Chapter 10: New Yam Festival and Recruitment Test

Amuche and her group arrived at the hall where the festival was being held, and the area was already filled with people sitting in different rows of chairs, watching the entertainment on the stage. The atmosphere was lively, with the sound of drums and flutes filling the air. Just like the name of the festival implied, it was a celebration of the harvest for the year, and yam was one of the biggest commodities. The farmer with the biggest yield was crowned, and different farmers presented their yams. After which, the stage was set for masquerades to appear and perform tricks to entertain the crowd. Amuche had never seen different masquerades like these before, and she watched in awe as they danced and performed acrobatic feats. Different dancing groups performed before the main show began, and the crowd cheered and clapped along.

How would a festival end without competition between the younger generations?

Just then, a famous young master took the stage, and many locals knew him, hailing him loudly. "Ha! It's Ikenna! He's going to present a challenge!"

As Ikenna was a handsome and influential young master, he had a large following of female fans, some of whom screamed from the crowd,

"Ikenna, you're so handsome! I want to have your babies!"

Ikenna was used to the attention, having returned from the Hundred Lion Academy every year to host this competition. After calming the crowd,

Ikenna smiled, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Like always, the stage is set for us, the younger generation, to compete amongst ourselves. So I will start first. During my journey, I uncovered a wine recipe, and now I will invite anyone in the early mmuo stage and downwards to give it a try. After taking one cup of this wine and can successfully take ten steps, then the individual is free to leave with this tier two high-grade sword."

The crowd murmured in excitement, and some people nodded in agreement. "As expected of young master Ikenna to actually give out a tier two high-grade sword," someone said.

After a while, someone jumped down from the crowd; it was a young boy. "I'm Bako from Jakiju village, I'm a peek mmuo, and I wish to try your new wine recipe," he declared boldly.

Ikenna smiled. "Go on, first, you will have to drop a hundred star stones."

Bako nodded and dropped the star stones. Everyone watched calmly as Bako grabbed the palm wine keg, poured a cup for himself, and couldn't help but muss over the strong wine aroma. He drank the wine calmly before steadying himself and took his first step while the crowd counted. "One, two, three, four, fi...ve."

But Bako slipped and fell down; the crowd broke out in laughter, and some people nodded at Ikenna, knowing the wine was not ordinary.

After a while, the laughter died down, and Bako reluctantly stood up and left the stage. After a while, more people tried the challenge but also failed; the best person could only take seven steps at most.

Just when it seemed like no one else would attempt the challenge, a woman stepped forward. Everyone was surprised, including Amuche, because this person was Nneoma, her friend. She cheered at her, and Nneoma noticed her from the stage.

Nneoma paid the price of a hundred star stones and then took a cup of the wine. Then she started to work off the stage as the crowd counted as usually. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven."

After the seventh step, Nneoma's eyes became foggy, and her legs weak and shaky; she gritted her teeth and took the next step. "Eight, nine, and ..." "Bang!" The crowd's voice trailed off as Nneoma stumbled and fell to the ground. The crowd gasped in shock, and Amuche's heart went out to her friend. The crowd was silent, shaking their heads in pity. But Nneoma quickly got up, brushed herself off, and smiled. "I may not have won the sword, but I won something even better: your respect and admiration!" The crowd cheered even louder, and Amuche whistled in appreciation.

After two more people attempted the challenge, Kael turned to Amuche and asked, "Do you want to give it a try?"

Amuche gazed at the stage, weighing her options. She knew that a tier two sword cost almost five thousand star stones, and a high-grade one was even more expensive. So she decided to take the leap, standing up and gracefully ascending to the stage.

The crowd's excitement reignited as another woman stepped forward to challenge.

"Where's this beautiful woman from? I don't seem to know her," someone murmured.

"I can't wait to see how she falls and makes a disgrace of herself later," another person laughed.

Amuche ignored the taunts, introducing herself confidently. "I'm Amuche from Isi'ndu village, and I'm a peek mmuo."

She paid the hundred star stones and took the wine cup, filling it to the brim. The crowd held its collective breath, and then she drank the wine in one swift motion.

The crowd counted as Amuche took her first step, her movements graceful despite the obvious effects of the wine. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."

The crowd's excitement grew with each step, their voices rising in anticipation. As Amuche halted, showing signs of slumbering, the crowd gasped.

But she quickly gathered her strength, her determination evident. "Nine!" the crowd screamed, Ikenna's eyes fixed on her with interest.

The tension was palpable, and then Amuche took her final step. "Ten!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as Amuche stood triumphant, her sword shining in the light.

Ikenna approached her, a smile on his face. "Well done, Amuche! You have proven your worth. Take this sword, and may it serve you well on your journey."

Amuche bowed, her heart filled with gratitude. "Thank you, young master Ikenna. I will treasure this sword and wield it wisely."

With that, the competition came to a close. Amuche and her friends left the stage, their hearts full of joy and their spirits soaring.

The days passed quickly, and Kael and Amuche found themselves among a large crowd of youths gathered in front of a grand, ornate building. The structure was imposing, with high walls and a large gate that seemed to stretch up to the sky. The entrance was flanked by two massive stone statues of fearsome guardians, their eyes seeming to scrutinize the candidates. The building was adorned with intricate carvings and symbols, radiating an aura of importance and gravity.

As they waited, Amuche spotted familiar faces in the crowd, including her friends Nneoma, Adaobi, and Yemi, as well as Soludo. After a twenty-minute wait, the gates creaked open, and the youths were ushered into the testing area. Inside, the building was equally impressive, with high ceilings and walls lined with strange artifacts and mysterious objects.

Mazi Haruna, an elder with a long sleeve and a thick beard, exuding a powerful aura reminiscent of an Onochie-level cultivator, arrived with a group of youths, including Ikenna. He addressed the crowd, "Welcome, young ones, to the student recruitment exercises. I'm impressed by the turnout, but remember, once the test begins, some of you will be eliminated. Many are called, but few are chosen, and only the fittest shall survive."

"The recruitment exercises will be divided into four rounds, supervised by your seniors here," he said, gesturing to Ikenna and the others. "I'm Mazi Haruna, a grade two dibia and teacher at the Hundred Lion Academy."

"The first round will be conducted by your potential seniors here, provided you pass and become official students." He stepped aside, allowing the youths to take over.

Ikenna stepped forward, introducing himself and the other four youths: Ali, Ola, Teni, and Chidera. He instructed the crowd to divide into five lines and explained the process for testing their innate pearls. "Each of you will step forward and pour spiritual energy into this stone," he held up a stone, "and the color it emits will determine the quality of your innate pearl."

The group divided into five lines, and one person from each line was selected to have their innate pearl quality checked. Ikenna and the other seniors prepared to assess the youths' abilities.

The test began, and each person held the stone, channeling their spiritual energy into it. A light emanated from the stone, and the color determined their fate. Some emitted a blue light and passed, while others only managed to release a yellow light and were eliminated. A few exceptional individuals impressed the judges by emitting a purple light, signifying their exceptional talent.

Two people from the crowd stood out: Azubuike, a tall and handsome eighteen-year-old youth with a composed demeanor, and Chacha, a tall and formidable female barbarian with a wild look and clothing. Another surprise came from Soludo, who also possessed a purple Pearl. Kael, Nneoma, Adaobi, Yemi, and Amuche also passed the first round, with Amuche impressively suppressing her Pearl color to release a purple glow. Mazi Haruna was pleased with the results, as finding rare geniuses was always a challenge. The first round ended with five hundred people advancing, while the rest were dismissed.

The next round began immediately, testing their endurance. Mazi Haruna explained the test in detail:

"Ten people from each group will enter this stone door, and the amount of time you can endure the torment of the different elements in the room will determine your results. Lasting for four hours is a pass. The best result in this round was set by Odinaka, a powerful cultivator from another era, who stayed for twenty-one hours."

Mazi Haruna said with pride.

The test started, and ten people from each group entered the stone doors. Soon, someone ran out screaming that the room was too hot, unable to last even thirty minutes. Out of the fifty people who entered, only ten managed to last for four hours before running out, breathing heavily.

As Azubuike and Chacha's group entered, some villagers boasted:

"Azubuike is going to break records! He might even stay for six or seven hours!"

Others who knew Chacha countered,

"Chacha is more talented than Azubuike; she could last even longer!"

The crowd started to argue and speculate, heightening the tension and entertainment.

As Azubuike and Chacha remained in the room, surpassing the four-hour mark without any sign of emerging, the crowd's conversation intensified.

"Wow, they've been in there for four hours already! They must be really talented."

"I've never seen anyone last this long."

"How many geniuses have you seen?" someone countered.

"I bet they're trying to break some sort of record."

The crowd's anticipation grew, wondering how much longer they could keep this up.

Kael approached Amuche and asked about her confidence and how many hours she thought she could last.

"I'm confident I can last at least five hours," Amuche replied calmly.

Soludo, feeling jealous and angry as Kael talked and laughed with Amuche, approached them and proposed a competition to Kael:

"Village boy, do you think it's easy to pass this test? Even my talented elder brother could only last for five hours, and I hope to surpass his records. Let's compete and see who lasts longer."

Amuche defended Kael:

"Why don't you compete with someone your size?"

Soludo smiled:

"I don't compete with girls."

Amuche retorted,"Haha, just admit that you're afraid."

Soludo proposed a wager, "I'll give you a thousand star stones if I lose to you, but if I win, you'll become my woman."

Amuche replied,"You think I'm only worth a thousand star stones? I'm not interested."

Soludo increased the offer to two thousand star stones, and Amuche agreed, "Give the star stones to Ikenna." Amuche advised, and Soludo approached Ikenna and explained the situation to him. He sought Mazi Haruna's opinion, and he agreed with the wager, as it's always advisable for students to compete amongst themselves even in the academy.

"Are you sure about this?" Kael asked Amuche.

"I'm confident," Amuche replied.

Finally, after ten hours, Azubuike and Chacha emerged from the room, exhausted but triumphant. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, recognizing their exceptional endurance.

"Remember, you're competing against me, Soludo," Soludo said with a smirk. "I won't go easy on you."

"I'm not afraid of you," Amuche said, her eyes flashing with determination.

The competition began, and Soludo and Amuche entered the stone doors. The crowd watched with bated breath, eager to see who would emerge victorious.