. Apart from grueling work, they had rain for more than half the allotted time. That year more than half of the recruits couldn't take it and left on their own before the first month was even over.
Those that remained were all hardworking lads, and they formed strong bonds over the shared misery.
He smiled as he fondly remembered those painful memories. "Ah~! Good times!"
And now he had this guy… What was his name again? Didn't matter. He was the one that began telling those absurd stories about Cultivators. Oh, and how fun those were! Especially that flying on the sword and going against the Heavens, part. He chuckled as the memory resurfaced, still fresh in his mind.
"… stone?" Sure, why not? There was nothing in the rules preventing it, and he told him that much. Though out of the kindness of his heart he advised him against it. This stone was hard! For centuries it was bathed in thick Qi and became nearly indestructible to Mortal hands.
But of course, the guy didn't even listen to the explanation and already tried to pull a mansion straight out of the ground. What arrogance! … Then again, it was the exact thing he tried to do back then.
Maybe he should tell them just in case? Eh, they were supposed to learn it sooner or later anyway…
"Oh yeah, before I leave…" Disciple Ba Lin explained the stuff about the Fortress Formation and Anti-Magic Formation, but the dumbass still didn't get it. Worse yet, he placed his hand on the ground, and after a moment, attacked!
BOOOM!
He was flung like a ragdoll after being struck by a bolt of Qi in the form of lightning. There he went, another Soul of a hothead shattered for no reason. And, of course, the alarm was triggered. Ba Lin sighed, covering his face as he sat on the ground, and waited for a sentinel to come and examine the damage, and take the corpse away.
Perhaps next time he should explain the consequences of attacking the Formation. And it just had to be the guy he had found interesting. Really, what a shame…
"Disciple Ba Lin!" He could hear swift steps approaching from afar. It was one of the guards.
"Senior Disciple!" Ba Lin cupped his fist in greeting. The other Disciple, clearly older than him, looked around vigilantly.
"What happened here? Enemy attack?"
Ba Lin shook his head. "No, Senior Disciple, a recruit mistakenly triggered the Formation." He pointed at the smoking body on the floor. He refrained from saying attacked because that would bring him all sorts of trouble he absolutely didn't need.
"Hmm…" The guard looked around for a bit more, confirming that the situation was under control, and then nodded. "I'll go back and report the situation. Dispose of the body how you see fit."
Some of the recruits were still shaking in fear, eyes wide as they could be.
"Yes, Senior Disciple!" Ba Lin sighed internally and turned around. It wasn't the first time an incident like that happened, nor would it be the last. Now, if he took the corpse to the stables to feed to the beasts, he could perhaps get a Spirit Shard or two for the meat. It was not such a bad idea, and he felt proud of his brilliant mind for coming up with such a genius solution.
There was only one tiny problem. The smoking corpse moved.
[Ugh! My… head…]
Now it was Ba Lin's time to bulge his eyes out like a fish.
***
What… the hell… happened? My head is killing me! I… I don't even remember what…
"Holy shit, man!" Someone shouted in my ears and started shaking me. I couldn't even tell him to stop with this damn headache! And my limbs felt like noodles!
"How are you still alive?!"
"Are you sure the Formation struck him? I have never seen anyone below Nascent Soul survive a strike. Even if it was just the automatic defense retaliation."
"You think he cheated?" I could hear the skepticism in Senior Disciple's voice. "I'll check…"
I felt someone holding my hand and then a palm was pressed against my chest. There came again the tingling sensation that tickled my Soul, only this time it was much more painful. Courtesy of this damn Formation nearly shattering my Soul!
"Nope, he is a complete Mortal, there is no doubt about it. Though his Soul is close to dissipating." The Senior Disciple called Ba announced his findings. Great job buddy, I could have told you as much, just give me some time to gather my strength.
I flexed my chest and throat muscles as I prepared to speak. Out came a barely audible painful groan.
"Junior! It's going to be okay, just rest! You are lucky that the Formation just grazed you. A bit more and you would have died! Make sure to keep this in mind next time you try messing about."
Screw you! Grazed my ass! I took a full thunderbolt directly to my brain! And stop screaming in my ear already, I'm so tired from all of this, just let me sleep…
[Zzzz….]
***
"Oh, he fell asleep…" Ba Lin exclaimed in surprise as Gerald began lightly snoring. "Well, I guess his Soul did nearly extinguish."
"That's one hell of a resilient lad, even if the strike only grazed him." The guard said, expressing his opinion of approval.
"Indeed it is so, Senior Disciple. Indeed it is so." Ba Lin agreed. "He truly is a lucky man."
His superior left soon after, returning to his post to report on the incident. Every such incident was to be documented and written down as per the sect rules. Why that was so, he didn't know. But those were the rules, and there was no time to dally.
Ba Lin examined the wounded lad at his feet once more and whistled. He did not envy his rest. If he had taken a full bolt of Qi to the Soul like that, even if it wouldn't kill him, it would have hurt like a bitch for sure!
While the Nascent Soul Realm did allow for direct Soul attacks, that didn't mean it was good at defending against them.
Ba Lin mused over Gerald's misfortune. He survived, and that's all that mattered. Also, he was still a Mortal, and as such, a wound to the Soul of this magnitude could naturally heal back in a matter of days, maybe weeks at worst. It was still formless after all, nothing like the fixed construct of a seasoned Cultivator.
An untrained Mortal had a myriad of directions he could go, and countless paths he could choose. However, once a Cultivator created his foundation, any damage to the Soul would have to be manually repaired over long months, even years in some cases, or else it would become a weak point in the structure of his Soul, limiting his growth.
Ba Lin shuddered at the thought of those nasty pills that could dissolve Cultivation. But when the outer layer of the Soul was too damaged, sometimes it was best to just wipe it clean and start anew. They were expensive as hell though, those Soul-Erasing and Soul-Dissolving Pill.
"Brrr…" He shook himself out of those nightmarish thoughts as he shuddered, and turned to the recruits that were patiently waiting for his further instructions. He decided to teach them a few important things instead.
"Listen up! Let this be a lesson for all of you today! Don't be arrogant! If you don't know something, or if something isn't clear, ask! Don't go running around in the dark, hoping to stumble on the right answer by chance, that's not how that works." His voice was loud and vigorous, and the words were coming from the bottom of his heart.
"More often than not, such rash actions will result in injury, death in some cases, or worse!" The recruits held their breath, wondering what could be even worse than death. They found themselves clueless.
When his task was done there, Ba Lin decided to chat with them for a little bit, perhaps establishing some good relations with this year's batch. "If you got any questions, I can spare a few minutes to answer them." He offered.
A petite girl raised her hand almost immediately.
"You there, Junior Sister. Got a question you want to ask about your current task, or is it something else?"
"Well, Senior Disciple, I'm looking for my older brother. Do you perhaps know a Disciple by the name-"
He lifted his hand, stopping her from continuing. "Okay, listen up. I know some of you might have older family members in the Sect and you want to see them, but don't let that distract you from your task. After you officially join, every question about the Sect will be answered, you just need to get there first."
Ba Lin clapped his hands, ready to begin. "So, anyone needs advice about building a house? Or at taking down these beautiful Ironbark trees? You'd better ask now because I'm not going to be here forever."
"I got a question, Senior Disciple!"
"Me as well, I have something to ask!"
"Over here too!"
Immediately countless hands rose into the air, young recruits desperate to get advice from their senior for this seemingly monumental task. And so, the first lesson started.