"Name?" repeated the man politely as he sat behind the temporary desk, an unsure, somewhat confused expression on his face as he carefully gazed at Dimi in the crowd out of the corner of his eye, who was still on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

While the sound barrier had kept him somewhat isolated from what had been going on, he had still taken note of Nyx and his sect elder when the suffocating pressure descended and so, wasn't quite sure how to treat the woman in front of him.

Nyx's head tilted to the side slightly as she wet her lips with her tongue before taking a breath to speak and stopping at the last moment. After that, her mouth opened and closed a few times as her face displayed a host of varying expressions and emotions while battling with her inner thoughts.

Seeing the woman before him struggling with the simple question, the man's eyes briefly wandered, careful not to be spotted by his watching elder, as he tried to gauge if Nyx's was just a pretty face, or if she had a body to match it underneath the torn, weathered cloak she wore. After a couple of seconds, the man nodded approvingly. -"Even though she's blind, that might be a good thing. It would be nice if she passes the assessment. The sect has a few beauties, but they are too full of themselves."

Not having much experience as a woman with her old gender, at least in the traditional, non-violent sense, Nyx was utterly oblivious to this as she tried to force herself to use the cover name she had long since prepared for situations like this.

She knew what she had to say, yet she just couldn't force the false words from her mouth. Deep down, Nyx felt that by doing so, she would deny who and what she was, which caused no small amount of anxiety to well up within.

Nyx hadn't used a physical body, made of flesh and bone, to represent her persona for a long time, so it didn't really matter what body or gender she was. However, ten years ago her soul had changed after her experience in the grey void, in what way, she was still uncertain, and so could no longer use that to ground her identity.

As such, even more so in the past, Nyx needed to have a consistent in her existence, something that would immutable, and that was her name and what it signified to her.

-"I am Nyx. Made not born. My home is the dark abyss. While my body will die and rot and my soul may be torn asunder, that will never change."

Nyx's eyes, under the blindfold, flashed with resolve. The sudden, unexpected pressure that she couldn't escape from or resolve with violence enabling her to settle the subconscious issues that had plagued her since her rebirth in the Welshmar Republic's capital.

-"Crystal, Fatman, Oldman, that bastard of an angel, the threat to the abyss, return home."

Taking a deep, calming breath, her anxiousness over revealing her name and the potential consequences vanishing within the span of a few moments, Nyx revealed a bittersweet, somewhat resigned smile. -"In for a penny, in for a pound."

Seeing the woman compose herself, the man flipped the pen in his hand, only to be slightly surprised that instead of answering his question, Nyx had asked her own.

"Is it true that the Twilight Sect will accept and protect their disciples, no matter their background or history if they pass this test?"

-"I should have known Elder Dimi would bring in another trouble maker," thought the man as he rolled his eyes before releasing a tired sigh. "Of course it is. Our Twilight sect isn't some second or third rate sect."

Scratching the stubble on his cheek, that looked to be a day or two old, the man's back straightened slightly as he lent forward. "The Twilight sect doesn't care about the mundane world or its politics, especially on the fourth continent. Its goal is to recruit the best and brightest from each generation, prepare them for ascension to our parental sects in the higher continents. While we are only third in the prime continent, if we said we were second, none would dare to claim to be first on the second and third continents. As such, who could threaten us here? Even the most powerful kingdom's and empires here are trifling compared to our power."

Nyx stifled the mocking laugh that tried to escape her throat, knowing full well that the power and prestige of the sects were nothing more than an illusion. She, along with her fellow summoned and wreaked havoc across the prime and secondary continents during the rebellion, and none, not even the sect leaders were safe from their blades.

"What about species?" replied Nyx moving the conversation on, deciding that if they had the ability or not wasn't really the point of her question but their attitude.

"Our Sect doesn't discriminate by race. We only care in strength. I hear that on the prime continent, we have at least four of every surviving species and that is ignoring the multiple subspecies and halflings," replied the man slowly as the question seemingly made him reevaluate Nyx in a more negative light. "If this is a problem, then my sect might not be the place for you. Even on this continent, were only the weaker species like human's and beasts reside, the sect is extremely diverse. I would even say that for every human, there are two other species."

Leaning back into his chair, tapping his pen on the wooden desk, the man frowned. "How do you not know this already? Did you not do any research before coming to take the exam? Do you think that my Twilight sect is something you can join on a whim?"

Nyx' ignored the man's questions, her eyes locked onto the small, crystal clear orb that was embedded in a small wooden base to the side of the table. Seeing that it hadn't reacted to any of the man's answers, she was somewhat more confident in what she was being forced into.

Turning her head to the side, Nyx briefly looked back and saw the white-robed woman a couple of dozen meters away, slowly tapping her foot with an impatient look upon her face making Nyx feel as if the woman was waiting for her to give up and try to escape.

A faint amount of bloodlust flashed across Nyx's eyes, her aura slightly seeping out again, causing the man to shiver, but quickly disappeared as she returned her gaze to the front.

"My name is Nyx."

Blinking a few times, mainly because he thought that the woman in front of him was going to ask more questions, the man started to chuckle and write her name down on the piece of yellow-brown parchment in front of him. "I can see why you were hesitant to say it. Even though they have never crossed the Republic's border or attacked any foreign dignitaries, it must be hard having the same name as the beast of Welshmar. By the way, if you pass this assessment, you can always use an alias in the sect if you dislike it so much."

Nyx's face twitched violently, wanting to defend her name but, after investing a significant amount of will power, she didn't say anything and revealed only a disapproving glare.

A look that wasn't very effective due to the blindfold.

Believing that Nyx was still worried about her name, especially if it was revealed, the man chuckled again as he tried to reassure her. "Worry not, everything you say here is confidential, and I am under oath not to reveal any information on candidates, successful or otherwise."

The man continued, seeing Nyx's features contort into what he believed to be a disbelieving manner. "Only the sect elders who review the tests here, as well as the Hall Masters back at the sect will see what's written down. And that is only if you pass. If you fail, the record is destroyed immediately."

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Not seeing any change in Nyx's countenance, the man decided to change the conversation. "However, before we start, I have two things to mention. The first is there is a truth orb here. If you try to intentionally lie or bend the truth, it will glow red. If it glows white, your subconscious doesn't believe what you are saying while your conscious does."

"Red is an instant fail while white will be noted down and used in your final evaluation, so its best to think before you answer."

"And the second?" As Nyx had already seen the orb and used it against the man earlier to see if the information she had gathered about the sect, at least in the eyes of one it's disciples.

What's more, she was pretty confident he still thought she was blind and so, wouldn't have been careful or tried to influence it.

After a moment of hesitation, an awkward look appearing on the man's face, he opened his mouth. "Cultivation is not easy or safe. Any small disability or-"

"I'm not blind," interrupted Nyx, folding her arms as if she had been offended, even though the disability was the impression she wanted to portray. "I just don't like being the centre of attention."

The man's eyebrows rose as his head moved slightly back, thinking that although the young woman in front of him, appearing to be in her late teens and seemingly very pretty, even if she weren't wearing the blindfold it wouldn't be to the extent that she could topple kingdoms or draw crowds of admirers with her looks.

Glancing at the orb and noting that it hadn't shown any reaction, the man shrugged his shoulders. If there were any problems with the Nyx's body, he knew they would be identified in during the physical examination. "Race?"

"Human." Seeing the orb glow in a faint, white light, Nyx sighed before trying again. "Beast?"

Once again the orb glowed in white light, causing the man's frown to match Nyx's.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed between them.

"Monster?" The moment the word had left Nyx's mouth, the crystal returned to its diamond clear state.

"Wait, you really think you are a monster?" The man's face revealed a confused, somewhat shocked expression as he tapped the crystal a couple of times as if to test if it was working correctly.

Nyx couldn't help but shrug, her face becoming somewhat expressionless in the process. "It's your crystal. I wanted to be human."

Like earlier, the man blinked a few times for his mind to catch up, unsure on how to respond. Releasing a sigh, mumbling under his breath about 'why were the pretty ones always crazy', he quickly wrote down Nyx's reply and the response from the crystal.

After finishing, the man raised his head and looked at Nyx with a somewhat exasperated expression before asking his next question. "Place of birth?"

"Welshmar."

"Really?" The man couldn't believe the common sounding answer after what he had heard so far, checking the crystal just to be sure -"Finally, a normal answer."

"Yes," responded Nyx in a tone that matched the cold, somewhat irritated look on her face.

"Age?"

"Depends on who's asking," responded Nyx. Seeing the man about to open his mouth, even though the crystal was clear, she quickly decided to cut him off. "Just put down however old you think I am."

The man looked at Nyx intently for a moment, using it as an excuse more than anything before quickly jotting something down. "Primary affinity?"

"Darkness."

At Nyx's response, the man couldn't help but let his eyes wander to Nyx's pale, white skin and elegant, refined features, something he would expect if her primary affinity was ice or a similar element.

"Cultivation level?"

Thinking for a moment, for the first time tempted to lie, Nyx decided to reveal her true level, believing that if she failed the test now, everything she had revealed until this point would have been for nought. "Pinical Sixth layer core."

The man starts writing, not seeing any reaction from the crystal yet as he is halfway through, his pen hesitated as he raised his head and looked at Nyx in a new light. -"No wonder Elder Dimi chased her over here. To have such high cultivation at such a young age."

However, that wasn't what caused him to hesitate. It was a well-known fact that not many, even genius cultivators, would create more than five layers on their core before attempting to break through to the next rank. "Have you hit a bottleneck in your cultivation? Is that why you haven't condensed your core into its Gem form?"

"Yes." Using the man's question, which was vague, against him, Nyx answered in a way that shouldn't be picked up by the crystal. Though she was at a bottleneck, it wasn't because she was trying to form her Gem but due to the red, bestial energy that encapsulated her heart that was restricting her from creating more layers.

Nyx wasn't surprised too much when the crystal remained inert. While the truth crystals were popular, they were only as good as the question asked.

"Do you bear any ill will to the sect, or plan to harm it in any way, including negligence?"

"No," responded Nyx with complete honesty. She was here for her crystal and information about how to resolve her issues with the beastial energy.

However, it seemed that the Sect had anticipated such reasoning as their next question was something she couldn't dodge easily.

"Do you bear any ill will to anyone in the sect?"

"Maybe," responded Nyx stiffly. "There might be someone in the sect that has taken something that is intrinsically linked to my life and wellbeing as well as having caused me immense suffering. If it is true..."

The man looked at Nyx blankly for a few moments before looking at the crystal clear orb on the desk.

"Well... I will need to make a note of this, but honestly, it's not rare for people to have grudges from the mundane world. Though there is a rule about no killing between disciples and the sect will probably step into to mediate if you are accepted into the clan."

Nyx simply shrugged, anything she said now would probably cause the crystal to react or reveal her exact thoughts on what would happen to the person if they were, in her mind, guilty.

"Fair enough, Do you have a Hall you wish to apply for."

"One that specialises in close combat, stealth and assassination techniques. Preferably with a mixture of beast and cultivators," responded Nyx without thought.

While she had knowledge of many skills and abilities, they were all suited to her previous bodies. Ignoring the fact that the female body was slightly different from the male, regarding structure and energy, she no longer had a balanced affinity spectrum, so most of them were utterly useless.

Looking at Nyx's figure, suddenly feeling that she was much more than the weak, somewhat cute girl that represented his first impression of her, the man shook his head. "Are you sure? There are only two Halls that fit those criteria, and both are extremely dangerous and not for the faint of-"

"Positive," interrupted Nyx, wondering why the man was trying to be helpful and friendly. In her previous lives, the few encounters Nyx had with registration processes lead her to believe that they were usually cold and clinical.

"Well..." The man hesitated a few moments, "With your age and cultivation level, there should be no problems as long as you pass the physical examination."

Nyx's body involuntary stiffened as her time in the cell under the mansion flashed through her mind. While she kept telling herself that it wasn't that important or a big deal, In all of Nyx's lives, somewhat surprisingly, she had never suffered in that way before. No matter how she tried to logic it out, it still seemed to haunt her.

Seeing this, the man revealed a, in his mind, reassuring smile. "Don't worry, they just test your bodies affinity and potential, take an energy reading and then make sure your body hasn't got any obvious deformities, binding marks, curses or diseases. You get to keep your underwear on, and it will be done by someone of the same gender."

Nyx's already snow-white skin paled a little more, having completely not expected something like this. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath. "I don't like being touched by people I don't know."

"Just tell the disciple who is carrying out the examination, and I am sure they will try their best. It's just a visual check as well as placing a few gems and formation tablets upon your stomach, which you can do yourself if it really is a problem," responded the man, his mind slightly wandering at the thought.

Shaking his head with a wily smile, the man continued. "Ok, last question. While it is not compulsory, to become an inner member of the sect, you must swear a soul oath on a-"

"I refuse," interrupted Nyx, not even needing a second to think about it.

Taken back by Nyx's abrupt, somewhat snappy reply, the man couldn't help but wonder why she had responded in such a way. "OK, may I ask why?"

Nyx thought for a moment as she gazed at the orb that hadn't lit up, knowing that the man hadn't intended to ask this question and so, it was likely to be not required. "No."

Sighing the man wrote a few more sentences, not holding much hope that the Nyx would pass even if she had been 'driven' here by an elder. Her answers and personality were just too far from the norm. "Not many do form soul contracts at the start. They want to get to know the sect and make sure its right for the first, but the benefits will go down the longer you wait. The early bird catches the worm."

As he said that, the man pointed Nyx to a small queue of people, young men and women, near the tent. "Please wait with them until someone comes to collect you."

"But the second mouse gets the cheese," responded Nyx as she passed, just before moving through the sound barrier that had been placed around the desk.

The man thought for a few moments before chuckling. "I like that one, going to have to remember it."

After scribbling a few more notes and folding the parchment, the man waved over a silver robed disciple and handed him the wrapped report. "Take this to Hall Master Fang or one of the Elders at once."

Glancing behind him, to where Nyx was now awkwardly standing, a small distance from the rest, the man sighed as he beckoned the girl that Nyx had cut in front of earlier. -"Well, even if she doesn't pass, we don't leave until tomorrow. Maybe I can take her out for a meal or something."