The Core Challenge

Wei Wuxian

Lan Wangji escorted them to one of the main buildings named the Underworld Chamber. The place was heavily sealed with layer after layer of insanely strong wards. The young jade patiently removed them all in his now, usual silence, to finally open the magical doors with a spiritual talisman. Deep down, Wei Wuaxian could feel the strong power of something he had never felt before. It wasn't exactly dark energy, because he knew how a great concentration of it felt like, when the Burial Mounds were so close to their Clans... then, was it white energy instead?

The legend of the energy balance said that several centuries ago, the world was created with a perfect balance of white (yang) and dark (yin) energy by the gods. However, there was a time in which humanity fought a bloody magical war that ended with the destruction of the balance of the world. Most of the white energy was lost back then, submerging the world into an era of darkness and chaos that still remains into this days, filled with overwhelming dark energy all over the continent.

That era was known as the Dark World and it was the time in which those killed in wars, fights, common murders, indiscriminate slaughter or injustices, raised from their tombs and walked the earth as corps that seek blood, death and destruction. The only way to survive, for those unfortunate to live in such a dark period, was to join the immortal Clans and live under their protection and wards. A living under huge domes of energy that kept the corpses at bay outside the barriers.

Those Clans that could created strong barriers that safeguarded towns and cities around them, survived such a world of darkness without much struggling other than hunt down the corpses, but the smaller Clans with low cultivation, perish in less than a year or integrate into the bigger ones. Then, a group of immortals, sacrifice their great spiritual power on the biggest array ever created to try mend the balance, even if it was to restore a small portion of the lost white energy and succeeded partially.

After the sacrifice, white energy begin to flow around the world, making the corpses less fierce and easier to handle even by smaller Clans. However the small amount was not enough to keep the dead resting in their tombs and some places remained more tainted than others. The north was the most blessed with more white energy, the energy of life, meaning it had magical places, like the floating islands, vivid gardens, great harvest, rain, less hard winters and less fierce corpses, while the east was cursed with more darkness and harsher way of life.

Just been close to the Underworld Chamber, Wei Wuxian could tell, that deep down there was a great amount of white energy storage, perhaps that was the reason the islands floated and the gardens were so magically stunning. There was also an air of peace in the whole set of connected islands, which make Lan Wangji so hard to read. In a peaceful environment, surrounded by the wonders of a naturally magical place, along with the Clan's practice of righteousness, the Second Master Lan, had learn to seriously cultivate that white energy, letting go of trivial feelings.

It was actually quite admirable of him, he didn't need many feeling in a relative perfect place like that and it heightened his cultivation exponentially, becoming the second strongest in the entire Lan Clan, only falling behind his own brother, who was older and thus, have cultivated a golden core for a longer period and study under the guidance of the immortals years before.

It was because of that the people begin calling them the twin jades of the Lan Clan, not only because they looked similar, but also because they reached a level of harmony, internal and external that make them desired beauties and it was quite right.

Wait, beauties? Since when he had find men beautiful before leaving the east? It must be the atmosphere or the magic of the islands. Wei Wuxian thought as he once again followed Lan Zhan, dressed in that shining mourning white, that as of tomorrow it was going to become a part of him too.

Lan Wangji let them enter to the guarded chamber, which was a magnificent room full of magical treasures, also sealed on their respective pedestals. Obviously, that was more than a treasure room, but Wei Ying didn't have the time to ask for more as Wangji used a talisman on one of the pedestals and took a small onyx orb from it.

"Lan Zhan, just what are you planning for us? What was supposed to happen in the initiation ceremony?" Wei Ying asked, unable to hold his curiosity for any longer. He was a curious kind of guy and the Lan Clan had the kind of mysteries he would love to find.

"Testing." Wangji said simply going out of the room, closely follow by the three easterners and once they were all out, he placed all the guards back.

"Come on Lan Zhan, can you elaborate a bit more? What kind of testing? And for what? Also why you? Shouldn't the Clan Leader be the one 'testing' us? What's the mean..." Wei Wuxian insisted, coming closer to the second young Jade in the very moment that Lan Wangji turned to look back at him. Inertia keep Wei moving forward, while Wangji turned halting his movement, making their faces just inches from each other.

Having Wei Ying that close make Wangji paralyze for a few seconds, too caught in those curious dark eyes that held mischievousness behind them. Wei Ying couldn't help himself, but to slowly move his hand, as in trance, to reach Lan Zhan's perfect long black hair, just in the middle of one of his locks at the sides of his face, to grab a small white plum petal that had stubbornly stayed trapped there.

The surprise was evident in Wangji's usually unreadable face, making Wei Ying smile because the young man was not completely emotionless, yet the surprise was rapidly replaced by a cold stare, as Wangji's heart skipped another beat.

"So shameless..." Wangji said, unable to move his gaze form him and Wei Ying arched an eyebrow.

"Huh? I just take out a plum petal from your hair. How is that shameless?" Wei Ying protested, showing the innocent petal, trapped between his fingers.

"Keep your distance, you will know the answers to your questions soon." Wangji responded, turning back, then taking out a yellow teleportation talisman. Behind Wei Ying, Wen Ning was blushing slightly at the exchange, because he had seen the mischievous young master Wei do similar things to girls he liked back in the east and Wen Qing was just ready to explode laughing witnessing Wei Wuxian's very first boy love romance.

However, as Wangji activate the talisman with his spiritual energy, she didn't have the time to mock her childhood friend, finding herself, her brother and the idiot troublemaker in front of a set of stairs that leaded to a higher ground with three bridges and a set of circles made by magnificent dragon crafted pillars.

Lan Wangji opened his hand and the previously onyx orb glowed bright white and floated over his palm before it flied away to the very center of the ten circles. Floating high, it created a reddish barrier that surrender the entire island, slightly distorting the outside world. However, as the barrier enclosed the place, the energy contained was released in waves of different levels coming from each circle. It was an interesting setting for perhaps training.

"Is this a training dimension?" Wen Qing asked for Wei Ying, who was about to ask the same. The Clans in the east didn't have magical treasures of that kind, but they knew it was used in the main Clans for training purposes, keeping all harm done inside, completely sealing the place inside the orb, then returning it back to normal when done.

"Yes. This is a training ground designed to test your golden cores. As you can see, there are three bridges that would guide you to enter the training rings. However, those rings are not common ones to walk in, they are filled with yang energy on each level, which will in turn test your cores. So the further you walk into them, the more difficult it will become for all of you. Just choose a bridge, then follow the path to reach the center or as far as you can." They all look back at the new voice that took them by surprise. A tall slender man dressed in white robes, also with long white hair and bear looked at them with gentle gray eyes.

"Lord Zheng Xi..." Wangji welcomed the stranger, flawlessly and politely greeting him with a bow.

"Wangji... it had been a few years since we last see each other." The man said, bowing back at him with equal gracefulness.

"Thank you for your guidance." Wangji responded in return.

"You are welcome. Your talent was magnificent... so, this three young masters from the east need the special testing as well?"Lord Zheng asked, even thought knowing the answer.

"Yes, the yang seal reacted to them while in dormant state." Wangji explained shortly.

"You are a white spirit?" Wei Ying asked, making Wangji look at him in surprise.

"You certainly had the sight, young man. I am indeed a white spirit and all floating islands in Gusu are my domain, so please try to not destroy them." The old man said and Wei Ying smirked.

"I promise I will behave, my Lord..." Wei Ying said, slightly bowing to him.

"I hope so kid, now... choose a bridge and follow the path to each level. The further you go, the stronger your golden cores needs to be. If you find yourself unable to move forward, it means you are not ready to face the next level, so don't force it or you may severely damage your golden core or die in the process." The white spirit said, the put a hand over Lan Wangji shoulder and right after both of them disappeared from their sight.

"Wow... Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying yelled, but the two simply reappeared just below the glowing white orb in the middle of the top level. There, Wei Ying watched Wangji sat on the floor and summon a beautiful sapphire zither over his lap. It was then that the Second Lan Master looked down at Wei Ying, challenging him with his penetrating gaze, to dare try reaching him.

"Alright, Lan Zhan... I accept your challenge." Wei Ying whisper to himself smiling. No matter the level of difficulty, he was going to meet with him at the center. He was looking forward to test himself more than anything and Lan Wangji was actually the one he needed to surpass in that place. If he manage to do so, he will show those overconfident idiots of the north that had already degrade them a little while back, that the Clans of the east were far better than them and hard worked on their cores levels.

"Ah, you idiot. This is a core testing, a ten levels challenge to give us a ranking. Don't go overconfident yourself to prove them wrong. The last level where he is sit, at the top center will be an immortal level, you will never reach that far." Wen Qing warned him, already wanting to hit him in the back of his head to wake him up from the spell of Lan Wangji.

"Immortal level or not, I will reach him. I have never back down from a challenge in the past and I will not begin now." Wei Ying simply responded.

"Wei Ying... Lord Zheng said your core could be severely damage, if you try to reach farther than you can." Wen Ning said a bit worry.

"We are strong, Wen Ning... those overconfident idiots from the north, look down on us because they don't face the hardships with live with, every day. It's about time we show them of what are we made of." Wei Ying said looking at his Wen's childhood friends.

"He is not looking down on us." Wen Ning insisted, referring to Lan Wangji.

"And that's why this is going to be fun. Don't overdue yourselves, okay? I will be just fine." Wei Ying said as he walked toward the middle bridge without looking back. His focus only in the young man with the zither.

"Hey love bird! Follow your own advice and try not to kill yourself trying to impress your Jade!" Wen Qing yelled to Wuxian, which ignored her, however, if anyone looked closer, it will notice that said jade ears were tinted deep red. Lord Zheng laughed. Oh that year gathering was going to be indeed the most amusing one.

AN: LOL. Thank you, dear readers. Hope is building up good. See you next time, with all my love, please take care. 😁😄💞💞