"Understood."
Zhang Rongfang was enlightened.
At this moment, he lowered his head and glanced at his own attribute panel.
'Zhang Rongfang — Life 8-9, Skill: Void Observation Skill. Available Attributes: 0.'
Indeed, it was manifesting... he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
As long as it could manifest, there was hope!
After learning the Void Observation Skill, around ten in the morning, he swiftly found Xiao Qingying's residence room and waited in front of the door.
The disciple residences for training were adjacent to the servant disciple rooms, and both were in the same area.
The room where Xiao Qingying lived was among the best maintained.
Before long, Xiao Qingying opened the door, fully dressed with a melancholic expression.
She immediately noticed Zhang Rongfang waiting in the corridor outside the door.
"Are you the little Daoist my father arranged for me?"
"Zhang Rongfang greets Senior Sister." Zhang Rongfang quickly saluted. At sixteen years old, he was indeed younger than her, a little Daoist.
"Hmm, just stay away from me, as long as you don't bother me." Xiao Qingying replied impolitely.
Apparently, she didn't recognize the person standing before her as the stranger little Daoist she'd saved once before.
She was wearing a white tight-fitting Daoist robe, standing at about one and a half meters tall, with a very full curve at the chest, and her maintenance was immaculate with skin as white and delicate as milk.
Even Zhang Rongfang, who was used to all kinds of beauties in his past life, was somewhat taken aback.
Although her face was merely delicate, her figure was nothing like a seventeen-year-old girl.
Averting his eyes to avoid improper attention, he slightly shifted his gaze to her shoulder.
"From today on, following my master's instructions, I'll be staying by your side, Senior Sister. I hope you'll forgive me." He replied earnestly.
"Got it, you're such a nuisance." Xiao Qingying said impatiently, waving her hand.
Zhang Rongfang said no more, only silently following behind her when she went out, maintaining a distance of about five meters between them.
This distance was neither too far nor too close, just right.
Xiao Qingying was initially a bit impatient. When she went to the lavatory or chatted with her girlfriends, Zhang Rongfang would stand farther away.
When practicing martial arts, Zhang Rongfang would stand aside and watch.
When dining or taking a walk, he would follow quietly, with no sense of presence.
After several days of this, Xiao Qingying gradually started to act as if he wasn't there.
And Zhang Rongfang was happy to have more time for himself, free to practice and become familiar with the Void Observation Skill.
The Void Observation Skill could be practiced regardless of walking, sitting, or lying down, as it was a state of spiritual contemplation, initially not very difficult.
As he followed Xiao Qingying, he also pondered where his own path lay in the future.
Now that he had shed his status as a servant disciple, he finally had some freedom to plan his future.
In the Great Spirit, ranks were strict, the social system harsh, and the military strength powerful. His status as a fourth-class Barbarian, combined with his Confucian household background, made any future career difficult.
He originally intended to pursue a Daoist path, but given Master Xiao Rong's attitude, this path seemed to also have requirements regarding one's background.
Even the identity of a training disciple he held now was due to Xiao Qingying's influence, having been forcibly elevated.
Therefore, his progression in the Daoist registry might also be heavily limited.
Zhang Rongfang pondered his future path daily while following Xiao Qingying.
After much deliberation, the only way forward was to learn martial arts for self-defense. Then, using his attribute abilities, he could ensure his personal safety in whatever he undertakes.
In this Great Spirit, he was born a fourth-class member of the Barbarian Race, only suitable for menial labor. Additionally, as a descendant of a Confucian household, he was further targeted. No matter what other talents he might have, he could only engage in low-level work.
Becoming Xiao Qingying's follower, life turned out to be quite satisfactory.
Apart from occasionally being called by Xiao Rong for inquiries, in other aspects, his meals increased to four white steamed buns, one pound of meat, and as much vegetables as he wanted.
With good food and regular rest, after more than ten consecutive days, Zhang Rongfang finally began to recover.
His cheeks gradually gained a healthy redness, and his skin became more radiant compared to before.
The key was that he felt warmth brewing again in his chest and abdomen, capable of accumulating attribute points.
Another month passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the Qinghe Palace canteen.
"Hey, I heard you really transitioned to becoming a training disciple?" Fatty Pang sat down across from Zhang Rongfang with a tray of food.
Like him, there were two other servant disciples present.
One was Li Suanmei, and the other was Situ Nan.
Li Suanmei's name was rustic, her appearance plain and forgettable, a girl who wouldn't catch anyone's attention on the street.
She came from a farming family where her father, a wealthy farmer, favored sons over daughters, and spent a significant amount to send her here to reduce taxes and avoid military conscription.
The other, Situ Nan, was different; she hailed from a wealthy merchant family, and her name was chosen by a failed scholar hired by her family.
"Why are you here?" Zhang Rongfang nodded to the three, acknowledging them.
Since arriving at Qinghe Palace, these were the only three people he was familiar with, having gathered much of his information from them.
"We're fellow townsmen, Brother Rongfang. You are a senior brother now, so you should take care of us more." Fatty Pang said with a flattering smile.
"Additionally, Situ has also been promoted. She's now working at the library, having apprenticed under the steward Master who manages the library." He pointed to Situ Nan beside him with a smile.
Zhang Rongfang wasn't surprised; among the four of them, Situ Nan was indeed the most likely to be promoted.
The reason, of course, was her appearance.
Situ Nan had fair skin and decent looks, a calm and cool demeanor, and she was meticulous and earnest in her tasks. Most importantly, her family was wealthy and had smoothed many connections.
This type of disciple, who is generous with offerings and causes little trouble, while also pleasing to the eye, is favored by many masters.
After Situ Nan sat down, she glanced at Zhang Rongfang's cultivation disciple robe.
"Rongfang, we can exchange information in the future if anything comes up."
"Sure." Zhang Rongfang nodded; he meant the same.
"I heard you're now always with Master Xiao Rong's daughter, that Senior Sister Xiao Qingying?" Fatty Pang leaned in and asked quietly.
"Yes." Zhang Rongfang nodded.
He glanced around and noticed that the surrounding labor disciples were looking at him, mostly with envy, with a hint of concealed jealousy.
Many probably thought he'd struck it rich by having a run of luck to be promoted to a cultivation disciple.
"There's a gathering later in Shangde Garden, want to come along? It's all about cultivation disciples who've been recently promoted in the past few months," Situ Nan invited.
Zhang Rongfang pondered for a moment and agreed. Such gatherings for mutual support weren't unusual among disciples.
If one's lucky, one can exchange a lot of useful information and secrets.
"Okay."
"Brother Rongfang, Sister Situ, I'm so envious that you both got promoted so quickly. If there's anything you need in the future, just let me know," Li Suanmei couldn't help but say from the side.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best to help," Situ Nan nodded.
After the meal, the four went their separate ways.
These days, Zhang Rongfang happened to have some time off, as Xiao Qingying was going out with her father, Xiao Rong, to visit friends, allowing him some freedom of movement.
Following Situ Nan, the two headed towards Shangde Garden at the back of Qinghe Palace.
The labor disciples they met along the way all lowered their heads to avoid them and proactively greeted them.
Situ Nan walked ahead, about two steps faster.
"Zhang Rongfang, do you know how a cultivation disciple can get promoted further?"
"I don't know," Zhang Rongfang was also pondering this question.
For a cultivation disciple to advance, they must be formally accepted by a master and become a true disciple.
Only as a true disciple does one qualify to have a Dao name, after which they can aspire to become a master.
"I only just learned about it from the last gathering," Situ Nan said. "The advancement of cultivation disciples actually mainly relies on martial arts cultivation. Because determining the realm of literary cultivation is quite difficult. Whether it's an illusion or a mental state, no one can tell the real from the fake. So, the primary evaluation still relies on martial arts."
"It's the easiest and most direct way to assess someone's level."
Situ Nan's words made Zhang Rongfang frown slightly.
He thought for a moment.
"Now that the Great Spirit Court's martial arts dominate the land, without any match, what's the use of focusing on martial arts?"
"The Great Spirit is strong, but I heard from my mentor that our Qinghe Palace is affiliated with the Great Dao Teaching and is not without opponents. Not to mention other sects in the martial world, even the nearby Bailing Temple often sends people to provoke us.
There are also itinerant monks passing by, infamous figures from the Black List, and river pirates, all of whom we must guard against."
Zhang Rongfang seemed to understand something.
"Then what if one cannot cultivate martial arts?"
"Then they'd have to be highly skilled in Dao techniques. If you live to eighty and still maintain your health and mobility, it naturally demonstrates your profound level in Dao techniques, and at that time, you'd be promoted in rank," Situ Nan spoke quite frankly.
Because there is no specific standard for Literary Cultivation of Void Observation, it's hard to define a personal realm, so they have to rely on martial arts.
As a result, under this system, in Qinghe Palace and the entire Great Dao Teaching, the vast majority of the higher-ups are likely martial cultivators.
"Martial world, Jianghu, do you know what it's like?" Zhang Rongfang, having realized something, continued to ask.
"I don't know either, but now the Imperial Tutor Damir oversees the martial world, and apart from the Black List and Red List, no one dares to act presumptuously. These matters, I guess only the martial cultivating disciples would know best.
Alright, we're here." Situ Nan led Zhang Rongfang into the Shangde Garden courtyard.
Passing through the white arched gate, following the cobblestone path all the way in, they occasionally caught sight of sculptures of cranes and turtles.
Shangde Garden is quite large, with many small zones for various purposes.
Soon, the path they were on had several figures ahead.
These figures were gathered in a small red pavilion, chatting softly.
Zhang Rongfang calmed his mind, following Situ Nan as they approached.
But after only a few steps, he suddenly felt a warmth in his chest and abdomen. A black line flashed in his eyes for a moment.
His heart fluttered with joy, and he quickly looked down at his arm.
The attribute panel appeared promptly.
'Zhang Rongfang—Life 9-9, Skills: Void Observation Skill. Available Attribute: 1.'
'I've got it!' Zhang Rongfang felt an indescribable anticipation.
Looking at the two yellow plus signs next to life and skills, he had an urge to immediately click them.
But there were people around him now; if adding the attribute caused physical changes and someone noticed, it would not be worth it.
'No rush, there's no need to rush. I'll study it well when I get back,'
Zhang Rongfang restrained his impulse and followed Situ Nan, stepping into the red pavilion.