“Yes, Elder.”
“Of the numerous supporting occupations available in the kingdom, the Verdant Green Waters Sect has expertise only in a few. Blacksmithing, pill refining, and martial specialists have significant numbers of experts in the Sect,” Fa Yuan said. “In addition, Elder Wang is a famous celestial formation master of the fourth ring. He is the one who upkeeps the defensive formations around the Sect.”
Wu Ying let his gaze roam over the surroundings. Of course, not being trained in celestial formations, he could not pick out the numerous changes to the landscape. Many long-term defensive formations were achieved by altering the natural landscapes of a location rather than the use of temporary formation flags. As the formations were part of the natural landscape, it was impossible for anyone untrained to spot their locations until they were activated.
“We no longer have a vibrant Spirit Beast taming section, mostly due to the loss of Elder Cho. His death, along with his primary students, in the war a decade ago has impacted the department significantly,” Fa Yuan said, a slight frown creasing her face. “Thus far, we have yet to find a suitable replacement for the Elder. Do any of the ones mentioned interest you?”
“I don’t know,” Wu Ying said truthfully. “I have heard pill refining is both lucrative and useful in cultivation.”
“It is,” Fa Yuan said. “But it is also an extremely costly occupation. To gain expertise in pill refinement, you must be willing to fail numerous times at production. Countless herbs and Cores are wasted by new pill refiners. Can you afford such a loss?”
Wu Ying’s face fell at her words. Fa Yuan was correct. He did not have the background to become a pill refiner, as he lacked both knowledge and funds.
“Think carefully not only about what might be easily accessible when choosing your secondary occupation but also about your final Dao. Your supporting occupation must contribute to your Dao, not subtract from it. Too many fail at the final stage because of missteps along the way,” Fa Yuan said, stopping as they came to a crossroads. Down one street, the inner sect library resided. The other street led toward where the Elders resided. “Research before we speak again on this matter.”
“Thank you, Elder,” Wu Ying said, bowing.
She nodded and turned, kicking lightly on the ground and moving up the hill at blinding speed with little effort. Left alone, Wu Ying turned his head from side to side, considering joining his friend or taking action on Fa Yuan’s advice. In the end, Wu Ying sighed and strode toward the library.
Tou He would understand. Wu Ying had no time to waste if he was to develop himself.
Chapter 2
The inner sect library was built similarly to the outer sect library except it was nearly half as large, with three floors of scrolls and books ranging from basic historic texts to treatises about specific cultivation styles. Unlike the outer sect library, numerous scholars were working inside and happy to speak with and aid Wu Ying’s search.
Interestingly enough, Elder Ko, who Wu Ying had assumed was the library head for the outer sect library, was actually the Elder in charge of all libraries as he had learnt over the previous months. He transited between each library as needed, arranging for replacement attendants and scholars and taking consultation requests when he was present. Of course, other Elders also worked in the library, but Elder Ko was a fixture and perhaps the most well-liked. Numerous cultivators owed their ongoing success to his guidance.
“Looking to learn about supporting occupations?” the attendant said, stroking his long beard as Wu Ying approached him. The middle-aged scholar smiled. “How about being a scholar? We always need young blood.”
“Thank you, Senior, but I don’t know enough to know if such a path is suitable,” Wu Ying said.
“Ah, but you know enough to come to the library!” the bearded attendant said with a smile. “That is the heart of a good scholar—the search for knowledge. It is here, in our libraries, where you will find the sum of human knowledge.”
“Yes, Senior. Still, I would like to do some study first,” Wu Ying said.
“Ah, very well. Let me see. Khoo’s treatise on the five occupations should be a good start,” the attendant said.
Together, the pair wandered into the vaulted library, browsing the volumes on the bottom floor, which consisted of mundane manuals. Unfortunately, finding a document or book which listed the full variety of supporting occupations available to an individual was impossible. At best, some treatises discussed the differences and benefits of each occupation in comparison to another, but for the vast majority, the best Wu Ying and the helpful attendant could do was pull introductory manuals.
Numerous books were available for the main occupations in the sect, but soon enough, Wu Ying found himself burdened with other documents detailing minor occupations the Sect had once hosted or which an Elder currently practiced and hoped to expand upon. There were many such minor occupations, like scholars, dancers, musicians, gatherers, and more. The skills provided by each of these supporting occupations could make a cultivator more powerful and also guide their eventual Dao.
“Are you sure I can take these?” Wu Ying said, eyes wide.
“Of course. These are not cultivation manuals,” the scholar said. “We have multiple copies of all these documents. Though if you fail to return these copies, you will be required to copy a new document. To our standards.”
Wu Ying nodded quickly, acknowledging the threat. Considering these were all trained scholars, the required level of reproduction would be painful. It was a good threat too—while the vast majority of the books he was reading looked to be print block[1] productions, copying one by hand would be arduous and a waste of time. Of course, certain publications, like actual cultivation manuals, were mainly handwritten. Outside of the basic Yellow Emperor’s Body Cleansing Cultivation manual, which was distributed to all villagers, cultivation manuals were secret. Producing a printing press copy of these works would be anathema to the very idea of secrecy.
Seated at his table, Wu Ying read through the works before him. He first focused on the main occupations available in the Sect, finding the documentation profound and in-depth. Each manual obviously had its own bias, pushing the reader toward blacksmithing or pill refining or even combat specialization. And, in so doing, highlighted the flaws of focusing on each of those styles.
Pill refining was, as noted by Elder Yang, highly expensive. There were two major areas of expertise a pill refiner needed to acquire. Firstly, the knowledge and understanding of the various herbs and alchemical components that went into a pill. Secondly, the actual process of refining a pill and the techniques in doing so. Failure in either portion spelled failure in the pill concoction. It was the reason even the lowest-grade spiritual pill was so expensive—one was not just paying for the material of the pill itself but all the failed pill concoctions in the past and all the failed pill concoctions in the refiner’s future.
For most individuals, the first step in pill refinement was studying herbs. In the Sect, beginning pill refiners were assigned to work in the pill dispensary as gophers, picking out requested herbs from the storage rooms. In this way, beginning pill refiners could gain access to and view the herbs while having a more senior cultivator watch over their picks.
“So not impossible,” Wu Ying said softly to himself. While he might not have the funds to purchase the herbs, he could spend his time building up the knowledge of the herbs. A potential avenue for development.