The first disciple to enter the arena moved with great determination, he was navigating the transverse when something happened to him that made him lost his focus and triggered the arrays. He was with incredible strength that made him fought his way out of the array two times but the time was his undoing. The time had ran out while he was about to advance to the last four bamboo sticks after battling the second set of humanoids.
With great agony, he admitted defeat and exited the arena.
One by one, they continued to enter the arena.
Not too long after, it was Ju Feng's turn to pass through the transverse of the arena. He could have navigated the arena by using the swift spine technique for a much more faster speed steps but the audience, especially the elders, would have noticed that the technique wasn't something an outer disciple would have known. Something an outer disciple couldn't have learned.
It was either the generally available flashstep or quickstep. Not that there was any difference, but he decided to stay with the flashstep. He enforced his body with a bit of Chi energy since the humanoid levels would automatically transform to the same level of strength and speed like him because of the talismanic seals in their cores.
With his body strengthened with a small amount of Chi, he stepped on the first bamboo stick which immediately started to sink.
He had never been in a competition like that before. It was exhilarating, yet concerning.
The moment he stepped on the, the humanoids attacked him. Since he wasn't using any weapon, they too didn't use any weapon. He didn't know the pattern to use to navigate the transverse but he had been watching the disciples as they stepped onto the arena. He had a vague idea of their movement but the bamboo pattern was always changing.
He was using the shifting heavens technique to battle the humanoids, he was mainly using it to block their attacks then he would quickly used the flashsteps to move to the next bamboo stick. Too many blows were landing on his body but he didn't stop. Whenever his strike landed on a humanoid, he would quickly use its body to launch himself to the next bamboo stick.
Luckily for him, he was getting nearer as he continued using that method. He was almost through to the Cloud spirit fruit when he stepped on the wrong bamboo stick triggering the arrays.
Arena lockdown and dark steel golems.
And they attacked him in their numbers. He was blocking, he couldn't even land attacks of his own because of their numbers were telling on him. Whenever he used the flash steps, they would use the same. He tried the quick steps with the same results and he was sure that they will reciprocate if he used the swift spine technique.
If only he could use swift spine technique, maybe he would have left the arena since.
The time was winding down and they kept on attacking him until one of them got in the way of a blow meant for him. Seeing that it was shaken by the blow, he quickly hit it with the shifting heavens in the chest which sent it sprawling on the floor. He quickly used the golem's body as a support to cleverly cross to the other side snatching up the spirit fruit.
That was close.
The competition continued until the fifty disciples had participated in the Twenty Golems Steps dance. The twenty disciples that were successful were ushered to the front where one of the sect stewards was standing with the element affinity detector.
The detector was a pure metal scale that could determine the element affinity of a cultivator. If the cultivator had more than one affinity, it would display the one that was most dominant or major in the cultivator. The masters will use the results to select their disciples and the disciple would be taught on the dominant affinity.
The way of Charat planet, all cultivators specialized in one affinity. Any other affinities were side effects.
The disciples were expressing their happiness as they were being lined up in front of the masters for their affinity detection. Ju Feng was among the last twenty along with his room mate, Fa and Genji.
When it was his turn, Ju Feng stepped forward and stood at the front of the metal scale.
"Light and lightning. Lightning the major."
It continued until all the successful disciples had finished determining their element affinities.
Then again, the sect grandmaster raised his voice which covered the arena.
"Well done to all of you that participated in the competition, you all performed very well. Big congratulations to the twenty of you that made it successfully through the stages. Those of you that fell short, continue to practice and prepare properly for the next competition. I hope this will serve as a motivation for you."
The grandmaster pointed at the new inner disciples and contonued.
"Those of you that were chosen, will now join the other direct sect disciples under your masters. Your sect master will provide you with your own acre of land to farm. There are seeds, stems and roots of different crops. That include some plants. Yes, you can also rear approved farm animals. What you produce, you can sell at the sect's market place or exchange with others. Remember, you work for your wellbeing. Alright, don't relent in learning and training. Aim to bring honour to this sect and yourself. I bid you Welcome."
Thirty minutes later, he was at the main hall of the inner sect together with the other nineteen disciples where they were being attended to by the sect stewards. They swore oath of allegiance and good behaviour before they were given the sect disciples tokens, two new sets of blue robes and a Red Beryl spirit fruit.
After collecting their items, they followed the steward to the Flowing Sanctum hill range, hundreds of hills chained together, the place they would be living as inner disciples.
As they started to walk towards the place, he was joined by Fa.
"Hello Ju Feng."
"Hello Fa, I didn't know you were that good. You were like a flowing river."
"You flatters me. It was my second time participating in the competition, been preparing for it a long time. Although, the golems still made it very difficult. What happened to you in there?"
"I couldn't remember both the alignment and the movement of the stars. I suffered a complete memory loss, it really affected me."
"But you managed to pass through, you are really good too. And i saw you are lightning affiliated, really impressed. Anyway, try not to electrocute me. Hehe."
"Hehehe, you flatters me. You know it was nothing compared to yours, Air affinity. You control everything. By the way, try not to suffocate me. Ha-ha"
"Hehehe, now you flatters me beyond my heart's hold. We should be grateful for passing. If not, it would have been another year waiting."
"Yes, we should be grateful. Ah, look!" Ju Feng pointed to the caves that appeared in their views.
"The Flowing Sanctum!"
"Truly wonderful."
The hills were chained together in a beautiful manner with each hill having an acre of land located at the back for farming, they would be able to plant everything they would need for their wellbeing and cultivate without disturbances.
Heavens tears.