Astra POV

As Astra watched Darian climb the mountain, she couldn’t help but worry. She knew that he would be just fine and that he could handle it, but she wanted to fret; like an overprotective parent watching their child take their first steps, ready to catch them should they stumble and fall. Of course, if she tried to catch Darian if he stumbled, she would destroy his chances of passing the entrance exam. Outside interference was strictly forbidden. She couldn’t do that to him. So she held herself back and continued to fret.

‘Be at peace, love,’ Raphael said, speaking to her telepathically using his spirit sense. ‘Little Demon will be fine. He’s more than capable of passing this part of the exam. You and I trained him for this. Plus, he inherited your family’s stubbornness. Everything will be okay.’

‘I know,’ Astra said. ‘I just can’t help but worry. This is Darian’s first foray into cultivator society at large. I don’t want it to be a bad experience for him.’

Raphael chuckled out loud.

‘He’s not a child,’ he said. ‘I know you still see him as the baby he once was, but he’s almost an adult now. Have faith in him.’

Astra gave her love a grateful look, before focusing on Darian once more. The two of them floated in the air above the mountain, watching as the exam participants tried to climb the mountain, with varying degrees of success. Some stumbled early on, barely making it a third of the way up, while others continued forward despite the increasing pressure on their minds.

To Astra’s surprise, there were more of the latter than expected. It looked like they would gain more disciples than usual from this entrance exam. Even if most of them only became outer disciples, that would still increase their sect’s strength.

They weren’t the only ones watching the entrance exam either. A small crowd had gathered in the air above the mountain. This wasn’t unusual. Every entrance exam attracted a number of people, usually inner disciples and core disciples, with the occasional elder here and there. The disciples made bets on which participants would pass, which would become inner disciples, and so on. The elders focused on the participants who they had an interest in, often sizing them up as potential personal disciples.

Everyone concealed themselves from the exam participants, to avoid distracting them. For everyone here, hiding their presence from mere Qi Condensation cultivators was child’s play.

However, Astra noted that there were more elders showing an interest in this entrance exam than usual. For the Dawn Halls, there was Elder Iola of Divine Dancer Hall, Elder Daren of Rainbow Healer Hall, and Elder Riordan of Five Divine Pillars Hall. For the Dusk Halls, there was Elder Alexia of Crimson Fiend Hall, which had been founded by a former disciple of Flame Fiend Hall.

Seeing this, it was clear to Astra that this batch of potential disciples was something special. That wasn’t even taking Darian into account. It had been centuries since the Dawn and Dusk Sect last saw a new divine demon. His participation alone would make this entrance exam a memorable one.

After surveying the crowd, Astra focused on Darian once more. He maintained his steady pace without slowing down, despite the increasing pressure upon his mind. Good. Having Darian learn the Song of Dawn and Dusk technique proved more beneficial than Astra first anticipated. Not only had it helped him become a divine demon, but it was now helping him pass the entrance exam.

“Little Sis!” a boisterous voice called out, pulling Astra’s attention away from Darian.

Surprised, she whirled around to see her two older sisters flying towards her and Raphael. Her jaw dropped and a sliver of dread wound its way around her heart.

Sidra was a tall and slender woman. Like Astra, she had her long and curly dark hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She wore a set of crimson robes trimmed with gold, which were the colors of Flame Fiend Hall. Her aristocratic features were set into a perpetual haughty expression, something that always irked Astra.

Estelle was shorter than Sidra, and Darian for that matter, but taller than Astra. She was also bulkier and had a muscular frame. Unlike Astra and Sidra, she kept her dark hair short, claiming that long hair was a hassle she didn’t need. She wore an outfit similar to Astra’s: loose trousers, black boots, and white bandages wrapped around her chest to preserve her modesty.

Like Astra, both of her older sisters had pitch black skin, golden eyes, and a pair of horns protruding from their foreheads. This was a result of the Asura Crucible Body technique, which they all practiced. Unlike Astra, they weren’t descended from a beastkin, so they lacked her tail and claws.

Before Astra could react to her sister’s presence, Estelle pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you, little sister!” Estelle said in her usual boisterous tone.

With some effort, Astra managed to squirm out of her older sister’s hold.

“Big Sis Estelle!” she said. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in seclusion. You said you were at a critical point in your cultivation and didn’t want to be disturbed.”

Estelle grinned at her.

“I was,” she said, jerking a thumb towards Sidra. “However, Big Sis Sidra asked me to come out for today. She said she had something she wanted me to see.”

Astra glanced at Sidra, and the dread in her heart grew stronger. Her older sister’s expression never wavered, revealing little of her thoughts.

“What are you doing here?” Astra asked. “You’ve never watched the entrance exam before.”

Sidra raised an eyebrow at that.

“Why do you ask, little sister?” she asked in a haughty tone that matched her expression. “Is there a reason why we can’t?”

Astra couldn’t muster up an answer to that. After a few moments of silence, Sidra turned to Raphael.

“Greetings, Cultivator Raphael,” she said. “I’m glad to see that you and my little sister managed to mend things between the two of you.”

Raphael gave Sidra a smile. It looked a little strained to Astra’s eyes.

“Greetings Vice Hall Master Sidra,” he said. “And yes. Astra and I have grown much closer over the past few months.” He turned to Estelle. “And greetings to you as well, Cultivator Estelle. It looks like you’ve made progress in the Asura Crucible Body technique. Let me give you my congratulations.”

Estelle let out a boisterous laugh, the only kind of laugh she had, and slapped Raphael’s shoulder.

“No need to be so formal with us, Raphael,” she said. “We’re going to be family soon.” She grinned at Astra. “It’s about time you two married. You have no idea how much it frustrated Big Sis Sidra and I to see you two hesitate for so long. I’m glad you two decided to stop putting it off.”

Astra wanted to point out that Sidra had made the decision for them, but she refrained. As much as she hated her older sister’s meddling, she was glad for it this time around. Without Sidra pushing her into it, Astra believed that it would have taken a few more decades before she agreed to marry Raphael. The man deserved better than that, and so Astra was grateful to Sidra for the push.

However, she would rather die than admit it out loud. Astra was still angry that her older sister used her engagement as a bargaining chip.

“Thank you, Cultiva-…” Raphael paused when Estelle glared at him. “Estelle.”

Estelle’s expression lightened up.

“Better,” she said, before glancing at Sidra. “So, what did you want to show me? You were tight-lipped about it during the flight here.”

Astra followed Estelle’s gaze, and her stomach fell when she realized that Sidra’s eyes were focused on Darian. Her dread morphed into cold, hard certainty.

Sidra made a hand seal before responding, and formed a sound-proof barrier around their group. She kept her eyes on Darian the entire time.

“Little Demon is participating in today’s entrance exam,” Sidra said. “I thought it would be fitting for all of us to be here.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, Mother is still recovering in seclusion, otherwise I would have asked her to come as well.” She pulled out a recording crystal from her storage ring. “No matter. We can just show her the recording when she emerges from seclusion.”

An icy hand gripped Astra’s heart. She felt Raphael stiffen next to her.

“What?!” Estelle shouted. “Little Demon is here!” She turned to look at the exam participants. “Where? Which one is he?”

Sidra nodded toward Darian.

“The one wearing crimson robes and a wooden mask,” she said.

When Estelle caught sight of Darian, she let out a squeal.

“Oh! He’s all grown up! I remember when he was small enough to fit into the palm of my hand.” She frowned. “Wait a moment. Isn’t he supposed to still be with his father? Has it been twenty years yet?”

At this, Sidra turned towards Astra and gave her a cold smile. That smile sent a chill down Astra’s spine.

“How long have you known?” Astra asked.

“I found out before Cultivator Raphael did,” Sidra answered. “I knew you were up to something when I noticed you skulking about, so I decided to take a look.” She let out a derisive snort. “Did you really think you could steal Little Demon from Mt. Wind Dance and hide him from me? I was the one who taught you about arrays and concealment techniques in the first place.”

A beat of silence followed her words.

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“That’s not fair!” Estelle said, whirling around to face Astra. “Why didn’t you bring me along if you were going to steal Little Demon away from Mt. Wind Dance?”

Astra ignored her and focused on Sidra.

“Big Sis,” she started to say.

“Cultivator Sidra,” Raphael said at the same time, speaking in a placating tone.

Sidra held up a hand to silence them.

“Enough,” she said in a tone that brooked no disagreement. “We will discuss the matter after the entrance exam is concluded.”

Astra wanted to protest, but she knew from the look on Sidra’s face that it wouldn’t do her any good. Instead, she decided to keep quiet and continue watching over Darian. Estelle grumbled in discontentment, but obeyed as well.

‘While I don’t agree with all of your actions,’ Sidra said, speaking to Astra telepathically. ‘You did well by taking Little Demon away from that place.’

Her older sister’s words caught Astra by surprise, though she schooled her face into a neutral expression.

‘However, you still disobeyed Mother,’ Sidra continued. ‘Expect to be punished when this is all over.’

Astra let out a resigned sigh.

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Darian POV

Several hours after I started climbing the mountain, any semblance of peace had left me a long time ago. The sun hung low in the sky, and sunset wasn’t too far away. I had maybe half an hour at most before it touched the horizon. Thankfully, I had almost reached the top. I wasn’t too far away from the clearing Cultivator Thurstan mentioned.

However, the distance between my current position and the clearing felt like the distance between heaven and earth. Each step forward took more effort than the last. Despite this, I didn’t sweat. My physical body felt fine. After all, a short trip up a mountain was barely a warm-up for me.

At first the pressure I felt from the array was negligible and easily ignored. However, as I climbed higher and higher up the mountain, the pressure continued to increase without letting up. With each step I took, the burden on my mind grew heavier and heavier.

Even then, it was still manageable. However, by the time I made it halfway up the mountain, it grew more difficult. It took all of my energy and focus to keep going forward. I couldn’t afford to pay attention to anything other than taking the next step forward. By the time I neared the top, I felt like I carried an entire mountain on my shoulders.

It was nothing compared to the pressure that Astra or Cultivator Raphael could exert, but any burden became difficult to bear when carried for long enough. However, I didn’t want to end up like one of the poor souls who failed this part of the exam. So, I gritted my teeth and continued forward.

On my way up the mountain, I passed by several people who couldn’t bear the pressure and had fallen unconscious as a result. At first I only saw a few at a time, most of them part of the group that had rushed forward. However, when I made it halfway up the mountain, I saw more and more people who had crumpled under the pressure. They remained on the ground, almost as if they were napping.

At first, I was worried and wondered what would happen to them. But as the pressure on my mind increased, I had less and less energy to spare for others. Soon, I couldn’t spare any at all and could only focus on my own efforts.

Keep moving forward. That’s all you need to do, Darian. Keep moving forward.

Like a mantra, I repeated those words over and over again in my mind, falling into something akin to a meditative trance. Everything else fell away. I focused on nothing except taking the next step forward.

So it came as a surprise when I took a step, and the pressure disappeared. The sudden change caught me off guard and I stumbled forward, though I somehow remained upright.

“Congratulations, fellow cultivator,” a voice said to me. “You made it just in time! I was honestly a little worried that you wouldn’t.”

I looked towards the source of the voice and found Cultivator Thurstan standing not too far from me. After enduring the increasing mental pressure over the better part of a day, it took me a moment to regain my composure. I stared at Cultivator Thurstan for several seconds, before shaking my head to clear it.

“I apologize, senior,” I said, speaking each word with care. “My mind is still…”

I trailed off, unable to find the right word to describe my current condition.

“No apology necessary, fellow cultivator,” Cultivator Thurstan said with a chuckle. “A fugue state is normal, especially after what you’ve endured. Isn’t that right, Martial Sister Euphemia?”

Fugue state. That was it. I suffered from severe mental exhaustion. So much so, that I just now realized that Cultivator Euphemia was standing right next to Cultivator Thurstan. Somehow I hadn’t noticed her, even though she made no effort to conceal her presence.

“Bah!” Cultivator Euphemia said with a huff. “This is nothing. Those who can’t endure a bit of mental pressure don’t deserve to join our Dawn and Dusk Sect.”

Cultivator Thurstan grinned and narrowed his eyes until they resembled crescent moons.

“Didn’t you fail this part of the exam the first time you took it, Martial Sister?” he asked.

Cultivator Euphemia snorted.

“Yes,” she said. “And if you think I’m ashamed to admit that then you are mistaken, Martial Brother. My failure back then meant that I wasn't ready to join the Dawn and Dusk Sect just yet. It motivated me to try harder during the next exam.”

Cultivator Thurstan looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding.

“Fair enough, Martial Sister,” he said, before facing me once more. “However, we’ve taken enough of this fellow cultivator’s time.” He gestured towards his right. “Enter the hall, and the steward in charge will lead you to your room. The rest of the exam will take place tomorrow, after everyone has rested.”

I followed Cultivator Thurstan’s gesture, and realized that I had reached the clearing at the top of the mountain. For some reason, I hadn’t noticed this despite the lack of pressure. A grassy meadow occupied the top of the mountain. In the center of the meadow stood a three-story tall wooden building that reminded me of an inn. A middle-aged man wearing the black and white robes of a Dawn and Dusk Sect outer disciple stood near the entrance to this building. He wore a kind smile on his face, and gestured for me to follow him.

I took a step towards the middle-aged outer disciple, but then stopped and looked towards the west. While this mountain wasn’t the tallest one within the Dawn and Dusk Mountains, it still gave me an unimpeded view of the horizon. The sun was minutes away from touching the horizon.

An idea popped into my head. I felt exhausted just considering it, but since I had this opportunity before me, it would be a shame to waste it.

“Is there something wrong, fellow cultivator?” Cultivator Thurstan asked.

I looked towards him.

“If I stepped back onto the path, would that count as me failing the exam, senior?” I asked.

Both Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia blinked at me in surprise.

“Why would you do something like that?” Cultivator Thurstan asked, flabbergasted.

“It seems the mental pressure has addled your mind, fellow cultivator,” Cultivator Euphemia said, her voice filled with scorn. “I suggest you get some rest, so that you might recover your wits.”

I gestured towards the sun.

“It’s almost dusk,” I said. “Meditating while enduring the mental pressure would provide me with great benefits.”

Their eyes widened in shock.

“Are you perhaps a mental refiner, fellow cultivator?” Cultivator Thurstan asked.

“Martial Brother Thurstan!” Cultivator Euphemia snapped.

“I know it’s rude, but my curiosity compelled me to ask.”

Rude? Why would that be…? Oh. Right. Astra and Cultivator Raphael explained this to me. It was considered rude to pry into another cultivator’s techniques and arts, since that knowledge gave one an advantage over said cultivator.

“May I step back onto the path, seniors?” I asked, ignoring Cultivator Thurstan’s question. “Or would that count as a failure?”

“You already made it to the clearing,” Cultivator Euphemia said with a frown. “So I don’t see why not.”

When he realized that I didn’t plan on answering his question from earlier, Cultivator Thurstan let out a sigh.

“It’s not against the rules,” he said. “Though I don’t recommend it. The mental pressure is greatest at the end of the path. If you step back onto it now, you may fall unconscious. That would count as a failure. While I admire your diligence, fellow cultivator, there are times when one must step back and accept one’s limits.”

I gave them both nods.

“Thank you, seniors,” I said, before heading back towards the path.

Cultivator Thurstan let out another sigh at this. I ignored him and stepped back onto the path. The sudden mental pressure hit me hard, and I wobbled, almost falling over. I managed to stay upright, and took a moment to adjust to the pressure again. Thankfully, it hadn’t been that long since I stepped off the path, so this didn’t take long.

Afterwards, I sat down in the lotus position while facing the setting sun. I closed my eyes and started reciting the chant of dusk in my mind. Despite the pressure, I soon fell into a meditative trance. After meditating while Divine Fire qi burned me from the inside, a bit of mental pressure was nothing in comparison. In fact, the pressure seemed to aid me. It forced me to focus in order to remain conscious, allowing me to hone my mind even further.

I lost track of time as I recited the chant of dusk inside my mind. When I opened my eyes again, it was well after dark. My perch atop this mountain gave me a perfect view of the night sky. The cosmos were spread out before my eyes, infinite and glorious. The sight took my breath away, and I stared up in awe.

Someone cleared their throat, reminding me that I was still in the middle of taking the entrance exam for the Dawn and Dusk Sect. With some reluctance, I stood up. Rather, I tried to. Due to the mental pressure, I found that I couldn’t stand. When I tried, my head swam forcing me to sit back down. I felt a little panicked at that.

Despite my mental fortitude, it was just a matter of time before I succumbed to the pressure and fell unconscious. I needed to step off the path sooner rather than later. Well, not quite. I just needed to leave the path. Stepping wasn’t necessarily required. I sighed, before crawling back onto the clearing. A bit undignified perhaps, but it was better than failing the exam.

As soon as my entire body left the path, the mental pressure disappeared. I heaved a sigh of relief, before laying down on the ground to rest. The smell of grass and dirt filled my nose. The scent soothed me, helping me relax further. My eyelids grew heavy, and I felt like I would fall asleep right then and there.

The grass was also full of Wood qi. Not a lot, but enough for me to notice. I started taking in the Wood qi and circulated it through my meridians, using it to fuel the Divine Fire burning within my dantian. This helped keep me awake.

I heard footsteps approaching.

“Are you still awake, fellow cultivator?” Cultivator Thurstan asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “Though I can’t seem to get up. I think I’m going to sleep here tonight. It’s nice and warm, and the grass smells nice.”

I heard someone let out a long sigh.

“It seems he is more addled than I thought,” Cultivator Euphemia said, sounding annoyed.

“Should we bring him into the hall?” Cultivator Thurstan asked.

“No. We’re forbidden from interfering with the exam, except in extreme circumstances. If this one wants to sleep outside, I see no reason why we shouldn’t let him.”

“Yes, but that token hanging from his hair tie…” Cultivator Thurstan said, before trailing off.

“It doesn’t matter who his backer is,” Cultivator Euphemia said. “He is not exempt from the rules.”

“I can still hear you, seniors,” I called out to them.

Someone snorted. It sounded like Cultivator Euphemia.

“And?” she said.

I grunted and stopped taking in Wood qi, before pushing myself up. It took a great deal of effort on my part. When I made it to my feet, I wobbled a bit before steadying myself. Once I was sure that I could walk without falling over, I made my way towards the hall. Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia watched me go with bemused expressions on their faces.

While a part of me did want to lay down and sleep outside on the grass, I didn’t want to embarrass my family by shaming myself like that. When I reached the hall, the middle-aged outer disciple gestured for me to follow him.

“Let me show you to your room, fellow cultivator,” the middle-aged outer disciple said, still wearing a kind smile on his face.

I nodded at him, too tired to say anything else, and followed him into the hall. Thankfully, my room was on the first floor so I didn’t have to climb up any stairs. Otherwise, I might have slept outside, regardless of the embarrassment.

My room was a small square, with little in the way of furniture. There was just a small bed pressed against the corner and a simple glass lamp hanging from the ceiling. That was it. I bid goodnight to the middle-aged disciple and walked into the room, closing the door behind me. Without bothering to change my clothes or take off the wooden mask I wore, I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.