As I stare out at the stairs leading up the mountain before me, I realize there are few things in my last life that even slightly compared to the site in front of me.

The closest comparison to my experiences on Earth I can make is when I went on (what was at the time) the highest roller coaster ride in the world. While on the ride, with it just beginning, the cart we were in would take us up a very large first hill. The largest one out of the whole ride, in fact. While going up it, all that we could see in the backdrop was just the sky. A clear blue and covered in sporadic clouds.

Before my eyes, the track seemingly leads straight into the heavens, with the road becoming smaller and smaller as it rose into the sky. All until it disappeared from view.

Of course, it’s just that the track sharply and frighteningly dipped downward from that point.

But it's not only this, that these carved stone stairs remind me of.

The only other thing that comes to mind, is of a cliff. Not sight from being on top of it, but instead the bottom of its base.

The feeling of a huge, imposing sheet of rock lording over your entire view and filling every part of your gaze as you attempt to look up, but only can see more rock.

All until the only thing that separates the rock from the sky, and barely at that, is the clouds that surround the peak. Here, there is no peak to see. It’s just more of the mountain being obscured by the sheer amount of distance, clouds, and other things separating this extremely tall mountain peak from us.

This truly makes the name, the Steps of Reflection, a very apt description of what this does to a person at first glance.

Even the young masters, filled with pride and arrogance, can’t help but to take a moment and just stare at the stairs in front them. Some of them seem to dread the work that will be needed to move up then, while it fills others with anticipation for the climb.

Even more so than them, the normal people who have joined the group gaze at the steps with fear. While each and every one of these young masters is at least a low-level body cultivator, easily allowing them to go up the stairs, the journey of 160 km is insanely difficult for normal people (within 4 days).

After the initial moment of gaping towards this monumental task, people begin to realize what they're up against and the importance of what they might have to do.

It is at this moment the cultivator that brought us here, decides to reveal a fact that some, like myself, already knew could be done.

“These Stairs are called the Steps of Reflection.

“Going up the steps, it's considered the first trial on your journey to becoming a cultivator within our sect. Ours is one that accepts many things as strengths. However, physical strength is one of the things that we value highly.

“Well… at least a base level of physical strength.”

He coughs and looks to the side before continuing.

“With that said, not everyone is blessed in this department. There are other strengths that can compensate for such things. So, we allow anyone who has the ability, fate, or status to use anything or anyone in their vicinity to get up the Steps and reach the Gate of Introspection, that sits on top of them. Specifically, only your fellow applicants and/or tamed creatures can be leveraged to help you get up the mountain in terms of personnel. Any personal items that you or they are carrying on them, are allowed, as well.

“The only thing we require, is that you don't use any of the other alternative methods to get up the mountain to the gate, such as the merchant pathways.  You have five days to do this. My suggestion is to complete it in four, at the latest. If not, you will be moving straight into your second trial from there.

“If you do make it to the top, there will be food, water, and more temporary dorms for you to stay within until the next trial begins. These will not be near the outer court buildings, and I do not suggest attempting to enter the direct outer court area, until you are accepted.”

 After this speech, he takes a deep breath and his voice sounds a tiny bit kinder than before.

“To those of you who make it through these trials and will become my sect mates, I look forward to working with you and bringing further glory to our sect.”

With a quick smile, he bounds back onto the carriages, and focuses his eyes out to the distance. From what I can gather, he's waiting for anyone else who will be taking the first trial. He may be out here, all the way until the end of the day.

Since we only have five days, technically four, to get up the mountain, I’ll need to make sure I set a good enough pace that will still allow me to accomplish my goals.

Interrupting my thoughts, I can hear one of the young Master‘s call out to the group.

“Alright, people. Just like we discussed, anyone in my group can come over here so I can help you get into my personal carriage.”

Almost in sync, I can see many of the rich and young masters pull out some qi treasures in the form of carriages or other items to ride. For the carriages, the doors open up to show increased space on the inside. People from the friend groups, or to be more accurate, acquaintance groups fill the space.

As each of these young masters’ carriages get filled, who has been truly accepted really is shown. Some people are told to get out of the carriages, while they denied others from even getting close in the first place.

Some were denied entry into the acquaintance groups in the first place, and know their status in relation to them. These people have already moved up the stairs and are trying in their own ways to go up it.

Luckily for them, there are sources of food as berries and some animals that will allow them to get food on the way. Rivers also run alongside the path part of the way. The only thing that they may struggle with is finding any form of shelter along the way. Undoubtedly, anyone actually traveling up to it and taking the full 4 to 5 days will actually need to sleep at some point.

Unfortunately for them, just as there are animals, they can hunt for food along the path. There are animals that can hunt them as well. Most of the animals will wait for a person who is truly weakened and then attack when they attempt to get some rest.

There are a few points along the path that my scan tells me are trouble areas. The first fourth of the journey usually has the weakest of the bunch fall out. It is here that people typically get preyed upon by packs of weaker creatures. Since these are usually the most malnourished and desperate people, they sometimes don’t even have to stop moving for them to get ambushed.

The life of a cultivator is full of peril and danger.

The sect will protect their people from most forms of exploitation. However, they will not protect you when you go into dangerous situations. In fact, they will probably be the one to send you into those situations when you are in the outer courts. With preparation and support, of course.

Ultimately, they do not want anyone who is too weak to be of use. To them, those people are chaff and should be shed as soon as possible.

If you were that physically weak, you should have come up with an alternate way to get up the path, is their reasoning.

 

The young masters and ladies have closed the doors and their carriages zoom up on the side of the steps. It is clear that these are tools that have been used in their families to get up there, over multiple generations. Long Shui (the rapist), Ao Hai (the goth guy), and the young master who kicked the assassin, all left with this group.

Left behind are distraught, broken, and, in some cases, wailing people. Realizing the futility of their journey.

My scan shows that many of these people cannot make it up the mountain. Whether they survive or not will depend on luck or if they decide to go.

It didn’t seem like it, because of the way the carriages bringing us all here worked, but there were 2000 people who came here in this single batch.

Of those who are left behind by the young masters, there are about a thousand left that will need or want to travel by foot.

An example of one person who wanted to travel by foot is Huang Kaida, from the body cultivating family. He has a group of close to 100 people who are clearly athletic and are following him. They take off up the mountain together. It’s easy to see that they will all make it up the mountain, with no issue.

No animal will attempt to fight any of them.

Others are following young masters who weren’t the favored by their families and didn’t have a Qi treasure to immediately go up the mountain. It is beneficial for them to follow them. It isn’t likely the young masters will stop or help them if they fall behind, but allow them to cultivate a relationship with them during the journey. And anyway, some chance of them helping is better than no chance.

These groups headed out together, as well.

Finally, many people ended up leaving on their own. Some did it out a lack of a group to attach to, but a desperation to continue, and others because they were natural loners.

I had activated my personnel potential scan earlier and saw that there were hundreds of people who had a possibility of being extremely beneficial to me and also would have a high potential as well. The vast majority left with these other groups.

 

All that is left after these groups left were around several hundred people.

 

I can see the two poor ladies that asked for help earlier, Chen (the brunette) and Ju (the raven haired), who rush to my side. They seem disappointed at my lack of a carriage. They definitely tried to get into a few of the carriages and were denied because of their lack of wealth or status. They look at me and see that I had notice and begin apologizing, but I assuage their fears.

 I already knew they were opportunists. But they’ll be more useful and dedicated over time, as they get to know me.

… At least that’s what the scan tells me.

 

With them and Mei Lin out of the count… Out of all these people, there are only 16 that shine to me that would be beneficial for me and would have high potential.

There are a few people who have above spirit roots that aren’t included in this, but they, for one reason or another, wouldn’t be a good fit.

 

There are a few people within the shining group who actually have below average spirit roots, but are showing to be a great pick to help.

 

Some are already making the trek, while others are wallowing in sadness.

 

So… how do I want to do this?

 

With this new situation in front of me, I ponder my approach.