The Programmer Cultivator

A disciple beside Zhou Bai kept tugging at his clothes. Without turning his head, Zhou Bai shook his hand free, but just as he was about to speak again, the person behind him tugged once more.

”What are you doing?” Zhou Bai snapped, shaking his hand free again as he turned around.

The disciple froze and discreetly pointed in the direction of Zhang Deming and Song Huidong.

Dazed with anger, Zhou Bai finally noticed that the dozens of surrounding disciples were all watching him in silence. He particularly noticed Zhang Deming and Song Huidong in the crowd, who were also staring at him with calm expressions.

”Why are you looking at me? Go on,” Song Huidong said evenly. ”I’d like to see just what a disciple of the Zhou Family is capable of. Why don’t you talk to your Second Uncle? Have him send me to the Spiritual Fattening pens on Wanghui Peak to try it out?”

Zhou Bai’s face went white. He dropped to his knees without a single word of protest.

Song Huidong shook his head and glanced back at Zhang Deming. ”Of all the trends from the Outer Realm, none of the others seem to have caught on these past few years. But this rash, impulsive attitude has become exceptionally popular, flowing in with their novels. Just look at these new disciples, one after another. What kind of temperaments do they have?”

Zhang Deming smiled. He wasn’t surprised. ’In my past life, it was perfectly normal for young people to be this hot-headed. When teenagers and men in their early twenties got angry, it was expected that they’d dare to challenge anyone and everyone.’

’To him, it was the seven and eight-year-old children who acted as shrewdly as little adults that he had trouble getting used to.’

From below the stage, Changg Shaoqing suddenly emerged from the Array Platform. He hurried over to Song Huidong, bowed quickly, and said, ”Master Song, please don’t be offended. Junior Brother Zhou was just joking. We often kid around like this in private. He didn’t mean it.”

”Come on, let’s keep walking. Why get so angry with a junior?” Zhang Deming said with a gentle smile, deciding to play the good cop. ”Besides, you’re the one who started this. If it wasn’t for the reward you offered, or his desire to show off for you, he wouldn’t have gotten so worked up.”

Zhou Bai, still kneeling on the ground, shot a grateful look at Changg Shaoqing and Zhang Deming.

”Look at you,” Song Huidong scolded. ”Your Spirit Root is subpar, so it’s understandable you were sent out just to build up your qualifications. But you haven’t learned anything useful, only absorbed plenty of these Outer Realm attitudes. You’re about to bring total disgrace to the Zhou Family.”

”If you don’t start paying attention and being more careful, your whole life will be... Heh...”

”Forget it. I can’t be bothered with this thankless task.” Song Huidong flicked his sleeve and turned back to Zhang Deming. ”Junior Brother Zhang, let’s go. We’ll continue our walk.”

”I actually think it’s good for young people to have a bit of spirit,” Zhang Deming said with a smile as he began to walk away.

Song Huidong paused, looking Zhang Deming up and down. ”I can’t say I see any of that ’spirit’ in you, Junior Brother Zhang.”

Zhang Deming chuckled. ”That’s because you never saw me back in the day, Senior Brother. I’ve only quieted down because of my current Cultivation and status. Even if I wanted to act up a little, my position doesn’t exactly allow for it anymore!”

Song Huidong shook his head. ”Well, I for one can’t get used to it. Having a poor Spirit Root and not being a prodigy is one thing. That’s innate; it can’t be helped.”

”But the ones with real Talent mature by the time they’re eight or nine. They already know what to do and what to say. If someone is a little slower to mature due to their aptitude, who wouldn’t understand that?”

”But look at those boys back there. They might be new Disciples from the last few years, but they have to be in their twenties or thirties at least, right?”

”Take that Zhou Family disciple. He was sent here with his Tai Chi Cultivation, but after spending decades in the Celestial Spirit Secret Realm, it’s obvious his development has been completely neglected.”

”At his age, he’s less sensible than an eight or nine-year-old Child. Is that a problem of Talent? No, he just doesn’t know how to cherish his opportunities. And this influence from the Outer Realm... it really needs to be brought under control.”

Zhang Deming saw Song Huidong was slipping into his ”Spirit Nurturing Peak Chief Steward” mode and chose not to respond.

’To be honest, from his perspective, their behavior was perfectly understandable.’

’After all, the ones assigned here probably weren’t geniuses. Lacking the precociousness that comes with a high-grade Spirit Root, but being from a great Noble Family, they would have been exposed to more ’cutting-edge’ information.’

’So, in this environment of cultural transition, it was only normal for them to be a little impulsive under the influence of other cultures.’

「...」

After leaving the arena area, the two saw many other cutting-edge creations nearby. A lot of it was very novel, with a look that differed, to varying degrees, from the traditional Hongmeng style.

”It looks like the Array Department has put a lot of work into this over the past few years,” Zhang Deming remarked, observing their surroundings.

Song Huidong nodded. ”Yes, they certainly have. The upcoming exchange meeting for the Outer Realm study group might be held on it, so I’ve heard the entire Cyan Feather Green Ship has been placed under the Array Department’s management.”

Zhang Deming nodded. The two continued to wander around. Even though Song Huidong was knowledgeable, he hadn’t been aboard in recent years, so he too found many things novel.

After a good while, their ”day tour” of the Cyan Feather Green Ship came to an end. Song Huidong, still a little worried, hurried back to the main hall.

Zhang Deming first asked a nearby attendant disciple if the sermon in the main hall had begun. He was told it hadn’t, and that Guan Shouxin was still meditating with his eyes closed.

So, Zhang Deming decided not to return to the hall. Instead, guided by the disciple, he found a Cultivation Quiet Room and began crafting Spirit Nurturing Beads to pass the time. Once he focused on his work, time seemed to fly.

「...」

More than half a day later, Zhang Deming, deep in the process of crafting Spirit Nurturing Beads, suddenly paused. The sensory Array in the room had sent him an alert.