In his view, most outer sect disciples registering their cultivation levels were minor advancements within the Qi Refining stage, nothing out of the ordinary, and not worth his attention.
The General Affairs Hall processed countless disciples' paperwork daily, and he was already accustomed to it. He always treated these low-level outer sect disciples with the same indifferent and perfunctory attitude.
"My name is Hu Nan, and I've come today to register for Foundation Establishment cultivator status," Hu Nan said.
"Early Foundation Establishment stage?!" Upon hearing this, the previously lazy and indifferent Deacon Li's eyes widened instantly. His impatience vanished without a trace, replaced by incredulous shock.
He abruptly stood up, his gaze fixed on Hu Nan.
When he saw that Hu Nan truly possessed the aura of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, his shock instantly transformed into enthusiasm. His previous lazy expression disappeared, and his tone became respectful and attentive, even somewhat fawning.
"Oh my! It's Uncle-Master Hu! I didn't expect you to have reached Foundation Establishment so quickly!"
As he spoke, he hurriedly put down the documents he was holding, quickly stepped out from behind the counter, and reached out to help Hu Nan up. His change in attitude was drastic, like night and day.
Foundation Establishment cultivators were the backbone of the sect, far more prestigious than ordinary stewards like himself. Moreover, Hu Nan was so young to have broken through to Foundation Establishment; his future achievements were undoubtedly limitless. Naturally, he had to treat him with great enthusiasm and dared not be the slightest bit negligent.
Staff Steward Li's change in attitude instantly attracted the attention of all the disciples and stewards in the General Affairs Hall.
The people who were busy with their tasks all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Hu Nan.
"What?! He's Hu Nan? The champion of the outer sect competition? He's actually reached Foundation Establishment?!"
"My god! How is that possible?!"
"Uncle Hu reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining two years ago!"
"It's not unusual for him to have reached Foundation Establishment!"
"Uncle Hu, so young and already achieved that, it's truly enviable!"
Inside the General Affairs Hall, whispers instantly filled the air. Disciples murmured amongst themselves, their voices filled with astonishment, envy, and admiration, their eyes fixed on Hu Nan with awe.
The once quiet General Affairs Hall became lively with Hu Nan's arrival, all eyes focused on him.
Some were filled with astonishment and disbelief; some were filled with envy and longing; some whispered praises and sighs, but no one questioned the authenticity of Hu Nan's Foundation Establishment.
After all, they had already sensed the Foundation Establishment fluctuations emanating from Hu Nan.
At the same time, they considered it to be within their expectations.
After all, Hu Nan was the top performer in the outer sect competition, his strength far surpassing that of other cultivators at the same level.
Deacon Li quickly led Hu Nan to a nearby chair, personally pouring him a cup of spiritual tea, his tone solicitous: "Uncle-Master Hu, please sit down. Wait a moment, and I'll process your Foundation Establishment cultivator identity token and register your relevant information. It won't take up your time."
Hu Nan nodded slightly and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Deacon Li."
Deacon Li quickly waved his hand, his face full of respect: "Not at all! Serving Uncle-Master Hu is my duty!"
Having said that, he quickly returned to the counter, retrieved the registration file and identity token, and began working diligently and respectfully, not daring to be perfunctory in the slightest.
In less than a few minutes, Deacon Li completed the registration.
At the same time, he took out two brand-new purple robes from a box beside him.
The robes were made of exquisite material, soft and smooth in texture, embroidered with faint patterns of the Heavenly Sword Sect. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with silver cloud patterns, subtly radiating a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy. The workmanship was exquisite, luxurious yet understated.
This was the exclusive attire of Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators and above were qualified to wear it; it was a symbol of their status.
Deacon Li held the purple robes with both hands, quickly walked to Hu Nan, and respectfully handed them over: "Uncle-Master Hu, this is the exclusive attire of Foundation Establishment cultivators of my Heavenly Sword Sect."
"Thank you, Deacon Li," Hu Nan said, accepting the robes.
"Besides that, Foundation Establishment cultivators can receive a monthly stipend from the General Affairs Hall, one hundred low-grade spirit stones per month, which can be used for cultivation, purchasing pills or magic tools, and subsidizing cultivation needs. The stipend is paid on the first day of each month!"
"If Martial Uncle cannot come, he can also receive a year's stipend in one lump sum!" Deacon Li explained.
Hearing Deacon Li's explanation, many outer sect disciples looked on with envy.
Their monthly stipend was only one spirit stone.
One hundred spirit stones were equivalent to nearly nine years' worth of their stipend.
Deacon Li ignored the surrounding disciples' discussions, still respectfully looking at Hu Nan, and turned to take out a pure white jade token from the counter.
The jade token was small and exquisite, with the three ancient characters "Heavenly Sword Sect" engraved on its surface, along with the Heavenly Sword Sect's seal. A faint spiritual energy fluctuation lingered around it, and its texture was warm and smooth; it was clearly not an ordinary object.
ReadBestsellers
"Uncle-Master Hu, this is your token!"
"With this token, you can enter the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion each year to choose one cultivation technique!" Deacon Li handed the token to Hu Nan.
After Hu Nan received the token, Deacon Li continued, "Uncle-Master Hu, the sect's Foundation Establishment Ceremony is in one month. You can go directly to the sect's main hall to participate!"
"Thank you, Deacon Li!" Hu Nan cupped his hands in thanks to Deacon Li.
...
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During this month, although Hu Nan had kept a very low profile,
many people still came to visit him.
Especially his fellow townsmen from Beihai County, all of whom had visited Hu Nan's residence.
They all congratulated Hu Nan on his successful Foundation Establishment.
They also hoped that Hu Nan would take care of them within the sect.
Qin Changsheng merely exchanged pleasantries and didn't say much.
After all, he wasn't very familiar with these fellow townsmen.
Aside from the annual gathering at Qingyun Tower, they rarely interacted.
On this day, the Heavenly Sword Sect's Foundation Establishment Ceremony was held as scheduled.
In the plaza in front of the sect's main hall, colorful flags fluttered, incense smoke curled, and disciples, deacons, and elders arrived in an endless stream to witness the ceremony.
Qin Changsheng, controlling Hu Nan, slowly walked towards the sect's main hall.
Along the way, the eyes of passing sect disciples were all fixed on him, their expressions varying—a mixture of astonishment, envy, and awe.
"Isn't that Uncle-Master Hu? Why is he wearing the purple robes of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
"Uncle-Master Hu has reached Foundation Establishment!"
"Uncle-Master Hu is truly amazing! He reached Foundation Establishment only two years after winning the Grand Competition!"
"Of all the Uncle-Masters who have reached Foundation Establishment, only Uncle-Master Hu has no background!"
"Jiang Lijuan is Qingling Fairy's disciple, Wu Yong is Elder Qingxuan's disciple, and Lin Hao is Lin Zhentian's son!"
The disciples all stopped in their tracks, gathering on both sides of the road, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment.
In their memory, although Hu Nan had won first place in the Outer Sect Grand Competition, his spiritual roots were mediocre, his background ordinary, he had no powerful connections, and his cultivation resources were extremely scarce. It was impossible for him to reach Foundation Establishment in such a short time.
But unexpectedly, in less than three years, Hu Nan had become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Beyond astonishment, there was even deeper envy and awe.
Foundation Establishment cultivators are the backbone of a sect, their status far surpassing that of Qi Refining disciples. Regardless of their background or spiritual roots, once they reach Foundation Establishment, they are revered by all lower-ranking disciples.
The murmurs gradually subsided, and the disciples composed themselves, bowing respectfully to Hu Nan, their tone uttering, "Greetings, Uncle-Master Hu!"
Whether outer or inner sect disciples, they all exchanged greetings.
Hu Nan merely nodded slightly and walked towards the sect's main hall.
Along the way, Qin Changsheng, through Hu Nan's perspective, also saw Zhang Han, Lin Yao, and others.
At this moment, Zhang Han's expression was extremely unpleasant, his eyes filled with jealousy as he looked at Hu Nan.
In Zhang Han's eyes, he was the most talented person in Beihai County.
But now, Hu Nan, whom he had always looked down upon, had already reached Foundation Establishment.
And was receiving congratulations from numerous sect disciples.
He was also a Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator with no resources or background.