Flying Treasure

Bai Hu opened the formation and Zhong Xian flew in. His master waved his hand and a sword no larger than his palm appeared.

"I noticed that you don't have your own flying treasure and would often ride with others"

He tossed Bai Hu the small sword.

"This is a high grade magic flying treasure that I obtained from a small competition a while back. Since I have my own I'll give this to you"

Bai Hu hurriedly thanked his master and bowed before binding the treasure to himself. His blood dripped onto the small blade and a bright radiance exploded outward. Before their very eyes, the small sword enlarged and turned into a sword 5 feet in length.

"Despite its appearance, the sword is purely a flying tool with no combat capabilities. It does have stealth capabilities though, and can block the senses of anyone at your level if they do not have a strong Divine Sense or a detection treasure"

Bai Hu didn't know how to express his gratitude. "This..."

"Just make sure you get those herbs I wanted. I'm expecting at least 2 sets of each one"

"Damn it"

He knew that the bastard didn't have good intentions. His words had trapped Bai Hu, giving him no reason to refuse.

"Dangling the carrot in front of me, then extorting me for a greater price. Don't you have a conscience?"

Of course, he didn't make his thoughts heard, as that might invite more trouble than necessary. Instead, he let the sword float horizontally about a foot in the air.

It had a leaf shaped blade and engravings of dragons decorated the blade. The handle was made of a similar material as the blade and had jade and gold pieces inlaid in it. The design shows that it was meant to serve auxiliary purposes rather than actual combat.

Bai Hu stepped onto the sword, almost falling over on his first attempt. After stabilizing, he willed it to rise in the air.

Using a flying treasure is actually very simple. Few struggle with it and would have to put restrictions in place so they do not fall off. After a few minutes of practice, Bai Hu was able to maneuver the treasure perfectly without falling off.

Seeing as his disciple was ready, Zhong Xian rose into the air and flew north with Bai Hu following closely behind. Zhong Xian made sure to go at a pace that Bai Hu could keep up with. Had he gone forth at full speed, Bai Hu might not even catch a shadow before he disappeared.

They flew straight north for several minutes. Occasionally, they would see another streak of light pass by and go in the same direction. The Bloody Ascension Trial determines at least 10 years of the sect's future and thus is one of the most important events that require all elders and disciples to bear witness.

After an hour of flying, a large mountain appeared in front of their view.

It looked like a normal mountain, only that the top had been cut horizontally, leaving plenty of space to roam. Already there were hundreds of people gathered there, most of which were Inner Court Disciples and Elders.

Bai Hu frowned, "Why are there so few Outer Court Disciples entering?"

His master's voice transmission rang out in his head, "It's natural because the danger level is too high despite the risks. Every time the space is opened, only about 300 disciples from each sect will partake in this cruel trial"

"So few people, yet the death rate is so high..."

He suddenly felt that cultivators are little different from mortals. The struggle was all the same yet, even crueler still.

His expression changed and his eyes became resolute. The world of cultivators he had entered is much more perilous than what mortals think. Only by getting stronger can he avoid getting caught up in life and death situations.

The strongest fist rules above all.

They landed and stowed away their flying treasures. Bai Hu waved goodbye to his master and stood with the rest of the Outer Court Disciples.

When they saw him come over, whispers could be heard as the disciples discussed who he was.

It was natural, after all, Bai Hu hadn't shown himself for 2 whole years and didn't go out at all. He looked completely different and was much more mature and handsome than before. With long black hair, a well chiseled face, and a slightly muscular and tall frame, Bai Hu attracted many looks.

He ignored everyone and stood with his hands crossed in a corner and closed his eyes. A few people wanted to approach Bai Hu but due to the aura he emitted, no one came forth.

When the sun finally reached its peak, a gong sounded, drawing the attention of everyone gathered to a tall platform. Bai Hu opened his eyes and counted around 300 Outer Court Disciples, 500 Inner Court Disciples, and over 50 elders.

The Outer Court Disciples were mostly at the 9th level, with a few dozen at the peak of qi refinement. The weakest of the Inner Court Disciples are at the middle level of Foundation while the strongest were at least at the Core Formation stage as far as Bai Hu could tell. The elders were most likely around the Golden Core stage at the very least. Some even emitted power that made Bai Hu think they were Nascent Soul Cultivators.

"As expected, the Spirit Sect is one of the top powers of the Desolate Continent. This lineup would put us somewhere in the top 3 even without seeing what the other sects are packing"

An elder stepped forward. Instead of the typical old appearance of an elder, it was a short boy with fiery red hair and a necklace of large beads around his neck.

The outer court disciples seemed startled and excited at the sight of the kid and started talking.

"Look! It's Elder Hai who will be supervising this trial!"

"I wonder what cultivation art he cultivates to maintain such an appearance"

Through the chatter, Bai Hu realized that Elder Hai had recently broken through the Golden Core stage and advanced to the Nascent Soul stage about a hundred years ago. Now that his cultivation had stabilized, he took on the job of escorting the participants to the trial area.

"Ahem!"

He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. The sight of someone who clearly looks no older than 6 acting like an experienced senior was quite comical, though Bai Hu managed to hold back his smile.

The elder began talking, "There is surprisingly little to explain for this important trial"

"As you all know, the Bloody Ascension Trial is possibly the most important event to the myriad sects. And just as it is important, it is dangerous. When we come back, I'm afraid many faces will disappear forever"

He scanned the crowd below, seeing many grow solemn and fearful. Bai Hu started to doubt if this elder was reliable or not as he sensed the morale of the disciples go down.

"But fret not! Isn't this what cultivators are accustomed to?!"

"Only through peril can you grow stronger and become an elite of the cultivation world. We have made a bet with the other sects to see who will have the most disciples remaining after the trial and who will gather the most materials"

"Do not disappoint the sect! You will naturally be rewarded heavily once you come back!"

This got the participants fired up. Bai Hu was surprised to see how fast the mood changed with just a few words and was impressed to say the least.

Elder Hai then nodded in satisfaction and whistled. A large gust of wind blew by and a huge shadow blotted out the sun. Everyone looked up to see a humongous dragon-like creature with the wings of a bird and light blue scales looking back down at them.

Under the gazes of admiration, Elder Hai stepped onto the head of the beast and waved his hand. An ethereal energy grabbed the Outer Court Disciples and placed them on the back of the beast.

"Make sure to hold on. My Sky Striding Drake is quite fast to say the least"

With a flap of its massive wings, the drake soared into the air. The Inner Court Disciples and the elders took out their own flying tools and formed a formation around the spirit beast. From a distance, it looked as if a mythical being was flying through the air with countless multicolored streaks of light around it.

Bai Hu took one last look at the sect before setting his eyes forward. He remembered his vow and knew the current him had little to no chance at achieving it. He remembered his family and knew they had suffered greatly. He remembered those that helped him and was grateful for them. But only by relying on himself to pave a path through blood and bones can he one day reach the peak and exact revenge.