Chapter 30: The Gap Between High and Low

“This method, cultivated to its depths, must be the legendary soaring among the clouds and riding the mists…”

Fang Cun was watching from the back, his heart filled with longing.

To ride the clouds, command the wind, sweeping upwards for thousands of miles, journeying to the Northern Sea in the morning and resting at Cangwu by dusk — what unparalleled freedom would that be?

It was just a pity, his cultivation was still shallow. Commanding a sword or a cat? That he could try. But wishing to lift himself into flight? That was still hard.

At this moment, Elder Zhong Yue began explaining the Art of Object Manipulation needed for commanding swords, pellets, and the techniques of flight. Profound and marvelous, he spoke simply so all could grasp it. Fang Cun listened with deep concentration. Many of the confusions he’d encountered during his own study slowly unraveled. Each time he heard a vital point, a feeling of understanding dawned: So that’s how it is. A sense of satisfaction washed over him; he felt this lecture was absolutely worthwhile.

Time flowed by. The lecture lasted until the afternoon. Not only did the crowd not thin, it actually grew larger.

Even at noon, no one left for a meal. Everyone listened intently. After all, as Qi Refiners, they could handle hunger well!

Elder Zhong Yue spoke clearly and vividly, unraveling doubts for many. Once he finished explaining the main principles of the few major schools within the Art of Object Manipulation, the lecture drew to its close. The Elder took a cup of tea offered by a young attendant, sipped, and said with a laugh, “The Art of Object Manipulation is one of the two most fundamental tools of a Qi Refiner. The practice method is simple: learn more, practice more. When you have free time, practice it ten, a hundred times. That is far more useful than listening to this old geezer ramble on all day!”

The assembled cultivators laughed along with him.

Elder Zhong Yue chuckled again, adding, “But the simpler the method, the more important it is. Among the three hundred disciples of our White Xiang Academy, only a scant few have a chance to enter the Shenzong Orthodox Path truly. The vast majority will rely on this Art of Object Manipulation as the most important means of their entire lives. Regardless of cultivation level, the quality of your Art of Object Manipulation affects your very survival…”

Upon hearing this, the gaze of the crowd unconsciously shifted towards a group of disciples seated farthest back.

The ones who would rely solely on the Art of Object Manipulation to survive and face enemies were precisely these.

Swept up in the moment, Elder Zhong Yue lightly flicked his wide sleeve. From nearby, he summoned a green boulder, roughly half a man’s height. It landed steadily at the base of the Lecture Boulder.

Everyone sensed what was about to happen. They stood up, moving aside, eagerly anticipating the imminent demonstration. Those who had dozed off were nudged awake, watching expectantly.

With the boulder now present, Elder Zhong Yue said, “Especially you children from Yuanzhi Pavilion. Others spend three years studying at the academy; you do too. We don’t demand you all achieve the Treasure Body stage. But neglecting this Art of Object Manipulation? That cannot happen!”

“After all, if you ever go to the Nightwatcher Palace, insufficient skill there means losing your life…”

His gaze swept across them, and he smiled, “Let a few of you come forward. Let this old man see how your mastery fares!”

Among the Yuanzhi Pavilion disciples, some had found the lecture utterly incomprehensible but dared not leave. They knew that whenever an Elder Mentor lectured, the end often involved casually examining a few disciples. But before, those called upon were always the academy’s top seedlings. Who would have expected this time, Elder Zhong Yue bypassed them and looked straight towards them?

For a moment, they exchanged awkward glances, hesitating and stammering, unwilling to step forward.

“Liu Ji, Shen Chi, Yuan Zhen! You three, come and try!”

Seeing the Yuanzhi Pavilion disciples shrinking back like turtles retracting into shells, Instructor Yuanzhi, seated cross-legged near the lecture platform, frowned. He slowly stood up, scanned the Yuanzhi Pavilion group, and called out several names. The named disciples reluctantly rose and, under everyone’s gaze, walked to the front. They came to a stop three zhang away from the green boulder.

“Honorable Elders, Masters, this disciple will show their poor skills…”

The young disciple named Liu Ji stepped up first. He slowly extended his palm towards the boulder. A sign of Internal Breath stirring appeared as a faint, mist-like aura rose from his body. A formless force wrapped around the boulder.

For a long, long time, the boulder quivered slightly, seemingly about to lift from the earth. But after another long pause, it stubbornly remained still.

Liu Ji’s magical power had been exhausted. He flushed bright red with shame and retreated into the crowd.

Someone nearby chuckled, “Truly just showing poor skills…”

Instructor Yuanzhi’s expression turned grim; he snorted through his nose.

In the surrounding crowd, scattered laughter broke out. Having studied at the academy for two years, consuming countless resources, yet unable to lift even this one boulder? The legendary disciples of Yuanzhi Pavilion truly lived up to their infamous reputation of being useless…

After Liu Ji’s attempt, several other disciples came forward one by one. Their Internal Breaths varied – some stronger, some weaker. Some stood there exuding great confidence. Others stared intensely at the boulder as if it were a deadly foe. Yet, despite multiple attempts, not a single one managed to lift the boulder more than a fraction off the ground.

The best attempt merely got it an inch off the dirt!

Seeing this, more than a few among the gathered cultivators laughed out loud. Murmurs and chatter grew lively.

Especially those who had journeyed in from outside the academy. They had seen academy disciples being tested before, but only the outstanding elite ones, each more dazzlingly talented than the last, leaving them awed and envious. But now? Seeing a whole group flushed with effort yet helpless against the boulder felt quite novel.

In their hearts, they made a firm judgment about the future prospects of these academy bottom-feeders.

Such incompetents? Forget being chosen by the Shenzong Orthodox Path, even the Nightwatcher Palace probably wouldn’t want them.

While the Yuanzhi Pavilion disciples were taking their turns, Fang Cun was quietly observing. The dark green boulder was over a man’s height and stood firmly. It likely weighed around a hundred jin. Watching these pitiful disciples strain to no effect, he silently assessed the vast gap between the academy’s top and bottom disciples.

That Meng Zhixue, the dullard Meng – without any visible movement or strain, just a flicker of concentration – had effortlessly moved his entire carriage, including the horse and himself (easily several hundred jin), out of the thicket and onto the road. Yet these Yuanzhi Pavilion disciples couldn’t budge a mere hundred-jin boulder. The difference between high and low was like heaven and earth!

“Among Qi Refiners, some are strong, some are weak. Who knew this gap would start right in the academy and be so vast already…”

Just as Fang Cun pondered this, Elder Zhong Yue, seeing the Yuanzhi Pavilion disciples embarrass themselves one by one, also showed a trace of displeasure. He sighed softly and said, “For disciples of lesser aptitude like yourselves, the academy places no excessive demands on your cultivation progress. But the Art of Object Manipulation is the foundation of practical techniques. You must devote yourselves more diligently to it in the future…”

The Yuanzhi Pavilion disciples all flushed crimson and hung their heads in silence.

Instructor Yuanzhi, watching them from the front, also had a face like thunder. His gaze swept over them coldly. Disciples who bring no glory naturally embarrass their Instructor.

Just as the visibly disappointed Elder Zhong Yue was about to raise his sleeve to send the boulder away, Meng Zhixue, seated beside him, suddenly leaned close and whispered something to him. Elder Zhong Yue’s eyes instantly brightened. He lifted his head to scan the crowd and said with a genial laugh, “Isn’t the younger brother of Immortal Master Fang Chi of Great Xia also attending our academy? I wonder, where might he be right now?”