Yu Zhou emerged from the forest tree line and stopped.
Before him lay the Crest Peak Sect.
It was nothing like the small village he'd grown up in.
Massive stone walls stretched across the mountain base, easily forty feet high. Watchtowers stood at intervals, manned by disciples in blue robes.
Beyond the walls, tiered buildings climbed the mountainside—some carved directly into the rock face, others built with pillars and curved roofs that swept upward like wings.
At the peak, barely visible through the mist, stood the main sect hall. Its roof glittered gold in the afternoon sun, marking it as the heart of the sect.
The entrance gate was carved from white stone, flanked by two towering statues of massive lions with silver-lined manes, jaws frozen mid-roar, fangs bared. Their stone eyes seemed to follow every candidate who approached.
Flags of red and black bearing the sect's symbol—a mountain peak wrapped in clouds—snapped in the wind.
Old Bing had described this place exactly. Nothing had changed since he'd left the sect as an gate keeper years ago.
No welcoming ceremony, No arrangements for the new disciples. Yu Zhou thought bitterly that the sect was as cold as he'd been warned.
A long line of candidates stretched from the forest edge to the gate—easily 400 people.
Some limped. Others were carried by companions. A few wore triumphant grins.
Most looked desperate, already planning how to use their clan connections.
"Silence! No gawking!" A sect disciple in grey robes—an outer disciple, based on the color , barked at the crowd. "Form a line at the examination table!"
Yu Zhou joined the line. Ahead, he could see a long table set up just inside the gate. A sect official stood there, judging each candidate one by one.
Behind the official, three sect elders sat in chairs beneath a canopy, observing silently.
Yu Zhou's hand moved to his pocket. One Tier-1. Two Tier-2.
The line moved slowly forward.
"Cores! Present your cores!" The official's voice was cold and sharp.
One by one, candidates stepped forward presenting their cores.
Then came a boy who looked refined and noble. His robes were too clean for someone who'd spent three days in a forest.
"Your cores," the examiner demanded coldly.
"Sir, I'm from the Long Clan," the boy replied loudly with a smile, stretching his hand forward to catch the attention of the elders.
This triggered murmuring among the other candidates.
"And so what?" the examiner spat back, clearly enraged.
"Hem hem... I'm Zhang Long, the firstborn son of the clan head!" the boy argued, shouting even louder now.
"Hmmm! Cao Yang, let him through immediately," one of the elders suddenly said.
"He's one of our esteemed guests," the elder continued, stroking his beard.
Zhang Long smirked and walked past the examination table without showing a single core.
The crowd erupted in whispers.
"That's not fair!"
"Clan privilege, even here!"
"Why do we even bother with the exam?"
The examiner—Cao Yang—stood frozen, his fists clenched tight, eyes red with barely controlled rage. But he said nothing. The elder had spoken. There was nothing he could do.
Yu Zhou watched Zhang Long stride past, head held high, not even glancing at the other candidates.
As if they were beneath him.
So that's how it works here, Yu Zhou thought bitterly, shaking his head. Money and status matter more than strength. No wonder Old Bing told me to be careful not to offend anyone, a weakling could be clan prince in disguise.
"Silence!" Cao Yang barked, slamming his hand on the table. "Next candidate! Move!"
The line shuffled forward. Some candidates looked hopeful—maybe they had clan connections too. Others looked defeated—they knew they had nothing but their cores and their blood.
One by one, they stepped forward.
"Three Tier-1 cores. Pass. Move left."
"Two cores. Fail. Leave immediately."
"Sir, I'm from—"
"I don't care where you're from! Not enough cores, no entry!" Cao Yang's hand went from red to white as he gripped the edge of the table, clearly fighting the urge to strike the candidate.
"Leave now before I have you thrown out!" he barked.
The candidate fled, face burning with shame.
"Next!"
"Five Tier-1 cores. Excellent. Pass."
The judgments continued. Cold. Mechanical. Without any hint of emotion.
Yu Zhou counted. Out of 400 candidates, maybe half would pass. The rest would trudge back home, dreams shattered.
Finally, after what felt like hours, it was his turn.
Yu Zhou stepped forward, his feet heavy on the ground. He reached into his robe, hands trembling, and placed the three cores on the table.
One of the elders—the same one who'd helped Zhang Long—sat up straighter, his tea cup pausing mid-air.
Cao Yang's eyes widened. "Two Tier-2 cores?" His voice shifted—no longer bored, but suspicious. "And one Tier-1. Boy, where did you get these?"
Yu Zhou kept his voice steady. "I found them in the forest. From dead beasts."
"Found them?" Cao Yang's eyes narrowed. "Tier-2 Shengling beasts don't just die on their own. Who killed them?"
"I don't know. Probably someone else. I just took the cores from the corpses." Yu Zhou met his gaze without flinching. "The exam rules say we can take cores from any beast in the forest. Dead or alive. No restrictions."
Cao Yang studied him for a long moment. His fingers traced the surface of the Tier-2 cores, checking for any sign they were counterfeit.
Then he glanced back at the three elders. They nodded in affirmation.
Cao Yang set the cores down. "Pass. Move left."
Yu Zhou's blood ran cold as he felt many hostile gazes on his back.
He gathered his cores and joined the passing candidates on the left side.
Over 200 had made it. The rest were being turned away.
He looked back at the examination table. Cao Yang was already judging the next candidate, face neutral again.
Then Yu Zhou heard a familiar voice.
"Well, well. Look who made it."
He turned.
Gu Yan stood there, smirking. Gang Lang and the others flanked him. All of them had passed.
"Surprised to see me, weakling?" Gu Yan stepped closer. "I thought you'd be dead by now."
Yu Zhou said nothing.
"Oh, don't play dumb." Gu Yan's smile widened. "I know you didn't earn those cores. Found them on dead beasts? How convenient."
The other passing disciples were starting to notice. A circle was forming.
"But here's the thing," Gu Yan continued, voice dropping lower. "We're both in the sect now. And I'm going to make sure you regret. Every. Single. Day."
Yu Zhou met his eyes. "I passed. Just like you. That's all that matters."
"We'll see." Gu Yan turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and one more thing. I noticed something interesting. You're weaker than you were three days ago, aren't you?"
Yu Zhou's heart stopped.
He can tell?
"Your cultivation aura," Gu Yan said quietly, so only Yu Zhou could hear. "It's weaker. Much weaker. I don't know what happened to you in that forest, but whatever it was..." He smiled. "It broke you."
Then he walked away, leaving Yu Zhou standing there, frozen.
He knows. How can he sense that my cultivation dropped?
Yu Zhou hated being vulnerable, especially to people who kept stepping on him for no reason.