The sharp crack of palm meeting cheek shattered the silence.
Zhao Yan staggered back, eyes wide, the courtyard erupting into stunned whispers as he clutched his face, disbelief written across every line.
Elder Gao's roar cracked through the courtyard like thunder.
"You fool!"
Zhao Yan stumbled backward, still dazed from the sting of the slap.
His cheek burned, but what froze him wasn't the pain—it was the sudden emptiness within.
His body felt hollow, the familiar flow of spiritual energy gone as if it had been ripped clean out of him.
"My spiritual energy!" he gasped, his voice trembling in disbelief.
Elder Gao's gaze turned colder, sharper, the air around him trembling with restrained fury. He raised a finger toward Zhao Yan, his tone cutting like a blade.
"You—take out the manual I gave you."
Still in shock, Zhao Yan reached into his robes and retrieved the azure-bound book. Elder Gao's eyes didn't waver.
"Turn to the second page," he commanded, his voice low but seething. "Read the first two lines aloud."
Zhao Yan's fingers trembled slightly as he flipped open the manual.
His lips moved as he read, "After breathing according to the Sword Breathing Technique, gather spiritual energy. Refine that spiritual energy and transform it into Qi."
He frowned, glancing up at the elder with confusion.
"That's what I did," he thought bitterly, a spark of frustration igniting beneath the humiliation.
Why is he angry? he wondered.
Didn't I follow every step exactly?
Elder Gao's eyes narrowed, his voice cutting through the silence like a drawn blade.
"Then what did you do?"
Zhao Yan hesitated, his voice barely steady.
"I… I gathered spiritual energy throughout my body, Elder. I haven't refined it yet, but I was planning to refine it soon."
The words had barely left his mouth before—
Slap!
The sound cracked through the air, sharper and louder than before. Zhao Yan's head snapped to the side, his ears ringing.
Elder Gao's expression darkened like a stormcloud.
"Fool!" he thundered.
"Where in that manual does it say to gather spiritual energy through your entire body?"
Zhao Yan blinked in confusion, flipping through the pages again.
His eyes traced the same lines, but nowhere did it mention such a thing.
Yet… what was so wrong about it?
He looked up, clearly lost, and that blank look only seemed to fuel Elder Gao's anger further.
"Utter fool! Do you even understand what you've done?" Elder Gao barked, his voice echoing across the courtyard.
But then, with a visible effort, he drew in a slow breath and forced his tone down to a growl.
"Listen carefully. Refining spiritual energy isn't some trivial exercise—it's one of the most dangerous steps in cultivation."
"You were supposed to gather only a minute amount—just enough to feel it flow within you."
"Then refine it, slowly, patiently, over time, until it transforms into Qi."
He leaned forward, his gaze like ice.
"Had you truly tried refining that massive amount of unpurified energy you crammed into your body, you would have exploded before you ever touched the first layer of Qi Condensation."
The courtyard fell silent.
Zhao Yan stood frozen, his heart pounding.
"Explode? Me?"
The words echoed in Zhao Yan's mind like a death knell.
His knees nearly gave out as the realization sank in—he'd been one breath away from turning himself into a cloud of blood and dust.
A cold sweat broke down his spine, and all that anger he'd been clinging to evaporated into pure relief.
Elder Gao let out a cold snort, his gaze filled with disdain.
"How did you even pass the sect recruitment test?"
The question struck deeper than the slap. Zhao Yan froze, his mind spinning.
He knew the answer. He knew exactly how.
The system.
Without it, he wouldn't have passed.
Without it, he wouldn't have even comprehended that so-called technique.
The realization hit him like a blade twisting in his gut.
Dumb.
Completely dumb.
He clenched his fists, shame flooding his chest.
How could I be so dumb?
A moment ago, he had believed himself to be the most gifted among the new recruits—a prodigy destined for greatness.
But standing before Elder Gao now, the truth was clear as day.
He wasn't a genius. He wasn't even close.
He was just a fool who mistook the technique entirely.
Zhao Yan steadied himself, suppressing the sting on his cheek, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Elder Gao, for your guidance."
Elder Gao didn't spare him another glance.
His expression hardened once more as he barked, "Next!"
A boy stepped forward, barely sixteen, and placed his trembling hand in Elder Gao's grasp.
The old man's eyes flickered faintly with Qi as he examined the youth's meridians before curtly saying, "Stand to my left."
The boy obeyed without question.
One after another, the recruits were called up. Each endured the same brief inspection, and each was sent to the left—until a pair of siblings approached.
Zhao Yan recognized them instantly—the Du brothers, the first two who had comprehended the Plum Sword Technique during the recruitment.
When Elder Gao's palm rested on the older brother's wrist, his cold face softened ever so slightly.
"To my right," he said.
A murmur ran through the crowd.
That one simple command spoke volumes. Those on the right must be clearly different.
The younger brother followed next, and the same words came again: "To my right."
By now, everyone understood.
Left meant mediocrity; right meant promise.
Elder Gao continued the examination with mechanical precision, his voice echoing across the courtyard like a judge's gavel.
Zhao Yan stood at the back, neither left nor right, a bystander amid the crowd.
Mocking glances darted his way—some sneers barely concealed, others openly amused. But he couldn't even retort.
Once everyone had been sorted, Elder Gao's gaze shifted toward the group on his left—a crowd of more than fifty anxious faces.
His tone was as sharp as he declared, "You lot will be stationed in Sword City".
Without another word, he flicked his sleeve.
A streak of light burst forth—a slender flying sword that expanded midair, its blade stretching until it loomed above them like a gleaming vessel.
The sword hovered soundlessly, humming with restrained power.
"Report directly to Elder Swan and await further instruction."
"Board it," Elder Gao commanded.
The group scrambled on, boots thudding softly against the cold steel.
The moment the last recruit stepped aboard, the sword tilted skyward and shot off with a flash, cutting through the clouds in an instant.
Moments later, the massive weapon descended again, shrinking as it fell, folding in on itself until it returned to the size of a dagger before vanishing neatly back into Elder Gao's sleeve.
He turned his attention to the remaining six—four boys and two girls, all standing straight and silent under the weight of his gaze.
These were the ones he had placed to his right—the ones with promise.
"What are your names?" Elder Gao asked, his tone calm now, but his eyes were sharp.
"Du Hong."
"Du Feng."
"Fan Xing."
"Xu Cheng."
"Hu Meiying."
"Chu Jiaying."
As each of the six recruits stated their names, Elder Gao gave a measured nod, his tone calm yet commanding.
"You six will be working at the Crimson Forge," he said.
"As Menial Disciples, you'll receive an annual stipend of one Spirit Stone."
"Your daily duties must be completed without fail. The sect will provide your food and lodging, but your cultivation… that's your own responsibility."
A faint glow flickered in his palm as he lifted his hand.
Moments later, a shadow descended from the clouds — a young man, descending gracefully through the air as if the wind itself obeyed him.
Elder Gao straightened immediately and bowed low.
"Senior Brother, these are the menial disciples assigned to the Crimson Forge."
The new recruits exchanged stunned glances, hardly believing what they were seeing — Elder Gao, the stern, untouchable elder, lowering his head in respect.
The young man smiled warmly, his eyes sweeping across the group. "Ah, so these are the new junior brothers," he said lightly.
Then, with a teasing grin, he turned back to Elder Gao.
"Grandpa, I'm your grandson. You don't have to call me Senior Brother, you know."
The air fell still.
Every disciple froze, their eyes wide, as realization dawned on them — the 'Senior Brother' Elder Gao had just bowed to… was his own grandson.