Fearful Youths

Hushed murmurs immediately broke out throughout the crowd of several thousand youths. The faces of most of the youths paled slightly at the name of the trial, and many started to break down nervously.

All the youths remaining were the elite youths of the Yuan Continent. Other than the Four Great Sects, each of these youths came from powers that stood at the top of the Yuan Continent. Most of these youths were pampered their entire lives, and enjoyed a life of luxury and pomp.

They were given the best cultivation resources, and we're allowed to grow in a controlled environment. They rarely felt pain, and such a thing was almost unthinkable for their elevated lifestyles.

However, the Heavenly Lightning Sect was one of the Four Great Sects, and they wouldn't allow pampered youths to become inner disciples.

While most of the youths had looks of anxiousness or fear on their faces, some looked completely relaxed. Clearly they had a rougher upbringing, and were unafraid of a little bit of pain.

John's head swiveled about, curious as to what reactions were going on in the crowd. He observed many of the anxious and fearful faces, and a few who were completely at calm.

At the front of the crowd, the five most prominent youths stood once more. Mason, Russell, and June each had calm looks on their face, showing that they were unmoved by such a trial. Mae had a look of slight worry, as she detested feeling pain, while Hartley had a look of disgust on his face.

"Ugghh, Trial of Pain? My magnificent golden robes are going to get dirty, Aren't they?" Hartley Randel scoffed, unhappy with the trial to come. The prince clearly placed great importance on his clean outward appearance.

Next to him, Mae nodded her head timidly in agreement.

"Haha, what's there to worry about? It's just a bit of pain. If you can't handle that, you don't deserve to call yourself a cultivator," Russell shouted out enthusiastically. Clearly, he was looking forward to such a trial, and had great confidence in doing well.

John looked towards the five of them as they spoke up, before turning to Adam at his side.

"What do you think of this tria-..."

John's words stopped as he stared at Adam in disbelief. Adam was slowly backing up, his face full of anxiety and slight fear.

"What are you doing? Are you leaving?" John asked Adam.

"I-I'm fine with being an Outer Disciple," Adam stated in an uneven voice while backing up still. John quickly dashed forward and caught Adams arm, causing him to jump slightly.

"Didn't you proudly state that you're my first follower? How can I allow such a timid and scared cultivator to follow me? How about this, at least give the trial a shot. If the pain is too much to endure, then you can leave and I'll be satisfied that you gave it a shot," John said to Adam.

Although John had just met Adam recently, he could tell that beneath his prideful exterior was a good person. He had taken a liking to Adam, and wanted him to succeed alongside him. Adam being his follower also represented John, and he wouldn't allow his followers to be scared like this.

Adam thought about it for a moment before he nodded his head in agreement.

"Fine, I'll try it."

John nodded his head in approval and dragged Adam back to their original spot. The Elder in charge stood there for a while, allowing the various discussions to take place before he once again raised his hand, and the crowd silenced once more.

"The building behind me is where the Trial of Pain will take place. Follow me if you wish to participate, otherwise stay here and wait for an Elder to escort you to the sect."

The Elder turned around and began to walk towards the massive building behind them. It's ominous pitch black color made many feel uneasy. The youths followed the Elder, and John was surprised to see that several hundred youths had stayed behind, intent on skipping such a trial and instead become Outer Disciples.

John shook his head in a disapproving manner, and continued to follow the Elder. A large door, twenty yards wide and tall was at the base of the building. As the group approached, the door began to slowly part.

The Elder entered the doorway, and the group of thousands of youths followed closely behind. John and Adam entered as well, and quickly looked around the massive circular interior.

Light formations all around the interior of the building lit the room up, making it easy to see inside. The black interior was completely hollow, and only a small pedestal existed at the center of the room several hundred yards away. A formation line encircled the central pedestal, and had a radius of one hundred and fifty yards.

The Elder turned to the group once more.

"This is the Trial of Pain. The goal is simple, reach the pedestal in the center of the room. If you do so, you pass the trial. There will be no fighting allowed.

All those who wish to partake in this trial, spread out around the edge of the building and wait for the trials to start. Do not cross the formation line until I say so."

The youths all began to spread out around the room, making sure to avoid crossing the formation line as they did so. John started to move, but thought about something and turned to the Elder in charge of the trial.

"Elder, you said there was no fighting allowed for this trial? Is that the only rule?" John asked curiously.

"Along with the rules mentioned at the very start of the entrance exam, that is correct," the Elder confirmed.

"Then, does this trial continue to affect those who collapse into unconsciousness?" John asked another question.

"No. Once one collapses, the trial ceases to affect them. However, an Elder will come and escort them out if they do not regain consciousness after a certain amount of time," the Elder replied.

John thanked the Elder and quickly returned to where Adam was standing.

"What was that about?" Adam asked in a nervous tone, clearly anxious about the trial to start.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," John replied. His relaxed smile as he stared at Adam sent a shiver up Adam's spine, and a bad feeling began to wash over him.