Jeffrey stood in front of the gate of the Curved Moon Sect, looking at the crowded crowds. He looked around and noticed a huge crowd of runners, about two hundred of them waiting in anticipation like him, whispers filling the air.
"I didn't expect so many contestants!" Geffrey thought, rearranging his plans after his instinct had given him a slight warning about some strong candidates.
Suddenly, everyone fell silent as the Arbiter appeared above them, standing in the sky like a king looking at his followers. He continued to look until he finally spoke:
"Welcome to the entrance examination of the curved Moon Sect!" The referee's voice rang out, majestic and powerful. "For starters, this place is only for the strong and those with great talent and solid determination. If you don't have one of them, then get out of my face! So, are you ready to prove yourselves, you brats?"
The contestants, astonished, nodded their heads without realizing it. Jeffrey, standing among them, felt his heartbeat accelerate as soon as he saw that referee. Every cell in his body began to send alarms to his mind, making him tremble.
"This person is...strong! what is his rank? This is amazing .....This is what I've been waiting for!"
"Entry test is simple." The arbiter continued, "You will enter an island where you will fight until only twenty of you remain. Killing and incapacitating the opponent is allowed. The island is equipped with magic arrays to protect you from true death. However, there is an additional challenge."
The referee extended his hand and showed a shiny gold necklace.
"Each contestant will receive this necklace. If it is taken from you and you cannot retrieve one of them by the end of the test, you will fail. Each necklace is worth a point, and whoever collects the most points will receive first place and the benefits that come with it."
The referee extended his arm again and a space portal formed. "Enter, and let the test begin! And remember, the necklace is the key to your success."
Jeffrey looked at the necklace in the arbiter's hand, then at the gate, and felt excitement flood his being. "The challenge will be very difficult, especially keeping the necklace, but it is nothing to me. He stated that the top runners will receive huge advantages, if it is I've decided!"
With steady steps, he moved toward the gate, ignoring the whispers and looks filled with fear and tension. Every step brought him closer to his destiny, to a future where he would be the master, the ruler behind the scenes again.
As Jeffrey stepped through the portal, the atmosphere around him turned. Thick fog shrouds the island, making visibility almost impossible. The sounds around him faded away, as if he had entered another world. The island was eerily silent, with only the echo of his footsteps breaking the silence.
Jeffrey began to examine the necklace that had been given to him. He found strange patterns on it that sparkled under the dim light. He was not certain of the usefulness of those patterns, but he explained the reason logically, "This is not just an ordinary necklace. It must have tracking capabilities as well as protection methods." He whispered to himself.
The silence continued for a long time. Jeffrey began to move around, trying to create a map inside his mind, but all he could find was thick fog and many trees of different sizes, which made his plan more difficult.
But after a while of exploring, he heard the sound of hurried steps towards him. Jeffrey prepared for the battle directly, but the person who appeared from the fog was not what Jeffrey imagined, but rather a young girl who appeared frightened and exhausted.
"please help me!" The girl screamed, panting from running. "There's a group of challengers chasing me to take my necklace!"
Jeffrey looked at her coldly, quickly analyzing the situation. He didn't care about helping her, he saw it as an opportunity. "How lucky, I got a free necklace at the start of the test," Jeffrey thought.
"Okay, I'll help you, but on one condition." Jeffrey said in an emotionless voice. "I want your necklace as collateral to make sure you're really in trouble and not one of them."
The girl shuddered, but the desperation in her eyes made her agree. "Okay, but please, protect me!"
Jeffrey took the necklace from her, planning his next move. "Come on, we'll hide there." He pointed to a nearby spot ideal for observation.
While they were hiding, the pursuing group passed by, not noticing their presence. As soon as they walked away, Jeffrey looked at the girl with a beautiful smile, then approached her and calmly placed his hand on her shoulder.
"If you move one step from this place while I'm here, your heart will stop."
The girl was surprised by Jeffrey's words, but as soon as she wanted to open her little mouth to understand what was going on, she was overwhelmed by a huge wave of death energy. She felt as if her heart was surrounded by sharp chains that were about to tear it apart.
The girl stopped automatically and her eyes were filled with absolute fear of the person who smiled in front of her. Jeffrey approached her quietly and showed her necklace to her, laughing.
"You shouldn't trust people so much, little girl," Jeffrey sneered and walked towards the fog until it disappeared completely.
"It was very easy. It seems that I have very good luck as long as I did not meet any of the first geniuses." Jeffrey laughed inwardly.
Thick fog crept between the island's ancient trees, hiding the secrets it contained within. Jeffrey, who was standing in the middle of this surrounding mystery, was calm. He was at the peak of the First Heaven, and his ability gave him the power to impose new rules on everything he touched, though he was well aware of the limits of this power. He could not turn things into gold or resurrect the dead for now at least, but rather his ability was manifested in subtle influences that could change the course of events in unexpected ways.
Jeffrey spotted a medium-sized rock and stood in front of it, admiring its rough texture and the small algae hugging its sides. He placed his hand on its cold surface and closed his eyes, focusing on the Origin energy flowing to his fingertips.
"You are now a stable rock," he whispered in a voice filled with intention and focus, "You will not budge from your place. You will be the rock that even storms cannot move." With these words, he felt the rock responding to his will. He tried to move it, but to no avail, as if it had become a part of the earth itself, unmovable. To move.
After Jeffrey demonstrated his ability to impose stability on the rock and according to the amount of his origin energy consumption, he resumed his walk among the trees of the dense forest, where light was filtering with difficulty between the tangled branches. The sounds around him carried the tones of wildlife, but they also concealed the whispers of danger. Therefore, he moved with agility and alertness, ready for any battle.
As he moved further into the island, jeffrey noticed something unusual: a fast shadow moving between the trees, disappearing and appearing in a way that seemed suspicious. Jeffrey followed quietly, using his senses to follow the shadow without attracting attention. He moved briskly, every step calculated to avoid disturbance.
Suddenly, the shadow stopped and looked towards him. Jeffrey knew he had already been discovered. From among the trees, another rider emerged, his face partially hidden by a black mask with white smudges.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, stalker," the challenger said in a confident voice.
"As I expected, it was an ability after all." Jeffrey sighed inwardly and then responded with a relieved smile.
"Your ability to manipulate shadows is interesting, I was amazed!"
"I control the shadows as I please, you have good eyes, hmph!" The contestant said arrogantly, looking at Jeffrey defiantly. "But what about you? What power do you hide?"
Jeffrey smiled and then spoke.
"I have the power to impose new rules," Jeffrey answered, standing firm.
"Imposing new rules... Where have i heard of this ability?" The young man seemed to wonder, immersed in his research.
"Oh, I remembered! Do you mean the rule path?"
"That's true," Jeffrey answered frankly.
The young contestant was astonished. His face quickly began to turn red, as if he was holding something inside him. He quickly burst out laughing.
"Pfffft! Ha….hahahahahaha I almost believed you my guy. Is your ability is acting or what, hahahahaha, it's been a long time since I laughed like this." The young man continued to laugh.
"Did i said something funny?" Jeffrey was surprised and did not understand anything of what was going on.
"Funny, of course. The rule path became extinct hundreds of years ago due to its violation of balance, and no fighter of this path's ability has appeared since that time. And you tell me that you carry such a rare ability. This is funny, of course!" The young man showed a sarcastic smile.
"An extinct path? Path abilities? How have I not heard of any of this?" Jeffrey showed a surprised expression, then remembered the girl's miserable face after being deceived.
" Do not tell me?" Jeffrey's eyes opened. "She wasn't afraid of me at that time, but rather she was afraid of my ability!" Jeffrey finally understood what was going on.
The young man looked at Jeffrey's changing expressions and quickly became bored, then he spoke sarcastically. "It doesn't matter, your ability will appear now anyway, or will you give me your necklace so I don't waste my time with you, I, xin Yung, still need to collect more."
Jeffrey was very focused and did not look at xin Yung's neck. He soon saw five gold necklaces hanging from his neck. He quickly took a fighting stance as an answer to xin Yung's question and as an admission that he was a strong opponent.
"Hahaha I respect your decision, then, let's see which one of us wins!" Xin Yung said as he extended his hand, shadows gathering around it as if preparing to attack.
"As you wish," Jeffrey said, holding out his hands as he prepared for the confrontation, knowing that this battle would be a true test of their abilities.