8 The Final Test

The final test.

When the group heard those words, they became excited.

Whether or not they'd had any information about this place when they first entered their respective versions of the Gate of Virtues, by now they'd all come to recognize just how spectacular the Blue Moon Sect was.

Be it the teleportation portals used to assemble all the examinees, the display of force that Elder Mo had shown at the end of the first examination, the manuals that had given them enough strength to fight against the monsters with superhuman strength, or the mysterious relics in the second trial, the youths had all come to the same conclusion.

What awaited them after they passed the examination would be extraordinary.

Song Yi had a unique view. While he was excited, too, he also had a second perspective — that of the monarch.

Emperor Wang had consistently shown disdain for what he'd seen in the Blue Moon Sect's grounds. He'd attached trivial importance to the obsidian axe that seemed, to Song Yi, to be a fantastic treasure, but only as a "toothpick."

"Although," Emperor Wang once said, "when you're weak you use what you can."

Following the escort, they walked away from the edge of the cliff, going deeper into Blue Moon Sect territory.

Walking through a wooded area, they could see tall mountains and raging rivers in the distance. Closer to them, occasionally they would spot more groups of cabins similar to the ones they'd stayed in after the second trial.

Near those cabins were clear-cut areas that had been turned into training grounds. Within the training grounds, figures wearing robes similar to their own could be seen fighting. Their attacks were vicious, even though they were fighting their fellow disciples. Many of them were bloodied, covered in bruises and cuts, but refused to back down.

Others were in small groups discussing, or practicing new moves that they had learned on inanimate targets.

Many of them, when seeing the group of examinees walking down the path, came closer to check out the greenhorns.

"Not many this time," one man who looked to be around twenty years old, said. He had a scar that sliced across his face from the top of one cheekbone to the other.

"That means that the exam's proctor was one of the tougher ones. Probably the fifth or ninth elder. Ji Hong, you're an idiot who's been a novitiate for three years, but even you should understand that these recruits are above average," a girl said.

The scar-faced Ji Hong glanced bitterly at the girl who'd just accosted him, but he didn't dare speak back to her.

She was clearly younger than Ji Hong. Sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. Her stature was frail, but something about her seemed odd. When Song Yi looked closer, he noticed that her face was obscured, making her features difficult to see. It was as though he were trying to stare at it through a pool of agitated water.

She wore the same robe as the rest of them, but printed on the back could be seen a crescent moon. When he saw this, Song Yi's mind stirred into action.

He'd noticed before that the robe of Elder Mo had a full moon on the back. Furthermore, the disciple escorting them had a half moon on hers. Before, he'd discounted it as being cosmetic. But now, he was beginning to think otherwise.

"Junior Sister Li Nuan, was it?" their escort said, addressing the girl. "I see you've advanced your use of the Rippling Visage Minor Art. How long can you keep it up now?"

The girl clasped her hands and bowed deeply. "Permanently, now. It is thanks to Elder Sister's guidance."

The escort nodded. "Very good."

Paying the situation no further heed, the escort continued walking.

Eventually, they came to a walled city. The wall was tall, hundreds of meters high, but what was even more amazing were the pagodas that could be seen stretching up behind it, all the way into the clouds.

Hanging from many eaves, and flowing from the roofs of many buildings were large white flags. Depicted on the flags was a full blue moon, circled by smaller moons in various stages. This was the standard of the Blue Moon Sect.

When they reached the city gate, they saw a familiar motto:

Discipline, Diligence, Decisiveness.

"You would all do well to remember this motto, should you pass the final trial or not," their escort said. This was her first time addressing them since introducing herself.

As she finished speaking, a young man walked out of the gate's guardhouse. He sported a robe identical to the escort's.

"Hm? I thought Ai Mu was supposed to serve as escort this morning. Luo Mei, why are you here instead?" he asked.

"Greetings, Brother Zhou. Junior Brother Mu is currently undergoing punishment, and as such is indisposed to serve as escort today."

The man referred to as 'Brother Zhou' sighed. "What has he done this time?"

"It was discovered that he is the culprit behind the wild monkeys in Xiaguang Forest."

Brother Zhou laughed so hard he clutched his stomach.

"So that was him, huh?"

Song Yi's eye twitched.

"Those were regular monkeys after all…" he thought.

~~~~~~~~~~

After they were allowed through the gate, the group continued to walk a complicated path through the sect until they came to a gigantic underground room.

The ceiling could be seen 10,000 meters above them, the walls 5000 meters apart. On the floor, the seven examinees and their guide, Luo Mei, looked like motes of dust by comparison.

Across from them was a giant gate made of a black red-stained metal. The gate did not look out of place in the giant room, stretching ridiculously high.

On the metal itself could be seen countless paper talismans with runes written on them. The runes moved around constantly, changing form and shape, exuding a dull white light.

"We've arrived. Please wait here until further instruction," Luo Mei said before turning and leaving the way they'd come.

"I hope they don't make us wait a whole day again," one of the twins, Yu Fenqing, said.

His comment earned him a dour look from Luo Mei, who had not yet fully exited the room, but she didn't say anything.

Fortunately, it was only a few minutes before they saw a familiar face enter the room.

Ninth Elder Mo Yijun had arrived, bringing with him two other similarly ancient-looking men.

"First of all, congratulations on making it to this point," he began. "These are my good friends, the Fifth and Sixth Elders. They've graciously offered to assist with this final test."

The examinees' interest was piqued. Elder Mo continued.

"For this final test, you will work together to defeat a single enemy."

All the examinees thought back to the beasts they had fought to pass the second exam, and shuddered. Whatever was in store for them would clearly be much more terrifying than that.

"Furthermore, I would like to say that all of you can be proud of your accomplishments. 988 other candidates have been eliminated, leaving you seven remaining. But, I will warn you now, this test will be the hardest by far. Those who decide to take it deserve admiration. To those who choose not to take it, I understand. You may take your leave.

"Ha, as if any of us would back down now," Yu Fenqing said confidently, crossing his arms.

Elder Mo smiled cryptically, nodding to the Fifth and Sixth elders.

The two old men turned around to face the black gate, raising their arms and beginning to chant under their breaths.

The runes on the talismans suddenly flew out into the air, forming into a giant arcane circle. With a jolt, the circle slowly began to spin counter-clockwise. As it did, a pressure began to build up in the room, pressing down on the examinees.

"This…" Emperor Wang sounded confused.

Suddenly, the spinning of the circle sped up tenfold. With the increase came a vast increase in the pressure, as well.

It was as though all the oxygen in Song Yi's body was being wrenched out of him. It took all of his willpower just to remain standing.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the others with expressions similar to his own.

But the spinning hadn't stopped yet.

The weight of the world seemed to crush down on all of them. One by one, the examinees began to fall down, unable even to stand.

The first to drop was Fang Li, the boy who'd partnered with Prince Zhang's in the second examination. The veins on his neck jutted out abnormally as he fought with all his might to resist.

Yu Yin was the next to drop.

Then her brother, Yu Fenqing, who had boasted earlier.

Song Yi, too, could no longer hold out, falling to one knee, then the other, then needing his hands to keep himself from being crushed into the floor.

Zhi Yue, with an ugly expression, was next.

"This feeling, it's familiar," Emperor Wang said.

For a while, only Su Bai and Prince Zhang remained on their feet.

But the wheel didn't stop.

Soon, Su Bai's knees buckled, and she too fell to all fours.

"Brat! Get out of here!" the monarch suddenly shouted. "This isn't something you can handle! Get! Out!"

By that time, most of the others were already humiliated, their faces pressed into the ground.

Suddenly, the wheel came to a halt.

Prince Zhang was still standing, albeit looking worse for it. His teeth were ground tight, eyes bulging with concentration. Streams of sweat flew down his forehead.

And he wasn't the only one. All seven youths looked to be on the brink of death, despite the fact that none sported any external wounds.

Even the three elders in the room could no longer pretend they didn't feel the pressure, their shoulders looking tense.

With a wave of the elders' hands, the wheel turned back around, relieving them of the pure terror that had gripped their hearts.

The group stood up shakily. They tried to wipe their faces dry, but to little effect.

With a solemn expression, Elder Mo spoke once more.

"Who's staying?"

Grim looks were cast around the room. All of the youths wondered one thing.

What was the trick?

They had seen the elders manage to shrug that terrifying force off for the most part. There had to be some way for them to overcome that pressure and fight whatever was behind that gate. Otherwise, there would be nobody who passed this test.

"Song Yi, even if I could safely take control of your body, that monster would slaughter us. I don't care if you have a deathwish, but don't drag me down with you!"

Through choked sobs, a soft voice could be heard.

"I… I'm not going to die here."

All heads in the room turned to see Yu Yin hiding her head in her hands.

Her brother, Yu Fenqing, held her tight in his arms, a conflicted look on his face. It was clear that he was disappointed, but at the same time, a hint of relief could be seen in his eyes.

"If my sister can not continue, then I too will take my leave," he said, leading Yu Yin back to the entrance.

The mood in the room became even heavier. They were down to five.

Fang Li was clutching his stomach, looking dizzy. He was the youngest of the group, and was nervous to begin with. Nobody had expected him to last this long, and none other than him knew why he had.

He'd displayed frightening talent in the second exam, thoroughly understanding the technique he'd been given within mere hours of receiving it. But talent alone wasn't enough to pass this examination.

"I-" he started to speak, drawing the room's attention, but was interrupted by a comforting hand on his head tousling his hair.

The boy looked up to see the Third Prince smiling.

"Ignore them. They're insane. Come on, it's not too late," the monarch said.

"Tell me the trick to dealing with that pressure." Song Yi replied.

"Trick? You're dealing with a killing intent the likes of which you couldn't possibly imagine! If the true thing hit you, you'd be nothing but a mass of flesh on the ground."

Song Yi didn't know what the monarch meant, but he knew the old geezer was serious this time.

His hand was halfway raised when two footsteps echoed through the hall.

In front of the rest of the group stood Su Bai, her hands clasped.

"I will take this test."

In her eyes, one could faintly see a visage of crackling fire. The nearby fifth elder's expression lit up when he noticed it.

Staring at her figure from behind, Song Yi grit his teeth. She was the first friend he'd ever made. She was the only friend he'd ever made.

He dropped his hand.

"You idiot, what are you waiting for? Resign now!"

Song Yi wasn't strong like Third Prince Zhang. He wasn't wild like Yu Fenqing. He wasn't brutal like Zhi Yue. He wasn't a genius like Fang Li.

But if there was one trait he did possess, it was decisiveness. He would not allow his fate to be placed in the hands of anyone other than himself, not even Wang Yanjing. He was Song Yi, and when it came to his life, he called the shots.

"I, too, will take this test."