Chapter 5: The Trial
The assessment moved with cold, mechanical precision.
One by one, disciples stepped up to the obsidian stones.
Most results were unremarkable dim flickers of light, low-order runes barely registering.
Steward Gao's face stayed stern as his brush marked names on the demotion list, leaving the crowd tense and anxious.
"Next, Lin Xia!"
Lin Xia stepped forward, her face pale. She shot a quick glance at Mo Yuan before pressing her palm against the cold surface of the stone. She channeled her Qi, the fourth-layer energy she had forced with pills.
The stone flared with a bright blue light, and the runes climbed halfway up the pillar.
"Lin Xia. Qi Refining, Stage Four. Pass," Steward Gao said flatly, though his eyes lingered on the flickering energy. "But your foundation is unstable. Be careful, if you push too hard next time, and your next breakthrough could be your last."
Lin Xia bowed and retreated, her hand trembling slightly.
"Next, Wang Wei!"
The crowd leaned forward. Wang Wei strode up, chest puffed with confidence. He slammed his hand onto the stone, unleashing a violent surge of Qi.
The obsidian stone didn't just glow, it hummed with bright blue light spilled across the ground, and the runes climbed to the upper third of the pillar.
"Wang Wei. Peak Stage Four. Exceptional Qi strength," Gao said, a trace of approval in his voice. "You're a candidate for the Inner Sect promotion trials."
Wang Wei turned, casting a smug sideways glance at Mo Yuan as he returned to the ranks. "Try not to shatter the stone with your 'unyielding' Stage Two, Mo Yuan."
"Next... Mo Yuan."
The plaza fell silent.
Many disciples recognized the name. Mo Yuan was the one who had lingered at the first stage for many months, earning the nickname Cliff-Sitter.
That he had not yet been sent to the laundry pits was seen as nothing more than the steward's rare patience.
Mo Yuan stepped forward.
When he drew close to the obsidian stone, the Mirror within his sea of consciousness trembled once, issuing a silent warning.
His cultivation at the second stage could not be concealed but the thickness of his qi was another matter entirely.
He placed his palm upon the obsidian stone. It was cold as ice.
Mo Yuan neither shouted nor forced his power forth.
He only guided a single, measured thread of qi condensed to its fullest into the stone.
For the span of a single breath, nothing occurred. The stone remained dark.
A few disciples could not help but snicker, and Wang Wei gave a cold snort.
Then…
the obsidian stone responded.
It did not shine with blue light.
Instead, a deep, crystalline white slowly seeped from the runes heavy and unhurried, like frost spreading through stone.
There was no sudden flare. The obsidian began to tremble, not with a hum, but with a low, heavy thrum that shook the bones and set teeth rattling.
The rune marking the second stage lit up.
Yet its brilliance was no weaker than Wang Wei's fourth stage.
Steward Gao leaned in, eyes sharp. The stone glowed suddenly.
It felt the power of a Stage Two, yet sensed something far greater. The white light pulsed, and a small crack appeared on the obsidian.
Steward Gao rose abruptly. "Enough! Withdraw your hand!"
Mo Yuan stepped back at once. The white light sank slowly into the stone, leaving it dark again. The plaza was silent.
The stone had not reached Wang Wei's heights, yet its light carried a quality none of the disciples had ever witnessed.
"Mo Yuan… Qi refining second stage," Steward Gao said, his voice sharp. He glanced at the thin crack on the stone, then at the calm youth before him.
"The stone reacted strangely perhaps a flaw in the obsidian. Still, the quality of your Qi is enough. You pass."
Wang Wei's face twisted with anger. "A flaw? He's just Stage Two trash! The stone must be broken!"
"Silence!" Steward Gao's voice cut through the plaza. "The results stand. Next, we move on to the Rank Advancement Sparring. Only those who can hold their ground deserve their rank."
The crowd parted as the testing stones were cleared, leaving a wide circle in the center of the grounds.
This was the part of the assessment the disciples feared most. In the Azure Mist Sect, rank was not kept by touching a stone, it was kept by defending it against those below you.
"The rules are simple," Gao announced. "Lower-ranked disciples may challenge those up to three stages above them. Win, and you claim their rank and monthly resources. Lose, and you accept the consequences."
A murmur ran through the crowd. Some junior disciples glanced nervously at the higher ranks, while a few bold ones tightened their fists, ready to test their strength.
Wang Wei strode into the circle, eyes fixed on Mo Yuan with deadly intent.
"Steward Gao," he called, a cruel smile on his lips, "I wish to test whether Mo Yuan's so-called 'unyielding foundation' can survive a real fight. I challenge him to a rank-holding spar."
The disciples gasped. A fourth-stage disciple challenging a second-stage was allowed, but unheard of as it was considered bullying.
Yet because Mo Yuan had humiliated Wang Wei at the stone, everyone knew this was about pride, not rank.
Steward Gao frowned, his gaze sharp on Mo Yuan. "Since you are two stages lower than him, you may choose to refuse this spar," he said.
Mo Yuan's expression remained calm. He bowed slightly and replied, "I will not refuse, Steward. If he wishes to test me, then I shall face him."
A ripple of tension ran through the crowd.
No one doubted Mo Yuan's composure, but stepping into the circle against a Stage Four… even the bravest disciples felt a chill.