Sect Examination (I)

A bustling noise echoed by Yueshi's ears before he could even see the world on the other side of the 'gate'. Voices chatted merrily from all sides as his vision finally recovered.

Taking a proper glance at his surroundings, he noted that this world was really out of proportion. Earth had been big to him back them, but the Heavenly World was an absurd place. At the same time, he sighed heavily.

Ahead of him, he could see a giant stairway whose end could not be seen. It cut through the clouds and went for god-only-knows how long. A gut feeling told him he'd soon be climbing it, which seemed like a true pain in the ass.

"Silence, silence, please!" A person standing right in front of the stairway shouted, drawing everyone's attention.

Yueshi guessed they were sect disciples from their robes and the badges they wore in their chests. He did not dwell on that too long, though.

"If you want to join the sect, you must go through four trials." One of the Sect's Disciples explained, looking at everyone. "The first trial is to climb the Heavens Ascending Stairway."

Yueshi heard audible groans coming from everywhere. He also noted that the well-dressed children of big families seemed calmer than their poorer counterparts.

"The second trial is the easiest and is a talent evaluation. The disciples responsible for that will explain it better for you later." Seeing everyone nod, he continued. "The third trial is a combat test, and the fourth trial tests your will."

A lot of people seemed confused, but no in-depth explanation was given about the next challenges. Instead, the disciple grinned and, looking at them, made the final announcement.

"Then, you can start!" His voice echoed clearly against their ears and, almost immediately, people started to shove and push - bolting their way through the steps.

After allowing those in a hurry to bolt ahead, Yueshi exchanged a few words with his friends and started his climb together with Xuehua.

To Yueshi and his sister, the climb was an easy task. They were both at the third layer, and their physical fitness was at a level others could only dream of. To most people, though, it was an arduous trial that took all their energy.

A hundred steps in, Yueshi lifted an eyebrow.

Yuan Yue had been climbing two steps ahead of him, so he could see it as her moves became dragged out and heavy. They had not been chatting to avoid wasting energy, but by this point, he would not keep quiet anymore.

"Sister Yue, are you alright?" His words made her look back.

What greeted Yueshi was a pale face covered in sweat. Her breath was heavy and one could see bags under her eyes that were not there before. Even her complexion looked slight sunken in.

"I am... okay. Don't… worry." She took some time to speak everything, clearly finding it strenuous.

Yueshi exchanged eyes with his sister and noticed she was also frowning with a worried expression. Xuehua was not as socially active as Yueshi had been in the dojo, but had also gotten particularly close to Yuan Yue.

After thinking about it for a moment, Yueshi set his mind on what to do.

Increasing his speed he moved to the front of Yuan Yue and stared at her in the eyes. "You are clearly not well, and we both know how important this trial is, therefore…" He turned his back to her and crouched down, "get up."

His voice was firm and resolute, giving her no space to complain. He didn't want to be this forceful, but he doubted Yuan Yue would listen to her otherwise.

He was right. In any other situation, Yuan Yue would never have accepted. She hated the feeling of burdening someone.

While she was wondering about what to do, Yuan Yue felt two hands pressing on her back. Looking over, she saw Xuehua slightly urging her to accept. Catching sight of the girl's worried eyes gave her the final push she needed.

"Okay." Her lips twitched as an unknown emotion flashed past her eyes. Then, with Xuehua's help, she climbed on the back offered to her.

Yueshi, feeling the somber mood of the girl, tried to lighten it the best he could "Get ready, for it will be a bumpy ride."

Yet, he thought, it had no effect, because she did not react in any way. However, suddenly he felt a slight jolt of pain coming from his sides.

"Ah! Don't pinch me!" He complained in an exaggerated tone.

Well, as long as she was alright…

--- - -

Somewhere along the journey, Xuehua also picked someone to carry. It was a female disciple of the dojo who had been crawling her way up the stairs with bloodied fingers.

Yueshi felt just a tiny bit jealous of the way she snuggled up to Xuehua, but, did not comment on it.

When they finally reached the end of the stairway, many were already tired out. Those that rushed ahead were especially tired, having spent their energy in an initial burst. Yueshi and a few others, though, seemed perfectly fine.

Yuan Yue's situation seemed bad, as the girl's face was extremely pale and pained. Nonetheless, she struggled hard to keep her composure and did not even groan a single time.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do. The Sect would not help, because, in their eyes, it was the examinees' responsibility to be on top condition.

"So…" He heard a whisper next to his ear. "How does this big sister's body feel like?"

Yueshi rolled his eyes and smiled. He rather admired her spirit and felt that her personality was refreshing and interesting. However, he would not be soft just because of that.

"Stop acting tough." He turned his head and sent her a side glance. "Just stay quiet and rest for now."

She grumbled a bit, but still complied anyway. It was easy to see she was not used to being this weak.

After some time, someone came and guided them through several pathways, until they were standing in a giant square.

Examinees stood on the four sides of the square, while in its center, a dozen or so old men wearing purple robes stood still.

"All of you that have successfully climbed the Heavens Ascending Stairway, congratulations!" A Sect Disciple in front of the older men spoke.

Everyone listened attentively, afraid of missing even a single word.

"Don't think, however, that your trials have ended. Your results have already been evaluated, and now it is time to prove your talent!" Saying so, he motioned to the center of the square, where a giant obelisk laid dormant.

Everyone stared at the structure, and the more perceptive people could feel a wave of energy wash over them when they focused on the tiny diagrams engraved in its dark body. It was an odd feeling.

"Please, don't cause a commotion later. If you do so, our esteemed Elders will throw you out of the mountain." After saying so, and giving a respectful bow to the elders, the disciple walked away.

Yueshi frowned, thinking of how long it would take to test everyone. However, it wasn't like he could hurry them. Thankfully, he had his sister with whom to talk, so even if it took hours he would not feel bored at all.

And so, they waited and watched.

Talent could be classified into seven grades. From lowest to highest they were: white, yellow, green, blue, red, purple, and black. The obelisk glowed in one of those colors whenever a test taker touched it and sent his or her qi inside.

Yueshi was curious about how that worked, but even the more knowledgeable Yuan Yue didn't know for sure. According to her, the obelisk was some sort of relic left behind by a high-level cultivator and ancestor of the sect.

Sometime later, Yueshi felt Yuan Yue squirm uncomfortably on his back. Looking at her, he saw her eyes were fixed on the person going on stage - a slender and womanly figure with a veiled face.

"Do you know her?" After asking it, he felt it was a really dumb question.

"A bit." He felt that she did not want to go in-depth in the subject, so he didn't pursue it.

The girl walked toward the obelisk with steady steps, her body language not showing any trace of anxiety. When she passed by the Elders, she did not bow like others and, instead, merely nodded.

Her actions immediately made many whisper about her lack of respect - but a single wave of a hand from one elder silence them all.

"Examine number 9999, Ling Tian Tian, from Flying Snow City, Chen Dynasty." A Sect Disciple announced.

Yueshi was surprised by her origins and decided to pay more attention to her results. He hadn't heard about such a person during the past two weeks, but he could feel it somehow - she was not an ordinary person.

The young lady touched the obelisk and focused for an instant. Then, everyone opened their eyes in surprise at the successive flash of several colors - white, yellow, green, blue, it changed so fast that it made people dizzy.

Then, just as everyone had expected it to stop, the blue color turned into pale purple, before growing darker and darker. Different shades of the same color represented another difference in talent.

When it hit the darkest of purples, the obelisk's glow finally stopped changing. Then, the object started to become brighter and brighter, bathing the entire avenue in a purplish color.

Before anyone could react, there was a light explosion as uncountable sword lights flew into the air, wooshing toward the horizons at an extreme speed.

"Innate Talent Materialization!" To everyone's surprise, the mask of expressionlessness from an elder broke down as he shouted aloud.

Everyone was left gawking as the old man jumped toward Tian Tian, almost grabbing her by the shoulders. If it wasn't because of a sudden cough, the old man would probably have shaken her from side to side.

"Ahem…" Clearing his throat, the man acted as if he didn't lose his composure at all. "What a nice seedling. I will make sure to put in some good words for you during the Sect Meeting."

Under everyone's watchful and envious eyes, the girl walked out of the square and disappeared into the crowd. Soon, however, everyone noticed her presence again as, in a show of respect, people put on some distance.

Yueshi was also awed by what happened, but with the arms around his neck tightening slightly, his attention went away from Tian Tian.

He didn't know what the relationship between the two was, but, it was obvious that Yuan Yue did not like the other girl. Or at least, she felt bothered by all the praise and awe Titan Tian was being showered with.

"Examine number 10000, Yuan Yue, from Flying Snow City, Chen Dynasty." After the commotion calmed down, someone announced.

Yueshi gently allowed Yuan Yue to get down and watched as she faltered slightly. However, after a short moment, she gritted her teeth, straightened her back, and walked out of the crowd.

People looked at her with curiosity. After such a genius popped out of the small Flying Snow City it was natural for them to wonder if another tiger cub would show up.

When Yuan Yue touched the obelisk, everyone was observing attentively - for most of them, geniuses were a bad sign. After all, those that entered the Sect would be both fellow disciples and also rivals.

The obelisk slowly came to life, first starting to glow in a pale white light. Then, the light became brighter and changed - from white to yellow, from yellow to green, and all the way to dark red. When it stopped, everyone lost interest.

It was funny, really.

Dark red talents were already rare enough, and only a handful of them would be seen every few years. However, with Ling Tian Tian striking from the blue, it seemed just so-so in their eyes. It wasn't for nothing that people said that comparison was odious.

With no one paying any more attention to her, Yuan Yue went back to where Yueshi was. Her expression was the same as it was when she left, but Yueshi felt that something seemed to bother her quite a bit.

"There, there…" Without knowing what to do, he pated her head three times. "I don't know anyone as hardworking as you, so don't worry about something as vague as talent."

He wasn't exactly lying. Yueshi had gone to the dojo to train early in the morning and left at dusk. Yet, he never arrived earlier not left later than this disciple sister of his.

"Bah." She made an ugly face. "Say it clear. You just wanted to take the chance and touch me." Well, since she was joking like that she should be okay, he thought.

Perhaps, he didn't have to be worried. He had seen it in her eyes before, but Yuan Yue was someone with a strong spirit and firm heart. Laughing, he watched her sit down and close her eyes to rest.

Not long later, Yueshi grinned. It was finally his time to show off!