An entire week seemed to fly by Bai Feng as did as much as she could to engross herself in the world of cultivation. She spent the mornings with her roommate and friend Yi An doing her best to learn to understand literacy and was making some progress. She could read and actually understand basic phrases now, though anything more advanced always managed to throw her off. She could even write a bit too, even if compared with the clean lines of Yi An she could feel just how sloppy her writing was.

Afterward, she attended the spiritual lessons and expanded her understanding there before spending most of her free time after the lesson practicing what she learned there in her cultivation. She still hadn't managed to clear up one of her meridians yet, but she thought she was making progress in the arm meridian she was focusing on. She wanted whatever her first art was to be one that let her actively influence the world around her, and the arm meridian's tenancy towards outward effects fit that perfectly.

Bai Feng always stopped a decent bit before physical cultivation lessons began though, not eager to repeat what had happened with her spiritual cultivation the first time she had done it. Awakening was incredible and she didn't regret that, but damn it she was not going to become a hermit that lived in the meditation room. Not when there was so much else to do.

She spent that time instead by the riverside. Sometimes just sitting by it and listening to the flow of the water and at others, she took to swimming in it. It turns out her dress was waterproof, something that made quite a bit of sense considering the sect was called the Flowing Water sect, and it was nice just swimming through the lazy river if a bit chilly. Winter was fast approaching after all, and soon it would be getting even colder. Though she wasn't entirely sure just how much colder, it was already far warmer than she used to at around this time and it was throwing her off. Maybe something about the sect was causing that?

Whatever the case, Bai Feng would then spend her time at the physical cultivation lessons under Elder Bao. The elder while pleasant to stare at—not that she stared at him at all—was harsh but fair in his lessons. She would push herself to the limit in his lessons, then once she had reached it he led her away and told her to weave qi into her body than he gave her new instructions once he had deemed she had rested enough, rinse repeat. She found the exhausting routine exhilarating, even if her body felt like mush afterward.

Her friend Yi An never seemed to get winded in the lessons though, and was always at the front of the pack, only behind the lightning boy, the dragonfly girl, and another boy whose robes only had a single star embroidered on it. And she had noticed there was very few other girls who were attending the physical cultivation lessons which Bai Feng didn't completely understand. Were they afraid to get sweaty or something?

Elder Bao had only given a single short lecture in her time there that had explained what exactly he was having them do and the two initial levels of physical cultivation he was going to be focusing on, the Copper and Iron Bodies. And the method he was teaching them was reinforcing their bodies and cleansing them of impurities, the exact method differing based on their cultivation level. She hadn't even noticed he had been telling some other disciples different things when he pulled them aside, though that was probably just from her focusing on the exercises while she doing them.

And after that Bai Feng would spend the rest of her time back at home with Yi An. They'd share some tea before working some more on her burgeoning literacy skills before Yi An would excuse herself in order to cultivate in the meditation room before she slept, leaving Bai Feng to eat alone before she went to bed herself.

Bai Feng had to admit, it was wonderful having a routine even if it left her busier than she'd ever been before. She always had to be ready to adapt to changes on the fly in the past and while she knew that wasn't going to last forever she cherished it while it lasted. The only thing she really wished she could do even with everything she had was to share her newfound stability with her gang, something that was impossible. She'd just have to make the most of it for them.

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Bai Feng stared down at the emerald slip describing the Flowing River technique. Yi An had become satisfied with her ability to understand the basics now and had thought the technique the perfect place to begin for more advanced literary concepts. Bai Feng was struggling still though with the strange wording used in it. One phrase she'd understand perfectly well, the next she'd completely misinterpret.

She knew she was getting better though and was happy with her progress when they had stopped considering she hadn't even been able to read before she'd arrived here. Unlike Yi An who was currently wearing a frown on her face as she sipped a bit of her tea.

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Not wanting to sit in silence while her friend was unhappy Bai Feng spoke up. "Hey, I jus' wanted to thank ya again for the work your putting into helpin' me understand this stuff. Spirits know that I didn't understand a single thin' about literacy before ya came around."

Yi An's frown was stubborn though and refused to leave as she nodded at Bai Feng. "It is of course no problem. As I have said before, it is simply unacceptable for you to not understand such an essential tool while you are my roommate."

There was always something about the way she spoke that always felt off to Bai Feng but she shook it off like usual as she opted for a more direct approach. "Hey, is somethin' wrong? Ya've had that frown on your face ever since ya started usin' the sect's technique to help me understand more advanced concepts."

Yi An looked up and fixed me with her customary piercing gaze before she giggled and the frown disappeared. "Nothing that truly matters, merely some personal gripes with your progress. Even though I understand that your background as a common thief combined with your lesser cultivation level undoubtedly means your progress will be slower than preferred, I still cannot help but feel as if it is going too slow."

Bai Feng scoffed a bit in her head at being called a common thief, what she did was far more than just stealing someone else's bread while they weren't paying attention, though she didn't let it show. She'd been the one to ask after all. Instead, she just nodded to her. "Progress is progress, I'll get there eventually, especially with all the help ya have given me."

Bai Feng paused briefly as she thought a bit more about some of what she'd said and a question came to her. "What level is your cultivation at anyways? I know ya are pretty dang far ahead of me, en' likely a great deal of the others here."

"I am in the first layer of both the Aquamarine Soul and Iron Body." Yi An answered immediately with a touch of pride in her voice. "Though, I am far from the most advanced here. Both the Tian scion and the Zeng scion are clearly ahead of me and a few others are my match currently."

Bai Feng nodded as another question came to her. "What would ya say the level of the average disciple is here?"

Yi An took a moment to ponder the question before she answered."I would say our peers on average are around the second layer of both the Amethyst Soul and Copper Body. You are of course behind, though I do not imagine you will stay there for long. You awakened spiritually exceptionally quickly and I would be astonished if your physical awakening did not follow soon."

Bai Feng smiled at her words. She was going to have to work harder in order to not let Yi An down.

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Bai Fang made her way into the lecture hall and took her usual seat as she waited for Elder Ning to arrive and the lesson to begin. With any luck, this lesson would give her an insight into clearing out her meridians. She felt she was finally getting close to clearing the channel free but something was still holding her back and she wasn't sure exactly what it was.

As the last of the disciples trickled in and took their seats though Bai Feng felt a shiver crawl down her spine. There was something that just didn't feel right. Shaking it off and assuring herself that nothing was wrong, Bai Feng waited patiently for the elder to arrive. She could hear the murmurs of the other disciples grow in volume as minutes passed without any sign of the elder. Was the elder late? Surely not, right?

Something stirred within the central pool and Bai Feng looked over to it. Something was happening as the water there began to swirl around, faster and faster. Something was very wrong and Bai Feng's instincts were screaming at her to move.

Yet when she tried to she found she couldn't move at all as a giant torrent of water shot up from the center. Bai Feng panicked as she tried to do something, anything, only for her limbs to remain unresponsive as she found she could only stare ahead at the gushing tower of water. The torrent split into many smaller torrents, shooting out in all directions, one speeding right towards her. She couldn't even make a sound as it consumed her.

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Bai Feng gasped as she sat up. A nightmare, it must've been. She sighed in relief as she took one of her dripping wet hands out of the water it had been laying in and wiped her head. Wait, why was her hand so wet? Why was she in water?

Bai Feng hurriedly glanced around her surroundings. She was in a large pond of water with a stone pathway leading out of it for some reason now that was surrounded by trees. She was also absolutely soaked now, except for her robes which the water seemed to slide right off of. She saw two other disciples as well in the pond with her. One was a pale boy with short black hair and no markings on his robes as far as Bai Feng could tell that seemed to be trying to get his bearings. The other was a fair-skinned girl with blazing red hair who looked quite furious at the current situation that had what seemed to be a searing flame emblazoned on her robe. Both seemed to be as soaked as she was.

Before Bai Feng could even call out to them an utterly neutral voice rung throughout the area

"Follow and traverse the path of stone and at the end, you will be able to leave this place. But beware, for one of you is an imposter. Attempt to leave with an imposter and you will fail this trial. Attempt to leave without all non-imposters and you will also fail this trial. Succeed in leaving this place and you will be granted great rewards."

Bai Feng blinked at what the disembodied voice had said. Trials? Imposters? Rewards? Just what was going on?