The first disciple to enter the arena moved with great determination. He was wriggling his way through the transverse of the arena when a sudden shift in the arrays made him loose his focus and triggered the arrays. He was with incredible strength which continued to impress Ju Feng who was watching with great anxiety. The outer disciple 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 sets of ten bamboo sticks. The iron Golems were truly formidable obstacles.
With great agony, the boy admitted defeat and exited the arena.
Ju Feng watched them entered the arena one by one as he tried to see if he could find anything to emulate without using the Swift-Steps technique. Left for him, there was no need of entering the arena from what he had seen so far if he couldn't use his techniques. He wouldn't last long in there.
Not too long after, it was Jufeng'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 dsciple couldn't have learned.
It was either the generally available flashstep or nothing. So, he decided to stay with the flashstep. He enforced his body with a bit of Chi since the humanoid levels would automatically transform to the same level of strength and speed like him due to 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 so exhilirating yet concerning before. The moment he stepped on the bamboo sticks, the humanoids attacked him. Since he wasn't using any weapon, they too didn't use any weapon. He didn't know the pattern used to tread the arena, but he had a vague idea after watching other outer disciples.
He was partially using the shifting heavens technique to block the attacks of the Golems, 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.
Fortunately for him, he was managing to get nearer as he continued using that method. He was almost through to the dangling token when he stepped on the wrong bamboo stick triggering the arrays.
Arena lockdown and the dark steel golems.
They came at him in their numbers. He couldn't even land attacks of his own because of their numbers which was putting him in the defensive position. Whenever he used the flash steps, they would use the same. He was tempted to use the Swift-Steps but his mind told him the Golems would reciprocate accordingly.
If only he could use a teleportation technique.
The time was winding down and they kept on attacking him until a ray of fortune shone on him. One of the golems got in the way of a powerful blow meant for him which shook it to its core. Seeing the effect on the golem, Ju Feng quickly hit it with the might of the shifting heavens in the chest, sending it sprawling on the floor. Thinking fast, he quickly used the golem's body as a support to propel him to the other side.
The golems were moving to cut him off, when a blow landed on his back, propelling him across the arena to where the token was hanging. A joyful expression was displayed on his face as he snatched up the token.
That was close.
The competition continued until the fifty disciples had participated in the Hundred Golems Steps dance. The twenty disciples that were sucessful 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. Unless the elements were both major which was extremely rare on Charat. The masters would then use the results to select their disciples and the disciples were to be taught on the dominant affinity or affinities.
The way of Charat planet, all cultivators specialized in the major affinities only. Any minor affinities were put aside.
The disciples were expressing their happiness as they were being lined up in front of the masters and associate masters for their affinity detection. Jufeng was among the last twenty along with his room mate, Fa, and the beautiful Lu Mei Ying who he met at the Dale of the beasts.
When it was his turn, Ju Feng stepped forward and stood in front of the metal scale.
"Lightning."
It continued until all the successful disciples had finished determining their elemental affinities. Then again, the sect grandmaster raised his voice which quickly covered the arena.
"You have all done well. Your participation in the competition was duly noted and acknowledged. Congratulations to the twenty of you that made it successfully through the stages. Those of you that fell short, continue to work hard and prepare properly for the next competition. I hope this will serve as a motivation for you as it has been doing for ages. I know how much you all want to be inner disciples. So work harder. Those of you that were chosen, you'll now join your affiliated house where you'll meet the other sect disciples under your masters. Your sect master will provide you with your own land and what to plant on it. 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. Always aim to bring honor to this sect and to yourself. I Welcome you all."
Thirty minutes later, he was at the mainhall 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 the 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. I saw you moving like a flowing river."
"You flatters me. It was my second time participating in the competition. Been preparing for it a long time now. Although, the golems still made it very difficult for me at the end. And you, 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. "
"Hahaha, you flatters me. You know it was nothing compared to yours, Air affinity. You controll everything. By the way, try not to suffocate me. Haha"
"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!"
Jufeng said, pointing to the caves that appeared in their views.
"The Flowing Sanctum!"
"Truly wonderful."
The hills were chained and arranged together in a beautiful manner. Each hill having a proportion of land located at the back for farming. They would be able to plant everything they would need for their wellbeing and that of the sect. The hills would also give them ample space to practice their cultivation without disurbance.
Titans Torso!
What a place. It reminded Ju Feng of their cave at home which made him close his eyes to reminisce.