Bai li yue knew that passing this test would depend on her ability to cram and display a certain level of mastery of the sword skill in her hand. The time length apportioned for mastering the skill made things tricky, but she wasn't averse to the added challenge. Buoyed by her recent success in front of towering odds, Bai li yue grabbed a simple sword from a nearby rack and stepped onto the bridge joining those ahead of her. Everyone had a looked of deep concentration as they studied their scroll or practised. Some alternated between reading and practising as they crossed the bridge while others read the scroll multiple times and committed it to memory as best they could, exhausting the scroll in the process. They did this right and dedicated the rest of the bridge crossing to practice. 

Both methods were valid and had merit but Bai li yue didn't know which method to go with. 

Time was short and she couldn't afford to remain on the bridge forever. The supervisor hadn't said anything about how long they could stay in the bridge, but by taking the two previous devilish rests into account, she could say with a degree of certainty that staying on the bridge for a long time wasn't a good idea. She memorised the sword skill crimson fire blade and read the scroll a second time. This time to consolidate her knowledge. 

Channeling her energy according to the instructions, she took a stance and kicked off the ground to avoid disturbing those around her. The iron sword in her hand erupted with red hot flames for a short second before disappearing. 

There were different levels of the crimson fire blade. The longer the fire burned, the better control one had over the skill. She didn't have the time to slowly understand the intricacies of the skill through long term practice and experimentation so she focused on mastering the first level. Going over what she knew about the sword skill again, she identified moments that could affect the final result. It came down to storing energy during the stance and unleashing it into the sword in an explosive burst. The effect increased, but there was more room for improvement.

Boom! 

A wall of water rose twenty feet in the air creating a dry passage on the river bed. The wall of water came crashing down with another resounding boom. It looked like someone had already arrived at the other bank and was displaying the skill they'd learnt. 

Bai li yue focused on her sword and practiced the movement a few more times. With time, she grew more competent in the sword skill. She was able to manifest flames in the air around the sword when she came up with an alternate solution of pumping her energy into the sword as well as the space around the blade. It worked beautifully and lent a majesty to the crimson fire blade that it was lacking at the lower level. She walked past others working through their scrolls and practising. Meixiu was among them; bent over a scroll and mumbling to herself. 

Her steps took her in no time to the other end of the bridge and over to where a group of examiners sat. As she'd suspected there was a catch. The scroll she'd handed over to them shone.

'Good timing! Now let's see the crimson fire blade skill.'

Bai li yue kicked off the ground into a full whirl and released the skill just as she'd practised. The sword and consequently sky above her lit in crimson flames in a ten foot radius. It lingered for a dozen breaths and then disappeared. It was an acceptable performance given the time frame. 

She watched them engage in a whispered conversation before handing her results to a young examiner.

'Please follow me.'

Ignorant of her results or where she was being led to, she followed him and left the river and the bridge behind.

He led her to a compound where two separate groups were already waiting. She was shown to the group on the left where upon looking around, she spotted shen duyi flanked by three members of his entourage. She also spotted the young lady in white as well as the twins in the group.

'Looks like this is the group to be in.' 

She found an empty spot and sat down to meditate. There was no telling what the next test would be. She needed her mind clear and ready for anything. 

Later in the day, when her group was led away, Meixiu still hadn't joined them. She hoped that Meixiu had ended up in the other group and not in the group for those who'd failed. 

They arrived in an amphitheater with a curved wall bordering the front section. The wall bore numerous sword scars ranging from the thin slash to the almost invisible to deep gashes.

A supervisor appeared in front of them as soon as they sat down. 

'Congratulations! Congratulations! You have passed the entrance exam with good results. You will enter the inner sect no matter which sect you choose. The test supervisors will be with you shortly to begin your registration. Before that however, I'd like to inform you of the advantages of joining the Sword river sect. As you know, we are the most noble sword cultivation sect in the whole of Wei kingdom. We boast a large and varied selection of sword manuals, scrolls, texts and treatises found nowhere else on the Tianmu continent. We-'

He was taking a deep breath before jumping into another segment of his speech when he was cut short by the arrival of another supervisor. He glared at the speaker who 

chuckled in response.

The newcomer cleared his throat and took the floor.

'Congratulations! Congratulations! It's always a wondrous sight to meet new students. Since you're new here, i won't beat around the bush. Do not believe the words spoken by this -'

His inflammatory words had no chance to land before he was interrupted.

'Are you calling me a liar? Does my Sword river not have the largest collection of sword skills from here to the Black salt sea?'

'That is indeed true, but don't look down on my sword mountain either. You only have at most a hundred more sword skills than we do. Tell me, is that worth boasting about?'

Bai li yue watched the back and forth with great interest as the debate went into high gear. For those like her who hadn't made up their mind, the debate could be a deciding factor.

'I also wish to call into question your use of the word noble. In front of the sword mountain, does the sword river sect dare to use that word? What is more noble than the mountain that stands tall? Who are more noble than the legendary heroes that came from our caves? Sword sage Qian zhen, old man Gao Han, dao protector Shi ji, sword mistress Wenqiang are but a few.'

'Ha! Don't we also have sword sage Zhu yang, fairy Gu meifeng, sword mistress Peng xiaofan, sword king Ye bingwen and many more?' 

The Sword river sect recruiter also supplied a list of names.

'I will not deny the truth, but I can sit here till midnight listing our heroes. I want to ask: can you do the same?' 

The sword mountain sect recruiter smiled. He had scored a point and they both knew it.

'Haha! What is the use of talking about heroes to young ones who are now starting their journey? It will only make them think that we are old men stuck in the past. Now, shall we talk about the present and how the sword river sect is the right choice for you?' 

He might have lost a point to the sword mountain, but this was his chance to put them in a tight spot. The elder in charge of sect resources had chosen him specifically to be this year's recruiting officer when he'd heard him argue his way out of a fine for the illegal distribution of sword skills he'd borrowed from the library. He hadn't convinced the library overseer of his innocence but he'd gotten away with it by exploiting a loophole in the system. He'd gotten off mostly scot free with a warning and a reputation.