The bright golden sun in the sky slowly sunk below the horizon. The orange tree leaves and grass darkened, gaining hints of red. Gentle winds blew from the south, carrying dust, leaves and pink petals from the Alchemy Garden, a series of mountain ranges in the south, home to the disciples of the alchemy profession. Feng Li snatched one of the petals from the air. The smell intoxicated him and he wanted to know what it was. He flipped the petal around, but the limits of his knowledge failed him. He tossed the petal back into the wind with a huff, crossing his arms. Back at Cascade Paradise, he memorized all the different plants and flowers that existed within the forests surrounding it. He believed there was not a plant he didn't know under the sun, all a leaf he couldn't recognize. That view was shattered a few weeks ago when he travelled to the Imperial Planet.
Countless new species of plants, herbs and bushes revealed themselves before his eyes. He didn't like it at all. He spent a total of ten years memorizing three hundred and twenty thousand plant species, yet there were more on this planet. Didn't that mean he was far from his dream of knowing every plant under the sun? With each passing day, he saw something new. It never ended.
"Next!" Elder Mo shouted.
Feng Li swung his legs, an unhappy look adorning his face. Shi Ya noticed his sour mood and came up to him. She tapped his shoulder and smiled. Her smile was horrible to the nth degree. Lifting her lips gathered thick roles of skin around the corner of her lips and squashed her eyebrows towards the bridge of her nose. Years of practising the Frozen Sorrows Art from her clan made it almost impossible to convey emotion through facial expressions in the earlier stages. They were forced to constantly keep a neutral expression on their faces, whether they wanted to or not.
Loud laughter blurted out of Feng Li's mouth. Shi Ya's pathetic attempt at smiling ignited his funny bone. His chest heaved. He clutched his stomach, and slid off the seat and into the dirt, still laughing. Shi Ya pulled back her smile and turned her face away from Feng Li.
"Hahaha…do that again…do it," Feng Li grabbed his seat and slowly lifted himself from the ground.
"Whats wrong with you kid? Did you eat something bad?" Liang Heng turned back.
"Show him! hahaha Show him!"
"Show me what?"
Liang Heng turned towards Shi Ya with an inquisitive expression, one eyebrow raised. He really wanted to know what had the young kid laughing so much. The dead stare that locked into his eyes made him turn his head back and continue watching the Dao Heart Test. He didn't want to know what was so funny anymore.
"This is how you repay me?" Shi Ya finally faced Feng Li after a long while, "Babies are truly hard to raise. I give."
"Who are you calling a baby? I'm twelve. A fully grown man. I hunt and catch vicious beasts back home like the other adults," said Feng Li.
Shi Ya ignored him. Watching the Dao Heart Test was far more informative than dealing with the twelve-year-old kid. Elder Mo summoned a few thousand more Immortal Slaying Mirrors to speed up the trials to the shock of the crowd. Participant after participant walked through the orange grass tinged with red, climbed up the stage and sat next to the Immortal Slaying Scroll. They then focused and guided their spirit sense into it and began their trials. Time passed and the long list of participants thinned out to only a few by the time the moon rose directly above their heads.
"Next!" Elder Mo said.
A few young men and ladies left the stage disappointed at their results, knowing they failed the trials and practically lost their chance to become outer disciples. Plans for their near future ran through their minds. A few chose to accept the servant disciple position, that way they could have some form of resources to carry their increasing need for higher-grade products. Those that weren't willing to become servant disciples chose to go to weaker sects and try their luck, hopefully, they'd become outer disciples there.
Feng Li opened his eyes. He spent the last few hours meditating and casting away unnecessary thoughts from his mind. He didn't want unneeded distractions during the test. Those could prove fatal to his plan. He leapt off the seat and walked calmly to the Immortal Slaying Mirrors. He spoke to no one, nor did he let his eyes wander around. His sight was set on the mirror right at the centre of the stage and he didn't let his eyes wander away from it.
"Best of Luck!" Shi Ya said.
"You've got this!" Liang Heng said.
Feng Li didn't hear them. He had a goal in mind. No one would draw his attention from it. He walked right passed Elder Mo who gazed at him with a twinkle in his eyes. He sat in front of the mirror of his choice, crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knees. Inhaling and Exhaling, he directed his spirit sense into the mirror.
"I need some air," Long Wei said.
He walked to the railings of the pavilion and vaulted over it. Instead of the enhanced gravity of the Imperial Expanse dragging him down towards the ground, he remained in the air. Purple spirit Qi hovered a few centimetres below his feet. He gazed one last time at Dong Meirong and propelled himself southwards. Within an instant, a sonic boom sounded behind him. Like an arrow shot by the Transcendent Archer Hou Yi who shot down Nine Realms with a single arrow, Long Wei tore through the air, reaching the mountain range south of the trial grounds in an instant.
Few people on the trial grounds saw what happened. Simply because the events occurred at a speed far faster than what their senses could track. Some only saw a blinding flash of purple qi, others only heard a sonic boom long after the culprit disappeared. Elder Mo wanted to grab Long Wei with a hand made from quintessence but the Vice Sect Master told him to pardon the boy. His mood which improved after seeing Dong Meirong's performance worsened. He hated the special treatment Transcendent Dao Children had, let alone the overly special treatment they had to give Long Wei. The brat hadn't done a single achievement worth respect except parading his talents around.
Elder Bohai didn't follow after his young master. He knew that Dong Meirong was getting on his nerves. It would do him good if he blew off the steam and thought about something else before he did something he regretted. He simply extended his divine sense outwards and followed after Long Wei. Elder Cai acted as if everything that happened was none of his concern. He kept his eyes close and continued meditating. Long Wei has a defensive artefact that would summon him the moment his life was endangered. It wouldn't be too late to step in then.
"That kid…he takes so much after his father," the Vice Sect Master's deep voice reverberated through the blue and gold pavilion.
No one in the pavilion agreed or disagreed with the Vice Sect Master. The number of people who personally knew the Emperor of Imperial Haven could be counted on one hand, and the Vice Sect Master was one of those people. Rumours had it that at some point in time, he and the Emperor were inseparable bosom buddies, drinking, fighting and destroying sects together. Their closeness ended a few million years ago because of a misunderstanding. Thuds and clinks of wine glasses echoed throughout the room, occasionally mixed with gurgling and long sips. The Vice Sect Master gave a wry smile at the awkwardness he caused.
"Why did you turn a bet between two of the kids into a full blown competition?" the First Elder broke the silence with a question.
The Vice Sect Master tapped the glistening brown arm of his chair in thought. He turned and gazed at the First Elder's blushing face from the constant rounds of intense liquor. At first, he just wanted to watch the trials unfold as they always did since. For tens of millions of years, he was expected to attend these every few thousand years and watch an event that rarely changed. The same exact formula would be used for each and every trial, century after century. And in part, he blamed the emperor for setting such a ridiculous rule that standardized the sect recruitment ceremonies.
"I was bored," said the Vice Sect Master.
"Don't joke around," Lui Ying would never believe such nonsense.
"I don't mind if you don't believe me. But that's the truth," the Vice Sect Master said, "Oh and pass me 'Her Woes'. Its been a long time since I last drank it. About a million years."
Yu Yongnian, the Second Elder, reached over and grabbed a gourd of wine with a yellow ribbon. He waved his hand and a spatial ring flashed. A thick brown cup landed on the table with a thud. He wrapped his woman-like fingers around the cup, tilted it, and poured some of the wine. He flicked his wrist. The cup of wine shot out of his hand, spinning in the air, gunning straight for the Vice Sect Master's face. He snatched the cup from the air and immediately thrust it to his lips. He drank the wine impatiently.
The three elders squinted. A sour feeling rose in their hearts, hinting to them that they may have just been lied to.
"You see. There is a reason why I changed the entire format of the trials a bit. Of Course, I didn't change the important part. So the Dao Children won't be snatching the first spots if they take part. Their points only count toward the Two Cosmic Beads treasures. As to why I did all this? Figure it out yourselves. "