The Cloud Mist Sect held its annual recruitment.
Fifty people stood in the open courtyard, waiting to be chosen as disciples. Each elder had the right to select ten disciples. The elders stood before the crowd, their presence overwhelming. The recruits whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with awe as they praised the elders.
Elder Zhao Tianhe, the oldest and one of the most powerful elders of the sect, turned toward Luo Tian and spoke in a calm, elderly tone. Luo Tian nodded and stepped forward. His gaze swept across the crowd, observing them one by one.
Above each person's head, faint text appeared. Only Luo Tian could see it.
It showed their talent and potential.
Luo Tian began counting silently.
"One… two… three… four… five… six…"
He continued until he reached twenty.
"There are twenty people here," Luo Tian thought. "But I only need to choose ten."
Elder Zhao Tianhe noticed Luo Tian counting and felt surprised.
Luo Tian paused, then made his decision.
He selected five people with strong talent and five people with immense potential.
The other elders immediately noticed something unusual.
They sensed an opportunity.
"Who are the remaining ten?" one elder asked. They all knew Luo Tian possessed an exceptional eye for talent. That was why they respected him and treated him with friendliness.
Luo Tian pointed calmly.
"This one… this one… this one… and that one."
The moment he finished speaking, the four other elders began arguing fiercely, each trying to claim the remaining ten disciples.
The recruits grew uneasy.
"Why are the elders fighting over them?"
"Is this young elder making things up?"
Some could not believe Luo Tian was already an elder at such a young age. Others knew his reputation and respected him.
There were also those who underestimated him and spoke badly behind his back, yet deep down, they feared him.
Luo Tian took the ten disciples he selected and brought them back to his peak.
Whispers "followed me".
"He only relies on his background."
"He's the sect leader's son."
"I always see him carrying a fishing rod. I've never seen him cultivate."
Luo Tian ignored them.
He instructed his disciples to choose their rooms, change into their uniforms, and begin cultivating. However, some of the disciples he selected looked doubtful.
They whispered among themselves and even spoke directly to him.
"Master, you should cultivate more. You seem weak."
Luo Tian smiled proudly.
"I am already strong. Do not underestimate me."
The disciples exchanged gloomy looks, clearly unconvinced.
One disciple stepped forward. His name was Bai Heng.
"Master," Bai Heng said bluntly, "you are only at the Qi Refining Stage. How did you even become an elder?"
Luo Tian did not respond.
Instead, he sat by the fish pond in the backyard and began fishing.
The entire day passed.
Not a single fish bit the hook.
Yet notifications appeared before his eyes.
[Cultivation +1]
[Cultivation +1]
"just by fishing, my cultivation increases!" Luo Tian thought.
As long as he fished, his cultivation rose, and his fishing mastery improved.
[Fishing Mastery IV +1]
A transparent panel appeared.
[Name: Luo Tian]
[Cultivation: Unknown (Qi Refining Stage)]
[Talent: Fishing Mastery IV, Cooking Mastery V, Heavenly Insight Art Mastery V, Carving Mastery V, Punching Mastery V, Kicking Mastery V, Sword Mastery V]
"My cultivation is still marked as unknown," Luo Tian muttered. "Yet it says Qi Refining Stage."
He did not care.
Luo Tian closed the system panel and returned to his room.
Suddenly, one of his disciples, Liu Yanyan, ran over and shouted.
"Master! You should focus on cultivating instead of fishing all day!"
Luo Tian smiled and patted Liu Yanyan on the head. "Go back and rest."
He then handed Liu Yanyan three cultivation manuals.
"Give these to the other disciples. Tell them to cultivate these techniques."
Liu Yanyan's eyes widened.
"These are powerful cultivation techniques," he thought. "Maybe Master cannot use them himself."
He clenched his fists.
"Never mind. I will cultivate properly and protect Master."