When the grand elders and principal left, the gravekeeper elder said, "Sweep all the tombs here."
He then tossed the broom to Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun accepted the broom and nodded. "Yes, elder."
He thus started sweeping the floor. In truth, this was his very first time sweeping. Of course, he had seen others doing so before, so he could start immediately in a well-practiced manner. In order to have a conversation with the gravekeeper elder as soon as possible, he swept quickly, gathering all the dust into a pile.
"Don't use your energy while sweeping," the gravekeeper elder's voice rang out.
The command caused Xiang Shaoyun to blank out. He did not dare to disobey and did as told, sweeping without utilizing any astral energy. There were about 10,000 tombs here, while the tombs he had been assigned to sweep were the 100 plus tombs in the nearby area.
Even these tombs occupied a rather large area that would fit an entire village. It wouldn't be easy for one single person to clean an area so big. If he could use his astral energy, it wouldn't be an issue. But it quickly became a tiring task since he was forbidden from using astral energy. After all, this was quite a windy place.
Often, a gust of wind would blow past just when Xiang Xhaoyun had swept up a pile of dust, spreading the dust once again. He would then be forced to sweep the same area again.
After the wind scattered the pile several more times, Xiang Shaoyun started feeling jittery. He grumbled, "Damnable wind, making me repeat my job again and again!"
Originally, the places he had swept would be quite clean. But as his mental state deteriorated, his work became sloppier. About half a day later, he had cleaned about a quarter of the area assigned to him. He was confident he could finish the job within three days.
At this time, the gravekeeper elder's voice rang out, "Each tomb must be without a speck of dust. Redo everything."
Xiang Shaoyun felt like vomiting blood. The gravekeeper elder had only warned him that after he had spent so much time sweeping. Was the elder playing a joke on him? However, he did not dare to voice his dissatisfaction. He could only helplessly sweep all the tombs once again. If he had to ensure the tombs were without a speck of dust, he had to pay the task proper attention. He also needed to prevent the wind from messing with his sweeping.
Xiang Shaoyun started putting his focus on it, and when he finally finished cleaning one of the tombs, a sense of joy rose within his heart as he looked at the spotless tomb. After he calmed his mind, he felt much more at ease sweeping the tombs.
He also found that with the calming of his mental state, his soul seemed to experience a comfortable sensation as well, as if sweeping the area was an incredibly joyful task. He also learned that the more impatient he was at completing a task, the worse he would be at it. Instead, by maintaining his calm, he could complete his task flawlessly.
The same concept applied to the path of cultivation. By maintaining a calm mind, one would attain better results than while cultivating with an irritable mental state. Xiang Shaoyun's entire being was silently undergoing a sort of transformation.
In the past, he gave off the impression of a domineering young expert. Now, he looked like an amicable young man, his emotions withdrawn. It brought him closer to nature, and it seemed like the natural energy of the world was revolving around him.
Time passed, and before he knew it, Xiang Shaoyun had cleaned all the tombs in the area. Two days had passed. Looking at the clean tombs, a sense of pride swelled within him. He was proud that he had been able to complete the task assigned to him, and he also felt pride at the fact that he had been able to show his respect to these deceased seniors.
"Not bad. Come, we'll talk," said the gravekeeper elder.
"Yes," Xiang Shaoyun answered and walked toward the gravekeeper elder.
When he arrived before the gravekeeper elder, he knelt down and saluted him, "Your disciple Xiang Shaoyun greets you, master."
He no longer cared if the gravekeeper elder was willing to take him as a disciple, and he paid him the appropriate respects. After all, the gravekeeper elder had taught him not only the Desolation mantra but also the Cosmos Dao Destroying Fist. It was a favor Xiang Shaoyun would not forget.
Although the gravekeeper elder had said that he wouldn't accept Xiang Shaoyun as his disciple, Xiang Shaoyun had long seen the elder as his master. Of course, after seeing how much respect the grand elders and the principal were showing the gravekeeper elder, he had come to the decision that he needed to grab on to this backer. That way, he would be able to do as he wished in the academy.
If the gravekeeper elder knew these thoughts, he would probably smash Xiang Shaoyun's head in anger. So it turned out this fellow was only trying to be his disciple so he could borrow his prestige in the academy?
Instead of reacting to Xiang Shaoyun's actions, the gravekeeper elder asked nonchalantly, "Why are you here? Did I not tell you to not look for me anymore?"
Xiang Shaoyun quickly took out a broken stele and said, "Master, this is a broken stele I had obtained from the goldmen. The mantra recorded on it is the same as what you taught me. In fact, it is even more complete. Therefore, I am here to offer you the stele, master."
Even the gravekeeper elder could not remain calm when he heard Xiang Shaoyun's words. His empty eyes gazed at the broken stele, as if he could see everything on it. He stretched out his hand, and his palm released an absorptive force.
Bang!
Instantly, a bright radiance erupted as the words on the stele transformed into numerous shining symbols that filled the area with an ancient and auspicious aura. For an unknown reason, when Xiang Shaoyun sensed the shining symbols, his nine stars stirred.
The gravekeeper elder raised his head and stared at the shining symbols until they dispersed. He then returned the stele to Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Keep it well. It will be very beneficial for your cultivation of nine powers. Try your best to complete the stele. Perhaps you will be able to break your shackles and form the strongest physique."
Xiang Shaoyun had not imagined that the gravekeeper elder would return the stele to him in such an uncaring manner.
He did not stand on ceremony and put the stele away as he said, "Yes, master." He paused for a bit and asked, "Master, I seek your guidance on something."
"Some things can be said, some things can't be said," said the gravekeeper elder.
In other words, he was saying some things could be made public, but some things were personal secrets that did not need to be exposed. It was obvious the gravekeeper elder did not care about the purple-haired old man's earlier words. He held no interest whatsoever in how Xiang Shaoyun had fused the nine powers.
Xiang Shaoyun understood what the gravekeeper elder was saying, and warmth filled his heart.