"Say Levi, why did you want to be a student of the sect school?"
"To be a cultivator, I guess?"
"Hurhur, do you know how to become a cultivator?"
"Bathing in the flames of Nirvana?"
"Yes. But it isn't so simple. The flames will have to be sealed inside an array so it will reform in the shape of a beating heart. And no one, not even the elders can touch it. They must use forbidden techniques that consume their lifespan in order to draw a tiny speck of power. Others will refine the speck of flame and combine it with precious medicines. And to tell you, we have only three pill refiners here, but only thirty percent of the flame can be successfuly made into pills. My father said, the process needs to be quick but careful. One misstep is fatal to the failure of the whole batch. In fact, the elders of the sect can only draw enough amount of flame to be refined into thirty to forty pills. The school promised to give cultivation pills to whole five hundred students but the truth is only fifty pills is effective while the others are fake. Only the geniuses and young masters will be given the pills in exchange for great price, while the others will be tricked into believing their constitution isn't that great so the pill is ineffective."
Levi tried to process all the information to his brain. "So you're saying the enrollment is a fake because only the rich will be given cultivation pills? And the commoners will be given fake?"
"Yes. That's right. I'm telling real what I heard from my father who heard the information from a guard who acquired the information from an insider within the sect."
"Then why do they need these trials? Why do they need atleast five hundred youths to enroll?"
"That... I don't know. Somehow, there is a conspiracy among the sect members. Some elders are plotting against the sect leader. But that is only a rumour."
Levi did not know what to believe. But these events are already expected. After all, if the poor knows how to lie, the rich can also scheme. Whatever their plans are, Levi will not know unless he investigates himself, for the price of a guillotine. He shook his head out of this. Better not trifle anyone. "Brother Fang, can you tell me what you know about the ruins outside the walls?"
Fang Bu stopped. He stared at him intently. "Are you sure?"
He nodded.
"All right then. Huu... I am a debauchee who loves nothing but spending money. But father threatened to cut my allowance if I did not study. So I did. My interest was only caught by the ancient books describing the past. When I look at it, it all seems to be a fairy tail, a fantasy fiction story of gods versus men versus monsters. So I'll tell you a brief history of our place.
Millions of years ago, this place is a dwelling for monsters or beasts. They are the first army of Hell and this place was its station. One time, ten experts came and wrecked the station, massacring every one in sight. When they thought they are the victor, the ground shook and a wormhole appeared. Out came hundreds! Hundreds and hundreds of gigantic humanoid monsters called Titans. They are slow but very strong. One punch could crush a mountain. The ten cultivators were no match for the godly demonic beasts, they were eaten alive. It was said that titans grow stronger by eating cultivators, and human's blood can amplify their strength up to three times. The giant army overruled the place once more and spread to attack more human village nearby. The god of sun sent his son Goku to destroy the demonic entities. Goku was wielding a heavenly staff. He went down on earth and smashed every last piece of the Titans. All their body's crumbled to pieces then eventually burned by Goku's flame.
According to the legend, the Titans conducted a forbidden art that sucked them all into one. The abomination was so big that it overshadows anything, it was called Armaggadon. It can wield the flame of Hell's seventh lord. Goku was forced to use one of his ultimate technique -the super saiyan fusion. He became a half-god himself and the two battled out creating hurricanes and earthquakes. But Goku eventually defeated the Titan and it collapsed back in hell. Before Goku went back to heaven, he used his flame to clear out a huge space of land.
Humans then entered the island once more to find nothing but ruins and a flat piece of land. They built walls around the land and within they slowly created the city of Qiguai!"
"What about the monsters? I heard there are still hordes of monsters within the ruins."
"Yes, they are called Undead. They are the reanimated corpse of humans and beasts. It was believed something underground must be controlling them."
"Right."
● ○ ●
The duo reached the wall at noon. Huffing and puffing for breath, the two forced themselves to get within.
"Too late. They've already started."
The young men were struggling to climb the wall with ropes. Most have already gotten half-way and some are already on top.
"So that's the challenge? Easy peasy. I can outclimb all of them."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Don't you know my nickname is spiderman? Let's go. We better join them."
The two sneaked past the elders and made their way into the ropes. They grabbed them and starts climbing up.
"Hurry up, brother Fang."
"Ah, if only I'm obedient. My fat is pulling me down. I can't."
"You can do it buddy. Don't make extra movements. Just focus on gripping the ropes."
The teacher announced. "Ten breathes of time countdown begins. Ten... nine..."
"Just go, brother Levi. Don't think of me."
He nodded and started pulling himself faster. At his pace, he was no different than running. Many were wide-eyed. Levi reached the end of the rope and grabbed a block to pull himself but a foot stepped on it. He glanced.
Zhu Fengtian. He stared at him with a smug look. He kicked his hand away causing Levi to fall.
But Levi grabbed on the rope tightly and quickly climbed upward again. He reached the top and immdiately pulled himself in before the countdown ends.
"Time's up! Those who failed are disqualified. Now congratulations to all who passed the test. But the trial is not yet over. Rest for a minute before we start."
The elders propelled themselves up and landed on top of the wall.
Levi stared at Zhu Fengtian who was ignorant and pretending to admire the sky. Levi withdrew his gaze and turned to the other side. Just behind the wall is a vast barren land resembling a desert. Mountains and creeks with green vegetation hid the full view of the ruins but he could still see collapsed buildings and towers. Brother Fang said there was a woemhole -an entrance to hell. Wormholes are just like blackholes which appeared out of nowhere. It is said to be a portal connecting the hades world to the mortal world. Levi was not sure if the wormhole vanished or it was still there, hidden out of view.
"For the second part of the trial, you are to run to the end part of the east wall. There is a price to the first placer. You must do whatever it takes to get the first place, because the prize is a guarantee to your future."
Many of them lit up their eyes. When they heard of the reward that can guarantee their future, they immediately thought of the cultivation pill. Waiting for no one, they began pushing each other, racing in front.
"Ops ops. Be careful not to fall. Once you are out of the wall, no one will save you."
A raging man came driving through his way. Levi followed his tail. Everyone was in chaos but all are determined to run as fast as they can. Levi saw Fang Bu waving at him. He smiled and waved back. Goodbye, my friend. We'll meet again. Or so he thought.
The path is getting grumpy. More and more are getting exhausted they fell out and was stepped on. The space eventually widened a bit and everyone can breathe fresh air mixed with the awful stench of sweat. Levi has an above-average stamina. He was living running off from the victims he stole from. To divert them, a thief needs to be agile. Levi side-stepped, runs in zigzag manner and successfully surpassing everyone. He got in front in no time.
The proud youth frowned at him and accelerated faster. He also accelerated. Both of them are very near and have the same speed. Nvertheless, the winner is decided by their amount of stamina to continue such speed until the end. The proud youth was gradually overtaken by the slender boy.
One hundred meters. Just a bit more. Levi could almost see a piece of something wrapped in a cloth. It must be the reward. Levi already knows something inside it must not be too valuable. He learned how proud and scheming the sect is, how they are cheating everyone of their money.
*grab!
When he was almost half-way though, a powerful arm grabbed his shirt and he yanked backwards forcefully. He saw the smirk of the proud youth as he passed him. But more than that, an even greater force pushed him sideward, propelling him to fall beyond the wall.
Levi saw the ground coming closer and closer. He reacted fast and braced himself by protecting his head.
Thud!