"Sect Leader of the Azure Cloud Sect, Situ Hong, wants to see me?"
The news hit Li Fan's mind like a clap of thunder. Subconsciously, he glanced at the drafty woodshed he was staying in, then back at the elegant, ethereal inner-sect genius, Su Miaoran, standing before him. The stark contrast created a powerful sense of unreality.
If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster; if it's a disaster, it can't be avoided. He quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his face regaining its composure. He nodded to Su Miaoran,"Thank you for the trouble, Senior Sister Su."
Following behind Su Miaoran and leaving the patch of green bamboo garden he'd been in for several days, Li Fan got his first real look at the inner sect of the Azure Cloud Sect. He saw overlapping peaks draped in emerald green, wreathed in mist and clouds. Pavilions and towers were nestled within, with immortal cranes soaring and spirit monkeys frolicking. The dense spiritual energy was almost tangible; simply breathing it in felt refreshing and invigorating. Compared to his dilapidated, spiritually barren woodshed, this was heaven and earth.
Su Miaoran's steps were light and swift. Although she didn't seem to be moving fast, Li Fan had to constantly jog to keep up. She remained silent the entire way, only a faint, delicate fragrance drifting back with the wind. Li Fan was perceptive enough not to ask questions, instead quietly observing the route and the environment, constantly considering the various possibilities for the Sect Leader's summons.
After about an incense stick's time, the two arrived before a hall that wasn't exceptionally grand but possessed an imposing, ancient, and solemn aura. The plaque above the door bore three vigorous characters:"Royal Study", subtly glowing with spiritual light.
"Go in. The Sect Leader is waiting for you inside." Su Miaoran stopped at the door and stepped aside. Her tone was still cool, but her gaze lingered on Li Fan's face for a moment, as if trying to discern something from this seemingly ordinary servant disciple.
Li Fan took a deep breath, straightened out his tattered but as-clean-as-possible servant's robe, and stepped into the hall.
The interior wasn't dark. The soft light of luminous pearls illuminated every corner. The fragrance of books and faint ink mixed with sandalwood was refreshing. Around the hall were immense, ceiling-high bookshelves laden with jade slips and ancient texts, emanating an atmosphere of vast, boundless knowledge. In the center of the hall, behind a wide purple-sandalwood desk, sat a middle-aged man in a simple blue Daoist robe. His face was lean and refined, and his eyes were as warm and gentle as jade.
In his hand was precisely the document Li Fan had submitted earlier, written on a few rough pieces of grass paper—the"Suggestions for Improving the Cultivation Efficiency of Azure Cloud Sect Outer Disciples."
There was no anticipated pressure or scrutiny in his gaze. Situ Hong looked up at Li Fan like an ordinary scholar, a faint, spring-breeze-like smile on his face.
"You are Li Fan? You wrote this 'Suggestion'?"
"Outer Sect Servant Disciple Li Fan pays his respects to the Sect Leader." Li Fan respectfully bowed, following the etiquette he recalled. His heart, however, tightened. As expected, the report was the reason for the summons.
"Dispense with the formalities." Situ Hong gestured with a slight lift of his hand, his gaze returning to the grass paper. His finger gently tapped the content."'Establish a preliminary spiritual attribute screening mechanism for outer disciples,''Optimize the task assignment process, introducing a dual assessment of 'Performance' and 'Contribution Points,'''Establish a research group for basic spell optimization'… These ideas are quite novel. Especially this talk of 'Performance' and 'Contribution Points,' upon closer reflection, it subtly aligns with the principles of management."
His tone was calm, betraying neither pleasure nor anger, sounding more like an academic discussion."This old man is very curious, how did you, a servant disciple, come up with these? And why did you use the term 'Research Report'?"
Here it comes! The core question!
Li Fan's mind raced, running through the explanation he had prepared. He couldn't expose the System, but he could package his thought process.
He bowed again, his tone neither obsequious nor arrogant:"Reporting to the Sect Leader, this disciple's aptitude is poor, and progress in the path of cultivation is slow. Therefore, I prefer to observe and contemplate in my daily life. I saw many Senior Brothers in the Outer Sect busy with chores, neglecting cultivation, or cultivating improperly, thus wasting their years. I felt pity in my heart. So, overestimating myself, I attempted to summarize the problems I observed and drafted this report based on the approach of 'Identify the problem, analyze the cause, propose solutions.' I used the word 'Research' because I felt that any statement on the matter required prior investigation to have credibility, not mere empty talk."
"Identify the problem, analyze the cause, propose solutions…" Situ Hong repeated softly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes."Clear thinking, substantial content. Much more pragmatic than those empty phrases you padded your report with, such as 'According to incomplete statistics' and 'Data models show.'"
Li Fan's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. That was the format the System forced me to use, there was nothing I could do…
"Then, regarding your mention in the text that one can preliminarily determine a disciple's spiritual attribute tendency by observing 'observable indicators' such as the speed of their response to different elemental spiritual energy and their body's affinity for different elemental basic spells—is this method truly feasible?" Situ Hong moved on to the technical core.
"This disciple believes that while the Great Dao is profound, it also has discernible patterns," Li Fan answered cautiously."Although spiritual energy attributes are formless, they will inevitably produce subtle differences when acting upon the human body or external objects. If properly designed observation methods and standards are applied, these differences should be captured. For instance, for those with an affinity for the Fire attribute, the rate of temperature change at their fingertips when cultivating the Minor Fireball Spell might be faster; for those with an affinity for the Wood attribute, the survival rate of low-grade spirit plants they tend might be higher… These can all be set as observation points."
Situ Hong nodded slightly, noncommittally, then pointed to another section:"Then, this 'Optimize the spiritual energy circuits of the Basic Qi Refining Formula and remove three redundant points'—how did you determine which three points were redundant?"
This question was even more pointed, directly touching Li Fan's"core secret."
A cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Fan's back. He absolutely couldn't say the System analyzed it, but a complete fabrication wouldn't be convincing either.
In a flash of insight, he decided to gamble, betting that the Sect Leader was broad-minded and curious about novel things. He slightly raised his head, meeting Situ Hong's gaze with an earnest look:
"Sect Leader, with all due respect, this disciple did not make this up out of thin air. This disciple is dull of talent, and when cultivating the Qi Refining Formula, my perception of spiritual energy flow is unusually clear—so clear, in fact, that I can sense slight areas of stagnation and unnecessary detours. This disciple took the liberty of making a bold hypothesis and then carefully sought verification by repeatedly performing inner sight, recording the subtle sensations of my own spiritual energy flow, and verifying with a few familiar Senior Brothers. I ultimately marked these three points as potentially inefficient nodes. This method is clumsy and full of my subjective conjecture—it is truly an unconventional, last-resort approach, unworthy of your esteemed attention, I hope the Sect Leader will forgive me for making a fool of myself."
His words were half-truth, half-fabrication. The truth was that he genuinely felt the three redundant points through the System's feedback and inner sight; the fabrication was attributing this process to his"dull talent" leading to"unusually clear sensation," and the so-called"verification with others." He packaged a System analysis result into an"intuitive" discovery based on extreme personal experience and rough generalization.
A brief silence fell over the hall. Situ Hong tapped the desk lightly with his finger, his gaze deep, as if trying to see through Li Fan's eyes and into his mind.
Li Fan maintained his bowed posture, feeling every second stretch out like a year. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest.
［Alert: High-level energy field detected performing covert probe on host. System has initiated basic information shielding mode.］ The System's prompt sounded in his mind, slightly easing Li Fan's tension.
After a long time, Situ Hong finally spoke again, his voice still gentle but with an undeniable resolution:
"An unconventional path is not necessarily a dead end. The path of cultivation is vast and boundless; our predecessors also advanced through trial and error."
He set down the grass paper and looked at Li Fan."Your 'report' is bold in its ideas and clear in its structure. Though many details are debatable, the underlying concepts certainly hold value. My Azure Cloud Sect, established for a millennium, also requires fresh ideas and must listen to different voices."
A huge stone was lifted from Li Fan's heart; he knew he had gambled correctly!
"However," Situ Hong's tone shifted,"empty talk is useless. Whether a concept is viable must be tested through practice."
He took a blank jade slip, placed it on his forehead, and after a moment, removed it and handed it to Li Fan.
"Li Fan, I hereby make an exception and promote you to Outer Disciple, temporarily assigned to the 'Hall of One Hundred Arts'. This jade slip records a relatively basic Water Condensation Spell and its three common variations. I give you three days to complete a 'Research Report' on this spell for the Hall Master, following your 'identify the problem, analyze, and optimize' methodology."
"This is both an assessment and an opportunity. If your report earns the approval of the Hall Master of the Hall of One Hundred Arts, you may remain there, specializing in this kind of research. If not…" Situ Hong left the sentence unfinished, but the meaning was clear.
"This disciple accepts the order!" Li Fan received the warm jade slip with both hands, his heart surging. This was not just an assessment; it was a huge platform! The Hall of One Hundred Arts, which oversaw the Sect's miscellaneous studies like alchemy, artifact crafting, talismans, and arrays, was the perfect testing ground for his"Scientific Cultivation" concept!
"You may go. Junior Sister Su will guide you through the enrollment procedures and arrange your temporary accommodation in the Hall of One Hundred Arts." Situ Hong waved his hand, picked up another scroll, and did not look at Li Fan again.
Li Fan respectfully exited the Royal Study and found Su Miaoran still waiting outside the door. She looked at the jade slip in Li Fan's hand, which symbolized the Outer Disciple status. A fleeting hint of surprise crossed her cool eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother Li," she nodded slightly."Please follow me."
On the way to the Discipline Hall to exchange his identity token, collect the Outer Disciple uniform, and basic supplies, Li Fan was still somewhat dazed. In a mere half-day, he had jumped from a precarious, easily bullied servant to an Outer Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, and he was directly entering the core department, the Hall of One Hundred Arts—even if it was only"temporary" and"for assessment," this starting point far exceeded his expectations.
He knew that all of this stemmed from his"neither fish nor fowl" report and from Sect Leader Situ Hong's open-mindedness and willingness to experiment.
A new status and a new platform also meant new challenges. The Hall Master of the Hall of One Hundred Arts was the Sect's technical authority; their standards would undoubtedly be rigorous. This research report on the Water Condensation Spell had to be impeccably done!
He eagerly sank his consciousness into the jade slip. A massive influx of information flooded his mind—the complete incantation of the Water Condensation Spell, the spiritual energy flow map, and brief introductions to the three common variations:"Cloud-Rain Transformation,""Mist Gathering," and"Ice Condensation."
［System: Detected host receiving new knowledge, Water Condensation Spell and related materials. Automatically recorded to the database.］
［System: Task Triggered:[Analysis Report on Water Condensation Spell Optimization]］
Task Description: Within the three-day limit, complete an in-depth analysis of the Water Condensation Spell and submit a sufficiently convincing optimization report.
Task Reward: 20 Research Points, Official Member Status in the Hall of One Hundred Arts.
Failure Penalty: Loss of temporary qualification in the Hall of One Hundred Arts, potential return to former status.
20 Points! Li Fan's eyes glowed with fervor. Moreover, this was his first truly"professionally-aligned" task!
He followed Su Miaoran to the Hall of One Hundred Arts area and was settled into a temporary dormitory that was basic but far cleaner and tidier than the woodshed. After giving a few cautionary instructions, Su Miaoran gracefully departed.
Li Fan closed the door and immediately called out in his mind:"System, initiate preliminary analysis of the Water Condensation Spell immediately! Find the optimizable nodes!"
［System: Task accepted. Beginning construction of Water Condensation Spell basic model… Model under construction…］
［System: WARNING: Multiple ambiguous zones and non-standard configurations detected in the spell's spiritual energy circuit, which conflict with the System's basic database. In-depth analysis requires consuming 8 points to unlock the 'Fuzzy Logic Inference' module. Confirm?］
Li Fan looked at the 16 points he had just acquired. Before he could even feel the warmth of his new wealth, he was faced with a massive expenditure.
8 points! Nearly his entire fortune!
Furthermore, the System's warning indicated that this world's spell system seemed even more"unscientific" than it had anticipated, filled with vague areas that were difficult to directly quantify.
Should he invest these points, or not?