Chapter 73 Qingfeng Sect Recruits Teaching Elders

[The Qingfeng Sect is hiring elders at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage or above? The conditions are incredibly generous! Besides various offerings and profit sharing, they also have access to all the secret manuals in the library. But isn't the cultivation level requirement a bit too high?]

Aren't all the teaching elders of major sects at least at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage? Only smaller sects don't meet the requirements, so they lower the bar to the Foundation Establishment stage. After all, the Qingfeng Sect is a six-thousand-year-old sect, so it's understandable that their requirements are higher than those of major sects.

It's said that the Qingfeng Sect's library contains secret manuals from six thousand years ago, manuals far more powerful than those of today. And there are also many magical treasures and artifacts!

If I weren't just a Qi Refining stage cultivator, I would have truly fallen for him.

[I think what's more important is that the Qingfeng Sect has a good relationship with Li Chang'an, right? Wouldn't that mean they could eat their fill of spirit-grade cabbage and spirit-grade bok choy?]

Even those who weren't present at the final simulated secret realm trial of the cultivation competition knew about Zhao Yuqing's use of spirit-grade cabbage and spirit-grade bok choy. Through the Myriad Mountains and Rivers Map and word of mouth, most cultivators knew about it.

Spiritual vegetables that can replenish spiritual energy can also promote cultivation. Zhao Yuqing secretly ate spiritual vegetables and spiritual rice, which is why her cultivation level increased so quickly and she even achieved a good ranking in the cultivation competition.

How could other cultivators not be tempted?

[If I can't become an instructor elder during the Qi Refining stage, can I become a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect? Nothing special, I just enjoy working in the dining hall; washing dishes is fine with me.]

[I'd like to as well. So, once the Qingfeng Sect recruits an elder to lead the sect, can it open its gates and accept disciples?]

[A heads-up: If you're already affiliated with a sect, don't even think about joining the Qingfeng Sect. It's not like a mortal switching jobs; that's called betraying your sect.]

Thankfully, Fangcun is an anonymous website; otherwise, if our sect elders found out I wanted to betray the sect, I'd be in deep trouble.

There was a lot of discussion on the platform, but it was mostly among cultivators from sects who were at the Qi Refining stage.

None of the rogue cultivators at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage spoke up.

Some didn't see the message, while others...

The recruitment notice was only released last night, and this morning, six cultivators arrived at the gate of the Qingfeng Sect.

The mountain gate hadn't opened yet, and the six of them didn't take advantage of their cultivation levels to go in directly. They waited quietly at the entrance, ignoring each other.

Wu Hui was also among the six. He stood at the back, arms crossed, leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, resting.

He finished packing up his stall at 1:30 a.m. last night. Although cultivators can use meditation to replace sleep, he didn't get home until 2 a.m. and then rushed over again at 7 a.m. The time in between wasn't enough for him to get a proper rest.

One of the monks glanced at Wu Hui out of the corner of his eye.

This person was the last of the six to arrive, and none of them could discern his cultivation level, indicating that his cultivation was above theirs.

It is a very competitive rival.

The six of them waited for a while, and then Xie Xuan and his eldest disciple came out in two vans, carrying the underage disciples.

Upon seeing the six people by the mountain gate, Xie Xuan slowed down and stopped at the gate. He rolled down the window and asked, "Are you here to apply for the position of teaching elder?"

One of the cultivators nodded: "Yes, my name is Feng Chengxuan, a sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other four cultivators couldn't help but look at him.

That person is so despicable, introducing themselves first.

Xie Xuan said, "Fellow Daoists, please go to the main hall—Qingfeng Hall—to find the Mountain Lord. The Mountain Lord is waiting for you. I need to take the other disciples to school with my eldest disciple."

Several cultivators nodded and clasped their fists in greeting to him.

After the two vans left, the monks exchanged meaningful glances.

Immediately afterwards, the six of them flew to the main hall of the Qingfeng Sect.

Xie Kuling was sitting in the seat of honor, waiting for the person who came to apply for the position of teaching elder.

After posting the recruitment notice last night, the Qingfengpai official account received several private messages. Xie Kuling replied to them one by one, knowing that someone would come today.

But to my surprise, six cultivators arrived so early in the morning.

"You've all arrived very early. Would you like some breakfast? We have fermented dough ready, and we can make some steamed buns or noodles for you."

Xie Kuling said gently, "Or would you like a bowl of tofu pudding and a cup of soy milk?"

After he finished asking, the five cultivators were about to say that it was not necessary, but Wu Hui, who had been silent all along and whose cultivation was unfathomable, said, "I would like a cup of soy milk, and if possible, a bowl of tofu noodles as well. Thank you, Mountain Lord."

The five cultivators stopped abruptly.

Cultivators are required to abstain from grains, so what difference does it make whether or not they eat breakfast?

Oh, is it because the Qingfeng Sect disciples hadn't awakened their spiritual roots before and weren't used to fasting, so they took the lead in saying that they were eating normally and wouldn't force the disciples to fast, right?

This person is so cunning!

The five cultivators exchanged glances, seemingly communicating at that moment.

They quickly added, "We'd like a cup of soy milk too."

The five cultivators exchanged glances and then said, "We'd also like a bowl of tofu noodles."

The sounds overlapped twice.

Xie Kuling chuckled, “Alright, fellow Daoists, please wait a moment while I have my disciple prepare and serve it.”

Although the dining hall was not open for business, Li Chang'an still provided some of the vegetables to the Qingfeng faction after receiving a batch of them.

The younger disciples were clamoring for tofu pudding for breakfast this morning, so the older disciples soaked soybeans and made tofu pudding yesterday. This morning, they even used the remaining soaked soybeans to make soy milk.

The tender and smooth tofu pudding is served in a bowl. If you like sweet tofu pudding, add a few spoonfuls of brown sugar water, diced fruit, tapioca pearls or taro balls. If you like savory tofu pudding, add braised sauce, chili oil, chopped green onions and cilantro.

The young disciples enjoyed their meal very much.

The tofu noodles ordered by the six monks were also very simple. The noodles, which they had hand-rolled, were cooked and placed in a bowl. They were topped with crispy pork cracklings, a little bit of vegetables, a spoonful or two of tender tofu, and sprinkled with the soul of the dish—mint leaves. That was it.

Soon, the disciples brought six bowls of tofu noodles and six cups of soy milk to the main hall and distributed them to the six cultivators.

"Thank you." Wu Hui thanked him, stirred the noodles with his chopsticks, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. After slurping the noodles, he picked up a piece of tofu pudding to taste.

He ate with great relish, and the other five cultivators couldn't help but swallow as well.

This person is not only cunning, but also puts on a very sincere act.

The group was amazed, and smelling the aroma of the tofu noodles, they couldn't resist starting to eat like Wu Hui.

After taking just one bite, all five of them widened their eyes in surprise.

I hadn't paid attention to it before, but now I realize that the tofu pudding and even the cup of soy milk next to it are rich in spiritual energy!

One of the cultivators couldn't help but look up at Xie Kuling and ask, "Mountain Master Xie, how come this tofu pudding and soy milk contain spiritual energy?"

Xie Kuling explained with a smile, "It's made from high-quality soybeans, all bought from Li Chang'an's Immortal Mountain Farm."

Made from high-quality soybeans?

All the five cultivators knew was that the spiritual-grade cabbage and bok choy that Zhao Yuqing had taken out during the cultivation competition contained abundant spiritual energy, and that the cultivators could absorb the spiritual energy by eating them raw.

Surprisingly, when the spiritual soybeans were made into tofu pudding and soy milk and cooked with other ordinary foods, their spiritual energy remained undiminished.

The reason why cultivators have always adhered to fasting is that ordinary food is too turbid and will affect the efficiency of cultivators in absorbing spiritual energy.

Similarly, when food with spiritual energy is cooked together with ordinary food, it should also be affected by the impure energy of the ordinary food.

This bowl of tofu noodles and this cup of soy milk somewhat overturned the cultivators' understanding.

For a moment, the five cultivators fell silent.

It wasn't until Wu Hui finished a bowl of tofu noodles and drank soy milk in a few bites, and the sound of his cup being placed on the table, that they suddenly came to their senses.

The five cultivators immediately lowered their heads and began to eat earnestly, afraid that if they were a step too slow, Wu Hui would already have been hired as an instructor elder.

However, Wu Hui, who had already finished eating, remained silent, propping his head up with his hand and watching the five people eat breakfast with great interest.

A few minutes later, the five people put down their bowls one after another.

Xie Kuling had his disciples remove the bowls and cups, and brought out tea, pouring a cup for each of the six cultivators.

"We already outlined the requirements for the teaching elders in the recruitment announcement last night. I'm sure you all have confidence in yourselves, otherwise we wouldn't be meeting here now."

Xie Kuling slowly said, "To be honest, the Qingfeng Sect's library does indeed contain secret manuals from six thousand years ago, and our ancestor even obtained a sword technique left behind by the God of Boundless."

The five cultivators were all startled, and Wu Hui was also somewhat surprised.

The sword technique left behind by the Boundless God Venerable is no ordinary skill.

The monks turned and looked at each other in bewilderment.

However, it seemed that none of the six people present were sword cultivators, and they were all destined to be without this sword technique.

In the silence, the cultivator named Feng Chengxuan said, "Thank you, Mountain Master. My name is Feng Chengxuan. I am 113 years old and a sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. I cultivate the Dao of Alchemy and can currently refine nine kinds of pills. The finished products are basically of medium-grade second-class quality."

Reaching the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of 113 is already considered quite impressive in the current Cangxuan Realm.

He knows many pill formulas and his pills are quite consistent in quality, making him a genius in alchemy.

After Feng Chengxuan finished speaking, the other cultivators couldn't sit still any longer and began to introduce themselves.

Among the five of them, the lowest cultivation level was the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment stage, and the highest was the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

The gap isn't that large, and their ages are mostly over 100 years old.

However, all four of them were magic practitioners—cultivating various spells.

They come to the Qingfeng Sect to apply for teaching elder positions, one of their goals being the sect's secret manuals and scriptures.

The second objective, of course, was the spiritual-grade vegetables that Li Chang'an had planted.

Who wouldn't want to improve their cultivation level?

The four became rivals, and their words were somewhat sarcastic and pointed.

One of them said, "Besides basic spells, I also know intermediate spells—Earth Escape Technique."

The other person said, "Heh, it's just earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that can be used to escape). I have protective qi (罡气)."

"I know thunder magic!"

"I can use ice magic!"

The four of them began to compete fiercely, their gazes towards each other becoming increasingly unfriendly. Some even channeled their spiritual power, causing golden blades to swirl around them, or condensing water into ice arrows aimed at the other three...

Just as a fight was about to break out, a burst of spiritual energy swept over, stunning the group.

Then, the group heard Wu Hui say in a calm voice, "My name is Wu Hui, I am at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage, 109 years old, a Dharma cultivator, and have a single fire spiritual root."

Everyone was startled.

This cultivator is actually at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage! And he even has a single fire spiritual root!

After their initial shock, the four practitioners slowly frowned.

Two of them possess fire elemental roots, making them competitors of Wu Hui. However, Wu Hui's qualifications are far superior to theirs, so they are unlikely to get this opportunity.

Although the other two did not have fire spirit roots, they were only at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, so they did not stand out as much in front of Wu Hui.

Xie Kuling took in everyone's expressions, pondered for a moment, then stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Thank you all for your trust in the Qingfeng Sect. I need to discuss with the elders and disciples of the sect before deciding on the list of hires."

He paused, then continued, "Actually, besides wanting to hire teaching elders, the Qingfeng Sect also plans to open its gates and recruit disciples..."

The five cultivators, excluding Wu Hui, were taken aback, then their expressions brightened with joy.