The next three days passed relatively quickly for Yin Hui. On the first day, he stayed in his room and rested. On the second, he and Yu Zhuwa took a stroll around the sect at their own pace. Because the Striking Thunder Sect was so big, even a full day wasn't enough to see even a quarter of it. In the end, they just toured the most popular areas that were of importance to outer disciples like them. This included one of the dueling arenas, libraries, training halls, and most importantly, the Sky Pagoda.
There was only one Sky Pagoda within the entire sect and it was located at the very center. It was the most populated building and disciples went in and out constantly. That was because the Sky Pagoda contained the merit rankings of every single disciple in the sect.
Within the Sky Pagoda were countless tablets filled with names. Each name had a number beside it that represented the individual's merit rank. The lowest were placed at the bottom while the highest could be found on the top floor. Needless to say, the names on the top floor were monopolized by the core disciples.
On the third day, Yin Hui and Yu Zhuwa went to visit Zhang Shi. The room Zhang Shi was given was many times more luxurious then Yin Hui's. It was triple the size and filled with high quality furniture and other decorations.
"Brother Yang Xiang! Brother Yang Yu! Welcome! Please take a seat at the table. I was just about to pour the wine."
Yin Hui and Yu Zhuwa turned their attention towards a pristine jade table on the far side of the room. Already in one of the seats was a sickly pale young man who was as thin as a corpse. The man did not pay much attention to Yu Zhuwa, but his eyes flashed when he saw Yin Hui.
"Yang Xiang was it? I am Wu Fangli. You may not have seen me, but I was one of the applicants who spectated your fight with Chen Hong."
Wu Fangli extended his thin arm out towards Yin Hui to exchange greetings. Yin Hui accepted and shook his hand, but there was a cold glint within his eye. To someone like him who learned how to read people's characters, Wu Fangli radiated an aura of treachery. He was definitely a person with his own agenda and one that Yin Hui felt he had to be wary of.
Zhang Shi joined the table shortly after with a jug of wine and four tall glasses. As the four of them drank, they shared a bit about themselves and their aspirations.
Zhang Shi was born to a family of mortals that lived in a mid-ranking settlement in the Storm Province. When it was discovered that he had talent in cultivating, he enrolled in a academy nearby and quickly became their best student. With his talent far exceeding the other students, the academy head recommended that he apply to the Striking Thunder Sect, as the academy did not have the resources to help him reach his full potential.
Wu Fangli on the other hand, was from a distinguished cultivation family known throughout the province. Spending his entire life competing against his relatives, he joined the Striking Thunder Sect seeking greater power so that he could reign supreme once he returned.
"Some of those fools may be better than me now, but with the resources in the Striking Thunder Sect I will soon rise above them all!" Wu Fangli said with a determined glint in his eye.
"An admirable goal Brother Wu. I guess I can only say that I was lucky to have so many people supporting me in my pursuit of the dao. If I was born into your circumstances, I would not be sure if I could handle it."
"The pursuit of power rests solely on the individual Brother Zhang. With your talent, I think that academy master of yours did you a disfavor by giving you so much help."
"Fair enough Brother Wu. What about you two Yang brothers? Where are you from and what made you come to the Striking Thunder Sect? I'm especially curious about you Brother Yang Xiang, after all you managed to attract the attention of Master Tranquil Wind."
"Indeed, you are also a Spirit Tamer as well. Out of all the clans my Wu Clan has connections to, I have not heard of a Yang Clan that specializes in spirit beasts in the Storm Province."
Yin Hui dodged the question and fashioned a fake story based off of a mix of his and Yu Zhuwa's past. He told them that he and Yu Zhuwa were from a mortal family living in the outskirts of the province until their village was destroyed by cultivators from another province. After a bunch of fortuitous encounters they became cultivators and sought to obtain the strength necessary to get their revenge.
Surprisingly, the one that held the most sympathy for Yin Hui's story was Wu Fangli.
"I see... Revenge. I understand your struggle Brother Yang, but I must advise you that picking fights with clans from another province is very risky. You do not know how far the chain can lead and you may end up provoking more then you might think."
Not wishing to maintain such a gloomy atmosphere, Zhang Shi quickly changed the topic and the four of them continued to talk amongst each other for the rest of the day. At sundown, they parted ways and returned to their rooms in preparation for the welcome ceremony the next day.
The next morning, all the outer disciples were gathered in front of the main palace at the center of the sect. It was located near the Sky Pagoda and was rumored to be where the Sect Master and Founder resided. There were around three hundred disciples total, evaluated during different days and by different elders. They all stood at the bottom of the palace silently, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Gong~
The sound of a large gong echoed throughout the area and four individuals emerged from the palace. One of them was an old man with a head full of white hair and a stern expression. He wore a black robe and had an air of command around him that made him stand out above the others.
Beside him was an old woman with grey hair tied up in a bun. She wore a dark purple robe and held a long wooden staff. While she did not have the same presence as the black robed man, the sternness in her face was far above his.
Next to the stone-faced woman was someone Yin Hui was familiar with, Master Tranquil Wind. He wore a forest green robe and had the same gentle expression he had when they first met. Unlike the others, he did not look old at all and had the appearance of a man in his forties. Out of the four, he was by far the most appealing.
The final individual was someone Yin Hui did not expect. Yu Zhuwa, who was standing beside him dropped his jaw when he saw the individual standing beside Master Tranquil Wind.
[It's him!]
Sloppily dressed in extravagant flowery robes was the same one armed old man that Yin Hui saw in the market district a few days ago. Compared to the others who presented themselves with professionalism, the one-armed geezer was a complete mess. He was poorly groomed and his hair stuck out all over the place as if he had just got out of bed. Letting out an unnecessarily loud yawn, the one-armed man took a seat on the floor and closed his eyes.
These four individuals were the four masters of the Striking Thunder Sect, also known in and out of the province as the Four Winds.
The black-robed master cast a cold glare towards the master in the flowery robes before stepping forward towards the disciples gathered in before him.
"Welcome new disciples, to the Striking Thunder Sect! I am Master Storm Wind, Master of the Storm Branch and one of the Four Winds! You have all been accepted due to your exceptional talents and abilities that surpass that of ordinary cultivators! Make the appropriate contributions to the sect and you will learn that no other location in the Storm Province is better suited to unlock your potential then here!"
"To those who wish to join my Storm Branch in the future, be warned! My expectations are extremely high! However, if you do manage to get in, know that you will now be surrounded by the very best of the sect!"
Below, countless new disciples had determined looks in their eyes. Master Storm Wind was the strongest of the Four Winds and acknowledged as the unofficial leader of the sect, second only to the enigmatic Sect Leader who never left the palace.
"That's enough arrogance from you old coot." The old woman who stood a couple feet away from Master Storm Wind furrowed her brows and walked forward.
"Greetings everyone, I am Master Violet Wind. I will not spend time on flowery words and jump straight to the the point. Since Old Storm has already given you the welcome speech, I want to add some words of my own. Obedience to the sect is a must, anyone who does not follow the laws to the letter will be punished. My Violet Branch will make sure of that. At the same time, if you have a strong sense of justice and want to grow in a disciplined and steady environment, my Violet Branch is always looking for new members."
On top of being one of the four branches, the Violet Branch was in charge of maintaining sect law. They had the authority to punish any disciple caught breaking the rules, including those in the other branches as well. While they didn't always have the most talented disciples, members of the Violet Branch were formidable, even to the geniuses in the Storm Branch.
"Sigh... If both of you are advertising your branches then I guess I should as well." A jovial voice called out.
Master Tranquil Wind moved forward until he was at the same level as Master Storm Wind and Master Violet Wind.
"If you find that you do not have the talent to enlist in the Storm Branch, or the dedication and diligence needed for the Violet Branch, my Tranquil Branch is open to disciples of all walks of life. Everyone learns at their own pace and my Tranquil Branch will allow you to spread your wings with the freedom."
After Master Tranquil Wind was finished, Master Storm Wind addressed the disciples once more.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way, we will now begin the Four Songs of---"
"Ahem." A lazy voice interrupted.
Master Storm Wind scowled and turned his head furiously backwards.
"Do you wish to add something Master Tempest?"
Master Tempest, who had been sitting the entire time, stood up and joined the rest of his fellow masters. He scratched his head and let out a rude burp while turning towards Master Storm Wind.
"You said that the introductions were out of the way, but I don't believe I had my turn yet."
"Then do you have something to contribute? If so then please speak before the younger generation that has gathered before us."
Master Tempest scanned the entire crowd briefly before looking back at Master Storm Wind.
"No, I don't have anything to say. I just wanted to make sure I didn't get left out on anything the other masters do."
Master Storm Wind snorted under his breath. Even Master Tranquil Wind seemed a bit annoyed at Master Tempest's current behavior.
"Very well... In that case, we will now commence the Striking Thunder Sect's Four Songs!"
Immediately after Master Storm Wind gave the word, Master Tranquil Wind formed a symbol with his hands. A calm wind began to fill the area and quickened at consistent intervals, creating what sounded like a beat.
The next to go was Master Violet Wind. She tapped her staff on the ground and some of the winds produced by Master Tranquil Wind started to take on color. Streams of red, blue, green, yellow, and of course violet, could be seen blowing past the disciples gathered below the palace. Each colored gust of wind produced a different sound until a distinct melody could be heard.
Master Storm Wind, who had taken to the skies, pointed a finger towards the heavens. Dark clouds formed as thunder roared and lightning descended. Like everything else, the thunder and lightning was controlled, roaring and striking at specific moments, adding further depth to the song.
The three masters then turned towards Master Tempest with confused expressions. It was his turn to add the final portion of the song, but he merely stood still with a crooked grin on his face. He flew into the air and pointed a finger at the audience below.
"Big Tornado!!"
Suddenly, an enormous twister formed at the center of the audience. The disciples cried out as they were sucked into the tornado and started spinning around in circles uncontrollably. Yin Hui and Yu Zhuwa were implicated as well. They tried to struggle against the tornado, but the wind was simply too strong.
The tornado started to accelerate and all the disciples were flung into different parts of the sect. One disciple was even sent crashing into one of the palace windows.
"Ahahaha!! Hope you juniors had a nice welcome ceremony!!" Master Tempest laughed like a lunatic before slowly flying away.
Master Storm Wind was enraged.
"Tempest you dare?! You will be punished for this!" Sparks flared within both of Master Storm Wind's hands.
"Really Old Storm? Don't forget, according to the law there can be no fights between the masters unless there is clear evidence that they have betrayed the sect. Ask Old Violet, technically I haven't broken any rules."
Master Violet Wind grit her teeth, Master Tempest had indeed not broken any formal rules of the sect and thus could not be justifiably punished.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I've wasted enough time here. I need to get back to the city and chase after some more pretty ladies!'
Letting out another maniacal laugh, Master Tempest casually left in the direction of the sect's borders and towards the mortal's domain in Thundercloud.
-------------------------------------------
Yu Zhuwa, who was still recovering from being flung hard into a nearby building, rubbed his injured head.
"So that was Master Tempest...? I can't believe Grandma Yu was affiliated with someone like him. That old man is crazy!"
Beside him was Yin Hui, who had already recovered and was brushing off pieces of rubble from his robes. In contrast to Yu Zhuwa who was quite angry, he was merely confused. The power within the tornado was enough to kill every single one of the cultivators there, but everyone seemed to get off with just light injuries. This level of control shocked him as even a single misstep could have killed them all. In fact, it was more advanced then anything he felt from the other masters during their performances.
[Yu Mingxi was right. If anyone can protect and help me reach a level where I can get my revenge on the Tang Clan, its Master Tempest!]