《Broken Star》


 Spirit Finding Ceremony

    The morning air was cold and crisp. Dew settled on top of grass and a light fog pervaded a small village. The village was truly small, less than 2 km in diameter, and had fewer than 600 residents. Every morning before dawn, the villagers would get up and start their daily routines. The men would go into the surrounding woods and hunt for rabbits and deer before working on their own jobs. But although the people of the town woke up earlier today, none had left the town. Their was none of the normal bustling that a normal passerby would hear. It was deathly silent.


    The entire village was gathered at the town square. In the center were 11 boys and 6 girls. From their youthful faces and stature,  one could tell that none of them were older than 15. However, none of them were younger than 10 either. Each of the youths were standing upright, their entire body tensed. Sweat rolled down their faces despite the frigid air. Fear showed in most eyes. However, some had anticipation and others resolution.


    Suddenly, a gust of wind swept over the crowd. Each of the youths shivered as the wind chilled them straight to the bone. Almost everyone in the crowd had faces of shock. In front of their eyes was a elderly man standing in the middle of the plaza. His face was gaunt, cheeks shallow, and his eyes sharp as the edge of a blade. He was wearing a robe that could only be described as aesthetic. Made of a cloudy white silk, and adorned with blue and silver threads, the robe could only be of the highest value, one that could fetch thousands by selling it. His hair was white with a few streaks of black, and nobody could tell his age from his appearance. None of this was startling to the people of the village though, many had come through the village as rich and noble looking as the man in front of them. However, what truly startled the villagers was that no one had seen this man enter the plaza. He had simply appeared out of thin air.


    His gray eyes swept across the youths. Each of them unintentionally stiffened under his gaze.With a wave of his hand a large circular black dial appeared. It was about a meter in diameter and made of solid stone. The dial had nine markings on top and was carved with hundreds of runes on the sides. With a flick of the man''s wrist, the dial flew onto the ground.


    Thud!


    Everyone''s eyes widened in shock. The dial had cause a deep crater in the ground. However, the man had held it in one hand with ease. He was a true expert in the eyes of the villagers.


    "We will now begin the Spirit Finding Ceremony," A dull almost lifeless voice rang out. The man''s eyes were filled with disdain at the amazed villagers. "Step onto the dial one at a time."


    The first youth to go up was a burly youth, the second eldest among the youths. He was the village leader''s second son and was the leader among those his age. Although he was unnerved by the expert who had come to the village, he confidently walked onto the black dial. Unnoticeable by all, a small spark of energy entered his body. The spark traveled into the youth''s dantian and vanished. The boy was startled as the dial started to glow. One of the nine symbols on top lit up as a ghostly image flickered above his head. The boy was startled as the dial started to glow. One of the nine symbols on top lit up as a ghostly image flickered above his head. The image was one of a simple unadorned axe. The axe was nearly transparent, invisible even. Unless one was looking very closely, they might not be able to see it. Just as sudden as the lights came, they vanished. The axe hovered in the air for a few more seconds before it too vanished.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident."Eighth rank axe spirit," A dull voice descended as though divine verdict. " Seventh rank soul energy. Fail."


    The village chief collapsed to his knees. He took a ragged breath and closed his eyes in sorrow. He knew both of his sons had been doomed to a life of mediocrity.


    Slowly the next person came up. She was a young girl almost as old as the boy before her. She too failed. As did the one who went after her. Seven people went one by one. None passed.


    The eighth youth walked up. Sweat trickled down his pale face. His long brown hair covered up his feline-like orange eyes. He took a gulp and stepped onto the platform.


    The platform lit up like it had for the nine before him. However this time a symbol that hadn''t glowed before lit up. Above the boy''s head an image of a sword popped up. At first glance it looked like any other sword, but on closer inspection there was a slightly blue tinge to the blade. Not only that but the sword was less an illusion and seemed extremely real. Had it not been for the occasional flckers that broke up the swords form, none would be able to tell it wasn''t solid.


    "Fourth rank sword spirit," This time the voice had a tinge of emotion to it. "First rank soul energy. Pass"


    Two people on the side almost leaped and started running around with joy. Had it not been for where they were currently, they would have started crying and laughing in joy. Clearly these two were the boy''s parents.


    "Name," The elderly expert looked straight at the young boy.


    "Kallian," The boy replied with a smug face and a voice full of joy.


    "Stand behind me" The elderly man lost interest in Kallian and began calling up another person.


    Soon, the third to last person was called up. The female looked extremely calm and her face had almost no emotion on it.


    "No spirit. Aqueous Elemental Energy. Attribute water. Third rank sould energy. Pass." The expert finally smiled. He knew that those with attributes had extreme potential and would grow up to be powerful people someday.


    The girl nodded her head, as though everything was in her expectations. Slowly and deliberately she stood behind the expert as well.


    The expert looked sharply at her before turning around and calling, "Next."


    Soon enough the last person went up to the dial. An explosion of light and color seemed to have come from the dial. The elderly experts eyebrows quivered and he broke out laughing.


    "A genius, hahahaha, my luck is amazing. The sect will definitely reward me greatly for finding someone like him."


    As soon as he stopped laughing, he told the results to everyone. "First rank spear spirit. Dual Attributes of fire and lightning. First rank soul energy!"


    "Come," He waved to the boy, "We must depart immediately."


    The expert turned to the crowd. "Three have passed. For finding a genius among you, the sect will certainly reward this village."


    With a flick of his wrist, the dial disappeared. Then he and the three children all vanished. The only signs of his passing was the cracked ground and the population of the village lessening by three.

 Travelling to the sect.

    A sky blue arrow of light sped across the sky. It was invisible as it blended with its surroundings. It was precisely the elderly expert who had taken away Kallian and the other two children from the village.


    When they had first left the village, Kallian had been utterly shocked. They were flying through the air at an astonishing pace. This meant that the elderly man in front of him was a legendary saint.


    Kallian and the other two knew little about cultivation. But each of them had heard childhood stories of legendary saints single-handedly stopping the invasions of demonic beasts, devils, and Yao. Each knew that a saint could carve valleys into the face of the earth with a swing of their weapons and cut open the seas with another swing. None of them had expected to meet such a legendary figure already.


    Such legendary figures only existed in major sects. One must know that most countries in the human continent were usually controlled by two major powers. First was the royalty. Royalty was in charge of the general affairs of a country. It would deal with crime, negotiate with other countries, and maintain a standing army among other things. However, the true power in a country were the sects standing behind it. Usually the sects would never get involved with the country''s affairs. However, if they chose to intervene, not even the royalty would dare interfere. Sects usually only would choose the most promising youths in their own areas once every five years. They would take these youths and train them as disciples.


    Where Kallian lived was in the southern prefecture district of the Rha kingdom named after the goddess of good harvest, the patron god of the country. There were 5 sects in the country, each one ruling the corresponding prefecture district.


    The one that led the southern prefecture district was the Soaring Clouds Sect. This sect was also the strongest sect, far stronger than the other four sects in the country. In other words it could be said that the Soaring Clouds sect controlled the entire Rha kingdom.


    Even so, the Soaring Clouds sect could not have that many Saint experts. The world had less than 100 saints. The number of saints that the Soaring Cloud sect had could be counted with both hands. Yet someone with such a high position had come to collect new disciples for the sect was simply unthinkable. All three of the children had come to realize this fact at different times throughout their flight.


    Soon nighttime approached, but the sky-blue light continued forward at the same speed. A small light of a town appeared at the horizon. The group of four soon descended in front of the village entrance.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.The old man walked to the village inn and asked for 2 rooms. Each room was small and outfitted with a narrow bed, a short wardrobe, and a small table.


    All three of them sat down on the bed and started to decide where each of them would sleep. Kallian looked at the other two. Although the village they all came from was small, none of them actually knew each other well. They all had usually been helping with their parents jobs and trying to get food on their tables.


    However, even so Kallian knew about the other two by their names. Xeron was the son of the local butcher. Although the two had never spoke to one another, Kallian saw Xeron often whenever he went to buy meat for his family. Kyra on the other hand, nobody knew about. She had been picked up as a child by one of the hunter''s in the village and had been adopted by the widowed seamstress.


    The three of them didn''t even look at each other for any longer. Kallian and Xeron shared a bed and fell asleep within minutes. Kyra  fell asleep on the other bed. The old man stood outside the room for a few moments before entering his own room. The slight sound of snores filled his keen ears. He spread his spirit sense around the area of the tavern, paying attention to every movement that was being made.


    ¡®I cannot allow anyone else to find out about the boy¡¯, he thought, ¡® If any of the other elders find out, I could be killed for the amount of rewards that could be gained.¡¯ A sect was a very cruel place. Even within its ranks it was survival of the fittest. The more you stood out from among the rest, the more attention the sect would give you and the more resources would be wasted upon you. However, if you stand out too much, you attract jealousy and hatred. The old man had seen many great seeds get ripped out before they could fully grow.


    At the same time, the old man himself was in danger. If they encountered another group that was bringing in new disciples and it was found that the old man had a child with a First rank spirit, first rank soul energy, and dual elements, then it was likely the other elder would try and kill the old man to get contribution points. Bringing in such a highly talented disciple would guarantee several thousand contribution points to the sect. These contribution points could be cashed in at any time to get treasures, cultivating resources and more.