It turned out not all cultivators were stuck-up dicks or rude assholes.

Soon after I sat down, another librarian came to ask what I was searching for – he had been polite and patient.

Anyway, after he brought me the books I was searching for, he left, and I studied in peace for a while.

I had decided, after I took a look at all the assignments, to take up forging.

It had not been a hasty choice. I wanted to begin with a field I was more comfortable with, but alchemy and all the good assignments related to plants weren't something that I could take in a reasonable amount of time.

I had a good understanding of most herbs close to my village and the nearby regions, but, unfortunately, they were all common plants and were almost useless here. If I wanted to take a step in that direction, I first needed months, if not years, of study before I could even think of it.

Looking at what was easily accessible, I noticed that there were open spots for assistant blacksmiths. There were also other assignments for the Crafting Hall that didn't need any requirements to start, but they were also like the job at the fields – hard, low paying, and without anything attractive about them. They still needed to be done, though, and that was probably the reason the sect accepted so many outer sect disciples.

To be taken as an assistant blacksmith one just had to have a knowledge of the tools' names and uses, and of the general knowledge of the various processes used for working with metals.

For the better assignments, one had to either have some prior experience or have more in-depth knowledge of those processes: how to judge their temperature from the color, how to quench, how to temper, how to grind, etc…

Those better jobs offered more income, the possibility to become a blacksmith in the future, and they also required less time to be completed. Half a day would be counted as a completed assignment, and thus I would only have to work for two and half days to complete the ones the sect required – while having more credits, too.

They were the ones I was aiming for, so I got down to studying.

After a few hours, I left to eat lunch.

Walking down the various roads, I noticed a group of people walking towards me.

At the start, I didn't pay them much attention, but when they got closer, the face of one of them attracted my attention. The moment my gaze stopped on him, his eyes landed on me.

"Li Chu?" I said involuntarily.

I didn’t know he came to the sect.

As I spoke his name, a grimace formed on his face. Then after a few moments, his face morphed into a thoughtful look, and soon a smirk emerged.

“Junior Brother Gongsun, what a pleasant surprise! I didn’t know you came to the sect,” he said, looking absolutely gleeful.

I had a bad feeling about this. The other guys and girls behind him looked on curiously.

“What a surprise indeed, I hadn’t known you’d be here either,” I said, as impassively as I could.

He just kept smirking with that annoying face. It was still as punchable as I remember. He also didn’t sport any obvious signs of damage on his face after what I did to him.

"Indeed, this is a happy occasion," he said, clapping his hands, "how about you and I have a small private chat right now. What do you say?"

I had warning bells going off everywhere.

“I regret to inform you that I have a prior appointment, so I can’t linger, Senior Brother Li,” I lied.

He didn’t stop smiling, though his eyes narrowed slightly. So many years have passed, but he hadn’t changed a bit. “Ah, I see. Well, no problem then, but I must insist on having a private discussion with you. I believe we owe each other something, and I would loathe to let the matter be forgotten; I do owe you quite a lot, after all. When would you be free, I wonder?”

I felt like I was walking on needles as I responded, "I don't know, senior brother, I just entered the sect last week, and I am busy at the moment. Now I really have to go. I will let you know when I am free."

“Very well,” he said as he dropped his smile.

“Thank you for understanding, Senior Brother Li. Have a nice day,” I said with a nod.

I walked away without waiting for a response.

As I got farther, I heard someone say, "who was that brother Li?"

By the time he responded I was too far to hear what he said – their laughter did reach me, though.

He probably just insulted me.

Even after I left him, I couldn't stop feeling nervous. I had more important things to focus on than to entertain him, so I hoped he would leave me alone – something told me that wasn’t a likely outcome, though.

He’ll just annoy me for a while before getting tired, I thought as I walked, putting him out of my mind.

The rest of the day went like the morning. Cousin Guixin still wasn’t home, so I went back to the library – I would try to contact him next week.

I spent the following three days in the library too. I had wasted two of the weekdays, but if I landed one of those assignments I would have still gained more.

I didn’t understand why people didn’t do this. What was the point of a cultivator wasting his time in the fields?

Well, so long as they don’t bother me, they can do what they want.

Tuesday I went to the smithy. As I walked inside, I felt the heat hitting me in the face. The place was bigger than I would have thought, but so full of tools and tables that there wasn’t too much free space.

The assignment consisted in helping an inner sect disciple. He was a bladesmith, so we would forge mostly swords, sabers, and the like.

The man in question was beating a piece of metal in front of the forge with such strength that I felt my insides shake. He was slightly taller than me, but he didn't look very muscular – it was almost jarring to see so much strength coming from such a thin physique. Cultivation really was a wondrous thing.

A few minutes later, after my ears were already ringing, he stopped and put the piece back inside the coals before giving a few pumps to the bellows.

“Good morning, Junior Brother,” he said after turning to me “do you need something?”

"Good morning, Senior Brother Cui, I am here for the assignment. My name is Gongsun Xianyuan,” I answered.

“Good, what’s your cultivation, and what do you know about forging blades?” he asked.

I took a breath before answering, "I am at the early Qi Gathering Realm. I just came to the sect last week. I have no prior experience on forging, but I have read on the argument…”

I saw his face get progressively more skeptical as I talked, so I just went on, listing all the various stages of creating a blade. In the assignment, it wasn't expressed that one must have had experience. It may have been implied, but I hoped it would be fine anyway.

I would have to try with someone else otherwise.

"If I have to be honest, I didn't expect this," said Senior Brother Cui.

"I will work hard, and I learn fast. I just need a chance," I said whit as much determination as I could put in my voice.

He thought for a few moments, before giving an answer. “Fine, you at least have some theoretical knowledge.”

I smiled at that, feeling relieved.

"But, if I see you are not capable enough, I will have to send you away. I prefer to work alone than to have a useless distraction around," he said after.

I nodded in understanding.

“Good, now take this and start pumping," he said brusquely after he took out a leather apron.

I was a bit taken aback by his sudden change in tone, but I proceeded to do as he said.

Turns out that Senior Brother Cui was an extremely strict person.

He was not interested in teaching, but he, at least, explained what I did wrong and gave a few examples when I needed them. I gave it my all, and I think that I made a good impression.

As we stopped to have lunch, we chatted for a bit. I asked a few things about forging and the sect workings since he didn't seem to mind answering my questions.

He was quite amiable outside of work.

"I was wondering something, Senior Brother: why is it that I see so few people around?" I asked after a few moments of silence. "Judging by the houses, I would have thought to see more people moving about."

He thought for a moment before answering, "well, there are a few reasons, actually."

“The first is that many people cultivate for days, months, or years, in isolation depending on the cultivation level,” he said.

“Another is that the more your cultivation advances, the less you will have to abide by the basic needs of mortals, like food or sleep. That is another reason for the "Immortal" when referred to Immortal Cultivators – other than the longevity factor, of course. What it means is that some who take assignments will be working day and night without rest.

“There is also the fact that some of those assignments are outside of the Sect, and they may take days, weeks, or months, to complete – in some extreme cases even years.”

He took a sip of wine before continuing. “Right now, there is also a war going on between a nation under our protection and another one. Because of the other big Sects, we can't involve ourselves too much, but just sending Qi Gathering and Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators won't tip the scales too much, so they made an assignment.”

"It has been there for the past two years, and it gives more contribution points compared to normal ones, with the possibility of bonuses. People who want more credits and don't mind the dangers, and also those who want to temper themselves in the fires of war, will flock to those kinds of assignments," he said, finishing his wine.

After putting down the cup, he stood up.

“I think you’ve rested enough now. Time to go back to work,” he said as he went toward the forge.

As the hours passed by, I felt like my arms would snap fall to the ground – holding a piece of metal with tongs while Senior Brother Cui hammered it was no easy feat. Also, despite the leather protection, I had a hard time staying near the forge, and each time the hammer struck, my eardrums stung.

I could almost consider this as another Body Tempering.

Unlike mortals, damages to the body were slowly healed over time by the cultivator's qi – it also strengthened the damaged part. Of course, only if he could recover from the damage naturally, without the aid of medicines – there were also lower returns over time.

Luckily, when he saw I was at my limit, he gave me breaks by making me do something else.

"You did well for a first-timer," he said at the end of the day.

He looked like he just had a light run, with some sweat drenching his face. I looked like a wet cat. And half-dead on top of that.

“I don’t mind you coming again if no other better applicant comes. Be here tomorrow morning if you still wish to help," he said, looking at my sorry state with a smirk.

I wasn’t deterred in the least. “I will be here.”

After that, we saluted each other and parted ways.

I was walking home, tired but satisfied, when I found someone on the road in front of me.

We were on one of the narrow roads just outside the seventh district, it was already dark, so I didn't see who it was.

As I walked closer, I saw that the person didn't move, like it was purposefully standing there waiting for something.

When I was near enough to get a clear look at his face, I understood why.

It was a familiar face, and it was clearly waiting for me.