Bang!

The first contestant was evicted from the stage. He had been too slow in wiping out the mist warriors engaging him. The next wave of mist warriors emerged and joined the fight. He grimaced when he noticed that he was the first to be kicked out. 

Four waves in, the young lady was also forced into a defensive position. In the end, she had no way out except to admit defeat. A few minutes later, more and more contestants were defeated.

'That is the breaking point, if a person can make it past this point, then they'll do well in the rankings. However, it will be no easy feat.' 

Elder mu pointed. Those around him nodded in agreement.

'This stage is a test of fighting power, but in the end,  it's still not that simple. Did you notice how all the contestants were eliminated?' 

The first elder asked Elder mu.

'Huh?' 

He replied after a minute of thought. 

'I now get it! They lied. The test isn't about physical prowess. The enemies are emerging from the mist at a quick rate. They are being replaced faster than they are being killed.'

'Correct. Once you know this and can find a solution to manage the fight, the test becomes easier. Those who will do well in this test are those who can avoid being overwhelmed.' The first elder stated.

'Shouldn't we tell them before they go on stage?' 

Elder mu was in a hurry to inform the others but the first elder stopped him. 

'Nobody is allowed to see the contestants until they take the test. In any case, they have to find the answer for themselves. That's the essence of the test.' 

He pulled Elder mu back to his seat. 

Bai li yue had seen enough of the tournament for now. There was little need to stay and watch strangers fight mist warriors all day when she didn't know when her friends were appearing. She gave the elders an excuse and left to find Ye zhian. She knew that he was somewhere around the tournament grounds selling pies.

She had to admit that the boy was very enterprising. The throw away statement she'd made about selling snacks during the tournament had motivated him to focus on using the oven. As it stood now, he could make a fortune selling only pies if he wished. She found him selling pies near a wine stall. It was a good business tactic. The customers leaving the wine stall naturally stopped to buy pies that paired well with wine and filled their stomachs at the same time. She waited patiently until his table was free. 

Ye zhian was satisfied with himself. His pies were almost sold out except for the two left in the box. A figure plopped down on the ground next to him and a familiar hand quickly grabbed the remaining pies before he could react. 

'Little ances- Miss!' 

He caught himself and retreated into silence. She raised an eyebrow at the title, but he stubbornly looked away. He had finally acknowledged that Bai was truly an ancestor of the sect. He'd refused to believe it in the beginning. The Bai he knew was lazy. How could she be an ancestor? But on the other hand, she was kind though she tried to hide it. She taught him to cook. To him, it was a gift far greater than money. He'd never met an ancestor, but he'd heard stories. Ancestors were powerful characters. They didn't put ordinary people in their eyes. Her image was at odds with what he knew. But how could he refute the evidence when men old enough to be her father called her ancestor? When she accepted their bows as her due and when she spoke to them on equal footing? 

He'd avoided her afterwards. Thankfully, she had not sought him out in private. 

Bai li yue sighed and ate her pies in silence. 

'These are good. I taught you well.' 

He scoffed, rolling his eyes in disbelief. For a brief moment, this Bai li yue was separate from the ancestor. They were back in the kitchen engaged in funny banter. 

'Of course! I'm the b-' 

He caught himself before finishing the sentence. Seeing how cautious he'd grown with her after the slip, she did her best to douse his unease.

'Ye zhian, just call me Miss bai. Everyone else does. If it still makes you uncomfortable, don't call me anything. I don't really care.' 

Now that she'd given him a way out, she changed the subject of conversation.

'Since we understand each other now, why didn't you tell me there was an array masters' association in the capital?'

'I didn't know you were a cultivator.' 

He replied. She was a very lazy cultivator now that he gave it some thought. He'd never seen her train or do anything cultivator-like.

'Is there a difference?'

'Of course. Associations are professions reserved for cultivators.' 

He wondered how she didn't know this piece of essential information. Wasn't she the ancestor of a sect?

'Take me to their headquarters. You can tell me about the array masters' association on the way.'

He packed up his table and boxes. There was no reason to stay when he had nothing left to sell. They navigated the crowded exterior of the tournament grounds.

Most of the capital was at the tournament grounds, leaving parts of the city deserted. Some shops elected to close business for a period of time and open a temporary stall near the tournament grounds to take advantage of the crowds.

'The array masters' association is one of the four professions related to cultivation in the whole of the thousand auroras world.'

'I know that alchemists have an association. What are the others?'

'The four professions are alchemists, arraymasters, appraisers and teachers.' 

He counted them on his hand.

'The arraymasters' association is made up of formation apprentices and masters. To become an array master one has to pass a test to earn a star as is the practice in the other associations. That is the only way to progress in the association. Formation apprentices have not yet earned stars to become masters, but each apprentice is talented enough to one day become a master. The lowest grade is a one star master. We have many of them in the capital. The highest ranked master in chenyang currently is the association president who is a six star grandmaster.' 

They'd arrived in the meantime in the blue jade district and were standing in front of the array masters' association headquarters. The idea of the test had taken shape as easily as breathing. Learning from teacher chu and studying the array inheritance put a lot of knowledge at her fingertips, but she had no idea of what level of array master she was. Taking a test was the only way to track her progress.  

'Go back for now. I'll find my way back when i'm done here.' 

Her eyes were trained on the entrance. She was ready to take up the challenge.

'How can I help you, miss?'

Bai li yue jumped. The young man's voice broke her out of her reverie. 

'Yes, I'm here to take the array master exams. When is the next one taking place?''

'There is always an elder on duty to supervise. Once you are done registering, I inform him and you will be able to take the exam. Miss, with your apprentice badge the exam fee costs two hundred gold.'

'I don't have a badge on me.'

'Did you lose it?'

'No, i don't have one.' 

They rarely got walk ins and even fewer who weren't apprentices. He quickly thumbed through his notebook in the hopes of finding an answer. The rule book had an answer somewhere.

'Miss, if you don't have the badge, that means you will have to pay the full amount. That will be five hundred gold coins.'

She choked. The fee was more than twice that of the apprentice fee. If she wanted to take the test, then there was no avoiding the expense. She counted the coins and passed them to the young man who confirmed payment and gave her a receipt.

'I'll inform the elder to begin your exam.' 

He checked the name of the elder on duty and shook his head. Examiner Hu was infamous in the association for being a boor. He had been a talented young array master in his heyday, but he had lost his confidence after failing the three star master exam one time too many. Subsequent failures had only served to mire him further in the swamp of failure. He hadn't earned another star in recent years and it didn't look like his situation was going to change anytime soon. The president had been kind in giving him a job as exams supervisor, but he had become the worst kind of gatekeeper. It was the job of the examiner to separate the skilled from the charlatans, but it was now an open secret that Examiner Hu was determined to keep everyone out- even the skilled ones. On normal days, other examiners were around to keep him in check, but today wasn't one of those days.