"I was expecting you in the Palace" Elder Chen was a bit surprised by the fact that Lang Zheng called him to come here. They had agreed to meet inside the sect grounds, which should be easily accessed by using the token he had provided.
"Excuse me for calling you here Wisdom Master. I just heard something unpleasant and wanted to confirm with you before leaving the younglings" Lang Zheng explained himself in his half-growl voice.
"Could you please explain what would elicit such a reaction from you?" Elder Chen heard the hidden anger and quickly asked.
"Preferential treatment for the younglings" This remark was spatted as if it was an extreme offense.
"What?! Elder Ku, you are the one responsible for the registration? Can you elaborate on this preferential treatment that I don't even know about?"The usual calm countenance of Elder Chen disappeared almost instantly after hearing Lang Zheng's remark.
"Palace Master! When I was informed of the fact that several young clansmen would be brought, I supposed that the sect intends to let them join as disciples directly" Shaken by the reaction of Elder Chen he quickly explained
"Did an order saying such was sent?"
"No... But" Elder Ku tried to speak but was instantly interrupted
"Stop right there. Register them as normal applicants. The knowledge test supervisor is informed of the language issues and should apply the test accordingly, the rest of the tests are to be passed normally" Then Elder Chen turned towards Lang Zheng and continued
"I am sorry for this. Hopefully, this offense will be forgiven, as it seems that a misunderstanding took place. Be sure that everything will be done correctly"
Hearing this Lang Zheng nodded and his expression returned to its usual cold calmness. Rising a fist towards the young clansmen in an indication for them to make the full effort, he accompanied Elder Chen past the gate.
"You heard the Palace Master" Was the only thing that Elder Ku said before retreating towards the tower he had left before.
The young clansmen did not hear or simply did not realize what was happening. Wu Guang actually understood the situation instantly and seeing the cold expression that covered Lang Juan's face, she had also understood.
The words said by the elder before about Wu Guang taking the full tests were actually easy to miss, but if someone thought about them for a moment it would lead to the conclusion that the clansmen would have either fewer tests or not take them fully.
Preferential treatment or any handicap in absolutely any matter was considered a mortal offense towards any Clansmen, basically meaning that the opposing party considered them to be weaker or less capable. So the anger of Lang Zheng would be understood instantly by anyone who knew the Clan's customs.
Elder Di approached the group and after a quick introduction, he motioned for them to follow.
While they walked toward the meridian and pathway testing platform located several dozens of feet behind the tables for registering he quickly explained the procedure
"Every one of you will have to write your name on a sheet and then stand for an incense stick of time on one of the platform spots. After it's confirmed that you have no damage or hidden problems you will be registered. Age is also checked by the same platform so there is no way for anyone past 16 to enter.
Cultivation levels that you have already reached will also appear on the results, but these are visible only to the elder or disciple registering you"
Wu Guang quickly translated this to the Clansmen, while Lang Juan also added that they should write their names in common.
The testing was easy and after sensing the qi from the rune plate sweeping his body several times Wu Guang was told that he passed and Elder Di passed him a small wooden plaque with the number 871 on it.
Before he could ask the Elder explained and asked him to translate the same for the clansmen
"After passing you will get a personal plaque with a number between 1 and 1000. The numbers are randomized and will act as personal identification during the test. When you pass any test a number with the score will appear on the back of your plaque and then add towards the total. This score is secret and you are forbidden from sharing it. The number will also correspond to the group in which you are for the test, normally it will be announced as numbers 351 to 370 enter. As you can guess, we will accept only 1000 applications, but only the hundred highest scores will pass"
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
What Wu Guang translated was a bit different because of the differences in language and also for easing the convoluted manner of the elder
"Everyone gets a random number. The number will be used to call for you and also affect the order in which you take some of the tests. You will know your results by seeing them on the plaque. But until the totals are revealed nobody else will know. You can't tell others about your score. Passing means being in the top 100 of the 1000 applicants"
Seeing that Wu Guang finished translating, the elder continued with another explanation
"When the application process finishes, everyone will be called to enter the sect grounds. To the north of the gate, you will find the camping grounds. On the opposite side are the bazaar grounds. Today there will be only food there, but starting from tomorrow different resources and common manuals will be sold"
After thanking the elder Wu Guang quickly translated the information and then the group went towards an empty space near the gates to wait until they were allowed to enter.
***
Wu Guang separated himself from Lang Juan and the rest of the group right after passing through the Sect's gate. Understanding that later everyone would be lining for food he decided to act first and ignoring everyone else who moved towards the camping area went in the opposite direction. As Elder Di had said before, the bazaar area which was a simple half a mile square was almost empty. Only a dozen or so stalls were crewed by people and after a brief glance, Wu Guang chose the one with a sign announcing the best noodles in the region.
The stall was not managed by a disciple but by one of the sect servants. After a quick pair of questions, Wu Guang was told that most of the food stalls were the same, and the ones managing and working in them were staff from the kitchen. He was also told that this was an extremely sought-off opportunity by the servants as the Sect would let them keep all their gains.
Applicants started arriving at the area only after they finished a pair of bowls. Seeing this, he decided that it was now time to find himself a sleeping area. The Sect had set up a hundred ten-man tents, divided by gender so there was enough area for everyone, but Wu Guang had decided right away that he would stay outside. One could not say that he was trying to evade meeting or living with the applicants, in reality, his motives were the routine he wanted to follow.
After grabbing something resembling a sleeping bag and a rune torch-like construction that could be used in place of a campfire he quickly went towards the outskirts of the camping area. The place he chose was covered in grass and if not for the incline that all the grounds had would be easily taken for a part of the wildlands plains. Setting up the rune campfire and activating it with a simple touch Wu Guang took out his portable calligraphy set and a pair of rough wood sheets. Normally the parchment or paper used would be of good or superior quality, but considering his need for practice the wood sheets were the best option as they could be washed to be reused.
He practiced for an hour during which no person came close as everyone had left towards the bazaar area. When they returned he had already practiced several characters and a pair of simple runes so after washing the sheets from his flask, he turned the light towards the minimum enough to be visible if someone approached, and after quickly ordering everything went to sleep. As the toilets and fountains for washing were located near one of the towers surrounding the gate Wu Guang decided to skip his visit there today. He thought that there would be too many people, so the best option would be to go before the sun rises.