As Fan Huang was walking along the base of the mountain he looked to the side and got a view of the most beautiful scene he had seen in his life. Out in front of him was kilometers upon kilometers of forest and wildlife. He had never taken the time to appreciate the beauty while on the mountain.
He could see birds the of his entire house in the distance. It had feathers as big as his head and had a beak shaped like a spoon. Suddenly the bird sensed Fan Huang's gaze and looked at him.
Surprising Fan Huang he looked away and walked further along the base.
Number 100
Number 200
Number 300
Number 400
All these numbers kept spinning inside his head. He was kinda tired cause there were always people ahead of him taking a cave before he could get to it. After getting to number 600 the people stopped and he could finally find a place to sit down in peace after a long time walking. He looked at door 627 and sensed a feeling of familiarity with it. The door was quite different than the others and instead of a nice neat bamboo door which looked brand new it was old and dilapidated. He carefully opened it entered the cave.
Inside laid a stone bed in the corner, 1 manual, 1 table and a chair and a mat. at the front of the room was a tub of water for drinking but no food. Fan Huang with no clue as to what to do and looked at the manual. The manual read
'Mortal Body Transformation technique'.
Before Fan Huang could open the manual he heard a voice in his head.
"Hello it is me Bian Que and I'm going to explain the contents of this test. We shall be testing your skill of comprehension today. Comprehension is needed in understanding the way of the sword, techniques and understanding the essence and law of the universe. It is an essential skill to walk the path of cultivation. If you have heavenly talent but you are so dumb you don't understand any techniques then your talent would be useless. Within your room should be a bed, table, mat and a manual. I know you might be surprising to hear a voice in your head all of a sudden but bare with it.
In this test you shall try and stay in the room you are in for as long as possible. If you are in the top 20 people left you will pass. The manual give to you holds the key to you passing this exam. If you exit your room you will be given a ration of food, water and a bathroom break. You will then be escorted to the next testing ground and if u fail that test you will have lost your chance to become apart of the Fleeting Cloud sect. Oh and one piece of advice to all of you. Don't try and take a dump in the water tub like one of the idiots 10 years ago did. It was disgusting and gross. I have to keep a watch on you all the whole time so don't try anything weird ok. That is why there is a toilet now installed cause we forgot to add them because we immortals don't need to go to the toilet all. Now let the test begin."
Fan Huang looked around the room and saw a small wooden bowl under the stone bed.
"You call this a toilet? Cultivation sects are cheap", thought Fan Huang in disgust that he would have to use this.
Fan put down the bowl and resumed on what he was doing before. He picked up the book and flipped through the contents. He could see from the title how good it was. The technique taught you how to convert water into energy that could supply you with energy and transform it not just superficially but on an internal level. By assuming a specific breathing pattern and position while holding water in your mouth would lead to your body receiving major changes over time.
There were 5 stages to the technique.
-Half circle
-Minor circle
-Major circle
-Mastery
-Consummation
Each stage doubled your body power. And each time you progressed you would find it easier to convert water into energy. Only by reaching half circle could you have a chance at even converting even a small amount of water.
This was designed for people to fail.
Fan Huang assumed the breathing position and started practicing technique. He did everything the technique said. 1 hour, 2 hours and as time went on he saw no response or change from the water in his mouth.
He thought to himself that maybe he's just not good enough. Fan Huang knew that he needed to succeed and get right back to work.
On the 3rd day of the test he failed. It was simply too much for Fan Huang. As he left the room he was greeted by a servant and given food water and time to go to the toilet.
"I can't stuff it up now. I have one more chance left"
He was then lead and escorted to the next test area by the servant and looked at him. He could see rough bruises ad cuts all over the servant. He knew everyone else was working hard too.
After the time it takes an incense o burn they arrived at a Jade library. The jade library had 2 bird statues at the top with golden feathers. The servant said "This is the Jade library. Once you enter you enter the library the doors will close behind you and you shall be attacked by illusions. If you manage to make your way out in 30 minutes you will have passed. There are other people in there but with the illusions all around you won't bump into any of them"
Fan Huang looked at the servant with a focused gaze and opened the door of the Jade library. AS he entered the library it was just pitch black.
SLAM!
As the door closed behind him he looked around in anticipation. Silence.
"Fan Huang", whispered a voice in the distance.
Fan Huang saw in the distance and old man in a bed with wrinkled hands reaching out to him. Fan Huang ran over like the wind screaming, "Is that you grandpa?"
As he got closer he saw his grandpa.
"I've missed you grandpa", said Fan Huang while holding his grandpas hands "What happend to you. I thought you died but you're alive!"
Fan Huang hugged his grandpa as if he was going to lose him again but for some reason he felt a pulling force on his shoulder. He smelt the air and smelt something burning.
He looked behind himself and saw what might've been a human burning like charcoal.
"Help us!" screamed the charcoal figure in a croaky voice.
Fan Huang jumped back away from the figure and fell to his legs as he crawled away.
The charcoal figure approached closer to Fan Huang as he crawled away.
"Help us"
As he was crawling away he hit a wall. As he looked up he saw another charcoal like figure looking down at him. Fan Huang desperately crawled away from the charcoal figure and he saw that his grandpa had disappeared. He realized that the servant said this was all an illusion.
He knew that if he didn't get out he would lose his chance.
"Its not real, Its not real", this line in his head a few times while he walked away from the charcoal figures trying to find the door. All of a sudden he felt a slight touch on his nether regions. He then saw a flawless beauty naked right underneath him trying to touch his nether regions.
Despite lust and his sexual desire he walked forward. As time went on he saw more and more illusions trying to stop him from finding the door. He saw his auntie, the bullies, and many other people who despised and ruined his life. during this time he realized how he nearly no one to trust. The only people had a connection with his grandpa and Tang Feng he only knew briefly for less than an hour.
After an unknown amount of time he saw for a brief amount of time a light. This light only appeared for a second but in the darkness it stood out. Fan Huang walked over to where the light was. He touched all over where the light appeared i this darkness and touched something wood like. He put his hand all over it and pushed forward with all his strength. Before he knew it he was flying forward. He found himself in front of an old man who looked familiar.
"You have quite the strong heart don't you?"
The old man was Bian Que.
The old man was crouching in front of him with bid smile in front of him.
"Despite being attacked by that many illusions you managed to escape within thirty minutes. People who don't escape in 30 minutes just instantly get sent back out through the front and down the mountain and back to where they came from. Most people escape through the front. But you escape through the back!"
"What does that mean?" questioned Fan Huang.
"It means you have a very strong will. You traveled all the way of the front of the library to the back. You would've encountered many illusions! exiting through the back is much harder than exiting through the front, especially for an 11 year old boy like you.
"Wait so i passed?" Fan Huang had a lost face but immediately it changed to one of shock and joy.
"You have no idea how much this means to me", sobbed Fan Huang while wiping his tears from his wet face.
As he went to look up at the elder he instead he saw his aunties face.
His auntie's face was one of pity and disappointment.
"*sigh* I knew were a failure the day i saw you. Now get out of my library!" His auntie screamed at the top of her lungs as she pointed forwards and Fan Huang was sent flying backwards at a very high speed. The doors of the library opened and he landed on the ground in front of a servant.
"You have failed the test. You may now go down this dirt path and leave", announced the servant in a monotone voice. As he was at the entrance of the library he could see other people entering and leaving the jade library.
"B-but i exited through the back", cried Fan Huang in desperation.
"The back? There is only one exit and entry to the library, and that is through the front. Now please leave."
Fan Huang eyes widened as he slowly got up from the ground.
Fan Huang realizing this just walked down the dirt path with no thoughts in his head. He would be done for if went back home. He had to find somewhere to go.
That was his thought until he an ancient voice reverberated within his mind.
"Do you really want to become a cultivator?"