NOVEL SIMPLE My Path... is Dance!
During the cultivation lecture earlier, Elder Mo Tianfeng spoke about how everything in the world could be aligned to the concept of cultivation. He further elaborated that as long as a cultivator understood the fundamental laws, even their interests and hobbies could be applied to their cultivation path.
This immediately got Lu Zhiying thinking.
Just what were her interests and hobbies, and how could they be applied to her cultivation path?
The things that immediately came to mind were not exactly things that she wanted to continue doing in the future, so that was out of the question.
Gardening?
No, not really.
Even though she had chosen to take up a job with the Herb Gardens, the decision was mainly driven by convenience instead of interest.
In that case, there was only one other thing that she could think of.
Dance.
Lu Zhiying had never learnt how to dance prior to joining the Black Tortoise Sect.
However, she could not deny that she truly felt good after being showered with praise for her dance attempts. Even though most others would find the week of dance training with Leng Huiqi to be brutally intensive, Lu Zhiying truly enjoyed every moment of it!
That was not to mention the actual performance with the Flying Shell Performance Group during the New Year celebrations, when she was once again acknowledged for her ability.
This experience had left a lasting impression on her – one that she would likely remember for the rest of her life!
And since even Elder Mo Tianfeng said that anything was possible, then she would believe in herself and do just that.
What myriad swords and unstoppable sabres?
What freezing ice and blazing fire?
All of that is nothing special in my eyes.
My path... is dance!
From the very moment Lu Zhiying decided that, everything started to come together in her head.
It was like pieces of a puzzle returning to their rightful place, slowly revealing the beautiful picture that had been broken up and locked away as a secret to the world all this while.
Things just came instinctively to her, allowing her to effortlessly join together move after move, technique after technique – all in a seamless manner that seemed as natural as a fish taken to water.
This sensation was beyond satisfying.
Even calling it that would still be grossly understating what that Lu Zhiying was actually feeling right now!
“Level 2!” Lu Zhiying called out with an excited grin on her face.
Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi could not help but exchange glances upon hearing Lu Zhiying’s words.
Level 2?
That was simply unthinkable for someone who had only joined the sect for a month, especially since she had no cultivation experience prior to that!
But once they remembered that Lu Zhiying was already in the Intermediate Foundation Building realm, this sounded slightly more reasonable.
After all, Levels 1 and 2 were generally for those at the Foundation Building realm.
It was not unheard of for those at the Intermediate Foundation Building realm to challenge the next level.
However, it was not going to be easy for them at all.
And just as they had expected, Lu Zhiying quickly began to show signs of struggling.
The difference between each level was not to be underestimated. Upon entering Level 2, the speed of the wooden puppets suddenly reached a whole new level!
For the newbie cultivator who had only joined the cultivation world for slightly over a month, this still proved to be a little too much to handle.
Lu Zhiying might have been able to dance around the puppets initially, but it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened.
Bang-!
A wooden puppet came from the side and slammed into Lu Zhiying, who had just avoided another puppet and was thus unable to dodge this one in time.
“Ouch!” Lu Zhiying cried out in shock as she tumbled to the ground.
However, the excited grin on her face immediately grew wider as she jumped right back to her feet.
Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi could not help but feel a sense of déjà vu.
Last time, Lu Zhiying only got more excited the more injured she got... and this month was no different.
Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!
“Hahaha! This is fun!” Lu Zhiying exclaimed despite being struck repeatedly within the array.
The wounds that she had gotten from the Vermilion Bird Sect members had yet to fully heal, and she was already well on her way to collect a brand new set!
“Stop the array!” Gu Qiansi eventually called out in concern, unable to keep watching.
A similar thing might have happened last month, but the situation was different this time.
Lu Zhiying was currently facing Level 2 puppets, which meant that the damage she received from each impact was significantly higher than those at Level 1.
Not only that, but she was also already injured from the start.
Even though the injuries had been treated by Huang An, there was still a chance of the wounds reopening if strained hard enough.
Since the junior martial sister was acting irresponsibly, it was up to her – the senior martial sister – to intervene!
However, her words only fell on deaf ears as the array continued running.
That was because, apart from using their own discretion, the duty disciple was only supposed to listen to the requests of the disciple challenging the array when it came to activating or stopping the array.
Since Lu Zhiying was the one challenging the array right now, the duty disciple simply ignored Gu Qiansi’s instruction.
Thankfully, Lu Zhiying did not ignore her as well.
“Eh?” Lu Zhiying revealed a look of surprise upon hearing Gu Qiansi.
“Stop the array, Junior Martial Sister Lu!” Gu Qiansi called out upon realising the situation. “You have already done enough for today!”
“But I’m not done yet...” Lu Zhiying replied with a tinge of reluctance.
“Something more fun will be happening tomorrow, and you will need to be in the best condition to handle it,” Zhao Yunxiao answered. “Remember the recruitment for helpers for the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm? You will never be able to pass if you are not at your best!”
“Oh!” Lu Zhiying’s eyes lit up immediately. “Stop the array!”
With a low rumble, the emblem of light on the ground dissipated and the puppets stopped moving.
Gu Qiansi took a quick glance at Zhao Yunxiao, then at Lu Zhiying.
She could not help but feel that the two of them were both getting better and better at handling each other.
But this was a good thing.
After all, this allowed Zhao Yunxiao to prevent Lu Zhiying from getting further injured.
Though, when she took a second look, the battered Lu Zhiying still appeared to be in a much better state than the reckless Zhao Yunxiao!
Gu Qiansi could not help but rub her temples.
How did she end up hanging out with these two troublemakers?
“That was amazing, Junior Martial Sister Lu!” Zhao Yunxiao praised as Lu Zhiying rejoined them. “But when did you come up with that?”
“Hmm? Come up with what?” Lu Zhiying asked nonchalantly while massaging her aching body.
“The way you incorporated the Xuanwu Movement Art into your dance!” Zhao Yunxiao said.
“Oh, that? I came up with that just now during the lecture,” Lu Zhiying answered frankly.
“During the lecture...?” Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.
Didn’t she just break through to the Intermediate Foundation Building realm during the lecture?
How did she find the time to come up with this as well?
As expected, the world of geniuses was something that he would never be able to understand!
“So, what about the recruitment test tomorrow?” Lu Zhiying asked excitedly.
“Oh, you’re right. I should probably prepare you for it in advance since this is your first time,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “Tomorrow, different tests will be conducted for the different roles that they are recruiting for. If it’s the same as the previous years, then they will be looking for people in charge of setup, observers, ushers, chefs, personal attendants, performers, and facilitators. Of which, personal attendants are the most popular, while setup is the least popular.”
The popularity of the various roles was generally governed by a single rule of thumb – amount of exposure to the big shots.
After all, attention from the big shots could, in itself, be considered a huge benefit!
In this aspect, personal attendants definitely get to enjoy the greatest amount of exposure, having to serve them throughout the event.
On the other hand, the setup team would already be done with their job even before the arrival of the big shots, granting them a close to zero chance of enjoying any exposure whatsoever.
Following which, Zhao Yunxiao began to explain the different tasks required for each role.
“As for the tests, they will usually be conducted in two stages. Those whose residences belong to adjacent districts will be grouped and tested together for the first stage,” Zhao Yunxiao continued. “Those who passed the tests in their group would then come together for a combined test in the second stage. Through that, they will confirm the final members selected to be official helpers during the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm.”
The Outer Disciples’ Quarters was separated into male and female sections. Both sections were then further divided into specific districts, with each district containing about a hundred residences.
If there were no absentees and everyone elected to participate in the recruitment tests, there would still be hundreds of outer disciples competing in each individual group during the first stage!
“So, what roles will you be applying for?” Lu Zhiying asked.
“To increase our chances of success, it is best not to apply for the more popular roles,” Zhao Yunxiao advised. “I will be applying to be an observer.”
Zhao Yunxiao had applied for the same role last year and managed to pass the test, so he was hoping to repeat that feat this time.
“I will be applying to be an usher,” Gu Qiansi said.
“Usher, again? I keep telling you to apply for a chef role instead,” Zhao Yunxiao rolled his eyes. “With your culinary skills, I’m sure you will get in!”
“And I keep telling you that I don’t want to be a chef during the event!” Gu Qiansi retorted. “Do you know how time sensitive and intense it can be for the chefs? It is not the same as casually cooking up a meal in my free time!”
“A tough role is still better than not getting a role,” Zhao Yunxiao shrugged.
“You and your foul mouth! I will pass the test this time!” Gu Qiansi argued.
“That’s what you said last year too,” Zhao Yunxiao muttered quietly before turning to Lu Zhiying. “What about you, Junior Martial Sister Lu? Is there a role that interests you? Then again, you don’t have to stress too much over it. It’s not easy for Foundation Building realm disciples to pass any of the tests, so you can just treat it as an experience of sorts.”
“Is that so?” Lu Zhiying rubbed her chin in contemplation. “In that case, I will apply to be an observer like you!”
“No, that’s not wise,” Zhao Yunxiao shook his head in disapproval. “If you apply to be an usher, I think that you might even stand a chance of getting selected!”
This was a very practical world.
With how high profile Lu Zhiying had been so far, coupled with how she looked, she might actually be able to make up for her lack of skills as an usher.
After all, most people would feel better when served by good looking people, even if the other party was merely instructing them on where to go next!
Another role where this logic applied was the personal attendant role, but the competition for that was simply too fierce.
And even if she did get in by a stroke of luck, the actual responsibilities would likely be far too demanding for someone like Lu Zhiying, who would only be experiencing this event for the first time.
“Why do you recommend her that, but tell me otherwise?” Gu Qiansi frowned.
“That’s because you stand more of a chance in the chef role!” Zhao Yunxiao explained. “As for Lu Zhiying, I simply cannot see how she can pass the recruitment test for any other role. So despite the slim chances, she might as well try for the usher role.”
“No! I want to be part of the situation reporting!” Lu Zhiying refused Zhao Yunxiao’s suggestion.
“If you insist...” Zhao Yunxiao sighed helplessly.
He knew just how difficult it was to pass the test for the observer role, and there was no way that Lu Zhiying stood a chance.
Unfortunately, this junior martial sister of his seemed to have learnt from Gu Qiansi’s stubbornness, simply refusing to apply for the roles that they were most likely to qualify for.
Since that was the case, he could only let them learn the lesson themselves!