Sect Examination (VI)

'Stay here… what am I talking about? Where could I be if not here?' Tilting his head, he asked himself. To his side, Xuehua watched him closely.

"It is time to go back." Her soft voice reached his ears a moment later, awakening him from his thoughts.

Without him noticing they had already gone far. Their house had been left behind and they were not standing on a mountain's path.

From where they stood, he could see the city's lights shining from afar behind him, and, in front, a path leading toward the top of the mountain.

Xuehua tugged on his clothes as she repeated her previous words.

"Hm." He nodded to her, smiling. His eyes were a bit foggy and confused, as he knew, instinctively, that going back now would mean he chose to stay.

But what would such choice entail?

As he was prepared to leave, his eyes flashed for an instant.

He gazed at the city lights that burned like tiny mots of fire, and then he looked at Xuehua, who held his hand gently. Many thoughts flashed past his mind, but, eventually, he sighed and untangled their hands.

She looked at him in doubt.

"Sorry, I have to go." He whispered. "Since I have set foot on this road, I must walk it to the end." And though his words seemed to speak about the mountain's road, they spoke of an even wider, longer, and arduous path.

"Hm, it is okay, I know you must go." To his surprise, she nodded, smiling. "You are no one to stop mid-way. The road you walk is one that leads ever onward, a one-way road." Ever so understanding, ever so gentle…

He scratched his cheek. Yes, she was an illusion of his mind, but was, nonetheless, the same Xuehua he knew.

"I am sorry." He apologized again. "But I will try to make this dream turn into reality, one day." Maybe, it would not be as simple as it was here, but if they could live together like this… the thought made him laugh merrily, for it would truly be dream-like.

In answer, Xuehua also smiled.

Soon, she started to turn ethereal and the world started to flicker, Yueshi knew that the illusion was disappearing.

Turning around, he walked toward the top of the mountain – the world behind him turning hazy and disappearing into white fragments.

His road was a one-way road, leading ever onward, and at the end of it there was her, and there was his mother.

He could look back and watch the scenery, but he would not retreat. That was how he had decided to live, the path he had decided to walk – even if it was not the right one.

On the outside world…

Fifty minutes after the trial started most people had already given up. Right now, only Yueshi, Ling Tian Tian, and two other examinees – a man and a woman.

Most of their faces were contorted into a frown while their robes were drenched in sweat. From time to time, one could see the smallest of movements as their bodies quivered for some unknown reason.

No one knew for sure which sort of illusion they were in.

Yueshi frequently smiled under the effect of the array, while Ling Tian Tian released a sharp and dangerous aura. One of the other two cried a few times under the influence of the illusory world, while the last one laughed boisterously from time to time - as if intoxicated in happiness.

Suddenly, one of the elders tapped the ground with a cane, and one of the remaining people fell to the ground with a sharp yell.

"Zhong Yun you have lasted fifty minutes before being brought back from the illusory world. Congratulations on your outstanding result." The elder spoke, before focusing on the other three.

Though they could not see what they were 'dreaming' about, the elders could feel the current state of their minds through special arts.

Two minutes passed, and Ling Tian Tian had to be forcefully expelled from her dream.

However, different from Zhong Yun, she did not fall on her back, but slowly opened her eyes. Her killing intent at the moment was overflowing, so she had to take a while to calm down.

After looking around, and seeing that there were two people still persisting, she frowned. Sighing, however, she vowed to train harder – losing wasn't a good experience, and she did not want to go through it again.

Soon, the elder taped against the ground again, the other woman then opened her eyes. Tears were still flowing from her eyes, so she had to use her sleeve to wipe them dry; however, her emotional state seemed a bit unstable, as tears continued to flow.

"Come on, don't be such a cry baby", she muttered to herself.

To last fifty-five minutes was not easy, so she was without a doubt a strong-willed person. So it made many curious what sort of experience she had in the illusory world to be like that.

Finally, not even a second later, Yueshi was the one opening his eyes, to the surprise of many.

The elders were a bit surprised too; however, they didn't say anything.

With Yueshi testing for the highest grade of talent, and being in a profound state in martial arts, it did not strike them as surprising that his will was strong and that he broke free.

This was, after all, a weakened form of the true array.

"The final trial has been concluded, and while there are many of you that have failed, a lot of you pushed through all the tests." The one leading the elders spoke.

"We congratulate all those that passed, from now on you are outer disciples of the Star Sea Sect, and I am sure some amongst you will surely become inner disciples in the future." His voice was not loud, but it was clear and spread far and wide.

The man then retreated, and another elder stepped forward. "Now, we will announce the top one hundred disciples, starting from the last."

In the audience, a lot of people sighed, feeling sorrowful.

Most of them had not failed in joining the Star Sea Sect. While they could still join some minor sects here and there, none of those minor sects could offer them as much as the country's hegemonic power.

The Flying Snow Dojo's disciples were the same; however, they did not show it in their faces, not wanting to worry Yueshi. They were almost sure of Yueshi's rank and wanted to congratulate him with smiles.

"In hundredth, Su Chen… In ninetieth, Bai Ming… In eightieth, Li Yue…" As the elder spoke, everyone paid attention. The ranking took into account their results in the four tests, so they had an estimation of their rankings.

The ranking was a show of their talent and power, moreover, the top ten would be awarded contribution points that could be used to exchange for resources from the sect. Because of that, a lot of people were envious of those in the top ten.

"In tenth is Wei Yao. A hundred contribution points will be awarded to him for his performance. In ninth is, Jiang Yi who will receive two hundred contribution points for his performance."

"In eighth is Rong Xuehua. Three hundred points will be awarded to her for her accomplishments." The Flying Snow Dojo's disciples immediately burst into loud cheers and claps.

Xuehua's results in the second and third round were merely so-so; however, her result in the talent test was awe-inspiring. And since the talent test awarded a lot of points, she had successfully taken a spot on the top ten.

Names continued to be called out as the elders gave out rewards and spoke a few encouraging words. Soon, it was time to announce the top three.

"In third place is Song Xiaoyao, and she will be rewarded with one thousand contribution points!" This time the elder's voice was more powerful as he announced the third place.

Song Xiaoyao was none other than the girl to last the most in the illusory world other than Yueshi.

"In second place is Ling Tian Tian, and she will be rewarded with one thousand and five hundred contribution points!" In the audience, Tian Tian sighed, having already expected such a result.

At the same time, the Flying Snow Dojo's disciples were standing on their toes, almost exploding into cheers even before the announcement.

"In first place is… Rong Yueshi, who shall be rewarded with two thousand contribution points!"

The elder's voice echoed in the entire hall as cheers erupted from Yueshi's friends. Meanwhile, the person in question could only scratch his cheek in embarrassment while being teased by Yuan Yue.

However, the elder had not ended his speech yet. "Moreover, because of their outstanding abilities Rong Yueshi and Ling Tian Tian, as per the orders of the sect master, shall receive one more reward."

His words stunned the crowd. However, thinking about it, the two were truly outstanding enough… Still…

"Since this extra reward is not set, you can ask anything and we, elders, will do our best to accommodate you. Do be reasonable, though." After that the elder stood in silence, waiting for them.

Yueshi was the first to open his mouth, taking no more than ten seconds to think about what he wanted.

"Elder, before coming here, eight of my friends were severely injured and, because of that, their results were affected by their wounds." His voice was clear and loud, so much that everyone could hear him. "If it is possible, I'd like to ask for permission for them to join the sect."

Just as he finished, the world exploded in whispers and frenzied shouts. He could have asked anything, yet, he had asked permission for other people to join the sect?

Many people thought it was a stupid move, while others were moved. Some even screamed, saying they were willing to do anything if he took them in too.

The elder above the platform stared at him for an instant. "In this world, the strong devour the weak and rule supreme. The road toward the top is a lonely one, and geniuses are destined to leave their peers and friends in the dust." His words echoed in the hall.

"But those that value friendship and are loyal to their friends will not suffer from loneliness, because there will always be people cheering for them and caring for them; even if they are not by your side, they will always have you in their hearts."

"Your choice today may not have awarded you any cultivation resources or techniques, but, I truly hope you will never regret it." His words were akin to a sign of approval, and Yueshi smiled widely, immediately thanking the elder with a bow.

The Flying Snow Dojo's disciples stared dumbfounded as Yueshi smugly looked at them as if saying 'come on, thank your big brother here' to which he was awarded a 'piss off, brat' from Yuan Yue.

Nonetheless, both she and the others smiled from their hearts, feeling warm inside.

Maybe, they were not as strong as Yueshi, nor were they as talented, but, in their hearts, they made a vow: they vowed to never forget his actions today.

In the future, whenever Yueshi called, they would go to him. If going meant facing death, then death it is - they would do their best to protect and help him as long as they could still breathe.

Seeing the emotions in their eyes, Yueshi could only laugh awkwardly, not having expected that they would react like so. He just hoped things did not become awkward between them.

Xuehua, looking at everything from the side, bloomed with a smile. Not being able to hold back, she caressed his head like she used to do when they were younger – only to make everyone around burst into laughter.

Yet, despite his face having become beet red, Yueshi did not try to stop her, neither did he complain.

A bit away from them, Ling Tian Tian stared at the scene with a strange expression.

She could not understand his actions, but, seeing the way they were acting, a longing sprouted in her heart – a longing she could not understand properly.

And while some admired his choice, others were thinking it was foolish and naive.

However, Yueshi did not care about them – his path was his path, and as he walked forward through it, he wanted to, at least, help those he thought of as friends.

Then, after Ling Tian Tian made her own request, the outer disciple examination came to a close.

In the future, many will look back to this day and, with stars in their eyes, remember the distant past. They will think about this young man that shone like a true star, and this gathering of geniuses that either lightened up a fire or crushed their dreams.

Then, to their children and even grandchildren, they would tell of his story, and of how many things started from here… how this was the first step of his ascension - how his legend begun!

That is, however, a story for another time.