"Name — Xin.

Family — orphan.

Hometown — Tealstone.

Occupation — hunter/warrior.

Special skills — tracking, calligraphy, alchemy, medicine, literature and history knowledge, hunting and foraging, trade.

Combat skills — hand to hand combat, fencing, polearms, crossbows, slingshots, archery.

Cultivation — mortal, qi active, dual qi nature, wood and metal. Good qi control, knowledge of several advanced techniques."

After he handed the paper to the instructor, the man displayed a playful grin.

"Oh, we have a prodigy here. Fine, but you'll have to prove all of this."

Lei also filled his sheet. He was confident that he'll become an inner disciple no matter what he did in the tryouts. He was too good to be an outer disciple, but had no rank and thus wouldn't become an external master. It's pointless to reveal much about oneself, then.

"Name — Wu Lei.

Family — orphan.

Hometown — Clay Nest.

Occupation — bodyguard.

Special skills — negotiation, trading.

Combat skills — whatever works.

Cultivation — mortal, fire and metal nature, can spit lava. Night vision, qi augmented martial arts"

He handed his paper to the instructor.

"Whatever works, huh? Think it makes you look badass?" This instructor was an inner disciple himself, judging by the robe.

"Fucking try me." Lie smirked deviously. I won't be mocked on my first day here.

"I'll pass, idiot. I'll mention your lack of manners to the supervisors." The disciple took his paper and left.

"Enough shitstirring for today, Lei. Stop looking for trouble." Despite scolding Lei, Xin wasn't too irritated by his behaviour. He suspected that the sect would let such incidents slide, as they are looking for strong fighters, and are even willing to recruit demons.

"Sure. Let's fuck them all up, man! We need to establish ourselves as fast as possible, the reputation gained today can take years to build up normally!" Lei's eyes gleamed with martial spirit, while Xin was more composed, a step away from the flow state.

"Right."

In just twenty minutes, there were already sparring circles organised, each with an instructor overseeing it. These senior instructors were all at least rank two masters, Condensation stage, experienced and powerful.

"Wu Lei, Xin of Tealstone, circle seven!"

"It's us, let's go!" The people who were verified and admitted were now funnelled towards the sparring circles.

Their circle was overseen by a bulky man, with a big gut and puffy lips, dressed into thick robes. There were around thirty other contendants here. Xin wondered how strong they were, looking for clues in their looks and behaviour. And they scanned him back, of course.

"The rules are simple here! I tell you to go in and tell you what to do. You go in and do what I tell you! Did I make myself clear?" The puffy lipped man shouted in a roaring voice.

"Yeah!"

"Yes!"

"Yep."

"You are supposed to answer 'YES, MASTER"!" The bulky man had already started drilling them.

"YES, MASTER!" Everyone shouted out, even Xin and Lei.

"Now, step back and wait for your turn. I'll come back in a few minutes."

Xin looked around. That physical cultivator girl was also here! She was tall and wore a high ponytail, giving her a stoic and dignified look. She wasn't very big at first glance, but her legs were pretty toned, and so were her shoulder muscles. Xin still didn't find her too attractive, though. Her eyes were set too close together, and her ears stuck out a bit.

"I need to fuck this." Lei pointed his finger at her and whispered into his ear.

"Will you shut up today?" Xin didn't expect Lei to be such a horny menace. "Also, she isn't hot, what are you talking about?"

"You've got no taste, with how toned her muscles are, imagine what she can do in bed!"

"I'd rather not." Xin didn't manage to take a good look at other people in the group, distracted by their chatter.

Moments later, a young man appeared, dressed in fancy robes, took this girl's hand and kissed her on the lips.

"I won my thing, dear! Only took like three minutes! I am an external master now!"

"Seriously, darling? That's so great. We are still waiting for our instructor..."

"Can't believe they put you in with the simple folk. You are clearly above them!"

Xin drilled Lei with his gaze. Don't. Surprisingly ,Lei resisted the urge, but also emanated a strong martial intent.

The robed man turned to the crowd and said:

"Please forgive me, I never meant to sound demeaning. It's just that Yao Nang is exceptional. I am a Foundation stage cultivator myself, and she can rival me in strength! And she's a true beauty, too. I hope you won't take my words to heart, I was too carried away. Honey, please go easy on them." He bowed lightly, then prepared to leave.

"Don't celebrate before you make it. She hadn't won just yet." Xin suddenly interjected.

Lei looked upset. Weren't you the one that told me to shut up?

But the girl smiled:

"The young master is right; victory is not to be taken for granted! You never know, maybe some of the people here can surprise us, honey. Forgive us for showing off like that, please." The young woman put her fist into her palm and bowed.

"Yeah, right. Let's calm down. We need to make friends, not enemies." The young master added.

"What is this dung I am hearing?" The bulky man came back and called out, disgusted. "We are here to make friends, huh? Who started this degeneracy?" His face went red. "You are here to be evaluated! And you'll do it by kicking each other's asses! You'll make friends once you break through, for now it's all about competing and pushing each other! None of that friendly stuff in my circle!" He snorted at the young pair.

They stared at him in confusion, ashamed at being scolded.

"You, girl, get in. You two, fuck her up." He pointed towards two young men in the crowd, who also looked like trained fighters. They were a bit hesitant. "Did I not make myself clear? The formation here will prevent maiming and deadly injuries, go for a kill!"

The two men stepped into the circle, and the girl jumped inside, too. The men rushed her, but she accepted their blows head-on, without getting a visible bruise, unleashed a loud battle cry, and punched them both out, right through their blocks. The outer disciples carried them away into a first aid circle, where they would be given help.

"Fine, I get it. Girl, step out. Wait for your turn. You, cripple, get in. And you, island monkey." He pointed at Lei and an islander foreigner. Lei stepped into the circle, his face filled with resentment at being insulted.

There was a short, muscular man in front of him, giving off the vibe of an experienced fighter. He put his fist into his palm and respectfully bowed to Lei.

Should I? Yes!

Lei infused his leg with fire qi and kicked the foreigner in the chin, right through his arm lock! Boom! Knockout.

People in the circle revolted. How could he? The robed master called out: "Is this allowed?!"

The bulky master responded:

"It's not your circle, youngster. Be quiet or scram! I told you to fuck each other up, and you just bow and talk! What kind of a tryout is this? Good job, cripple, but it's not enough!You, big guy, get in!" He pointed at a tall grunt standing in the first row, eagerly waiting for his opportunity.

Lei beat him too, but instead of using qi, he just annoyed him with low kicks and avoided being grappled, until the opponent got irritated, lost his composure and exposed his chin, getting himself knocked out with another explosive kick. Lei didn't want to reveal the full extent of his qi control abilities just yet. So far, things were going great.

"What's next, beefcake? Bring it on!" Lei taunted his master, clearly drunk on martial spirit.

"Step out and cool down, fuckboy. I'll let it slide."

"Sure." Lei jumped outside, staring into the eyes of his other potential opponents. Most looked away.

The tryouts kept going, but the instructor wouldn't call Xin in.

"I want to fight, master! Why aren't you calling me in?! I raised my hand five times at this point!" Xin was getting frustrated, Lei wasn't just his friend, after all, but also his rival! He wanted to outcompete him!

"Because you look like fodder! Alright, you two, fuck him up!" He pointed at a tall man, who had already won one fight, and another regular-looking guy, who acted pretty timidly so far. Two against one? He decided to use his qi without hesitation, being outnumbered is a serious disadvantage.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Xin entered the ring. The two men looked at each other, nodded, and rushed him.

Resonance Palms! Xin rubbed the edges of his hands and rushed the shorter guy, trying to get between him and the taller opponent. He prepared to punch, but the opponent opened with a flying kick. Is he emboldened by having a partner? Is he anxious about my longer reach, and wants to overwhelm me, allowing his partner to flank me?

Stab. The man was no yaoguai, and Xin's finger penetrated his abdomen. A yellow explosion!

Xin and his opponent were both pushed away, and the short man was knocked to the ground, protected by glowing golden qi threads. The tall man was taken by surprise and jumped back.

"The golden light isn't his technique, it's a formation, you dummy! He just knocked him out, attack or you are out, you lanky cunt!" The instructor was relentless as he cursed at Xin's opponent.

Xin became bloodlusted. He smiled at the tall fighter, inviting him to attack. As much as he was pumped up, there was no need to rush now, and Xin could enforce his zone of comfort — counter-attacks.

The tall man regained his composure, raised his arms and prepared to attack Xin again. Still, he couldn't understand the logic behind Resonance Palms. One palm stab and you are out? That's like bringing a knife to a fist fight. Unfair! How do you even counter this?

The man tried probing him with kicks as he retreated, but Xin was much better at fighting this sort of opponent now, given his experience training with Lei. An exchange later, Xin exploded with a barrage of swift stabs, forcing the opponent into the edge of the circle. Xin grabbed his robe and pulled him by the collar.

"Yield or I cut your throat."

"F-Fine, I yield."

"Impressive, that's the best recruit so far in your group of trash! But I don't like that he was holding back! Who wants to fight him?" Xin expected Lei to challenge him again and was excited at the opportunity.

"I want, master!" The physical cultivator girl called out.

"No, please fight me instead, fairy!" Lei suddenly called out.

"Fairy? Back off, I want to fight this stabby hands guy, not you, sorry!" She pointed at her right hand, as if to say "I have mine".

The instructor enjoyed their bickering. He then clapped and called their attention to himself.

"I have an idea. You, earth guy, come into the circle." He pointed at the girl's man, the Foundation stage robed master.

"But I outrank them! And my trial is over, what is there to test?"

"You are a master now, you have to help me evaluate these two! I am still your senior, do as I say! And bring your girlfriend in, too. Armless guy, poking guy, it's you against these love doves. Discuss your strategy for a bit, then we'll begin. And remember, there are two types of loyalty."

The crowd lit up, and many people from the other circles got interested. Lei even noticed the old man, Feng Chonglin, with his face even more pale, and his robes covered in blood, approach. The man gave him a thumbs up, his face blank and eyes sunk. Creepy.

The gossiping was at its peak.

"The mortals will fight the cultivators. What is this instructor thinking?"

"Two types of loyalty? What did he mean?"

"Poor guys, they are lucky to be in the safety of the formation!"

"You know what? I think they have a chance, they look badass!"

Lei and Xin stood in their half of the circle. Lei offered his plan:

"You hold the guy with your defensive style and endurance, I try to beat the girl. Then we overwhelm the guy. Remember my trap card."

"Fuck me, it's the only option that we have." Xin exhaled. He tried to use his heightened senses to listen in on the pair's strategy, but they didn't even say anything to each other! Are they so confident, or is their cohesion that good? It doesn't matter, I'll win!

Moments later, the battle began. Xin invited his opponent to attack, taking a defensive stance, as always, but his opponent did the same thing. A moment later, he could hear the cracking of the young master's bones, and his fists changed shape, as if they were made of stone.

Curses! He reinforced himself with an earth element technique. An analogue of my Resonance Palms, but at Foundation stage power! His stance looks very firm. This technique probably grants him stability and strength, as is often the case with earth path. His qi reserves are also much better, how do I even beat this? The opponents slowly circled around each other, scanning for an opening.

"AGH!" Meanwhile, Lei furiously roared and delivered a powerful kick. The girl skillfully blocked, but Lei noticed that her reflexes were a bit subpar. She is technical, rather than instinctive, even if her looks would suggest otherwise.

Didn't damage her at all. She's durable.

A side kick!

Lei barely dodged this attack, which would probably send him flying, made a half-spin, and delivered his own counter-attack, a flying back-kick! His heel connected with the girl's chin, but it wasn't infused with qi, and the momentum was a bit lackluster. The crowd was excited as he masterfully outplayed her, but Lei himself was grim.

No damage again.

The girl closed the distance with explosive pace and punched him several times. Lei avoided several attacks, delivered a counterpunch with his wooden arm, which she dodged, and tried to deliver a knee kick on top of it, but the girl pushed him away.

He followed the momentum, fell on the ground, but rolled back and quickly sprang up.

"I am in love, girl. Seriously." Maybe if he taunted her, she'd make a mistake? A basic street fight tactic, but served Lei surprisingly well in his career.

"Another creep, how many of you have I crushed! Take this!" She roared.

She then rapidly closed the distance and delivered a roundhouse kick, strong enough to break Lei's ribs!

Roundhouse kicks are nasty. You can barely dodge them, they are painful to block, and if the opponent is stronger than you, they are a surefire way to wear you down.

Shit!

Lei blocked with his wooden arm, and he could feel a bunch of grassroots in his shoulder tear as he was sent back. Painful.

Xin was annoyed. The opponent seldom attacked him, preferring to block, and was probably refusing to unleash his full strength. A decisive counter-attack is coming, he's toying with me!

Xin circled around him with no concern for endurance, baiting the earth master into an exchange of stamina, which he would probably win, despite exerting himself much more. Luckily, he was allowed to wear his bracer, as long as he didn't punch with it.

But can Lei last long enough for this strategy to have any effect?

"I like your fighting style. Sadly, you are outranked." The robed master smiled as he blocked a Resonance Palm stab.

"Don't pity me, fight as if you are fighting for your life!" Xin was insulted. This guy was restraining himself, trying to give his girlfriend more prestige by letting her defeat Lei on her own!

"Are you sure?"

"Fuck yes!" Xin baited him into a jab, then he pulled his arm and kicked his opponent in the groin.

No effect. It was like hitting a bag filled with macadam.

"You've got no honour. Seems I'll have to crush you." The man suddenly half-sprinted towards Xin, no longer willing to play with his food. The crowd gasped.

"Lei!" Xin called his friend out, but he was in a heated exchange himself, bruised pretty badly.

"Busy!"

Xin retreated and decided to run away, but there wasn't too much space in this circle for four fighters.

At least his opponent had no movement methods.

Xin's retreat was timed well, and he managed to turn it into a flanking attack against the girl.

She anticipated it and delivered a roundhouse kick to zone both him and Lei away. Lei seized the opportunity, rapidly closed the distance, and threw a similar kick of his own, infused with fire qi strength.

"UGH!" She was forced to block it, and had to turn both of her arms to absorb the blow. It still hurt, and Lei could tell that this attack hurt her.

Completely zoned, Xin couldn't reach her with his palm stab, and to make things even worse, she pushed him back into her boyfriend!

This is a turning point of the fight, a quick thought flashed in Xin's mind. In a stalemate, they'll wear us down. I need to take a risk. With his exceptional peripheral vision, he noticed an opportunity present itself, and seized it!

The girl's half-spin made her ponytail fly within Xin's reach, arriving some moments after her kick!

Just as Lei once used Cha Dai's momentum to bring him down from the chair, Xin pulled her ponytail and threw her off balance, her chin raised towards the ceiling! She didn't expect this!

Nice one, brother! Lei closed up and delivered an inverted strike with the edge of his left palm, from right to left, crashing painfully into her throat! He even infused his momentum with fire qi!

Did he just copycat my Resonance palms? Will this drop her? No time to think!

Xin's momentum was gone because he got zoned by Yao Nang's kick, and thus he had no way to dodge the man's charge. Let's block.

Boom!

His opponent landed a powerful qi infused hook, breaking through Xin's bracer and Iron Lung techniques, and fracturing his wrist. Xin decided to go with the flow and used this attack to roll back and reposition himself.

He heard a loud swirl behind his back. Is Lei doing this now?

Lava spit! He spat at the stunned girl, who was gasping for air while holding a high block.

Moments later, Yao Nang let out a soul-piercing scream, her face covered in a fiery liquid, melting her skin.

Lei could tell that she'll be able to endure it longer than an average person, but he still had to stop her from removing the source of burning. Thus, he unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches, forcing her to defend and occupying her attention.

"No!" The young master ignored Xin, who regained his composure and delivered some useless kicks in an attempt to stop him, pushed him aside and rushed to help his lover.

Xin had a moment to analyse this situation, and his gaze fell on the bulky instructor who just praised him.

I don't want to let him down, I need to secure my place as the number one of this crop!

Lei evaded the earth master's attack and was pushed out of the circle.

"One!" The instructor counted. Three and it's over.

Xin looked at the girl. She won't be a threat for quite some time, as she was now lying on the ground, groaning and trying to wipe the liquid from her cheek and nose. What a nasty technique.

Need to backstab the robed master, Xin thought. But how? The guy anticipates it, and is very durable. And I can't outgrapple him with a broken wrist!

No, he is not the weak link! Xin knew what to do.

Lei tried to get back into the ring. Out of qi, badly beaten, and facing a higher ranked opponent.

Maybe I can poke his eye out?

"Two!" The instructor counted again.

Lei attempted to jump inside, but the opponent tried to keep him out of the circle. He leaped like a tiger, barely evading the opponent's blow, and was caught in a barrage of powerful follow-up punches. He evaded several, but the one he had to block with his right arm left even more grassroots torn.

My meridians are damaged due to injury and I am out of qi! I'll soon faint!

Lei had no choice but to push, his wooden arm barely moving, but it was hopeless. He almost got punched in the ribs, but he blocked it with his left elbow, and was knocked to the ground. Now, he could no longer move either of his arms properly!

Need to give up. Will he even accept my surrender after what I did? The instructors will intervene, right?

"Stop." Xin called the young master from behind.

The master gave him just a half-glance at first, but then jumped away from Lei and faced Xin, his arms raised into a battle stance.

The reason? Xin was holding the girl by her hair, his foot on her shoulder blades. His right arm had small, ugly green vines growing out of them. A bunch of them dangled from his fingers, a result of a failed technique activation, but several others were wrapped around his wrist. He used a wood path technique to splinter his wrist!

"What? What are you doing? She is out!"

The instructor intervened: "What made you think that? Go on, wonderkid." He gave Xin a thumbs up.

"What do you mean? She needs medical treatment. Remove both beaten fighters and let us finish one against one!"

Lei stood up, bleeding, barely finding strength to raise his left fist to his chin, struggling to breathe:

"Beaten? Your mom has beaten my meat. Fuck off."

Xin smiled with a psychotic grin once again, trying to look intimidating:

"Easy, young master. You move and I cut her hair. You stall the fight and her burn scar might become permanent. You give up and I let her go."

The crowd gasped. Are these two also demons?

"Wooooooo! Let's go! Yeah!" Some actual demonic cultivator cheered Xin on.

The girl raised her head, and suddenly exclaimed:

"Honey! Ignore me! Beat them up! Never give up! AGH" Xin stepped on her neck and raised his Resonance Palm, preparing to cut her hair.

"Please, don't make me stomp her, save us both face, I am a gentleman, after all. Give up." Being in control of two stronger opponents. Feels great!

"Fine, have it your way, I give up." The robed master raised his arms and walked out of the circle.

"No hard feelings, right? I was just executing the instructor's orders." Shameless! Xin tried to distance himself from his own actions, hiding behind the instructor's skirt so brazenly!

Lei chuckled. He approached Xin and whispered:

"Already found a powerful girlfriend, huh? Why is she a fat dude?" He certainly envied Xin,

who was just called a wonderkid. Xin just smiled in response.

"No hard feelings? It's over for you. Your days are numbered!" The robed master actually looked menacing, all the pretenses of friendliness were now gone.

"Numbered? If you could count to two, you wouldn't forget the second fighter still in the circle, you dense fuck." Lei taunted him back.

"Sure, sure. I am your master now, let's see how you'll enjoy the sect now! You, disciple!" He pointed at some inner disciple "Help the injured fighter! Need to apply ointments against her burns!"

"Yes... master. Let's carry her into the healing ring."

"Sigh... Back off, I can walk by myself." Yao Nang gasped for air, spat some blood out and covered her face with her hand, then left in shame. Her boyfriend quickly followed. Some of the people in the crowd cheered Xin and Lei on. Some were outright disgusted, but many awaited a voice of authority to tell them what to think about this situation. The bulky instructor made a step inside the ring.

"Why are you all staring? The tryouts aren't over. You two, good job. Get medical treatment and rest. I want to have a few more fights, then we'll give you all the verdict."

The injured duo smiled, covered in blood, sweat, and dust. They put their healthier arms over each other's shoulders, supporting their injured walk, and limped towards the healing circle.