~~~
“I hate that woman.”
Liu Jin sighs as he changes into his new robes. They are predominantly dark red with a white sash around the waist and patterns of the same color embroidered on the sleeves.
They are the robes worn by Outer Disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan.
After being defeated by the Elder, the two had been transported to the Eternal Flame Clan’s Medical Pavilion. There, an Elder, a different one, a stern-looking man with black hair and a thin mustache, had welcomed them into the Eternal Flame Clan. Unlike the first Elder they had met, this one had only been in the Ninth Level of the Heaven Realm. He spoke at length about the values and history of the Sect, but Liu Jin had been a little too exhausted to pay attention.
“You should not voice such thoughts while there are so many people around,” he nonchalantly says, fastening his sash. “That woman is an elder of the Eternal Flame Clan.”
For rather obvious reasons, the two spent the night in the Medical Pavilion. They’re far from the only ones. Since passing the Selection Exam required fighting to the point of exhaustion, their situation is far from unique. In fact, there are many who required far more extensive treatment than they did.
It is here where they were given their new robes and, curiously enough, a black wristband with a red gem at its center, one for each of them. The healers had made sure to impress upon them bad things would happen if they were ever to lose the wristbands.
“You should be more cautious.”
“I am not afraid!” Huang Shing declares, ripping off his bandages to reveal perfectly healed skin.
“That is quite foolish of you.”
Personally, Liu Jin is of the opinion Huang Shing is complaining far too much. It isn’t as if the Elder did that much damage to them. That they are both healed barely a full day after the Selection Exam speaks volumes of how lightly they had been treated by her.
“In addition to being an Elder, she is an Emperor. There are only about a hundred people in the Crimson Cloud Empire that can afford to anger her. You are most certainly not one of them.”
“That!” Huang Shing points a finger at him and shakes it with great vigor. “It is exactly for that reason! She’s an Elder AND an Emperor! What reason could she have to challenge us? That’s just not normal.”
He is not entirely wrong.
A tiger does not pick fights with ants. In the same way, people in the higher realms of cultivation rarely concern themselves with those below them.
Naturally, there are exceptions. Ruan Goutin’s mad search for a cure led him to being far more direct in his dealings with others than he would otherwise have been. Additionally, since Emperors are usually in positions of authority, it is impossible for their every choice not to somehow affect the many people under them. However, for someone in the Emperor Realm to directly challenge two people in the Nascent Realm is rare, even if it had been for a test.
“Be that as it may, it is not as if any harm was done,” Liu Jin points out. To be honest, after that fight—though calling it a fight is perhaps undeserved—he could only respect the Elder’s impeccable control over fire. Compared to her, they had been ants. Yet, Liu Jin and Huang Shing had come out of the fight with just a few superficial injuries.
For an elephant to kill an ant while walking is only natural. There is nothing special about it.
However, an elephant that can step on an ant without killing it is undoubtedly amazing.
“Regardless, if caution will not make you lower your voice, then perhaps thoughtfulness will? Unlike us, they still need to rest.”
Liu Jin waves at the rest of the room and the multiple beds that fill it. While the two of them are already healed, the same cannot be said of everyone else. Some were injured quite grievously during the test. Even now, they are bedridden, their bodies wrapped in bandages. Huang Shing’s loud words had undoubtedly not helped their rest, something he soon realizes if his reddening ears are any indication.
“Let’s just go,” he grumbles under his breath, walking towards the doors.
They find a young man in the Spirit Realm waiting for them in the hallway. His clothes are like those worn by the examiners, which Liu Jin has learned means he is an Inner Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan.
“Ah, I see you two are awake. Good. The healers told me I could come for you today. My name is Khong Hu, and I will be your guide.”
Liu Jin and Huang Shing blink in eerie synchronization.
“Our guide?”
Khong Hu nods.
“Correct. As new disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan, there is much you need to know. Duties. Obligations. Rules. Whether you come from allied Sects or not, it can all be rather overwhelming. That is why a guide is assigned to all new disciples so that they may acclimate faster. Please, follow me.”
He immediately starts walking, not even giving them a chance to ask questions. Liu Jin follows after him. Huang Shing scrunches his face into a frown for the couple of seconds it takes his brain to process his words before quickly catching up to them.
“As you have just been admitted into the Sect, the two of you are nothing more than Outer Disciples,” Khong Hu explains once they exit the Medical Pavilion. “The first thing you need to understand is—”
“How do we become Inner Disciples?”
Khong Hu glares at Huang Shing, clearly not happy about the interruption. “As. I. Was. Saying.” He enunciates each word with force. “The first thing you need to familiarize yourself with is the point system.”
Liu Jin blinks. “Point system?”
Now it is Liu Jin’s turn to be glared at.
“Yes. Inside these walls, Crimson Imperial Coins and any other type of currency is without value. If you wish to purchase anything here, it will have to be with points. Weapons. Items. Techniques. Even a promotion can be bought with enough points.”
“How do we—”
“You!” Khong Hu shoots a fulminating glare at Huang Shing, which shuts him up. “Should both have one of these.”
He pulls up his sleeve, revealing a black bracelet. It is the same type as the ones Liu Jin and Huang Shing had received.
“This bracelet keeps track of the points you have earned. From the moment you touched your bracelet, it became keyed to your Qi. Even if someone were to steal them, they wouldn’t be able to take your points. However, I would not recommend losing the bracelet. Now, try channeling some Qi into it.”
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Liu Jin and Huang Shing do so. Instantly, the red gem in their bracelets glows and projects floating numbers over their wrists.
3,845
3,952
“Ooh!” Huang Shing says, his fingers playing with the projection. Liu Jin just huhs.
Khong Hu, however, cannot be so nonchalant.
“Three thousand!” He staggers back in shock. His jaw hangs open in an unsightly manner. “Almost four thousand! That’s not possible! The only points you should have right now should come from the Selection Exam! For two people in the Nascent Realm to have so many is just… how many Spirit Beasts did you kill?”
Huang Shing and Liu Jin looked at each other for a moment.
“A lot?”
“A lot,” Liu Jin agrees, inwardly thinking this must be what the Elder was talking about when she said fighting her would improve their score.
“That is… I…” The stunned Khong Hu shakes his head and keeps walking ahead. Liu Jin and Huang Shing look at each other, shrug, and follow him.
The Eternal Flame Clan’s compound is quite big. Even though Liu Jin has yet to see all of it, he feels confident in saying its size is probably close to that of a small city. It is not packed with buildings like Five Bats City or even Eastern Port City. Instead, there is plenty of open, almost empty space.
There are a few green areas, some of them quite big, but by far, most of the ground is covered by tiles made out of white stone cut into squares. The buildings stand as small, red islands in the middle of a vast white sea.
Khong Hu points out the name of several buildings as they make their way through the compound. The Armory. The Sparring Pavillion. The Apothecary. There is also the Technique Hall, but that is supposedly much further away, closer to the center.
Finally, they reach their destination, a red building with yellow-tiled roofs located in the outer edges of the compound.
“This is where you’ll be staying, the living quarters for Outer Disciples. Upon entering, you’ll be assigned a room. Every month, you’ll be given a set amount of points, and you’ll gain more by doing your assigned duties.”
Huang Shing scratches his head as he cranes his neck up to look at the building. “I was expecting something grander.”
Truth be told, so was Liu Jin. It is not as if the building is ugly. Nothing about it looks wrong, but nothing about it jumps out either. It is... normal. Plain, even. Its appearance ill-suits a Sect as grand as the Eternal Flame Clan.
“Better accommodations can be purchased through the use of points,” Khong Hu tells them. “Of course, in your case, it may be better if you save them for now.”
“For a promotion, right?” Huang Shing guesses. “How many points do we need to become Inner Disciples?”
“Forty-five hundred.”
In other words, they’re already fairly close to that goal.
It is, Liu Jin thinks, an interesting system. New disciples receive points based on their performance during the Selection Exam. Those who do better start closer to becoming Inner Disciples. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll reach that goal first. Those who are not able to use their points wisely will waste them and squander their advantage. Only those who show good judgment will be able to rise within the Eternal Flame Clan.
At least, that seems to be the theory behind the system.
“Is there an easy way to gain points?” Huang Shing asks.
Even without changing expression, Khong Hu manages to look offended. He humphs, takes two scrolls out of his pocket, and throws them at the two.
“This is a list of all the ways through which points can be gained or lost. Make sure to go over it carefully. Your future in the Eternal Flame Clan depends on it.”
His piece said, Khong Hu turns on his heels and briskly walks away.
“I think we offended him somehow.”
“Really?” Huang Shing scratches his head. “Maybe he just has that sort of temper. Anyway, let’s just take a quick look at this and…”
Huang Shing trails off when he unfurls his scroll only for it to roll all the way down to his feet and keep going.
And going.
It is a long list.
“This,” Liu Jin says, holding up his own list and watching it roll down. “Is going to take a while.”
~~~
Unlike the barracks for Outer Disciples, the Sparring Pavilion is a large building with beautiful gold columns and walls with red banners on them. Inside, there are very few rooms. In fact, most of the building is just one giant room full of sparring rings. All manner of friendly and not-so-friendly spars between disciples take place under this roof.
“You!”
“You!”
Naturally, it is unavoidable for people to run into each other here.
“I can’t believe it.” Unlike the angry Huang Shing, Bei Hong just shakes his head and smiles. “This place truly is much kinder than I thought it was. To think trash like you could become a disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan.”
Liu Jin and Huang Shing on one side. Bei Hong and Lu Mei on the other. It is not a meeting any of them expected to have. In fact, Bei Hong and Lu Mei had probably forgotten about Huang Shing as soon as they had taken their eyes off him. While Bei Hong looks entertained, Lu Mei just looks bored.
“To think we’re of the same rank now!” Bei Hong laughs and glares at the same time. “How shameful! Perhaps I should have taken care of you before the exam.”
“I should be the one saying that!” Huang Shing shouts back, his hands already balled into fists, his face red. “I have no intention of spending my time here bowing my head to someone like you! Let’s make things clear right here and right now!”
“Oh?” Bei Hong grins. “You finally said something good!”
The two do not bother keeping their voices down. In fact, it seems they have somehow gotten into a competition to see who can be the loudest, which attracts a crowd. Their fellow disciples laugh and point as the newest members of their Sect make a spectacle of themselves.
Bei Hong points to his left. “Since we’re thinking the same, let’s go to that ring and settle this!”
“There’s no point in it.”
“There is no merit to it.”
Their companions’ simultaneous words force Huang Shing and Bei Hong to stop and look back. They are not the only ones to be surprised. Lu Mei and Liu Jin meet each other’s eyes, not having expected the other to speak up.
After exactly one surprised blink, Lu Mei motions him to go ahead.
“Remember what we came here for,” Liu Jin tells Huang Shing. “Comparatively speaking, the fastest way to gain points is through spars.”
“However, since we are all Outer Disciples, sparing with each other is pointless.” Lu Mei takes over the explanation, nodding at Liu Jin. “The gain from fighting someone like him will be minimal.”
Liu Jin nods. Spars are the quickest way to gain points. However, that is only if certain conditions are met. The number of points earned through sparring depends on various factors. Fighting disciples of the same rank, for example, is a slow but steady way of gaining points. Meanwhile, winning against disciples of a higher rank is a high-risk, high-reward method of earning points as spars against higher-ranked disciples can result in serious injuries if said disciples do not feel like holding back.
“And before you ask, we cannot bet our points,” Lu Mei says just as Bei Hong is about to open his mouth. “You’d know that if you had read the scroll fully.”
Likely, a precautionary measure put in place to stop higher-ranked disciples from forcing lower-ranked disciples to bet their points on spars.
“In other words, there is no point in us fighting each other,” Liu Jin says.
Lu Mei nods. “If you two fought each other, you’d just be wasting valuable time. More importantly, you’d be wasting a guaranteed challenge, Bei Hong.”
There is a small pause. Bei Hong and Huang Shing wear identical expressions as they realize that, in this situation, there is absolutely no need for them to be enemies. Even if they do not like each other, they are two people working for the exact same purpose with little need to get in each other’s way.
It takes a while for this realization to sink in, but when it does, the look on their faces changes.
“So...”
“What you are saying is...”
The one they should be fighting right now is not the person in front of them.
Those they should be fighting right now are all the people around them.
There is a bigger, much more significant pause this time. The Inner Disciples, who had been crowding around them, suddenly find themselves targets of very hungry gazes.
It is an event that happens every time new disciples enter the Eternal Flame Clan. New disciples may start as Outer Disciples, but that does not mean the rank reflects their skills. That is why those who are truly strong climb the ranks quickly and efficiently.
Liu Jin. Huang Shing. Bei Hong. Lu Mei.
For the four of them, the rank of Outer Disciple is simply not enough.
~~~