Chương 113: 112. Establishing the Hierarchy

The training yard lay on a broad terrace cut into the mountainside. By the time Bai Yulan arrived with the others, four other probationary disciples were already waiting near the edge of the packed earth. They wore the same gray robes and plain cords as the newcomers, though theirs were softened slightly from several days of use. When a bell sounded from the lower courtyard, they moved without needing to look around.

They bowed when a senior disciple crossed the yard and avoided the section of flagstones near a half-built platform where several formation markers had been placed. When the broad-shouldered young man from the dining hall entered carrying a wooden training pole, all four became noticeably more attentive. They had not been here long, but they had already learned enough to appear established beside the latest arrivals. Their curiosity was equally obvious.

The smaller girl with the patched sleeves looked from Bai Yulan to Chen Mu, then lingered on Zhuang Zhou. A sturdier young man with laborer's hands examined Tang Bo's travel-worn shoes before offering him a brief nod. The other girl watched the new recruits with open interest, while the oldest boy among them stood somewhat apart, his posture restrained and his expression careful. Bai Yulan noticed that they were studying the new group in much the same way she studied them.

A lean young man approached them from the far side of the yard. He wore a short, thin blade at his waist and carried a narrow ledger beneath one arm. His expression was not unfriendly, though it gave Bai Yulan the impression that he had already noticed more than he intended to mention.

"My name is Jun," he said.

"You will address me as Senior Jun. The four of you arrived after the others, so you will follow their routine this morning while I explain how the sect operates. Watch what they do before asking whether a rule applies to you. It usually does." Zhuang Zhou looked toward the recruits apart from them.

"Did they have to do something to get in?" Jun glanced at him.

"They completed the public entrance trial."

"What trial?"

"They… attempted to move Senior Wei Chen." Zhuang Zhou's attention shifted immediately toward the broad-shouldered disciple carrying the training pole. Bai Yulan followed his gaze. The man was taller than most of the disciples around him and built heavily enough that the idea of moving him by force seemed like an attempt to embarrass applicants publicly. The four earlier recruits did not look eager to discuss the experience. Jun continued before Zhuang Zhou could ask whether he was permitted to try.

"You have already been assessed by the Sect Leader. You are not repeating their entrance trial. For today, you will shadow them through conditioning, orientation, and basic assignments." That appeared to disappoint Zhuang Zhou. The first bell had already marked breakfast, but the newcomers were given bowls before training began. They ate quickly near the edge of the yard while the earlier recruits stretched under supervision.

The distinction between new and seasoned disciples became clearer once the exercises started. A larger group ran the outer circuit of the training ground with smooth, measured strides. Their breathing remained controlled, their spacing even. Several carried weights at their wrists or ankles. Others practiced movement techniques between laps without breaking rhythm. All probationary disciples ran behind them. Their movements were less graceful. Jun directed the newcomers into place behind them.

Bai Yulan had received some physical instruction within the Bai clan. She knew basic stretches, posture, and enough defensive movement to avoid embarrassing herself during household demonstrations. The training yard did not care. By the fourth lap, her breathing had become ragged. By the sixth, the muscles above her knees burned with every step. The probationary robe clung unpleasantly to her back, and the plain cord at her waist felt tighter than when she had tied it.

Chen Mu endured better: Years of carrying water, ash, timber, and whatever else the clan required had likely given him a patient kind of stamina. Tang Bo struggled from the beginning, though he refused to stop. Zhuang Zhou appeared bored. He completed the laps without visible difficulty, sometimes falling behind only to accelerate suddenly and weave past the others. During stretches, he copied each movement carelessly and looked around the yard instead of listening.

When the group moved into push-ups, he performed the first several quickly, then began shifting his hands into narrower and wider positions as though testing which variation amused him most. Wei Chen walked between the lines with the wooden pole resting against one shoulder. After push-ups came stance work, balance drills, and a sequence of stretches that made Bai Yulan aware of muscles she had never needed to think about. Jun explained each exercise while the first four demonstrated.

When one of them made a mistake, he corrected the position without stopping the rest of the group. When the newcomers misunderstood an instruction, they were shown once and expected to follow. Zhuang Zhou lasted until the balance drills before wandering from the marked area. He stepped over the boundary stones and began looking toward the weapon racks, then toward a narrow path leading around the side of the training hall. One of the senior disciples, Song Li, noticed.

"You need to remain with the group." Zhuang Zhou continued walking. The disciple reached for his shoulder. The problem child slipped aside before the hand closed. The movement was so quick that Bai Yulan initially thought the disciple had missed through carelessness. The senior disciple followed. Zhuang Zhou led him between two weapon racks, vaulted a low bench, and emerged on the opposite side before the other boy could circle around. Bai Yulan found herself watching despite the burning in her shoulders.

He moved without hesitation. He saw spaces before they closed and shifted his weight before anyone committed to reaching for him. There was no technique behind it that she recognized, only instinct. Wei Chen noticed as well. He handed the training pole to another disciple and approached with a grin.

"Come back to the line." Zhuang Zhou looked at him.

"You'll have to catch me." Several probationary disciples stopped moving. Jun did not immediately interfere. Wei Chen reached out casually. Zhuang Zhou twisted away, planted one foot against the side of a bench, and used it to change direction sharply. Wei Chen's hand closed on empty air. The grin on the older disciple's face faded into something more attentive. The boy saw that and became visibly pleased. Wei Chen tried again.

This time Zhuang Zhou darted behind a post and slid beneath the end of the wooden pole another disciple was carrying. Wei Chen followed, but the boy changed direction again, using the edge of the yard and the clustered equipment to keep something between them. Then he turned around the corner of the training hall and ran directly into Jun. Zhuang Zhou bounced back a half-step. Jun caught the rear of his collar before he could recover.

"You're quick," Jun said.

"But that doesn't mean our instruction is optional." Zhuang Zhou twisted once, discovered the grip would not loosen, and stopped. Wei Chen approached from behind.

"I almost had him." Jun looked at him.

"You underestimated him twice. A disgraceful showing to the recruits. What will they think when a senior can't catch a child?"

"I was being encouraging."

"You were being slow." Wei Chen took back the training pole, his expression souring. Zhuang Zhou was returned to the group. For several minutes afterward, he followed instructions, with Wei Chen stationed closer to interfere, tapping the pole on his shoulder in an impatient manner. Once everyone had reassembled, Jun explained the broader routine. The three daily bells marked meals and the main divisions of the day.

Mornings were devoted to physical conditioning, body refinement, foundational movement, and basic qi practice once cultivation methods had been assigned. Afternoons were divided between personal cultivation, technique practice, craft instruction, contribution work, and specialized lessons. Each week included a team-training session supervised by senior disciples.

At the end of the week, controlled sparring matches and performance assessments determined rewards such as contribution points, Qi-Gathering Pills, medicinal baths, and additional instruction. The four earlier recruits barely reacted. That difference followed them to the outer-disciple quarters. The building was longer than the guest house and divided into several shared rooms. The first four probationary disciples had already claimed beds along one side.

Their storage chests stood beneath them, some neatly arranged and others still containing clothing folded in the manner of recent arrival. Bai Yulan was assigned a bed near the rear wall. There was a narrow chest beneath it, two hooks for clothing, and enough space beside the sleeping platform to sit comfortably. She looked at the chest. Then she thought of the trunks waiting in the guest house.

"Where are larger belongings kept?" Jun pointed toward a storehouse farther down the slope.

"Anything that does not fit here can be registered and placed in general storage." Bai Yulan imagined her clothing, books, bedding, and personal items stacked among sect tools, grain sacks, and construction materials.

"Are private quarters available?"

"They can be earned through rank, assigned responsibility, or sufficient contribution. Not during probation." Chen Mu placed his single bundle beneath his assigned bed and appeared finished. Tang Bo opened his storage chest twice, checking its depth and the condition of the lock. He seemed impressed by the fact that it belonged to him alone. Zhuang Zhou tested the window latch, examined the roof beams, pulled once at the chest lock, and checked both exits before placing his bag anywhere.

The group continued to the Finance Hall. The building showed signs of recent repairs. Shelves lined the walls. Ledgers covered several tables, and locked cabinets occupied the rear section beneath formation seals. Zhuang Yan sat at one desk speaking with a lean man in merchant's robes and a scarred nose. They showed the newcomers how assignments were recorded, how completed work was verified, and how earned points were added to their accounts.

The sect provided basic food, shared housing, probationary robes, foundational instruction, and treatment for ordinary training injuries. Additional resources required contribution points: pills, improved weapons, private lessons, medicinal baths, crafting materials, expanded manual access, and personal goods from sect stores were all priced according to scarcity and demand.

Beginner assignments included kitchen work, cleaning, herb-garden maintenance, carrying construction materials, copying records, assisting with inventory, repairing trails, and gathering common plants under supervision. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The earlier recruits formally introduced themselves while explaining what they had already chosen. The timid girl was Ren Xiaolu, working with the kitchens.

The other girl, Han Yiru had begun assisting in the herb plots. Mo Shun had taken construction and carrying work because it matched what he already knew. Liang Kuan had not accepted regular contribution duties yet. His cultivation required apparent correction, and the senior disciples wanted his foundation stabilized before assigning additional strain. Jun continued the tour after their belongings and provisional accounts had been registered. Probationary disciples could not leave the mountain alone.

They could not enter restricted halls or active formation areas without supervision. Paths marked with red stones were forbidden unless a senior disciple gave explicit permission. Near the lower storehouses, they encountered a raccoon. It sat beside a stack of crates with a polished metal clasp held between its front paws. A junior disciple stopped the group.

"That is Xiao Zei. Keep food and anything shiny secured. Do not chase him. Do not assume an object belongs to him because he is carrying it. If he offers to trade something valuable, report it before accepting. He understands more than he appears to." Bai Yulan immediately thought of her luggage. Xiao Zei looked at Zhuang Zhou. Zhuang Zhou looked back. There was something disturbingly familiar in the way they assessed one another.

Bai Yulan watched as senior disciples formed a wall to break their line of sight from each other.

"Who is responsible for the spirit beast?" Several disciples looked at one another. Jun answered after a pause.

"Core Disciple Ling'er." At the training yard, Tang Bo asked who led the body-refinement routine.

"Wei Chen takes two each week," Jun said.

"Core Disciple Ling'er handles the others." They continued toward a wider clearing marked for group formations. Mo Shun studied the lines cut into the earth.

"Are these for team drills?"

"Yes," Jun said.

"I supervise the ordinary sessions."

"And the more advanced ones?"

"Core Disciple Ling'er." The answer came without emphasis. Near the herb plots, Han Yiru slowed to point out where she had begun working. Rows of young plants had been divided according to shade, soil, and watering needs. Bai Yulan looked toward the adjoining shed.

"Does Senior Mei Lin manage this area?"

"She handles the daily work," Han Yiru said.

"Core Disciple Ling'er decides which medicinal plants we cultivate and approves any changes to the treatment plans." They passed the unfinished alchemy hall next. The building still smelled of fresh timber. Shelves had been installed along one wall, while stone worktables waited beneath covered windows. Chen Mu looked inside.

"Who teaches alchemy?"

"Core Disciple Ling'er is establishing the hall," Jun said.

"Senior Mei Lin assists her." By then, Bai Yulan had begun paying closer attention to the name. The formation yard produced the same result. Thin metal markers had been set into the ground around several partially repaired arrays. A younger girl sat near one of them with notes spread across her knees. Tang Bo nodded toward her.

"Is she the formation master?"

"That is Lian," Jun said.

"She handles routine maintenance and minor repairs."

"And the larger formations?"

"Core Disciple Ling'er inspects those." The contribution hall came next. While the earlier recruits demonstrated how points were recorded, Bai Yulan found the list of available private lessons. Several senior disciples had different rates beside their names and their specialties. Wei Chen for body refinement and general combat. Mei Lin for alchemy and water-based techniques. Jun for tactics and footwork.

"Why is this one so expensive?" she asked. Jun looked at the entry.

"That is Core Disciple Ling'er."

"What does she teach?"

"Whatever she agrees to." By then, even the original four recruits had begun exchanging looks. Ren Xiaolu waited until Jun had moved several paces ahead before speaking quietly.

"Is she the oldest disciple?" Han Yiru considered the question.

"She must have cultivated for a long time." Mo Shun looked back toward the alchemy hall.

"She sounds more like an elder. Perhaps that's why we haven't seen her yet." Bai Yulan understood why. A core disciple was normally the foremost member of the younger generation. They might represent the sect, receive special instruction, and eventually inherit authority. They did not ordinarily supervise combat training, formations, medicinal planning, alchemy, advanced mentorship, and spirit beasts at the same time. Yet Coiling Dragon had no visible elders.

There were no separate elder residences, no senior hall masters, and no older cultivators dividing authority beneath the Sect Leader. The sect appeared to rely on a small number of disciples carrying responsibilities that would normally belong to an entire generation above them. Ling'er seemed to carry more than most. Zhuang Zhou had listened to the discussion with growing skepticism.

"You keep talking about her like she built the mountain." No one answered. He looked toward the training grounds, then the alchemy hall, then the storehouses where Xiao Zei had disappeared.

"She's probably just another old fart." The words had barely left Zhuang Zhou's mouth when someone called from the direction of the sect entrance.

"Senior Sister!" Bai Yulan turned with the others. A girl was walking up the stone path toward the training yard, carrying a wooden box against her chest. Damp earth marked the hem of her robe, and several broad leaves protruded from beneath the lid. At first, Bai Yulan assumed she was another late arrival. The girl was younger than any disciple Bai Yulan had expected to see holding responsibility. She was also shorter than every probationary recruit gathered in the yard, including Zhuang Zhou.

Her dark hair had been tied neatly behind her, and her face held the composed neutrality of someone with her attention divided between several matters at once. Her clothing corrected the first impression. The robe followed the same general design as those worn by the sect's disciples, but the fabric was finer, the dark trim more elaborate, and the coiling-dragon emblem worked into the shoulder with silver thread. Even the senior disciples' uniforms appeared plain beside it. Wei Chen raised a hand in greeting.

"Senior Sister, how's the herb gathering? Any strong spirit beasts?"

"It went well. I harvested the mature Silver-Vein grass in the northern regions." Mei Lin went to meet her and took the wooden box.

"We can separate the stalks before the evening meal." The girl nodded, then looked toward the probationary disciples. Every senior disciple had given her their full attention without being asked. Jun crossed the yard and handed her the assessment notes he had carried throughout the morning.

"The Sect Leader sent back new recruits. We have completed the initial orientation and registered their contribution accounts with the Finance Hall." The girl opened the notes and read the first page while standing. Bai Yulan looked from the elaborate robe to the quiet deference surrounding her.

'This was Ling'er?' For most of the morning, Bai Yulan had imagined a senior cultivator approaching middle age, or perhaps a woman only slightly younger than the Sect Leader who retained the title of core disciple for institutional reasons. Instead, the person responsible for advanced training, medicinal planning, alchemy, formations, mentorship, and the sect's spirit beast looked younger than Bai Yulan herself.

The discrepancy was difficult to accept even while everyone around them confirmed it through their behavior. Ling'er finished reading and closed the notes. She met their eyes with a calm expression.

"Welcome to Coiling Dragon," she said.

"Before any of you receive a cultivation method, your roots, meridians, physical condition, and prior training will be assessed. If you have practiced another method, suffered an old injury, or experienced unusual reactions while training, you must report it. Concealing such things will make it more difficult to choose a safe method and may cause permanent damage." Her speech was courteous and measured.

She did not raise her voice, and she showed none of the severity Bai Yulan expected from someone who held so much authority. The recruits appeared relieved to hear that their cultivation would be examined individually rather than assigned according to whatever method happened to be available. Zhuang Zhou looked unconvinced.

"You're really the Core Disciple?" Ling'er turned toward him.

"I am." He looked at the senior disciples, perhaps expecting someone to correct her. No one did. Zhuang Zhou folded his arms.

"Do you fight in the weekly tournament?" All the recruits gaped at his audacity. Wei Chen laughed once. The sound stopped when he realized Zhuang Zhou was serious.

"... Senior Sister does not participate," he said.

"Why not?" Zhuang Zhou appeared to interpret their hesitation as confirmation that no one wanted to discuss her actual strength. He had evaded several disciples, forced Wei Chen and Jun to take him seriously, and seen the sect's most frequently mentioned figure arrive in the shape of a small girl carrying herbs.

"I'll probably reach the top before long." Bai Yulan watched Ling'er more carefully. Zhuang Zhou had spoken improperly to nearly everyone he had met since arriving. Until now, the consequences had been limited to warnings, irritated looks, and being caught by the collar. Bai Yulan wondered whether he had finally chosen someone who would punish arrogance as it would have been punished inside the Bai clan. Ling'er did not appear offended. She studied him. There was something unsettling in the stillness of her gaze.

Her eyes remained calm, but they seemed to hold a depth that did not belong in the face of a child. Zhuang Zhou met them without lowering his own.

"You possess considerable potential," Ling'er said.

"If you train properly, you could become strong." Zhuang Zhou straightened. Bai suspected he heard praise more readily than the condition attached to it.

"Then maybe I'll take your position." She shifted one step away from him, unwilling to be caught in the collateral of what the Core Disciple was going to do to him. Instead, Ling'er continued regarding him without visible irritation.

"We will see." Her answer carried no challenge. She appeared genuinely willing to let time settle the question. Zhuang Zhou looked around at the other probationary disciples.

"I can already tell it won't take long. The old fart found me himself, and I'm probably the best one he brought back." The atmosphere changed. Bai Yulan felt it before she understood why. The training yard remained exactly as it had been. Yet the space around them seemed suddenly exposed, as though some vast eye had opened above the mountain and turned its attention toward the yard. Wei Chen stopped smiling. Jun moved aside.

A thin line of sweat had appeared near his temple despite the cool air and the composed expression he had maintained throughout the morning. Mei Lin carried the herb box several paces farther from Ling'er. The recruits noticed the senior disciples withdrawing and followed without needing to understand. Bai Yulan did the same. Ling'er's expression had changed very little. Only her pupils narrowed, thinning into vertical slits.

"Who are you calling an old fart?" Zhuang Zhou looked around at the others, apparently confused by their reaction and unaware of the looming danger.

"The Sect Leader," he said.

"Lu Chen." He emphasized the answer as though Ling'er had failed to understand him the first time. Bai Yulan did not see the distance close. One moment Ling'er stood by Jun. The next, her hand had caught the back of Zhuang Zhou's collar. His body reacted quickly. He twisted, planted one foot against the ground, and tried to slip free before her grip settled. The movement accomplished nothing. Ling'er turned toward the disciple quarters and began walking.

"Let go of me!" Zhuang Zhou kicked at the ground, caught the edge of a training post, and wrapped both hands around it. Ling'er continued forward without slowing. His fingers slid from the wood.

"What are you doing? I didn't even do anything!" No one answered. He twisted hard enough that the collar pulled against his throat. Ling'er adjusted her grip once and dragged him across the yard as though he weighed no more than the box of herbs she had carried up the mountain. Zhuang Zhou caught the doorframe with both hands. Ling'er pulled and his grip broke. The door closed behind them, as the senior disciples and onboarding group remained in the yard.

At first, Zhuang Zhou's voice carried through the wall with more anger than fear.

"Let me go! I said let go!" Something shifted inside. There was a short silence.

"What is that?" A heavier sound followed, deep enough to tremble through the floorboards and disturb dust beneath the eaves.

"Wait—no!" Then he screamed. A side door flew open as two disciples ran from the quarters. Bai Yulan recognized both from the morning. The younger girl had been seated beside the formation markers with notes across her knees. The other had been guarding the sect entrance when Bai Yulan and Chen Mu arrived. Lian still clutched several pages against her chest. One had torn along the edge, though she did not appear to notice.

Song Li had left one shoe behind and continued across the yard without stopping to retrieve it. Both ran until several buildings stood between them and the disciple quarters. Wei Chen looked after them.

"What is Senior Sister doing?" Lian shook her head immediately. Song Li bent forward with both hands braced against his knees. Another impact came from within the quarters. The wall shuddered. Zhuang Zhou screamed again, farther from the door this time. The new recruits looked from the building to Jun, then to Mei Lin, waiting for someone with authority to intervene. Jun opened the assessment ledger.

"The afternoon bell marks the end of communal conditioning," he said.

"After the midday meal, probationary disciples will be assigned individual assessments, contribution work, or supervised instruction depending on their current condition." Mei Lin gestured for the group to continue toward the next courtyard. Wei Chen looked toward the quarters with an expression that contained sympathy but no intention of approaching the door. Bai Yulan followed the others. She had been raised to understand rank.

Her father's title had shaped every room she entered, and her family name had determined who bowed, who carried her belongings, and how carefully others chose their words.

'None of it would protect me here.' The four recruits who had arrived earlier had also understood something from the reaction of their seniors, even if no one stated the rule formally. Speaking poorly of the Sect Leader in Ling'er's presence was unwise. The onboarding continued while Zhuang Zhou's screams carried faintly across the mountain.