A young woman with a shaved head and orange robes stood in front of a wrought iron gate in the middle of the road. It was entirely ceremonial, as there was no wall connected to the gate on either side, only stone posts, and they could have simply walked around it if they chose. That was the point. No mere fence could stop a cultivator, and if the grounds of the Heavenly School were warded against intrusion, those precautions were not advertised.

“Greetings, travelers,” the woman said. She had a strong chin, and a broad nose. Her hands were clasped at her waist. “My name is Chitose, and if you would like to proceed, then I will need to examine your papers.”

They were prepared for this, so Sunwhisper and Janna handed over the documents Yuyu had prepared for them detailing her sponsorship of the applications, and Chitose scanned them quickly.

“A seal from Poppy City, you have not come so far then. The admissions process for this year is just about to begin.” She returned their scrolls to them. “As you come onto the campus, follow the branch to your left. There is a barn there where prospects await approval.” She touched the center of the gate and it swung open on its own, allowing them entrance.

As they passed her, she spoke again. “Fair warning, initiates. I don’t know what it was like where you came from, but many prospects come here thinking they are roosters ready to strut, only to discover they are still chirping chicks when the sunrise comes. This may be the only well-meaning word you hear today, so give it heed. Watch yourselves, and take care with what you say. Whether or not you are accepted, you will be tested in more ways than one.”

Sunwhisper bowed to her. “A thousand thanks,” he said, and they walked on.

The academy was dominated by a tall temple of marble with a central structure that resembled a giant anthill, with various towers and tiers all bound into the main body of the school. The main building was hundreds of feet in the air at its peak, dwarfing the surrounding village. But it was the lake that truly dominated the valley.

Apart from the Heavenly School, the valley acted like a bowl many miles in diameter containing lake Hylia. The crystal blue waters of the lake shimmered in the fading sunlight as Sunwhispers and his companions approached their destination.

“Barn” had been an apt description for the boxy, wooden building where prospects were already gathering. Its oversized doors stood open, and there were groups of young cultivators within, lounging or meditating, only a handful engaged in active conversation. They were dressed in various styles. Sunwhisper didn’t have an eye for fashion, but Yuyu’s servants had provided him and Janna with attire appropriate for the Middle Kingdom, kimonos and light hakama pants in subdued colors.

Some of the prospects were similarly dressed, but others wore clothes more like what would have been considered western garb on earth, pre-industrial shirts and pants of cotton and wool. One girl wore a long gown that seemed ill suited for martial arts practice, while a few of the men had brought nothing but loincloths.

Everyone he saw had three stars on their arms.

Two men were standing in the middle of the open doorway, and one of them held out his hand to stop Sunwhisper from entering.

“Let’s see your papers.” His physical age appeared to be about twenty, whatever his actual lifespan may have been. There were ritual scars running from just above his eyebrows up into his scalp. Scarring a mana body required special circumstances, spiritual poisons, or sheer perseverance, and Sunwhisper had no idea what the marks signified, but his companion bore a similar disfigurement.

Sunwhisper shook his head. “I see no reason to do that.”

Janna had been about to comply. After all, they had been asked to do the same thing at the front gate, and she glanced at Sunwhisper in confusion.

“They aren’t school officials,” he explained, “just bullies.” Their intentions had been obvious the moment he saw them.

The one who had spoken first grinned nastily. “You’re a confident one, aren’t you? We’ll see how long that lasts. My name is Hako Baksu, and I intend to be through with this trial before the end of the day. We don’t need any more applicants here, the roster is full, so why don’t you both turn back before you get hurt.”

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Ogumo reared, flashing his bladed feet, but Sunwhisper motioned for him to settle down. Karasu had decided to perch atop the barn, expressing little interest in the exchange.

“Keep your beast in check,” the second man said, and Hako laughed at the display.

“This one must think that if you bring your own animal, they just hand you your fourth star. What a silly peasant.”

Janna bristled. “We have every right to be here, the same as you.”

“That so? What if we don’t let you through?”

(These guys are really asking for it.)

{I don’t think they’re asking for anything.}

The ground was soft, and Sunwhisper sank an inch into the topsoil as he activated Eight Mines Clutch, targeting his own body instead of the rod at his hip, his weight multiplying as his density increased. Then he stepped forward, calmly, as if there was no one blocking his path.

Hako pushed him, but instead of thrusting him back, he knocked himself off balance and stumbled a pace. The second man moved to trip Sunwhisper with a quick sweep, but he misjudged the necessary force, and his foot bounced. Then Sunwhisper was inside the barn. Janna and Ogumo took the opportunity to walk around the pair of off-balance cultivators.

“Who do you think you are,” Hako accused, taking a fire style combat stance.

“Merely a student,” Sunwhisper said, “I’m sorry if there was any confusion in the matter.”

Half the barn was watching the exchange, and the pair seemed prepared to fight Sunwhisper to maintain their perceived position among the assembled artists, but a voice rang out from across the gathering, arresting them both.

“Hako, Crabbu, what are you doing harassing my new friend?” The boy who called to them had scars like theirs, and though he looked no older than thirteen, it was obvious who held the authority among the three. A platinum blonde waif crossed the barn with the mien of a prince, coming to a stop just ahead of Sunwhisper.

“What a group. I see you both brought familiars, how brash.” He swept one arm behind him and bowed at the waist. “You must forgive my brothers, they are ill mannered, but they have good hearts. Please, grace us with your names. I have a feeling I will need to learn them soon enough anyway.”

“Jin Sunwa,” Sunwhisper said, “and this is my sister, Jin Janna.” Janna gave a small bow at being introduced, almost as off-balance as the two men now standing uncomfortably in the open door. A part of her was still not accustomed to treating other pure artists as equals, especially one who was so clearly from a prominent family. She had never heard of the Hakos, but all three of them wore fine kimonos, and had cabochons set in bracelets on their wrists.

“Pleased to meet you,” the youngest said. “My name is Hako Empiti, favorite son of the famous Hakos of the Wet Lands. I have never heard of the Jins before, but surely, they must be of hearty stock to have produced the two of you. Why don’t you come sit with me and some of my other acquaintances while we await the beginning of the trials?”

Janna looked at Sunwhisper, who nodded.

“We would be honored. No offense was taken, and I am eager to hear what you may know of what to expect.” Yuyu’s own admittance to the academy was many decades in the past, and the school did not like to keep the same process of elimination for long.

Empiti led them to the furthest corner of the barn, while his brothers retained their positions at the door, evidently still prepared to extend their challenge to anyone else who had the temerity to apply that day. The group he introduced them to included a man with seven swords, a woman with a dog, and one of the men in loincloths meditating on the floor. The dog was a small mess of white fur, and it growled at Ogumo, who hissed in return, but its master didn’t appear to take the displays seriously. She smiled at Sunwhisper.

“What have you brought us now?”

“A couple of geniuses,” Empiti said, “to round out the party.”

“What do you mean?” Janna asked.

“It is just a joke,” the girl with the dog said. She had long, tangled hair, brown striped with black, and a wild look. “He knows half of us won’t make it through admittance.”

The man with the swords grunted at her pronouncement, but didn’t bother to so much as glance at the newcomers.

“Half of everyone,” Empiti said, “but I have my father’s eye for talent. Mark my words, all five of us will see the other side of this trial.”

“Pardon my ignorance,” Sunwhisper said, “but what is the admittance process this year? Has it already been announced?”

In answer, Empiti pointed to a well built into the back of the barn. It was marble, like the academy’s main structure, and low to the ground. Dark and silent water filled it to the very brim, and Sunwhisper felt the magic in the pool even at a distance. His eyes had changed with the rest of him, becoming more sensitive to the presence of mana in the world, and he saw that the water glimmered with motes of every color, reminding him of the gate into the Hidden Valley.

“It’s a portal,” the girl said. “I think we’re going to have to catch a fish.”