Chapter 12 - Entering the Sect
A few kilometers above the ground there were two people floating. An old man and woman.
"It seems your sect will have another boost in power. There are quite a few talented people this time." said the woman.
"Indeed, I knew there were Zou Liqin, Fei Peng, Yun Lin and Ren Qing who will participate this year. They were already challenging each other before and they're simply carrying that to this platform. So we were expecting an explosive rise in talents but this young man is still a pleasant surprise." said the old man.
"Maybe your sect will reclaim its lost pride in the upcoming tournament. Alas, only if you guys weren't cruel in your methods, you wouldn't be in this spot."
"If we were to change our methods we wouldn't be any different from those weeds." said the old man while shaking his head.
"Those weeds you called have more people than you guys. Even if they are not your match in individual strength, you know how far one can go by oneself."
Hearing those words the old man chose to stay silent. Only thing he could do was to watch the students below in reminiscence.
Noticing that the old woman sighed and said "I will be watching you in the next tournament. These are tough times, you can only believe in your own power. Be careful who you trust, Patriarch Tian.".
"I will heed your words, elder." said the Patriarch before nodding his head.
After getting the answer she wanted the old woman disappeared as if she wasn't there before.
...
Nobody told Long Yang anything about his talent and there wasn't any numerical measures on the stone. So only thing he could do was compare himself with others. But it seemed like others had nothing noticable so he couldn't feel special about himself. He even had a Supreme cultivation art, so the talent he just showcased may even be not his. So he sighed and decided to just simply let it go.
For the fourth test there were people sitting in a lotus position with their eyes closed on the ground. The scribings on the ground would be litting from time to time and new people would be sucked into the illusion. Seeing that, Long Yang found himself a spot and sit there to wait for his turn.
While waiting he observed how other participants were doing. Some fainted and had to leave in frustration. Some passed the exam like a breeze opening their eyes with excitement in their eyes. The others also passed but only barely with a pale face.
When he saw the ground lit up once more he quickly closed his eyes and let the formation pull him into the illusion. He felt like the world was spinning for a second and when it passed he opened his eyes.
Before him was an endless whiteness. After waiting for some time a black tiger with gold stripes appreared before him. A pressure he didn't feel from anyone in the forest were radiating from it.
'A Late Level... They were right about fighting with an oppenent at the same level. But this test probably gets harder with the increase in power. Before joining the sect we don't have many options in our fighting style. But these beasts are natural fighters. With their cultivation their figthing instincts are superior too.' thought Long Yang. Even if he thought that far he didn't have any options. So he had to resign himself to fate.
When the fight began Long Yang noticed the tiger wasn't like the beasts in the forest. It was dull and could only jump around and try to bite, maybe swipe its claws from time to time.
'So I was wrong, the beasts illusion created has no insticts whatsoever. This fight will be much easier then.' thought Long Yang and started using his Dragon Stretching Its Claws. With the continous usage he got used to the martial art in the five months more and more. When he used the art for movement he didn't need to do wide moves anymore.
He started making fast dashes in a zigzag. When the tiger started his charge once more he found the chance he was looking for and pierced the vitals of the tiger with his martial art. Practising for five months made him more decisive in his moves and cruel. Even if those countless life and death battles in the forest weren't same as his first fight with the old man, he was sure he wouldn't give the same response after killing the man. This world was only about struggle to stay alive.
Even if he was a martial arts teacher in his past life, he was chasing the dao for peace of his mind. So after completing his training in some temples his students would call him amicable from time to time.
But this world made him change his mind, he had no other choice.
After the death of the tiger the world around him slowly dissipated and blindness returned. Noticing he was back, he slowly opened his eyes and got up.
"Hm. Not bad, you took only two minutes. High cultivation, talent and battle power which is equal to your level. Welcome to the Emei Sect. You're now an outer disciple of the sect. You will get a spirit stone each month and can select martial arts on the first floor of the Martial Hall of the sect. Every year there will be a selection for inner disciples. Top five disciples for every year get selected for inner circle. When you rise to the inner circle of the sect, your privilages will be higher too. I have high expectations of you, do your best. You can check your rank whenever you want with your identity jade. This is your jade be careful to not lose it. You may go to your room in the living quarters, yours is room 158. Your new robes and a manual will be in your room." said a middle aged man with a mustache when Long Yang came to the exit of the fourth test.
After getting his jade he tried pouring his Qi in it. A couple of words and a map appeared in his mind.
-Long Yang, Outer Disciple, Age 20, Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation-
The map was the map of the outer circle of the sect. The outer circle was higher on the mountain than the city. The inner circle was even higher and his map had not any information about it.
Outer circle had an Alchemy Hall, Crafting Hall, Martial Hall, living quarters, training grounds, life and death arena and some unique cultivation spots. Those spots were numbered four and there was no more information on the map. So he decided to check the manual in his room. Thus he started walking towards the living quarters he saw on the map.