The question of the day was: how would I find someone talented here?
Talented people came in many forms. Just because someone might perform poorly in the last part of the entrance exam and be weak during that time did not mean they were less talented. After all, some could have had more resources before coming to the sect, and others hadn't.
Though if their talents were obvious, they would have already been brought into the inner sect during the parts of the exam before this one. So I had to keep an eye out for many different factors.
I traversed through the forest, trying to keep my eyes open for anything interesting or to sense any weird surges in Qi. The latter was mostly for my own safety because no matter how talented someone was, the chances of them being a Qi Gatherer at the age of fifteen were slim to none. If they were, then I was screwed either way.
But the further I moved within the forest, the colder it became, and some moisture in the trees began forming ice. Though the sun had set, this coldness was peculiar and reminded me of a very worrying event.
I remembered a giant boar being skewered by a lance of ice, and a chill went down my spine.
No, there was no way such a thing would happen right now. It would be too much of a coincidence. That would be ridiculous…
But no matter how hard I tried to prevent such thoughts from appearing in my mind, the worries in my heart only continued to grow. This wasn't something I was used to dealing with. The uncomfortable feeling spread from my stomach to my heart and lungs and all over my body, and my hair stood on end.
Soon enough, I reached a place where the coldness was so severe that even my reinforced body began shivering, and my teeth chattered. I looked for a way around this cold area, but there was none, and it felt like the whole middle of the island was frozen.
Since at least one outer elder was overseeing this, nothing dangerous should be around here, even if there was…
Perhaps I should return…
I stopped in my tracks and stood atop a tree branch as all thoughts of continuing further were finished immediately. What lay in front of me could be described as nothing more than a frozen wasteland, and gray-robed disciples lay about with ice all over their bodies, looking like ice statues.
Their faces were frozen in looks of terror, and the soft moonlight reflecting off the ice around their bodies made it an even more terrifying sight.
I thought I had somewhat grown a stomach for bloodshed and murder. But it seemed like I wasn't quite there yet.
Just as I was about to turn around and book it, I caught sight of another figure amongst the ice sculptures. This one wasn't quite frozen and looked like the ice had splattered the guy against a tree, making him hard to recognize. But he wore a blue uniform, signifying he was from the inner sect.
My heart jumped, and I quickly checked his hands for silver rings. Thankfully, there seemed to be none. His body shape also didn't resemble Song Song, which was a relief.
No, that worrying was illogical. Song Song had shown how strong she was, and even multiple Qi Gathering disciples would have a hard time against her. Because if something was around here that could hurt even her, then we were all screwed!
Turning around, I quickly rushed into the night, the chilly air hitting my back. Every fiber of my being was concentrated on getting away from whatever the hell this thing was!
However, as I got further away, I concentrated on what could be happening behind me or any incoming attack from behind. I barely sensed what was happening before me, and that was two people fighting. I immediately regained my senses, hid behind one of the trees, and held my breath.
Now that I knew someone who could defeat an inner disciple like that was around, I wanted nothing to do with anyone here. That ice also looked nothing like how Song Song fought, so the chances of it being her were slim to none.
*Clang!*
The sound of metal rippled through the air as two weapons met: a sword and a gauntlet. The two people fighting were the red-haired guy I had seen before and an outer disciple. By the way, the latter moved; he seemed to be about seven-star Body Tempering, while the other… three-star Body Tempering?
What was happening here? The outer disciple didn't seem injured in any way that would hinder his strength to a level where a three-star Body Tempering seemed to be able to keep up with him.
Also, how did a three-star Body Tempering Cultivator even reach so far? Shouldn't there be a vetting process for this whole thing? The Blazing Sun Sect wasn't a place where those without talent could join.
No, perhaps I was reading this all wrong. I gained an eye for assessing power by using my stats as a basis. So, I developed an eye for telling how strong someone was based on how they moved during battle.
Some people had fought those one or two stars above them in the past. Technically, I had also done the same. Still, in most cases, Qi is involved, and when against an inner disciple, I escaped as soon as he began going all out.
The outer disciple seemed average, and nothing stood out about him being terrible at fighting. His techniques were decent, too.
As I gazed at the red-haired guy, I observed everything about him. From how his eyes moved, how he fought, and how he could keep up with someone who was so overwhelmingly stronger and faster than him. I analyzed everything I could to discern why he was winning.
The most notable thing about him was the elusive way he moved. As I concentrated on my other senses, something weird happened around him. The way the Qi moved was strange.
Oh, it looks like he had an Earth-grade technique and a good one for his stage.
It felt like the Qi around him pushed his body out of the way of the attacks, resembling how hard it would be for someone to cut a falling feather with a sword. The wind from the attack would push it away from the blade's path.
This was the perfect technique to fight within the body tempering stage. It seemed weak for an Earth-grade technique, as people who could sense Qi and disrupt that flow would find it relatively easy.
Despite the interesting fight between these two, more important things were happening there, so I began stealthily moving around them while hiding in the shadows of the trees.
Just then, the red-haired guy landed a hit on the outer disciple and sent him flying, crashing into one of the trees. The attack was so powerful that the outer disciple coughed out a mouthful of blood on impact, and the giant tree shook from the aftermath.
Was that another Earth-grade technique?
While I hadn't been looking at him, I concentrated more on getting away with the sudden increase in Qi pressure and the devastating attack against someone much stronger than him. An Earth Grade Technique was the best for covering large gaps in power like this, so it seemed he had another one of those.
Just how many damn Earth Grade Techniques did this guy have? What kind of big shot was he? There was no way someone would find two Earth-Grade Techniques so ideally suited for each other unless they came from some big clan. That would require some ridiculous luck.
The red-haired guy looked at the outer disciple coldly and breathed a sigh of relief. But his form straightened once more, and he looked ready for a fight. Then, like it was straight out of a horror movie, he turned in my direction.
"You can come out now," he said.
A chill went down my spine. But as I turned my attention toward the red-haired guy again, the way his chest rose and fell, it seemed like the Earth Grade Techniques had taken more out of him than he would like to admit.
Had he seen me, or was this just a bluff to weed out anyone hiding nearby?
Clearly, he was tired, and calling out someone who could have been spying on him like this would be stupid. In these cases, it was better to let the enemy think they had one over him and not reveal all his cards.
But the guy narrowed his eyes at me and said, "I can see you. Short dark hair and a mask on your face."
How? I was hiding in the shadows of a tree, and it was too dark for someone at the three-star Body Tempering stage to see me. Did this guy have another sight-related Earth-grade technique, or was it something else? Since when did Earth Grade Techniques become so common?
It felt like this guy was breaking every unspoken rule I knew about this world.
One thing was sure: this guy was either brave or confident in defeating me without taking any damage. Or he was just plain old stupid enough to call me out. Perhaps both. If he had such good eyesight, he should have been able to see that I was escaping and was no danger to him.
Either way, I no longer wanted to linger around, and having this little guy on my back would be a good idea. With the way things were going, I wouldn't be surprised if he had an Earth-grade technique that would allow him to chase after me.
If that was the case, why was he even trying to join the Blazing Sun Sect? Even inner disciples had no such privileges with Earth-Grade Techniques.
Deciding that getting away and having this guy on my back wasn't worth it, I walked out into the moonlight.
When he saw me, the red-haired guy's eyes widened as if he had just heard some grave news, and he immediately put up his guard.
"What's with the reaction?" I raised a questioning brow. "I don't believe we ever had any enmity with each other for you to be so cautious. If my outer disciple uniform unnerves you, I will let you know right now that I am not here to be an asshole and try to drop you off the competition."
Though it seemed unlikely that it was the uniform that surprised him. Because if he could see me, he should have also seen what kind of uniform I had on. Also, I had no outrageous amount of Qi or Spirit Stones in me where if he could sense Qi he would have noticed me as the Qi around would have dulled my presence.
No matter how I looked at this guy, he only grew more of a confusing existence.
Also, the silence grew a bit awkward, so he said, "You…" He took a couple of seconds to think and added, "You feel dangerous."
"Hoh? You have quite the senses for someone at the Body Tempering stage," I complimented him.
Also, I knew for a fact he was bullshitting me. As someone who had spent some days around Song Song, I knew how someone with crazy instincts was. This guy was many things, but he was nothing like Song Song.
In conclusion, this guy was hiding a whole lot of shit.
"Anyway, do you know anything about the weird cold around here?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"No," he answered almost immediately.
That answer was too fast, like someone who was prepared for that. Usually, people wouldn't answer so fast and might even ask their own questions if they truly knew nothing.
He was still a good liar. Perhaps the tension was getting to him. Otherwise, he might have acted calmer and tricked me, too.
I glanced at the guy he had defeated, who was slumped against the tree he had smashed into and looked unconscious while drooling blood. My gaze returned to the red-haired guy. I advised him, "You shouldn't kill outer disciples recklessly, or it will just invite unnecessary trouble when you enter the sect."
If he started like this, he would be in a horrible position unless he had someone like Song Song for backup to take responsibility.
Usually, only the disciples from the sect had the advantage when it came to fighting against applicants. While there were accidents occasionally, an outer disciple dying was unheard of in these exams. I had no idea how this would turn out.
Though, for some reason, this exam was wildly fucked up from the beginning. It felt like I had stumbled on something I shouldn't have.
Also, no matter how I looked at it. There was something about this red-haired guy…