When the Hellfire Bear nodded at me, my mood fell. I berated myself for rushing ahead instead of considering every possibility. If I had known that I could have passed the final test and soaked in the black flames, I would have done that instead. Instead of either or, I would have done both.

“Damn it,” I said. “Oh well. I already promised to not step into the passageway, and I intend to keep my word.”

The Hellfire Bear made a noise that sounded suspiciously like the word “Indeed.”

“Are you all right, Senior Brother Darian?” Clarissa asked, looking at me with worry in her eyes.

I looked over my body, before looking at her.

“I’m fine,” I said, patting the bear’s side. “Senior Hellfire Bear is making sure the flames don’t actually injure me.”

The Hellfire Bear nodded at my words.

Cultivator Willow pulled another bowl of Wood Essence Pears out of her storage ring. This one was bigger than the one she gave me.

“Here,” she said. “Is this enough for all of us?”

The Hellfire Bear shook its head and scratched the numeral for “1” into the dirt before pointing at Cultivator Willow.

“I see,” she said, before turning to the others. “Do you two have anything you can bri-… I mean pay the toll? I don’t have any more Wood Essence Pears.” She glanced over at the setting sun. “You best hurry. We don’t have much time.”

She was right. Sunset was about fifteen minutes away. Cultivator Harlow pulled a bottle of pills out of her storage ring. The pills emitted a large amount of qi.

“These are Qi Condensation Pills that are useful for advancing one’s cultivation,” she said. “While a Rank 2 demon beast won’t get as much use out of them, they’re still beneficial.”

The Hellfire Bear mulled it over for a few moments before nodding. Everyone turned their attention to Clarissa. From the look on her face, it was clear that she didn’t have anything on the same caliber as the Wood Essence Pears or the Qi Condensation Pills.

“I…” she started to say, before stopping. “I don’t have much, but I do have this.”

She pulled a jade bottle out of her storage ring. This bottle contained a single pill inside it. However, that single pill emitted an astonishing amount of qi. So much so that Cultivator Harlow’s Qi Condensation Pills paled in comparison. Both Cultivator Willow and Cultivator Harlow looked astonished when they saw it.

“This is a Foundation Breakthrough Pill my family procured at great cost,” Clarissa said.

“No!” Cultivator Harlow said. “You shouldn’t give something so precious away.”

Clarissa shook her head.

“I don’t have anything else of value,” she said. “My family spent everything they had to give me this opportunity. I need to become an inner disciple in order to make the price they paid worth it.”

Cultivator Willow put a hand on Clarissa’s shoulder.

“Cultivator Harlow is right, Cultivator Clarissa,” she said with a serious expression on her face. “You should save that pill for your own personal use. Even if you fail the test and become an outer disciple, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm will guarantee a promotion to inner disciple.”

“Besides, I thought your family only needed you to become an outer disciple,” I called out.

Clarissa gave me a surprised look.

“How do you know about that?” she asked.

“I overheard you talking with your parents back at the branch office,” I replied.

Clarissa looked embarrassed by this.

“Oh,” she said. “How much did you overhear?”

I grinned at her.

“Enough.”

She blanched at this, before looking down at the ground and fidgeting.

“It’s just… I wanted to do my very best to pay my family back for everything they’ve done for me,” Clarissa said. “I want to be a good and dutiful daughter for them.”

Cultivator Harlow let out an exasperated sigh.

“Fine,” she said, before pulling a second bottle of Qi Condensation Pills out of her storage. “I was saving these for myself, but I’ll pay the toll on your behalf.” She pointed a finger at Clarissa. “You owe me for this.”

Clarissa gasped in surprise, before a joyful expression spread across her face. Wow. She looked really beautiful when she smiled like that.

“Thank you, Cultivator Harlow!” she exclaimed, before pulling the shorter woman into a hug.

Cultivator Harlow acted displeased by this and pretended to fend off Clarissa, but I saw the corners of her lips turn up.

“I’ll throw in a third bottle for Cultivator Darian,” Cultivator Willow said.

I blinked at her.

“I can’t go through the passageway,” I said. “I already promised Senior Hellfire Bear that I wouldn’t.”

Cultivator Willow grinned at me.

“You promised not to step into the passageway,” she said. “You never said anything about being carried through.”

Had I? I thought back on it and realized that she was right. Huh. I started to get excited, but then I thought of what it would look like if Cultivator Willow carried me the rest of the way. My face heated up.

“No thank you,” I said in a hurry. “That isn’t necessary.”

Cultivator Willow’s grin widened.

“Oh, I think it is,” she said.

“What kind of game are you playing?” Cultivator Harlow demanded.

Cultivator Willow leaned in close and whispered something in her ear. Whatever she said must have tempted Cultivator Harlow, because the latter chewed her bottom lip before nodding.

“Fine, I’ll play along with this.” Cultivator Harlow narrowed her eyes. “Don’t think this means I’ve given up. The game is far from over.”

For some reason, this worried me. What were they planning?

“I said it wasn’t necessary,” I said with a hint of nervousness in my voice.

“I’ll throw in a fourth bottle if you toss Cultivator Darian back over to us.”

The Hellfire Bear let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like the word “Deal”. Before I could even react, the bear stood up and knocked me aside in the process. I scrambled to get up, but before I could, it hooked my robes with one of its claws and tossed me towards my companions. I yelled as I flew through the air towards them.

Cultivator Willow caught me and maneuvered my body until our faces were inches apart.

“Gotcha,” she said while grinning at me.

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“This really isn’t necessary,” I said.

I tried to break free, but she had me in a tight grip. If I tried hard enough, I was sure I could escape. However, I also didn’t want to risk hurting Cultivator Willow.

“Oh, but it is necessary,” she said. “Now, are you going to come along peacefully or does Cultivator Harlow need to immobilize you with a paralytic?”

I glanced over at Cultivator Harlow, who gave me a malicious grin and held up one of her poison-tipped silver needles. I stopped struggling and sighed.

“Fine,” I said.

“Good boy.”

My face burned with embarrassment. I wanted to hide behind my hands, but I felt like that would make the situation worse.

“You were right,” Cultivator Harlow said with a satisfied smile on her face. “It is fun to tease him. He looks so cute when he blushes.”

“Told you,” Cultivator Willow said.

I glared at the two of them.

“I hate you both so much right now,” I said. “You don’t see Junior Sister Clarissa enjoying my embarrassment, do you?”

Clarissa looked away from me.

“Well…” she said. “You are cute when you blush, Senior Brother Darian.”

Betrayed by my own kin! I knew I couldn’t trust a Wind Dance.

“Junior Sister!”

The Hellfire Bear coughed, interrupting us, before nodding towards the setting sun. It was almost sunset. We had minutes before the sun touched the horizon.

“Shit!” Cultivator Willow said. “We have to go!”

Everyone placed their bribes… I mean, offerings on the ground and started running towards the passageway. The Hellfire Bear waved at us as we left. At that point, I stopped struggling to get out of Cultivator Willow’s hold and accepted the inevitable. I could just imagine the look on Astra’s face when I saw her again. She would never let me live this down. Her teasing would be merciless.

And then there was the rest of my maternal family to consider. I wasn’t sure about Big Sis Estelle, but given what I heard about Big Sis Sidra, I knew she wasn’t going to be happy about this. Still, a little bit of shame and embarrassment was a small price to pay if it meant becoming an inner disciple of the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Maybe if I kept telling myself that I would believe it.

A part of me expected to find another trap or trick waiting for us when we went through the passageway, since this was the final part of the entrance exam, but nothing happened. The four of us made it through and arrived on the other side without issue.

We neared the base of the mountain situated at the other end of the valley. When we were atop the first mountain, I saw that this one was much taller. However, I hadn’t realized just how much taller. It towered over us, as if piercing the sky, tall and imposing. Clouds gathered around the peak of this mountain, giving it a mysterious appearance. If someone told me that an Immortal lived atop this mountain, I would believe them.

There were a number of buildings at the base of the mountain, all of them located around a central courtyard. I couldn’t guess their purpose at a glance, but they looked beautiful and elegant despite their simple design. Tall lanterns placed at strategic locations bathed the area with warm light. A large hall stood on the opposite side of the courtyard. It reminded me a bit of Clan Wind Dance’s main hall, though this one was larger and rectangular rather than crescent-shaped.

A group of seven people waited for us in the center of the courtyard. It was easy to recognize them, even from this distance. Two of them were Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia, who stood a bit apart from the others. The rest were exam participants who had managed to make it to the end, including Cultivator Diana and her two bodyguards.

I looked to the west and my heart sank. We were still some distance away from the courtyard. The sun would set before we made it. We were moving fast, but not fast enough.

“Put me down,” I said.

Cultivator Willow shook her head.

“There’s no time,” she said. “It’s faster to just keep carrying you.”

“If you want to pass the test, then put me down,” I said. “We won’t make it in time at this speed. I can get us there faster. Trust me.”

Cultivator Willow studied me for a moment, before nodding. As if we had practiced it, we switched places without slowing down. She put me down on my feet and I picked her up. Despite her bulk, I carried her with ease.

“Lighter Than Air,” I called out to Clarissa.

My junior sister, realizing what I intended to do, nodded.

“Apologies, Cultivator Harlow,” she said, before picking the other woman up.

Cultivator Harlow let out a squawk, but didn’t resist. Once our companions were secured, Clarissa and I used the Lighter Than Air technique which doubled, if not tripled, our speed. It took a significant amount of internal qi and concentration to maintain the technique, but we were near the end. There wasn’t any point in holding back anymore. Clarissa and Cultivator Harlow pulled ahead of me and Cultivator Willow, since the two of them were smaller and lighter, but we didn’t fall too far behind.

Within moments, the four of us arrived at the base of the mountain. We were moving so fast that when we stopped, Clarissa and I skidded across the courtyard. Somehow, neither of us tripped and fell over.

Once we came to a full stop, I looked to the west again just in time to see the sun touch the horizon. We had done it. We had made it to the other side of the valley before sunset. That was it. We had finished the test. We passed.

A smile stretched across my face as jubilation filled me. My body ached all over, sweat down my body in rivulets, and my internal qi reserves were just about empty, but that didn’t matter. We had passed. We were all inner disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect. I wanted to jump up and down with joy, but I didn’t have the energy to. It seemed that running at full speed with the Lighter Than Air technique while carrying another person had taken a toll on me. No wonder most people learned the technique when they reached peak Qi Condensation.

“Um, Cultivator Darian?” Cultivator Willow said.

I looked at her. Her cheeks were red and she faced away from me. It took me a moment to realize why. The two of us must have made for an odd sight, with me carrying Cultivator Willow, since she was taller and bigger than me. She must have been embarrassed by it, just as I was embarrassed to have her carry me.

“Could you… Could you put me down now?” she asked.

I almost complied with her request right away, but then I stopped. Perhaps it was petty of me, but I wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine. She enjoyed teasing me and seeing me blush. Why couldn’t I do the same to her?

“No, I don’t think I will,” I said, grinning at her. “It seems I’m not the only one who looks cute while blushing.”

Cultivator Willow let out an “Eep” and looked at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. My heart skipped a beat and my grin faded away as our eyes met. The two of us stared at each other for what felt like hours, and would have continued staring at each other, but someone interrupted us by clearing their throat. We looked over to find Cultivator Euphemia glaring at us, while Cultivator Thurstan watched us with an amused expression on his face. I wasn’t which of the two was the one who coughed.

“As touching as this is,” Cultivator Thurstan said with barely contained mirth. “I suggest you save it for later.” He gestured towards us. “Unless you plan on being late to the feast.”

Realizing that we… I had made a spectacle of us, I placed Cultivator Willow down on the ground. She stepped away from me before straightening herself out and facing Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia, avoiding eye contact with me the entire time. I looked around to find the others watching us with varying expressions on their faces. Cultivator Harlow crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at us, while Clarissa seemed… I wasn’t sure how to decipher her expression. Envious? No, that couldn’t be right.

Cultivator Diana and her bodyguards glared at us. No. She glared at Clarissa while her bodyguards glared at me. As for the other two exam participants, whose names I didn’t know, one looked amused while the other looked annoyed.

“Congratulations are in order,” Cultivator Euphemia called out. She faced us all with her arms behind her back. “Everyone here has proven that they either have the strength, the wit, the resources, or…” She glanced at Cultivator Diana when she said this next part. “… the connections necessary to become an inner disciple of the Dawn and Dusk Sect. You should be proud of yourselves. Should any of you join Celestial Warrior Hall, then I would be more than honored to call you my junior martial brothers and sisters.”

“I would likewise be honored to do the same,” Cultivator Thurstan said. “Assuming you join Restless Grave Hall, that is. However, before any of that, we must celebrate!” He gestured to the large rectangular hall. “In recognition of your efforts, the Dawn and Dusk Sect has organized a feast. Those who accompanied you have been notified of your success and will be invited to participate.”

I glanced down at my body and grimaced. I was in no state to participate in any kind of celebration. My crimson robes were ripped, torn, and covered in grime. The other exam participants weren’t in much better shape, with Cultivator Diana being the only exception. I looked back up at Cultivator Thurstan. He must have anticipated this because his next words put my concerns to rest.

“Don’t worry,” he said, winking at me. “The feast won’t start for a little while yet. If nothing else, you’ll have enough time to wash up and change your clothes.” He clapped his hands together. “Now then, are there any questions?”

When it became clear that no one would ask any questions, he clapped his hands together.

“Excellent! If you head over there, you will be able to clean yourselves up and change your clothes,” Cultivator Thurstan said, gesturing to one of the buildings that bordered the courtyard. “Don’t dawdle. The feast starts in an hour and it will reflect poorly on you if you’re late.” He gestured towards another building. “If you don’t wish to participate in the feast, then head over there where you may rest for the night.” He grinned at us. “However, I don’t recommend doing that. Other disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect, as well as a few elders, will be attending the feast. It will be a good opportunity for you to forge some new connections. And yes, that will affect the selection process tomorrow.” He made a shooing motion at us. “Now then, be on your way.”

With that, Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia headed towards the large rectangular hall. The rest of us glanced at each other, before heading over to the first building that Cultivator Thurstan had pointed out to us. No one headed towards the second. It seemed that none of us planned on skipping the feast.

Cultivator Harlow linked arms with Cultivator Willow and Clarissa, before whispering something in their ears. The size difference between the three women made the sight somewhat comical. As they whispered to one another, all three glanced at me before giggling and rushing off. I gave them all a baffled look, before shaking my head. Right now, I couldn’t afford to worry about them. I had to focus on myself.

After all, if Cultivator Thurstan’s words could be believed, there was a chance Big Sis Sidra would attend the feast. Considering how angry she might be with me, I wanted to make myself as presentable as possible in an attempt to curb her anger. Besides, I wanted to make a good impression on my older sister.

So, I headed into the building and readied myself for the feast.