Jing woke up with a jolt, gripping his throat with a terrified expression. Glancing around the now well-lit room, he sighed in relief. 'Just a dream,' He thought.

He slid the curtains to the side, and stood by the window watching this new world he found himself in. The sun was still shyly peeking through the horizons, and yet the streets bustled with activity.

Street vendors and stalls lined the streets, all selling different products. From simple Bananas and Tangerines to purplish fruits he had never seen before and monsters he would have deemed fantasy things. Amongst the throng of people, he once again observed the mass of children around his age, all of whom had varying excited expressions.

A knocking sound was heard.

"Come in," He said, turning around to look.

True to his expectations, it was Shen Yun. "What happened yesterday? I was waiting for a while but then I dozzed off..." He said after he shut down the door.

Jing sighed and sat down in a chair by the window, "You wouldn't believe what happened." He said. Noticing the man's impatient and intrigued expression, he continued with an ironic smile, "That man, Xu Fufu, tried to kill me last night!"

Shen Yun's face froze, "Kill you?" He muttered with a tone of disbelief. "Why?"

Scratching his head, Jing stood up and showed him the clothes that were drenched in blood. "Look," He said. "I think it's related to that Peak Master Zho Gen because just before he attempted to do so, Zho Tu approached and gave me a paper saying what would happen."

Now Shen Yun was even more confused, his hands moved around in the air trying to make sense of the situation. "If he was related to Peak Master, why would his son inform you beforehand? And why didn't you run after getting the message?"

Sitting down once again, Jing sighed in regret. "I didn't know." He said. "We haven't been exactly friendly in the past few days and I thought it'd just be something insulting. Moreover, the man immediately began asking me a barrage of questions after I received the paper, I figured I'd just read it later. Maybe he knew what was in the paper."

Shen Yun gritted his teeth in anger as curses escaped his lips, "Those bastards." He swore. "I'll show them. They forget how our Peak was the undisputed number one for years for a reason. Not that I was there to witness it, but I heard that something happened to peak master and he just gave up..." Catching himself going on a tangent, he sobered. "Xie Jing," He said, his voice serious. "I know we've had our differences but we're from the same peak, and it's only ours that had two disciples surviving the Icebound Summit Range. We need to band together and bring glory to master."

Jing's eyes lit up, he had always wanted to get closer to Shen Yun because he gave him a very competent impression. He stood up with a solemn and apologetic expression and said, "Look, Shen Yun, I need to admit something." Witnessing the man's questioning expression, he felt slightly embarrassed. "When I first came to the sect I was but a village boy and I was overwhelmed by everything that I had seen, so..." His voice trailed off, but after a while, he continued, "Seeing how you were very established in the sect and that you were Peak Master Li Yan's disciple, I wanted to get closer and take advantage of your connections to establish myself. That is why..." Finding it difficult to say, he paused.

He began doubting whether it was even necessary to say it. However, after thinking it over for a while, he knew that he had to. He had to explain to him how he didn't reject him but simply lied. Although he wasn't even the one who did all that, he had to mend bridges to ensure no issues would arise in the new sect.

"Just say it," Shen Yun urged.

"Well," Jing said with an embarrassed look. "I lied about being sexually attracted to both guys and girls. So, my bad on that one."

"Heavens, Xie Jing," Shen Yun said as he looked at him, his expression hard to discern. "I figured it was something like that after your last reaction."

"Yeah..." Mumbled Jing. "I am sorry man, it's my fault."

Shaking his head, Shen Yun had a disappointed and aggrieved look. Finally, he said stretching out his hand, "As bad as it was, your sincerity and honesty now are commendable. I suppose based on those things, we can forget about what happened. You are indeed crazy, and I like some crazy, we could use some in whatever is going to happen."

Smiling, Jing firmly shook the man's hand as they exchanged a determined gaze. Once that was done, Shen Yun was sent on an errand to bring them food and new clothes.

Jing took the time to clean himself in the Inn's showers. After a full hearty meal that made the two endlessly sigh in gratification, they exited the inn and made way for the Golden Mountain Sect.

Jing was clad in a sleek black robe, intricately adorned with delicate white embroidery that traced elegant patterns along the edges. A crisp white sash encircled his waist, adding a touch of refinement to his attire. Beside him, Shen Yun stood resplendent in a rustic red robe, its deep hue contrasting with the earthy green accents that adorned the garment. Similar to his master's attire, Shen Yun's robe boasted intricate golden embellishments, adding a regal air to his already dashing appearance.

Together, they formed a striking contrast, Jing exuding an aura of elegance with his sharp youthful features and emerald green eyes while Shen Yun commanded attention with his bold and vibrant ensemble. Along the way, Jing endlessly praised Shen Yun's choice of clothing.
...

"Goodness," Jing muttered as he gazed at the scene before him.

A golden mountain rose majestically before him, its towering peak piercing the very heavens and disappearing into the veils of clouds above. Bathed in the ethereal glow of the sun that had reached its zenith, it seemed to radiate a divine majestic aura, drawing the gaze of all the thousands of people gradually approaching it.

As he gazed upon the mountain, Jing marveled at its sheer magnificence. "That's what a Sect should be like," He mumbled to himself. "Not a hole in the ground."

"You know," Shen Yun said from the side, "I heard that our sect had a spiritual mountain just like that called the Wandering Lotus Mountain."

The mountain's slopes glowed with a golden radiance, casting a serene light upon the land. Jing observed the source of the golden glow, a unique plant that seemed to capture and reflect the sun's rays with enchanting brilliance.

The ascent ahead seemed dauntingly formidable, a winding path of white jade interspersed with natural terraces adorned with lush vegetation and majestic pagodas of varying colors. Jing couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu. "Isn't this mountain oddly reminiscent of stairs?" he mused, his expression filled with wonderment. The mountain's steps were filled with people who gently climbed down, but unlike those before it, all of them wore uniformed black, white, silver, and golden robes.

Before the mountain was a wooden platform that rose majestically, and on top of it were exquisite wooden chairs, and if there was but one of them, Jing would have believed they were thrones.

Atop the chairs several figures sat with pride, their presence radiating an unfathomable level of strength. Amongst the ten chairs, only five were filled. Jing knew that these were the elders of the sect, and not just any elders, Grand Elders. Their influence over the sect was second only to the absent Sect Master.

Two of them looked unimaginably youthful. Well-dressed, groomed, and confident men around their thirties with wavy long hairs that cascaded over their backs. The remaining men were exactly what one might expect from an old cultivator. Long white hair, beard, and a sage-like appearance in white robes. The oldest of them all, however, was the woman. She looked like an innocent and frail old woman someone might encounter in the city's streets. She had a faint smile tugging at her lips as she glanced at the throng of people.

"What now?" Jing questioned. Most people had come to a standing halt, seemingly waiting for something.

"We wait," Shen Yun said. "Look over there," He pointed his finger to a place beside the wooden platform where the elders sat. "See that small jade platform on the ground, that's the first test."

Following his direction, Jing could see a circular two-inch high platform above the ground. It had exquisite craftsmanship because almost every nook and cranny was filled with mystical symbols and determined grass grew over the multitude of cracks separating its different components.

Another man bumped into him from behind which made him frown a bit, 'It's too crowded.' He thought. He knew that the actual disciples who would be taking the rest were the minority of this vast group, the rest merely came here for entertainment. After all, Golden Veil was The Golden Mountain's city. Thus, there were plenty of reasons why its residents placed heavy emphasis on the sect's entrance test.

"Aukhman," He whispered in his mind after he learned the technique of how to contact the demon without verbally speaking. "Try that function once again."

The demon appeared out of nowhere once again, glancing at the big crowd of people with a satisfied expression. Needless to say, only Jing was able to see him.

"You're ready?" The demon said.

"Go for it," Jing nodded, impatient to see what would appear. Just like last time a wave of energy spread out with him as the center, and after a second or two.

Players Detected: 6 Humans

"Six?!" He said, feeling slightly nervous. "That's a lot."

"Interesting," Aukhman said.

"What?" Jing asked, but all he got in response was a mysterious smile before the demon disappeared into the void.

After an hour, an old man wearing a golden robe stood between the thousands of people and the wooden platform, "Queit," He said, his voice miraculously reaching the ears of everyone present although he spoke with a very gentle and steady tone.

The murmurs of thousands of people that culminated in a deafening noise came to an immediate pause.

"I am sure that all of you are aware of how our entrance test usually goes," The old man said. "But I will repeat it in case some of you do not to avoid some surprises later on." He calmly moved above the jade platform and stood at the very center of it. "Out of all the participants who came here today, we will only accept 400 boys, 200 girls, and 100 servants."

He then pointed toward the platform underneath him and explained, "This is the first test and the very most important. It will gauge your talent and how pure your soul is for cultivation. There are six talents mainly Iron, Bronze, Silver, Golden, Golden Prodigy, and Heavenly Talent. We only accept those Silver, and above."

Saying that he simply sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. The previously dead and quiet platform sprung to life as its different components moved in different directions. The cracks glowed with a faint golden light, obliterating the grass that found life in the previous months.

Some of the younger people who wore different white, silver, to grey robes began organizing the crowd of people and guided all of the participants above the platform in groups of two hundred.

Once the first group stood in their designated spots all over the platform they all reacted differently. Some were confident, others were sweating buckets, and others closed their eyes seemingly praying.