Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Seeing Bai Mo and his party set out as the sky brightened, Ren Lu knew their intentions and was reluctant to disturb them for long.

"I was originally going to pay you a formal visit, but I suppose this will have to be a farewell instead."

Ren Lu said briskly.

"By the way, as a Pill Master in Celestial Mountain City, there’s an unspoken benefit. Are you aware of it, Fellow Daoist Bai?"

At these words, Yan Shi also looked over with interest.

Bai Mo, however, was taken aback.

"I can’t say that I have."

Ren Lu and Yan Shi exchanged a look, then pulled Bai Mo to the side and whispered:

"The Xuandao Sect’s Daoist Children... Surely you’ve heard of them, Fellow Daoist?"

Bai Mo cupped his hands in a fist. "Please, tell me more," he said politely.

Ren Lu glanced around before raising an eyebrow.

"Let me tell you, the makeup of these Xuandao Sect Daoist Children is quite complex!"

He pointed a finger toward the sky, then another toward the ground.

"From men in their sixties down to boys just coming of age, there’s no one who can’t become a Daoist Child."

Bai Mo grew thoughtful.

"Are you saying that the status of Daoist Child is related to being a Pill Master?"

"Ah, precisely."

Ren Lu and Yan Shi exchanged a look of approval.

"Anyone of consequence in the city knows about it. I was wondering if you might be interested, Fellow Daoist?"

Of course Bai Mo’s heart leaped at the suggestion.

’It’s always better to be affiliated with a sect.’

"I am interested, of course. But I wonder, are there many harsh restrictions involved?"

Ren Lu nodded.

"A thoughtful question, Fellow Daoist. There are indeed several taboos."

"First, you can’t use the sect’s name to throw your weight around. You must remember that you won’t be joining through the usual channels; you’ll be lucky just to have the status."

"The second isn’t so much a taboo, but once you’re on the Xuandao Sect’s rolls, if you want to join another sect in the future..."

Bai Mo scoffed.

"To be perfectly honest, I only became a Loose Cultivator because I failed to get into a sect as a Daoist Child."

"So how does one go about joining the Xuandao Sect? I’ll have to rely on you two to teach me."

"That’s simple," Ren Lu said.

"When you head down the mountain, Fellow Daoist Bai, just give your address to the Cultivators at the checkpoint..."

...

By the time Bai Mo bid farewell to Ren Lu and Yan Shi and left the city, the sun was already high in the sky.

The guards traveled light, carrying only a few bundles and bags, so their pace was naturally much quicker than it had been on the journey up.

At the sheltered path at the foot of the mountain, the carriages and horses they had arrived with were all safe and sound.

The guards went to claim them, and the old man from the merchant caravan went over to inspect them.

"Heh, the Xuandao Sect runs a proper business. The feed wasn’t the finest grain, but it wasn’t bad either."

"They haven’t lost any weight."

The old man from the caravan patted a horse’s belly and said.

Bai Mo, however, watched the horses being led to and fro along the path, deeply impressed with the Xuandao Sect.

’Celestial Mountain City may not charge an entry fee, but just accounting for the horse feed for all the travelers, not even counting what the people themselves consume, they must be making a killing!’

After everyone packed up, they set off, passing another merchant caravan that was heading up the mountain, its members calling out for porters.

With a CLOP-CLOP of hooves, they headed down the mountain path.

Before long, they arrived at the checkpoint from their ascent.

Four Cultivators at the checkpoint had just seen off a group, their silver-gray armor glinting in the light.

Those heading down the mountain didn’t require inspection, but Bai Mo told his party to wait a moment and walked toward the checkpoint Cultivators.

As he passed the leopard-cat-like Demon Beast, he saw it was still lazing about, coiled on the ground.

It showed no desire to even lift its head.

Seeing Bai Mo approach, all the checkpoint Cultivators turned to look at him, their faces impassive.

"What is it?"

Not far away, the members of the caravan grew tense, and Lanshan’s heart leaped into his throat.

Bai Mo removed the jade pendant from his waist and flashed it before the four Cultivators.

"I was told I could register with you all here at the foot of the mountain..."

The four Cultivators’ gazes softened instantly.

One of them handed his long spear to a companion, pulled out a yellow-covered register, and said in a gentle tone:

"Of course."

"May I ask your place of origin, Fellow Daoist?"

’A Pill Master this young? There was no way the Xuandao Sect would turn him away.’

Bai Mo answered honestly, "I’m from Immortal Arrival City."

"Immortal Arrival City?" The Cultivator paused.

"Is that in the Miaofa Sect’s territory?"

"Yes, it is."

"You must understand, Fellow Daoist, that once you join our Xuandao Sect, you can no longer have any ties or status related to the Miaofa Sect."

Bai Mo sighed.

"I tried to join the Miaofa Sect once, but I was never successful."

The Cultivator was quite satisfied. He nodded, asked a few more questions about Bai Mo’s identity, and recorded the answers in the register.

’Failing to get into the Miaofa Sect meant his cultivation aptitude was somewhat lacking.’

’However, the position of Daoist Child in the Xuandao Sect was precisely a path for such talented individuals to enter the sect.’

’This method had already allowed the sect to recruit numerous capable and talented individuals.’

’Wasn’t the man before him living proof?’

Putting the yellow register away, the Cultivator said sternly:

"Fellow Daoist, you must understand that once you join our sect, you are forbidden from committing any acts that are wicked or contrary to the righteous path."

He coughed, then took out a palm-sized booklet and handed it to Bai Mo.

"These are the rules and prohibitions of our Xuandao Sect."

Bai Mo took the thin booklet and opened it.

The inside was filled with tiny, densely packed characters that crammed the page from edge to edge.

Bai Mo’s eyes widened. He quickly flipped through the ten-odd pages that followed.

He saw that not a single bit of space in the booklet had been wasted.

"This is..."

The Cultivator adopted a detached expression.

"It’s enough for you to be aware of them, Fellow Daoist. As long as you don’t stray onto a crooked path, you’ll likely never run into any of these issues."

"For everything else, just act as you see fit."

’There were so many rules, they couldn’t even follow them all themselves. How could they expect a recruited Daoist Child to do so?’

Hearing this, Bai Mo finally relaxed and tucked the booklet into his robes with great solemnity.

"I shall be sure to abide by the sect’s rules and promote the righteous path!"

The Cultivator was very satisfied.

"From now on, we are fellow sect members. You and I can address each other as Martial Brothers."

"Although you became a Daoist Child by virtue of your status as a Pill Master and are not yet a nominal disciple, Junior Brother, that doesn’t mean you can’t become one in the future."

"There are many ways to contribute to the sect. When the time comes, you can use your merit points to be officially registered as a disciple..."

The Cultivator instructed earnestly.

Bai Mo nodded repeatedly, listened attentively to the end, and then waved farewell.

The members of the merchant caravan and Lanshan watched Bai Mo conversing so pleasantly with the Xuandao Sect Cultivators, their hearts filled with admiration.

’The Xuandao Sect... for unaffiliated cultivators like them, it was an entity they could only gaze upon with awe.’

Bai Mo and his party then departed down the mountain. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

For now, he still didn’t have an identity token from the Xuandao Sect.

He would have to wait for them to travel to Immortal Arrival City, investigate his background and origins, and deliver the token to his door once everything was confirmed.

A Pill Master was important enough for the sect to dispatch a few members to run the errand.

The four Cultivators watched Bai Mo’s retreating figure, then retracted their gazes and quickly huddled together.

"Immortal Arrival City, Immortal Arrival City... quick, write it down."

"And the address—write it neatly! Don’t make it look like fucking chicken scratch..."

The Cultivator doing the writing scratched his ear.

"Can’t you read it?"

"Hey, who knows when we might need to ask a Pill Master for a favor? We need to build a connection if any of us are ever in the area."

His companion glared.

"I can read it, but what about the other brothers? You think they can?"

The Cultivator with the register grew irritated.

"If those guys back in the sect weren’t so damn stingy, would we even need to bother with this?"

One Cultivator, holding his long spear, kept a vigilant watch on the surroundings.

’It wouldn’t do for anyone to see them like this. Thankfully, no one else was around...’

Bai Mo was already far in the distance.

Lanshan sidled up to him and asked tentatively:

"Was that about what those two from the city told you?"

Bai Mo nodded.

"Barring any accidents, from now on I’ll be a Daoist Child of the Xuandao Sect."

HISS!

Lanshan’s eyes went wide, and the members of the merchant caravan who had been eavesdropping all drew in a sharp breath.

’Joining a sect... seemed a bit too simple, didn’t it?’

But then they remembered Bai Mo’s status, and it all made sense.

’The threshold was just too high. Countless Sect Disciples couldn’t even dream of possessing such a skill.’

"That’s wonderful! Shopkeeper Bai, now you and Ru’Er will have a connection within the Xuandao Sect!"

Lanshan said, snapping out of his daze and clapping his hands together.

But Bai Mo waved his hands dismissively.

"My situation is different. I’m just affiliated with the Xuandao Sect in name only. I’ll still be living and earning my keep in Immortal Arrival City."