Chapter 114: Inside the sect
This was a more dangerous test for Rhys. His Qi was not normal. It was infused with the cold, absolute nature of the Void.
If he used his full power, he would not just make the pillar resonate; he would probably make it turn to dust.
He had to control his output perfectly. He needed to be good enough to pass, but not so good that he drew unwanted attention.
He watched as the others took the test, learning the standard for success.
A young man from a wealthy family, dressed in fine blue silk, stepped forward with a confident smirk. He placed his hand on the pillar.
With a shout, he poured his Qi into it.
The hexagonal crystal erupted with a brilliant red light, and a loud, sharp, ringing sound echoed through the vast cavern. The light was so bright it cast red shadows on the walls.
"Fire affinity, high purity," one of the disciples assisting the elders noted down on a scroll.
"Excellent potential."
The young man walked away with his chest puffed out, basking in the envious looks of the others.
Another young woman, her face pale with nervousness, approached a different pillar. She gently placed her hand on it.
A soft, blue light began to glow, and a gentle, humming sound filled the air, like the sound of a calm river.
"Water affinity, medium purity," the scribe noted.
"Acceptable."
The young woman let out a sigh of relief and scurried away to join the group of those who had passed.
Finally, it was Rhys’s turn.
He walked towards an empty pillar, his expression a carefully crafted mask of determination.
He took a deep breath, just as he had seen the others do. He placed his hand on the cold, smooth surface of the crystal.
He closed his eyes, focusing his will inward. He reached for the vast ocean of power within his 108 cores but drew out only the tiniest, most insignificant drop.
He filtered it, stripping away the dangerous essence of the Void, leaving only pure, neutral energy, the kind his body naturally absorbed from the world.
He carefully released that small, controlled stream of Qi into the pillar.
The stone began to glow. It was not a brilliant, colorful light like the others. It was a simple, steady, and pure white light.
It was not the brightest light in the group, but it was incredibly stable, without a single flicker or waver.
And the sound it produced was not a loud boom or a soft hum. It was a perfect, clear, resonant tone that seemed to vibrate in the very air of the cavern, a sound so pure it felt like the first note of a divine song.
High above on the ledge, Elder Boros leaned forward, his eyes widening slightly.
A non-elemental foundation was common among young cultivators who had not yet bonded with a specific element.
But he had never seen, or heard, a Qi that was so perfectly pure, so absolutely stable.
It was like a perfectly clear, unflawed diamond. It spoke of a foundation that was incredibly solid, without a single impurity.
"This boy’s foundation is remarkable," he said quietly to his assistant.
"He may not have a rare elemental affinity, but his potential for growth is immense. A house built on such a foundation can reach the heavens. Make a special note of his name."
Rhys took his hand away from the pillar.
The white light and the clear tone faded. He had passed the second trial, leaving a significant impression without revealing anything of his true nature.
The final trial was a simple combat test.
The successful aspirants were led through another tunnel and into a series of smaller, hexagonal chambers.
Formations on the floor glowed, and an "echo," a light-based copy of a common spiritual beast, materialized in the center of each room.
It was a test of basic fighting skill and adaptability.
For Rhys, it was the easiest trial of all.
He was given a standard-issue iron sword, heavy and poorly balanced in his hand.
His opponent was an echo of a three-tailed wolf. It was a fast and aggressive creature, its body made of shimmering white light.
He did not use any of his advanced skills. He did not use his monstrous physical strength.
He just used the basic sword forms he had learned in his youth as an Ashton, a simple set of parries, thrusts, and cuts.
But he executed them with a perfection that made them look like a high-level art.
The light-wolf lunged, its claws of light aiming for his throat. Rhys did not meet the attack with force.
He simply took a small step to the side, his movement a simple, efficient pivot.
The wolf’s attack passed by him, missing by an inch. In that single moment of opening, Rhys brought his sword around.
He did not put much force into the swing. He simply let the weight of the blade do the work, guiding it with perfect timing to the back of the echo’s neck, the weakest point of the light-based construct.
The iron sword connected.
The light-form flickered and dissolved into a shower of harmless sparks. He had defeated his opponent in a single, perfect strike, without a single wasted movement.
When the trials were over, only a few hundred of the original thousands of aspirants remained.
Rhys stood among them, his expression one of tired relief, blending in perfectly.
An elder stepped forward onto a high platform and began to read out the names of those who had been officially accepted as outer disciples of the Azure Sky Palace.
When he heard his own name called, Rhys let out a convincing sigh of joy, a wide smile on his plain face.
He was in.
He followed the other new disciples through another massive gate and into the true grounds of the sect.
They were led into the mountain itself, into a network of vast, glowing caverns connected by winding tunnels and bridges that crossed bottomless chasms.
It was a city within a mountain, a true beehive of cultivators. Thousands of disciples in the sect’s blue and silver robes walked the wide avenues, their faces full of arrogance.
The air hummed with the energy of thousands of powerful cultivators living and training together.
This was going to be his home for now.
This was the place where he would begin his long, dangerous journey to the Seal.
He looked up at the highest, most distant cavern, a place that seemed to touch the very roof of their world, its light shining down like a distant star.
That was the inner sect, the home of the true powers. Rhys was al curious to fight against the people there.