I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. My mouth felt dry and tasted nasty, as if something had crawled into it and died. I opened my eyes and shut them right after as light from a nearby window pierced me in the eyes. It felt like being stabbed by needles. As I laid there, trying to muster the energy to get up and move around, I recalled what I could from last night.

After discussing my experiences on Mt. Wind Dance with my sisters, as well as my desire to not get revenge on my kin on my father’s side of the family, the four of us spent the rest of the feast drinking and sharing stories. My sisters told me a bit of what it was like being raised by our mother. Nova, also known as the Frenzied Fiend, liked to take the “sink or swim'' approach to child rearing.

That was literally how she taught each of my sisters how to swim. When they grew old enough, she threw each of them into a body of water and let them figure things out for themselves. That was just one example. My sisters shared several others with me as well. As I listened to them, I realized that perhaps my father had the right idea to raise me himself instead of leaving me to my mother.

My sisters also shared stories of what it was like to grow up together. Well, what it was like for Astra and Big Sis Estelle to grow up together. The two of them were only five years apart in age. Big Sis Sidra, on the other hand, had been about three hundred years old when Big Sis Astra and Big Sis Estelle had been born, give or take a few decades. She was more like a second mother to them than an older sister. The large age gap astonished me, but given how long cultivators could live, I supposed that was normal for some families.

One such story was about how Big Sis Estelle goaded Astra into confessing her feelings for Cultivator Raphael. Afraid of rejection, Astra hesitated to tell Cultivator Raphael that she loved him. This went on for decades. Tired of this, Estelle pretended to have feelings for Cultivator Raphael in order to force Astra to take action. This resulted in the two of them getting into a huge fight that resulted in widespread destruction. Big Sis Sidra ended up having to intervene. When Cultivator Raphael found out the reason behind their fight, he talked with Astra and the two of them confessed their love for each other.

I also told them a bit about my life on Mt. Wind Dance and my relationship with Lucius. My stories were more mundane compared to theirs, but they listened to my every word with interest.

“I suppose not all of them deserve to die,” Big Sis Estelle had grumbled after I told them about how much Lucius had helped me.

After we finished off the first bottle of wine, Big Sis Sidra ordered another. When we finished off that one, she ordered one more. This pattern repeated itself many times. I tried to keep up with my older sisters. However, I had to give up by the third bottle. While I had a high tolerance for alcohol, I was still just a Qi Condensation cultivator. My older sisters surpassed me in every way. Each of them was still sober by the time I was ready to pass out.

I couldn’t remember much after that, but I assumed one of them carried me here and put me to bed, wherever here was. Thankfully, from what I could tell, it looked like none of them undressed me the night before. As uncomfortable as it was to sleep in a set of formal robes, it was better than the alternative.

When my headache somewhat subsided, I opened my eyes and found myself in a simple bed room. It reminded me of the room I slept in after I climbed up the mountain and passed the second part of the entrance exam. A nearby window let in sunlight. For furniture, the room contained a bed and a nightstand. A jade bottle containing some kind of liquid sat atop the nightstand with a note next to it.

Without getting up, I grabbed the note and read it.

For your hangover, the note said. From your loving sisters.

I smiled at this, and then winced when I felt a jolt of pain. Not wanting to suffer from my hangover any longer, I sat up and opened the bottle before drinking its contents. The liquid inside tasted bitter, but I swallowed it down. The moment I did, a cool and soothing sensation filled my entire body. Within moments, my hangover disappeared. It was as if it had never existed in the first place.

Feeling refreshed, I hopped out of bed and started getting ready. Today was the day I joined Flame Fiend Hall and became a disciple of the Dawn and Dusk Sect in truth. Being late wasn’t an option.

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After I washed up in a nearby bathroom, I headed downstairs and found breakfast being served in a small dining room. I was the first to arrive. Atop the dining room table sat a number of side dishes consisting of meats, vegetables, and fruits. Despite gorging myself during last night’s feast, my stomach rumbled when I smelled the food. It seemed like I was a demon of hunger, given my appetite.

When I sat down, a mortal servant placed down a bowl filled with porridge in front of me. Soon after I started eating, the other participants who passed the final part of the exam started trickling in, including my companions. The only one who was missing was Cultivator Diana, though her bodyguards were in attendance. Cultivators Willow and Harlow sat on either side of me, while Clarissa sat in front of me. The others sat alone and kept to themselves.

My companions all looked haggard as they sat down and winced when the mortal servants placed bowls of porridge in front of them. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who indulged in drink last night. If I had any more of the hangover cure my sisters gave me, I would have shared it with my companions. Unfortunately, I had used it all.

“Good morning,” I said to all of them.

All three women grunted at me in response, before they started eating their food.

“How are you so cheerful after last night’s feast?” Cultivator Harlow asked in a grumpy voice. “Did you not participate?”

“I did,” I said. “Did you? The only one of you I saw last night was Junior Sister Clarissa.”

“Senior Brother Darian,” my junior sister said. “Could you please speak in a softer voice? I have a headache.”

I nodded in response and continued eating.

“To answer your question,” Cultivator Harlow said, speaking at a lower volume. She gestured towards Cultivator Willow. “Our families took us away as soon as we appeared at the feast and reprimanded us for participating in the entrance exam. After that, we celebrated in private, so that was why you didn’t see us.”

Huh. If they celebrated with their families in private, did that mean they hadn’t witnessed the confrontation with Cultivator Diana? If so, it was likely they didn’t know that I was Nova’s son.

“A shame,” Cultivator Willow said. Of my three companions, she was in the best condition. Being a physical refiner came with a number of benefits. “I wanted to see you in formal wear, Cultivator Darian.” She narrowed her eyes at Clarissa. “Unfortunately, Cultivator Clarissa had you all to herself last night.”

Clarissa and I shared a look.

“Not quite,” I said. “Junior Sister Clarissa and her family spent the feast with Cultivator Diana and Elder Iola.”

“What?” Cultivator Harlow exclaimed.

Everyone at the table, including Cultivator Harlow, winced. Her face flushed red and she hunched over as the others all glared at her. Once everyone else’s attention turned away from her, she focused on Clarissa.

“Why were you with that…” She paused for a moment. “… Woman? I thought she hated you, and vice versa.”

I had a feeling that she had planned on calling Cultivator Diana something less complementary.

“Elder Iola expressed an interest in me,” Clarissa said. “She said that I had potential and that I was a good influence on Cultivator Diana.”

Cultivators Willow and Harlow both gave her faux betrayed looks.

“How quickly you turn your back on your friends,” Cultivator Harlow said in a joking tone.

“Abandoning your senior brother,” Cultivator Willow said, also in a joking tone. “All for the sake of ingratiating yourself with those twinkle-toed dancers.”

“I didn’t!” Clarissa said, sounding indignant.

Unlike Cultivator Harlow, she kept her voice quiet, to avoid drawing everyone’s ire.

“Senior Brother Darian,” she said, turning towards me. “Tell them what happened.”

I finished chewing my food and swallowed.

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“Junior Sister Clarissa speaks the truth.” I said. “She didn’t abandon me. Like the two of you, I celebrated in private with my family.”

Cultivator Willow chuckled.

“Be at peace, Cultivator Clarissa.” she said. “Cultivator Harlow and I were only joking.”

“Yes.” Cultivator Harlow said, before giving me a sideways glance. “Speaking of families, which one do you hale from, Cultivator Darian? It’s clear that they have ties to Flame Fiend Hall.” She gestured to herself. “I come from Clan Gentle Cloud.” She gestured to Cultivator Willow. “This one is a part of Clan Stone Pillar.”

I started when I heard this. Like Clan Wind Dance, Clan Stone Pillar was a cultivation clan from the Myriad Rivers province. I didn’t know much about them, but I knew they were rivals with Clan Wind Dance. During my paternal grandfather’s time, the two clans warred with one another. However, the conflict ended after the heads of each clan came to some kind of agreement.

No one except the clan heads and their direct descendants knew the exact details of this agreement. If my uncle hadn’t all but usurped my father’s position and excluded me from all clan affairs, I would have known more about it.

It surprised me that Clan Stone Pillar had ties with the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Then again, it shouldn’t have. The Dawn and Dusk Sect had thousands of disciples. They probably had ties with families all over the Northern Region.

“You’re from Clan Stone Pillar?” I asked Cultivator Willow.

“Yes,” Cultivator Willow said, an edge to her voice, as if throwing down a challenge. “Is that a problem?”

I shook my head.

“Despite my surname, my ties with Clan Wind Dance are almost nonexistent,” I said. “I’m closer to my mother’s family. The only members of Clan Wind Dance who I care about are Junior Sister Clarissa, my cousin Lucius, and my father.”

My heart ached when I thought about my father. It had been a little over a year since I last sat in front of his immortal cave and talked with him. Regardless of whether or not he was alive, speaking to him had been a source of comfort to me. The thought of never speaking to him again filled me with sorrow.

No. I refused to let things stand like that. I wouldn’t let my kin stop me from visiting my father’s immortal cave. Either I would grow powerful enough that they wouldn’t dare stand in my way, or perhaps I could help Lucius become the head of Clan Wind Dance somehow. I knew he wasn’t my enemy. Maybe both. Regardless, I would visit my father’s immortal cave once more.

“Lucius Wind Dance is your cousin?” Cultivator Willow asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” I said with a nod. “His father, the acting clan head, is my uncle.”

“That means Connor Wind Dance, the head of Clan Wind Dance, is your father.”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“You sound like you don’t believe me.”

“That’s because I don’t,” Cultivator Willow stated. “I’ve met Lucius Wind Dance. You two looked nothing alike.” She paused. “Except for your eyes, I suppose.”

“If I remember correctly, didn’t Cultivator Clarissa say that Clan Wind Dance had ties with the Righteous sects?” Cultivator Harlow asked with a frown. “How are you the young master of such a clan? You’re demonkin.”

I gave them both a tight smile.

“Like I said yesterday, my relationship with Clan Wind Dance is complicated. If it hadn’t been for Junior Sister Clarissa, Lucius and my father, I would have severed all ties with them.”

Cultivator Willow opened her mouth to say something, but then Cultivators Thurstan and Euphemia stepped into the dining room. Everyone turned their attention to them.

“While I would like to let all of you finish with your breakfast,” Cultivator Thurstan said with his usual cheer. “It is time to leave. You all have a busy day ahead of you.”

“Be honored,” Cultivator Euphemia said. “For all of you shall become true inner disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Today is the day you join a hall.”

Despite the interruption, and their hangovers, everyone looked excited at the prospect of joining one of the halls that made up the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Without further ado, we all stood up and left the dining room.

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Cultivators Thurstan and Euphemia led us outside, where two people waited for us in the stone courtyard. One was Cultivator Diana, who looked well rested and refreshed, unlike everyone else. She wore a beaming smile on her face, and overall seemed to be in a good mood. The other person was a stranger. However, this stranger was in the Golden Core stage, meaning he was someone of importance in the Dawn and Dusk Sect.

He was a giant of a man, standing head and shoulders above everyone else in the vicinity, with a muscular physique. In terms of age, he seemed to be in his mid-thirties, though I guessed he was much older than that given his cultivation realm. His skin was tanned and leathery, as if he spent a lot of time in the sun. He had short dark hair and warm brown eyes.

Unlike many cultivators I’ve seen, the man wore simple brown garb. His clothing reminded me of the cotton robes I used to wear when I lived on Mt. Wind Dance, though his were of much higher quality. Even so, he looked more like a farmer than a cultivator.

Unlike many of the Dawn and Dusk Sect cultivators I had met so far, he wasn’t a divine or a demonic cultivator. Instead, he seemed more like a normal cultivator, if that word could even apply to cultivators. His aura reminded me of the Earth, warm and nourishing.

Our little group approached Cultivator Diana and this stranger. When she saw me, Cultivator Diana stopped smiling and blanched. Cultivators Willow and Harlow noticed this, but didn’t say anything. Clarissa, who had witnessed Big Sis Sierra’s appearance last night, looked torn between amused and exasperated.

“You four,” Cultivator Thurstan said, pointing to Minions One and Two, as well as the other two participants whose names I didn’t know. “Elder Elliot of Spirit Farmer Hall will evaluate you, since you haven’t been sorted into a hall yet.”

Spirit Farmer Hall? Hmm, based on Elder Elliot’s aura, I guessed this Spirit Farmer Hall was one of the neutral halls of the Dawn and Dusk Sect, which were neither divine nor demonic.

“Welcome to the Dawn and Dusk Sect, my martial nephews and nieces!” Elder Elliot said in a cheerful voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’ll end up where you need to go.”

“What?” Minion One said. “We’re supposed to follow him?” He shook his head. “We refuse. My brother and I will follow our mistress.”

Minion Two nodded in agreement with his brother. I glanced at Elder Elliot, fearing for the bodyguards’ wellbeing. What if Minion One’s words had offended him? While I didn’t care much for either of them, Cultivator Diana was Clarissa’s friend(?) now. Since they were her people, there was a chance she would suffer because of their actions. However, to my surprise, Elder Elliot just laughed.

“Your loyalty to your mistress is commendable.” he said. “Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice in the matter. Cultivator Diana belongs to Divine Dancer Hall. You two belong somewhere else.” He held up a hand to forestall their protests. “Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to serve her. However, you won’t be joining the same hall as her. This is for your sake as well as hers.”

“Listen to Martial Uncle Elliot, you two,” Cultivator Diana admonished. “Spirit Farmer Hall is in charge of sorting new inner disciples for a reason. Their arts give them insight into the best place to foster a disciple’s talents.”

Minions One and Two teared up at this.

“But Young Mistress, we wish to stay with you!” they said in unison.

Cultivator Diana smiled at this.

“Thank you,” she said. “However, as your young mistress, it is my responsibility to look after your well-being, which includes your cultivation. Follow Martial Uncle Elliot. That is an order.”

In the end, the two bodyguards nodded, though they seemed reluctant to do so. Elder Elliot, or Martial Uncle Elliot I supposed, gave Cultivator Diana an approving nod before pulling out a leaf-shaped flying boat out of his storage ring. It was large enough to hold about a dozen people. He stepped onto the flying boat and gestured for his charges to follow him. Once they did, the boat rose up into the air and flew off into the distance.

“As for the rest of you,” Cultivator Thurstan said, facing the rest of us. “I’m sure you can guess why we asked for you to stay behind. Each of you has already been selected to join a hall. Either your master or an elder from your hall will arrive soon to collect you. We will wait here as well, to prevent any…mischief from occurring.”

He grinned at us when he said this, though I wasn’t sure what he meant. Perhaps in the past, some new inner disciples of the sect had caused trouble when they reached this point.

“Don’t mind us, however,” Cultivator Thurstan continued. “Feel free to converse amongst yourselves.”

As if to prove his words, Cultivators Thurstan and Euphemia stepped away and gave us some room. Still, I doubted that was far enough away, considering their cultivation realms. The two of them were close enough to overhear anything we said.

“Well,” Cultivator Willow said with a sigh. “This is where we say goodbye, for now at least. Once we part, we will be too busy settling in to see each other. It’ll be a few days at least.” She glanced over at me. “A shame. I was hoping to spend more time with you.”

My intuition told me that she was referring to me specifically rather than our group as a whole.

“Speak for yourself.” Cultivator Harlow said in a smug voice. “Given what the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall are like, there is a good chance that Cultivator Darian here will end up seeking treatment at Rainbow Healer Hall within the next day or two.”

Cultivator Willow’s face fell, as if she hadn’t considered this possibility.

“What do you mean by that, Cultivator Harlow?” Clarissa asked, frowning.

“The disciples of Flame Fiend Hall are all martial idiots to some degree or another.” Cultivator Harlow explained. “They like to pick fights with each other, and disciples from other halls, all the time. Not for honor or glory or resources. No, they just like to fight. As a result, they all end up at Rainbow Healer Hall more often than not.” She snorted. “They get it from their hall master, who is the biggest martial idiot of them all, or so my master told me.”

The blood drained from Cultivator Diana’s face and she hid behind Clarissa. It took me a moment to realize that she was hiding from me.

“You should watch your words,” Cultivator Willow said with a frown. “The disciples of Flame Fiend Hall are fiercely loyal to the Frenzied Fiend. They don’t take insults to their hall master lightly.” Her frown deepened. “The Frenzied Fiend’s daughters in particular. What if they find out about what you’ve said?”

Despite Cultivator Willow’s warning, Cultivator Harlow seemed unconcerned.

“I’m only speaking the truth,” she said in a nonchalant tone. “Besides, none of them are around to overhear me.” She glanced over at me “And I doubt Cultivator Darian will tell them. He may be joining Flame Fiend Hall, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want to see me hurt.”

I frowned at her. On the one hand, she had a point. I didn’t want to see her hurt. On the other hand, she just insulted my mother. I couldn’t just let this go. Yes, Astra called our mother a martial idiot. However, she was Nova’s daughter. Family members were afforded more leeway.

“Uh,” Clarissa said with a worried look on her face. “Cultivator Harlow, there is something you should know. Senior Brother Darian is-…”

“He’s the Frenzied Fiend’s son!” Cultivator Diana blurted out from behind Clarissa.