Chapter 10: Lecture!

Chapter 10: Lecture! Lu Chanfeng looked used to being secluded and alone, and the only drive for him to come here must have been a mission of some kind, a task by the library to recruit new workers, and him having gone through far too many dangerous missions to fear drawing in new disciples. An internal battle that was obvious in front of Ken. The slightly squinted eyes, the calculating face, the regulated breathing, and the kindness that emanated from him while talking to a junior—that sense of seniority and superiority, like a big brother—couldn’t be hidden. But at the same time he looked as if he wanted to just get rid of these awkward few moments. The first few minutes of knowing someone were the most nerve-wracking. Ken almost chuckled; he seemed to be paying a lot of attention to what to do and say and was definitely not used to socializing. But that’s not what Ken wanted to know; he studied more things. He wanted to see how the newly recruited disciples would become once they spent enough time here. Though the situation he found himself in, as well as the limited amount of resources, meant only this senior in front of him wasn’t enough, that is why he continued the talk. Maybe wherever this led would allow him some additional benefits, as was hinted. Working in the library was, after all, something he himself thought of. "Well, I’m interested, but as a new recruit I don’t have much knowledge about the matters of the sect." Ken said. "No matter, you’ll meet a lot of seniors soon enough, and even more so in the library; the atmosphere in the sect, as you might have noticed, is one where every single yard is made to benefit you somehow, and nobody, and I mean nobody, will refuse to help you or answer your problems." The senior said. "Back when we just got here, the seniors were sometimes more helpful, to the point where some of them became closer to us than our own parents." Chanfeng smiled. "And let me tell you this, we aren’t planning on stopping this culture in our generation." He winked; the air around the two of them eased a lot, something that made Chanfeng sigh with relief, while Ken just smiled faintly. "Very well, I’m happy to hear that." Ken nodded. "So what do you think? Even if working in the library doesn’t promise extravagant rewards, it helps in more ways than one can count. but nonetheless, the additional monthly rewards are nothing to scoff at, even if it’s not much compared to other jobs around here." Chanfeng added. Ken nodded, then thought to himself for some time; he wasn’t after the benefits. Soon, he would start planning, and the resources he would come across were calculated to be more than any of these seniors could ever dream of, nor anything the sect would just hand out. But that was if his plans were perfected and performed without any mishap. That was something Ken would make sure of. "That sounds good enough." Ken nodded and got up, and just at that time, the girl from before brought the food for him. "Hmm?" Chanfeng looked at Ken weirdly; he didn’t think this would get taken care of so fast. He wanted to speak more and expected that even if Ken were to accept, it would take a couple days of back and forth. Who would expect a new disciple who knew what he was doing? Either that, or he had absolutely no plans. Most others at this point would be holed up and getting used to their first year here, attending lectures, learning a few things, and cultivating. They wouldn’t even think of accepting and, if asked, would make excuses, or if they were slightly smarter, would look for other choices. Rarely did anyone accept, and even more rare was for someone to accept fast or come to volunteer willingly. That is why this task was always deemed a pain. "Alright, Ken, right? You can come to the library at the same time in 3 days." Chanfeng said, getting up from his seat. "Alright, I won’t bother you as you eat; see you soon." -------- It was dawn; by now Ken had woken up and had been meditating for a few hours, as today they had the regular lectures. The sect, which focused on progress as always, held lectures by elders once or twice a week. The lectures didn’t have a fixed length, as they could take from an hour to a day. The previous Ken had only gone to a few, as they had been allowed some time to get used to the sect life before they started. But now, they were expected to be there every time and even arrive a few minutes before the given time. When dawn broke a bell rang slowly, holding more of a spiritual signal than a sound one, notifying the disciples of the time. Every hour it did so, making sure everybody had a grasp of their time. Three hours after dawn, the lecture was held, but Ken had arrived there an hour before. By now, he had already gotten today’s information providence, and though it was related to the sect, it wasn’t the secret realm like yesterday. It spoke about the hidden details of the sect, not the surface ones, as if telling Ken that he shouldn’t be worried about information that he can easily access, only granting fatal ones. This, in fact, allowed him to breathe in relief, as even without knowing the dangers of the world, from the information provided, he had come to know that whatever this land was to go through, the Spirit Mountain Sect would remain unshaken. It was simply that solid, having a history of tens of thousands of years and being the first sect to ever be founded; it had more knowledge and held on to humanity more than anything else dared to claim. -----End-----