North River City bustled with a surging crowd, high-ranking officials, nobles, vendors, and servants all packed into one place, craning their necks in anticipation. At the head of the line, names of registrants were being recorded.
Inside a sumptuous carriage, a middle-aged man earnestly instructed, handing the young man a thick booklet.
"Remember, the Ask-Heart Path is the most difficult. I often made you endure hardship when you were small, to temper your mind. Now it's time to put that training to good use. I hope you understand my painstaking efforts."
Regret flickered in the eyes of the middle-aged man, for he himself had fallen just short of success all those years ago.
The Dao Sect is no longer as easy to enter as before, with many already figuring out the patterns of the Ask-Heart Path.
As long as one has prepared in advance, has a stronger heart for withstanding setbacks, has faced temptation and understands their own true nature, they could generally pass through it.
