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The next morning could not come early enough for the excited initiates, but it seemed to arrive way too suddenly to the Elders of the Sect, who would have their hands full today.

Now that Cain's trials had given them an idea of the skills and personalities of all of the applicants, as well as handing out a few rewards to the best performers, they could begin the traditional sorting. They would sort by skill, then aptitude so that they could place the newcomers with an appropriate teacher.

The Crushing Mountain Sect was mostly an Earth Sect, but they valued strength over everything else, so they had various skills for every aptitude and weren't afraid to take in students who shared their values.

They were arranged by the order in which they arrived at the courtyard, with many arriving well before dawn, too excited to remain in their dorms and sleep or meditate. It was a deliberate system so that they didn't discourage any of the initiates.