Chapter 2: The Recruitment Trials
It was the dream of many humans to become cultivators. Why? It was because only those people would have no fear against the devils and magical beasts outside the city walls. If the walls were to fall to the enemy, only the cultivators were expected to escape with their lives. Only the nobles wanted to go to the Divine Dragon Academy.
Common folk knew they would be bullied and bossed around by those from richer clans. The Chinese Army was also not an ideal choice as they would lose their freedom, and be forced remain in the military for forty years to fight magical beasts and devils. Crime was also rare as any person who committed a crime to a cultivator would be forcibly conscripted into the harshest battalion of the Chinese Army. For those criminals, there was no pay or vacation. In fact, the only retirement was death.
Nathan arrived in the Great Plaza and joined the crowd of over seven hundred who applied. The current month was September. It was the last chance for people to apply for the sects as the recruitment for the sects was quarterly, not monthly as Nathan had thought. He and many other teens eagerly awaited for the recruitment to start.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Tang City's September Recruitment of 5,017. It is also the 3rd quarter of the year and the month when the three sects will also be recruiting alongside the army and academy. Those who wish to apply to the sect must pay one hundred purple spirit coins. As soon as we verify your age being below twenty two, you are eligible to participate in the first trial. There are a total of four trials. As is tradition, the first three trials are always the same," a man in a red tuxedo smiled as he appeared at the center of the giant podium overlooking the crowd.
"My name is Howard Tin, a member of the Chinese Army. As always, the Chinese Army exempts you from taking the second to fourth trial. If, at any time, you believe you cannot succeed past the first trial; you may join the Chinese Army. Now, the first trial is the most important trial of all. It is the Spiritual Awakening Ritual. Fail that and there is no need to take the other three trials. Failure means you cannot cultivate. Still, you may join the Chinese Army as a heated weapon specialist or staff," the man said. "As always, the second trial is a spiritual force test. Spirit pressure will press down on you, like gravity. If you can remain standing, or kneeling, under spirit force equivalent to five times the gravity; you succeed."
"The third trial is considered the most lethal. If the first trial does not kill you, the third might. You will be quarantined in a magical beast infested area for six hours. During that time, you must kill a minimum of five magical beasts. The cores, you may keep, but you must bring evidence of your kills as cores do not count. There are areas in the city with a red formation barrier. In those areas are the only safe zones. However, entering means you fail. The fourth trial is different every year and is the most mysterious. Knowledge of the fourth trial will be revealed once the third trial is completed," Howard Tin said. "Applicants, please enter the teleportation array beside me. Parents and guardians, you will be notified of your charge's progress or death. Keep in mind that your life is forfeit the minute you enter the teleportation array after you are deemed eligible by myself."
The people murmured, many wondering how many would succeed this time. The Chinese Army would undoubtedly gain the most recruits, but also the weakest of them. The Divine Dragon Academy wanted to recruit more people, but only an idiot, who wasn't a noble, would believe their lies of guaranteed safety in the academy. Behind Howard Tin were five people sitting in black stone chairs, observing the crowd and applicants. These five were the representatives of the five organizations in Tang City and would oversee the trials to ensure there was no cheating.
They murmured when Nathan Chase was called to enter the podium for his assessment. Howard Tin was surprised as he sensed spirit energy already within the boy. Usually, this was the case for children of noble lineage. Nathan was wearing a simple black robe and many would see Death Repulse behind his back. The purple jade and skull instantly made the recruiters aware of Nathan's intent to cultivate death qi and already possessed a cultivation method.
"Please state your name, age, and preferred weapon," Howard Tin asked.
"My name is Nathan Chase, age fifteen. My preferred weapon is the sword. The name of the sword strapped on my back is Death Repulse," Nathan Chase answered and Howard put a finger on Nathan's right wrist to verify.
"The age is indeed fifteen. What vitality you have. You are eligible for the first trial. If I'm not mistaken, the sword is a magical sword. Not bad. You may now enter the teleportation array," Howard Tin said and the five recruiters stared at Nathan as he entered a glowing jade array and vanished.
Nathan and the applicants were teleported to a secret underground valley. They were atop a hill, the ceiling of the cavern valley lit with beautiful crystals. Before them was a giant, square platform made of brilliant white stone. Atop of the platform was sixteen pillars with a person sitting on each pillar in white-hooded cloaks, another glowing jade formation array on the platform. Howard Tin and the five recruiters arrived after the last applicant was tested. About six hundred remained of the near seven hundred.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the underground valley where the recruitment process takes place. It also serves as a shelter where we store rations, supplies, and weapons in the event our Tang City is under siege for several days. This platform is where we will commence the Spiritual Awakening Ritual. You will enter in groups of thirty. You will sit in the formation array and your first trial will begin. Volunteers may come up first. If there are none, you will be picked out for the next group. Those who succeed will sit on the left or right stands and await the completion of the first trial. Those who fail will enter the teleportation array you came from," Howard said as the five recruiters sat on the stands to the north of the platform. "You may now begin the first trial."
Nathan was the seventh volunteer chosen for the first group. He and twenty nine others sat down in the center of the formation. The sixteen people began to stand and held weapons in their hands. As they slowly chanted, each pillar seemed to glow and an image appeared above each person. Each image was different and the volunteers stared at Howard.
"Okay, volunteers, these images you see are the images of the elements. There are sixteen elements in total. They are fire, water, wood, water, metal, air, lightning, light, darkness, Poison, blood, death, life, ice, lava, and sand. Quite a lot and they were all discovered by the First Immortal. No matter the advancements, the Spirit Awakening of the First Immortal is the most effective and safe. I trust you all have your cultivation methods? If no element qi is mentioned, the essence of one of the five main elements of the First Immortal will be used to awaken your qi. Qi is the spirit energy of all things. With it, you can take a hold of your destiny," Howard Tin said. "A few of you may die, so I hope you are prepared. Let the Spiritual Awakening Ritual begin."
The thirteen people on the pillars began to chant, the formation array glowing brighter beneath the thirty volunteers of the first group. Then, the thirteen images floated and converged high above the platform. The other applicants gasped as the images combined to form the very image of Earth.
"And so the First Immortal, master of all sixteen elements, gazed upon the Earth in wonder upon his ascendance. He spread his knowledge throughout the world and was the first to ascend. May humanity continue the path of cultivation, lest the Earth falls to the devils and magical beasts," Howard said and the illusory Earth glowed.
The giant image then released a pillar of jade light on each of the thirty volunteers. Endless knowledge seemed to seep into Nathan's mind. Those who had a cultivation method immediately benefit as the unnecessary elemental essences disappeared. They had no need to awaken their affinity to other elements so as to improve the affinities to the elements they sought to master. The robes of the thirty shattered, revealing bare male chests and bandage-wrapped female chests.
As the pillars disappeared, three people automatically spewed blood and died. Within Nathan's chest, the spirit energy he accumulated from drinking monkey wine and sleeping with the spirit crystal vein beneath his pillow began to stimulate. In the back of his mind, a dragon roared as if it were a sovereign of the heavens. The elements of gold (a variant of simple metal), wood, fire, death, and lightning began to appear within his spirit energy. A comfortable feeling spread within Nathan's body as he broke into Tempered Body first layer and kept on growing.
Within his mind, a Spirit Realm slowly formed. A giant volcano emerged and a giant forest also formed around the base of the volcano. The ground quaked as a five, gigantic pagodas emerged in a five star-point formation around the volcano. As the volcano spewed lava and a column of ash, wailing jade spirits emerged and slowly formed connecting lines between each pagoda to make a star. Finally, lightning traveled in a strange, circular formation around the pagodas as if they were alive. From above, it formed the image of a tiny pentagram circle the size of a nail head despite its makeup.
Nathan screamed out as his body soon reached the Tempered Body fifth layer! The dormant black dragon energy awoke and his Spirit Realm enlarged ten times its size. That meant that his foundations increased and his potential would be higher than others of the same cultivation. He would also have more spirit energy in his body than most people as well. He also gained enhanced strength due to the dragon energy.
Most of the other volunteers were either dead or successful. Unable to endure the jade energy as it periodically granted them the power of its light pillars every five minutes, only Nathan was left. Everyone stared at his bare chest, the gold dragon tattoo prominent on his chest, shoulders, and back.
They could see the bone steel bracelet on his left wrist and Death Repulse seemed to pulse as it drained the death qi emanating from the corpses of the dead nearby. His short hair extended to a little past his shoulders and he grew four inches. His muscles became more lean and stream-lined. There was no doubt that he was a cultivator and appeared like a god among men as he stood up, the jade glow of the illusory planet shining its light on him.
"It seems this group has someone with talent not of the noble clans," Howard grinned as Nathan left the platform, heading to the shower rooms a little back down the platform where he and the successful applicants washed off the black liquid that seeped from their pores. Those liquids were impurities of the body and the expulsion of impurities implied he was slowly casting aside his mortal body.
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By the time Nathan washed the impurities from his sword, sheath, bracelet, and body; he was told that he did not need to undergo the second test as it was required for those of the Tempered Body first and second layer. He was shocked to hear a few others also at the Tempered Body fifth layer. One even reached the sixth layer.
Most of the nobles were shocked to see many commoners reach the third and fourth layer. Of course, that was because the common folk usually only applied during the third and fourth quarterly recruitment days as they were busy helping their families with the harvest and planting of crops.
While other people watched the rest of the first trial, Nathan was at the foot of the hill. He was ecstatic to begin learning the five element spells of the cultivation method. He decided to practice the Art of Golden Storm and Art of Lightning Star first. He wanted to learn the gold element spell first because of the talisman and the lightning element spell to increase his speed. Speed was a necessary asset in battle and assisted his reaction time. Most of all, it increased his likelihood to escape from danger or an imminent death strike.
His eyes were closed as he meditated. His bone steel bracelet began to emit humming sounds as the gold runes glowed while Nathan stored his spirit energy inside the bracelet. The knowledge about the first level of the Art of Golden Storm was truly complex. It actually used his very spirit energy to materialize into gold. He opened his eyes and pointed his right index and middle finger outward as he stared at his right hand. Spirit energy converged and his fingers became wrapped in a layer of gold qi. His finger became harder than his skin and his two fingers easily pierced the ground beneath him.
He held out his left hand and a small sword of gold appeared the size of a dagger. He directed it into the hill and the gold sword disappeared as it pierced through completely. The talisman was truly a great catch. At the first level of the Art of Golden Storm, there was no way he could make gold qi materialize into a solid object outside his body. He experimented a few times and was excited to learn he had a talent for gold qi manipulation, further augmented by the talisman. The Gold Sword Fiend Bracelet was a bone steel talisman and Nathan swore to never attempt to sell it.
By the time he started learning the Art of Lightning Star, the first trial was still underway. Nathan began spreading his spirit energy to his legs. Slowly he spread the spirit energy over his body. Time seemed to slow as Nathan slowly became faster. Nathan laughed as he began experimenting with his speed. Occasionally, a blue spark crackled from his body as he ran back and forth about fifty feet. He stopped as he started to feel exhausted and laid against the grass of the hill, satisfied.
He returned to the stands and many people stared at him, remembering him from the first group. Nathan was in dark purple robes as his previous robe was destroyed and ruined by the impurities and ritual. Even the undergarment and pants had to be scraped and replaced. The second trial was already underway and Nathan just had his eyes closed as he rested to recover.
He had gotten used to his new body's potential and Death Repulse felt lighter on his back. He felt more confident in his ability to survive and was eager to see the magical beasts he heard so much about. While he smuggled his way to China, he learned the Japanese, Spanish, English, Hangul (Korean) and a little bit of French. Knowledge may have been lost, but languages die hard. The young have an easier time to learn things and he was naturally able to pick up on a lot of things he did not know from the era of his previous life.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the second trial. There are now only a little over three hundred of you remaining. As always, you are free to join the Chinese Army. Now, you will proceed down the valley and into any of the nine tunnels to the left of the hill. Once you are all at the end of the tunnel, you will appear in random areas of the quarantined area. You will be able to see multiple areas below with red formation arrays. Those are the safe zones. Again, entering them means failing the third test. From this point onward, failing does not mean you cannot assume the fourth test. It means forfeiture of your choice of the five organizations. If the four others do not choose you, the Chinese Army will. Good luck. Your six hours begins when a soldier gives you a jade talisman with a timer indicted on it," Howard said and gestured down the hill. "Remember, five kills is required to pass. No hurting one another. Not only us, the five recruiters and your parents and guardians will be watching by select hidden cameras in the town and on the ceiling. I should also tell you that there are hidden magical treasures down there donated by the five organizations. Some are also exceedingly rare that would make even me jealous. So being first means to get the treasure before others. No pressure."
Many people immediately ran into one of the nine tunnels. It was obvious they wanted the treasures Howard Tin hinted. Many also felt relieved as they could still proceed to the fourth trial if they entered the safe zone. People quickly formed groups with people they knew and pushed others out of the way. One thing they did not expect that there was no nine tunnels when they reached the wall of the valley. It was one giant tunnel, indicating that the nine tunnels was deeper inside. Soon, one group of fifty blocked the tunnel and smugly looked at the others.
"You guys wait here until the young master gets the treasures. No need to risk your lives," a boy laughed, all of those fifty boys and girls wearing red robes with a black phoenix on their backs. They were the larger than all the other groups. and some nobles clearly recognized the insignia.
"Fucking Black Wing Clan! You band of mercenaries better get out of our way!" a noble shouted.
"Hmph. Stupid noble. You don't seem to realize the situation. Even the weakest of us is at the fourth layer. Our young master is one of the eight who reached the sixth layer, two more of those eight beside me. I am also at the sixth layer! Stay there if you don't want to die," the boy laughed, a boy and girl standing next to him. They released their spirit force and blasted some of the weaker applicants back.
"Fuck, those mercenaries planned this," one boy muttered.
"It must be because the quarterly trials always give these amazing treasures. I was wondering why my big sis said none of them showed up during the June trials," a girl muttered. "This was their plan all along."
"That mercenary group always has their children become part of the Vermilion Phoenix Palace. It seems that sect will rise this year," a noble cursed and everyone vented at the fifty people but made no attempts to pass them. Everyone fell silent as they saw Nathan appear, walking closer to the mercenary teenagers.
"Hey! You better not walk further. Don't blame me if we kill you," the boy warned and narrowed his eyes as Nathan drew Death Repulse. "Get him."
Four people of the fourth layer rushed out. Most people did not expect Nathan to survive as he was a commoner. Naturally, he would not have the martial arts training and cultivator techniques that nobles of powerful groups had. People immediately trembled as they saw death qi emanate from Death Repulse. They saw black tendrils of qi appear from the sword's blade.
Nathan did not falter as the four attacked him. He tilted his sword and reflected one of the boy's sword, raking his fingers on the boy's throat as he lost his balance. His nails tore skin and flesh and the boy screamed as he fell on the ground. He blocked two more swords and did a low kick on the third swordsman. The boy cried out and did not see the sword before it cut off his head.
As one of the two surviving boys raised his sword, Nathan actually lunged. The boy's chest was exposed and Nathan rammed with his shoulder. Bones cracked and the boy was sent flying, his neck at a cringe-worthy angle as his body slammed the ground multiple times. The last boy paled and tried to block Nathan's sword as he stabbed at him. However, Nathan's sword pierced through the boy's sword and impaled his chest.
"I...I..," the boy coughed before Nathan withdrew his sword, the boy dead after a few seconds after falling to the ground. The four remaining cultivators of the sixth layer felt ashamed to see a boy of the fifth layer step forward and charged at the mercenaries, the rest of the applicants also charging.
"You bastard! You'll pay for this. Everyone, retreat!" the boy of the Back Wing Mercenaries shouted, glaring at Nathan once before leading the escape.
"Pathetic," Nathan spat. These people relied too much on their cultivation and did not consider training their sword skills. Such people were scum who did not deserve to cultivate at all. He watched everyone enter the giant tunnel as he looted the four boys. None of four boys had a storage ring or any magic storage item. He threw the four bodies and head at the side of the wall next to the tunnel and noticed three people waiting for him before the nine smaller tunnels.
"You're pretty strong. Not just cultivation wise, you seemed at ease in that fight. You must have trained with the sword for years," a boy said as another boy and girl also stood next to him, the first boy with a katana. "My name is Toshio Yashida. My mother is Chinese. I am a samurai who follows the Silent Frost Blade Manual. It is one of the magical manuals of the Tang Fighters Pavilion. Like you, I use a Heaven Series weapon."
"Heaven Series? What's that?" Nathan asked.
"You don't know? Only one hundred swords made with Heaven ranked metal exist, on record. However, weapons of Heaven Series resonate with each other. They cannot be destroyed, like bone steel, and the best weapons. Smiths capable of making such weapons can be counted on one hand, three in fact," Toshio said. "This is Wei Han, of the Han Clan. The girl is his girlfriend, Qing Lu. Wei is at Tempered Body fifth layer, his girlfriend at the fourth. I am at the sixth layer. We need someone who can fight if we wish to get our hands on the magical treasures. We need an additional fighter as Wei is an archer and Qing actually uses magic."
"A mage?" Nathan asked, surprised.
"I, I know healing arts and fire balls," she said.
"Sorry. Qing is shy towards strangers," Wei said. As you can guess, one melee fighter is not enough. Can you help us?"
"Well, I am only mildly curious and traveling alone is risky. My name is Nathan Chase. My mother was half Chinese. I also use a one-of-a-kind sword style known as the Black Dragon's Fury Manual. I guess I use a Heaven Series weapon. I am at the fifth layer. Let's get along well," Nathan said and shook hands with the boys before the quartet entered the seventh tunnel from the right.