A voice like a horn, his big hand waving.

Taoyi turned to Hao with him as he ushered the servants along, making a spectacle.

Hao looked through the group.

Four or five people wandering aimlessly or standing still.

Another handful glared at Hao.

But there was one amongst the mindless being dragged along, skinny, with bulging eyes, as soulless as the others.

That’s the one that cut me.

Hao almost reached out for the scar on his chest unconsciously, seeing his old cabin mate.

What about the others?

Hao didn’t see Axe or his one follower.

What of the Islanders, Zui, or… what was the name of the other two? Hao thought he knew at least one of their names, but he didn’t. They had never spoken.

If I could talk about the Islands again, maybe…

Hao showed a rare look on his face, his eyes going to the building he slept the night in.

Only Meiqi saw his face at that moment.

He thought of his old home, almost missing it. If he talked to someone else from the islands, perhaps he could walk away.

Leave this mountain behind him, to forget it all in time.

He was looking Meiqi in the eye; she was glaring back with a face of worry.

Her beauty was present. The few wrinkles that she wore brought out the natural shape of her face rather than hiding it.

For that moment, when Hao saw the islands in his mind, he did not covet her beauty, nor did he want strength.

Then the Island was swallowed by waves. The names they called him on the Island; abomination, flaw of nature, monster — those things mattered little.

Hao’s eyes turned to pits, abysses, which tore him apart from the inside; monolithic beasts pulling him apart as he drowned in water.

Meiqi flinched, placing her hands on the door frame, her feet sliding back.

“Little friend Hao, let’s go!” The loud voice in his ear, just at his side, sticky fingers on his robe.

Hao looked to his side; It was you she was afraid of, not me, of course…

Hao reassured himself.

“I can’t fly like Senior; I will have to ask for assistance if we wish to make the trip short,” Hao said.

His face was back to normal, a smile drawn on upon it.

“Haha, it is not a problem, you didn’t forget anything?” Taoyi asked.

“Not yet…” Hao said.

Energy wrapped around Hao, invisible to his eyes, but obvious in the sensation.

The two lifted into the air and sped off away from the cluster of buildings to several more in the distance for more grand even from the distance.

They flew over a valley, and a few small peaks, staying clear of the large peaks that overlooked them.

Hao was seeing the sights for the first time, his eyes feeling refreshed.

The sight could have been beautiful; Buildings littered every spot that was slightly flat.

People were running from place to place, building to building on crooked gray cobble roads.

It was a place of nature, but nature-less, bald of grass and trees in many spots.

Every pond had a platform and boat, the ponds themselves were more like puddles; The legs of people and their pets kicking up sediment.

Hao could feel the World Energy get stronger as they got closer to the large buildings, further from the servant’s room he would stay in. At least I think so.

He directed his thoughts to the man dragging him along; Taoyi answered questions in-between pointing at things and saying a name.

The place Taoyi looked at with desire-filled eyes was the “Upper Peaks”. Many peaks rose high, but only eight were called “upper”; The Elders ruled them; the best cultivation grounds, a disciple had to earn a place on one of the peaks or get welcomed by an Elder.

Then there were the lower peaks, a strange name for it as it was just the area encircled by the largest peaks on the mountain.

Split in an ‘organized manner’, mostly residential areas, a few halls; medicine, mission. Then a few more residential areas bored into the side of the mountain; Cultivation caves.

“All of it is centered around the Courtyard,” Taoyi said.

The courtyard was easy to spot. An area made from gray stone with branching paths in every direction.

Most jobs, servant and disciple, were done in the lower peaks.

Except for things like mining, which had its own ‘servants’ area, which Hao knew well.

“Senior, is it alright if I go down the Servants Hall a little down the mountain to retrieve a few things?” Hao asked.

Hao had to shout.

The man was quick. The wind roared around them, but he was far more steady than the woman named Zu who brought him here.

“Yes, little friend can go where he pleases except the Upper Peaks or Hall leader's residences. Oh, and don’t leave the mountain unless you have a mission.”

Once they were above the courtyard, their journey was in silence, except for the whistle of the air.

Taoyi landed with a slam.

Hao tried to land softly; not an easy feat when Taoyi was the one in control of the elevation.

“This is the Sect’s courtyard. Not bad, right?” Taoyi said.

Hao looked around; it was barren like the rest of the mountain.

Nature was not abundant like the forest near just down the mountain.

Below them, what Hao had seen for stretches, patterned gray stone like a stage with paths that stretch in every direction; a few went a distance beyond the sight of human eyes.

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There were many impressive things, but it was not the paradise of Immortals Hao was expecting.

Several buildings reach up to many floors.

The tallest was a small run from Hao, a tower with four man-sized windows in columns above the door.

“Has the library tower caught Young Friend’s eye? Indeed, a good place to visit, the higher floors have good techniques. But little friend should go to the Grand Hall first. See if you have an assignment at the mission hall next. I doubt that will be the case, but you said the Fourth Edler did not like you much; he is the one in charge of disciple assignments.” Taoyi said.

Laughing as he pointed at the biggest building in the courtyard’s space.

Shorter than the tower by a floor or two, but many times it’s greater in every other direction.

People were going in and out of the building; it had more than the entrance at the front.

Few people passed Hao and Taoyi; the courtyard was a little empty for its size.

“I will point out a few more places for young friend Hao, then I must take my leave. I can’t be late for the First Elder receiving his disciple’s bow,” Taoyi said.

His finger flew around in every direction. Forging hall, more cultivation caves, and the arena where the First Elder was taking his disciple.

“One last thing, Senior, I am to receive some of the beasts from the Trial. Where can I receive it?”

“It was indeed the beast from the trial that was slain by young friend that arrived in the mission hall this morning. There was a bit of confusion around the whole thing; The mission hall is attached to the Grand Hall, and you’ll find out what you need there. Little friend is more fierce than I expected, a great strike to the head.”

A great strike? Hao could still feel the warm, silky blood soaking his arms, his hands thick with it.

“Now I must go. If young friend wishes to watch the master disciple ceremony, it’s not a far walk from the bone-shaking bell.”

Taoyi lifted back up into the air.

Hao would not go to the ceremony. A few days from now, he would find out that he was brought up as a topic during the event. Much to the dismay and anger of the First and Fourth Elders.

***

Hao was quick about his business, trying to keep his face unknown for as long as possible.

Inside, the Grand was indeed grand, except for the number of people in it.

Foreboding, but convenient for Hao.

There was no second or third floor like the height of the building suggested.

The main hall room was simply reaching that high, deceiving the eyes of those outside.

There was a large desk in one of the corners, with a person sitting behind it.

A similar desk in the opposite corner, a sign with the words ‘task’ painted above it.

Hao approached the closer one, the one without his sign.

The person sitting behind it had a badge on his chest that had the strange symbol Hao didn’t know, the word ‘lower’ underneath it.

There was no line; the other desk had people coming and going. A line of ten or twenty.

I have to make this quick; I don’t want to be outside in the light during noon.

Hao was already bored with the short summer season that had just arrived. As were many others.

“I’m new, I am unfamiliar with procedure…” Hao said, just loud enough for the person behind the desk to hear him.

“One of yesterday’s trial takers? I thought you were all at the ceremony for the First Elder’s disciple.” The man said.

Sliding forward the things he had ready on his desk.

His finger reached out to a book already open, his other hand near a stack of badges.

“Name?”

Hao was slightly hesitant, worried Meiqi would be right, that the entire sect would know him; “Hao.” He whispered.

The man at the desk’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Hao.

His hands slid the last line of the page in the book, “Odd, a last-minute edition or something.”

The other hand moved away from the badges before moving back.

Was I imagining that?

He slid the badge forward.

Then turned and marked the paper, “Go to the other desk before you leave.” He said, sending Hao away looking at the person who was standing just behind Hao.

Hao walked away with thanks. When he looked back, he made eye contact with a person that was now standing at the desk.

The donkey-faced follower of Axe started back at Hao with wide eyes.

Hao turned his head quickly, pretending he saw nothing; it was just a trick of anxious eyes.

He turned his head one last time. No harm in checking. He was no longer there, but the man at the desk was looking between Hao and the door in confusion.

If he is in the Sect, then Axe must be here as well.

Hao started to feel a headache coming on. He did not care how he joined the sect; but the man called Axe didn’t seem the type to leave a grudge behind.

He won’t listen to reason either.

At the next desk, Hao stood in line, waiting as his desire to hold a pickaxe in the mine grew.

Each person who went up seemed to take a little more time than the last.

More disciples gather behind Hao.

All of them with badges that said ‘outer’ on their person.

Hao had the same, but he tied it to the waistband.

When it was finally Hao’s turn, it was easy to see why it was taking so long.

There were several books strewn around the desk, each larger than the last.

The receptionist seemed relieved when Hao mentioned he was new.

He flipped through the smallest book; “Oh, now that’s odd, no? Usually, they wait for new ones to adjust to the sect, but you already have an assigned mission at the food hall.” The receptionist said. His tongue drew across his bottom lip.

The man shooed Hao away, pointing at the large open archway nearby.

It was a large hall with two doors that led outside in either direction as one passed through.

The bright sun was starting to shine in. Catching the lip of the door frame and roof tiles from above.

Noon was quick in coming; it was not far off when Taoyi left him be.

The sun was close to devouring the sky. Just kind enough to leave and hand’s count of shadows.

At the other end of the hallway, there was the large room.

The building’s odd shape was apparent from the space inside.

Large, with many hallways, and an exit in each direction except for one wall where a desk stretches out in a semicircle, taking up a piece of the room.

Badges hung on the wall where there was space.

Several people stood behind the desk, no seat in sight, just standing there talking to people as they approached.

The desk cleared quickly; Unlike the last one. A few small books they barely touched.

Most of the people went up to the desk as a group or solo, with a wooden badge plucked off the wall in hand.

Hao went up asking his question at once; where is the food hall? where is the beast that came in this morning?

The woman at the desk seems friendly enough, occasionally turning over to the people working next to her to talk.

She was a little different when talking to Hao, ignoring his inquiries.

“Are you the one who rang the bell?” She asked, instead of answering.

Everyone at the desk varied in reaction, but all of them were eager to join in on the question.

“Junior sister, are you going to ask everyone who comes up to the desk today? It’s just a rumor.” Another at her side said. He had a little disdain in his eyes, green-faced.

“If there was a servant that had any talent, they would have been pulled up the mountain. Since the Sect Master left, it is rare for any servants to join the sect at all. Do you really think one rang that ‘bone-shaking bell?’.”

“If someone rang the bell, do you really think it would be some little boy?” One looked down at Hao.

“If anyone rang the bell, it would be one of the disciples on the Upper Peaks. There are a few who have a good chance, at least compared to the rest of the sect.”

“Like Senior Sister Zu,” Another added.

The people at the desk, multiple men and women, began to talk about it as if Hao was not there.

I think I prefer this; Hao didn’t mind being ignored. At least he didn’t have to dance around words and posture the way the Wu women wanted him to.

They started talking about the seniors they admired, each one of them began to glow when Zu Wairen was mentioned.

The topic drifted more and more as Hao became a piece of glass they looked through.

“Ah-hm!” Hao pulled the attention of the person who was supposed to attend to him.

“Ah… Junior brother, the food hall is just a short way over there.”

She pointed in the direction opposite of the library of the library tower, behind Hao.

“Any creature that needs to be processed passes through there, does little brother know where the beast came from?” She leaned forward.

“No, I saw it for the first time yesterday.” Hao said.

He turned and started to walk in the direction she pointed out, her attention dragged somewhere else.

“Senior Sister, do you actually think someone rang the bell? No one even takes that trial anymore. Why would the Elders not announce it?”

“Why would they announce that someone better has shown up the day The First Elder takes in a disciple? Wouldn’t that be a slap to the face?” She said.

When the woman looked back, Hao was gone; “I forgot to ask that little brother for his name.”

Their discussion started up again as Hao was drowning by the light outside.