Shin Sumi felt a breeze pick up and opened her eyes. She was sitting on a large boulder at the edge of a bamboo grove. The leaves rustled and the smell of bamboo reached her nose, with something else.
"I know you're there, show yourself," Shin Sumi said loudly.
"Eh, you got me, Sister Shin," a young man walked out of the grove behind her. He was seventeen years old and had long shiny dark hair. His skin was fair like a girl's and his face seemed carved out of porcelain.
Fei Unwan was beautiful, young and talented, but unfortunately for Shin Sumi he was also very clingy.
"You shouldn't stand upwind if you don't want people to catch your sent. What do you want?"
"A few others and I are going to Wenan Lead Tavern, I thought I would invite you to join me- to join us!"
"Thank you Brother Fei but pass. I am cultivating."
Fei Unwan's smile didn't weaken in the slightest after being rejected. Even more determined, he took half a step back and was about to turn when...
"You know, we are probably going to stop by Lead Library as well..."
Shin Sumi lifted her head, opening her eyes again. She sighed and looked at the young man, squinting to decipher if he was telling the truth or if it was just a ploy to get her to join him.
She sighed again.
"Fine, I'll come this one time," she said, jumping off the boulder.
Fei Unwan's smile widened, his pale eyes suddenly full of light. Almost too casually, he lifted his bent arm horizontally in her direction, his heartbeats accelerating.
"I am not going to hold your hand, but I can break your arm if you insist," Shin Sumi looked coldly up and down at him and the arm he was offering before starting walking.
It had been a week since Master Lead had taken ten new disciples under him and brought them to Lead Peak. They had been given a place to stay and rest at, a large training hall that had been empty for years. While some of them prefered to use the place to cultivate, Shin Sumi had found a nice spot behind the training hall, next to the bamboo grove.
While they were now residents of Lead Peak, they had not yet officially entered the rank of fully fledged disciples. One of Master Lead's helpers had told them he would prepare their entrance a week ago and since then had let them roam around as they wished "as long as you stay within Lead Peak's lower half and avoid the Common Area," he had said.
He had even given them a dozen spirit stones each to spend however they wanted, which apparently was drinks right this instant.
"Two Heavenly Ales please, Senior Wenan!" Fei Unwan's voice carried across the tavern, making the few onlookers turn their heads.
"Brother Fei, you're late" chuckled a young man, giving meaningful looks to the other people at his table, "did you two get lost or...?"
"YOU can get lost, Brother An, if you think for a second that he and I-"
"Brother An, we were simply at the library, which is unfortunately closed right now" Fei Unwan interrupted Shin Sumi, taking his seat next to the other new disciples of Lead Peak.
"If you say so... What is your deal with the library anyway, Sister Shin?"
Shin Sumi took a sip of her Heavenly Ale. It was a fermented beverage that felt cold to the touch yet that brought heat in her belly. It had been mixed with various spirit fruits and was truly the best drink around.
"I... simply like books. There is so much you can learn in them. Some things that have even been forgotten by most people can still be found on papers and parchments."
Unconvinced by Shin Sumi's answer, An Luo snorted and gulped down the rest of his fruity ale.
"I never really spent any time in the library back in the sect... you know, our old sect I mean..."
-Me neither.
-Same," the other disciples shook their heads negatively.
"This is probably why I've never seen you before," Shin Sumi smiled, "Tell me, what branch were you in, back in the sect?"
Ale and nostalgia being a wonderful duo, the group quickly started talking, laughing, having animated conversations. Looking at the people around her at the same table, Shin Sumi thought back to her first days in the Dark Sky Starry Sect.
"If only there had been Heavenly Ale around at the time, I probably would have made a lot more friends faster. Yue, Sui Lin, Mei Yunei,... Let's all get a drink together someday, okay?"
***
"Is that true, An Luo?! Did they really make the new disciples fight for a place in Aluminium Peak?"
The following morning, Shin Sumi and the others were cultivating in the training hall they called their home when An Luo had barged in with important information.
"I heard people talk about it near Lead Arena. And that in Copper Peak the disciples had to unleash their most powerful move in front of all the other disciples. The weakest ones were sent off to Cobalt Peak and the Common Area."
"It seems like every Peak has its own entrance examination."
"We've all been waiting for this moment for a week. Now it is finally starting in every part of the Blue Fire Sect. What do you think will be the Lead Peak's trials?"
The ten disciples thought about it for a while, in silence. Between their hopes and their expectations, they couldn't begin to guess at what the trial imposed by Master Lead would be.
"Aluminium Peak makes all-rounded fighters, doesn't it? And Copper Peak makes these black-eyed bastard geniuses whose legend says they can finish you off with a single move. I'm beginning to think that the Peak trials are simply a test for your abilities regarding the Master's speciality."
Everybody seemed to agree on that, however...
"Does anyone here actually know what Master Lead's specialty is?"
... they also agreed they had no idea what they had gotten into.
***
"It seems like all the other Peaks have finished their trials. From what I gathered, about fifty percent of us Sky Earth cultivators have been accepted by the different Masters."
One of the ten disciples Shin Sumi shared her current position with barged into the training hall.
"What about the rest, Duo Che?" asked a girl, hoping to hear good news.
"It... appears like the Blue Fire Sect Patriarch did not lie to us. All of the others are now in the Common Area, under Master Cobalt's jurisdiction. None of us were turned into slaves, everybody has a place here."
"Oh I'm relieved, Jun Pei will be happy to hear that. Her brother was taken by another Master," she replied, also happy to hear that all of her former comrades and fellow cultivators were safe. Despite the brutality they had endured during the war against their original sect and the fear they had had in their heart ever since, they were starting to think that the Blue Fire Sect wasn't as bad as they originally thought.
The reason behind the surprise war was still a mystery but in the cultivation world, war happened but what mattered was the aftermath. What the winning sect decided the fate of the losing sect would be.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Where is she? I need to tell Jun Pei the news!" Lei Jing looked around, smiling in anticipation.
Shin Sumi replied, "I saw her head out for a walk, she should be back soon."
"I will find her, I can't wait," Lei Jing stormed out of the training hall.
***
"Have you found her?" An Luo asked.
"Not yet," Duo Che replied, "I think we have a problem."
Sitting on a training mat on the ground, Shin Sumi immediately understood what he was talking about.
"Where are Lei Jing and Xiu Ying?"
Duo Che sighed, his face somber and his brows knitted. Crossing his arms, he let himself fall down to the ground into a sitting position, his robes under him.
"Xiu Ying and I got separated during our search for Jun Pei. We couldn't find Lei Jing either. And now all three of them are missing."
"Alright. From now on, nobody goes out alone. In fact, nobody should go out at all until we have a better idea of what is going on. Something outside is taking us out one by one" Shin Sumi and the others conferred.
The situation was definitely strange, and Shin Sumi's guts didn't even feel a sense of danger but something was happening.
***
Opening her eyes, Shin Sumi looked around in silence. In the training hall, the four of them were cultivating.
The wooden door to the hall was locked firmly in place and nobody else was missing. Without a sound, Shin Sumi stood and brushed her robes.
Looking at the leaf pattern on her wrist, Shin Sumi then checked again that everybody was deep in a meditative state before concentrating her Shinsoo from her dantian.
"Invisible Crane of Oblivion!"
A soft breeze picked up for a moment before dying down into nothing. In half an instant, Shin Sumi was gone. Carefully unlocking the door and exiting the building without alerting anyone, her stealth experience proved useful.
Walking in complete silence for a while, Shin Sumi didn't let down her guard. She knew she was exposing herself to whatever it was that had made her companions disappear.
Reaching the bamboo grove where she liked to cultivate, she stopped behind the large boulder and looked at the sky. The moon was out but Shin Sumi slowly shook her head.
"I can't cultivate the Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow tonight. It's not safe," she thought.
"Nuan, come out!"
The flash of green light was hidden by the Invisible Crane of Oblivion technique, also shielding the Lion Bat from prying eyes.
"I haven't given you anything to eat in the last few days, I am sorry. I have to be discreet for now so I can't take you out every night. I hope you understand little Nuan. I don't know if Spirit Beasts are allowed here, even the cute ones. For all I know they will send me to the Peak dealing with creatures. Maybe the Sky Earth Sect didn't even have a Spirit Beast branch, which would ruin my cover..."
Fetching inside the folds of her robes, Shin Sumi took out a few pieces of spirit fruit for the Lion Bat to enjoy.
"If you promise to be completely silent and not cause trouble, I'll let you play for five minutes, alright? After that we need to go back to the training hall or the others will think I have disappeared too. I swear once the situation is resolved I will find a way to let you live outside."
Nuan seemed completely unconcerned but her black eyes stayed fixated on Shin Sumi for a long time. The latter extended her hand, presenting the pieces of fruit, but Nuan simply licked her fingers affectionately, still looking at her.
Shin Sumi smiled.
Finally, after sharing the moment with her, Nuan grabbed a mouthful of berries and started eating. Shin Sumi simply sat on the ground in front of her, petting her as she ate.
In only a few seconds, Nuan had completely devoured the fruits, at which point she decided to stretch her wings a little bit and fly a few laps around her master. A poor cricket in the grass that was on her path didn't even have a chance to flee before her teeth grabbed it.
"Ahh..." Shin Sumi sighed, "I think it's time, Nuan. I don't know what is causing the recent disapparitions but I don't want to put us in more risk. Come!"
Nuan halted her flight and was gliding over to Shin Sumi when suddenly her little head turned sharply. The muscles on her wings tensed and she suddenly unleashed a short burst of power, her silhouette blurring and disappearing away from Shin Sumi.
"Summer Breeze Wind Step... What is-"
Shin Sumi barely had time to realize what Nuan had done when a strong presence appeared behind her. It was a strength the likes of which she had felt before but never directed towards her like that.
"Having trouble sleeping, disciple Shin?"
"Master Lead?" Shin Sumi recognized the voice. In one motion, she turned around and bowed, "Greetings, Master. This humble one is sorry, for a second I thought you were-"
"Disciple Shin, hear my voice and still your heart. By my Power you are bound, by the Night you are witnessed, by the Chains of Truth you cannot speak lies."
Master Lead's old voice escaped the lips of his young face like a whistle. Like the wind on a mountain pass it gushed towards Shin Sumi and entered her ears. The eyes of the Master were deep and almost glowing, serious and grave.
Shin Sumi's eardrums vibrated strongly with inaudible noise, like a deep hum. Her legs shook, and her head spun. Like a punch in the guts, she felt a strange power invade her, bouncing around within her body and permeating her soul.
Her mind suddenly flashed with thoughts of her fellow cultivators that had disappeared in recent days, but she was too troubled to register the thought. The power coming from Master Lead's voice was strange and mysterious but more than anything it was completely in control. Faced with it, Shin Sumi was in total submission.
"Tell me disciple Shin, what is it that powers your soul? What is at the core of your heart's desire? What is the reason you walk the path of cultivation?"
After the series of questions that only needed one answer, Shin Sumi shook again. Despite herself, she could feel her soul unravel at the sound of the voice.
Master Lead's magic didn't leave a way out, she was trapped and she knew she could only speak the truth. She only 'wanted' to speak the truth. She was only 'capable' of speaking the truth.
"I want to understand everything about cultivation and amass the universal knowledge of the Dao in books. I want to create the perfect library."
From the depth of her core the words formed and escaped her lips almost without her realizing. There was no stopping them. In fact it even felt like relief to say the words out loud, it felt... simply good.
The inaudible noise permeating her being suddenly stopped, like a crystal shattering. Master Lead's eyes blinked, the graveness in them fading away.
"He is loosening his grip on me. The technique is over" Shin Sumi realized.
There was only silence for a moment, allowing Shin Sumi to recover from what was essentially a mental attack. Master Lead turned slightly and looked at the night sky, his hands hidden in his sleeves.
He finally broke the silence right before Shin Sumi was about to speak and in a bowing position.
"What a fine night, isn't it? It is a good night to dream."
"Master Lead, if you allow me to-
-Everybody craves something from deep inside their heart. Sadly it's always only about power, revenge, strength,... physical desire too, sometimes. Rare are the ones who fall out of that pattern. You are a complicated one, aren't you? Or maybe the opposite, your dream is so terribly simple that this is where its beauty comes from."
"Master?"
"Do you happen to know what it is that we do in Lead Peak? What the core of my teachings are?"
"I do not, Master. Our inquiries only resulted in people refusing to answer."
"Good. I should be the one to tell people, for I am a Speaker. Through my words, Shinsoo is manifested in different forms. It can command stone and fire to aid me in a fight, but also sway the hearts of the people and reveal their deepest secrets, their most unsaid truths.
It is a strong power that, used properly, can rival the might of the sword and the strength of the shield. Do you wish to learn this sort of power?"
Having revealed her deepest intentions, Master Lead knew Shin Sumi didn't need to lie to answer his question. In fact she didn't even need to answer at all.
"You are now a disciple of Speaker Peak under me. Come and we'll find you a proper home."
Shin Sumi dropped to her knees and lowered her forehead to the point where it almost touched the ground in reverence, as it was proper to do when addressing a new master.
"Master, I probably should go by the training hall first, I-
-What for? Is there any possession of yours that is left there?-
-N-No but...
-Then let us leave."
The expression on Master Lead's face was serious, but Shin Sumi could swear she had seen his eyes twinkle and the shadow of a smile form on his lips. And so was solved the mystery of the disappearing new disciples.
***
"You would think that as a Master Speaker, the man would choose his words more sparingly... I haven't heard anybody talk this much before!"
"Glrgh!" Shin Sumi's robes were suddenly drenched in fresh spirit fruit juice, "Fei Unwan, not while I'm drinking!" she laughed.
"No but seriously, he can't stop talking, can he?"
Lei Jing wiped the corner of her mouth, "Maybe that is a way of training?"
Lei Jing, Fei Unwan, Jun Pei, Xio Ying and Shin Sumi were sitting together. After Shin Sumi was taken by Master Lead, a disciple of Lead Peak had shown her her private room in one of the Peak's residential buildings. He had given her an identification medallion and a scroll of information about the Peak. The other disciples soon came to find her and share a drink together.
Every one of them was smiling and laughing, but it was clear to Shin Sumi that behind their smiles, their eyes were telling something more.
What were the secrets Master Lead had read inside their hearts? What was their true motives for cultivation?