《I Accidentally Stole a God》


 Dont Disappoint Me

    Imperial Scholar Shi put down his pen and rubbed his eyes. The flickering lamplight that had accompanied him through many winter years illuminated the wrinkles upon his face. Despite the weariness of age, the old scholar''s eyes shone with life as he looked down at the words he had just now written in the margins of the ancient tome that sat on his desk.


    "Perhaps with this¡­" he mumbled to himself absentmindedly.


    Looking out his window, he saw ash falling upon the bluegrass hundreds of meters below his residence.


    "Three lives wasn''t enough."


    His voice was barely audible as he slumped back in his chair and exhaled his final breath. Shortly thereafter, a young man entered the room, holding a slip of paper.


    When he walked into the room, however, there wasn''t a body in the chair of Imperial Scholar Shi. All that remained as proof of his existence was a silver-lined book that sat closed on his desk, as well as a similarly silver needle that laid on top of it.


    The sound of crumpling paper disturbed the eerily silent room for a moment before the peace returned once more, lingering even as the man closed the door behind him, book and needle in hand.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    In Zhongtian City, a fifteen year old boy sat atop a high cobblestone wall. He gazed out upon the bustling Zhongtian City market, which was filled to the brim with peddlers, customers, rich young scions, young abandoned beggars and hustlers.


    With the wind blowing through his hair, and an enlightened look in his eyes, the boy seemed to have a refined, worldly aura. An aura that was quickly destroyed by the sound of his grumbling stomach.


    An obligatory pat of his wallet pouch informed the youth that he remained dirt poor, as he had been when he''d woken up that morning.


    "I suppose it''s time I get going then¡­"


    The youth climbed down from the wall with practiced speed before making his way into the marketplace, assaulted by the warmth of hundreds of bodies packed in the tight streets. Fortunately for him, small in stature, even for his age, he found it easy to move through the crowd that others would feel stifled by.


    Of course, he didn''t stop himself from grabbing a few coin purses while he was at it. Unfortunately, most of the rich targets wouldn''t come by until later. Early in the morning, he was only able to snatch enough to fill his stomach for the day.


    It was in this fashion that he killed time. Wandering around, stealing anything that caught his eye.


    So far, he felt his day was going nicely.


    Soon, he found himself standing in front of a stall that sold medicine.


    As a thief, even a skilled one, it was nothing uncommon to get injured while making a getaway. Because of that, if he ever made extra money he had made it a habit to prepare ahead of time and buy medicine.


    Scanning through the store''s wares, the youth didn''t bother to linger his gaze on the medicinal pills for sale. They would without a doubt be too expensive.


    There were, however, some poultices and ointments that were in his price range.


    When the shopkeeper noticed the boy browsing, his eyes narrowed.


    "What''s your name, kid?"


    "Ah, right... What should my name be today?" the youth muttered almost inaudibly.


    "What was that?"


    "Nothing, nothing," the youth gave a charming smile as he looked up. "Call me Song Yi."


    "Little Song, then, what are you buying medicine for?"


    "My master asked that I buy some for the household."


    Song Yi had been through this before. He was often questioned when he went to buy things. After all, the markets always had many thieves afoot, and shopkeepers were a sly bunch.


    Often times they even had guards hiding to catch any customers with happy hands. Some merchants even chose to chop such hands off, and display them outside their stores as a warning.


    "Well then, are you going to buy any?" The merchant''s face softened, assured by this Little Song''s unassuming face.


    Song Yi bought a variety of bandage wraps and ointments, placing them in a coarse brown sack he kept tied to his waistbelt.


    "Please come again," the man said as Song Yi turned and left.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    It wasn''t long before night fell.


    Now, the real fun could begin.


    That was because, at night, the young scions and alcohol-laden married men were coming out of the woodworks for entertainment.


    Absentmindedly, Song Yi rubbed his fingers on his palm, but that couldn''t cease their itching.


    With a grin, he set off in the direction of the pleasure quarters. A combination of intoxication and lust made for a relaxed vigilance, which made it the ideal spot to liberate some coin.


    As he expected, there were plenty of boisterous men whom he couldn''t help but think were begging to be robbed.


    But today, there was something else that caught his eye.


    It wasn''t one of the usual drunkards, but instead a tall mountain of a man with a thick, black beard.


    The man, under normal circumstances, must have looked intimidating, but at the moment it was clear that he was trying to act inconspicuously, which instead resulted in an almost comical appearance.


    He wore peasant''s clothing, with a dark cape to cover most of his body. To anyone who looked, though, it was obvious from the way the man held himself that he was not a peasant.


    The man only had a small bag hanging from his waist, clearly not holding many coins.


    But still, Song Yi couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more to this man, and that this was an opportunity. Besides, even if he were wrong, it was only a single day wasted.


    Without further deliberation, he quietly followed the hulking figure.


    Man and shadow, the two left the market''s south gate and, after walking down a few alleys, ended up at an old and broken down inn.


    After looking around to make sure nobody was observing him, though not noticing Song Yi hidden nearby, the bearded man dipped into the inn. Song Yi hesitated outside until he saw, through a window, the man on the second floor of the inn, walking into a room.


    Circling around the side of the inn, Song Yi found another window on the same floor, which he promptly climbed up and into.


    Taking care not to make noise, he walked to where the bearded man''s room was, and knocked on the door of the adjacent room. When he received no response, he opened the door and entered.


    He heard low voices coming from the bearded man''s room, though the words were indiscernible. Moving to peek through a crack in the wooden plank wall, he managed to make out what they were saying. He controlled his breath carefully, trying to keep quiet.


    Through the crack could be seen the solemn faces of three men. They all wore clothes similar to the bearded man. A fourth voice, the body of which Song Yi couldn''t see, spoke.


    "What''s the need for all the secrecy?"


    "You don''t need to worry yourself about it. It''s the empire''s problem."


    "Fine then. Tell me the origins of this book."


    The person speaking was not in Song Yi''s vision, but the tone of voice sounded both youthful and arrogant.


    "There is not much we can tell you, other than that this book has travelled a long, long way to arrive here. Naturally, our imperial scholars have tried to determine the origin, but all have met with failure."


    "Why is it being gifted to me?"


    "There was a note that travelled with the book somehow. Despite being written on seemingly ordinary paper, the note has survived for what we believe to be 500 years."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Go on."


    "The note said that the book was to be given to only the most talented disciple in the land."


    After hearing those domineering words, the young man continued unabashed.


    "And the needle?"


    "It appears to be an ordinary needle, regardless of what method we used to study it. However, considering that it came with the book, we believe it to hold secrets that we are too weak to discover."


    "How pointless," the youth muttered indifferently. "I can''t say I''m particularly interested in this thing, but I''ll take it regardless."


    "The gifting ceremony will be held tomorrow in the town square, and the Emperor will hand this to you personally. We''ll keep it until then for safekeeping."


    Song Yi could no longer control his breathing. He quickly slipped out of the room and exited by the window he came in.


    "He may not be interested¡­ but I am." Song Yi felt his mouth water as he thought of all the meals he''d be able to buy if he could pawn off that treasure. Perhaps he could even buy a permanent residence.


    After all, if it was related to the Emperor, and was as mysterious as they said, the book must be worth a fortune.


    Though he knew it would be more dangerous than his usual antics, he firmly felt that the reward outweighed the risk.


    He looped around the dilapidated inn just in time to watch a tall dark-robed figure leave. At a glance, he recognized him as the youth who he hadn''t been able to see before from his hiding place.


    After the youth could no longer be seen, Song Yi dropped himself face down on a pile of trash that the inn had thrown out in the side alley, tilting his head just enough to see the inn entrance.


    Another half hour of waiting passed, the sun now hanging high in the sky. His patience paid off, however, when he saw three men walk out of the inn. One old, one middle-aged and one young. The middle-aged, bearded man was the one Song Yi had followed to this inn earlier, while the other two were the other figures he had been able to see before.


    From what Song Yi could tell, the old man was most likely an imperial scholar, while the bearded and young man were a master-apprentice duo. Most likely a high-ranking duo at that.


    The bearded man had a second inconspicuous sack hanging from his waist-belt, in addition to the small money-pouch from before. Naturally, Song Yi noticed this change.


    "That must be where the book is."


    The trio began to walk in the direction where Song Yi was hiding, taking care not to draw too much attention to themselves.


    Song Yi wasn''t sure why high-ranking officials would take such precautions in the streets of Zhongtian City. After all, few would be brazen enough to rob these people, let alone in broad daylight.


    Of course, Song Yi considered himself to be among those ''few.''


    He rolled himself off the trash pile into the middle of the road, falling right at the feet of the trio. Just as he''d hoped, the three stopped, preparing to walk around him. Song Yi faked an attempt to stand up shakily, impeccably imitated a drunk who had slept until noon. Halfway through his attempt, he suddenly fell into the bearded man, who glared at him with disgust.


    The man shoved Song Yi back to the ground "Begone curr."


    "Apologies, Lord," Song Yi blubbered, prostrating himself.


    What the trio didn''t notice, however, was hidden on the ground beneath his torso was the unassuming brown sack that had been on the bearded man''s waist only a moment ago.


    As they walked past the grovelling Song Yi, the young apprentice of the bearded man spat at Song Yi, the saliva landing on his hand. With a pathetic smile, he pushed his forehead to the ground once more.


    After the three men passed him, he wiped the back of his hand on the ground and stood up to walk the other direction, the sack in his other hand. Before he walked even ten paces, however, a blood-chilling voice called out.


    "Wait right there!"


    Without pause, Song Yi broke into a dead sprint towards his home, the marketplace.


    "Thief!" the bearded man screamed, rushing in pursuit of Song Yi. "Chen Fu, go mobilize the district guards to catch that man!" he said his young apprentice.


    They hadn''t been far from the marketplace in the first place, but the bearded man behind Song Yi was twice his size. With every footfall that slammed into the ground, he grew ever closer.


    "Return that sack right now!" he cried, clearly no longer bothered about making a scene.


    It wasn''t long before Song Yi reached the crowded market district, but even as he did more and more shouts could be heard as the bearded man encountered city guards who he ordered to help.


    Without delay, Song Yi began to blend into the crowd. Contrary to his expectations, however, the guards hardly bothered to avoid running straight into innocent shoppers who happened to be in their way.


    If Song Yi were like a fish in the sea of the crowd, the guards were like rhinoceros who violently shoved the water aside.


    "You dare steal from Zhongtian Empire! Your head will be on a spike by dawn!"


    More rage-filled cries fell upon deaf ears as Song Yi continued to weave through the crowds with feline dexterity.


    The stones in the pavement below were a blur as he desperately searched for a route of escape. Some quick-witted bystanders, upon hearing the incensed calls of the Empire forces, attempted to grasp at Song Yi but, thanks to his short stature and incredible speed, most of them failed to grasp at even his clothing.


    Soon, however, more armed guards poured out of side streets and into the marketplace. And as they did, more of the crowd became aware of what was happening.


    Song Yi found his potential routes of escape becoming smaller and smaller, and on a few occasions was almost grasped by nearby citizens.


    With ragged breath, this continued until he realized that he could no longer see a way out. The thunderous footsteps of the small army of pursuers drew ever closer.


    "I never expected to die like this."


    When Song Yi looked in his heart at that moment, he found only emptiness. He didn''t even feel fear in the moment of his imminent demise, only regret.


    He didn''t regret stealing and hustling to survive as he had for so long. He didn''t even regret stealing the book. What he regretted was that, in his final moments, there was nobody that came to mind. Not a single connection that tied him to this world.


    "It seems my death will go just as unnoticed as my life." This was the thought that pervaded his sensibilities at that moment.


    He began to slow down, having pushed his body long past its limit. The inside of his mouth was dry with the taste of bile. But then...


    "Unacceptable!" His mind screamed.


    He didn''t know why he suddenly felt this way.


    "Unacceptable!" Once more the passionate cry came, but this time he shouted the word aloud.


    "What''s unacceptable is that you''ve evaded for so long! This is the end of the line!" A gruff voice came from behind Song Yi, so close that he could feel the man''s breath on the back of his neck.


    "I will not die as an animal!" Song Yi roared with all his might.


    He was young, he was naive, but more importantly, he was human! He himself did not know why, perhaps it was on principle alone, but he possessed an unshakable conviction now. This was the place where he had spent his life, but it was not where it would end.


    His eyes snapped to attention once more as his feet picked up speed with renewed vigour. In a moment, he''d put distance between himself and the furious army once more.


    His conviction wouldn''t matter, though, if he couldn''t escape.


    When he reached the north end of the market, what greeted him was a wall of bodies, swords held at the ready. The citizens nearby had been shuffled off to the sides, packed in tightly, where they watched with fearful eyes.


    There was no longer anywhere for Song Yi to hide. Behind him was an unstoppable force, and in front was an immovable wall. Yet he did not despair.


    "If I say I will live, then what right do you lot have to kill me?!" he madly proclaimed with bloodshot eyes, sprinting even faster than before straight towards the swordsmen before him.


    A few of the men forming the barricade chuckled, while others stared in amazement at the insane youth that rushed them. Regardless of their reactions, all of them lifted their weapons.


    It was mere moments before Song Yi found himself within range of the human wall, and he pulled back his right arm to punch out at the man before him.


    Just before he could swing, the man in front of him stepped forward as well, raising his sword.


    But just as the man attacked, he promptly tripped face first into the ground.


    The eyes of his comrades nearby went wide with shock.


    The bystanders cried out in disbelief.


    The army on the other side had already stopped in their tracks, not wanting to crash into their comrades. They, too, wore expressions of confused rage.


    Not waiting for any of them to come to their senses, Song Yi lept over the fallen soldier and rushed through the tiny gap that had just been made, breaking out to the other side.


    During the altercation, what nobody present noticed, was a single cobblestone behind the fallen soldier that jutted out of the ground a few centimetres, sinking back down into place shortly after Song Yi''s escape.


    Of course, the men didn''t stop chasing Song Yi simply because he''d broken their encirclement. If anything, they were more enraged than before.


    Song Yi continued to run desperately for another kilometre before he finally saw another large crowd of people. Without a second thought, he ran straight into the throng.


    In no mood to loiter, he maneuvered his way to the front of the group, where he saw a man who looked to be in his early twenties sitting behind an ornate table that hosted a long scroll.


    "Name?" The man asked without bothering to look up.


    Song Yi had no idea what was going on, but to leave this group of people meant certain death. He could already hear soldiers trying to muscle their way in on the fringes, as well as the dismay of those they pushed.


    After a short moment, he answered the man honestly. Of course, he used the name he''d come up with that morning. He didn''t know his true name.


    "Age?" The next question came after the man wrote down Song Yi''s name.


    "Fifteen."


    The man continued to record the data.


    "Have you applied to any other schools before?"


    Not knowing what he meant, Song Yi replied with a simple no.


    "Follow the path behind me through the gate until you come to a courtyard. Wait there patiently," came the emotionless instructions.


    Song Yi looked behind the man properly for the first time, seeing the ornate iron gate that contained behind it extended fields of lush green grass and colourful flowers, with a white stone path leading up over a hill, where it could be seen no more. The gate had a sign at the top that read: Discipline, Diligence, Decisiveness.


    This had been his destination since escaping the marketplace.


    With a deep breath, he passed through the gate.


    The entire time, the man had never bothered to look up at the dishevelled state that Song Yi was in. However, those in the crowd did.


    "Who is that kid?"


    "Why does he look so beat up?"


    "Where did he come from?"


    Soon, the soldiers who had been chasing made their way to the man at the desk.


    "Where did he go?!" one of them barked.


    "Where did who go?!" the man replied, sounding bored.


    "Short kid, looked half dead."


    When the soldier said that, the crowd immediately understood. Some spoke up and explained.


    Immediately, the soldier began to run in Song Yi''s direction once more. Just before he could pass through the gate, the man called out from behind him, looking up for the first time.


    "Those who pass through the Gate of Virtues without permission will die." His voice, just as before, contained no hint of emotion. His words seemed to him to be natural, a matter of fact.


    To the soldier, though, those words were nothing more than a joke. After all, he had dozens of people behind him.


    What was more, he had been ordered by his lord, the highest military authority in Zhongtian before the Emperor himself, to kill the thief.


    He was familiar with this gate and knew that, under normal circumstances, he should never enter. But, given his current backing, he didn''t hesitate before stepping through the gate. He wore a cocky grin as he glanced back at the man who had just spoken, only to see him looking away once more.


    Furthermore, he saw looks of horror on the faces of his comrades behind him.


    That was the last thing he saw before his head fell off his shoulders, meeting the ground with a dull thunk.


    After recovering from the shock of seeing their comrade cut down with such incredible speed and efficacy, one of the other soldiers, much more respectful now, bowed towards the man who was once again looking down at his scroll waiting for another youth to come up.


    "Elder brother, please pardon me, but we have orders from Grand-General Wang to apprehend and execute that boy."


    "Oh, is that all?" The man yawned. "Well, even if your Emperor himself showed up he would not be allowed through this gate without permission. That said, if that boy entered here only to evade you lot, he will most certainly be back out within two days, no more than three. You may do what you like then."


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Unseen by any of the people present, even the man behind the desk, a black-robed figure sat on a rooftop overseeing the crowd and gardens behind.


    "Song Yi, eh?" the figure chuckled.


    "I hope you won''t disappoint me¡­"

 Su Bai

    Four hours.


    On the bottom floor of a titanic pagoda, there were roughly one thousand young men and women gathered. Despite the vast number of bodies present, the pagoda floor seemed spacious enough to hold even ten times that number comfortably. Yet despite the cool autumn breeze that blew through the area, the faces of most present were ugly.


    It was not that those present had ugly faces. In fact, many of them had outstanding good looks, but rather that they were annoyed! They had all been told, as Song Yi had, to follow the path and wait when they reached the courtyard. Upon arriving there they¡¯d been invited into the pagoda and once more told to wait. But now it had been four hours, and their patience was beginning to wear thin.


    Song Yi, on the other hand, was relaxed as possible. For the first half hour, he had been nervous. Following that, his body began to shake uncontrollably as the adrenaline left his system. Despite his blazing confidence from before, or his moment of apathy in the face of death, he couldn¡¯t control the automatic reaction his body had to the experience. Eventually, though, he had been able to relax for the first time since he¡¯d decided to follow that bearded man.


    He had sat himself up against one of the pagoda walls, cross-legged, with his eyes closed. The first thing he had noticed after calming down was that the area in which he sat was far larger than the area that the Gate of Virtues commanded within Zhongtian City. While this surprised him, it was not a terrifying discovery. He had heard of such things before, carrying sacks that had more space inside them than outside. While they were something that even someone miles above Song Yi''s social standing would not be able to possess, they were not entirely unheard of. Compared with something like that, the Gate of Virtues itself was far more mysterious.


    It was not the case that his decision to go through the Gate was one made from ignorance. In fact, even as he left the market, he¡¯d already intended to head for the gate. What had been outside his expectations, though, was the crowd gathered around it. The gate was a legend among locals in Zhongtian City. There was no true consensus on what was behind it, but rumours about it were more common than grains of sand. There was one rumour, though, that was certain to be true. Most of the time, those who entered the gate would never come back out, with one exception. There were occasional times, though Song Yi didn¡¯t know exactly how often, a young man or woman would exit the gate and admit passage to any who were qualified to enter. What the exact qualifications were was also a mystery. In short, Song Yi could only bless his good fortune that it had been one of those rare open days, else by now he would most likely have already returned to the river of reincarnation.


    Yet at the same time, that fortune could not, with certainty, be called ¡°good.¡± While he had escaped his pursuers for the time being, it was also known that in these rare ¡®open¡¯ times, for a month afterward those who entered would slowly come back out. Sometimes they would come back out in a few hours, other times it would take the whole month. The only consistent factor was all who did come out had no memory of what had happened inside. Furthermore, some never came out. As for what happened to them, nobody knew.


    Despite the eerie circumstances surrounding the gate and what it contained, Song Yi felt assured by the relaxed mood and large group of people within. No disaster had befallen yet. As for the book, he intended to take time to study it properly when he could be alone once more. Therefore he sat meditating, refusing to sleep for fear of something happening while he did. Not to mention, recuperating from his tired state also took high precedence. It was in this fashion that another hour went by before an interruption stirred him out of his state.


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡± It was a high pitched voice. ¡°What kind of attitude is this towards guests? I, Wang Ling, have never been made to wait this long in my life!¡±


    Song Yi cracked an eyelid open to see a boy, no older than twelve, surrounded by three young retainers. His fists were clenched, and he was biting his lower lip. His robe was purple with golden lining, and many trinkets adorned his wrists and neck. Out of those present, this boy was near the youngest, while the oldest looked to be around twenty.


    ¡°If I weren¡¯t so damn tired I would¡¯ve taken his wallet within five minutes of arriving here¡­¡± Song Yi thought as he gave the boy a once-over.


    It wasn¡¯t just Song Yi who¡¯s attention had been caught by the boy¡¯s tantrum. Others began to eye him as well. Some warily began to inch away from him, while others ¡ª generally those who were more well-dressed ¡ª nodded or expressed their agreement otherwise. Meanwhile, his retainers frantically tried to calm the boy down.


    ¡°Young master,¡± one said in hushed tones. ¡°You must understand how important it is to the family that we are here. Please calm yourself.¡±


    ¡°Why should I calm myself when I haven¡¯t heard so much as an explana-¡±


    ¡°Your father will be quite stern if we come back with no results!¡± Another one of the men cut the boy off mid-sentence.


    His words seemed to have an effect, too, as the boy immediately shut his mouth and, glaring at the retainer who had just spoken, walked off elsewhere to sulk.


    ¡°Someone like that won¡¯t last long here,¡± a female voice said from near Song Yi.


    When Song Yi turned to look, he realized she was looking right at him. In fact, she was sitting right beside him. She looked to be around his age, with long black hair and brown eyes that had specks of gray in them.


    The girl smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve been sitting here all this time and didn¡¯t notice me. It¡¯s hard to tell the time in here, but I¡¯d say it¡¯s been at least three hours.¡±


    Song Yi took a moment to compose himself before saying,


    ¡°Do you know what this place is?¡±


    The girl blinked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°You said someone like that kid won¡¯t last long here. You made it sound like you know what this place is.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose I know something, though maybe not as much as some of those noble¡¯s kids.¡±


    Song Yi waited silently for her to continue.


    ¡°From what I know, this is a school. And not just any school either, but a school¡­¡± She paused for dramatic effect. ¡°To make heroes!¡±


    She grinned playfully as she glanced back at him, waiting for his reaction.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°What ¡®Oh¡¯! Do you know what I¡¯m talking about? Heroes! He-ro-s!¡± Her normally cute face was scrunched into a disappointed pout


    ¡°Never met any of them,¡± came his simple reply.


    ¡°Hmph! You think a hero would bother with a brat like you?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think this place is some kind of hero academy?¡±


    ¡°The most powerful hero in the country, the only person to ever exit the Virtuous Gate with his memories intact! Li Jian!¡± There was a distant, starstruck look in her eyes as she spoke the name.


    ¡°Li who?¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°How can you not know Li Jian!? Have you been living under a rock? Nobody in Ninghai hasn¡¯t heard of Li Jian!¡±


    When she said ¡®Ninghai,¡¯ Song Yi snapped to attention for the first time.


    ¡°You¡¯re not from Zhongtian?¡±


    ¡°Zhongtian? Why would I ever go there? That would take years.¡±


    With a quick glance at the rest of the room, Song Yi understood. In fact, he wanted to kick himself for not noticing sooner. With almost a thousand people in the room, how could that small crowd of maybe one-hundred outside the Gate of Virtues compare? Not to mention, that girl had just called it the ¡®Virtuous Gate¡¯ instead. Song Yi¡¯s interest in this place was piqued once again, but he also became wary. If his theory was correct, then the power held by those in charge of this place was much more terrifying than simply making the space inside the gate larger than it was from the outside.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Su Bai.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure others have noticed by now¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°Su Bai, I¡¯m from Zhongtian City. You understand, right?¡±


    Her eyes widened, but she quickly nodded.


    ¡°If the people who own this place can do something like that, then who knows what else they can do. Still, since we were invited in...¡±


    She nodded again.


    ¡°I understand. For now, we should wait.¡±


    Song Yi wasn¡¯t sure why, but even despite his nervousness about his situation, after talking with Su Bai for a bit longer, he kept having to stifle a smile from appearing on his face. The longer they continued their conversation, the stronger the urge became. But, despite the growing turbulence inside him, through sheer willpower, he maintained a calm appearance.


    Of course, he had heard of love before. He¡¯d seen with his own eyes what it made men do. In fact, he had years of experience robbing such men. With that thought in mind, he was completely sure that what he currently felt wasn¡¯t love. He felt no lust for Su Bai, nor any kind to buy her expensive gifts. It was something far more innocent than that. He couldn¡¯t quite place the sensation.


    ¡°Song Yi!¡±


    Su Bai¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°Send one what?¡±1


    ¡°It¡¯s my name.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She paused awkwardly before murmuring, ¡°It¡¯s a nice name.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    To both of their relief, another outburst happened at just that moment.


    ¡°Young Wang was right, this is ridiculous.¡± A derisive voice came from nearby the place that the child, Wang Ling, had gone to sulk. Clearly, the boy had been talking with and influenced another young scion.


    This time, the one who spoke was wearing a crimson red robe, lined with pure white silk. Upon seeing a few more similarly well-dressed figures in the crowd, Song Yi couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat self-conscious about his ragged pants and tunic, long dirty from age and wear. Most of the people in the room were in between, dressed more similarly to Su Bai, who wore a proper robe, though a simple one unadorned by intricate patterns. In Su Bai¡¯s particular case, there was a small white flower sewn into the shoulder of her blue robe, likely her handicraft.


    Song Yi had long since learned that his new friend was from a branch family of the Su clan in Ninghai. While the Su clan itself was one of the three most prestigious clans in her country, Su Bai herself was from an inferior bloodline. Because of that, she couldn¡¯t be considered an important person in the clan. That was part of her reasoning for entering the Virtuous Gate in the first place. The other part, of course, was her admiration for Li Jian. At least, that¡¯s what Song Yi had been able to deduce.


    While she would not call herself wealthy, to Song Yi she was practically a magnate. A small empire like Zhongtian, despite having a few countries within its borders, couldn¡¯t compare in land to Ninghai Country. In fact, Zhongtian Empire was so out of the way that, were it not for Su Bai¡¯s education as a minor noble, she wouldn¡¯t have heard of it. Her branch family alone, with their wealth and influence, would be second only to the royal family if they existed in Zhongtian.


    ¡°As I¡¯m sure fellow brothers and sisters have noticed, the sun set a while ago. We entered here at around high noon. This treatment of our valuable time is truly going too far. Out of respect for the Blue Moon, I, Gao Cheng, will take my leave quietly. But-¡±


    ¡°Then shut your mouth and leave,¡± a calm voice came from across the pagoda floor, opposite from where Song Yi and Su Bai sat.


    All heads immediately turned to the source of the voice, wondering who had the gall to speak such words so boldly.


    ¡°Do you know who I-¡± Gao Cheng begun, but froze when he saw the face of the speaker.


    The other boy stood up. ¡°Do you know who I am?!¡± His previous calm turned into a raging tempest as he began to walk deliberately towards Gao Cheng, who was too frightened to move a muscle. On the other side of the room, Song Yi and Su Bai were riveted to the scene, unable to avert their eyes. ¡°Gao Cheng, you of all people should understand that in this place, even my status means nothing.¡±


    The boy finally stopped walking when his face was a mere foot from Gao Cheng¡¯s. Without hesitation, he raised his arm and delivered a vicious backhand slap across Gao Cheng¡¯s cheek, sending the other boy sprawling. Gao Cheng¡¯s previously immaculate red robe was now smeared with dirt, but he didn¡¯t move a muscle to defend himself.


    The other boy scoffed. ¡°It seems as though you still understand the difference between heaven and earth.¡±


    ¡°Third prince, I-¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to shut your trap? Scram!¡±


    Without another word of complaint, Gao Cheng brought himself to his feet and immediately walked back towards the entrance they had all come from. The other boy, Wang Ling, who had lost his patience many hours prior, followed him out with his retainers.


    ¡°They must be from the same place.¡± Song Yi muttered.


    Su Bai nodded. ¡°Shanjing.¡±


    ¡°You know them?¡±


    ¡°Gao Cheng is very well known, even in my country. The Gao family are a trading conglomerate. They probably have merchants even as far out as Zhongtian. Gao Cheng is the heir to the company.¡±


    ¡°To offend someone like that¡­ Wouldn¡¯t even a prince have to think twice?¡±


    Su Bai looked at the prince with a shudder before answering. ¡°If it were the first or second prince, maybe. But the third¡­¡±


    After recovering from the shock of the third prince¡¯s appearance, many more young profligates that were cut from the same cloth as Wang Ling and Gao Cheng began to trickle out of the room. After another few hours, their original number of roughly a thousand had bled down to four-hundred. By now, it was late at night, and many of those present, exhausted, had fallen asleep.


    As for Su Bai and Song Yi, their conversation had faded out after a while, but they helped each other to stay awake and alert. It wasn''t too bad for Song Yi, as this was not the first time he''d had to retain his vigilance through a night. However, because of the events of the previous day, he found it harder than normal. Most of those remaining on the pagoda floor had long succumbed to their exhaustion. That was true almost unilaterally of the scions that hadn''t left with Gao Cheng.


    Across the room, the boy who Gao Cheng had referred to as ¡°third prince¡± also stayed awake. He had leaned back against the wall, reading a small book that he held in one hand. Around the pagoda, there were more than a few young women who occasionally looked towards the third prince with dreamy eyes. In fact, Song Yi himself admired the prince, especially when he noticed the boy¡¯s laissez-faire attitude towards the girls¡¯ licentious gazes. While he never thought himself to be the salacious type, he was a man too. In truth, he wasn¡¯t sure whether he¡¯d be able to remain so unabashed in such a situation.


    In this fashion the night went by until, finally, the sun rose. With the first rays of light came a wrinkled old man. He had long gray hair that stretched down below his waist, with bushy eyebrows and sharp eyes. Despite looking ancient, he used no aids to walk, and when he stood before the remaining assembled youths, his back was ramrod straight. Out of the dead silence, the old man spoke.


    ¡°You, you, you, you¡­¡± His voice was scratchy but deep, and despite his speaking softly, all those present could hear him as clearly as if he were speaking right in their ears.


    Every time he said ¡°you,¡± he pointed to a different person in the crowd. Those who were indicated quickly stood up at attention, many of them wearing gleeful looks on their faces. It was a while before the man stopped speaking. Su Bai, the third prince, and Song Yi remained sitting, along with no more than a few dozen youths. Song Yi and Su Bai shared a worried glance. Many of the youths who had earlier been chummy with Gao Cheng glanced derisively at the third prince. But, instead of getting angry, as many expected, the prince simply closed his book and smiled back at them. Even though his face was smiling, it was impossible for him to hide the weariness around his eyes.


    Just as the profligates¡¯ expressions turned to confusion, the old man looked at those who were standing up, and spoke his first full sentence since arriving.


    ¡°Welcome to the examination. You can leave now.¡±

 Awakening

    ¡°What?!¡± It didn¡¯t take long before a profligate broke the silence.


    ¡°Why are we being told to leave after waiting here all this time?!¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°You were asked to wait here until further instruction. Had I shown up while you fools were asleep, would you have expected me to wait for you to wake up? The Blue Moon Sect has no use for insolent disciples.¡±


    The old man had just revealed vital information to those who didn¡¯t know the true purpose of this place. Naturally, Song Yi picked up on it. Before having time to reflect further, a girl who had just failed the examination spoke out. She was tall and well-dressed, holding a refined air about her.


    The girl dug her fingernails into her palms with almost enough force to draw blood. ¡°What qualifies you to make all of us wait for an entire day?¡±


    When she said those words, the old man¡¯s facial expression changed for the first time, contorting into a vicious snarl.


    ¡°You will respect your elders!¡±


    He extended a wrinkled hand and, despite the fact that he stood no less than thirty meters away from the girl, she suddenly crumpled as she was blown back by an invisible force. She couldn¡¯t stop until she slammed with a horrifying crunch into the wall of the pagoda.


    Other than the sound of her moaning in pain as she clutched her stomach, the room had fallen completely silent. The girl held no shred of the dignity or pride she had before.


    ¡°Well then, now that that interruption is dealt with, I suppose we should move on. The rest of you, follow me.¡± He paused just as he was about to turn around, before saying, ¡°oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mo Yijun, the Ninth Elder of the Blue Moon Sect.¡±


    Without further ado, Elder Mo walked back outside the pagoda, not bothering to turn to see if people were following him or not. Of course, all of those who had remained sitting until that point quickly made to follow.


    On the way out, as the Third Prince walked past the profligate who had shot him a dirty glance earlier, he patted him on the shoulder and laughed out loud.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much,¡± he said. ¡°At least after you leave you won¡¯t remember how embarrassing you are.¡±


    On the way to the pagoda, Song Yi had seen many vast fields of greenery, thick forests and mountains. The walk alone had taken him around a half hour down a straight stone path. Following Elder Mo, however, they quickly branched off onto a path that he hadn¡¯t seen the first time he made the walk. He wasn¡¯t sure if, in his previous haste, he had missed it, or if there were something else at work.


    The group walked for a while in silence before someone decided to speak up. It was the Third Prince again.


    ¡°Respected Elder, may I ask where we¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°To the Blue Moon Sect.¡±


    ¡°Does this make us disciples, like Respected Elder mentioned earlier?¡± This time it a young man with unremarkable features who spoke.


    ¡°You pass the simplest test and now you think yourself worthy of the title disciple?¡±


    Those words silenced the crowd for a moment, but the Third Prince decided to ask one more question.


    ¡°There are more tests, then?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. Now, stop with the questions. I don¡¯t like noisy brats.¡±


    With a grin, the prince stopped talking, seemingly unfazed by the insult.


    While his words may have seemed impatient, inwardly, Elder Mo was quite pleased with this candidate. By his assessment, the prince most likely had the highest potential out of the entire group. For now, it was just a gut feeling, but he would soon find out.


    Eventually, the group came to the bottom of a sheer grey cliff face that stretched up until it could no longer be seen beyond the clouds. Further ahead, the path they stood on split into twenty different routes, each leading to a separate hole at the base of the cliff. When attempting to look further into the any of the holes, the group could see nothing but pitch black.


    To the right of the group was a longhouse built out of simple wood timber, roofed with thatch. To their left, a forest.


    ¡°There are forty-two of you remaining¡­ A smaller number than usual it seems.¡± Elder Mo sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll pair off into groups of two and go there to sleep for the rest of the day. Come nightfall, you will assemble here once more.¡±


    The forty-two immediately went about rearranging themselves. Su Bai and Song Yi naturally formed a pairing. Similarly, the only six remaining profligates who hadn¡¯t been disqualified by the first test formed three separate groups. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the Third Prince, who had stood out thus far, decided to pair with a snivelling boy, no older than fourteen, who had looked nervous even during the first exam. A few pitying looks were cast towards the boy who, now that he had been singled out by the domineering prince, looked completely terrified. As for the unremarkable boy who had spoken up earlier, he paired with an equally unremarkable looking girl. Both of them, as well as a few others in the crowd, wore ragged clothes similar to Song Yi¡¯s.


    After people chose a partner, they walked into the longhouse to find a series of rooms awaiting them. Each room had two beds, as well as two small meals of vegetable soup and rice.


    After entering their room, Song Yi and SuBai wolfed down their separate meals in silence. Both were too exhausted by this point to spare any energy on chatting. After finishing her meal, SuBai flopped down onto her bed.


    ¡°See you tonight,¡± she said.


    ¡°Sleep well.¡±


    Instead of going to sleep immediately, despite how his eyelids dragged, Song Yi pulled out the book that he had stolen only a day ago. Of course, after everything that had happened, it felt more like a week ago. For the first time, he clearly saw the silver print on the front: Unlocking Karma: Puzzles and Profundities.


    It was an esoteric title. Or at least, it would be if Song Yi knew how to read.


    Regardless of his illiteracy, Song Yi decided to open up the book. He didn¡¯t want to ask for help, even from Su Bai. This book was important enough for him to risk his life on, and despite his burgeoning friendship with Su Bai, he didn¡¯t yet trust her with his life. As for anyone else, there was no one else.


    He flipped through the pages until he reached a section with something written in the margins. There was an image scribbled, along with some writing beneath it. The image depicted a needle being pushed into an acupoint in the center of a human¡¯s forehead. As for the writing below, Song Yi could only recognize a few basic characters. He did, however, notice the characters for ¡°strong.¡±


    Fishing around in the bag, he retrieved the silver needle that, he figured, was the one shown in the illustration. After a moment of deliberation, Song Yi tentatively inserted the needle into the indicated acupoint. Slowly, the needle pierced his skin.


    SHLUCK


    A terrifying force slammed into his head, knocking him back onto the bed and rattling his brain. He covered his mouth with both hands and, with every scrap of willpower he possessed, tried not to scream from the agony firing through his head. Fortunately for him, it was only a few seconds before his mind succumbed to the pain and exhaustion, and he passed out.


    Moments later, a turbid breath of air escaped Song Yi¡¯s lips, his eyes snapping back open.


    ¡°Free at last¡­¡± he said softly.


    But when he spoke, it was not with the voice of Song Yi. It was an earthy, archaic voice that would put the Blue Moon Sect¡¯s Ninth Elder to shame. His face spread into a victorious grin as he looked at his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a shame that the body is so small, but that can be fixed later on.¡±


    He closed his eyes and breathed in, attempting to direct the flow of qi through his meridians, but¡­


    ¡°M-mortal?¡± he shouted out loud.


    Su Bai, who had been sleeping nearby, woke up with a shock.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Uh¡­ nothing, sorry to bother you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you sound kinda weird. Are you alright?¡±


    He cleared his throat. ¡°Ah, my throat hasn¡¯t been feeling great.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Try to get some sleep, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it until after this exam.¡± Near the end of her sentence she began to trail off as she once again fell asleep.


    Song Yi, or whoever it was in his body, felt like weeping.


    ¡°Tens of thousands of years. I¡¯ve waited tens of thousands of years just to end up in a mortal body once again?¡±


    He took in a deep breath, careful not to disturb the sleeping Su Bai nearby. When he focused inward, what he found made him even more miserable.


    ¡°If it were an empty body, then maybe I could accept it¡­ But what the hell is going on here?!¡±


    Looking down, he saw the silver-lined book in his lap, coming to understand.


    ¡°This guy¡­ he didn¡¯t read the instructions?¡±


    He chuckled a low, hollow chuckle, holding his head in his hands. After a moment, the look in his eyes went blank, and Song Yi¡¯s body fell back onto the bed, unconscious.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    A splitting headache was what woke Song Yi up only a few hours later. Trying to remember what had happened after Su Bai went to sleep led him nowhere, but when he noticed the silver-lined book in his lap, he quickly shoved it back into his bag. To his dismay, however, no matter how he searched the room he couldn¡¯t find the silver needle.


    Eventually, cursing himself, he had no choice but to resign himself to his loss and wake up Su Bai. During the night while they slept, somebody had brought more food for them, leaving it where lunch had been left previously. This time it was egg and chicken on rice. Between mouthfuls, Su Bai asked,


    ¡°Is your throat still sore?¡±


    Song Yi made an ¡°mmm¡± sound to test.


    ¡°Actually yeah¡­ it is.¡±


    ¡°I hope you feel better,¡± she said simply as she finished her meal.


    Song Yi was bewildered, wondering how she¡¯d known even before he had that he wasn¡¯t feeling well.


    After eating and preparing, they went out to see the sun setting behind the gigantic cliff face. Elder Mo was still standing where he had been earlier, almost as though he hadn¡¯t moved. The only difference was that now, there was a small table next to him that housed an array of books. That, and a large rock beside it on the ground that hadn¡¯t been there previously.


    When all the youths assembled, Elder Mo spoke.


    ¡°Welcome to the second examination. Your task is simple. Every individual will take a book from these at my side. After which you will have twelve hours to prepare. Then, with your partner from before, you will make your way to the top of this cliff within the next month.¡±


    The group craned their necks to look up at the cliff top, now visible through a hole in the clouds thousands of meters above them.


    ¡°Some of you entered this sect without knowing what it was. Out of those who participate in this test, some will die. I am not unreasonable. Therefore, any of you may choose to leave the examination at this point. But, once you decide to stay, there will be no going back.¡±


    As though to illustrate his point, Elder Mo picked up the head-sized rock that had been sitting at his feet, and effortlessly chucked it into the nearest cave entrance. With a heavy THUNK, it landed inside.


    ROAAAAAAAR!!!


    The monstrous, blood-curdling cry caused some of the group to fall back a step.


    Elder Mo¡¯s words before hadn¡¯t fazed them much, but that roar was another story entirely. Terrified looks appeared on faces in the crowd. The wimpy boy who was paired with the Third Prince looked as though he might puke. Even the Third Prince couldn¡¯t keep his usual cocky smirk on his face. Instead, his lips were pursed in a grim line, brows furrowed.


    ¡°So?¡± Elder Mo said nonchalantly.


    Over half the group bowed towards Elder Mo, then turned to walk back the way they¡¯d come. This group included all the remaining profligates, who valued their lives far more than this enigmatic examination. Song Yi and Su Bai, after exchanging a look, decided to stay. Su Bai¡¯s conviction surprised Song Yi. He¡¯d underestimated just how important this exam was to her.


    In addition to them, the unremarkable-looking pair had also stayed, though they looked unsure of themselves. The rest who stayed were mostly those who had nothing to live for back where they came from, but many had lost a partner. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the Third Prince¡¯s partner ¡ª who by now had lost his breakfast ¡ª hadn¡¯t turned to leave. Even Elder Mo gave the youth an approving look, before clearing his throat.


    ¡°Those of you who no longer have a partner, please find a new one. Now, the forest to my right possesses good fortune for any of you who intend to live through this trial. As I said before, you have half a day. You may grab your books now.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    The woods that the examinees had been told to enter looked ordinary from the outside. The only remarkable-looking thing about it was that the trees looked much larger and thicker than one would expect.


    From the inside, however, it was teeming with life. On the ground alone were hundreds of varieties of plants that most of those still participating in the exam had never seen before. The whole group stalled near the entrance, stunned by the amount that they could see even during the darkness of night. A host of strange clicking sounds and bird-songs entered their ears. They experienced new intoxicating fragrances for the first time.


    One boy, who looked to be age sixteen or so, accidentally brushed up against a large white flower while walking. The flower had nineteen petals, each the size of an adult male¡¯s hand, of which the boy touched only one. The moment he did, he began to scream as blood flowed out from the corners of his eyes, and his hair began to turn white at the roots. He immediately moved away, which stopped the bleeding, but his hair had turned completely white.


    After that incident, every person slowed down significantly. Whenever one of them got the urge to run off in any direction, the sounds of the white-haired boy¡¯s choked sobs reigned their wanderlust back.


    Not all of the plants were harmful, though. Those white flowers were rare, but one could find on most trees a type of five-coloured moss that gave off a small bit of light around it. When anyone touched the moss, it began to pulse, as though with a heartbeat, becoming brighter. After a few seconds though, it lost its light completely. If left alone, the light seemed to come back after a few minutes. Benign plants such as these were common, and the exploring youths began to learn what was safe and what wasn¡¯t in this mysterious forest. Still, the experience was utterly surreal, and most of those present still exercised caution in their discovery.


    Soon after, Song Yi and Su Bai had travelled deeper into the forest without suffering anything more than a few scrapes from bushwhacking. A few times they had come across animals, which happened to be just as bizarre in appearance as they sounded from afar, but none had been any larger than an ordinary housecat. With that in mind, Song Yi came to a decision.


    ¡°We should split up. It doesn¡¯t seem that anything here is too dangerous if you aren¡¯t reckless. We¡¯ll meet back at the entrance at dawn.¡±


    Su Bai nodded. ¡°Keep on the lookout for anything to use as a weapon if we run into a monster like the one we heard earlier.¡±


    Song Yi had a thought that had been on his mind since that event.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you head back home after hearing that thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also a long story, but if I went back, I would die.¡±


    Su Bai paused for a moment to look Song Yi in the eyes before she spoke again.


    ¡°Tell me about it sometime.¡±


    He nodded, and they went their separate ways.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Long after she could no longer hear Song Yi moving through the bushes, Su Bai came across a small pond with pure white reeds. In the middle of these reeds, only a few meters away from her, was a frog that glowed with a warm golden light.


    Croak¡­ croak¡­ croak¡­


    The frog was incredibly quick as it hopped around. If one weren¡¯t paying close attention, they would lose track of it. Eventually, though, it alighted on a patch of five-coloured moss that was only two arm-lengths from Su Bai, coming to a temporary stop.


    After a moment of hesitation, Su Bai threw caution to the wind and dived for the frog, hands outstretched.


    ¡°Got it!¡± she cried as her hands wrapped around it.


    Her smiling face froze when she felt how slimy the frog¡¯s skin was. The sensation was accompanied by a soft pop as the critter slipped out of her grasp.


    Croak!


    She slammed her fist into the ground.


    ¡°This damn toad!¡±


    ¡°This little guy?¡± a young man¡¯s voice asked.


    When Su Bai looked up to see who¡¯d spoken, the face that greeted her was the last she¡¯d wanted to see ¡ª The Third Prince. He held up an expensive-looking sack made of red silk, through which could be seen a golden glow in the shape of a frog.


    She immediately backed up.


    ¡°Third Prince I-¡±


    ¡°My name is Zhang Bo.¡±


    ¡°Prince Zhang. I apologize, I didn¡¯t know you were nearby.¡±


    ¡°Your name?¡±


    ¡°Su Bai.¡±


    He tossed her the bag, not caring at all about how much it might¡¯ve cost. ¡°Little Su, you¡¯ll be needing this. Good luck.¡±


    Without waiting for her response he turned and left, leaving a nervous and confused Su Bai sitting on the ground in the underbrush.


    Only a few kilometres away, Song Yi sat on a rock in a clearing, staring at two books which he¡¯d placed in front of him. On the left was a book bound in a rough mottled brown and red beast-skin which had a leathery smell to it. On the right was the silver-lined ¡®Unlocking Karma.¡¯


    While his earlier suggestion to split up had been for the purpose of covering more area, part of his intention had been to use the alone time to study these books and see if there were any illustrations he could glean anything from. Of course, he checked his holding sack one more time for the silver needle, but to no avail.


    Song Yi¡¯s brow was furrowed as he examined the tomes. The brown-red book was titled ¡°Blazing Desert Minor Art,¡± which seemed to be a strange title. What was even more strange, however, was the fact that Song Yi¡­ could read it! Even the pages within, which spoke of an execution method for a type of leg art, were all completely understandable. At least, the words themselves were. The explanations in the book were a mess, and would not be easy to make sense of in a short period of time.


    Of course, Song Yi was less concerned with the contents and more with his sudden literacy. He thought back to his experience in the forest, wondering if he had encountered by accident any plants that may have had this kind of effect. As he sank into contemplation, a sudden voice erupted in his mind.


    ¡°You really are an idiot, aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Were Even

    Song Yi jumped to his feet.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°Idiot! What are you talking out loud for? I¡¯m here. In here!¡± The ancient voice rang through his mind once more.


    ¡°You¡¯re in my head?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t¡¯ I just say not to talk out loud?¡±


    ¡°Then, you can hear my thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, not too quick on the uptake are we? Yes I can read your damn thoughts!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who am I? The real question here is who the hell are you!¡±


    ¡°This is my mind! What right do you have to question me?¡± Song Yi crossed his arms.


    ¡°A whelp like you is trying to posture to me...¡± The voice sounded astonished.


    ¡°How am I supposed to address you if I don¡¯t know who you are?¡± Song Yi shot back.


    ¡°Well then, I suppose I can tell you. I have lived for countless years on this plane. I am the Sealer of Demons, the People¡¯s Golden Lion, World Emperor Wang Yanjing!¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s jaw dropped.


    ¡°How could someone possibly possess so little shame?¡± was the first thought that ran through his mind.


    ¡°Okay, Emperor Wang, why are you in my head?¡± Song Yi asked, putting aside the elder¡¯s boasting for the moment.


    ¡°You tell me, you blithering fool!¡± The monarch snapped. ¡°For that matter, you still haven¡¯t said who you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Song Yi.¡±


    ¡°Song Yi, that book at your feet, the silver-lined one. Who gave it to you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t exactly say it was given to me.¡±


    The monarch went silent. For what felt like an eternity, there was no sound at all in Song Yi¡¯s head. Only the sounds of the bizarre forest critters could be heard.


    ¡°You stole it.¡±


    ¡°I stole it.¡±


    ¡°You goddamned BUFFOON! Do you know what you¡¯ve done?!¡±


    ¡°Apparently I¡¯ve put an annoying old man in my head!¡±


    ¡°Anno---¡± If the monarch had a physical body, he would be hyperventilating with rage. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for what¡¯s at stake, I swear to the heavens above I would allow myself to die just to kill you!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so powerful why can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°In my entire life, even when I was a mere brat, nobody dared to talk to me like this.¡±


    ¡°Well I am nobody.¡±


    The simple reply stunned the monarch once more. He¡¯d never encountered anyone so obstinate as Song Yi before.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all, then I have more important things to do than entertain you.¡±


    Song Yi sat down and, paying the monarch no further heed, began to read the leg-technique book that Elder Mo had given him.


    As he read, however, even though the monarch hadn¡¯t said anything further, he found himself unable to focus on the words. That, combined with the jargonistic nature of the book, made it impossible to understand anything about the technique detailed within.


    While Song Yi didn¡¯t fear many things, the thought of his body not being his own was one of them. His stomach was in knots as he tried to focus his attention on reading the book, but even as he did he felt light-headed. On top of everything, even despite the rest they had been allowed earlier, the fatigue of the last two days was catching up with him.


    He let out a shaky sigh. ¡°How can I get rid of you?¡± He asked internally.


    The monarch didn¡¯t answer for a while, but Song Yi didn¡¯t get his hopes up. Now that he had conversed with the man, he could sense his presence internally.


    Just as he was about to go back to his reading, the monarch spoke.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Get stronger.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    ¡°The time limit is up. I hope you¡¯ve all prepared adequately. There is no turning back now. Please enter the caves.¡± Ninth Elder Mo stood in the same place he had all this time, the group once more assembled around him.


    After giving up on trying to understand the leg technique manual, Song Yi had explored the forest for the remainder of the time allotted and found a spread of food to take on the journey. Furthermore, similar to Su Bai¡¯s frog, he¡¯d found a fruit that, when ingested, caused one¡¯s hands to become luminescent. The light was bright enough to see at least ten meters in all directions.


    Of course, he hadn¡¯t tested this out himself, but had noticed that a group of surprisingly normal-looking monkeys in the forest seemed to love the taste. It was through observing them that he saw the effect for the first time.


    When he felt he¡¯d collected enough to last the month, he came back out


    Following Elder Mo¡¯s instructions, the first to enter a cave was Third Prince Zhang, his partner doing his best to put one foot in front of the other. The Prince ignored him. Soon, the pair was swallowed by the darkness, unable to be seen any more.


    The other pairs began to walk into their separate caves, one by one. Without exception, every single one chose a cave as far away as possible from the one Elder Mo had previously tossed the rock into.


    Song Yi and Su Bai were about to walk into their own cave, third from the far right, when a vicious ROAR, similar to the one twelve hours ago, rang out.


    Su Bai¡¯s head immediately snapped to look at the source of the sound, realizing it came from the cave the Third Prince had entered. A bittersweet smile flashed on her face for a moment, but was interrupted by the sight of a charred corpse flying out of the Prince¡¯s cave entrance.


    Everyone still outside the caves stared wide-eyed at the smoking heap of flesh. When the dust cleared, the figure of a scaled lion with two razor sharp tails could be seen. Its eyelids were frozen open, revealing blood-red irides that contained needle-thin pupils. It was not even close to humanoid, yet everyone got the sense that the expression on its face was one of unprecedented shock.


    ¡°The Third Prince is terrifying.¡± This was the thought that ran through all of their minds at that moment.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi hadn¡¯t seemed to notice. His wasn¡¯t even looking in the direction of the dead beast, but rather towards the cave, a far-off look in his eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Su Bai¡¯s words seemed caring, but her tone was annoyed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She turned to face him properly. ¡°Ever since we met back up you¡¯ve seemed distracted. Did something happen in the forest?¡±


    Song Yi closed his eyes rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was finding it difficult to reconcile the whole body-sharing thing, and Su Bai had picked up on that anxiety. Still, what could he tell her?


    He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, my own burden to handle. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Well I am going to worry about it!¡± she raised her voice. ¡°You heard what Elder Mo said. We¡¯re putting our lives on the line in this next trial, and if you aren¡¯t able to perform, my ass could be over the fire.¡± She paused for a moment before turning her head. ¡°You¡¯re really getting on my nerves right now.¡±


    Song Yi stared at his feet, squirming.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    She said nothing in response, only sparing him a sideways glance before treading into the cave entrance.


    As she walked ahead, Song Yi looked at her back. Her chin was held high, her shoulders squared back. He felt as though he were looking at her for the first time.


    ¡°I¡¯ve yet to find my reason to live. I¡¯m not afraid of death, but Su Bai... Wang Yanjing was right, I am an idiot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®Emperor¡¯ Wang to you.¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡±


    ¡°Do you recall which idiot put me here?¡± The monarch sighed, which Song Yi didn¡¯t quite understand, given that he didn¡¯t have a body with which to do so. ¡°Go follow her tiger. The sooner you do the sooner you can be rid of me and, more importantly, I can be rid of you.¡±


    Not bothering to try to get the last word, Song Yi did as he said and followed Su Bai into the cave.


    The moment he entered, he could see Su Bai holding the glow-frog bag that the prince had given her previously. It revealed that they were in a small cave, too small to even swing a sword in. As of yet, there was no visible danger.


    After walking for a while through the narrow cave, they decided to stop for a rest. They both munched on some of the faster-perishing food they¡¯d gathered in the forest earlier. The meal was consumed in silence.


    Song Yi could tell that Su Bai was in a bad mood. But he also felt that it wasn¡¯t simply because of him. While he believed her upset was justifiable, this degree seemed excessive to him. He had trouble believing the chatty girl from before would change so much only because he¡¯d been acting off.


    Still, he didn¡¯t pry. Frankly, he wasn¡¯t confident that doing so wouldn¡¯t make things worse.


    In this fashion, their journey continued until the cave they were in widened vastly. With the amount of light they had, they could no longer see the sides of the cave. In fact, it could no longer be called a cave, but instead a ravine.


    After exploring their new surroundings carefully, they discovered that the ravine was around 150 meters wide, and reached a dead-end no more than five kilometres ahead. Looking upwards, though, the darkness was as thick as ever.


    All along the walls they¡¯d discovered a myriad of square rooms that were completely empty on the inside. The doorways were little more than open holes in the walls, as were the windows.


    Above the rooms, there were terraced platform walkways that jutted out of the ravine walls.


    ¡°No way but up, huh?¡± Song Yi said.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Concealed by the darkness of the caves, two figures were crouched, whispering with each other.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Third Prince right there.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d run into anyone else during this second examination, let alone that monstrous guy.¡±


    ¡°Me neither. But think about it, this could be a stroke of good fortune for us! The techniques in our books are good, but can¡¯t compare to what he did to that monster earlier. If we could get our hands on his book¡­¡±


    The other figure licked his lips. ¡°Not to mention the wealth he must be carrying.¡±


    ¡°And they don¡¯t know we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°If we can catch the Prince off guard, the other will be easy to deal with.¡±


    Both of them drew knives that they had previously concealed on their bodies and continued to follow the Prince from the shadows.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Song Yi and Su Bai were walking along one of the terraced platform-walkways that they¡¯d become accustomed to, continually trying to make their way up. By now, they¡¯d begun to relax. No strange creatures or terrifying beasts had appeared since they¡¯d first entered the cave. Inwardly, Su Bai was praising herself on her choice of cave.


    They had been climbing for hours, and still there was no evidence that they¡¯d reach the top of the ravine any time soon. However, as they climbed higher, they noticed that the quality of the residences carved into the cliff sides was improving. In stark contrast to the barren square rooms at the bottom, some of the homes here had multiple floors, glass pane windows, even some leftover carved wooden furniture.


    Eventually, Su Bai stopped in front of one small window. When she¡¯d looked through the window, she¡¯d noticed a golden buddha statue sitting on a table along the back wall of the residence.


    She reached her hand into the red silk bag, making sure she had a solid grip on the slippery glow frog before she took it out. Immediately, the light around her grew ten times stronger, surprising Song Yi.


    Su Bai didn¡¯t hesitate to slip into the building.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Song Yi shouted, but she had already entered.


    He instantly sprinted in after her.


    ¡°He noticed, huh?¡± Emperor Wang thought to himself.


    Song Yi wrapped an arm around Su Bai¡¯s waist, making her let out a small yelp of surprise.


    ¡°What are you-¡± she began, but choked on her words as Song Yi used all his body weight to fall backwards, bringing her falling down on top of him.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± she sputtered as she rolled off him, winded.


    Song Yi sat up with effort and pointed to where Su Bai had just been standing. ¡°Look.¡±


    The stone walls to either side of that spot were cracked, with arrows embedded in them.


    Su Bai¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of force would be required to put an arrow through a stone wall.


    Song Yi had to put his foot against the wall and use both hands to wrench one of the arrows out. Just doing so left him slightly out of breath. The arrow itself wasn¡¯t damaged in the least, speaking to the superlative craftsmanship that would¡¯ve been required to make it. On the tip, however, could be seen a viscous black liquid.


    ¡°Even if you survived the impact, a scratch from one of these would probably finish you off.¡±


    He received no response in turn.


    He looked at Su Bai with sincerity. ¡°Are we even?¡±


    She looked at him with a conflicted look for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by a smile similar to the one she¡¯d shown him when they first met.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re even.¡±

 I Must Have It!

    "Say, how did you know?"


    "Hm?"


    "That that trip wire was there at the door. How did you notice?"


    "I''ve seen stuff like that before, in the Zhongtian Royal Palace."


    "I mean so have I, in Ninghai Palace, but I never really paid attention to it. Even if you were a servant, I''m surprised that you paid that much attention."


    "I wasn''t a servant."


    Su Bai giggled at that.


    Sticking her tongue out playfully she said, "What, you were a prince?"


    "I was a thief."


    "A real thief?"


    "Is there another kind?"


    Su Bai''s eyes gleamed as she leaned forward. "That''s¡­ that''s so cool!"


    Song Yi was taken aback. He found that... he really couldn''t understand this girl.


    The two had decided to take another break after their brush with death. It was clear from that incident that their path from here on out would not be so easy. They''d been fortunate thus far not to run into any living dangers, but that was no guarantee of safety. Just as Song Yi was about to suggest they continue, Su Bai asked,


    "Say, why do you think they put us in pairs?"


    He shrugged. "Who knows?"


    "They want you to fight each other," Emperor Wang said in Song Yi''s head.


    Song Yi was taken aback. The Emperor had been quiet for a while. "What? Wouldn''t they want us to help each other?"


    "Brat you have no idea, do you? If you somehow live as long as I have, which you won''t, you''ll realize that the path you stand at the foot of is named solitude."


    Song Yi ignored the Emperor''s histrionics.


    "You don''t believe me, I can tell. I''m going to enjoy the look on your face when you pass this exam."


    Song Yi''s brow furrowed, his foot tapping absentmindedly on the ground. "What do you mean? What''s going to happen? Besides, how do you know I''m going to pass? I could die at any time."


    Song Yi normally didn''t speak much, but faced with this irritating enigma he couldn''t help himself.


    "You ask too many questions. Anyways, if I told you, that would take all the fun out of it. As for how I know you''re going to pass, that''s easy. If you die, I die. Therefore, you won''t die."


    "Song Yi, are you okay? You''re look distracted again," Su Bai asked just as Song Yi was about to explode with frustration. Just as the monarch found him incomparably frustrating, he felt the exact same about the monarch.


    "Needless to say, but you can''t tell your little girlfriend about me."


    Song Yi couldn''t hold it in any longer.


    "Yeah, I''m just dealing with this damn gee- AAAHHHHH!" Song Yi collapsed to the floor, clutching his forehead in agony. Unbeknownst to him and Su Bai, concealed behind his hands appeared the faint mark of a crown. But just as fast as the mark had appeared, it left, bringing the pain away with it.


    Song Yi pushed himself up onto his hands and knees with effort, panting. Sweat dripped down his forehead profusely, dripping onto the ground below.


    The monarch sighed again. "Are you deaf? Hell, even if you were deaf you''d still be able to ''hear'' what I''m saying. You''re just an idiot."


    "Bastard!" Song Yi shouted out loud.


    "Yep, idiot."


    "Song Yi what''s wrong?!" Su Bai stared at him in his pathetic state for a moment before looking around, trying to see if someone had attacked him. When she couldn''t find anything, she rushed over to help Song Yi sit back against the wall.


    He let out a large, shaky sigh. "I''m okay now. I''m sorry to worry you like that."


    Despite Su Bai''s protesting, Song Yi forced himself to his feet.


    "We can''t waste any more time," was all he said as he walked out of the small house, Su Bai following closely behind.


    Inwardly, Song Yi was furious. For the last few hours he hadn''t spoken a word and, from the tenseness in his shoulders, Su Bai decided not to say anything either.


    He had already been upset about the monarch''s presence, but the fact that he could physically influence him¡­ that was beyond his line. Still, what could he do about it?


    "You said that the only way to get rid of you was get stronger, right? What, do I need to be able to lift a boulder or something, like Elder Mo did earlier?"


    Emperor Wang offered no response, but Song Yi could feel him howling with laughter.


    From behind Song Yi, Su Bai could see his knuckles turn white and the hair on the back of his neck stand straight.


    "He seems nice most of the time, but¡­ I really can''t understand this guy," she thought.


    As they ascended, the cave-residences to their side became more illustrious. In tandem, the frequency rare valuable objects that could be found within increased. Of course, it took only a cursory examination from the duo to tell that, even if they proceeded cautiously, it would be nearly impossible to acquire one of those items without suffering.


    At one residence, though, they came to a halt at Su Bai''s request. Inside, through a large window four times taller than Song Yi himself, could be seen a myriad of jade pedestals. Upon every pedestal was a different relic, each more splendid than the last.


    One held on it a golden-hilted sword that emanated a resplendent, similarly golden light.


    Next to that was a spear that, at the tip, was concealed in a swirling mist. The shaft, aside from two hand holds, had a dragon carved out of silver coiling around it.


    The sights were astonishing to Song Yi, who hadn''t been aware that these kinds of things could exist. However by now he was already becoming accustomed to strange sights. The enigmatic second soul inside him, Elder Mo who could toss around a boulder like it was paper, the strange creatures of the forest earlier, it all led to one conclusion.


    There was another world that he never could''ve imagined, hiding beneath the surface.


    To a fifteen year old street rat, the implications of such a realization were not completely lost, but he couldn''t fully understand, either.


    In fact, by this point, most of the youths in the examination had come to similar conclusions.


    Eventually, Song Yi''s eyes came to rest on a pedestal that held an obsidian battle axe with a pure white bone handle.


    "Red Dragonbone. Not bad for a place like this. Hey brat, get that thing. It''d make a nice toothpick."


    "Red Dra- what? What the hell are you on about?"


    Before the monarch responded to Song Yi, Su Bai pointed at a different pedestal which held on it a pair of red silk gloves. Embroidered on the gloves were patterns of golden flames.


    "Those are calling to me," she said. "I must have them."


    Song Yi''s face fell. She was going to act like a spoiled brat at a time like this?This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Look at the ground in there!"


    "I know," she replied calmly. On the ground inside, at varying distances from the door, dozens of skeletons could be seen.


    They had seen more than a few sights like this on their way up, previous examinees who had gotten greedy and could no longer resist the temptation, losing their lives over their ambition.


    Until now, however, neither Song Yi or Su Bai had entertained such thoughts.


    Especially here, when there were multiple times more skeletons than they''d seen previously, Song Yi found the notion absurd.


    "I won''t ask you to come in with me," Su Bai said, "But I need those."


    "Emperor Wang," Song Yi gritted his teeth. As much as he hated the old geezer in his head, the bastard seemed to know something he didn''t. For the sake of Su Bai''s life, he was willing to throw away his pride for a moment. "Can you tell me anything about that room?"


    "Now that''s the right attitude. Very nice, very nice. Maybe a man like you isn''t so bad after all."


    Song Yi pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to remain calm.


    When the monarch spoke again, his tone finally serious.


    "With how strong you are right now, if you two go in there you''ll die."


    Song Yi''s eyes widened and he grabbed Su Bai''s arm.


    "You can''t."


    She shrugged him off.


    "If I get those then I¡­ I can finally¡­"


    "If you go in there you''ll die!"


    "How can you know?!" she shouted back at him. Pointing at the skeletons she continued, "I won''t be like them!"


    There were tears building up in the corners of her eyes. "Don''t try to stop me."


    The moment she said that, she opened the door and walked in.


    "She''s an idiot too!" the monarch shouted. "Brat, this is only because I owe you one for bringing me back into this world, even if you fucked it up horribly. After this, we''re even." When he spoke now, the transmission was thousands of times faster than it was before. Su Bai''s foot had yet to touch the floor inside before, suddenly, Song Yi lost consciousness.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    "Now!"


    Two black-robed figures shot out of the darkness.


    Third Prince Zhang Bo immediately turned his head to see two figures dangerously close to him, knives held in their hands.


    The pair had waited until there was an obstruction that allowed them to get close to the prince before launching their attack.


    Prince Zhang grimaced, raising a small buckler he had found within the caves to block one of the assailant''s knives.


    To the other enemy, however, his back was exposed. With shining eyes, the young man laughed.


    "Did you forget about me, Third Prince?"


    It was at that moment a trembling voice spoke, a voice that the attacking pair had discounted from the moment they decided to strike.


    "What about me?"


    The black-robed youth almost didn''t notice the voice, but when he turned to glanced to his side, a thin, bony hand filled his vision.


    Unable to dodge, the youth raised his arms to block, but was blown back by the strike.


    Crack!


    The youth crashed into the wall. Where the palm strike had hit him, the clothes were burnt away completely, and the skin was bright red and blistering.


    "AAAAAH!"


    The youth''s agonized scream filled the cave, drawing the attention of his partner.


    You! You!" The youth pointed the finger of his good arm at the weak-looking boy who''d struck him.


    "Do you really think you can look away from me?" the Third Prince snickered as he sent his opponent reeling with a brutal shield bash to the face.


    "Little Li, why are you holding back?" the Prince snapped at his partner.


    "S-sorry Prince Zhang¡­ It''s just that they''re huma-"


    "Who cares if they''re human? They attacked us, therefore this will be their resting place. Finish him off."


    "Yes, P-Prince¡­"


    Soon, the cave was filled with bone-chilling screams, and the smell of burning flesh.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    When Song Yi woke up, he was lying on his back. He was outside the artifact-housing residence from before. The first thing he noticed was that his body was incomparably sore. He had never felt so much muscle pain in his life before, even when he had pushed past his limits running away in Zhongtian City.


    Putting that aside, though, he remembered what had happened just before he lost consciousness.


    "Su Bai!" He shouted, looking through the window. To his relief, her body was nowhere to be seen inside. What he did see, however, were spikes coming out of the floor, arrows strewn everywhere around the room, all tipped with the same substance that had been on the first ones they''d seen.


    Some of the previous intact skeletons were now half dissolved, others pulverized. There were two more corpses than had been there previously, as well.


    But these corpses weren''t human, they were black imps, no taller than Song Yi himself, with terrifying grimaces on their faces that revealed razor sharp teeth. Their bodies were covered in grotesque wounds that leaked dark green blood. One of them even had its chest caved in, clearly from some astonishing brute force.


    While the scene before him was riveting, Song Yi forced himself to turn away, searching for Su Bai. Fortunately, it didn''t take him long. When he turned around, he saw Su Bai lying on the ground near where he''d been. She was unconscious. On her hands were two silk-red gloves.


    "Brat¡­" a weak voice spoke in his head, lacking any of the ancient luster it had previously held. "I''m not going to be around for a while. If I get back and you''re dead¡­ I''ll kill you."


    After those words, Song Yi found that he could only barely sense the monarch''s presence within him. It was there, but it was incredibly faint.


    What had happened after he passed out? Song Yi had to sit down for a moment. When he did, however, he felt something hard and uncomfortable beneath him.


    Moving out of the way he saw¡­ a bone-handled obsidian axe.


    "That old geezer¡­" Song Yi laughed so hard he started to cough.


    "Hey, Bai''er, wake up," he said, shaking Su Bai by the shoulder to rouse her.


    "Wha- Song Yi?" she mumbled, cracking her eyes open.


    She sat up with a jolt, remembering where she was. "Why did you stop me?"


    She raised her hand, about to slap Song Yi across the face. But when her hand was just about to strike him, she saw what was on it.


    "Y-you¡­"


    Song Yi wore a shit-eating grin on his face.


    "H-h-how?"


    "Honestly, I can''t really remember," he told the truth.


    For a brief moment, he''d considered telling her about Emperor Wang. After all, the monarch was asleep, and likely wasn''t able to do what he had before. But¡­ he knew that Emperor Wang didn''t care about Su Bai. He''d done what he had for Song Yi''s sake, and Song Yi wasn''t about to betray that act.


    Su Bai''s eyes narrowed for a moment, but broke out into a smile anyways as she wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug.


    "Thank you."


    Song Yi was astonished for a second, but soon hugged her back.


    "I guess that''s just how she is," he thought.


    Soon, they were making their way up the terraced walkways once more. Now, to Song Yi''s relief, they made rapid progress, no longer stopping to look at the magical artifacts that were guarded in the residences.


    This far up the ravine, they could no longer discern that the rooms were trapped at all. In addition, there were no more skeletons visible on the floors within. Even though they both knew better, Song Yi and Su Bai felt tempted constantly. As such, they did their best to not even look. They couldn''t be tempted by what they couldn''t see.


    To their dismay, however, when they climbed higher they began to hear voices emanating from the doorways.


    "Young travelers, you must be weary. In here, in here. I have unparalleled good fortune for you."


    "Children, come, I will impart my legacy to you. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"


    The whispers grew more and more frequent, causing Song Yi to frown.


    "Bai''er," he said loudly, trying to drown out the sounds. "Those gloves, do you know how to use them?"


    She visibly relaxed when he spoke.


    "Yeah, I do. I''m worried about using them on these wooden platforms, though, so I can''t show you yet."


    "As long as you know," Song Yi smiled at her. His body still ached terribly, but he was happy to see that the frustration she had been feeling before seemed to have disappeared.


    "How about you? That axe looks ominous."


    Song Yi shot her a confident smile.


    "Well, the handle is Red Dragonbone, after all."


    "What''s Red Dragonbone?"


    Song Yi''s smile froze on his face. "It''s a secret."


    Su Bai giggled at that. "You have no idea, do you?"


    "Nope, none."


    She laughed even harder. "You''re a weird guy, you know that?"


    Song Yi joined in her laughter. He''d finally figured out what that feeling was from the first examination, and he was happy. It felt good to have a friend.


    By now, the pair had all but forgotten the voices that tried to tempt them from the shadows, even though those voices grew in number and intensity.


    It wasn''t long before they reached the top of the ravine, hundreds of meters above the cave they''d first entered. With cheerful faces, they walked out into a new vast expanse, unable to see walls or a ceiling above them.


    Their expressions fell in an instant when, only a few meters ahead of them, they saw a pitch-black, fat, grotesque creature. It had a short spiked tail coming from its behind, stubby horns protruding from its forehead. To finish the image, its snarling expression revealed fangs that dripped with saliva.


    It was an imp, just like the two that Song Yi had seen dead in the pedestal residence before.


    "Graiiiiiii!" The imp immediately lept towards Su Bai, who jumped out of its way.


    Before she could move to counterattack, the imp pivoted with surprising speed and lept once more.


    This time, Song Yi was ready.


    "Aaaaah!" He let out a battle cry as he swung the heavy obsidian axe at the imp.


    With a mischievous gleam in its eyes, the imp turned once more to slap Song Yi''s overextended wrist, sending the axe spinning out onto the ground.


    "Tch, then how about this? Blazing Desert Kick!" This was the technique from the book Elder Mo had given him!


    Song Yi let out a controlled breath as he dropped into a low stance. He spun around once to generate centrifugal force before sending a vicious kick towards the imp who dodged under the kick, biting onto Song Yi''s grounded leg.


    "GAAAH!" he screamed in pain as he collapsed to the ground, beating at the imp with his fists.


    But before he could land even a single blow, the imp jumped away again, heading for Su Bai.


    "I thought he was reliable¡­" Su Bai stared at Song Yi with a concerned, but dumbfounded expression. "Oh well, at least he bought me time."


    She raised her hands, forming her thumbs and index fingers into a triangle.


    "First form ¡ª Salamander''s Breath!"


    The golden embroidery on her gloves suddenly let out a dim glow before, amazingly, the light formed arcane runes and patterns in a circle before her hands.


    "Release!"


    The runes exploded, sending forth a ball of flame shooting towards the imp.


    The imp hadn''t expected the young girl to have such an attack prepared, and was already in mid-air, unable to dodge.


    "GRAIIIIIIII!"


    With a piercing shriek, the imp was burnt to a crisp, the smoking corpse falling to the ground right in front of Su Bai''s feet.


    Su Bai felt all of the energy in her body disappear the moment she cast the ability. Unable to hold on, she collapsed for the second time that day.


    Song Yi witnessed the entire scene and, despite his bleeding leg, he hobbled over to where she''d fallen.


    He immediately put his head to her chest.


    "Thump¡­ thump¡­ thump¡­"


    "Thank god¡­" Song Yi muttered as he wiped away the wetness that had been building in the corners of his eyes. "Thank god."

 The Worst Case Scenario

    One week later.


    Ninth Elder Mo Yijun, sitting in his residence in the Blue Moon Sect, sensed something wrong. Faster than the regular human eye could catch, he rushed out of his room. A few moments later, he appeared at the top of a cliff outcropping that was thousands of meters above the ground below.


    In front of him stood a youth with a sharp jawline, wearing a modest, though slightly dirty, purple robe. Fastened on his back was a spear with a black shaft that had, coiled around it, a dragon forged out of copper.


    If Song Yi had been there he would''ve recognized the spear as being almost exactly the same as the one he''d seen on the pedestal before. The only difference was that this one was clearly of inferior quality. Despite that, however, it looked incredibly domineering.


    In addition to the spear, the youth had an ordinary buckler fastened to his arm. The buckler was covered in gashes and marks. It had clearly seen dozens of battles.


    The youth, of course, was Third Prince Zhang Bo. Behind him was the weak-looking boy, Little Li, who had accompanied the Prince through the second exam.


    Little Li looked much worse for wear than Prince Zhang, his face dirtied and his robe torn. However, despite still looking physically weak, the look in his eyes had undergone a qualitative change. He was only thirteen, but as of that moment, he was a man.


    Both of them grinned as they looked at the astonished Ninth Elder.


    "You two¡­" Elder Mo never thought that this batch of recruits would put him at such a loss for words.


    In the entire history of his time acting as proctor of this exam, nobody had ever finished the second exam in a week. The previous record time was seventeen days.


    It seemed that the Third Prince had surpassed the expectations that Elder Mo had held. As for Little Li, Elder Mo couldn''t help but acknowledge his progress as well. He could tell that this boy must have also contributed greatly to their record time.


    "Congratulations on passing the second exam."


    Meanwhile, still in the caves, Song Yi and Su Bai were wracked with exhaustion. Ever since the fight with that imp, they had encountered an increasing amount of monsters in all shapes and sizes.


    The injury to Song Yi''s leg had been painful, but superficial. After bandaging it to stop the bleeding, there were no issues. In addition to that, Su Bai had woken up from her depleted state after resting for a few hours.


    As it turned out, using the gloves would cause her to lose all the energy in her body, forcing her to rest. Thus, over the following week, she had avoided using it unless absolutely necessary.


    The onslaught was bitter, and had taken its toll. The pair were both at their limit. They found it difficult even to rest, as one of them always had to stay awake on the lookout. This had proved vital, as, on more than one occasion, they had been attacked while one of them slept. Had the other not been awake, they would have both been slaughtered in their sleep.


    As for the monarch, Song Yi could sense his presence growing stronger. He would awaken soon.


    While he had, in some ways, enjoyed a week without constant oversight, judgement, and pestering, he knew that, to lower the risk of incident for the duration of the examination, the old geezer''s help would be instrumental.


    Another six days passed in that fashion. The youthful smiles and giggles that had accompanied their journey up the ravine had long since disappeared, replaced with aching bones and wary eyes.


    The silver lining to the ordeal, though, was that both of them had become far more accustomed to battle. While Song Yi hadn''t unlocked any secrets of his obsidian axe, he''d become proficient with using it as one would a regular battleaxe. His Blazing Desert Leg Art had improved as well, especially since he had been reading the manual while he was on lookout duty.


    Su Bai had improved as well. The art from her tome was a palm art that relied on a series of rapid strikes. If performed correctly, each strike would increase in power exponentially. The increase was minute at first, but after a dozen strikes, it became clearly noticeable.


    Eventually, their journey brought them to an enclosed circular area. They had seen a few such areas during the examination, but this one was different.


    Different because, at the other end of the room was an iron door, thirty meters high and ten meters wide. To the right of the door was a small wooden sign that read:


    Beyond this door is the final room. Should you enter, there will be no return. This is your final warning and final chance to quit the examination. Should you decide to quit, you may wait out the remainder of the allotted time in this room. In here, you will not be disturbed.


    Song Yi and Su Bai exchanged a look, then both laid down near the door, falling asleep almost instantly.


    They had not needed to speak to know what each other were thinking.


    They had come this far. They would not turn back.


    Despite that, exhaustion seeped into every mote of their being at the moment. Without rest, to continue would be foolish.


    Four days later, they stood in the middle of the open space.


    Just as the sign had said, they were not disturbed for the duration of their stay.


    On this day, it was decided that they would challenge the final room. After waking up, they''d begun some light sparring with each other.


    Song Yi was continually forced back by Su Bai''s rapid combo attacks. Every so often he would manage to grab onto one of her arms, but she managed to slip out of his grasp every time.


    It was clear from the beginning who had the initiative. Of course, Song Yi wasn''t using the obsidian axe, which had become an integral part of his combat prowess.


    As for the Blazing Desert Leg Technique, he tried to use it, but Su Bai would redouble her assault every time he began.


    She was too sharp, and he couldn''t find an opportunity.


    They stopped before they used too much energy, but the victor was clear as day.


    Su Bai clasped her hands and bowed. "You fought well."


    Her conduct was impeccable, but the image was ruined when she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.


    Song Yi gave her a rueful smile in return as he jokingly put his hand on the Dragonbone hilt of the axe at his hip.


    In response, Su Bai scratched her nose slowly, making an obvious show of the gloves on her hands.


    Both of them laughed.


    "Shall we go, then?" she said.


    Song Yi wanted to wait a bit longer. He could feel the monarch''s presence growing ever stronger. Despite that, he didn''t know exactly when the old man would wake up, and neither he nor Su Bai could tell how many days it had been since they entered the caves.


    In any event, he was confident thanks to Su Bai''s gloves that they''d be able to handle whatever was behind the door.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Let''s."


    Without delay, they walked up and pushed on the giant door.


    As though sensing their touch, the door opened effortlessly, allowing them passage. Once they entered, it closed behind them.


    Song Yi had eaten one of his glow fruits in advance, causing his hands to light up, and Su Bai still had her glow frog bag strapped to her waist. But as it turned out, neither was needed. In this ''final room,'' they could see moonlight streaming in through a large hole in one of the walls.


    The hole was circular, but jagged, clearly not made intentionally. It almost looked as though some large body had smashed into it, leaving part of the wall to crumble.


    In fact, that was exactly what had happened. As for what could''ve caused such a thing, they discovered that asleep in the middle of the room.


    What sat there, curled up, was a giant, yellow, scaled salamander. It must have weighed easily 2000 kg. Every time it exhaled, a gust of air blew against the duo''s robes.


    Both of their faces dropped when they saw the beast.


    Their trump card wouldn''t be effective here.


    Su Bai tiptoed over to Song Yi until he could smell her perfume. Regarding how she could still think about smelling good given their circumstances, he was astonished, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.


    "We should try to sneak around it. If we don''t have to fight it, it''d be a miracle," she whispered in his ear. "We can use those boulders to hide, as well."


    He nodded in affirmation.


    Careful not to make noise, the two walked around the edge of the room, timing their steps with the salamander''s exhaling.


    Gradually, Su Bai began to get ahead of Song Yi. It wasn''t intentional, just a matter of her being slightly faster and more nimble. As it didn''t affect the amount of sound they made, neither of them paid it much heed.


    Finally, Su Bai reached the other side of the room, where there was a regular-sized metal door. Pulling the door open ever so gently, she slipped through, leaving it ajar for Song Yi.


    Continuing to take care not to make any excessive noise, Song Yi stepped around various human bones that could be found scattered around the floor.


    Soon, he was no more than two dozen paces away from the door. He paused to take a deep breath.


    It was at that horrible, unfortunate timing that a BOOM could be heard from somewhere beneath them, shaking the entire floor.


    Song Yi''s head snapped towards the salamander behind him, only to see two dark black eyes staring back.


    ROAAAAAAAAAR!!!


    The cave shook, sending rocks and dust falling from the ceiling as the bestial cry, dozens of times more terrifying than the one they had heard a lifetime ago at the base of the cliff, shattered the air.


    The beast raced across the floor with terrifying speed, causing Song Yi to dodge out of the way as it slammed the metal door shut with its tail.


    Now, there was 2000 kg of terrifying between Song Yi and escape. His heart sank.


    On the outside, Su Bai pounded the door with her fists until they were bloody, executing her palm art to the point of 50 strikes, the final strike hitting with 344 kg of force.1 That kind of impact was more than enough to shatter every bone in her arms. But thanks to her proper execution of the art, she didn''t suffer any permanent damage, only some intense shooting pains.


    Despite that, however, the door didn''t so much as creak. It could only be opened from the inside.


    "Song Yi! SONG YI!"


    The Third Prince and Little Li had felt the ground shake, and come out to investigate. They''d previously been housed in a cabin that was better furnished than the one they''d stayed in at the base of the cliff.


    When they came out and they heard Su Bai''s shouting and banging on the door, they rushed over.


    "I''m not sure how you made it out, but you should be grateful you''re alive." The Prince put his hand on Su Bai''s shoulder. "If he''s in there with whatever caused that shaking alone, he''s probably already dead."


    Her head whipped around. "Don''t you DARE touch me!"


    The usually cocky Prince took a step back, removing his hand. Her bloodshot eyes made even him feel nervous, and he unconsciously moved a hand to the shaft of his spear.


    She cast a hateful look at the Prince, who grimaced in turn, before turning back to pound on the door.


    Surprisingly, Little Li chose that moment to speak.


    "Miss, please. It won''t help to hurt yourself. You can only have faith in him now."


    Su Bai took a step back. She knew that the boy was right, but she couldn''t stop the terrible feeling in her stomach. Even the pain in her arms and hands couldn''t compare to that gut-wrenching sensation.


    When she thought about how he had saved her life and acquired the two items for them, she found hope. But during the days following that incident, Song Yi had shown no sign of that capability since. She shut her eyes as prayed that he still had some kind of ace up his sleeve.


    Incidentally, Song Yi was also hoping that the ace up his sleeve would wake the hell up soon. The moment the salamander had placed itself between him and the door, he knew his only hope laid in the monarch.


    If Su Bai were still in the room, they might have been able to take it down together. Without her, though, he knew he didn''t stand a chance. He smiled a rueful smile when he heard her cries from the other side of the door.


    "Sorry, Bai''er... Well, at least you made it."


    He grabbed the obsidian axe from his waist, holding it in one hand as he used the other to point right at the salamander.


    "Let''s go."


    He immediately rushed forward, just barely managing to dodge as the salamander shot its long tongue out.


    When he was ten meters away, the colossal beast swiped at Song Yi with its thick tail.


    This time, Song Yi knew he couldn''t dodge. There was nowhere for him to go.


    Resolved to take the hit, he raised the battleaxe above his head with both hands and viciously swung down, slicing through the tough scales and into the soft flesh beneath.


    Just as he landed his attack, the tail continued in its path, batting Song Yi aside. Through sheer determination, he managed to dislodge the axe, now covered in yellow blood, and hold onto it, but as his back smashed into a nearby boulder...


    Crack!


    Two of his ribs broke.


    The salamander roared with rage at being injured. It drew back its head and making a noise that sounded like a crackling bonfire.


    Activating every muscle in his body, Song Yi barely managed to drag himself behind the boulder before a ball of flame blasted into it where he''d just been sitting. The flames were unbearably hot, and his clothes began to smoke even though he wasn''t directly hit. Frantically, he kept patting his cloak to put out spots that were beginning to burn.


    Song Yi was panting, still winded from the earlier tail-smack and broken ribs, when he heard the beast''s lumbering footsteps coming closer.


    "Wang Yanjing!" he shouted internally. "Wake UP you old fogey!"


    There was no response.


    Song Yi didn''t try to run, he knew that another fire breath like that last one would be certain death if he didn''t have cover. At the same time, he also couldn''t defend from the salamander''s physical attacks.


    That left him with one option: Attack.


    He immediately dropped into a low stance. If there were ever a time to use the Blazing Desert Kick, it was now.


    Song Yi spun around twice, generating centrifugal force. Using his free foot, he stomped into the ground with all the force he could muster, pushing himself into the air. Spinning one more time, even faster than before, he extended his leg and delivered a sharp downward kick to the salamander''s snout.


    Caught off guard, the salamander did nothing to avoid the blow.


    PAH!


    The beast was sent reeling backwards, clutching its snout in pain with one if its webbed front feet. It sent another swipe of its tail towards Song Yi, but this time it was too distracted by the pain, and there was a window of escape for Song Yi, who managed to dodge beneath.


    Abandoning all ideas of continuing the fight, Song Yi broke into a mad dash for the closed door at the back of the room, which was no longer obstructed by the salamander''s body.


    40 paces.


    25 paces.


    At 15 paces, he heard that crackling sound again.


    At 5 paces, he heard a WHOOSH, and threw himself as hard as he could to the right, just in time to avoid the giant ball of fire that displaced the air his body had just occupied.


    The hair on the back of his head could be smelled burning, though it wasn''t aflame.


    The salamander came charging towards him once more, but now he was closer to the door. The metal was red-hot from the fireball, and would definitely burn his hand, but he would make it out before the salamander reached him.


    Right at that moment, stopping him in his tracks, a voice rang out.


    "I''m gone for a few days, and when I get back you''re fighting this oversized garden snake?"


    If it weren''t for the life-threatening panic, Song Yi would''ve had a mind to be irked at the comment. Under these circumstances, though, he ignored it and reached for the red-hot door handle.


    "Alright, brat, calm down. As congratulations for keeping your dumb ass alive, I''m going to show you how to use this axe. No need to burn your hand there, we''re having ourselves salamander steak tonight."


    Against all better judgement and common sense that Song Yi had built up over the years, he forced himself to stop.


    It hurt him to stop. He knew Su Bai was on the other side of the door, mere meters away, praying for his safe escape. He didn''t want to betray her wishes like this, but even more so, there was another urge within him.


    The last few days fighting alongside Su Bai had left him with a new itch that he couldn''t scratch. Something else he''d never felt before.


    He found that, recently, he''d wanted nothing more than to get stronger.


    And this was a chance to do exactly that.


    Resigning himself to his stupid decision, Song Yi replied.


    "Alright then, show me."

 Homesick

    "I like that tone. Now, listen. I can''t take control of your whole body for long. If I were to try, your body would implode. To stop that implosion takes me an extreme amount of effort, which is why I''ve been asleep all this time."


    Song Yi''s eyes widened. He''d speculated about what had happened in the ravine, but hadn''t been able to reach a conclusion.


    After everything he''d seen over the last few days, he gradually came to think that the things the monarch had said when they first met seemed less ridiculous. By now, when offered this explanation for the events in the ravine, Song Yi accepted it immediately.


    "What I''m going to do is take control of your arm only. That way, you''ll retain consciousness. I''ll need to recover for a while after, but not as long as last time. I can''t do this often, though, so watch closely."


    The salamander was only a few dozen meters away, now. Any closer and Song Yi would be in its attack range.


    "Ready?" the monarch asked one last time.


    "Yes, now hurry up!"


    "Who are you telling to hurry up? If you keep talking to me like this then I''m not going to help you anymore."


    Despite the monarch''s relaxed tone, he quickly took control of Song Yi''s arm.


    The moment he did, Song Yi felt a tearing pain shoot through it, as though it were about to dissolve from the inside out.


    The arm, now no longer under Song Yi''s control, gripped the obsidian axe with a loose hand, holding the weapon in front of his stomach.


    Song Yi watched closely, observing as he''d been told, when the sharpened bone base of the axe''s handle was abruptly and viciously stabbed into his own stomach. Warm blood splattered out.


    "GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"


    The pain was unbearable. A thousand thoughts ran through Song Yi''s head as he fought the sleepy feeling that grasped at his senses. Horror, betrayal, shock, confusion, disappointment, guilt, they all mixed together to play a litany of misery in his mind.


    Using his left hand, he grabbed his possessed arm by the wrist, stopping it from inflicting further harm. But his grip was weak. He was losing too much blood.


    Still, he fought to stay awake. If he passed out here, he was dead beyond a shadow of a doubt.


    "Relax. You did well up to here. Getting some of that salamander blood was helpful. Not bad for an illiterate urchin like you," the monarch''s tired voice spoke out in his head, no longer controlling his arm.


    "You bastard, what have you done?"


    "Right about¡­.. Now."


    As the monarch said the word ''now,'' Song Yi felt his dizziness and fatigue disappear. In their place was unprecedented power and energy.


    Miraculously, when he pulled the axe handle out of his stomach, the wound healed completely.


    In his entire life, he had never felt so strong as he did in this moment. Every muscle, every nerve was heightened to its maximum potential.


    The salamander was upon him now, repeating the now tired move of swiping with its tail.


    With a rushed flick of his wrist, Song Yi roughly severed the appendage in the place that was about to hit him. The scales that previously took all his strength to bite into were sliced in twain like butter. The end of the tail went crashing into the wall behind him, oozing thick yellow blood.


    The beast howled in agony, its eyes turning red as it charged up another fireball attack.


    There was no time to dodge.


    Song Yi raised his arm over his shoulder and threw the axe with all his might, sending it spinning straight into the beast''s mouth.


    Before the salamander ever had a chance to react, fragments of its brain were sent flying out of a newly-made gash in the back of its head.


    For a moment, Song Yi felt as though time were frozen. The raging salamander ceased all movement before crashing to the ground, a lifeless husk.


    The beast had been slain, and the tribulation was passed.


    Before he could rejoice, he saw wispy, ethereal black tendrils pulsing out of his body. As they exuded out, the overwhelming power he had momentarily possessed began to dissipate. With its exit, it brought a weak feeling to Song Yi''s body, making it hard to stand.


    "You tricked me."


    The monarch yawned. "Had I told you to stab yourself in the gut, would you have done it?"Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Song Yi abruptly kicked a stone at his feet, sending it flying. Still, he conceded the point.


    "This black stuff?"


    "Residual spiritual energy. Your axe absorbed it from the monsters you killed, and you got it when you stabbed yourself. Your pathetic body can''t retain it any longer, so it''s seeping out."


    Song Yi frowned. "You mean when you stabbed me."


    "You lived, didn''t you?"


    With a huff, Song Yi turned to open the door and exit the tribulation for good. But just before touching the handle, he retracted his arm.


    Absentmindedly, he started scratching his fingers with his palm. His fingers were itching.


    "Bai''er! I''m okay! I''ll be out in just a moment!" he called.


    He skipped over to the corpse of the salamander, standing on its giant head. Pulling on the edge of a scale with one arm, he used his obsidian axe to hack at the skin underneath and pry it off.


    The monarch was dumbfounded. "What... what are you doing?"


    "Liberating."


    "Lib- what the hell! These things are useless!"


    "Useless? These things are money!"


    "Who would buy something like this? Sure, they''re ''tough'' but even you were able to crack one before I saved you!"


    Song Yi smiled a terrifying, wolfish grin.


    "There''s always a sucker."


    "Whatever, I can''t stay awake anymore. Do what you want."


    Song Yi managed to pry off a dozen more scales before he realized his bag was starting to get full. He''d already dumped out all the glow fruits and food he''d acquired in the forest two weeks ago.


    With a mischievous glint in his eye, the last thing he did was hack off one of the salamander''s fangs, leaving a gap in its front teeth. He stuffed the thing, which was no shorter than his forearm, into his bag. Given the size of the thing, though, it didn''t fit, so it was left jutting out of the top conspicuously.


    Feeling slightly stifled as he walked towards the door, Song Yi sighed.


    "I should''ve brought more bags," he thought.


    If the monarch were still awake, he would be choking. "This fellow''s worldview is too small," he would''ve thought.


    But the monarch was asleep, and Song Yi had looted as much as he could.


    The moment he swung the door open, before he could even walk through, a blur slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his.


    "Song Yi!" she cried.


    Song Yi, already feeling weak, had almost been knocked over by Su Bai crashing into him. Unable to move his arms, which were trapped in her embrace, he smiled awkwardly.


    "Sorry to worry you."


    Remembering that Prince Zhang and Little Li were still nearby, she let go.


    When she did, she noticed the large salamander fang protruding from Song Yi''s holding bag.


    "Big Bro Yi, this¡­"


    "Oh, this? I''m going to sell it! Hey, do you have any more bags? Maybe I can get more of these¡­"


    Su Bai was dumbfounded. Was this really her friend? Now, even more conscious of the other duo watching from the top of the stairs, she felt embarrassed in Song Yi''s stead.


    Just as Su Bai worried, the pair were watching from above. Prince Zhang scoffed in disdain and, although Little Li''s mouth was obfuscated by him holding up the sleeve of his robe, one could tell from his eyes that he was giggling.


    It wasn''t just them, either. By now, Elder Mo had arrived once more to see what was going on.


    "This fellow¡­ did he really pass the second exam?" he thought. "And their time was only a few hours longer than the previous record. If it weren''t for the Young Prince, they would''ve been the shining stars of this exam."


    When he saw the obsidian axe strapped to Song Yi''s waist, as well as the golden-embroidered red gloves on Su Bai''s hands, he was even more astonished, though he didn''t show it on his face.


    "It seems I underestimated these two," he thought.


    After Elder Mo congratulated them, Su Bai and Song Yi observed their surroundings for the first time.


    The plateau at the top of the cliff was grassy, decorated sparsely with gigantic trees, far larger than those found thousands of meters below. Aside from twenty holes in the ground, each blocked off by a door, there were twenty cabins visible, circled around a paved courtyard.


    Given that each cabin only housed one bed, it was clear that no more than half of the examinees were expected to pass the second test.


    Even though it was already late at night, Su Bai decided to join Song Yi in his cabin to talk. She urgently wanted to know what had happened. How had Song Yi, who had lost a bout with an imp less than two weeks prior, managed to slay a salamander?


    To be fair, he had improved during the rest of the test, becoming able to fight monsters far more dangerous than an imp, but a gigantic salamander was on a whole new level.


    Unwittingly, he touched his forehead before explaining how he''d discovered the proper use of the obsidian axe. From there, the rest was simple.


    "Which reminds me," he said, changing the topic. "How did you know how to use your gloves?"


    "That¡­" she paused for a moment. "Li Jian has an identical pair."


    "The hero of your country?"


    "Yeah, that''s the one."


    "How strong is he?"


    "Honestly, we were so busy in the caves that I didn''t have time to think about this kind of thing. Now, though, I realize that he''s probably only a bit stronger than we are now. Well, at least based on what I''ve seen in exhibition matches."


    They sat in silence for a moment, both speculating about the Hero of Ninghai.


    With a crestfallen face, Su Bai asked,


    "Hey, Big Bro Yi, do you ever miss home?"


    There was a lengthy pause.


    "You know," he began, "I only ever came in here to escape. I thought I was escaping death, but now I think that what I really escaped was life. I mean, living the wrong life."


    Song Yi had never been one for lengthy conversation. Prior to entering the Blue Moon Sect Examination, he''d scarcely spoken more than a few words to any given person. But now, accompanied by Su Bai, as well as Wang Yanjing, he''d found people that he enjoyed conversing with.


    Well, maybe he wasn''t so sure about Wang Yanjing.


    "Big Bro Yi, you sound like a wise old man," Su Bai giggled as she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I miss home a lot. But you know, with you here this isn''t so bad."


    Song Yi wondered, not for the first time, if all girls acted like this, or if it was just Su Bai. Given that he didn''t mind, he figured it didn''t matter much either way.


    The fireplace crackled, casting light out on the carpeted floor. The quality of these cabins really was far better than the longhouse they''d stayed in prior.


    "Why did you stay here if you have family waiting for you at home?" he spoke softly.


    "Because of the family member that is no longer at home," she muttered.


    As she said that, unbeknownst to Song Yi, her eyes opened. Reflected in her pupils were the lithe flames of the fireplace.


    Song Yi heard the tone of her voice and decided, wisely, not to question her further on the matter.


    "Big Bro Yi, I''m feeling a little sleepy."


    "Which cabin number is yours? I''ll go sleep there," he said, helping her to the bed.


    She told him and, after bidding her farewell, Song Yi went there to sleep.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    The remaining thirteen days passed in a blur. The morning after the time limit was up for the second test, the examinees stood assembled in the courtyard, all of them dressed in simple blueish-grey robes that the sect had supplied.


    It was Song Yi''s first time wearing what he thought to be luxurious clothing. He found it suited his tastes nicely.


    Of the 42 that had passed the first test, only 18 had decided to take the second. By this point, there were 7 gathered in the courtyard.


    Guessing that the other routes also had a ''waiting room,'' such as the one he and Su Bai had been presented before the salamander, Song Yi surmised that some might still be alive.


    Still, between internal backstabbing, running into other teams, and the brutality of the examination itself, there had certainly been casualties. Those who even made it to the waiting room were already few.


    To his surprise, the girl from what Song Yi had previously thought of as the ''unremarkable'' pair was still alive. Her partner, though, was nowhere to be seen.


    "Those are the eyes of somebody who did what they had to to survive." Three days after the salamander fight, Emperor Wang had woken back up.


    "How could you know that, geezer?"


    "Pfft, how could I not?"


    The monarch offered no further explanation beyond that, not even berating Song Yi for his form of address.


    Aside from that girl, the remaining two had arrived together. They had been the last to emerge from the caves, only arriving two days prior.


    They both had long grey hair, with similarly grey eyes. A single look at them would reveal that they were siblings, a brother and sister.


    If one examined more closely, though, they would notice a fierce, wolf-like quality to the two. Their subtle confidence was dampened only by the fact that they were the last to arrive.


    Finally, in front of the assembled seven, a young lady stood lightly on the grass, almost as though she were weightless.


    Upon seeing her for the first time, Song Yi didn''t have much reaction. But the other three boys, though they tried their best to hide it in various ways, couldn''t help but feel stifled by her presence.


    Even the cold and stoic Prince Zhang who, befitting of his status, had been presented many a beauty, turned a bit red in the cheek.


    That was because the only word to describe this young lady was ''angelic.'' She seemed less human and more like a being from a higher plane. Her skin was free of blemishes or imperfections, her blue eyes like deep pools of water that could drown a man.


    Song Yi noticed the other boys acting odd, but couldn''t figure out why.


    "Do you know what their deal is?" he decided to ask Emperor Wang.


    "Nope, no idea," the monarch said between coughs.


    Song Yi failed to remember at that moment that the monarch didn''t have a body with which to cough.


    "Zhang Bo, Fang Li, Su Bai, Song Yi, Zhi Yue, Yu Yin, Yu Fenqing. Congratulations to you seven on passing the second trial. I was sent here today to bring you to the third, and final, trial. Please follow me."

 The Final Test

    The final test.


    When the group heard those words, they became excited.


    Whether or not they''d had any information about this place when they first entered their respective versions of the Gate of Virtues, by now they''d all come to recognize just how spectacular the Blue Moon Sect was.


    Be it the teleportation portals used to assemble all the examinees, the display of force that Elder Mo had shown at the end of the first examination, the manuals that had given them enough strength to fight against the monsters with superhuman strength, or the mysterious relics in the second trial, the youths had all come to the same conclusion.


    What awaited them after they passed the examination would be extraordinary.


    Song Yi had a unique view. While he was excited, too, he also had a second perspective ¡ª that of the monarch.


    Emperor Wang had consistently shown disdain for what he''d seen in the Blue Moon Sect''s grounds. He''d attached trivial importance to the obsidian axe that seemed, to Song Yi, to be a fantastic treasure, but only as a "toothpick."


    "Although," Emperor Wang once said, "when you''re weak you use what you can."


    Following the escort, they walked away from the edge of the cliff, going deeper into Blue Moon Sect territory.


    Walking through a wooded area, they could see tall mountains and raging rivers in the distance. Closer to them, occasionally they would spot more groups of cabins similar to the ones they''d stayed in after the second trial.


    Near those cabins were clear-cut areas that had been turned into training grounds. Within the training grounds, figures wearing robes similar to their own could be seen fighting. Their attacks were vicious, even though they were fighting their fellow disciples. Many of them were bloodied, covered in bruises and cuts, but refused to back down.


    Others were in small groups discussing, or practicing new moves that they had learned on inanimate targets.


    Many of them, when seeing the group of examinees walking down the path, came closer to check out the greenhorns.


    "Not many this time," one man who looked to be around twenty years old, said. He had a scar that sliced across his face from the top of one cheekbone to the other.


    "That means that the exam''s proctor was one of the tougher ones. Probably the fifth or ninth elder. Ji Hong, you''re an idiot who''s been a novitiate for three years, but even you should understand that these recruits are above average," a girl said.


    The scar-faced Ji Hong glanced bitterly at the girl who''d just accosted him, but he didn''t dare speak back to her.


    She was clearly younger than Ji Hong. Sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. Her stature was frail, but something about her seemed odd. When Song Yi looked closer, he noticed that her face was obscured, making her features difficult to see. It was as though he were trying to stare at it through a pool of agitated water.


    She wore the same robe as the rest of them, but printed on the back could be seen a crescent moon. When he saw this, Song Yi''s mind stirred into action.


    He''d noticed before that the robe of Elder Mo had a full moon on the back. Furthermore, the disciple escorting them had a half moon on hers. Before, he''d discounted it as being cosmetic. But now, he was beginning to think otherwise.


    "Junior Sister Li Nuan, was it?" their escort said, addressing the girl. "I see you''ve advanced your use of the Rippling Visage Minor Art. How long can you keep it up now?"


    The girl clasped her hands and bowed deeply. "Permanently, now. It is thanks to Elder Sister''s guidance."


    The escort nodded. "Very good."


    Paying the situation no further heed, the escort continued walking.


    Eventually, they came to a walled city. The wall was tall, hundreds of meters high, but what was even more amazing were the pagodas that could be seen stretching up behind it, all the way into the clouds.


    Hanging from many eaves, and flowing from the roofs of many buildings were large white flags. Depicted on the flags was a full blue moon, circled by smaller moons in various stages. This was the standard of the Blue Moon Sect.


    When they reached the city gate, they saw a familiar motto:


    Discipline, Diligence, Decisiveness.


    "You would all do well to remember this motto, should you pass the final trial or not," their escort said. This was her first time addressing them since introducing herself.


    As she finished speaking, a young man walked out of the gate''s guardhouse. He sported a robe identical to the escort''s.


    "Hm? I thought Ai Mu was supposed to serve as escort this morning. Luo Mei, why are you here instead?" he asked.


    "Greetings, Brother Zhou. Junior Brother Mu is currently undergoing punishment, and as such is indisposed to serve as escort today."


    The man referred to as ''Brother Zhou'' sighed. "What has he done this time?"


    "It was discovered that he is the culprit behind the wild monkeys in Xiaguang Forest."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Brother Zhou laughed so hard he clutched his stomach.


    "So that was him, huh?"


    Song Yi''s eye twitched.


    "Those were regular monkeys after all¡­" he thought.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    After they were allowed through the gate, the group continued to walk a complicated path through the sect until they came to a gigantic underground room.


    The ceiling could be seen 10,000 meters above them, the walls 5000 meters apart. On the floor, the seven examinees and their guide, Luo Mei, looked like motes of dust by comparison.


    Across from them was a giant gate made of a black red-stained metal. The gate did not look out of place in the giant room, stretching ridiculously high.


    On the metal itself could be seen countless paper talismans with runes written on them. The runes moved around constantly, changing form and shape, exuding a dull white light.


    "We''ve arrived. Please wait here until further instruction," Luo Mei said before turning and leaving the way they''d come.


    "I hope they don''t make us wait a whole day again," one of the twins, Yu Fenqing, said.


    His comment earned him a dour look from Luo Mei, who had not yet fully exited the room, but she didn''t say anything.


    Fortunately, it was only a few minutes before they saw a familiar face enter the room.


    Ninth Elder Mo Yijun had arrived, bringing with him two other similarly ancient-looking men.


    "First of all, congratulations on making it to this point," he began. "These are my good friends, the Fifth and Sixth Elders. They''ve graciously offered to assist with this final test."


    The examinees'' interest was piqued. Elder Mo continued.


    "For this final test, you will work together to defeat a single enemy."


    All the examinees thought back to the beasts they had fought to pass the second exam, and shuddered. Whatever was in store for them would clearly be much more terrifying than that.


    "Furthermore, I would like to say that all of you can be proud of your accomplishments. 988 other candidates have been eliminated, leaving you seven remaining. But, I will warn you now, this test will be the hardest by far. Those who decide to take it deserve admiration. To those who choose not to take it, I understand. You may take your leave.


    "Ha, as if any of us would back down now," Yu Fenqing said confidently, crossing his arms.


    Elder Mo smiled cryptically, nodding to the Fifth and Sixth elders.


    The two old men turned around to face the black gate, raising their arms and beginning to chant under their breaths.


    The runes on the talismans suddenly flew out into the air, forming into a giant arcane circle. With a jolt, the circle slowly began to spin counter-clockwise. As it did, a pressure began to build up in the room, pressing down on the examinees.


    "This¡­" Emperor Wang sounded confused.


    Suddenly, the spinning of the circle sped up tenfold. With the increase came a vast increase in the pressure, as well.


    It was as though all the oxygen in Song Yi''s body was being wrenched out of him. It took all of his willpower just to remain standing.


    Out of the corner of his eye he could see the others with expressions similar to his own.


    But the spinning hadn''t stopped yet.


    The weight of the world seemed to crush down on all of them. One by one, the examinees began to fall down, unable even to stand.


    The first to drop was Fang Li, the boy who''d partnered with Prince Zhang''s in the second examination. The veins on his neck jutted out abnormally as he fought with all his might to resist.


    Yu Yin was the next to drop.


    Then her brother, Yu Fenqing, who had boasted earlier.


    Song Yi, too, could no longer hold out, falling to one knee, then the other, then needing his hands to keep himself from being crushed into the floor.


    Zhi Yue, with an ugly expression, was next.


    "This feeling, it''s familiar," Emperor Wang said.


    For a while, only Su Bai and Prince Zhang remained on their feet.


    But the wheel didn''t stop.


    Soon, Su Bai''s knees buckled, and she too fell to all fours.


    "Brat! Get out of here!" the monarch suddenly shouted. "This isn''t something you can handle! Get! Out!"


    By that time, most of the others were already humiliated, their faces pressed into the ground.


    Suddenly, the wheel came to a halt.


    Prince Zhang was still standing, albeit looking worse for it. His teeth were ground tight, eyes bulging with concentration. Streams of sweat flew down his forehead.


    And he wasn''t the only one. All seven youths looked to be on the brink of death, despite the fact that none sported any external wounds.


    Even the three elders in the room could no longer pretend they didn''t feel the pressure, their shoulders looking tense.


    With a wave of the elders'' hands, the wheel turned back around, relieving them of the pure terror that had gripped their hearts.


    The group stood up shakily. They tried to wipe their faces dry, but to little effect.


    With a solemn expression, Elder Mo spoke once more.


    "Who''s staying?"


    Grim looks were cast around the room. All of the youths wondered one thing.


    What was the trick?


    They had seen the elders manage to shrug that terrifying force off for the most part. There had to be some way for them to overcome that pressure and fight whatever was behind that gate. Otherwise, there would be nobody who passed this test.


    "Song Yi, even if I could safely take control of your body, that monster would slaughter us. I don''t care if you have a deathwish, but don''t drag me down with you!"


    Through choked sobs, a soft voice could be heard.


    "I¡­ I''m not going to die here."


    All heads in the room turned to see Yu Yin hiding her head in her hands.


    Her brother, Yu Fenqing, held her tight in his arms, a conflicted look on his face. It was clear that he was disappointed, but at the same time, a hint of relief could be seen in his eyes.


    "If my sister can not continue, then I too will take my leave," he said, leading Yu Yin back to the entrance.


    The mood in the room became even heavier. They were down to five.


    Fang Li was clutching his stomach, looking dizzy. He was the youngest of the group, and was nervous to begin with. Nobody had expected him to last this long, and none other than him knew why he had.


    He''d displayed frightening talent in the second exam, thoroughly understanding the technique he''d been given within mere hours of receiving it. But talent alone wasn''t enough to pass this examination.


    "I-" he started to speak, drawing the room''s attention, but was interrupted by a comforting hand on his head tousling his hair.


    The boy looked up to see the Third Prince smiling.


    "Ignore them. They''re insane. Come on, it''s not too late," the monarch said.


    "Tell me the trick to dealing with that pressure." Song Yi replied.


    "Trick? You''re dealing with a killing intent the likes of which you couldn''t possibly imagine! If the true thing hit you, you''d be nothing but a mass of flesh on the ground."


    Song Yi didn''t know what the monarch meant, but he knew the old geezer was serious this time.


    His hand was halfway raised when two footsteps echoed through the hall.


    In front of the rest of the group stood Su Bai, her hands clasped.


    "I will take this test."


    In her eyes, one could faintly see a visage of crackling fire. The nearby fifth elder''s expression lit up when he noticed it.


    Staring at her figure from behind, Song Yi grit his teeth. She was the first friend he''d ever made. She was the only friend he''d ever made.


    He dropped his hand.


    "You idiot, what are you waiting for? Resign now!"


    Song Yi wasn''t strong like Third Prince Zhang. He wasn''t wild like Yu Fenqing. He wasn''t brutal like Zhi Yue. He wasn''t a genius like Fang Li.


    But if there was one trait he did possess, it was decisiveness. He would not allow his fate to be placed in the hands of anyone other than himself, not even Wang Yanjing. He was Song Yi, and when it came to his life, he called the shots.


    "I, too, will take this test."

 Prince Zhangs Duel

    "You absolute blithering, moronic, suicidal maniac!" the monarch''s incensed voice penetrated Song Yi''s mind, giving him a headache.


    "Sorry, Old Man Wang."


    "Brat, do you even know how many people you''re putting in danger? These ''Elders'' are in over their heads!"


    "Why should I care about other people? The only person who''s ever cared about me is going to fight that thing, and I won''t let her do it alone!"


    "You don''t even know what you''re talking abo-"


    "And I don''t care!"


    The monarch stopped talking. As for possessing Song Yi and forcefully making him quit, it wasn''t that he didn''t want to, but he couldn''t. His soul still hadn''t recovered to that point.


    During Song Yi and Emperor Wang''s altercation, Prince Zhang had stepped forward. Fang Li stood at his side.


    "We, too, will take this test."


    The only one who remained on the fence was Zhi Yue.


    She seemed to be struggling with the decision.


    After a while, her face changed, as though she were remembering something. With a sigh, she stepped forward.


    "I will take this test."


    "You five have prepared yourselves, then?" Elder Mo asked.


    All the examinees got ready. Su Bai had her gloves, Prince Zhang had his spear, Song Yi took out his axe.


    "In that case... Congratulations on joining the Blue Moon Sect, Novitiates."


    For the briefest of moments, his words didn''t register with the five youths. Then...


    "Wait, what?"


    "You still haven''t realized it by now?" Elder Mo smiled. "Discipline, Diligence, Decisiveness. Have any of you realized what those words truly mean?"


    The group thought about it for a moment, but it was Fang Li, with a look of realization, who broke the silence.


    "They correspond to the trials..." he murmured.


    "Sharp boy," Elder Mo complimented. "You''re correct. That was the purpose of this examination, to see if you had the qualities of a Blue Moon Sect Disciple."


    Now that they all thought about it, it made sense.


    The first trial, a trial of discipline. Could you do as told, to the highest standard, even when the instructions were ambiguous, and there were no affirmative signs of progress?


    The second trial, diligence. There were countless tempting traps, as well as a constant onslaught of monsters. Not to mention, there was always the chance your partner might turn on you to save themselves. If you dropped your guard, you died.


    Finally, decisiveness. Even in the face of crushing opposition, could you stand and fight for the sake of the things that are important to you?


    It sounded simple, but the trials were gruelling, as could be witnessed by the sheer amount of people who''d failed.


    "Congratulations brat, you passed, now GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"


    Song Yi was bewildered, why was Emperor Wang acting up still? They didn''t have to fight the beast...


    Before he could figure it out, the wheel of runes began to spin once more, this time with far greater speed than before.


    The voracious killing intent flared up once more, crushing down on the now-novitiates.


    "I knew this would happen! Why couldn''t you have just listened?!" the monarch cried hysterically.


    Song Yi puked blood out onto the stones. His organs felt like they were about to burst. The others, including Zhang Bo, fared no better.


    Suddenly, a figure materialized in midair, exuding a deep blue aura.


    His hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and he had piercing white eyes. Behind him was the illusion of a gigantic, blue full moon.


    "SEAL!" he shouted, raising his hands.


    Suddenly, the illusory moon grew in size, flying towards the gate.


    A hand shrouded in darkness shot out between the bars, attempting to hold the moon back.


    BOOM!


    The shockwave from the collision swept through the room. Had there been any wildlife present, it would''ve been turned to ash.


    The five novitiates didn''t even know what happened before, suddenly, the pressure was gone. The shockwave never reached them.


    At the last second, the Fifth, Sixth and Ninth elders had used their own respective methods to hold back against the shockwave. But that took its toll. All three looked similar to how the novitiates had when faced with the fractioned killing intent of the final test.


    Before another shockwave could arrive, the Sixth Elder took out five swords. Each sword was able to, amazingly, defy gravity and fly through the air unhindered. Using every sword to scoop up a different youth, he flew away.


    The other two elders attempted to remain, but were forced to leave after the white-eyed man spoke to them.


    "Leave. You will only hinder me," he said.


    Those words resonated with all the youths. They had seen for themselves just how terrifyingly powerful the elders could be. For figures like that to only be a hindrance... Just how strong was that man? And, even more so, just how strong was the monster he fought?


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Soaring high above the sect on the Sixth Elder''s sword, Song Yi got a view of the sect grounds for the first time.


    The view was, in a word, spectacular. Song Yi could see that the land mass they''d been on was actually only one of thirteen. There were eleven other land masses identical to it, arranged in a ring. In the middle of the ring was a much larger plateau.


    All thirteen land masses were their own separate entities, separated by giant gorges that delved into the ground further than the eye could see, but were connected by multiple ornate wooden bridges. The cliff they''d ascended in the second trial was, in fact, just one side of one of the land masses.


    To describe the sheer size of the sect''s grounds was not a simple task. Each was large enough to hold mountain ranges, gigantic lakes, dense forests and multiple cities. Every single one of these cities could rival the size of Zhongtian''s capital.


    It was like a world in of itself.


    "Respected Sixth Elder, if the sect is so large, and so few of us passed the examination..." Su Bai said.


    The other youths nodded in agreement. They''d been wondering the same.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The Sixth Elder chuckled. "Well, in part, Old Ninth is to blame."


    The Ninth Elder gave him a wry smile, continuing to explain in the Sixth Elder''s stead.


    "The sect examinations are held once every six months. Sometimes, these weak-hearted old men let in dozens of novitiates. Of course, it''s no coincidence that the disciples I proctor for are admitted into the inner sect far more often."


    The other two shot him nasty glances when he said those words, but he continued unabashedly.


    "There''s another reason, too, which will be explained in due time. For now, suffice it to say that many in the sect have been alive for hundreds of years. After many six month periods, our numbers have built up."


    Su Bai and Zhi Yue looked at him in disbelief. Prince Zhang and Fang Li, on the other hand, seemed like they''d already had some idea about this. As for Song Yi, of course, he had the monarch. He was well aware that some existences were terrifyingly old.


    In fact, at that very moment, Song Yi was less concerned with the view of the sect and the conversation. Instead, he was trying to talk to Emperor Wang.


    "What was that thing?" he asked for the third time.


    Emperor Wang was being obstinate, refusing to even respond, let alone answer.


    It wasn''t until an hour later, by which point the group was still flying, that he finally relented.


    "It''s a miracle that you saw him and lived to tell the tale."


    "He?"


    Emperor Wang sighed. "Have you ever wondered why my soul was in that needle?"


    Song Yi was shocked. Of course he''d wondered, but he''d always expected he would only get a sarcastic response if he asked.


    "Once or twice," he replied.


    "It''s because of that monster. Though, that fiend is only a clone."


    "You were done in by a clone?"


    "No, you buffoon! I was killed by the real thing."


    Song Yi was bewildered. If Emperor Wang was killed, then how could his soul still be in the needle?


    "I''m sure you''re confused," the monarch hit the nail on the head. "Well, if you continue on this path, even a dolt like you will understand eventually."


    Song Yi found himself thinking, not for the first time, that the monarch''s vocabulary of words that meant "idiot" was a bit excessive.


    Eventually, they landed on one of the plateaus and were brought to a tall building at the centre of one of the cities. When they landed, Elder Mo left some parting words.


    "Welcome to the sect. This building is the Fourth District''s Spire. Inside, you''ll be given your assignments. Now then, continue to work hard."


    With that, the three elders disappeared.


    After clasping their hands and bowing towards where the elders had just been, the group of five walked into the building.


    What they saw on the inside stunned them speechless.


    They found themselves on a long catwalk. The ground inside the building was thousands of feet below them, and the ceiling equally high.


    There were countless floors, all connected by a vast network of catwalks identical to the one they were currently on. Some floors housed shops and market stalls. Closer inspection revealed a myriad of weapons, armour, potions, pills, food, pets, even furniture and dishware. You name it, it could be found.


    Others had vast collections of books in their own variety of bizarre forms. Song Yi noticed one in particular that was permanently on fire but didn''t seem to burn.


    There were storage spaces, housing districts, restaurants, even guarded treasuries for safekeeping relics and artifacts.


    Rather than listing what the Spire had, it would be easier to list what it didn''t.


    Of course, such a location would scarcely be devoid of people. There were thousands of sect disciples within, all wearing the same blue-grey robes. Although, the moon printed on the back changed from person to person.


    Those with no moon printed on the back, like Song Yi and company, walked on the catwalks from place to place, going about their business. These people were as common as stars in the night sky.


    If they had a crescent moon, it was likely that they were flying on swords, like how Sixth Elder had helped the youths arrive. Except, these people were able to control their own.


    As for those with half moons, they were rare, but could be seen flying through the air completely unassisted.


    It seemed, as well, that not everyone in the building was a disciple of the sect. A few people could be seen wearing normal clothing.


    Dazzled by the spectacular sights, the youths forgot to move until, suddenly, Prince Zhang let out a grunt.


    They turned to see him off balance, his usual calm demeanour disturbed. Where he''d been standing previously was a giant man.


    "Outta my way, greenhorns," he said, paying the group no heed as he barrelled his way through.


    Of course, how could the proud and noble Third Prince take a slight like that lying down?


    "You, the oaf with more muscle than brains!" he shouted.


    The mountainous man stopped in his tracks, turning his head only enough to glance at the prince.


    "Huh?"


    Prince Zhang''s face darkened further. "We''re new here. So, tell me, is duelling against sect rules?"


    "If yer itchin'' for a fight, I''ll give ya one. Outside!"


    The man made an about face and walked back out of the building. Prince Zhang followed. Before exiting, he said,


    "No need to follow me. I''ll be back in a moment."


    They well knew how strong Zhang Bo was. They also knew he wasn''t an idiot. But still, for the sake of his pride, they weren''t sure how much he would allow his judgement to be clouded. As such, the group of four unanimously decided to follow him out to witness the fight, and break it up if necessary.


    By the time they decided and exited, the two could be seen facing each other in the middle of the street. A crowd was already beginning to form.


    "I am the Third Prince of Shanjing Empire, Zhang Bo. What is your name?"


    "Li Bolin," the muscled man replied simply."


    Wasting no more time on words, Prince Zhang unfastened the dragon-spear from his back, holding it with one hand.


    Similarly impatient, Li Bolin charged headfirst towards the prince.


    Zhang Bo snorted derisively. This kind of tactic was really too immature.


    Using his spear, he stabbed at the giant man, who ducked underneath with surprising dexterity. This wasn''t enough to phase the young prince, who quickly followed up with a spinning kick. This time, the giant didn''t dodge, but blocked the kick with a single arm, following up with a punch of his own. Zhang Bo used footwork to put some distance between the two once more.


    He was surprised by the man''s strength. It seemed his attacks would have little effect, even if he managed to break through the man''s guard.


    "What, are ya just gonna run now?"


    Not responding to the taunt, the prince began to use the spear to attack from length. Within only a few exchanges, though, he accidentally overstepped.


    Using the opportunity to get in close, Li Bolin grabbed the spear and wrenched it out of the prince''s hands, throwing it away behind him.


    Once again, the prince was forced to dodge away.


    "You''re not weak," he said. "That''s good. I wouldn''t have it any other way."


    With those words, he began to chant inaudibly under his breath.


    Suddenly, the tips of his fingers became frosty. The frost didn''t stop there, instead climbing up until it reached his biceps.


    "He actually perfected it..." Little Li, watching from the side, murmured.


    "Perfected what? What is that?" Zhi Yue asked.


    Little Li told the group about the time he and the prince had been attacked in the second trial.


    "When we took their things, we also took their technique books. One of them had one similar to Prince Zhang''s, but it had to do with wind, while Prince Zhang''s used water. Since then, he''s been trying to reconcile the two."


    They all looked at the prince in a new light. The rest of them, excepting Little Li, had barely managed to learn one technique, while this prince had already managed to combine two to make his own. He really was a cut above the rest.


    Even Li Bolin paused for a moment, reassessing. When Zhang Bo saw this, he smirked.


    "Don''t hesitate now," he said, rushing forward once more.


    They exchanged rapid blows, the giant Li Bolin somehow managing to match the lithe prince''s pace.


    Slowly, though, it became clear who was in the favourable position. Li Bolin''s attacks were beginning to slow down. It seemed that every time he blocked a strike from Zhang Bo, frost began to grow on his body, and his movements became more sluggish.


    By now, the crowd had grown larger. Some were encouraging Zhang Bo, who wore a vicious smile as he pounded down his enemy''s defences more and more. Others were jeering at the giant Li Bolin, who was now falling back step by step.


    Still, Zhang Bo was careful, using a combination of deft footwork and relentless strikes to avoid taking any hits from his opponent. He was well aware that even a single hit from the giant could spell his failure.


    With a huff, Li Bolin spoke.


    "I never thought I''d haveta use Qi against some mortal whelp."


    Without hesitation, he slammed a palm into the ground. In a fifteen meter radius around him, the ground began to shake and destabilize, turning muddy.


    "Not good!" Prince Zhang thought, immediately trying to dodge out of the circle.


    But he was a step too slow. His right leg became caught in the mire, and he was unable to extricate himself. All he could do was watch as the hulking boor leisurely walked over and delivered a brutal punch to his stomach.


    "Yer done."


    A follow-up kick to his face put the prince on the ground.


    "Not so pretty now, are ya?" Spitting on the ground, the bull of a man continued. "Let me tell ya somethin'' runt. In here, yer no prince. Yer just another novitiate."


    With those words, he walked away, leaving the disgraced prince in the dust.


    The crowd dispersed, pleased that they''d been able to witness an interesting fight.


    Fang Li rushed over to check on Zhang Bo, who he''d grown quite attached to over the course of the last month.


    There was swelling on his face from where he''d been hit, and his stomach would likely be badly bruised for a few days, but there were no broken bones.


    "Prince Zhang-"


    "No. Not prince... That blustering brute is right. I''m now a Novitiate of the Blue Moon Sect."


    Suddenly, a woman''s voice spoke.


    "Not bad, not bad... A brand new novitiate who can use a secondary element. Your martial arts are pretty decent too. Well, that''s a former prince for you."


    There was a woman, probably in her mid-twenties, standing in the middle of their small group. None of them had noticed her prior to that. On the back of her robe was a half moon. Her position in the sect wasn''t low, but there were still two realms between her and an elder.


    Zhang Bo, assisted by Little Li, made it to his feet. Ignoring his pain, he clasped his hands, he bowed to the woman.


    "Junior can''t possibly accept Senior''s praise."


    The woman nodded approvingly.


    "I was told to process you five, but imagine the shock on my face when you all walked out here to get in a scrap with that novitiate, geez..." She put her hands on her hips. "Alright kids, come with me. Let''s get you sorted."


    She looked every part the doting elder sister as she led them back into the Spire.

 Five on One

    <div>


    The woman who''d arrived to process them was named Ma Xiulan. She insisted, though, that they call her ''Big Sis.'' Along their way through the Spire, many affectionate gazes were cast towards Big Sis Xiulan, and this was not lost on the group of novitiates that trailed her like ducklings.


    "Listen, you guys," she said, continuing the long string of advice that she''d been giving along their journey. "You should be careful about getting in fights. Of course, sometimes violence is the solution. But at the moment you five are like toddlers."


    "If we''re toddlers, then what''s that Li Bolin guy?" Little Li asked.


    "The novitiate that Little Zhang fought?" She put a finger on the side of her cheek, thinking for a moment. "He''d be like a teenager, if I had to guess?"


    "And the elders?" This time it was Zhi Yue who asked.


    Her question made Big Sis Xiulan burst into laughter.


    "Well, it depends on which, but at their level the analogy falls apart. The difference between them and you is like the difference between me and a newborn."


    The group paled. They found that, suddenly, the image of that white-eyed man popped up in their minds. If, to him, those monstrous elders were only a hindrance, just what kind of monster was he himself?


    Eventually they came to a large room within the spire that was filled with dummies, weapons, training equipment and dueling rings.


    "Alright," Big Sis Xiulan said, "I''m going to do a quick test for all of your capabilities. There''s no passing or failing, so there''s no need to worry."


    Grabbing a scroll and pen, she led them over to the dummies. They were each instructed to select a different one.


    "Good. Now please, one by one, execute the art you learned during the examination."


    The first to go was Zhi Yue.


    She neared her dummy and clapped her hands down on either side of its head. With the impact came a low rumbling sound, but nothing else happened.


    This was the first time the other four had seen Zhi Yue''s attack and, while they didn''t know what they expected, that certainly hadn''t been it.


    Big Sis Xiulan, on the other hand, nodded her head approvingly.


    "Ooh, pretty good. Your mastery of the Epicenter Minor art is maybe at 10 percent," she said. When she saw the confused looks on the faces of the other four, she explained. "Look at the dummy''s head closely."


    Following her instructions, they looked. What they saw was the dummy''s head covered with tiny cracks, looking as though it had been fractured into tiny pieces that were held together by only a few connections.


    Still, for a direct hit, it didn''t look too impressive.


    "Alright, next."


    With a confident grin, Su Bai walked up to her dummy. Slowing her breathing, she began her chain of attacks.


    One after another the palm strikes sounded like thunderclaps as they struck the dummy''s chest. Soon, cracking sounds could be heard. When the fiftieth strike landed, the dummy''s chest caved in.


    Big Sis Xiulan looked impressed. "Haaa¡­ you actually broke the dummy¡­ Well, your Thunderclap Palms is at least at twenty percent mastery."


    Su Bai smiled as she bowed towards Big Sis.


    Zhi Yue, on the other hand, looked displeased. Clearly, she didn''t like being one-upped by the only other girl in the group.


    "Alright, who''s next?"


    Little Li put some distance between himself and the dummy, rubbing his palms together.


    With a high-pitched shout, he leapt forward, throwing a punch towards the dummy''s head. Halfway to the target, his arm suddenly burst into flame.


    Aside from Zhang Bo, everyone in the room had wide eyes as they watched. Even Ma Xiulan couldn''t help the surprise showing on her face.


    With a crash, the fist struck home, sending a pillar of fire shooting out from the back of the dummy''s head.


    When the smoke died down, the dummy''s half-melted head became visible, still red from the heat.


    "Kid, you¡­" Ma Xiulan had never seen a new novitiate master an art to this extent before. "This Wyvern''s Fist is no lower than 60 percent mastery."


    They all looked at Little Li in a new light. Even Zhang Bo hadn''t realized how much the kid had improved since the second trial.


    Little Li himself, on the other hand, wore a bashful expression as he scratched his forehead.


    "About the dummy, do I¡­ Do I need to pay for that?"


    They all had a good laugh. He didn''t end up having to pay.


    Next was Zhang Bo.


    Without waiting, he unleashed a rapid succession of punches, palm strikes and uppercuts to the dummy. After only five seconds, the barrage stopped abruptly.


    Zhang Bo raised a single finger and leisurely poked the dummy in the chest.


    The moment he did, there were dozens of cracking sounds, followed by the dummy collapsing into shattered pieces.


    Silence reigned for a moment.


    "You five really are monsters in the making, aren''t you? That Ninth Elder¡­" Ma Xiulan chuckled. "Little Zhang, I can''t tell you how much you''ve mastered this art, since you made it yourself. What would you like to name it?"


    Zhang Bo looked at Little Li.


    "Well, it was your idea. I''ll let you decide."


    Little Li blushed.


    "Prince, I-"


    "I told you, didn''t I? I''m no longer a prince."


    The boy relented.


    "Why don''t we call it Frostbite, then?"


    Zhang Bo nodded.


    "Frostbite it is."


    The rest of the group was realizing that every time they thought they knew the extent of Little Li''s abilities, they were wrong. Before, he hadn''t mentioned that the fusion art was his idea, attributing it all to Zhang Bo.


    Humble and highly intelligent. He may be a bit shy, but he was still young. This kid would grow into an important figure for the sect, given time. This was Ma Xiulan''s adjudication, which she wrote down next to his name on her scroll.


    "Alright, last one."


    Finally, it was Song Yi''s turn.


    With a deep breath, he prepared himself to use the Blazing Desert Minor Art.


    Dropping into the familiar low stance, he spun around, generating centrifugal force, when¡­


    "Brat, just stop."


    The voice came just as he was about to jump off the ground. Surprised, he lost his balance and fell flat on his face.


    "Owww¡­"


    Everyone''s jaw dropped. Did this guy really pass the sect entrance examination?


    Su Bai''s face went beet red, and she hid behind her hands. She felt terrible for him. But at the same time, the sight of him face down, his butt sticking up awkwardly in the air¡­ It was too funny!The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    She was guiltily choking back giggles when Song Yi stood back up.


    "Big Sis Xiulan, may I please try again?"


    Amused, Ma Xiulan nodded.


    Inwardly, though, Song Yi was shouting.


    "What the hell?!"


    "If I let you go through with that, you would''ve been way more embarrassed than just now, trust me. Now, listen."


    "Fine! What is it?"


    "You completely misinterpreted that crappy art. The circular motions you''re doing¡­ Honestly, they make me want to puke. The "circular motion" you were meant to use is for Qi! Qi!"


    "Qi?"


    The monarch heaved a sigh. "Close your eyes and focus."


    Song Yi did as he said.


    When Song Yi closed his eyes, all he could see was the back of his eyelids. He was worried that nothing would happen.


    "I said focus!"


    Sog Yi tried to shut out all extraneous thoughts.


    He felt an intense pain in his temples. All of a sudden his vision was swimming with squirming bright colours.


    "What is this?"


    "It''s Qi. You want to look for a faded red-orange colour. Once you see it, focus your attention on it."


    Song Yi once again did as asked, quickly picking out a colour exactly as the monarch had described.


    "I found it."


    "You- wait, you did? Nevermind, there''s no time. Try to execute the art again this time. Now that you''ve made contact with Qi, even you should be able to do something," Emperor Wang said.


    Song Yi walked over to the dummy. He left two meters of distance, at the monarch''s bequest. "I am ready."


    Nearby, a disciple with a crescent moon robe watched the testing be done.


    "Hm? This time he''s not doing that ridiculous spinning motion?" the disciple thought to himself.


    He nodded his head. This time it seemed Song Yi was more prepared.


    Song Yi closed his eyes. Filling his mind only with thoughts of that qi, he shut out all extraneous senses.


    His eyes shot open.


    Twisting his hips, he delivered a simple side kick, perpendicular to the ground. Given that he was short, his foot was only at about the same height as the dummy''s waist.


    With a controlled exhale, he placed his foot back down on the ground.


    "I''m done."


    Ma Xiulan coughed. Somehow a dud had slipped through this year''s selection exam. Especially given the remarkable obsidian axe strapped to his waist, she had expected spectacular things from this disciple. But after two disappointments, she felt his only skill might, in fact, be luck.


    She began to wrap things up. "Well then-"


    "Wait!"


    The crescent moon robed disciple walked over.


    With a wave of his hand, the disciple suddenly turned into a middle-aged man. His grey hair dropped down nearly to the floor, and he had a wizened look in the corners of his eyes.


    "Twelfth Elder!" Ma Xiulan shouted, quickly clasping her fists and bowing. "Inner Sect Disciple Ma Xiulan offers respects."


    The five novitiates followed suit.


    Giving them only a head nod in return, the Twelfth Elder walked until he was in arm''s reach of Song Yi''s dummy. Not turning to face them, he said,


    "I came to witness because I wanted to see the quality of the new novitiates. Old Ninth is always bragging about his tests, so I wanted to see for myself what they produce," he paused. "I have to say, I''m impressed with you four. You truly are spectacular."


    Song Yi''s face remained placid.


    Su Bai frowned in concern.


    The other three smiled proudly.


    "As for you," the elder said, turning to look at Song Yi, "For you to have a breakthrough at this critical moment is incredibly lucky."


    The Elder pushed the dummy gently. The dummy''s upper half fell to the ground with a thud. The bisected area was severed with such precision, it looked as though the two halves had never been connected to begin with.


    "You are behind the others, but your qi control is commendable. It seems that none of you are ordinary, after all."


    With a nod to Ma Xiulan, the elder took his leave.


    "Don''t get too excited just cause of what this doe-eyed runt says, brat. If you ask me, you''re average at best."


    Song Yi sighed, feeling stifled by Emperor Wang''s words.


    "If you were talented like that Zhang boy, I''d be out of here in no time."


    Even though the monarch said as much, the Twelfth Elder hadn''t lied one bit. The reason Ma Xiulan hadn''t noticed that Song Yi''s art had worked was simply because Song Yi''s Qi had been so fine that, because she hadn''t been paying close attention, she didn''t notice it.


    She felt guilty for underestimating him, and also embarrassed that she had made such an error in front of an elder. But she had to continue the processing.


    "Alright, I''ll test your fighting skill next."


    By now, she was already standing on one of the elevated duelling platforms.


    "All of you may come at me at the same time. Your goal is to force me off this platform. Meanwhile, you must stay on it."


    The area she stood on was circular, five feet above the ground. It was about twenty meters in diameter.


    "Big Sis Xiulan," Little Li asked, "With your strength, shouldn''t this be an impossible task for us?"


    Ma Xiulan chuckled. "Don''t worry, this is a test of your abilities. There is no passing or failure. Also," clanging sounds began to ring out through the air, sounding like gates closing. "Now I''m at the same level as you guys."


    If she were at the same level then, with five people, they should have no issue. At least, that''s what they thought.


    After the group mounted the platform, they began.


    Zhi Yue attacked first, nearing Ma Xiulan and clapping her hands.


    The attack didn''t hit the woman, but the ringing sound of her Epicenter Minor Art was amplified many times in contrast with earlier. Before, it had been contained within the dummy''s head, but now, the sound was almost deafening. Because the attack was directed at Ma Xiulan, she suffered the brunt of it, dazed for a moment.


    At that moment, Su Bai closed in with her palm strikes. After landing only three, though, her wrist was grabbed by Ma Xiulan, who pulled her close before kneeing the girl in the stomach.


    Before the knee strike could land, however, Song Yi sent a sharp wave of Qi using an axe kick.


    This time, Ma Xiulan was paying close attention to Song Yi. As such, she was able to avoid his attack, but the terrifying wave still forced her to cancel her own, lest her leg be severed. In turn, Su Bai was able to dislodge her wrist and back up once more.


    "Thanks, Big Bro Yi!"


    Little Li and Zhang Bo hadn''t been idle, either.


    Little Li used the opportunity to charge Ma Xiulan from the front, his arm already burst into flames. Meanwhile, Zhang Bo had snuck behind her, his Frostbite prepared to land decisive blows to her pressure points.


    But Ma Xiulan, in this moment of extreme danger, smiled.


    "I was wondering how you two would attack," she said.


    It was too late for them to change their plan, so they didn''t. Despite her words, it seemed inevitable that their attacks would land.


    But that didn''t happen.


    At the last moment, Ma Xiulan dropped into a horse stance and thrust out both hands. From her palms emerged a life-sized white stallion, which charged forward and blew Little Li away.


    Immediately after, exploiting the miniscule gap in the duo''s timing, she grabbed one of Zhang Bo''s arms. Spinning around, she threw him flying directly out of the arena.


    Zhang Bo landed on his back with a loud crash. He gulped for air, winded.


    The rest of those on the platform hesitated for a moment. It was five, no, four now, against one. Yet this Big Sis of theirs seemed to hold the advantage anyways.


    Ma Xiulan cracked her knuckles, beginning to stretch. "Listen up you guys, your Big Sis Xiulan has been studying in the Blue Moon Sect for fourteen years now. I turned twenty-five just this year."


    She paused for them to do the math.


    "Just like you all, I joined from the Ninth Elder''s Examination. So, in other words¡­"


    The stretching stopped as she looked up at them.


    "You guys are gonna have to try a lot harder than that."


    After her confident words, they wanted more than ever to continue. But they weren''t sure how. After all, this was a genius who had joined the sect at eleven years old, being groomed ever since. Seeds of hesitation and uncertainty had been planted in their hearts, and were beginning to bloom.


    Ma Xiulan had hidden her ability until the largest threat, Zhang Bo, came close, unleashing it all in one concise movement to eliminate him from the equation. The morale of the remaining four was also shot. She had completely seized the initiative.


    It was Zhi Yue who broke the impasse.


    "So what? Who needs a crappy prince anyway?"


    Before the others could react, or form new plans, she charged forward, getting close to Ma Xiulan and quickly exchanging blows.


    Suddenly, there was an opening in Ma Xiulan''s guard.


    Zhi Yue knew it was a trap. That was exactly what she had been hoping for.


    Without hesitation, she stomped her foot on the ground and used the Epicenter Minor Art. The deafening sound once more rang through the room. But this time, it originated from the ground. Ma Xiulan''s legs immediately began to shake, unstable. As a result, her already loosened guard was blown wide open.


    Now! Zhi Yue delivered a brutal punch with all the strength she could muster towards the weakness.


    But Ma Xiulan''s face betrayed the truth. She was grinning.


    Her legs stopped shaking, and her guard closed once more, trapping Zhi Yue''s arm. It was only a matter of course that the full-forward force of Zhi Yue''s punch was used against her, throwing her out of the ring.


    "H-how?" she cried.


    "Executing the Epicenter Minor Art in a novel way to try to catch me off guard, it wasn''t a bad idea. But your mistake was not using it in the fight prior. I was waiting for you to use it."


    "But you were affected, even if you knew it was coming¡­"


    The one to answer Zhi Yue wasn''t Ma Xiulan, but rather Little Li.


    "Look at her feet," he said.


    When they looked, they discovered¡­ Ma Xiulan''s feet weren''t actually on the ground! Instead, there were millimetres of air beneath them, almost imperceptible. Without direct contact, the effects of the Epicenter Minor Art were drastically reduced.


    There were only three remaining.


    "Big Sis Xiulan, are there other tests after this?" Su Bai suddenly asked.


    "Eh? More tests? No, this is the last one for now."


    Su Bai and Song Yi shared a knowing glance, nodding.


    "Fang Li, can you have my back?" Song Yi asked.


    The boy nodded in response.


    Little Li and Song Yi charged towards Ma Xiulan, beginning a series of back and forth exchanges. Occasionally, Song Yi used the Blazing Desert Minor Art, but the woman always managed to either dodge or cancel out the Qi with her own.


    As for Little Li, he didn''t use his Wyvern''s Breath, as the time it took to use was too long in a fast-paced fight like this. Without that, though, he wasn''t strong at all. In terms of physical strength, Little Li was the weakest of the entire group of five. Still, he did his best to help where he could.


    But, even two on one, the number of bruises and scrapes the two boys were receiving was far higher than those they managed to inflict. After all, neither of them had trained in martial arts before the entrance examination. They didn''t stand a chance from the beginning.


    Song Yi patiently allowed the injuries to build up, waiting for his chance.


    Just when he thought he would no longer to be able to hold out, it presented itself.


    Ma Xiulan had turned her attention to Fang Li for a brief moment, and Song Yi took that opportunity to make his surprise attack.


    Inspired by Zhi Yue, he attempted to use his arms instead of legs for the Blazing Desert Minor Art, and it worked. Using his arms as hilts and Qi as blades, Song Yi hacked at Ma Xiulan from two different directions.


    But Ma Xiulan wasn''t an Inner Sect Disciple for nothing.


    Using an art to harden the flesh of her arms, she blocked both blades of Qi. Simultaneously, she kicked out at Little Li, who had opportunistically decided to strike with his Wyvern Breath for the first time.


    And that was what Song Yi had been waiting for.


    Letting the Qi dissipate, he charged between Ma Xiulan''s opened arms and wrapped his arms around her torso in a tackle.


    "Bai''er, now!" he shouted.


    For the first time in the entire fight, Ma Xiulan''s face dropped.


    Then, Su Bai''s voice could be heard.


    "First Form ¡ª Salamander''s Breath!"

 Discovering Qi

    ¡°Release!¡±


    The familiar ball of flame shot from her hands, straight towards Ma Xiulan and Song Yi.


    Song Yi braced himself. Because of the way he¡¯d positioned himself, he wouldn¡¯t take the brunt of the blast. Still, this would hurt.


    Ma Xiulan squirmed in his arms, trying to escape, but he held tighter.


    Were there more time, she may be able to execute an art to extricate herself, but in this situation¡­


    Slam!


    Slam!


    Slam!


    They heard the sounds of gates opening, and all the youths felt an intense pressure bear down on them. While it couldn¡¯t compare to the pressure from the final trial, it was still something far beyond their capabilities.


    The ball of flame dissipated fully before it could reach Ma Xiulan or Song Yi.


    ¡°You all¡­¡± she looked at them with praise. ¡°You forced me to unseal my cultivation base. Congratulations. This can be considered your win.¡±


    She said as much, but Song Yi knew otherwise. He had felt it while restraining her. Had she wanted to, she could¡¯ve forced him to take the fireball. Of course, to do such a thing would severely injure, if not kill him. For his sake, she¡¯d conceded.


    ¡°The stronger you become, the fewer people like this you¡¯ll meet. Treasure them,¡± Emperor Wang said.


    With a deep bow towards Big Sis Xiulan, Song Yi walked over to where Su Bai was passed out, lifting her up in a piggyback.


    Taking out her scroll, Ma Xiulan wrote down some more things.


    After handing each disciple a scroll with their assignment information, Ma Xiulan spoke.


    ¡°Before dismissing you, there is one last important thing,¡± she said. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, those who fail to pass the entrance examination lose their memories of this place. This is to ensure secrecy. Of course, we can¡¯t do the same with sect members, who often have to leave the sect on missions.¡±


    ¡°We understand. None of us will speak a word,¡± Zhang Bo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, you won¡¯t.¡± Ma Xiulan took out five talismans with the word ¡°Seal¡± written on them. One by one, she placed them on the disciples foreheads. The moment they touched skin, they disappeared.


    ¡°These will prevent you from communicating about the sect to any mortals outside sect borders. Now you¡¯re dismissed.¡±


    After bowing, the newest members of the Blue Moon Sect took their leave.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Five hours later.


    Song Yi sat up against a wall, watching the dancing flames of the cabin¡¯s fireplace.


    It had been a long day. The long walk to the final trial, the final trial itself, the shock that happened afterwards, seeing the incredible sect for the first time, witnessing the strength of other novitiates and finally the aptitude testing.


    After it all, he¡¯d carried Su Bai to the place her scroll had designated, and placed her in her bed. The area she¡¯d been sent to was deep within the forest, in a small village of around two dozen cabins. The other three had all gone different directions, but Song Yi figured they were likely in similar areas.


    After bringing her, though, he remained in the room, despite the fact that his assignment was further away. He knew that in the state she was in, if something happened, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to wake up. This was still an unfamiliar environment, after all, and Song Yi was a cautious person.


    He was exhausted from the day¡¯s activities, but to keep alert, he meditated, trying to sense qi.


    This time, though, he couldn¡¯t see the world of colour that had appeared to him previously. When he asked Wang Anzhou about this, the monarch explained.


    ¡°When you tried to connect to the Qi today, I used my soul to help. My soul is severely weakened, but even so, it¡¯s more than capable of attracting lesser Qi.¡±


    Now Song Yi understood. But there was another issue that had been bugging him.


    ¡°Why did you seem surprised when I found the Qi earlier?¡±


    ¡°Even with my soul to attract the Qi, if you don¡¯t have enough talent, you¡¯d only be able to see the most basic Qi types ¡ª Red, Blue, White and Brown. If you had no talent, you might not even be able to see those.¡±


    ¡°So, basically, I¡¯m not so untalented after all?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, brat. You¡¯ve got a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t hear you over all this talent.¡±


    ¡°You want to be like that, rascal? Try me! See if I help you again!¡±


    Song Yi grinned mischievously, but soon became tranquil again, trying to sense Qi on his own.


    Now, when he closed his eyes and focused, he found himself in a vast expanse of gray. His form was incorporeal but, with some effort, he found he could still move. As for his senses, he only had one. It was like sight, and also like feeling. But at the same time, it was like neither. He couldn¡¯t quite understand it. In any case, it took some getting used to.


    This sense allowed him to search for Qi in this world of grey. Song Yi moved around for what felt like hours, encountering a few pockets of it along his journey. They weren¡¯t as vibrant as the colours from before, but they were like threads that stretched out from the ground.


    Most of these threads were of the four basic colours that Emperor Wang mentioned prior, though some had extra tints to them. Whenever he came across them, he added them to his collection. After accumulating what he felt was a good amount, he prepared to exit the meditative state.


    Right before he could, though, he came across a strange type of Qi. It was almost imperceptible. Rather than being like the threads he¡¯d seen before, this was like a wisp of smoke.


    As for its colour, it was pitch black.


    The monarch hadn¡¯t mentioned black Qi, but Song Yi didn¡¯t ask him about this one. In fact, he couldn¡¯t while he was in this realm.At the same time, to exitcould potentially lose him this chance, as well. Without hesitation, he reached out to graspthe essence.


    And with that, the connection was made.


    Now, finally satisfied, Song Yi snapped back to reality.


    ¡°How many threads did you find?¡± the monarch asked.


    ¡°A couple dozen.¡±


    ¡°Not bad, for the time you spent.¡± By now, Song Yi understood that the monarch saying ¡°not bad¡± actually meant he was pleased or impressed. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you more tomorrow. Get some rest now. Your friend should wake up soon.¡±


    Song Yi complied with the instructions, falling asleep on the floor almost instantly.


    In his dreams, he saw the grey world from when he tried to sense Qi. Surrounding him were bright motes of multi-coloured light that danced around, chattering with each other in some unknown language. They had no distinct features, only looking like glowing spheres.


    Song Yi was unable to interact with them or even move around. All he could do was watch the cute creatures bounce around in the air.


    Suddenly, a mote of pure black appeared from behind the group.


    The other sprites all made high pitched noises and ran away as the black ball slowly moved towards Song Yi. Soon, no other colours could be seen. They¡¯d all fled.


    The mote hovered right in front of Song Yi when it suddenly sprouted a long eye.


    ¡°A whelp like this made contact with me? Interesting.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Big Bro Yi! Big Bro Yi!¡±


    Song Yi was roused from the dream to find Su Bai crouched next to him.


    ¡°Jeez, you¡¯ve been asleep all day. You¡¯ve missed so much.¡±


    He sat up, realizing there was a blanket on top of him.


    ¡°Thanks, Bai¡¯er. I¡¯ll get going to my assignment now.¡±


    He stood up and turned to exit, only to be thrown off balance by another body slamming into his from behind.


    Su Bai had wrapped her arms around him.


    ¡°Our villages are far away, but come visit, okay?¡±


    Song Yi smiled, though she couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    When Song Yi finally made it to his own village, he saw a group of peopleorganized into spaced-out lines in the courtyard. They all stood at attention. In front of them was a disciple with a crescent moon on the back of his robe. The man looked incredibly bored.


    Just as Song Yi spotted him, Song Yi himself was spotted.


    ¡°You there! You¡¯re hours late. Since you have the audacity to be so late to this month¡¯s muster, you will be first to go.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s face paled.


    ¡°Senior, I-¡±


    ¡°No excuses. To the front, now!¡±


    Song Yi rushed over.


    ¡°Today I¡¯m looking at the strength of your Qi. You will fight against an opponent.¡± The instructor picked out another novitiate, a big fellow who snickered when chosen. ¡°There will be no kill strikes,¡± he said, eyeing the bulky novitiate, who barely acknowledged by craning his stubby neck.


    ¡°For you, latecomer¡­¡± Song Yi handed him his assignment scroll. ¡°Song Yi, let this serve as a lesson.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, the instructor began the match.


    The hulking teenager wasted no time in accumulating Qi in his fists, charging at Song Yi.


    ¡°Of course a gorilla like this would only be able to use basic earth essence Qi. How predictable. Still, you¡¯re in a forested area. Don¡¯t get hit brat.¡±


    Song Yi immediately activated the Blazing Desert Minor Art, using a spinning kick to send out his own Qi.


    When he did so, a wave of thin fire whizzed through the air towards the big man, who blocked it with his fists. Unfortunately, the man¡¯s Qi control was nowhere near as good as Song Yi¡¯s, and each of his hands suffered deep cuts. The wounds were immediately cauterized, but the skin around the afflicted area was also burned.


    ¡°Aaaaaaahhhh!¡± the man cried out in pain, falling to his knees and nursing his hands.


    Song Yi was shocked. He hadn¡¯t expected this single attack to have such an effect.He evenhad to awkwardly cancel another he¡¯d been about to send.


    Previously, when using the Blazing Desert Minor Art, the Qi had been almost invisible unless someone was watching closely, but this time there was aweak but visible flame along the edge.


    ¡°Looks like you picked up some fire essence Qi earlier. Well, I thought that might¡¯ve happened, but even I couldn¡¯t have known this big oaf was so weak," the monarch said.


    The other novitiate was on the floor crying. It was pathetic.


    Song Yi attempted to take things in stride, bowing to the instructor.


    ¡°Apologies, senior. I didn¡¯t expect that attack to be so dangerous.¡±


    The instructor glared at him.


    ¡°Get in line. As for you,¡± he said, prodding the other man with his foot, ¡°stop whimpering and go to the medical ward.¡±


    When Song Yi entered the line, some of the other novitiates looked at him with nervous glances, shying away. They had been cowed by his brutality.


    Song Yi was confused by this. On the way through the sect, he had seen much more dangerous people fighting much more viciously. Furthermore, the other four who he¡¯d passed the examination with were all scarier than him. Especially after seeing Zhang Bo¡¯s fight with Li Bolin, he had expectedbetter fromother novitiates. Even if some were weak, surely that instructor would''ve sent better to punish him.


    His confusion didn''t last for long, though.Once the rest of the simple checkup was complete, the group was dismissed. The moment that happened, a wiry looking boy walked up to Song Yi.


    ¡°Hey there,¡± he said. ¡°You just joined the sect, right?¡±


    Song Yi looked at him warily, but nodded.


    ¡°I can help you get oriented if you like!¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°What¡¯s in it for you?¡±


    The boy rubbed his hands together. ¡°How wise of you, so very wise. Senior Brother is truly astute to notice such a thing. I ask for only one thing, just a simple-¡±


    ¡°Cut to the point,¡± Song Yi said. He had seen fawning, rat-like people similar to this boy before. Often times they were retainers for rich, egocentric young masters. Perhaps they suited those vain scions, but Song Yi held no favour towards them.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± the boy kowtowed. ¡°It is protection I seek. Protection.¡±


    Was that all? Song Yi sighed.


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll accept your help.¡±


    With that, the boy showed Song Yi to his cabin and began to explain various things. From his nattering, Song Yi did find out some usefulinformation.


    The currency used in the Blue Moon Sect was not the standard coin used in the mortal world, but rather sect credits. There were many ways to obtain sect credits. They could be traded between disciples in exchange for services, goods or bets.


    Other than a 50 credit allowance given the first time a disciple joined the sect, the only way for newcurrency to enter the system was through sect-requested missions. These missions were important to the sect, and listings could be found in nearby Spires. The harder the mission, of course, the more credits were given as a reward.


    This was the first important point Song Yi learned. The second was that the sect was stratified into a hierarchy. This would be visible fromthe moon on one''s robe.


    At the top was the Sect Leader, whom Song Yi surmised to be the white-eyed man who¡¯d saved their lives after the final trial. His robe bore a blue moon.


    Beneath him were the twelve Sect Elders, each of whom ruled over a different land mass. On their backs were regular full moons.


    Under Sect Elders were the Zenith, a group of disciples that were the peak. There were 26 Zenith in total, a man and woman from each land mass. Any new disciple joining their ranks was a huge event within the sect. They wore gibbous moons.


    Finally, in order, were the Inner Sect, Outer Sect and Novitiates. Naturally, they had half, crescent and dark moons respectively.


    This was the second important thing he¡¯d learned. But there was one more.


    ¡°Everyone in this village has joined the sect within the last three months,¡± the boy said. ¡°They try to place new disciples in the same villages so that the power difference isn¡¯t too great. In this village, you¡¯re probably in the top five in terms of strength.¡±


    For the first time in Song Yi¡¯s life, he was at the top of the food chain. At least, in this isolated community that was the case.


    Growing impatient, Song Yi made to dismiss the boy. But before he did, he asked his name.


    ¡°Junior is named Chen Hu,¡± the boy said before taking his leave with a bow.


    Song Yi flopped down onto his bed. Even with the sleep he¡¯d gotten in Su Bai¡¯s cabin, the type of exhaustion he¡¯d experienced over the last two days was one that seeped into your bones. It wasn¡¯t so easy to get rid of.


    Before he could fall asleep, though, he asked the monarch about the black thread he¡¯d discovered the night prior, as well as the dream he had.


    ¡°This¡­¡± the monarch hesitated. ¡°Even I can¡¯t tell you much about the dream, I¡¯m afraid. In my time, we called them ¡®Keepers.¡¯ You¡¯ll find they appear occasionally when you make contact with Qi.I''ve always felt uneasy around them, so I wouldn''t recommend doing anything untoward."


    He gave Song Yi a moment to absorb the information.


    ¡°As for the black wisp of Qi, it¡¯s a shadow essence Qi thread. A weak one, based on your description, but still something you should utilize. Since you¡¯ve come this far, it seems I should explain some things.¡±


    ¡°Can it wait until the morning?¡±


    ¡°No. Now pay attention.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s sigh was ignored.


    ¡°Qi is the underlying force of life. When you see a forest, it is Qi that makes the trees grow. A desert storm could not happen without Qi. Even the act of childbirth has an underlying Qi.


    ¡°Then, a river flowing through a plain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a water essence Qi for that. But that Qi will be distinct from ocean waves, a waterfall, or even a similar river that is flowing through mountainous terrain. They are all water essence, but they have traces of other essences as well.¡±


    Song Yi felt this made sense, but there was something the old geezer hadn¡¯t mentioned yet.


    ¡°Before, when I was fighting that salamander, you mentioned that the obsidian axe stole ¡®Vital Qi¡¯ when I used it to kill those monsters. What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°So you do know how to pay attention! Yes, Vital Qi is different. Vital Qi is something unique to living beings, a wellspring of vitality that can be nourished or depleted. If you use too much, you die. Likewise, if you continue to nourish it, you can live forever. When you bleed or grow old, you lose Vital Qi. Back in my day, this was common knowledge, but for whatever reason, your sect has decided to keep this hidden from the mortals below these lands.¡±


    The monarch no longer sounded like the foul-mouthed old geezer he usually did. He had launched into full-on education mode. Even though Song Yi was still exhausted,he paid rapt attention to every word, his previous reticence gone.


    ¡°When you connect with a thread of Qi, you begin to form a link between yourself and it. By strengthening this link, you can bring out more power from that Qi¡¯s essence. You will also be stronger in areas where that Qi is denser. Furthermore, you can attune your Vital Qi to an essence you¡¯ve connected to, and use that in place of stored Qi of that essence.¡±


    ¡°Then, could I use Vital Qi to fill a cup with water?¡± Song Yi asked excitedly.


    ¡°Are you really an idiot, after all? What do you think we cultivators are, common street magicians?!¡± the monarch let out a pained sigh, forcing out his words. ¡°Yes, I suppose if you decided for some reckless, moronic reason to waste Vital Qi on something so paltry, you could earn a copper in your hat on the streets of some mortal city.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s face flushed in embarrassment. He¡¯d been thinking too narrow-mindedly. Emperor Wang continued.


    ¡°However, despite the fact that your Vital Qi can take on the properties of various essences, it is not essenceless itself. From birth, humans are constantly intaking Qi. From breathing, from touching things, from eating, even from feeling emotion. It all absorbs Qi. Therefore, you will have more affinity towards certain types of Qi than others. It is no coincidence that that little prince was so easily able to use Qi of a tier two essence ¡ª ice. If I had to bet, I¡¯d say that little empire of his is in a cold climate.¡±


    ¡°Tier-two essence?¡±


    ¡°Yes, essences are organized into tiers. The higher the tier, the rarer the essence, and usually the stronger.¡±


    ¡°What tier is shadow essence?¡± Song Yi was excited to the max by the myriad possibilities of Qi. But by now, his eyes were beginning todroop.


    The monarch hesitated for a moment beforesaying, ¡°It''s a third-tier essence. But don¡¯t get a big head, rascal! When I was your age I could sense even fourth-tier essences.¡± Seeing the state Song Yi was in, he relented. ¡°Alright kid, get some sleep.¡±


    Wang Anzhou didn¡¯t have to say anything to that effect, however, as Song Yi was already drifting off with thoughts of how amazing fourth-tier essence Qi must be.

 Once a Thief...

    When Song Yi woke up he, for the first time since entering the sect¡¯s grounds, didn¡¯t have a specific task ahead. From this moment on, he was free. Of course, he was still poor, but he already had some ideas about how to change that.


    Unfortunately, his ideas would have to be put on hold. Emperor Wang had other plans.


    ¡°Alright brat, it¡¯s time for you to start training.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s face turned glum. ¡°Training?¡±


    Had he become a free man just to spend his days in tired agony?


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? The sooner you get strong, the sooner I¡¯ll be gone and you can go back to doing whatever it is you do.¡±


    Song Yi did have to concede that point. After all this time, he still hated having someone else inside of him.


    ¡°Alright, fine. What do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°Good boy. First thing¡¯s first,one-thousand pushups.¡±


    Song Yi froze. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I know damn well you heard me. You can¡¯t NOT hear me!¡±


    The room turned silent.


    Five minutes later, ragged breathing could be heard.


    ¡°One hundred twenty three¡­¡±


    ¡°One hundred twenty four¡­¡±


    ¡°One hundred twenty five¡­¡±


    Why was he being subjected to this torture? How was this going to help him? He¡¯d seen plenty of people in his life before who were bulky and muscled, but Song Yi was confident that, right now, all of them would fall like ants to the current him. In fact, were he surrounded like he was before in Zhongtian, he would be able to escape without breaking a sweat.


    He¡¯d been reticent to train before, but had at least expected the task to involve something more surreal, like how he¡¯d earlier discovered Qi. But instead the old geezer insisted on this spartan torture.


    Sweat dripped from his face to the floor. Gritting his teeth he asked,


    ¡°Why are we doing this?¡±


    The monarch chuckled.


    ¡°The process of becoming stronger, we call it ¡®Cultivation.¡¯ In the same way one cultivates a sapling into a tall, strong tree, one must do the same with their body!¡±


    Song Yi nodded, still struggling to do push-ups.


    ¡°That makes sense and all, but isn¡¯t there something more, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°The most important thing when you begin is to establish a strong foundation. Without a suitably strong body, you will never be able to bring out the full potential of your Qi. Balance is essential. So for now, you temper your flesh.¡±


    Song Yi felt enlightened.


    With renewed motivation, he eventually finished the pushups and rolled onto his back, panting.


    ¡°Oh? You already knew what was coming next? Good job! 1000 sit-ups!¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s face lost all colour.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can-¡°


    ¡°You can. Haven¡¯t you realized it by now?¡± The old man shook his proverbial head in disappointment. Song Yi still hadn¡¯t figured out how he was able to convey that.


    ¡°Brat, use your Qi! You¡¯ve accumulated enough after yesterday. By exercising you can stimulate the Qi to strengthen your muscles, bones and skin. This is crucial. From now on, every movement you make, imbue it with Qi.¡±


    When Song Yi attempted to do as he said, the sit-ups suddenly became far easier.


    Of course, that meant he¡¯d just done 1000 push-ups the hard way for no reason.


    Resolving to get back at the monarch later, he continued his sit-ups. With every single one, he felt the Qi nourishing his body. It was exhilarating.


    Once he was in the 900s, however, he suddenly felt that he¡¯d run out of Qi. When he asked the monarch about this, he found out the explanation was simple.


    ¡°You only managed to contact a few threads of Qi the other night. It seems it wasn¡¯t enough for you to do any significant strengthening.¡±


    ¡°So I have to search for Qi for hours just to strengthen myself a little bit? Is there no better way?¡±


    ¡°There are no shortcuts to cultivation. It takes extensive time and effort.¡±


    Song Yi was dissatisfied with the answer, and Emperor Wang could tell.


    ¡°Fine, I suppose there¡¯s one way. If you can find an area that¡¯s dense with Qi, you¡¯d be able to absorb it without meditating.¡±


    ¡°Where could I find such a place?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re rare, so sects monopolize them. There¡¯s no way this sect wouldn¡¯t have any, but they certainly wouldn¡¯t give them to a nobody like you.¡±


    ¡°In other words, I need to obtain a higher position in the sect?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    With this new information, Song Yi devised a plan. He had found out from Chen Hu the other day that sect disciples could be promoted in a few ways.


    The first and most common way was to cultivate to the second realm. Song Yi hadn¡¯t asked what that meant, but given that his current predicament was how to cultivate faster, that clearly wasn¡¯t viable.


    The second was to be noticed by an inner sect disciple and be taken as a personal disciple. Song Yi thought about asking Big Sis Xiulan, but figured the other four, who were all far stronger than him, would¡¯ve come to the same conclusion. Having a personal disciple as well was a taxing responsibility. Most inner sect disciples wouldn¡¯t take one, and those who did only did so because they found someone exceptional.


    That left the third option. This was what Song Yi banked his chances on. This method was to pay sect credits to be promoted directly.


    Because it was a promotion regardless of one¡¯s actual strength or ability, those who used this method would often be seen in a poor light. Despite this, it was still an official promotion.


    As for how much was required, it was a large sum, but Song Yi had a few ideas about how to reach it.


    After discussing with the monarch, the old man agreed. After all, the sooner Song Yi became strong, the sooner he would be free.


    To enact this plan, Song Yi would first need to learn some more battle techniques. Since he had already contacted a third-tier essence, that would be the best place to start.


    With aching muscles, Song Yi left his cabin.


    The instant he did, he felt his fingers itching.


    After a cursory glance around the area, he discovered why. Near the edge of the woods, two female disciples were sparring. Their attacks were powerful and decisive. These two even had a small crowd watching. Song Yi guessed that they were probably Xu Fan and Luo Ai.


    As for who was who, he couldn¡¯t tell. The only reason he could guess their identities was because Chen Hu had mentioned that among the strongest members of the camp were two women by those names.


    What he did notice was that one of them had taken off an overcoat that would¡¯ve hindered her in the fight. The overcoat was folded neatly, and on top of it was a beautiful jade hairpin. It seemed she¡¯d worried about it getting in the way of the fight as well.


    Seeing the expensive item placed off to the side unsupervised, Song Yi hesitated. Eyeing the duel happening nearby, he saw the two completely focused on each other. If one were to become distracted, they would immediately lose. Similarly, none of the onlooking crowd were had an eye in his direction.


    Unable to restrain himself, he walked past it. When he did, he deftly kneeled down and palmed the item, walking away once more in a normal fashion.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Emperor Wang was stunned. To anyone who did happen to see Song Yi, it would¡¯ve looked as though he¡¯d simply stumbled for a moment before righting himself.


    Of all the things for this brat to be skilled at, and skilled at to a terrifying degree, it was stealing.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Emperor Wang choked on his words. ¡°How could you be so reprehensible?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Song Yi didn¡¯t care that the monarch could tell every little thing about him, he would stick to his guns ¡ª follow his creed: Deny! Deny! Deny!


    ¡°Return it this instant!¡±


    ¡°Return what?¡±


    ¡°Brat, you¡­ you...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not sure what you¡¯re referring to, Emperor Wang. Perhaps in your age you¡¯ve become prone to confusion?¡±


    ¡°You know perfectly well what I mean!¡±


    Song Yi sighed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t. You¡¯ll have to tell me.¡±


    ¡°You just stole the hairpin of your fellow sect member!¡± The monarch¡¯s loud voice bounced around Song Yi¡¯s head, paining him. He refused to show it though.


    ¡°Me? Why would I do that? What use do I have for a hairpin?¡±


    ¡°How should I know?¡± the old man screamed, completely out of patience.


    ¡°Calm down, grandpa.¡±


    That was the last straw.


    Suddenly, Song Yi fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He grasped his head in both hands. Again, the crown had popped up.


    The pain stopped in the exact same fashion it had arrived. Song Yi¡¯s expression turned foul, but he said nothing, for fear of further retribution. Fortunately, nobody had been around to see him collapse.


    After gathering himself once more, he continued to walk. Instead of heading straight for the library, Song Yi made his way to Su Bai¡¯s village. Not seeing his friend anywhere, he knocked on her door.


    No response.


    He picked the lock and entered, borrowing the materials on her desk to write a note.


    ¡°Bai¡¯er,


    I saw this and thought you might like it.


    Wishing you well,


    Song Yi.¡±


    Having never written before, his handwriting was shaky and childish. Because of this, he took his time and wrote deliberate strokes, as best he could.


    He left the note on Su Bai¡¯s bed, and took out the jade hairpin to place beside.


    ¡°There! That! That jade hairpin!¡± the monarch cried in vindication.


    Song Yi had an innocent expression on his face. ¡°What, this? I found it earlier today.¡±


    ¡°Fou- found it?!¡±


    The monarch wanted to cry. How had someone as just and upright as him ended up in the body of this brute, this ruffian? The injustice was enough to madden any man.


    Song Yi chuckled as he exited the village. With no more thoughts in his head about how the monarch had punished him, he made his way to the spire.


    When Song Yi had first entered the Blue Moon Sect, he¡¯d been nothing but trash on the street, penniless and ignored. He was at the bottom rung of society. But only a short time later, he had become far stronger and far more mature than his previous self. Now he was qualified to look down on those who had once looked down on him.


    But here he was once more, at the bottom rung of a new, much more terrifying, society. Speaking relatively, it was as though nothing had changed.


    He walked through the Spire until he came across an open bookstore.


    When he entered, he saw a large group of female disciples chittering amongst themselves in one corner of the space. There was no one manning the front desk.


    Since Song Yi didn¡¯t know his way around the store, he decided to walk over and see if he could get directions. As he got closer, he saw that in the middle of the group was a young man. His features were handsome, with high cheekbones and clear skin. He had long silky black hair that flowed unrestrained down to his waist. He was the most beautiful man Song Yi had ever laid eyes on.


    And not only that, but the back of his robe sported a gibbous moon.


    Now things made sense.


    This was one of the Zenith, one of the twenty-six figures at the peak of the Blue Moon Sect¡¯s younger generation. The surrounding group of girls hung on his every word. Most of them weren¡¯t even store attendants, but were still offering to show him around to anything he needed.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Song Yi said, trying to grab one attendant¡¯s attention.


    He wasn¡¯t even noticed.


    He tried again, but louder so as to rise above the din of excited women. ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    This time, he was loud enough to be heard, and a girl turned to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Song Yi was paralyzed by her bitter gaze. Inside his mind, the monarch was laughing raucously, enjoying every second after what Song Yi had pulled earlier.


    Clearing his throat, he asked, ¡°Do you know where I can find a book on shadow-essence arts?¡±


    The girl looked at him with a bored expression. ¡°Right over ther-¡±


    ¡°Hold it for a moment!¡±


    The Zenith member, whom Song Yi had heard called ¡®Lord Yang,¡¯ interrupted.


    ¡°Junior brother, you¡¯re new to the sect, right? It¡¯s far too early for you to attempt a third-tier essence. Come, try these instead.¡± The man smiled genuinely as he motioned Song Yi over to another section of the store.


    Suddenly, all the girls stared venomously at Song Yi. Jealous flames danced in their pupils.


    ¡°Why does he get noticed by Lord Yang?¡±


    ¡°Right? Isn¡¯t he just some novitiate?¡±


    Their muttering did not fall on deaf ears. In fact, they didn¡¯t bother to conceal it from Song Yi.


    To begin with, Song Yi wasn¡¯t prideful. Yet this treatment still wounded him on a fundamental level. Still, what could he do?


    Tail between his legs, he followed Lord Yang.


    The man took him to a shelf where a variety of simple looking books could be seen.


    ¡°This is the beginner¡¯s section. I don¡¯t know what essences you have an affinity for, but you should probably be safe with any of the basic four ¡ª fire, water, air or earth.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s eye twitched. Zenith or not, just how patronizing could this fellow be?


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    The man laughed.


    ¡°I understand, it can be hard to choose,¡± he said, placing a delicate and perfect hand on Song Yi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Here, how about I help you decide?¡±


    Lord Yang held his chin in a contemplative manner, as if he were thinking about which books would be best for this new disciple he¡¯d taken an interest in.


    At the same time, Song Yi suddenly heard a new voice in his head.


    ¡°The shadow essence books are to your right. Which did you want? I¡¯ll grab them for you.¡±


    Song Yi was bewildered. It sounded exactly like when the monarch spoke to him.


    ¡°How are you-¡±


    ¡°Soul transmission. Don¡¯t worry about it, just follow my lead. Tell me which books.¡±


    Song Yi told him the titles of three that caught his eye.


    Out loud once more, Lord Yang deliberately said, ¡°This earth technique should be easy for you to pick up.¡± He took a book titled ¡®Grounded Steps Minor Art¡¯ off the shelf, handing it to Song Yi.


    Song Yi¡¯s eye twitched once more. What a lame name! Still, he played along.


    ¡°Junior thanks Lord Yang for your magnanimity,¡± he said, bowing.


    The other man laughed. ¡°It¡¯s no problem, no problem at all. As for me, I¡¯ll take these three books.¡±


    He picked up the books Song Yi had pointed out.


    As they were too focused on Lord Yang himself, none of the dreamy-eyed girls made the connection.


    ¡°Ladies, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to part here. You see, this fledgling doesn¡¯t know the difference between the heavens and earth yet. He clearly needs my guidance. My heart reaches out to him, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Teach me instead!¡±


    He cut them off, still wearing his charming smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision. Perhaps another day.¡±


    With that, he yanked on Song Yi¡¯s arm and pulled him out of the shop. Controlling a flying sword to pick up Song Yi, he flew through the air at full speed to a storage space far from the bookstore.


    The space was large, decorated in a way befitting of a Zenith disciple. Within it were training dummies, a weapons rack and a desk that held assorted pills and cultivation resources. Lord Yang had opened it by unraveling a seal with Qi, so obviously there were no other disciples within.


    When Song Yi saw the pills laying out in the open, his eyes lingered on them for a moment. The monarch noticed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it you imp!¡±


    Before Song Yi could protest his innocence, Lord Yang interjected.


    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, eh?¡± The man¡¯s parlance and the way he held himself were completely different from before, the pretty-boy exterior gone as though it had never existed. Song Yi was stunned momentarily.


    ¡°You alright there?¡± the man asked, seeing the sudden confused look.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh right, your books.¡±


    Song Yi received the three techniques he¡¯d asked for.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I forgot to disguise myself today, and didn¡¯t notice until it was too late. Before I knew it, I was surrounded. When you came in, I¡¯d been looking for a way to escape for a while. Thanks for saving me.¡±


    Song Yi chuckled at that. It seemed being too noticeable had its own downsides.


    ¡°By the way, are you sure about learning that? Shadow essence arts are hard without good Qi control y¡¯know. Especially that major one you got there.¡±


    With a confident smirk, Song Yi bowed.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Senior, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Another thought occurred to him mid-sentence. ¡°By the way, how much do these cost?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Not much, maybe 20,000 sect credits.¡±


    Not much? Not much to who?! That was a fortune!


    Song Yi¡¯s vision went black. While he tried to control his heart rate after hearing that frightening figure, the other man continued.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, guys like you are pretty cool. Whenever I go out without a disguise, people just won¡¯t leave me alone. I guess it¡¯s cause of the whole Zenith thing.¡±


    ¡°Did it ever happen to you before you joined the Zenith?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That was hundreds of years ago, it¡¯s kinda hard to remember¡­¡± He paused to think. ¡°Actually, come to think of it, yeah, it¡¯s been like this for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because of your looks, then?¡± Song Yi thought, but didn¡¯t say out loud. This earned a snort from the monarch.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t keep you, senior. I¡¯ll head back to my village now.¡±


    Song Yi turned in a hurry to leave, but was interrupted.


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Lord Yang said.


    Song Yi turned around to see a glass bottle flying through the air. He deftly caught it.


    ¡°This is my way of saying thanks. If you¡¯re learning shadow techniques, it should help.¡±


    Looking at what was in his hand, Song Yi saw a pill with pitch-black coating.


    He bowed sincerely to Lord Yang, feeling bad for having initially misjudged him. For the man to get him the books was already more than enough thanks. Add this pill to that, and it became a favour that Song Yi would not soon be able to pay.


    ¡°I will remember this kindness.¡±

 Li Bolin Returns

    Song Yi sat in his cottage staring at the pill bottle in his hand. According to the monarch, the pill that Lord Yang had given him would give him enough Qi to study all three techniques he¡¯d acquired. While none of them were optimized with pure shadow essence Qi, that wasn¡¯t a big problem. If he managed to acquire the optimal essence, however, the arts would all become stronger by many times.


    This was part of the reason why Song Yi¡¯s Blazing Desert Minor Art was as powerful as it was ¡ª the type of fire essence Qi he¡¯d acquired, courtesy of the monarch¡¯s soul, was perfectly suited to the art. That, combined with his affinity for Qi control, brought him up to speed at a ridiculous pace. Even with that, though, he couldn¡¯t be considered as powerful as the other four.


    With thoughts of catching up in mind, he set about to studying his new techniques.


    After only five minutes of reading, though, he felt dizzy.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Emperor Wang?¡±


    The monarch noticed his use of proper address.


    ¡°What do you want this time?¡±


    ¡°What does this mean?¡± Song Yi asked, pointing to a thick wall of text within the book.


    ¡®If Qi is sacrosanct, the dao of twilight is apostasy. One¡¯s body is the vessel, pure and unctuous. Therefore I shall say thrice: Taint the form! Seep the streams with tenebrous profanity! Shatter the shackles of integrity! For these are no friend to you. They remain a fetter binding you to the past, to weakness. Your dao shall be that of severance!¡¯


    ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t read again?¡±


    ¡°No. I can understand the words, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t even read a book? What good are you?!¡±


    Song Yi hung his head in shame and the monarch sighed.


    ¡°Okay kid, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    The monarch glanced at the part that Song Yi had mentioned.


    ¡°This drivel can be ignored.¡±


    ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°It wants you to corrupt your body with shadow essence Qi. It says that only by following this dao can you achieve freedom. Presumably it means freedom from emotional ties, which it considers to be weakness.¡±


    Song Yi mulled over what the monarch said for a moment, but the man continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s rubbish for two reasons. Look at the part ahead. It claims that as long as cultivators have been present to observe, there has been shadow. Shadow is omnipresent, and is your path to independence.¡±


    ¡°But shadow can¡¯t exist without light.¡± Song Yi reached the crux of the matter on his own.


    ¡°There¡¯s hope for you yet! Precisely. How can a dependant essence allow you to achieve a dao of independence? That brings us to the second point ¡ª the dao. Your dao, your path, can be none other than your own. If you follow the dao of another, you will never be able to surpass them.¡±


    Song Yi didn¡¯t quite understand, but he felt he got the gist of it.


    ¡°Old Wang, what¡¯s your dao?¡±


    The monarch went silent. Song Yi was just about to stop waiting before he spoke again.


    ¡°My dao is that of protection. Even in death, I will protect my people¡¯s descendents.¡±


    Song Yi could sense the profound grief in the old man¡¯s tone, and chose not to ask any further. There was still much that he did not know about the man living within him.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    After things were back to normal, the duo continued to scan through the books and read the techniques within.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Five days later, far away in another corner of the ninth land mass, there was a large temple. Inside the temple were dozens of benches on either side of a long aisle. These benches were crowded with sect members.


    Confident footsteps rang out through through the space.


    ¡°Who does he think he is?¡±


    ¡°Becoming an Outer Sect Disciple in only two weeks, what is Elder Sister Wu thinking?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s kinda handsome though¡­¡± one girl said.


    A boy near her scowled. ¡°Hey, what are you saying? He¡¯s just an upstart!¡±


    The footsteps stopped.


    The one who¡¯d been walking was none other than former prince Zhang Bo. In front of him stood Ninth Elder Mo Yijun with a beautiful girl. This girl looked younger than Zhang Bo. If she were in a mortal city, Zhang Bo would guess she her age at fifteen. As for her actual age, it was impossible to tell. Her name was Wu Anhai, and she was the ninth land mass¡¯ female Zenith disciple.


    When an inner sect disciple or higher took in their own protege, there would be a ceremony. Usually, such ceremonies were small, attended by few. But when one of the Zenith took in a personal disciple, it drew a crowd. Even more so when that personal disciple had only just joined the sect.


    The ceremony was actually of two parts ¡ª two kowtows to one¡¯s master. The first begun the process, while the final finished it. The two events would be separated by three months.


    This period also served as a trial period in which the senior could decide for sure if they wished to take on the disciple full time.


    Facing his new master, Zhang Bo ignored the gossip directed his way. According to formality, Elder Mo spoke to the crowd.


    ¡°Are there any here who would object to Novitiate Zhang Bo becoming the disciple of Zenith Wu Anhai?¡±


    If someone were to object, they would enter into combat with Zhang Bo. The only restriction was that both parties had to hold the same rank within the sect.


    There was no rule regarding the outcome of the fight. Even if Zhang Bo were to lose, nothing stated that he forfeited his opportunity to become Wu Anhai¡¯s disciple. Despite this, the loss of face incurred from defeat was more often than not enough to nullify the ceremony. In some cases, the master would take the victor on as their disciple instead.


    ¡°I object.¡±


    Heads turned to see a bulky novitiate standing up, his body barely able to fit between his bench and the one in front.


    ¡°Li Bolin,¡± Zhang Bo smiled. ¡°I had hoped you would be here.¡±


    ¡°I beat ya good last time lil prince. It¡¯ll be the same this time.¡± The brute licked his lips as he shot a salacious glance at Wu Anhai. She glared back distastefully.


    A dueling platform was already prepared outside, and the disciples shuffled out of the temple to watch.


    Both men stood diametrically opposed, smiling.


    ¡°Not gonna bring yer spear this time?¡± the big man jeered.


    In response, Zhang Bo raised three fingers.


    ¡°Three moves?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I will end this in three moves.¡±


    Li Bolin guffawed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve trained here fer two years. Ya think a week is long enough ta get stronger than me?¡±


    The signal to begin was given.


    He barrelled towards Zhang Bo exactly how he had in their first fight. When he reached him, he attempted a grab.


    A loud and crisp SLAP rang out; Li Bolin lost his footing, sent reeling.


    Zhang Bo¡¯s strike had been so fast that Li Bolin had barely been able to see it. But what made him truly angry was that his opponent had used an open handed slap ¡ª a provocation.


    ¡°One.¡±


    The provocation worked.


    Like a mad bull, Li Bolin condensed Qi into his palms and slammed them into the ground.


    Zhang Bo didn¡¯t dodge away from the murky ground like he had last time. He didn¡¯t get stuck in it either.


    Assuming that he was stuck, Li Bolin charged headfirst once more.


    He was stunned again when a kick from Zhang Bo struck him in his jaw, sending him sprawling into his own murk, stuck.


    Zhang Bo had used the same trick that Big Sis Ma Xiulan had. His feet levitated an inch above the ground, propelled by air essence Qi. So far, Zhang Bo hadn¡¯t used a single art in the fight.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    Li Bolin remained stuck in the ground with a look of terror on his face.


    ¡°Shall I show you my own art?¡±


    Ice grew on Zhang Bo¡¯s arm until the entire limb was covered. He knelt down.


    At that moment, Li Bolin¡¯s terrified face turned to one of triumph.


    ¡°Muddy grave!¡± he shouted gleefully.


    Suddenly, the mud on all sides of Zhang Bo rose up like waves, crashing down on him.

 An Unfortunate Oversight

    The crowd could no longer see Zhang Bo, and some began to worry. This was Li Bolin¡¯s killing move and, angered as he was, they weren¡¯t sure he¡¯d hold back.


    Li Bolin was actually well known among novitiates in the Blue Moon Sect. Big though he was, he was surprisingly fast of both body and mind. Some claimed that he was already at the outer sect level, but was suppressing himself because he enjoyed being the strongest too much.


    The crowd had been surprised when Zhang Bo held the initiative at first, but now it seemed that it was over.


    ¡°I told ya, I did! ¡®Round these parts, yer nothin!¡± Li Bolin was practically squealing with glee.


    The mud was about to crash down when¡­


    ¡°Flash Freeze.¡±


    The entire dueling platform froze over, including the mud that had been about to bury Zhang Bo.


    With a punch, the mud dome shattered, crashing down around an unharmed Zhang Bo.


    ¡°In a fight between cultivators, Qi is everything. Before I knew how to use Qi, you could win. But from the moment I learned, a weakling like you never stood a chance. Li Bolin ¡ª from now on, I will no longer remember that name.¡±


    Zhang Bo walked over and put a sandaled foot on the big man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Are there any others who would challenge me?¡±


    His long black hair blew in the wind. There was not a single scrape or mar on his skin. For the first time, many of the female disciples in the crowd realized¡­ He was incredibly handsome.


    At the same time, the male disciples began to feel stifled.


    He joined the sect through one of the Ninth Elder¡¯s hellish examinations.


    In a week, he became strong enough to fight against a novitiate gatekeeper and win without a scratch.


    And, most importantly, he was about to become the sole disciple of one of the Zenith.


    All of those present realized that this youth would be a new shining star within the Blue Moon Sect.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    ¡°Kid, stop.¡±


    Song Yi stood in a small forest clearing near his village. His legs were shaking and his entire body was dirty.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± he said.


    ¡°If you go any further you¡¯re going to start expending too much Vital Qi. This is your limit. Eat the pill.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost there!¡±


    The monarch sighed. This boy was too stubborn. For days he had refused to take the pill that Lord Yang had given him, insisting on learning the art on his own. He would stay up at night meditating to acquire more shadow essence and then train all day. In the meantime, he¡¯d still been doing his physical training.


    ¡°Being steadfast is good. But if you push too hard, you¡¯ll only harm yourself in the long run. Knowing when to back down is a part of wisdom.¡±


    ¡°One more time.¡±


    With another sigh, Emperor Wang relented.


    Song Yi clasped his hands to make a hand sign, trying to control the Qi that streamed through his body.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Releasing it all in a single burst, the lower half of his body suddenly turned into black smoke that swirled in the breeze.


    The effect only lasted for a moment before it went back to normal.


    Song Yi¡¯s breath was ragged as he spoke.


    ¡°I have enough control, but not enough Qi.¡±


    ¡°So take the pill.¡±


    ¡°It can only be used once, and I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t be able to afford another any time soon. Isn¡¯t there another way I can get enough Qi?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, the only way to attract more Qi is to strengthen your soul. With increased soul pressure, the Qi will come running to you. Right now, you have yet to reach even the first gate. It¡¯s a miracle that you¡¯ve managed to accumulate as much shadow essence as you have.¡±


    Feeling bitter, Song Yi held the jet-black pill in his hand.


    ¡°This is the only way?¡± he asked one last time.


    ¡°For our current purposes? Yes.¡±


    Without hesitating any further he popped the pill into his mouth.


    The moment it dissolved, he felt raw power course through his body. Every muscle, bone and nerve ending was on fire. This strength wasn¡¯t the same as that of the obsidian axe. This power would last until he expended it. All his fatigue from the last few days was gone, the Qi naturally nourishing his body.


    ¡°This¡­ I feel so strong!¡±


    Was this the kind of resource that higher ranked disciples enjoyed?


    ¡°Try to execute the art once more.¡±


    Song Yi made the hand sign again. Now, when he went to circulate his qi, rather than a stream it was like an unstoppable flood.


    With this much Qi, Song Yi struggled to control it. It seemed that, as one became stronger, they would also need better Qi control.


    When he felt like he was prepared, he released the art.


    The thirty meter wide clearing filled with thick black fog.


    This fog was Song Yi¡¯s body.


    He was able to move freely around in it at a ridiculous speed, materializing wherever he liked.


    If Song Yi had been able to do this back when he fought the salamander, he would¡¯ve had no trouble whatsoever.


    What was more, he could tell that, in his current state, he could maintain this art for hours.


    Be that as it may, Song Yi still decided to cancel it as soon as possible. The amount of Qi it ate up was frightening, and his supply was limited.


    On his own, it might¡¯ve taken him a month to collect enough Qi just to execute it for half a minute. Not to mention that the ridiculous excess of Qi helped him to learn at a rapid pace. He resolved to thank Lord Yang for this later.


    This was the Twilight Shroud Minor Art.


    Song Yi still had plenty of Qi within him, and there were two more arts to learn:


    The Dark Phantom Minor Art, and the Silhouette Severing Major Art.


    The Dark Phantom Minor Art was an art that would allow one to create an identical image of themselves. At a consummate level, a cultivator would be connected by Qi to the phantom, and could control it to talk.


    They would also be able to see, hear and smell what the phantom could. Unlike a real clone, however, the phantom was incapable of fighting. Fortunately, this also meant that if the phantom were killed, it would not injure the cultivator either.


    As for the Silhouette Severing Major Art, it was truly terrifying.


    Any who were engaged in battle with a cultivator who¡¯d mastered the Silhouette Severing Major Art would have to be careful not only with their true body, but with their shadow.


    The art made it so that the target¡¯s body would be tied to their shadow such that damage to one caused damage to the other. The drawback was that a large target would have a larger shadow, and thus the user of the art would have to expend more Qi.


    What qualified this as a major art was that, if this art were fully mastered, it could be used to tie multiple opponents to each-other. No group of cultivators would ever want to face off against a Silhouette Severing master.


    This was what Song Yi had learned from Emperor Wang over the past few days.


    He smiled as he looked at the sun setting behind the mountains. His heart was filled with excitement at the thought of learning the new arts. It had only been a short time, but his stay in the Blue Moon Sect had filled him with a sense of belonging.


    The trees were shaking.


    Out in the distance, a flock of birds took to the sky in a panic.


    Seeing that the disturbance was in the direction of Su Bai¡¯s village, Song Yi jogged in that direction to check out what was going on.


    The first thing he noticed upon arriving was the large crowd that was gathered around. Clearly, others like him had noticed and wandered over. All of those present seemed to be novitiates.


    The second thing he noticed was the reason for the shaking.


    In the middle of the crowd, two girls were exchanging brutal blows, holding nothing back.


    His face drained of colour when he saw who they were:


    The girl from his village and Su Bai.

 The Meaning of Strength

    With the exception of her gloves, Su Bai was using every trick she had to stay in this fight.


    She had no idea why, but when she had returned from training, this girl had been waiting outside of her cottage. The moment she caught sight of Su Bai, she¡¯d attacked ruthlessly.


    Su Bai had been able to defend in the beginning, and managed to stay in the fight for the last ten minutes, but the difference in their abilities was beginning to show.


    Fighting was not forbidden between sect disciples. Just the opposite, it was encouraged. Killing, however, was taboo.


    As such, the other girl hadn¡¯t used any killing techniques, which was why Su Bai was still fighting.


    But she was slowly being suppressed nonetheless.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°You stole from me without knowing who I am? I am Luo Ai, and after today nobody will dare steal from me again!¡±


    ¡°Steal from you, what are you talki-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, you cow!¡±


    Su Bai still didn¡¯t understand why this Luo Ai had attacked her. But what she would not stand for was being insulted in front of this many people.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± she shouted as she made a triangle with her hands. ¡°First form ¡ª Salamander¡¯s Breath!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Su Bai halted immediately. She knew that voice.


    ¡°Big Bro Yi?¡±


    Sure enough, Song Yi stood on the ground, his hair messy and body covered in filth.


    ¡°Luo Ai, she¡¯s not the one who stole from you.¡±


    Luo Ai glared at him. ¡°Then who?¡±


    ¡°It was me.¡±


    Those words rang through the camp, stunning all the onlookers, Luo Ai and even Su Bai.


    In Song Yi¡¯s head, the monarch gave a smug chuckle.


    Song Yi sighed. How could he have expected that, with hundreds of thousands of people living on the ninth land mass, Luo Ai would find Su Bai so fast.


    Absentmindedly patting his holding sack, Song Yi thought that perhaps this wasn¡¯t a disaster after all.


    At that moment, Song Yi received a scathing glare from Su Bai.


    Okay, it was a disaster.


    Su Bai immediately took the hairpin out of her hair and handed it to Luo Ai, who accepted graciously.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I misjudged you,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It seems we both misjudged people,¡± Su Bai replied.


    When she had first discovered the gift on her bed, it had brought a smile to her face. Over the last few days she¡¯d come to treasure it. But now, when she looked at it, she only felt nauseous. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Song Yi withered under her gaze.


    Emperor Wang snickered. ¡°Someone¡¯s in the doghouse. Look on the bright side kid. Now you¡¯ll have less things to distract you from your training.¡±


    ¡°Not right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, to be young again!¡± the monarch cried, ignoring the sound of Song Yi¡¯s teeth grinding.


    ¡°Bai¡¯er, I-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± Su Bai interrupted. Giving him one last glare, she turned and stormed off.


    ¡°She may be willing to walk away, but I am not!¡± Luo Ai said.


    She rushed at Song Yi with even more fury than she had in her fight with Su Bai.


    Panic was written all over Song Yi¡¯s face as he stumbled backwards, off balance. It would be a disgrace if Luo Ai didn¡¯t take advantage of that giant opening.


    She broke through Song Yi¡¯s guard like water through a broken dam. Two swift kicks were delivered ¡ª one to his abdomen, one to his face.


    The crowd could hear the cracking sounds from both strikes connecting full on.


    Song Yi, sprawled out on the ground, groaned in pain. But his punishment wasn¡¯t over yet. Luo Ai stood over him, her bloodlust unabated.


    ¡°Do you know what we do to thieves in my country?¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s eyes widened with terror as he vigorously shook his head.


    The girl leaned in close, not stopping until her face was inches from his.


    A sickly sweet smile appeared on her face. ¡°We cut off their hands.¡±


    In the distance, Su Bai sat on a tree branch watching what was happening.


    Her stomach felt like it was tied into knots. ¡°Big Bro Yi¡­¡±


    She was angry at him, but that didn¡¯t mean she wanted this to happen.


    The crowd cheered on Luo Ai.


    ¡°Slice him up good!¡±


    ¡°The dirty rat deserves no better!¡±


    Luo Ai pulled out an ornate dagger that glowed with a white light. It was clearly extraordinary. She held it up theatrically for the crowd to see. Their cheering reached a fever pitch.


    ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± Su Bai finally cried, but her pleading was drowned out by the sound of the mob.


    Luo Ai thrust the dagger down towards Song Yi¡¯s wrist.


    CRACK!


    That was not the sound of flesh being pierced. The crowd went silent, wondering what was happening but unable to see beyond the dirt that had been stirred up by the stunning impact.


    It was only a few moments before the dust cleared up, and the pair could be seen once more.


    Song Yi had Luo Ai pinned face-down on the ground. Her squirming did nothing to loosen his grip.


    When Su Bai saw this, she sighed with a mix of relief and exasperation. Her anger had calmed down slightly, but she still turned to leave now that the situation was settled.


    ¡°How?¡± Luo Ai asked bitterly.


    Song Yi kept one arm between her shoulder blades, holding her in place. With the other, he took off his robe above the waist.


    A collective gasp could be heard from the crowd.


    Song Yi¡¯s chest and arms were covered in large black scales.


    ¡°I can not abide this!¡± a voice came from the crowd. Emerging from the crowd, a face was put to the voice.


    It was a young man who looked to be around the same age as Song Yi. He had sharp handsome features and wore his robe impeccably. He looked like the polar opposite of the grimy Song Yi.


    ¡°You are?¡± Song Yi asked.


    ¡°I am Gao Hung. Release Elder Sister Ai this instant!¡±


    ¡°With these shadowmander scales, you think you¡¯re a match for me?¡±


    Gao Hung hesitated for a moment. The shadowmander scales did, in fact, worry him. However, when he thought of how easily Luo Ai had handled the grubby runt before she was caught off guard, he relaxed.


    ¡°Do not worry, elder sister, I will dispatch with this foul trickster posthaste.¡±


    Song Yi was trying to stifle his laughter.


    ¡°Who does this nobody think he is?¡± The sound of Emperor Wang¡¯s laughing almost made it hard for Song Yi to focus.


    Still, he acted out a calm exterior.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡±


    Gao Hung was already pushed past the limit of his tolerance, and he drew a two-handed greatsword from a holster on his back. With a battle-cry, he slashed down towards Song Yi¡¯s head.


    Song Yi¡¯s arm blurred as he deflected the blow. The greatsword shattered from the impact.


    ¡°So weak!¡± he snickered.


    So this was what it meant to have strength.


    This was what it meant to be able to look down on others.


    Song Yi enjoyed the horrified look on Gao Hung¡¯s face.


    ¡°B-but¡­ I¡¯m special! How could I lose to an insubstantial cockroach like you? You- you must be cheating!¡± the boy sputtered in disbelief.

 Prisoner has Escaped!

    In a sense, he was right. Song Yi was cheating, but not how Gao Hung thought.


    That was because the ¡®shadowmander¡¯ scales in question were completely fake. Days ago, when Song Yi had begun to study the Twilight Shroud Minor Art, he¡¯d painted the regular salamander scales black. He hadn¡¯t expected that they would become useful so soon.


    Beneath either of the two blows he¡¯d blocked, those scales would¡¯ve shattered without a doubt. The trick was in clever application of the Twilight Shroud. By applying it to only parts of his body and the immediate items he had on his person, he was able to shift none other than his obsidian axe to block the blow instead.


    There was such a thing as a shadowmander. Song Yi had learned this from Old Man Wang. Shadowmanders were shadow-essence salamanders, and were considered incredibly dangerous to even early-stage cultivators. In all aspects, they were of a completely different class than regular salamanders.


    Gao Hung was a stroke of good fortune for him though. With this convincing mook, Song Yi was able to pull off his con perfectly.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time to gloat. He had another more important matter to take care of.


    ¡°If fellow brothers and sisters don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll be leaving now. Don¡¯t bother to follow me.¡± Song Yi released Luo Ai and turned to leave.


    Neither she nor Gao Hung made a move to attack him. They were both in awe of the powerful ¡®shadowmander scales¡¯ that had turned a mouse into a dragon.


    The crowd parted to allow Song Yi exit. While many of them looked upon him unfavorably for his actions, they didn¡¯t hold any personal grudge with him.


    Just as he exited the encirclement, another person called out.


    ¡°Brother, please wait a moment!¡±


    Song Yi broke into a wide grin. But when he turned around, his face was expressionless.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I am interested in buying one of these shadowmander scales. I will offer 500 sect credits for it.¡±


    Song Yi frowned, to which the man replied, ¡°1000! I¡¯ll give you 1000.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ These were quite hard for me to obtain.¡± Inside, Song Yi was actually happy with this price. He had been worried that even after this showing he would have to convince people to buy them.


    ¡°2000. Brother, I truly can not go higher than this.¡±


    Song Yi was just about to accept the deal when a woman interrupted.


    ¡°I will offer 3000 sect credits per scale.¡±


    ¡°4000!¡± Another disciple shouted.


    Song Yi was cheering inwardly. Only in his wildest dreams did he allow himself to imagine a bidding war starting.


    ¡°4500! Who dares to outbid me on this?¡±


    ¡°I dare! 6000!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 10,000 each, and I¡¯ll take half a dozen.¡±


    This bid silenced the crowd. A young girl stepped out. She wore dozens of shiny accessories on her wrists and around her neck. By what good fortune, Song Yi didn¡¯t know, but she had clearly gained herself a large sum of wealth within the sect.


    Song Yi¡¯s face twitched. He had to physically restrain himself from palming at least one of her bracelets as he handed her six of his scales.


    He ended up selling the other half of his scales at between 5000-6000 sect credits each. He now had almost 100,000 sect credits. He was rich!


    With a smile on his face, he bowed to the crowd and at last took his leave in the same direction Su Bai had gone.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Not even five minutes later, one of the lucky disciples who had managed to acquire a scale noticed something odd.


    ¡°Hey, do shadowmanders have red spots?¡± he asked.


    A nearby disciple frowned. ¡°Let me see that for a second?¡±


    The scale was handed over, and the disciple rubbed the scale with his sleeve. Dozens of other disciples were crowded around, when...


    ¡°Shameless!¡±


    ¡°Despicable!¡±


    ¡°How could someone act like this? A thief and con man in the sect? Unbelievable!¡±


    The outrage began to spread through the novitiates in this region of the ninth land mass. They hadn¡¯t had a personal grudge with him before, but now they absolutely did.


    Before long, there would be a new black name in the community: Song Yi.


    ----------


    ¡°Kid, I¡¯m proud of you. You did well today.¡±


    Song Yi was taken aback. ¡°You¡¯re not going to say that what I did was immoral?¡±


    ¡°Immoral? It¡¯s the fault of those naive fools for not checking the wares!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just steal their money?¡±


    ¡°Mercantilism is different from thievery. Very different.¡±


    Song Yi didn¡¯t understand, but this issue wasn¡¯t high on his priority list at the moment. There was something else that weighed far heavier on his mind.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he left the forest and entered the mountains. He was starting to wonder if Su Bai had really continued to go this way when he heard a rumbling sound.


    It didn¡¯t take much investigation to find the source.


    In a wooded valley, Su Bai was practicing her Thunderclap Palm technique. In the short time since she¡¯d left the village, many a poor tree had received a beating. The smaller ones were all felled, while the larger were riddled with holes.


    Song Yi approached her, making no effort to conceal his presence.


    ¡°Big Bro Yi, you had the courage to come after me? See if I don¡¯t beat you up right now!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re angry.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m angry! How could you do something like that? I almost got beat up because of you!¡±


    He looked at his feet, uncomfortable.


    ¡°You knew I was a thief.¡±


    A dirty glare shut him up.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything, do you?¡± she turned away so he couldn¡¯t see her face. ¡°Not only that, you almost got your hands cut off! Are you stupid? What were you thinking?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand anything. But how could I?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Song Yi clenched his fists. He¡¯d known that he had to apologize, but never could¡¯ve expected how difficult it would be.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bai¡¯er. I¡¯ll buy you something with my own-¡±


    SMASH!


    The tree in front of Su Bai was blown into pieces.


    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    She stormed away back in the direction of her village.


    Song Yi was left dazed in the middle of the abused grove. He didn¡¯t chase her again. After all, by now he figured the jig would be up, and there¡¯d be a horde of novitiates out for blood.


    He laid on his back, staring up at the crescent moon that hung above in the starry sky.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand girls,¡± he said.


    ¡°Kid, I¡¯ve lost count of how many years I¡¯ve been alive. Let me tell you now, it doesn¡¯t get easier.¡±


    Song Yi couldn¡¯t help a wry smile from appearing on his face when the monarch said that.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll forgive me?¡±


    ¡°She will. But in the meantime, you should let her be alone. When the time is right, you¡¯ll know.¡±


    For a long time, Song Yi simply laid there with the monarch for company. He didn¡¯t train, he didn¡¯t think about techniques or Qi. He just allowed his mind to rest.


    Inhale.


    Exhale.


    When he closed his eyes, he saw the starry sky. He witnessed vast constellations, stars dying and being reborn anew.


    He saw myriad planets. Some of them were lush with life. Others were dead and decayed.


    And then, on one planet, he saw himself, laying down next to a pond, covered by a sparse canopy of trees.


    He could see the filth on his skin, covered by the training-torn novitiate robe he wore.


    Thump.


    Thump.


    Thump.


    He heard his heartbeat growing louder and louder.


    Suddenly, the scenery changed once more.


    He was in a dark room, lit by a single torch. All around him was a monotonous pattern of gray stones, save for one wall that held a solid iron door.


    This was a prison cell.


    He touched the door with his hand.


    The moment he did, a click sounded, and the door swung open.


    ¡°Prisoner has begun to escape. Enable security measures.¡± A deep, rumbling voice rang out through the halls.


    ¡°Old Man Wang, what is this? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The monarch didn¡¯t respond. In fact, Song Yi could no longer sense him.

 Song Yi Dies

    Panicked, Song Yi reached down to grasp his most powerful weapon ¡ª the obsidian axe. But the axe wasn¡¯t there. His body was no longer incorporeal, but it seemed that, aside from his clothes, he had no other possessions within this space.


    Multiple thoughts flashed through his mind. Had he been kidnapped while he was sleeping? Drugged and brought to this prison? There were plenty of people angry with him, but he didn¡¯t believe any of them to be influential enough to do such a thing.


    Besides, that couldn¡¯t account for the disappearance of the monarch.


    But there was one other place where he could not contact the monarch: In the world of Qi.


    Which meant that, most likely, this place had something to do with the meditative state he¡¯d been in only moments prior. But if he were simply meditating, then why was he incapable of connecting with his true body and waking up? There were far too many unknowns.


    On instinct, he checked his surroundings.


    He was in a wide hallway, with plenty of room to maneuver. The cell he¡¯d come out of was the dead end of the hallway. There were no other cells visible.


    At the far end of the hallway was a wooden gate. Written on this gate in red paint was the character for ¡°person.¡±


    Aside from this, he could see nothing else. The source of the voice from earlier wasn¡¯t clear. There were no other life forms present.


    Gathering some Qi into his hand, Song Yi struck the wall with an open palm.


    Slap!


    Nothing happened. Not a single stone showed any signs of movement.


    Behind him was a cell. To the sides were immovable walls. In front lay a mysterious gate.


    It seemed as though there was no option but forward. Staying vigilant, Song Yi walked down the corridor. When he walked, his footsteps made no sound. This had nothing to do with the nature of the hallway, but rather Song Yi¡¯s history of thievery.


    As he walked, he began to hate the feeling of being trapped. The hall was spacious, but he felt claustrophobic nonetheless. The corridor felt as though it were spinning, the walls closing in.


    By controlling his breathing, he managed to push the sensation away. He continued further.


    There was something he was forgetting. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t quite place what it was. It frustrated him that he couldn¡¯t even recall why it was important.


    Song Yi looked at the door in the distance. It didn¡¯t feel as though it had come any closer. He simply continued to put one foot in front of the other.


    Was there some kind of trick? There had to be. Some sort of Qi was creating an optical illusion that was blocking him from moving forward, maybe. But it was a straight corridor. It wasn¡¯t like he was walking in circles ¡ª he was certainly moving forward.


    He took one of the torches from its socket on the wall as a test, carrying it with him as he continued.


    What must have been hours later, the torch he held flickered out. Those still attached to the walls, though, continued to burn brightly. He never again encountered the empty socket he had left behind.


    He began to feel light-headed. His body was weary, exhausted. How long he had been walking, he couldn¡¯t tell. Clearly, though, it had taken its toll on him. Deciding to take a rest, he sat down against the wall.


    Still wary, he refused to sleep, and instead attempted to meditate. Perhaps there was another way out of this situation. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The meditative state was quickly interrupted by a sharp pain.


    His palms hurt. They were bleeding. Somehow, he had dug his nails into his palms without realizing it.


    But why? He hadn¡¯t done it intentionally.


    A tear rolled down his face. Before he could brush it away, though, he froze. Looking at his hand, he saw it was skinny and wrinkled. One could be forgiven for thinking this was the hand of someone who had died decades prior.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked aloud.


    His voice sounded strange to him. He didn¡¯t recognize it. It contained none of the youthfulness that it usually did. Now, it was old and feeble.


    ¡°Who am I?¡±


    ----------


    In a dimly lit corridor, a figure sat in a fetal position up against the wall. This person did not move. In fact, they hadn¡¯t moved in so long that they may have forgotten how.


    Their facial features were hidden in shadow, difficult to see save for two dull eyes that shone in the torchlight.


    They did not know how long they had sat against the wall. They could not remember.


    They knew, at least, that it had been so long they¡¯d forgotten their name.


    They couldn¡¯t remember what had come before this hallway.


    Perhaps they were born here. They would surely die here.


    Sometimes, they spoke to themselves. They didn¡¯t always understand their words, but they spoke them nonetheless. It simply felt right.


    ¡°Hey, Old Man, are you there?¡± they asked.


    The crackling of the mounted torches was all that answered the call.


    The figure laughed. It was a dry, raspy chuckle.


    ¡°Of course not. The only old man here is me, after all¡­¡±


    The laughing turned into feeble coughing. His body felt weaker than ever. The end was nearing, and he knew it.


    ¡°All this time, and I still can¡¯t find my purpose. Perhaps this is how it was meant to be.¡±


    He began to hum a tune to himself. The melody started out happy. It was bright and bouncy, flitting from one place to the next, unable to settle down. But hidden beneath those notes was an underlying somber. A solitude that was evidenced only in the absence of certain notes.


    The pace of the song quickened. It became urgent, imploring. And then quiet.


    With the quiet came a hallowing verse that echoed through the hall, enough to chill any living creature to the bone.


    Finally, silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how this song ends¡­¡± the figure muttered almost inaudibly. ¡°But I know this can¡¯t be it. Perhaps there¡¯s still time to find one.¡±


    He didn¡¯t understand what motivated him. This tune was not one he had sung before. But the question that had been on his mind so long had finally been answered. He had found his purpose: To finish this song.


    With bones that groaned with the pain of countless years of catharsis, the old man stood up.


    Directly in front of him was a giant wooden gate, embellished with the character for ¡°person.¡±


    ¡°Hello, old friend. Would you please open up?¡±


    He raised his hand to touch the door. His skin was so thin that the bone beneath was visible.


    In response to his touch, the white paint on the door shifted. The ¡°person¡± character was pushed to the side, accompanied by the character for ¡°mountain.¡±


    Together, they made the character for ¡°immortal.¡±


    This character, too, faded away as the door swung open slowly.


    The walls began to shake.


    ¡°The Gate of Man has been opened.¡± It had been a long time since the old man heard a voice other than his own in this corridor. It shook him to the core.


    Still, he stepped through the gate.


    When he did, he saw a grassy glade. Next to a lake was the body of a young man, unconscious.


    The old man noticed this young man wore the same clothes as him. By now, he¡¯d connected the dots.


    The old, incorporeal Song Yi stood over his real body, ready to merge back into it once more.


    Before he did, though, he saw another person standing nearby.


    It was another old man, though this one wore much more fanciful clothing. His robe was exquisite, multi-layered and a perfect mix between fashion, comfort and practicality. He had a head of long, gray hair, atop which rested a simple golden crown.


    His features were hardened, yet kind. In his eyes could be seen profound sorrow and weariness, but also determination. For a moment, Song Yi was stunned at the sight of him. Such a man might be seen no more than once in a lifetime.


    Song Yi still had not regained his memories, but he could sense a deep connection to this fellow senior. He bowed.


    The other man bowed back. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°My life lacked purpose, so I died.¡±


    The other man smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve found your purpose, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then be reborn once more.¡±

 Fantastic Technology

    Song Yi laid down, the old version of him superimposed on top of the young.


    His eyes opened.


    The instant they did, the memories of his life lived in the corridor entered his mind.


    ¡°Was that you?¡± he asked internally.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What was that place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called the Gate of Man. As for what you experience within, it varies from person to person. For some people, it takes only a few minutes to traverse the corridor. For you, it seems to have taken a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t left¡­¡± He let the question hang in the air.


    ¡°You would¡¯ve died. Many do.¡±


    Song Yi didn¡¯t respond, so the monarch continued.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t die. You opened the gate on your own. You¡¯ve taken your first true step into the world of cultivation, kid. Good job.¡±


    Looking up to the sky, Song Yi could see the moon exactly where it had been when he began to meditate. It seemed that, even though so much time had passed for him, it had been no more than a few minutes within the real world.


    With a distant look in his eyes, Song Yi wondered how Fang Li, Zhi Yue and Zhang Bo were doing. Had they seen the Gate of Man yet? For that matter, he didn¡¯t even know if Su Bai had.


    He hadn¡¯t known them long. Aside from Su Bai, he¡¯d scarcely interacted with the others, but they¡¯d joined the sect through the same examination.He felt that had to count for something.


    One could only sit and ruminate for so long. Eventually, as the sun began to rise over the horizon, Song Yi stood up and made his way back home.


    By now, he figured the mob would have dispersed. Still, he wasn¡¯t about to risk it. He might be more powerful now, but he wasn¡¯t confident in taking on an entire horde of cultivators on his own.


    Therefore, he took the scenic route ¡ª looping through one of the smaller cities. Lying in the north, this city was named Changshu. Out of the six cities on the ninth land mass, it was the second smallest.


    The largest city, Nanchao, was a city to the farsouth of the land mass.


    Song Yi reckoned that, given the direction that Zhang Bo, Fang Li and Zhi Yue walked in, they had most likely gone to a village near Nanchao. This was also the city that contained the Ninth Elder¡¯s residence.


    As he made his way through the streets of Changshu, he found that the initial shock he¡¯d experienced when he first saw the sect still hadn¡¯t worn off. Forget the grand and resplendent spire, even the mortals in the smaller cities enjoyed privileges that mortals in regular cities could never imagine.


    For example, around the city could be seen small enclosed boxes, large enough to fit a few adults. When Song Yi had first seen someone enter one, he¡¯d been curious and had decided to enter his own. Within, he¡¯d seen a glowing ball of lightning-essence Qi that miraculously spoke to him.


    After some tinkering, and not without some assistance from the monarch, he figured out that these boxes were built atop veins of metal-essence Qi that ran under the ground, all over the thirteen land masses. Using them allowed one to communicate vocally with someone inside a connected box. It was like nothing he¡¯d ever seen before. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Another example was a metal box for holding food. The bottom of the box had a small tube at either end which met in the middle, connected by a complicated circle of runes. When he asked about it, Song Yi had been told that if water-essence Qi were put into one end, and wind-essence in the other, the formationengraved would combine it into a basic ice-essence Qi that could keep the box cool for weeks.


    And such inventions weren¡¯t limited to just these. To describe them all, though, could take days.


    Of course, these gadgets cost many sect credits. There werefew to no novitiates who could afford such luxury.


    Song Yi, however, was not like most novitiates. He was exceedingly rich at the moment, and as such had to force himself to keep his eyes from wandering.


    It scared him when he realized that, upon seeing a shiny that caught his fancy, his first instinct was to actually pay for it rather than steal it.


    Had his experiences at the Gate of Man changed him that much?


    Feeling the sect credits in his holding bag, he chuckled. It wasn¡¯t the Gate of Man, but rather the age-old influencer: Money.


    Sure enough, he soon came across one shiny that he couldn¡¯t pass up. It was at a good price, too.


    ¡°Storage Rings for sale ¡ª as cheap as 10,000 sect credits!¡±


    Looking at the shiny rings in the window, he wondered, not for the first time, how there were mortals in the lands below who could get their hands on such artifacts. After all, they utilized a space-essence Qi formation that one could only power with Vital Qi.


    The Vital Qi cost wasn¡¯t much ¡ª perfectly within an acceptable range, even for a mortal. But regardless, the mortals outside the Blue Moon Sect should have no knowledge of Qi in general.


    Song Yi didn¡¯t ponder on the topic too long, though. After all, he¡¯d left the mortal world behind him.


    Five minutes later, he had a newly acquired spatial ring. He¡¯d bought the cheapest one he could find, and had even managed to haggle the price down to 8300 sect credits. He may have become a moneybags, but he was aware that that had its limitations, and wasn¡¯t a recurring resource at the moment.


    The ring was a simple silver band, decorated only by the spatial formation engraved within. Sending some Vital Qi into it, a small vortex opened up. Closing one eye so he could peek inside, he saw a dimly lit space, 125 cubic metres in size. This was something unique about space-essence; it held the power of the fourth dimension.


    Grinning with youthful excitement, he put the sack he¡¯d been carrying inside the space. As it neared the vortex, it began to contract, expanding once more when it reached the other side.


    ¡°It¡¯s depressing to see how far society has regressed¡­¡± Emperor Wang muttered.


    Song Yi was taken aback. Regressed? Wasn¡¯t all this stuff groundbreaking? Incredible? When he asked for more info, the old man continued.


    ¡°When I reigned, storage rings of much higher quality than this one were as common as grains of sand. As for those other toys, while they may be novel to you, to me they¡¯re just poor imitations of what my imperial scholars developed.¡±


    Song Yihad long ago become accustomed to the monarch¡¯s arrogant tone. It no longer fazed him.While another man insulting his new home may have irritated Song Yi, Wang Anzhou was actually qualified to speak such words. Much to Song Yi¡¯s chagrin, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some measure of reverence for the old man. This was especially so after seeing his true appearance.


    Therefore, when he heard these words, his reaction was one of fascination. He wanted to hear more.


    Before their conversation could continue, something else caught his eye.


    It was none other than Su Bai, who was walking down the street. She didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him. Remembering Wang Anzhou¡¯s advice to give her space, he was about to branch off and take a roundabout route home; buthe stopped himself.


    Su Bai was entering a large building, along with quite a few other novitiates. The sign above the building read: ¡°Changshu Lecture Hall.¡±


    In truth, Song Yi had been curious about these lectures since he had joined the village and first heard about them. On a few occasions, he had considered attending. What stopped him, of course, was the monarch.He didn''t refuse to let Song Yi go, but with him around, therewasn''t much point in Song Yi''s attending.


    That said, Song Yi''s intrigue hadn''t been sated, and now that he was already here, it was an ideal opportunity.


    Most importantly, with so many people entering, it would be easy to keepout of Su Bai¡¯s sight.


    So, knowing there was no better time than the present, Song Yi merged into the crowd and entered the hall.

 Say It!

    The novitiate lectures were held on the first floor. Above were the outer-sect lectures, and above them were the inner-sect.


    Presently, the novitiate¡¯s hall was packed full. There were no less than 2000 novitiates present. With the sheer amount, it was inevitable that some would be from the crowd that he had scammed the day before. Song Yi did his best to conceal his face as he found a seat near the back.


    The lesson was being taught by a female outer-sect disciple, who stood at a lectern in the front. After a while, Song Yi had tuned her out. The lecturer was going on and on about methods of collecting Qi, as well as some basic information about essences. Given that none of it was new to him, his mind had wandered elsewhere. It was brought back though when she asked a question of the crowd.


    ¡°How many of you have passed the first gate, the Gate of Man?¡±


    Only a few dozen disciples raised their hands. Song Yi didn¡¯t raise his hand, as he didn¡¯t want to draw attention to himself, but he was surprised at how many hadn¡¯t. The lecturer continued.


    ¡°Not bad. Those of you who have passed within only these few months can be considered talented. As for the rest of you, don¡¯t be hasty. I myself took a year and a half before I faced my tribulation, and that¡¯s not abnormal. Attempting to force your way through the gate early will only increase your chances of failure.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Hey, geezer, did you hear that?¡±


    The monarch didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°She just said that most people take over a year before passing the Gate!¡±


    ¡°What point are you trying to make?¡±


    ¡°You let me do that less than a week from the time I joined the sect?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t LET you do anything, you entered it because you were ready. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯d died, you would¡¯ve to!¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t die! And look, now you¡¯re one step closer to my being able to leave.¡±


    Song Yi scowled. Wasn¡¯t this old man a bit too unreliable?


    While he¡¯d been bickering, the lecturer had continued.


    ¡°We have something special today,¡± she was saying. ¡°You all will be allowed to see a medicinal pill that is unique to our sect.¡±


    As she said this, two men walked up to the front. One was a novitiate. The other was a middle-aged man wearing a robe that had inverted colours ¡ª mostly white, with a blue half-moon on the back.


    Song Yi had never seen this kind of robe since joining the sect, but he had heard of alchemists. They mostly occupied the space of the thirteenth land mass.


    ¡°Inner Sect Disciple Hu here has offered to share one of the pills he himself created.¡±


    The alchemist took a pill bottle out of his robe. Held within was a pure white pill.


    ¡°This pill works two-fold,¡± the alchemist said. ¡°First, it aids in reaching the meditative state required to pass through the Gate of Man. Second, it replenishes Vital Qi, allowing one to face the tribulation with ease.¡±


    A mutter ran through the crowd as many of the novitiates thirsted for the pill. After all, the Gate of Man was daunting ¡ª a matter of life and death, yet unavoidable if one wished to continue on the path of cultivation.


    Song Yi didn¡¯t care much for the pill. After all, it didn¡¯t matter to him. However, Wang Anzhou¡¯s reaction was different.


    ¡°Brat, you can¡¯t allow them to use that pill.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s defective! Just listen to me!¡±


    Song Yi cursed.


    ¡°Old man, you better help me escape if this goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t go wrong! Now do it!¡±


    By now, the novitiate at the front was holding the pill in his hand, ready to swallow it.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Song Yi shouted.


    Every head in the room whipped around to see who it was that would interrupt at this time.


    ¡°Sit down!¡± the outer-sect disciple lecturer snapped. ¡°If you want your own pill, you¡¯ll have to buy one. Don¡¯t interrupt during this time!¡±


    Song Yi was walking down the aisle towards the front, and as he did, the crowd caught sight of his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! That¡¯s the guy that scammed us yesterday!¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s that Song Yi that everyone¡¯s been talking about?¡±


    Hearing them muttering between themselves, Song Yi realized that his shenanigans may have been more impactful than he anticipated.


    Them, he didn¡¯t care about. But on the other hand, he was still afraid to look around the room for fear of seeing Su Bai. Still, he pushed all that out of his mind. There were more important matters at the moment.


    The lecturer also noticed the crowd¡¯s reaction to this novitiate¡¯s appearance. Clearly, she thought, he was just a wastrel looking for trouble.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do outside this hall. But in here, you want to usurp our authority and scam us?¡± she said.


    ¡°That pill is defective,¡± was Song Yi¡¯s only reply.


    The alchemist scoffed. He wasn¡¯t going to get involved at first, but if he was going to be questioned like this, he didn¡¯t have much choice.


    ¡°And a brand new novitiate like yourself presumes to know more about alchemy than me because?¡±


    Song Yi glowered. This was the kind of person that annoyed him the most.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said in his mind to the monarch, ¡°You told me to come down here, when are you going to help out?¡±


    ¡°Alright, say what I say.¡±


    Song Yi did so. ¡°Look at the coating on that pill. It¡¯s bumpy and rough.¡±


    ¡°And? Stop stalling!¡± the alchemist cut in.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your rude interruption, perhaps all of us would¡¯ve saved some time and the exposition of your half-baked ineptitude would¡¯ve come sooner!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that!¡± Song Yi snapped at the monarch.


    ¡°Say it!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Song Yi felt a burning sensation in his forehead, the herald of the crown mark''s appearance.


    ¡°Fine! Fine!¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to offend this inner-sect disciple alchemist, but he was far more afraid of the ancient discarnate emperor in his head.


    He said it.


    Immediately, the robes of Song Yi, the lecturer, and any others near the alchemist began to flap around uncontrollably.


    Song Yi felt his knees buckle as the furious Qi of the alchemist permeated the air.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the man¡¯s voice was cold as death. ¡°Go on then.¡±


    At this point, Song Yi didn¡¯t dare to stray a word from what the monarch told him to say.


    ¡°The ingredients used in this pill are simple. Bluegrass, winterfern leaves, distilled spirit-lake water as well as the salamander stomach lining.¡±


    When Song Yi said the word ¡°salamander,¡± more than a few faces in the crowd darkened.


    The alchemist, though, was shocked for a moment. He hadn¡¯t expected this novitiate to know this much. But, he thought with a smirk, it still wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°As expected of a nobody, you¡¯re missing three ingre-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve added irontree root for stability, crushed rainbowflower petals for more vitality, and direbee honey to make the concocting process easier. While these sins are forgivable, given your lack in the craft, they will dilute the effectiveness of the pill somewhat.¡±


    After this, the alchemist began to feel nervous. It was at the point where even the crowd realized something was wrong.


    ¡°If it¡¯s only going to dilute the effectiveness, then what are you making a scene for?¡± the man hung on to his last line of hope.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked,¡± Song Yi smiled. The killing intent from before had disappeared by now, and he was enjoying the feeling he got from schooling a senior, even if it wasn¡¯t with his own words.


    ¡°The problem is your balance of the ingredients! Even with the irontree root and direbee honey, your amateurish handling of the balance caused combustion. The salamander stomach lining is there to mitigate this combustion, but because you put in too much crushed rainbowflower petal, it got out of control and boiled the distilled spirit lake water.¡±


    By now, the crowd was completely incapable of following Song Yi¡¯s words, but they could see the alchemists face. One word was written all over it: Shame.


    And Song Yi was still talking.


    ¡°If that pill were to be consumed by a novitiate who had yet to pass through the Gate of Man, the Vital Qi contained within would erode their Qi passageways and create a leakage that could prove fatal without immediate treatment from an alchemist far more qualified than yourself, the man who would¡¯ve placed him in this predicament!¡±

 Amends

    The hall was silent. The lecturer stared bug-eyed at Song Yi, whom she¡¯d assumed to be nothing more than a delinquent. Never could she have expected his knowledge of alchemy to be at such a level. She stared at him in an entirely new light.


    In fact, this lecturer happened to greatly admire the alchemy division of the sect. She had been trying to enter it for the last few years, but had been unable to do so. The barrier of entry was too high.


    She¡¯d been incredibly excited when she¡¯d been able to invite Inner Sect Disciple Hu to the lecture today. While seeing him chastised and discredited right before her was painful, she¡¯d also began to develop an admiration for this new novitiate in front of her. After all, rank was nothing before ability.


    The alchemist grit his teeth, not knowing what to say. He was stunned into silence.


    He took his defective pill from the nearby novitiate, who stood slack-jawed nearby. With two bows, one to the audience and one to Song Yi, he silently took his leave.


    After he did, the lecturer also bowed to Song Yi.


    ¡°Your name is Song Yi, right?¡±


    He nodded affirmatively.


    ¡°Senior Brother Song, I don¡¯t know where you learned what you know, but may I ask a favor?¡±


    Song Yi stumbled for a moment.


    ¡°Please,¡± he said uncomfortably. ¡°There¡¯s no need for such formalities, just call me Song Yi. What¡¯s the favour?¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Song, please take me in as a disciple,¡± she bowed again.


    His eye twitched furiously. ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Of course, I would not ask you to do this without payment.¡± She took out 50,000 sect credits from a storage ring and held them out towards him.


    His heart started beating and his breathing quickened. This was over half of his current wealth!


    ¡°Well?¡± he asked the monarch.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡±


    Song Yi showed an upset look on his face for a moment in reaction to the monarch¡¯s words. Noticing this, the female disciple misinterpreted.


    ¡°I can pay this sum over again monthly!¡± she offered.


    Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd. There wasn¡¯t a single novitiate present, Song Yi included, who wouldn¡¯t drool over such a sum.


    ¡°You heard her!¡± Song Yi was practically shouting in his head.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s willing to pay sect credits! I¡¯ll become stronger faster if I can be promoted.¡±


    ¡°I already have to deal with one idiot all day, I can¡¯t handle another!¡±


    He was crushed. Was he really going to have to turn down an opportunity like this? He decided to give it one last try.


    ¡°What about just pointers?¡± he asked.


    To his relief, the monarch relented on this point.


    In front of every single novitiate present, he negotiated with the woman. After some deliberation, they decided on an agreement. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Song Yi would give her pointers on alchemy in private. In return, she¡¯d pay him sect credits by the lesson.


    After this negotiation, Song Yi excused himself from the hall, and the lesson continued on as normal. A few disciples whom he¡¯d offended the day prior had a mind to follow him out, but considering what they¡¯d just witnessed, and that he was the half-teacher of the woman who was in charge of their lectures, they thought better of it.


    One person, however, had no such qualms.


    As Song Yi left the building, he was stopped.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    He turned around to see Su Bai, though he wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¡°Bai¡¯er,¡± he nodded.


    ¡°I know you. There¡¯s no way you could¡¯ve known all that, so how? What happened to you in the last week, no, since the examination?¡±


    Song Yi didn¡¯t respond yet, instead talking to the monarch.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I tell her?¡±


    Song Yi knew the answer without asking. If she let out that he had within him an existence far more powerful than even the sect leader, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what would happen. With how weak he was, he¡¯d either be exploited or killed. His rhetorical question was more a cry of frustration than anything else.


    At the same time, Su Bai¡¯s suspicions were honing in dangerously close to the truth. Even if she didn¡¯t guess the exact truth, it could become a danger.


    Just maybe¡­ distance was a necessity rather than a luxury.


    He looked her in the eyes, seeing confusion and conflict. Likewise, when she looked into his she could see sorrow and loneliness.


    In fact, she had already cooled off about the stealing incident. She was quick to forgive. She had been prepared to make amends the next time she¡¯d seen him, but never could¡¯ve expected he would make an appearance in such spectacular style.


    Song Yi sighed. ¡°Please, Bai¡¯er. For my sake, don¡¯t ask any more questions. I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    He kowtowed towards her.


    Seeing her first and only friend in the sect bowing to her like she was a stranger, Su Bai¡¯s heart broke all over again.


    ¡°Big Bro Yi, please stand up.¡± She grabbed his arm and dragged him onto his feet before grabbing him in a hug. ¡°I don¡¯t care. If you need me to stop asking questions, I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Song Yi hugged her back. He wondered if this was okay, having to withhold the truth. He didn¡¯t know.


    But at the moment, he wasn¡¯t prepared to let go.


    ----------


    In Su Bai¡¯s cabin, she and Song Yi sat together like they had only a few weeks ago, before the sect examination¡¯s second trial. She was cooking a fish and rice dish for the two of them.


    ¡°You cook?¡± Song Yi had asked her when she started.


    ¡°I hate it, but as part of my childhood, I had to learn.¡±


    After that, they had been silent for a while. To pass the time, Song Yi spoke with Wang Anzhou.


    ¡°One thing¡¯s bothering me,¡± Song Yi said. ¡°Why would you help that disciple? I doubt you care about them.¡±


    ¡°Figure it out for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Was it to improve my reputation? I know it hasn¡¯t been good recently.¡±


    ¡°No, you dullard, it was to get you more noticed! The larger your reputation, the more resources!¡±


    ¡°See? I didn¡¯t have to figure it out for myself.¡±


    Realizing he¡¯d been tricked, the embarrassed monarch stopped talking.


    Song Yi chuckled.


    Coming over to deliver the food, Su Bai gave him a funny look. She wondered why he was laughing to himself. Although, considering that was nowhere close to the weirdest thing about her big bro, she forgot about it almost immediately.


    ¡°The reason I asked you to come here is because I¡¯m having a problem.¡± She didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°The truth is, things haven¡¯t been so great in my village.¡±


    When she said that, Song Yi nodded. He hadn¡¯t thought about it too hard the day before, but by now he¡¯d realized it was odd that nobody had helped her when she was suddenly attacked by Luo Ai. He waited for her to continue.


    ¡°There¡¯s a guy in my village; he¡¯s already passed the Gate of Man, so he¡¯s not a pushover. When I first arrived, he took a liking to me. The thing is, he won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡± She took a bite of fish, a thoughtful look on her face.


    Song Yi¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I¡¯ll beat him within an inch of his life.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she frowned. ¡°No, no that¡¯s not my point. I can do that myself! What I wanted to ask you is how I could profit from it the most.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s jaw dropped so wide he worried it would hit the table. He covered his mouth and coughed to try to hide the reaction, but judging by the amused look in the corners of Su Bai¡¯s eyes, he hadn¡¯t succeeded.


    ¡°Well, can you tell me more about him?¡±

 Teaching Alchemy

    After talking with Su Bai for the greater part of the night, Song Yi had eventually retreated back to his own cabin for the night. In the end, they had come up with a plan to deal with Su Bai¡¯s senior, but it would be a few days before they could put it in action. In the meantime, it was back to the usual: Training.


    After passing through the Gate of Man, Song Yi noticed a slow but sure quantitative increase in his Vital Qi. According to the monarch, passing this minor gate signified an increase in about ten years of one¡¯s lifespan.


    The next challenge he would have to face was the Earthly Gate. This would be the first major gate, and also the main demarcating line between one being an outer sect disciple or novitiate.


    Of course, reaching the Earthly Gate was still far away for Song Yi. According to what he¡¯d heard, a ¡°respectable speed¡± was around five years. Some tried to rush it and failed, resulting in their deaths. Others were too scared to ever try, and lived out their lives only having passed the Gate of Man.


    But Song Yi had the monarch, who assured him that, with effort, he would be able to reach the Earthly Gate in far less time. As such, it was back to the usual training.


    Song Yi stood in one spot, repeatedly kicking a tree with his bare feet.


    Smack!


    Smack!


    Smack!


    The repetitive smacking sounds filled the forest, causing small animals to shy away.


    After a solid hour of these kicks, he was drenched with sweat. Both his legs were on fire, despite the fact that he was using Qi to strengthen the muscles.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen other disciples doing this kind of training?¡± he asked the monarch.


    ¡°Because they¡¯re naive. They believe that by strengthening their arts and spending their time collecting more Qi, they can become stronger.¡±


    ¡°Is that not true?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course they do get stronger. But Qi is a limited resource. Once you expend it, all you have left is your Vital Qi. Once that¡¯s expended¡­¡±


    ¡°You die.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°So by using this Qi to strengthen my body instead, I¡¯ll have more stamina.¡±


    Song Yi, feeling motivated, kicked the tree even harder. There was already a groove in the wood where he¡¯d been kicking, but this time he struck so hard it made his foot bleed. At the same time, the tree began to crack.


    ¡°Drop into a horse stance and switch to punches,¡± the monarch instructed.


    Song Yi did as told, giving it his full effort.


    Aside from bullying Luo Ai with his Twilight Shroud Minor Art, he hadn¡¯t truly fought since joining the Blue Moon Sect. By now, he was itching to test out his power properly.


    Unfortunately, though, at the moment there was something else he had to attend to.


    His punching came to a stop.


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± he said.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The monarch sighed.


    Song Yi travelled to Changshu City. Per his agreement with Feng Yan, the woman who¡¯d been in charge of the earlier lecture, he would come once a week to tutor her for the alchemist division¡¯s entrance exam. This would be the first session.


    Even though Changshu City was the second smallest city on the Ninth Land Mass, it still took Song Yi a long time to walk into the heart of it. He found the building they¡¯d decided to meet at and climbed the stairs to the second floor. When he got to the top, he saw a small room with an assortment of alchemic stations and instruments. In the center stood Feng Yan, wearing her usual outer sect disciple robe. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail, but some strands were loose, framing her face.


    She bowed when she saw him.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Master. I arrived an hour early and have already prepared my herbs and tools. I look forward to your guidance.¡±


    Song Yi coughed in surprise. The ingratiating form of address made him uncomfortable.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, just call me Song Yi.¡±


    Feng Yan wore a pained expression on her face. ¡°Right then. Song Yi, where should we start?¡±


    Starting at this point, Song Yi began parroting the words of Wang Anzhou.


    ¡°I¡¯m new to the sect, so I¡¯m unfamiliar with the alchemy division¡¯s examination. What will you be expected to do?¡±


    ¡°The test is three parts. First, we¡¯re expected to be able to identify and differentiate between various medicinal ingredients.¡±


    Song Yi nodded. Even he himself, knowing nothing of alchemy, expected this much.


    ¡°Second, we¡¯re expected to concoct a medicinal pill on the spot of at least the first tier.¡± Her face became downcast. ¡°I¡¯ve only passed this section once, but I¡¯ve taken the examination three times.¡±


    ¡°And the third?¡±


    ¡°They show us a pill and allow some time to examine it. If we¡¯re able to identify the reagents with at least 90% accuracy, we can be said to have passed.¡±


    She forced a smile, pushing her hair behind her ear.


    ¡°My hope is that, with your guidance, I¡¯ll be able to pass the test in five years.¡±


    In Song Yi¡¯s head, the monarch snorted. ¡°Five years? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to be stuck here that long. What are you gonna do about that, kid?¡±


    Song Yi panicked, once more speaking for himself.


    ¡°The next examination is in five years?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she replied, causing Song Yi to let out a big sigh of relief. ¡°The closest one is three months from now.¡±


    He felt like sucking that sigh of relief back in.


    ¡°You were the one who wanted to tutor her,¡± the monarch jeered. Song Yi really wished he could punch him.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°That depends on her.¡±


    Speaking the monarch¡¯s words once more, Song Yi began to instruct her.


    ¡°First, show me your concoction technique.¡±


    Feng Yan walked over to the cauldron and began to heat it up using a fire-essence Qi circle inscribed below.


    The speed with which her hands moved as she inserted herbs and stirred them in the cauldron was astonishing. Song Yi could barely make out the finer movements. Still, under the monarch¡¯s guidance he adjusted her technique slightly.


    ¡°At this temperature, the frigid snow fruit will burn too fast. Lower it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re standing too far from the cauldron still. Your control is poor.¡±


    ¡°Raise your right arm higher. If your elbow slacks, your wrist will bend. Without a rigid wrist, your Thousand Digit Technique will be sloppy!¡±


    ¡°Spiral Digit Technique?¡± she asked, frowning.


    The monarch stayed silent for a moment, worrying Song Yi.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked internally.


    ¡°It¡¯s been thousands of years... I didn¡¯t realize this sect had dropped the old standard technique names. And it seems that¡¯s not the only thing that¡¯s dropped...¡±


    Song Yi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Clearing his throat, he began to parrot once more.


    ¡°Yes. The book I learned from probably uses different names for techniques than are used here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± an excited gleam could be seen in Feng Yan¡¯s eyes, which were still focused wholly on the cauldron.


    After a few minutes, the pill was finished. With excitement, she finished the coating and handed it to him.


    ¡°Please appraise this.¡±


    Song Yi looked at it for a moment, attempting to see anything for himself. Before he could, however, the monarch already had him continue.


    ¡°This Frigid Meridian Pill is at around 60% effectiveness,¡± he said. Feng Yan¡¯s eyes widened in delight and shock, but the monarch wasn¡¯t done. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. Well, perhaps it would be worth feeding to a pet.¡±

 News of Prince Zhang

    The smile on Feng Yan¡¯s face froze.


    ¡°Only worth feeding to a pet?¡±


    Song Yi noticed the change in her emotions, but he could only follow along with the monarch¡¯s words.


    ¡°Yes. Well, I expected about as much. Don¡¯t be too disappointed, you can still improve from here.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­¡± Her face flushed with embarrassment. ¡°This is by far the best pill I¡¯ve ever made.¡±


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you say you passed the second stage of the alchemy examination?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You only need to concoct a pill of 30% effectiveness to pass.¡±


    In Song Yi¡¯s head, the monarch began to shout.


    ¡°What? It was that easy? Kid, forget three months, she¡¯ll be ready in three weeks!¡±


    Song Yi smiled as he handed back the pill.


    ¡°Continue to work hard,¡± he said. ¡°With dedication, it¡¯s possible for you to pass the examination three months from now.¡±


    When she heard those words, Feng Yan looked so excited that Song Yi could tell she was restraining herself from jumping up and down with joy.


    Managing to control herself, she bowed deeply. ¡°Master, thank you!¡±


    His eye twitched. This time, though, he didn¡¯t reprimand her.


    After giving her some advice on reverse-engineering pills, as well as clarifying some questions she¡¯d had about medicinal ingredients, the lesson was over.


    By the end, Song Yi could tell that Feng Yan was exhausted. She¡¯d learned so much in only an hour and a half, and her mind had been repeatedly blown by the depth of knowledge ¡®Song Yi¡¯ had.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been fascinated by alchemy, but the teachers always said I had poor aptitude. They said that I could study for twenty years and still not pass the examination. But compared to their lessons, what you¡¯ve taught me today is invaluable. I only have one question: How did you learn so much about alchemy at such a young age?¡±


    Song Yi only smiled enigmatically. After avoiding Su Bai¡¯s questions for as long as he had, he¡¯d gotten far better at hiding his expression.


    Realizing that he didn¡¯t feel comfortable explaining, she bowed once more. Song Yi may have been her junior in the sect, but in her eyes he was already elevated to a status on par with Zenith disciples.


    With another bow, she handed him 10,000 sect credits ¡ª double the price they had initially agreed on.


    ¡°By the way, master, I notice you don¡¯t have any defensive gear. Are you struggling with money?¡±


    ¡°Defensive gear?¡± Song Yi asked. He hadn¡¯t heard of this before.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know about it?¡± she giggled. She truly hadn¡¯t expected such a knowledgeable person to be so¡­ uninformed. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    She took him to a building nearby. It was small ¡ª only two stories high, but made of far sturdier material than the surrounding structures. Most buildings were made with a mix of stone and wood, but this one was mostly constructed from other rock-like materials that Song Yi couldn¡¯t even identify.


    As they walked in, Feng Yan called out.


    ¡°Jian Mu, Wei Xiaoping, it¡¯s me! Feng Yan!¡±


    A man and woman walked down into the foyer area. Both of them wore inner sect disciple robes, and looked to be in their forties. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Yanyan?¡± the woman asked. ¡°What are you doing here? Were the earrings not to your liking?¡±


    ¡°Big Sis Wei, that¡¯s not it at all. I love them. Today I brought master here because he doesn¡¯t have any protective gear yet.¡±


    The man looked over Song Yi. ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let his rank fool you. He¡¯s an expert of alchemy.¡±


    While the man still looked somewhat apprehensive, that explanation seemed to satisfy him.


    ¡°Alright then. If Young Miss Feng acknowledges you, then I can¡¯t turn you away. What are you looking for today?¡±


    Song Yi looked around the room, seeing example products hanging on the walls or sitting on shelves.


    ¡°Any suggestions?¡± he asked the monarch.


    ¡°Whatever you choose should be well-suited to you. That¡¯s not something I can tell you, but something you have to feel.¡±


    As he examined the products, he didn¡¯t find anything particularly appealing. There were large bulky pieces of armour, swords of all sizes and shapes, even trinkets with Qi formation circles inscribed on them. Compared to his obsidian axe though, these were all of inferior quality.


    There was one thing that stood out, though. A painting on the wall.


    Most of the white canvas could still be seen, save for a jet black image of an ouroboros ¡ª a snake coiled in a circle, biting its own tail.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, that? It¡¯s a transformation tattoo. Xiao¡¯er is a hobbyist painter.¡±


    Wei Xiaoping slapped his arm playfully. ¡°Don¡¯t describe it like that! We¡¯re selling them!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to deceive Miss Feng¡¯s new master!¡± Jian Mu replied, his expression remaining stoic.


    She pouted in response before taking Feng Yan into an adjacent room to talk.


    In the foyer, Jian Mu continued to explain.


    ¡°Tattoos are a unique type of Qi formation. I don¡¯t know the details well, but depending on what type of Qi you infuse the brush with and what you draw, you can produce different effects. Under the hands of a master, tattoos can be used to increase one¡¯s strength greatly. On the flip side, they can even be used to enslave people.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°So what does this one do?¡±


    ¡°Xiao¡¯er designed this one so that, when activated with enough Qi, it would turn the owner into a giant serpent. How strong or weak the serpent is depends on the tier of Qi as well as the amount you use.¡±


    ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s new to the craft, we¡¯re only charging 30,000 credits for this. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything not working, though. Everything we sell is tested.¡±


    Song Yi¡¯s eyebrows jumped slightly when he heard the price. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be so high. He decided to ask the monarch,


    ¡°Is the quality good?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of these kinds of tattoos before. I thought they were simply something for mortals,¡± Wang Anzhou replied.


    Song Yi was stunned. This was the first time that the old emperor didn''t know something. His mind was made.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy it.¡±


    For the first time, a hint of a smile appeared on Jian Mu¡¯s face. In truth, until that point Song Yi had been wondering if the man¡¯s facial muscles even worked properly.


    ¡°Xiao¡¯er will be happy. Thank you.¡±


    He guided Song Yi into the other room, where the two women sat drinking tea.


    ¡°Did you hear about that greenhorn in the south?¡± Wei Xiaoping asked.


    ¡°The one who Zenith Disciple Wu is taking in as a disciple? Apparently he was a prince before entering the sect.¡± replied Feng Yan.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one. I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s quite handsome. Maybe you should take a southward trip, Little Yan.¡±


    At that moment, they noticed the two men, one old and one young, walking into the room.


    Feng Yan turned away to hide her face, embarrassed at what Wei Xiaoping had just been saying.


    ¡°Zhang Bo?¡± Song Yi asked, sounding surprised. ¡°Were you just talking about Zhang Bo?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Yes, I seem to recall that was his name. Do you know him? Maybe you could introduce- ow!¡± Wei Xiaoping grasped her shin, glaring at Feng Yan, who still had her head turned.


    ¡°I entered the sect with him,¡± Song Yi replied simply.


    Inwardly, though, he was in turmoil. Zhang Bo had already climbed so far? Just the other day, he had been feeling good about himself, wondering how the others were doing. In the small area surrounding Changshu, he already felt he was near the top. But as it turned out, even despite his rapid growth he was being left in the dust. Had the others also achieved such success?


    His thoughts were interrupted by Jian Mu.


    ¡°Xiao¡¯er, this young lad said he wanted your tattoo. Can you see to it?¡±


    Suddenly forgetting about the pain in her shin, Wei Xiaoping broke into a huge smile.


    ¡°Of course! Of course! Come with me, we need to get you prepared.¡± She turned to Feng Yan. ¡°Yanyan, I¡¯m going to be borrowing your master for a bit. You probably shouldn¡¯t wait.¡±


    Feng Yan stood up and bowed. ¡°Master, I¡¯ll see you next week.¡±


    Song Yi forced a smile, nodding. But in his head, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Zhang Bo and his meteoric rise in status.