The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Chapter 167: Testing the Candidates

Just outside Mu Xia Village, on the grassy plains at the settlement’s footsteps, a small crowd gathered around three young men. A majority of them consisted of women and young children, but they were still somehow eerily quiet as they stood there, staring at the three men.

The largest of the three young men was currently swinging a sword around. Even if that was all there was to it, the children would still be entertained, but sword swings weren’t all that was happening. After every slash, a crescent-shaped stone was sent flying out of the blade. It traveled with such force that it made the onlookers break out into a cold sweat. They instinctively knew it would be trouble for them to be anywhere near the powerful attack.

Beside this tall man was a man of much shorter stature. He wore a strange wooden mask while he swiftly darted all over the place, performing one incredible acrobatic movement after the other.

And if the flashy flips and somersaults still weren’t enough, there was also a bluish-silver fire burning before the last remaining man. It was not only a visual spectacle, but the fumes also managed to reach the villagers. A sweet and exotic scent could be detected around the area. It was the result of the candy-like exterior of the pill being caramelized during the final steps of refining.

It didn’t fail to stir the appetite for sweets from the children, but they were too overwhelmed by everything happening before their eyes to do anything more than stare.

Before the crowd had to wait too long, the three cultivators quickly finished their respective matters and called out to them.

“Thank you to those who have come. I won’t waste any more of your time than needed, so we’ll begin with our tests right away. Can all the children who will be participating please step forth?”

Instantly, the children who had parents glanced up at them for permission, while those who didn’t, sprinted out toward the three cultivators. They varied widely in height due to the age range Li Lang had set. They accepted anyone between the ages of eight and twelve.

This was because Li Lang had always been skeptical of the practice of only recruiting when a child reached the age of ten. He didn’t believe the spiritual roots and meridians magically appeared when they turned ten years old.

Instead, he believed it was just an arbitrary age people set that made it convenient for management. It was just like the age of adulthood that kept changing over history. There likely wasn’t any complex thought put into deciding this number, picking an age where it seemed likely for the children to be capable enough to listen to instructions and endure the vigors of cultivation.

In order to put this to the test, Li Lang didn’t hesitate to widen the age range of those he wished to accept. Combined with the fact they weren’t looking for those who had high aptitude, their pool of candidates theoretically encapsulated everyone willing to participate.

Once the trio counted a total of twenty people assembled before them, it became apparent no one else would be joining. Wei Ping then gave out the next instructions.

“Our f-first test is to simply run laps a-around the village. Everyone, f-follow me!”

Before any kids could ask questions, Wei Ping turned and began jogging away. Long Yi followed after a split-second delay and then came the sharp-witted among the candidates.

Of course, the two cultivators ran at a pace that the children could follow. The point of the tests was to examine their prospects, and for that, they had to be able to observe them. That was why Li Lang waited so he could bring up the rear.

This simple exercise was thought up by him, so it fell to him to be in the best position to monitor the test.

The kids soon managed to finish an entire lap without anyone dropping out. It was both thanks to the lenient pace Wei Ping set and the ample exercise the children had every day. Without the many toys to play with, it was normal for kids their age to be playing outside all the time. Plus, many of them dreamed of becoming a powerful cultivator from an early age, so they would condition themselves over the years.

However, no matter how much they had prepared, they were still kids at the end of the day. Only a few of the older children were even in the first stage of Energy Gathering. They likely set foot on the path of cultivating haphazardly without proper guidance, after failing to be recruited by any sect. It was all too common for those who passed the age of ten.

Even when some kids started to fall behind, Li refused to overtake them until they gave up. He continued to watch their struggles without batting an eye.

This lasted for an entire ten laps before they stopped.

As soon as the last kid completed the task, Li Lang immediately declared the start of the next test.

“Good work. Next, we will be doing a written test. Those who don’t know how to read and write, please raise your hands.”

After a moment, he found only two hands raised among the dozen children before him. It wasn’t surprising that the two were the ones who were poorly dressed compared to the others.

“You two, come to me. The rest of you go to my friend with the mask over there. He will hand you the papers and writing instruments.”

As the two kids approached Li Lang, he carefully examined them. The two boys with short hair timidly approached. Every time they made eye contact with each other, they would gain some courage and quicken their steps, but it quickly faded as they instinctively avoided taking the lead.

If Li Lang hadn’t watched them desperately running around despite their fatigue earlier, he may have eliminated them from the test already based on their demeanor. He didn’t need disciples who were too timid to speak their minds. Research required accurate information gathering not only from his observations, but reports from his subjects as well. People who were too timid usually kept to themselves too much to be suitable for this position.

However, Li Lang did see their determination when they struggled to keep up near the end of the first test.

They may have been slower compared to most other children, but that’s probably due to malnutrition and the lack of exercising because of it. The hardship they’ve faced should have polished their character. They have potential with some guidance.

The written test quickly got started while Li Lang quizzed the two who couldn’t read and write verbally. Of course, he administered the test separately, which meant they took longer than the others. Still, the test ended within half an hour.

The test consisted of a bunch of short-answer questions, posing scenarios to the examinees, while the time they were allotted was purposefully limited. It was to put their quick-wittedness to the test, while the contents itself tested their creativity and decision-making skills.

If accepted, these kids would be cultivating with the Cleansing Drug along with different techniques that change periodically. While Li Lang planned to make their curriculum as well-rounded as possible, it didn’t change the fact that he planned to use them as test subjects at the same time. They needed to be adaptable.

Once the test finished, it only took Wei Ping and Li Lang a moment to go over them. They immediately failed those who had answered less than five questions out of the ten. It showed they failed to analyze that they would need to get at least five correct answers to pass the test. While it may not indicate they weren’t suitable at all, they had a large enough pool of candidates to choose from that they could be picky.

Out of the dozen children who took the test, eight of them passed.

“Next, we’ll be testing your pain tolerance,” Li Lang declared.

Cultivation was no stranger to pain. It was vital for his prospective students to be able to act calmly even when enduring immense pain. Otherwise, it would be impossible to train in a safe manner and retain their experiences afterward.

They soon got the kids to line up before Li Lang, and one by one, they began injecting the kids with a thin needle. Obviously, Li Lang wasn’t injecting deadly poisons into such young children. His Vengeful Leaf Compendium was filled with various types of poisons found in this world. Many of them paralyzed the target, but they all varied in how they worked and how painful they were.

With three cultivators administering this test, they could send their Qi into their bodies at any time to cleanse away the toxins. Once the first kid was injected with the mildest of the poisons, Li Lang immediately placed a hand over their abdomen.

His Vein Flow Calculation Method could only perceive the surface layer of the boy, so he used his new Tracing Origin Art to keep track of how far the poison reached. At the same time, he preemptively channeled some Qi into the child’s body as well.

This wasn’t only to protect him, but for Li Lang to examine his aptitude as well. One didn’t need a fancy orb to gauge the aptitude of someone. They simply needed to examine their meridians and count the number of spiritual roots. It was what he had seen elders do after their deacons reported candidates of interest.

Hmm, I have to steer clear of his shoulder until the end, but it’s still going to be a few minutes for me to analyze their aptitude with my level of control.

Like this, Li Lang inspected each and every single one of the final eight candidates while they were trying their best to resist the pain.

Every time they endured for over two minutes, Li Lang would cleanse away the poison and administer a stronger alternative. Of course, Wei Ping wasn’t doing nothing while this happened. He carefully monitored their emotions and gauged how they were doing on the mental side of things. From it, one could gauge their willpower, which was an important element of the test that was never explicitly stated.

Once the test finished, the trio went into a huddle to discuss the results. Wei Ping naturally went first, reporting what he thought of each candidate. When he was done, he found Li Lang still wearing a thoughtful expression, with no signs of snapping out of it.

“B-boss, is something the matter?”

Li Lang did not respond.