"Fail!"
"Fail!"
"Fail!"
Three years and three failed attempts in getting into the Azure Sky Sect meant Warren no longer had a chance of becoming an outer court disciple. Warren Long was 13 this year, and although he was discouraged, he knew it was a long-shot. An average boy like him with no talent and no backing could only dream of becoming a disciple of a cultivation sect.
Once a year, starting at the age of 10, all citizens of the Azure Sky City and surrounding cities and towns had the chance to participate in the entrance exam to the Azure Sky Sect. However, out of the sixty to seventy thousand children part-taking in the exam each year, only one to two thousand would be accepted.
The first two tests of endurance and strength were grueling for any child Warren's age. However, with Warren's abnormally high willpower, although difficult, it was doable. It was the third test, chi force, that always disqualified him. For a 13-year-old, he needed ten units of chi force to pass; unfortunately for him, he only had seven. Almost the same thing happened the year prior, he was only missing two units for his age group. the year before that he was only missing one. After the age of 13, the Azure Sky Sect no longer accepted disciples, as the kids became too old to mold a proper foundation.
----
Walking down the mountain, Warren spotted the Azure Sky City in the distance. As the city draws closer, he is reminded of the harsh time his family of four has fallen onto.
His father used to own a 65% stake in a woodworking shop that his grandfather passed down to him. The other 35% was owned by his granduncle, his grandfather's half-brother. Although his family didn't live in luxury, they were well-fed and lived in the bustling worker's district of the city.
This all changed a year and a half ago. his father came down with a sudden crippling illness that left him bed-ridden for most of the day. In a year, his family had blown through their savings trying to find a doctor that could cure his father's illness. In one final desperate attempt, they sold their ownership in the woodworking shop to his granduncle at a measly 40% of market value. His granduncle cited familial ties, lack of liquidity and how his grandfather wanted the shop to stay within the family to justify the substantial discount.
With the money, they sought out the best mortal doctor in the city. But alas, even the city's best mortal doctor couldn't cure his father.
With no money leftover after the treatments, they sold the deed to their modest courtyard and what non-essentials they could bear to part with and moved to the slums of the city.
Within days of getting to the slums, they were spotted by the local gang, Black Fur. It didn’t take long for the members of Black Fur to notice that the family of four had some money on them.
During the Long family’s 5th night in their home in the slums, their door was kicked down by three Black Fur members. There was nothing much his father could do to stop them from taking what little money they had leftover. Fortunately, the Black Fur members, were only there for money and did not seriously injure anyone.
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In the past half year, his younger sister, Jude and younger brother, Seth and him did what they could to keep themselves and their father fed. They usually resorted to picking through trash and begging for spare copper. Although not a glorious life, Warren was glad he could see his siblings and father every day.
---
As Warren was lost in thought on how he could help his family, he didn't notice his surroundings had gotten quiet. The sounds of the whining children had all but disappeared, the sky had changed from a light blue to a gray color, and the ground once rich with lush vegetation had become barren. Although the city and slums were still there, they were covered in a layer of fog.
It wasn't until Warren had tripped over a small rock did he notice the ominous change in his environment. If it were any of the other exam takers, they would have already started panicking and recklessly running around. Warren, however, did not. He calmly surveyed his surroundings and felt a strange jittery in his heart.
Looking down at the pendant his mother had given him the day she disappeared, he saw a faint green light extending into the unknown landscape like a compass pointing him to his fate. Without a second's hesitation, he began running in the direction of the green light.
---
After 30 minutes of non-stop running, Warren started feeling his legs going numb from his overexertion.
"Damn. Where does this end?" He mutters to himself.
He gradually started to slow down as he depleted his energy reserves.
Missing a step, Warren’s legs gave out from underneath him and he fell down onto the grass with a plot, panting heavily on the ground.
Looking around he notices his surroundings had not changed at all. Up ahead, he saw the outline of Azure Sky City in the distance. He has the distinct feeling of not being any closer or further to the city as when he first started.
Confused and tired, Warren decided to take a few minutes to rest before following the strange green light again.
Warren closed his eyes and started meditating. He was taught how to meditate during his first attempt at passing the Azure Sky exam three years ago. The examiner had said that clearing one’s mind and drawing in the chi of heaven and earth is fundamentally how cultivators raise their chi force and thereby becoming stronger.
Warren enjoyed meditating. He would always feel relaxed after an hour of meditation. However, given his current family situation, he didn't have time to meditate. Most of the progress he had made in increasing his chi force was the year and a half before his father became ill.
As Warren cleared his mind, he let the energy of heaven and earth flow into him through the tiny pores on his skin. While meditating, he always feel like he was being embraced by a warm formless cloud.
After a few seconds, he was shocked when he noticed the same strange green light extending ever forward. The next moment he snapped his eyes open, not believing what he saw.
"It must be my imagination, there was no way the strange light would be in my mind as well," He thought to himself.
Warren once again closed his eyes. This time, as soon as he closed them, he could see the green light. He examined it with great curiosity. As his mind follow the green light forward, he felt a strong connection up ahead.
Not long after, he came to a stop in front of a light green orb. Not knowing what to do, he reached out with his mind to try to touch it
At that instance, he felt countless needles stabbing into the deepest part of his mind. He gasped for air, but none would come to him. He tried yelling out, but he found his mouth missing. He wanted to flail around with his arms but he felt that missing too. It felt like his body was connected and disconnected from the world at the same time.
Just as he thought he would never see his father or his siblings ever again, he saw three translucent boxes appeared in front of him. With the appearance of the translucent boxes, his pain dulled and he passed out.
---
[Congratulations! The skill "Equipment Enhancement" has been successfully integrated with your soul.]
[Congratulations! The skill "Basic Analyze" has been successfully integrated with your soul]
[Due to the low level of your soul and understanding of the natural laws, you can only enhance Lesser Common to Lesser Uncommon grade equipment]
End of Chapter 1