After a few days, Wu Qiong had already mastered the language, although this wasn't merely aptitude but constant hard work.
It is said that talent only makes one merely a shooting star, bound to crash down after a momentary time in the highlight.
He had noticed that there was slight differences in the language from the dialects spoken,after reading a bit in the confines of his room. He sighed inwardly, rolled his right sleeve with his left hand, and finished the calligraphy he was working on, adding the last touch of ink.
He dragged the sliding door gently, walking into the courtyard. It was late at night.
"The sky is pretty. The moon radiates a blue luster. What's this familiarity I feel, the feeling of nostalgia?"
He walked past the courtyard, and beside the lake he saw a little lady sitting elegantly on a rock.
Occasionally, she would throw a few stones into the water, but her arm was quite slender and could not exert enough propulsion to throw them far.
It was quite cute. Wu Qiong smiled and walked slowly toward her, his hands behind his back.
The luster of the moon projected onto his white clothing—it was truly a sight. He had the features of a prestigious person.
He stood right behind her and slowly whispered beside her ear:
"Xing'er!"
"Ahhh!"
She suddenly jolted, instinctively falling backward. Before she was about to hit the water, Wu Qiong reached out for her arm, pulling her into a safe distance.
She fell into his embrace, and for an awkward moment she was too shocked to react, then rapidly pushed him away.
"It's you! What are you doing here?"
Wu Qiong playfully repeated her line:
"But it is I who must ask you this question—what are you doing here?"
She seemed to want to respond in a high-pitched voice, but it sounded rather melancholic:
"In truth, I've been having these strange dreams at night, of a place like this.
A night where the moon shone brightly, and I was speaking to this boy whose name I can't properly recall. I have been rather restless and cannot properly sleep."
Wu Qiong stopped for a moment. A few memories showed up in his mind with mixed emotions.
"Xing'er, it can't be her. It seems someone is messing with me."
He instinctively stared at the sky, mumbling, "Was this your parting gift to me before leaving?"
Often, the most logical explanation sufficed: this could not be her. Because the Xing'er he knew was from Earth.
After pondering for a while, he came back to his senses. Xing'er's drowsiness reached an all-time high as she collapsed on the spot. Wu Qiong reacted in time and gently placed her down.
She was restless. Wu Qiong knelt down and gently tucked her hair around her ear.
"Although you are not Xing'er, you truly resemble her. The dreams you have are not yours," he softly said.
The moment he heard her name for the first time, Wu Qiong knew that the chance was simply too improbable. Although her name was pronounced differently, it was still the same name.
"She only has some vague recollections of that dream, and cannot remember any specific details, including... my name. The consciousness was truly unique, there was a time in which..."
Wu Qiong was thinking inwardly but suddenly put those thoughts aside. He realized that was the limit of his own recollections; he could not remember what happened to Xing'er. In fact, a lot of his memories had been buried deep into his subconscious.
From behind him he heard a sudden shout.
"You! What do you think you are doing?"
A voice shouted behind Wu Qiong. It appeared to be a group of people standing around a specific person.
"Young master! The woman…"
The person they were standing around suddenly revealed himself. The moment his gaze landed on the woman, he showed a momentary shock, which soon turned to worry. He had youthful features and wore a light blue attire. There was a fan in his left hand. Suddenly, he shouted her name:
"Xing'er!!"
As he reached a ten-meter radius of Wu Qiong, he waved his hand, causing Wu Qiong to fly away by an unknown force.
Wu Qiong thought to himself, "A cultivator! Tian Xue told me about them. Has he already started awakening?"
The impact he felt hitting him was wind, but condensed. It carried intent, amplifying the force.
The young master hurriedly checked her pulse, ensuring she was fine. He carried her in his arms, walking away as he made a cold demand:
"Kill him on the spot!"
"Young master, we will spill his blood onto the pavement!"
Wu Qiong was quite weak and did not have much combat experience. It was safe to say he would have died if he tried to retaliate. Tian Xue wasn't here. Just as they reached for their blades, he responded:
"I am your fellow clansman. Would you dare kill me? Why would I do something to Xing'er? In fact, we are acquainted with each other. Your young master is acting on his emotions; he could get away with this, but you two? You would be executed for wrongfully incriminating me."
"Do you think you can trick us with your words? Our designated position is to be the protectors of the young master. We would also die if we did not heed his words, so what use is your threat when you are in no position to make it?"
The shorter one nodded along with what appeared to be his brother.
"No one's here to save you, so we can have a bit of fun with you! It's been a while since I've used my blade; it's gotten dull."
Wu Qiong saw that his words wouldn't help. They simply wanted to kill him—both out of obligation and personal satisfaction.
"People like this are difficult to deal with," he thought.
"Although I am not proficient at fighting, I am someone who does not care about rules."
He suddenly picked up something from the ground and threw it straight at the short one. It was a stone!
"He actually is so shameless."
The short one held the top of his head as he bled. The stone was the size of a little kid's palm, difficult to see. Thereafter, he ran away.
"Y-you!! You are courting death."
Wu Qiong laughed as he ran away, occasionally checking behind him to see if they were following. It was as if he had not almost been in a dangerous predicament. After running for a while, he entered the courtyard where the youths had gathered. He blended in with them and stood upright, matching their stature.
"Where did he go? This fool, I'll kill him for this."
As they were speaking, they stood just at the entrance when what appeared to be a large shadow appeared in front of them.
He placed both of his arms around their shoulders, lowering his posture, and spoke coldly:
"Kill who?"
"T-Tian Xue, it is Tian Xue."
They were afraid, shivering in cold, as if they weren't even allowed to mutter a word. Tian Xue seemed different from his previous self. His gaze drooped, his face cold and expressionless.
After the night ended, morning came. The birds were chirping. Wu Qiong was sipping tea in his room, contemplating. In front of him was Tian Xue. He suddenly broke the silence and spoke again:
"Wu Qiong, today is the awakening ceremony and the yearly examination. Are you sure you want to enter? It is different from what you would expect."
He was tilting his cup of tea as he spoke leisurely.
"Why not? It's a new experience."
Tian Xue looked at him, nodded, drank his cup of tea, and left the room.
Wu Qiong followed subsequently, after half an hour.
He was told to meet at the outskirts of the village. A lot of youths, numbering in the hundreds, had gathered there. Someone was shouting within the crowd, trying to gain attention.
"The yearly examination has begun!"
He waved his hand. Tian Xue followed.
"This year is rather special. I'm not sure what the head of the clan was thinking, but it seems he has his own foresight."
He pointed toward what appeared to be an ordinary mound, but from within, lightning seemed to crackle. Its growth rapidly accelerated, reaching a staggering height of eight thousand meters. This mountain was white and had multiple peaks, but one could observe the highest point.
This mountain consists of five levels:
The Base
The Slope
The Ridge
The Face
The Peak
For each subsequent level you get through, it corresponds to your rating. Reaching the highest point was the biggest honor, because it meant that you could directly gain guidance from the head master, aiding in the path you would have to choose during your awakening.
There are no rules here, except no one is allowed to attack one another before they reach the ridge level. Subsequently, one cannot leave until the entire examination has ended.
For now, you are allowed to make use of these items.
Tian Xue waved his hand, and a wide array of stuff appeared.
A lot of the youths were already excited, forming into groups and cheering. The age group seemed to be around 15–17, with some who had to retake the exam after failed tries. Occasionally, they would flock around others, trying to gain insight from their experiences.
Wu Qiong observed, "Oh? His hand is jittering, that's strange. If they are retaking the exams but cannot reveal any classified information, it appears that they have a duty of confidentiality or were simply threatened."
Of course, a jittering hand paired with social cues would lead anyone to such a conclusion.
Wu Qiong walked to the table, looking at the items. There were strange ones he had never seen before:
A blank talisman with nothing written on it. There was no ink to accompany it. This seemed useless, but Wu Qiong took a few anyway.
A small mirror, without a handle, oval-shaped.
Some physical weapons.
Clothes for harsh weather.
A peculiar-looking pill that would track every student, so they had to swallow it upon entering.
Before they were to enter, Tian Xue underwent the awakening ceremony. Thereafter, the test would be the main deciding factor to make one eligible for further advancement.
But with bad aptitude, one's cultivation would face hurdles along the way. If it was low enough, they might only have some essence but not enough to do something substantial, and they could never fully choose a path. Most of the time, they would lose motivation and quit, living quietly and observing from the sidelines. This made one essentially useless.
The first person to walk forward, however, was someone special.
There were people around him. Wu Qiong heard whispers:
"Young Master Tianli!"
"I heard he was a prodigy ever since he was a child. He had already received secret guidance from his father, learned combat arts, and could compose poetry at a master level. Most of what he wrote was for—"
Coincidentally, a beautiful lady walked along with Tianli. Her eyes were blue, the shade of sapphire. Her brows were thin, her face gentle and pale, lips pale red. She walked with her hands on top of each other.
Her hair had beautifully arranged treasures. This was Xing'er. She walked past the crowd, seeming sad despite trying to keep up appearances.
Wu Qiong turned his head slowly, and their eyes met. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
Wu Qiong averted his gaze from her and continued forward.
"Young Master Tianli got an extraordinary aptitude level!!"
The aptitude levels were graded as follows:
Insufficient - 0
Developing - 30
Exceptional - 60
Extraordinary - 90
The numbers referred to the potential to adequately choose a desired path. High aptitude meant more chances to get a better path. Tianli got an extraordinary aptitude, which meant that his chances of getting his desired path were shockingly high. These aptitude levels weren't hereditary but were dependent on potential and luck. Potential wasn't currently held knowledge nor learned skills, but innate potential, which would predict one's performance in the future.
They are counted by 30% for each subsequent level; beyond 90% to 100% was Awakening. One could choose their paths. Not everyone had the same starting point, unfortunately.
Although one could either way get a low aptitude level, even though one had talent, luck was often deterministic. It complemented already existing circumstances. One could, for instance, grow a lot of wealth; then the luck would also subsequently increase because they had reached a position with a lot of options open and could be at the right place and at the right time to capitalize on opportunities.
But things did not go the way we wanted always. There was a certain saying, "Man proposes, God disposes."
Wu Qiong inwardly smiled. "It seems the heavens have blessed him, or was it perhaps the head clan leader who had meddled with his cultivation matters? He did not seem shocked nor excited upon hearing his aptitude level."
This wasn't that surprising to Wu Qiong. Back on Earth, it was normal for parents to spend an enormous amount of wealth to fund their development and nurture them. Due to possessing influence, they had access to resources and people and could set up connections.
Tian Li walked past Tian Xue but stopped just a step further, smiling:
"Tian Xue, you are as pathetic as always. Do you think you would ever be at my level, big brother?"
Tian Xue smiled back gently:
"My little brother, I'm proud that you bring our family name reputation. That's what matters to me."
Tian Li snickered:
"Always speaking like a dog. Do you not have a backbone, Tian Xue?"
He walked past and did not acknowledge Tian Xue further.
After a while, most of the youths had gone past:
25% insufficient—they could not participate; their aspirations fell apart
60% got a developing aptitude
10% got an exceptional aptitude
Only five got an extraordinary aptitude; however, Wu Qiong only saw Tianli.
Far away, someone was staring into the distance. He had a strange appearance; his eyes were closed. It appeared that he was blind. In his hands he held something terrifying: someone's head. From its severed neck, blood was dripping downwards. He seemed to smile as he spoke out:
"Will you come out?"
"Yin Ren, you are truly scary."
From behind the trees, someone clothed in black walked out. His fan was open, covering half of his face.
He followed it up with, "This year will be quite interesting. Do you reckon we could kill more people than last time?"
Yin Ren dropped the severed head from his hand. Although he couldn't see, his senses seemed to be extremely sensitive. He had a slim build and wore a grey attire.
"Xuan Ren, did you complete your task?"
"How rude of you to assume I don't stand by my word."
The fan in front of his face changed colors. He opened it completely, and it seemed to attract the force outside, causing distortion in the air.
"But of course, I killed Bai Sheng. He is right here where he should be. I'm quite sad I had to take his life; he was quite insistent on resisting."
Xuan Ren swung his sleeve, and the body of Bai Sheng appeared. Although it was intact, the details of its preservation were strange. His body had been completely disfigured; his legs were twisted in horrific ways, reaching his head. Subsequently, the rest of his parts had been rearranged.
Yin Ren didn't answer. He just coldly looked at his corpse. The person in his hands earlier had been the second prodigy, Ru Ming. His corpse was lying a few meters back from where he was standing.
"This leaves two of the prodigies out of the competition," Xuan Ren commented.
Back to the awakening ceremony.
It was Wu Qiong's turn. Tian Xue used a talisman, creating a strange aura that enveloped Wu Qiong.
After a while, it stopped. The color, which had constantly interchanged, stopped at… grey!!
"What?" Tian Xue was shocked.
"H-he got an insufficient aptitude? That's impossible. His talent definitely rivals Tianli, but how?"
Wu Qiong wasn't fazed; however, he smiled and responded:
"Why must talent decide who I am? Although I could've had the highest aptitude, but also the weakest will, wouldn't that make me weak? That's not thrilling for me. I'd like to enter either way."
"Is he insane?"
The entire remaining crowd suddenly went into an uproar.
Tianli heard this and thought to himself, "An aptitude decides your ability. Although you can have a strong will, without talent you won't make it anywhere in life."
Tian Xue saw that Wu Qiong was serious, although others were mocking him.
"Have you thought this through? Although you may try to win this competition, due to your low aptitude you won't get accepted by the head clan leader, and most importantly, your awakening..."
He said in a solemn tone.
Wu Qiong didn't speak. He smiled to Tian Xue as he walked past him and mumbled to himself, "This will be quite thrilling."
Tian Xue read his lips and at that point had already started gaining a bit of understanding of who he was. However, he knew there was a lot about Wu Qiong he simply did not know, even after all the time they spent together.
Xing'er watched Wu Qiong walk past her without giving her a glance. She felt a sense of familiarity with him, and the biggest secret she held currently was from last night. Although she fainted on the spot, her last moments before that were her staring at Wu Qiong.
"What is this I'm feeling? Although I am deeply intrigued by him, there's something else storming inside of my heart.
This wasn't love, but a killing intent. I want... to kill him!!?"