As Nyx's body glided past the man sitting at his temporary desk without making the slightest sound, a stark contrast to her earlier movements when trying to blend in the crowd as a non-cultivating, blind girl or when she was being chased, she briefly turned her head to the side so that she could look back.

The unknown woman in the white rob was still staring daggers in her direction, her arms crossed in a dignified manner as a slight scowl marred her features.

Returning her gaze to the front, scanning the large, white tent, three youths and two silver robed disciples ahead, Nyx's released a small sigh, instinctually knowing that the woman wasn't going to let things go and would undoubtedly cause trouble in the future.

Passing through the mysterious, soundproof barrier, Nyx's steps temporarily slowed due to the explosion of stimulus her senses received, exacerbated by her beastial enhancements.

Moments later, no more than three steps or so, Nyx's brow twitched violently as she felt her body pass through what felt like a thin, transparent layer of energy.

Knowing it was a ward of some sort, which could be defensive or offensive depending on the runic setup, Nyx's eye's narrowed as the muscles in her hand, which was still holding the handle of her dagger inside her tattered cloak, tensed.

-"Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Scanning the group of three and noting that they were all displaying nervous, somewhat self-absorbed looks as they repeatedly glanced at the tent and ignored her, Nyx reached the group and turned around in a natural, non-provocative manner.

As she scanned those currently taking the verbal test, and the milling crowd behind them, the unsettling, uneasy feeling that had been rolling around the pit of Nyx's stomach continued to increase at an alarming rate.

It was now clear to Nyx through deduction that the carriages were not merely set up for privacy and the desks, too many for their apparent task as some were empty, had not been placed for the sole purpose of testing. They had been placed strategically to create many overlaying barriers, a practice Nyx had never expected to see in the fourth continent due to the high energy and skill requirements.

The corner of her lips twitched as Nyx resisted the urge to mock her self for what she now considered a rash action, before moving her gaze to the disciples that were wandering around as well as those that were administering the verbal questions.

The more she saw of their behaviour, especially the quick, nervous glances towards the woman in white when they thought no one was looking, the more Nyx's frown grew.

Moving her sight back to the woman, who was still watching Nyx like a hawk, to the point Nyx wasn't sure if the woman was blinking, the corner of Nyx's lips curved upwards.

Slowly, her mouth formed a mocking, provocative smile as her free hand rose from the confines of her robe and, when it had reached the level of her waist, Nyx lifted her middle finger and flicked her wrist back.

A moment of confusion appeared on the woman's face, apparently not understanding the gesture. However, her expression was quickly replaced with anger, the action Nyx was displaying an obvious insult.

After stomping her foot heavily on the ground, causing an audible thud, the woman clenched her fists and took a deep breath.

To those nearby, it looked like the woman was about to go on a rampage and attack someone, causing many of the adjacent groups that had re-filled the area after her standoff with Nyx to back away. Yet, just as she took a step forward, the woman stopped as she saw the drastic change in Nyx's expression.

Confirming the theory she had gained when watching the behaviour of the disciples moments earlier, Nyx's face quickly returned to the emotionless mask of the past while her hand dropped back inside her cloak, which had caused the woman to pause and re-evaluate the situation, as Nyx released a somewhat depressed, exasperated sigh.

The disciples nearby, who had been ready to flee out of the way, looked at one another confused as the woman in white snorted once and folded her arms again, knowing she had been tricked. Somehow, instead of angering her further, the realisation seemed to placate the woman and so, once again, she stood and watched Nyx from a distance.

A few quiet whispers from the disciples nearby, Nyx's keen senses only being able to pick up a word here or there, cemented her belief that not only would the Twilight Sect not step in and help her if she was attacked, but that they would probably hinder her escape as the woman was apparently one of their elders.

A mocking smile, this time genuine, appeared on Nyx's face as she shook her head, realising that she had fled from the wolf only to enter the tiger's den. -"Think too little, get in trouble, think too much, get in trouble. Why is everything so much more complicated in the physical realms?"

Instead of panicking or becoming more anxious, Nyx seemed to relax as she lightly fidgeted, seemingly through nervousness of the approaching test to any watching, and stretched her neck to look around as she searched her surroundings.

It was evident that the woman wanted to fight, her entire demeanour conveying the message with no room for doubt, but the fact that she had stopped, and was patiently waiting, was what caused Nyx to worry the most as it strongly indicated that she was dancing the palm of her enemies hand.

Nearby, one of the examinees were taken inside the tent, reducing the group Nyx stood at the edge of, to three.

Nyx's gaze turned towards the remaining boy and girl, looking to be around the age of fifteen and seventeen with a complex expression. -"After that warning earlier, are they trying to separate me from any potential hostages or targets?"

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Shaking her head slightly, knowing that the surprise shot could have killed or seriously wound her if the owner had intended, Nyx's hand, the one not clutching the dagger, held the bottom of her chin as she struck a somewhat cute, thinking pose with her head slightly tilted. -"Just what do they want? What is their objective? Could this just be an 'advanced' test or are they stalling for time? Am I in mortal danger? Have I been discovered? Are they trying to capture me?"

A few of the wandering male disciples, on break or running errands, did a double take of Nyx's figure but soon returned to their duties knowing that they were under the watchful gaze of their elders and that if Nyx passed the exam, they would have plenty of opportunities to strike up a conversation. If not, they could always try and use the excuse of comforting her before they left.

Ignorant of this, having no experience in the matter, the more Nyx thought about her current situation, the more confused and uncertain she was.

While most of her ventures out of the forest had not gone exactly to plan, she had always struck and retreated without her targets being any wiser. This was the first time in ten years she had lost control of the situation, and it caused her breath to slightly quicken as the beastial energy inside, along with her own dark essence became agitated, making her control of her domain even more difficult.

Just as Nyx was on the verge of starting to panic, something she hadn't done in a long, long time, a warm, gentle breeze floated across the grasslands, bringing with it small amounts of pollen and dust.

Turning her head slightly, mainly because the hood had been blown backwards allowing the bright sunlight to fall on her skin and cause slight discomfort, Nyx's eyes narrowed on one of the carriages to her right.

While the trampled grass was swaying in the breeze nearby, the grass in a perfect circle around the carriage remained motionless, as if it belonged to another world.

Without hesitation, Nyx's wrist twitched, the movement so small that was difficult to catch with the naked eye, as a tiny, pebble-like object shot out.

While it was moving at an incredible speed, a small blur to most, it was still far inferior to the metal projectile from earlier causing Nyx to internally complain as she resolved herself to find techniques more suited to her body's unique constitution.

An Instant later, the pebble caused a faint, almost unnoticeable ripple in the air, a meter or so away from the carriage, completely vanishing from sight.

Seeing this Nyx's heart sank somewhat as she repositioned herself slightly, putting the two remaining people between her and the strange carriage.

While Nyx had felt that she was at a disadvantage earlier, confident that she would be run down or attacked from behind if she tried to cross the open ground between her and the forest or town, at least she had the cover and utility of the crowd of people nearby.

Now she was inside the confines of the carriages, that small advantage was almost gone and, with each applicant entering the tent, diminishing by the minute.

Nyx's eyes scanned the other carriages, looking for any more that might be a potential threat as she released an internal sigh, the open grasslands through the gaps between them looking more tempting as the seconds passed.

Shaking her head slightly, Nyx watched as the teenager who had entered the tent earlier run out in tears and towards a waiting group as the young girl, her face extremely pale as her hands slightly shook, was motioned to enter the tent.

The urge to fight was rapidly gaining on Nyx's need to escape. -"How can I go forward when I don't know which way I'm facing? At the moment, the only advantage I have will be when I get out of this sunlight. But even then, I'll be stuck in that tiny tent waiting for death... Will they let me play along until the end or is this it?"

Meanwhile, sitting atop of the carriage that Nyx had just thrown the small pebble at, Jorm and Hrafn where displaying pleased, somewhat shocked expressions.

After a few moments, Hrafn leant back in his chair. "Damn, to discover a level four displacement formation from that distance while still being in the Core realm. That girl has some skills."

"While it was only observation and not a specific skill, I have to agree," nodded Jorm, however unlike his earlier state, he was sitting forward with his attention focused on Nyx. "It seems the rumours, while not entirely correct, had some merit. However, that just makes me more disappointed that she trapped herself so easily. I have seen sheep that resisted more when being herded."

"I don't know if that's completely true," sighed Hrafn. "If the girl attempted to run, Dimi would have caught her, if she tried to use the human's as hostages, the old man would have put metal through her arm's and legs, and if she waited too long, the crowd would start to disperse as the applicants dwindled and her cover would dimish. Honestly, she was doomed the moment we noticed her and took action."

"She is just unlucky she chose our testing grounds to infiltrate. If it had been any other clan or kingdom, it is doubtful that she would have been discovered. Even then, she would probably have the strength and skill to escape. It seems luck wasn't on her side today."

Nodding, as if confirming his own belief's, Hrafn continued. "While she is only at the core realm, the only reason we discovered her was that her presence was completely masked. While at night or an environment that would hinder detection, it would be a good strategy, in the open like this it made her easy to find when we knew what to look for."

"I wouldn't be that generous. The other top two sects also send experts on these recruitment runs," said Jorm, his thin, snake-like neck moving slightly in an unnatural way.

"But..." After a few moments of silence, his eyes watching Nyx with even more intensity, Jorm continued. "I will agree that she has sparked my interest. Now she isn't hidden by the energy of the crowd I can sense that her body's energy indicates that she is no more than eighteen years old. That, coupled with such a deadly, decisive attitude makes her extremely well suited for a life of cultivation. What's best, is it appears to be completely innate. Every slight move or action, whether she realises or not, puts her in the perfect place to strike out and attack those nearby. I almost want to take her in as a direct disciple."

Hrafn laughed, shaking his head. "What do you mean almost? Timur's already on the move so there is no point in even dreaming about it. That girl will probably become an enforcer or an executioner before the day is through. His hall of Iron isn't something you can poach from, even if you had nine lives."

Jorm winced slightly as he watched Nyx's fluid movements as she repositioned herself so most of her body was blocked by the last remaining applicant, her position allowing her to watch both Dimi in the crowd and the carriage they were sitting on. "There are no beasts in the hall of Iron suitable to train an ambush type melee, especially one with such great camouflage and infiltration skills."

Hrafn nodded. "I would say the hall of Water would be a good fit as well as Fire and Lightening but, at the same time, I think a beast like that, cold and calculating without putting the lives of others into their eyes could only reside in the hall of Iron without causing a bloodbath. Anyway, while we can't take her as a direct disciple, we can always pitch in. It's not every day we come across an unknown species which is also an elemental royalty and if the rumours are true, part guardian."

Jorm nodded once, yet his eyes revealed a reluctant glint. "I suppose so. It won't be long before we ascend to the next continent and it will be nice to have someone left to look after those we leave behind."

It was at this moment that the last applicant was summoned into the tent, leaving Nyx, if you didn't include the female disciple standing nearby, on her own.