The silence was louder than any voice in the hall so far.

It made the cold coming from outside seem non-existent.

“I don’t understand it. I don’t know how to use it either.” Hao said.

For the first time, it seemed the elders were looking at him.

Hao held the bag out in front of him.

“It was two things that gave me great inspiration. The inspiration was not divine, but brought passions to my heart.” Hao lowered his head, looking down at his feet.

He was unsure what was coming from his mouth; he mimicked elegant words he did not understand. Unsure if what he was saying was wise. Half-truth, half-tale.

“The first was a sense of powerlessness, old wrongs and new. Almost losing my life without the ability to move. It dragged me starving to pursue strength.” Hao did not dare look up.

He could feel stares; one of them was the First Elder.

“The other was the Second Elder. Her words saved my life, giving me a chance to walk the path of strength by my own will. Her grace and beauty fueled my steps.”

Hao was starting to wish his hair was not tied back, so he could hide his face.

His mind went to the night, his eyes wandered her body, and then to the vision he had during the trial.

The thoughts passed with a deep breath. He forced himself into a state of composure, showing talent as an actor.

Hao looked up. A face like a board, eyes like the summer night sky, empty. He was starting to believe his own words. “As such, I would like to present a gift willingly to the Second Elder.” He held the bag out further.

Every eye in the room left Hao and went to the bag.

A dirty bag, a stinking bag that held a Source Stone each of them would pursue.

“You may approach.” The Second Elder said.

Hao did, taking a few steps forward. With each step, the bag seemed to grow heavier. Dragging itself to the side, trying to escape his hands. Going towards the First Elder, but Hao held tight. His hand started to hurt from gripping it.

The Second Elder reached out a hand, touching the bag. With just a tap of her finger, it became weightless.

Hao thought he could see through the light on her face, excitement.

The First Elder’s face was the opposite. Hao looked over. He could see a flurry of emotion in the man’s face when he looked at the Second Elder and the bag. He had no expression on his face when he looked at Hao.

Hao took a few steps back. Standing where he originally was.

“Blahahaha!” A laugh loud and deep came from the Fifth Elder, closest to the Second Elder in terms of seat.

It made Hao go on the tip of his toes, sharply turning his head.

“To avenge wrongs and pursue beauty, you make yourself sound like a hero from my youngest disciple’s favorite stories. I will have to tell Que about you…” The Fifth Elder said. Continuing to laugh. He was amongst the oldest alongside the Third and Seventh Elders.

The fourth elder was grinding his teeth and squeezing his hands.

They forgot about Hao entirely when the Second Elder moved the bag, placing it at her side.

“You say I saved your life, but I simply did as one should. The people brought to this mountain should be protected by the Sect they join.” The Second elder said.

Her head turned to the First Elder, but he was busy staring at Hao.

His face was a blank canvas, apathetic. To Hao, it was more intimidating than the pressed lips and huffing of the Fourth Elder next to him.

“After such a gift I am the one to owe you, we still have not finished a talk of your reward. We should make it quick, the night it growing late. We cannot make the one who rang the bone-shaking bell walk in the night.”

“I will not allow someone without the aptitude for it to join the upper peaks.” The Fourth Elder spoke.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Five of the Elders agreed even the one next to him who was just calling the Fourth dim.

“No Elder is interested in him as a disciple either. So he will remain in the lower peaks.”

“This… we must concede it seems.” The Fifth Elder showed slight reluctance. “I have no time to raise a disciple, and my peak is occupied, your personality to my liking, but such are the circumstances.”

“I say a good reward should replace an oath and ancient promises not kept.”

The Elders flinched at the words of the Fifth; Implying they were willing to rescind their words, even for ancient promises, therefore they cared little for oaths and long-held rules.

The Fifth threw a token at Hao, “You may have this, with it you can visit my peak and pick a place to stay in the Sect. Housing disciples is my station. None can argue with that.”

All the Elder leaned back with him, all but two, those two in the front.

The First Elder eventually leaned back with a friendly smile, leaving just the Second Elder to sit up straight in her chair.

The Second Elder threw a second token to Hao, “As the others are unwilling to take a disciple, this will serve as proof of my favor. Use it to your liking, or bring it to me within five years and I will offer you guidance once.”

“I thank the Second and Fifth Elders,” Hao said, cupping his hands. “May I receive the creature that I killed in the pit before the bell?”.

“No! What could you do with a demonic beast, if its core is developed it will go to the Sect along with hides and bones. A new lower peak disciple would have no way to carry such a thing anyway.”

The voice was clearly displeased. For what reason, Hao could not understand, was he not the one who killed it, he had some rights to it did he not?

“The boy probably does not know what a demonic beast is. Killing the beast through luck.”

“And a little brutality just by the look of the beast’s wounds.”

“If he is interested in such things, send him to the food hall to become a butcher,” the fourth elder said, chuckling at his own words.

“You may have its flesh and blood, but the beast was captured by the sect. Much of its body can be used for treasure or medicines; this has to be turned into the Sect.”

The Second Elder spoke out in Hao’s favor, getting instant disagreement; even the blood had value. And it’s meat—that can be used to keep disciple content.

They speak of the thing like it was never alive in the first palace. I will not have a life I’ve taken, wasted.

Hao did not care about the ‘medicines’ made from its body. The only medicine he cared for at the moment was the one Senior Ya was touting.

“Thank you, Second Elder, it’s meat is all I want,” Hao said.

“Truly a barbarian.” The Fourth Elder spun his eyes with growing disdain.

“It was your kill anyway, as such you contributed to the Sect, even if it was a captured beast. If anything, you deserve compensation. Yet you ask for it as a reward.” The Second Elder said.

Her hand lifted, reaching behind the mask of light, touching her own face.

“Indeed, the sect has reached such a state…” The Fifth Elder said.

“This, you may have this along with what I have already given.” The Second Elder said.

Placing her hand on a plain ring on her thumb.

A purple bag made from leather with a red string wrapped around its end floated toward Hao.

Landing in his hands. His fingers wrapped around a large ruby cloth to the bag’s mouth. It was cold to the touch. Not just that, Hao had to pull his hand away, feeling it draining his world energy.

“Junior Sister, surely not… The Spirit-Holding bag has downsides, but is rarer than a space ring.” The First Elder said. He launched up in his seat, moving like he was outraged but with a grin on his face.

“You might as well give him a space ring. Or a simple holding bag.”

“He could not use a space ring if he was given one. And a holding bag is a little cheap, is it not? I will not have the Sect’s reputation tarnished because of the greed of the heads who currently lead it.” The Second Elder said.

The Fifth Elder nodded his head, the Seventh, and Eighth Elders, too, listening without much change in face. The sixth elder could not react much if he wanted.

The face of the Fifth grew to smile, bordering on pride.

All who could, watched as she lifted the hemp bag, long stained, and in a manner grotesque.

“Besides, he has given me a treasure I could value. Whereas I gave him one I had not used since I was a young girl. I shall keep his bag, so I shall give him one in return.” She said.

The First Elder turned back, taking his seat. One of his legs stretches over the other, resting his head on his hand.

The First seemed to have a knack for show and act much like Hao himself.

“Disciple Hao, give your black badge over and you may take your leave; the rest of your rewards shall be given to you in time.” The Second Elder said.

“The badge is in the bag, Second Elder,” Hao said.

She reached into the bag, not minding the dust and dirt, rock or grim, her fingers dodging the Source Stone and the flower vase that held food pills, then past the hemp cloth Hao once wore; tattered and torn. Finding a small square black badge, already forming cracks.

She held it up as a glow came from her fingers and it turned to dust, disappearing.

Hao missed the Seventh Elder’s movements as he watched the badge turn to fireflies.

The old man stood straight and tall and poked Hao’s wrist.

An unpleasant energy cold and hot found its way through his body.

It was not the first time he felt the sensation, but the first time he felt it since he reached the second of reclamation. It felt like the bearded man before him was looking at his bones.

Hao could not help but scowl; he was going to pull away, but the energy touched his bruised back, and then his palm.

The seventh elder returned to his seat as the badge disappeared fully, leaving the hall as scentless smoke.

Hao turned and cupped his hands, but failed to hide his face. Even though the man healed him, it felt like the Seventh Elder looked at as something he should not have.

“Very well, you may return. With the Fifth Elder’s badge, you may sleep where you wish. It’s been a much longer night than it should have been for us all. You can register at the mission hall tomorrow. Whoever brought you here can take you there at sunrise.”

As Hao left the hall, he heard an argument start again, only a few words starting the back and forth; “What an interesting child.” The Fifth Elder said.

“He is a waste! He does not deserve favor. His ringing of the bell must have been a fluke.” The Fourth Elder said. A hard voice to mistake.

“Yet he broke through the Second Stage of Reclamation, interesting whether a fluke or not.” The Seventh Elder said.

“You confirmed it?”

Inside the hall, something Hao could not see, the Seventh Elder nodded his head. “He is not far from the Third Stage, but something will have to help him push past if what we know of his aptitude is true.”

“Hmph. Cultivation speed, especially Reclamation, is determined by aptitude, and future achievements are determined by aptitude. He will not go far. This time the bell helped him…” The First Elder said.

“Why say things you know aren’t true? There are always other factors.” The Second Elder said.

“Hao was it? He did not show any fear despite all that intimidation and killing intent, did he? Truly interesting.” The Fifth elder said. Looking between the Second and Fourth.

“He’s probably too dumb, the half-breed straw-headed barbarian.” The Fourth Elder said.

“Too dumb? If he was dumb, would an Islander have learned how to act and speak in such a manner? In a few years, he may have a silver tongue that could spin a believable tale of a dragon coming to grant him blessings.”

“Interesting — Indeed interesting, he even has the gall to listen to us now.” The Second Elder said.

The Second Elder’s words were more for Hao than the other elders.

Hao backed away from the wall he was leaning against. But something blocked his feet from going back too far.

The man who escorted him to the hall was standing behind him in the endless dark.