Fate was not in his own hands, which made Fang Ming feel a little upset, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.
If he could join a sect, even as a handyman disciple, Fang Ming's future development plans would lean towards immortal cultivation. If he couldn't even be a handyman disciple, then Fang Ming's future plans could revert to using methods like "Iron Smelting with Earth."
This was merely a fallback option.
In a cultivation world like this, unless it was a low-level one, developing technology was generally useless. The current level of productivity was basically similar to ancient Earth, and with only Fang Ming alone, there was no hope of developing into a modern technological civilization within a century... not even a modern one.
Technology was not that simple. First, it required cultivating a large number of personnel with modern education, and then a complete production chain. Even if a thousand modern people were transported to ancient times, within a hundred years, they could at best develop to the level of the early to mid-twentieth century Republic of China, and that would be the absolute limit.
And for Fang Ming alone, it was basically out of the question.
Could firearms at the Republic of China level truly contend with cultivators? Again, unless it was a low-level cultivation world, there was no need to develop technology.
Even in a low-level cultivation world, it would likely only be able to deal with low to mid-level cultivators.
Even though Fang Ming understood far more than his fourteen-year-old peers, he thought this way.
Or rather, precisely because he understood so much, he knew how unreliable it was to develop technology in a world similar to ancient Earth by recruiting ancient people alone. A munitions factory wasn't something that could be conjured with mere words.
It was relatively simpler to produce black powder.
Fang Ming quietly awaited the results from the cultivators.
Then, he heard the cultivator speak in a rather normal tone, neither with great surprise as if discovering a rare gem, nor with utter disappointment as if these children had no potential.
He said in a normal voice, "Hmm, this is the same as the last village. Three or four children are relatively suitable for the cultivation techniques of my White Cloud Sect. They are considered qualified and can be outer disciples of my sect."
Clearly, the cultivator was referring to those who had detected three white clouds with the mirror.
Then, the cultivator also said, "As for the others—those with the aptitude of two white clouds can also join my White Cloud Sect and become handyman disciples. Although handyman disciples have many tasks to perform, they can also learn immortal techniques, and they are somewhat useful to the sect."
There was one thing the cultivator didn't say: handyman disciples were primarily recruited for labor. Therefore, a large number were needed. As for the ability to learn cultivation techniques, this was mainly for the purpose of labor. The White Cloud Sect needed a group of cultivators to do work, not a group of mortals. Thus, they needed to transform some low-aptitude mortals into low-level cultivators, and then enable them to work.
Those with two white clouds aptitude, while not completely unable to practice the White Cloud Sect's techniques like those with one white cloud, had such low aptitude that even if they could cultivate, they wouldn't go far or achieve much.
Major sects generally recruited these individuals as handymen, such as spiritual farmers who cultivated spiritual fields. True disciples with the potential for cultivation would naturally not put aside their practice to farm, even if it was to cultivate spiritual plants and herbs.
Spiritual plants and herbs could not be managed by mortals; cultivators had to do it.
Naturally, this required handyman disciples to act as farming laborers.
Handyman disciples who specialized in farming had extremely low status within the sect. The difference between them and mortals was that handyman disciples cultivated spiritual fields, while mortals cultivated earthly fields.
Cultivation sects also needed labor, including but not limited to spiritual field farmers.
In the eyes of the cultivators, this village only had three or four people, meaning those with three white clouds aptitude, who possessed the true qualification to cultivate. Although their aptitude was still not high, not comparable to cultivation geniuses, and they could only be outer disciples, the sect still placed some meager hope in them, not treating them purely as laborers.
As for those with two white clouds aptitude, they were recruited solely for labor, with virtually no future, remaining the lowest-level cultivators their entire lives.
What about those with one white cloud aptitude? They were so low that they couldn't even be laborers in an immortal sect; they would remain mortals their entire lives.
The cultivator said this.
Everyone was either happy or dejected.
Those children who were not selected, along with their parents, were naturally dejected.
As for the selected children, boys and girls, even those who could only be handyman disciples, they were joyful in their hearts. Even if the immortal elder clearly stated they were handyman disciples, where one did handyman work was still handyman work.
In their villages, they were not young masters or ladies; they also had to do farm work and go to the fields. Since they were all doing manual labor, wouldn't it be better to do it in an immortal sect? At least they could learn immortal techniques.
As for the boys and girls who were detected to have three white clouds aptitude, their mood was even happier. Others still had to do handyman work, but they were true disciples of the immortal sect.
Fang Ming watched this and naturally breathed a sigh of relief. He had two white clouds aptitude. Although he didn't understand how the White Cloud Sect classified aptitude, he could still enter the immortal sect and become a handyman disciple.
Handyman disciples might not be too strong and their status might not be too high, but they had ultimately entered an immortal sect. If the immortal sects in this world supported cultivation through comprehension and state of mind, rather than purely through cultivation resources, then Fang Ming would have a chance to turn things around.
Even if not, having the guarantee of personal strength would ultimately increase his safety. Fang Ming's thoughts were the same as those of the other boys and girls: a handyman in an immortal sect was still a handyman in an immortal sect, and their status was ultimately superior to being an ordinary child in a small village.
Next, one of the two cultivators took out a flying artifact, a flying boat. With a wave of his hand, the flying boat immediately transformed into a medium-sized flying boat capable of carrying a hundred people.
Clearly, this was a flying artifact that could carry people into the sky.
As Fang Ming watched the flying boat, he pondered that in a mortal-stream immortal-hero world, a Qi Refining stage cultivator would likely not be able to achieve this; only a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator could.
He wondered about the true strength of these two cultivators in this world.
Next, the two cultivators had the selected people board the flying boat.
The children and young people still reluctantly bid farewell to their parents.
Fang Ming, being an orphan, didn't have this to deal with.
Then, he, along with the others, were all pulled onto the flying boat by the two cultivators.
The flying boat leaped into the air, flying at a speed that even a swift horse could not match.