Shen Duyi took a long deep breath of fresh air. They were a long way from the entrance to the sword mountain but he was already getting nervous. He had waited for this day for a long time. He was going back to the mountain after a year to reclaim his honour. 

'I will not fail this time.' 

He looked at his clenched fist, took another deep breath and slowly unclenched it. There was no time to waste. Every minute he spent looking at the scenery could be time used to prepare himself. He had already wasted precious time staring at the painting he'd bought recently. But what use was a beauty on his arm if he was an average man? 

Raucous laughter and cheers in the front corner of the boat from a group of merchants watching a game on a wooden board broke his train of thought. 

Their mindless mediocrity brought a frown to his face. He couldn't understand how anybody could choose to live a mortal life. A normal life to him was the most worthless kind of existence. He would prefer living in the lowest rungs in cultivator society than life as a mortal. The pursuit of excellence was what gave value to life. 

His gaze swept over the crowd with displeasure before his entire body froze in shock. He wouldn't have seen her if the noise hadn't drawn his attention. She'd lifted the veil tied to the straw hat she was wearing to investigate the noise and had inadvertently graced him with a view of her face. He had been captivated by her ever since he'd seen her. The painting he bought of her was a poor replica of the original in front of him. He drank in her features like a thirsty dying man discovering an oasis. But the moment passed too quickly. The veil fell back into place, cutting him off from her.

Shen duyi returned to his room to continue cultivating, but he was like a moth to fire. He developed the habit of standing on the deck every night. The others of his group knew to leave him alone but that didn't stop them from making conjectures. Shen duyi finally seemed more human to them. He also had moments when he needed to unwind and laze about.

The monotony of the journey frayed Bai li yue's nerves. She cultivated nonstop during the journey in preparation for the coming test. The frequent stops of the boat to take on new passengers were frustrating when she was wishing they'd arrived already. The tension of waiting was killing her. She wanted to get it over with and know her fate. 

The boat arrived at a simple wooden dock in the early hours of the final day. Bai li yue joined the throngs of applicants with a relieved sigh. The eager and nervous applicants were guided through basic registration by a group of supervisors. As day broke, more boats arrived. They offloaded passengers who had travelled from all over the country and in some cases from the neighbouring kingdoms to take part in the exam. The applicants were divided into groups of twenty and appointed a supervisor whose duty it was to record the results of the group. 

Bai li yue was in a group with a bunch of applicants who had travelled on the same boat with her. The atmosphere in the group was different from the nervous silence that hung over other groups. They laughed and joked among themselves. A cat eyed young lady sat next to her and introduced herself. My name is Tang Meixiu. You can call me Mei. Did you come alone? Where are you from? Are you nervous?' 

Bai li yue was caught off guard by the litany of rapid questions. She glanced at Tang Meixiu who barely took the time to breathe in between the questions. She seemed more content to ask questions than hear the answers. 

In a short space of time, Bai li yue had learned more information than she was comfortable knowing about a stranger. It had to take a lot of fortitude to ramble constantly; it would take her even more to withstand the constant barrage. 

'Just stick close to me and you'll make it through the first test. As long as Brother Shen is with us, we have nothing to worry about. He took the exams last year so he knows everything about it. We just have to follow him to the finish line?'

'Do you know what the test entails?'

Bai li yue asked. Her ears perked up at the mention of last year's test.

'He told us about the first one only. The first test is climbing the mountain. That's the hardest test. Very few people make it through, but Brother Shen has prepared us for everything. There's no way we will fail.'

Bai li yue blinked a few times. This Tang meixiu girl didn't even bother to hide the fact that she was planning on riding on her brother Shen's coattails. If anything she looked proud of the fact. Her disapproval must have been apparent because Tang Meixiu shook her head.

'Aiyo! Sister li yue. It's not what you're thinking. He's only helping us through this first test, but the rest depends on us. You don't know this, but he is a legend. When he took the exam last year, he almost broke the sect record.'

'There is a record?'

'It hasn't been broken in centuries. Sadly, big brother Shen missed it by a close margin. He passed the exam, but chose not to enter the sect. That's why he's back again this year.'

'What a crazy guy!' 

Bai li yue muttered. 

'Don't let anyone hear you talk that way about brother Shen.'

Tang meixiu warned, looking around cautiously. 

'Sorry.' 

Bai li yue readily took back her words, not meaning to insult him. 

'As long as you mean it, it's okay. Follow me, sister li yue. I'll introduce you to the others.' 

She introduced Bai li yue to the other members of the group as her new friend and received not a word in return. Tang Meixiu was oblivious to their indifference and rambled on for a few minutes. Bai li yue wondered if it was possible to die of second hand embarrassment. 

The oft mentioned, brother Shen greeted Bai li yue politely and gave a slight nod when Tang meixiu asked if her new friend could join their group. He then proceeded to ignore both Meixiu and herself despite Meixiu's attempts to engage him in conversation.

'You're not really that close to your Brother Shen, are you?' 

She finally asked when they returned to their place.

'W- what are you talking about? We should prepare. The supervisors are coming over.'

Bai li yue didn't pursue the conversation when she saw how uncomfortable the friendly girl had become.

Each supervisor led his group to the mountain entrance where a staircase had been carved into the slope. It stretched as far as the eye could see, coiling around the mountain like a snake. 

'We are supposed to reach the last peak by midnight. Come on. If we fall too far behind, Brother Shen won't be able to help us.' 

Meixiu whispered into Bai li yue's ear and moved them closer to where Shen Duyi stood. They didn't get any closer to him. A group of applicants was already surrounding him.

Bai li yue didn't mind getting a tidbits about the test from  Tang Meixiu. It was the reason why she went along with joining their group. However, she didn't see the need to make such a fuss when it was just climbing a staircase. The group was acting as if he was some kind of messiah leading them to the promised land. She would follow them, but she wasn't the kind of person who was comfortable taking a free ride. The whole idea of joining a sect was to live a normal life. The experience would lose its significance if she relied on someone to gain admission.  

Isn't it just climbing a mountain? With my movement skill, I should be able to reach the peak in a few hours at most.

The group's supervisor was speaking when she tuned back in:

'If at any moment, you feel that you can't continue, then give up. There's no use pushing yourself, you'll only get hurt if you are stubborn.' 

He looked at them to make sure his words sank in.

'To start the test, you need to pass under the stone arch. Those who reach the last peak before midnight will be deemed to have passed the test. Only they will proceed to the next test. You may begin whenever you're ready.'

A few of the applicants in the group rushed forward through the arch. They covered some distance in a few breaths.

'Look at those idiots go! They are bound to fail.' 

Meixiu glanced at Bai li yue's puzzled face. 'You'll understand when we meet them again. Brother Shen is moving. Let's go.'

Shen Duyi and his entourage moved forward as one. Bai li yue was surprised to see them walking slowly instead of speeding like the others.