At the apex of the amphitheatre, the imposing figures of the Big Five settled into their seats, adorned in intricately decorated garments that ranged from traditional robes to dazzling armour. Each of them carried a unique artifact, whether it was a sword, oar, cymbal, or claw, held firmly beneath their colourful sect flags and banners, befitting their esteemed statuses in their respective sects.

With stern expressions and eyes filled with contempt, they cast their gaze upon the line of candidates below, their scrutiny a blend of assessment and possessiveness. As the sunlight unfolded, the wind teased their sect flags, causing them to ripple proudly, their vibrant symbols of glory emanating an aura of power and wealth.

Meanwhile, the eager line of young aspirants in the crowd strained their necks, their yearning gazes surpassing even the hunger of a starved tiger in its fervour.

Chun observed the spectacle, and although she wished it was not so, her own heart also beat with undeniable excitement. The truly talented today would be given an offer to directly join the Big Five. They would yet have to pass the phases two and three, but that would be a mere formality, as no sect would be foolish enough to let their rivals claim a seed with potential.

The Big Five was a nickname, and according to Chun’s uncle, it was far more imposing than their official title which was the Warring Twilight Alliance. They controlled the Warring Twilight Region, one of the 1,204 regions all under the rule of the northwestern land bridge hegemon, the Azure Deep Island, who were in turn beholden to the Su Fox Clan.

Which was why she glared at the vixen, hoping that the toxic in her heart was not envy.

Su Nanya took a seat upon her decadent palanquin in her immodest nakedness. Her long legs moved like sweet willows, as she basked the world in her glory under the Twilight Blood Palace's red, black, and green marked flags, a red palace inside a round green forest foliage, all set upon a background of the twilight night sky.

The vixen had a gold-red quilt-like cloth tied around her waist today. Yet the underthing-esque see-through coverings did little to dissuade men from staring at the unfair bounce of her mounds or the demonic sway of her hips. By her side was Ziyou Yung, sharing the same shade of palanquin. The madlander boy was being leaned on like he was an imperial throne on which only a queen could lay her body, yet he was making strange gestures in the air with a clearly annoyed face.

There he was, not giving anyone but the vixen any face as though he was her equal. While the Twilight Blood Palace took seats a half-step behind them, and their disciples were raging with red faces, their Spark Formation Elder was calmly standing behind Yung and Su Nanya as though he were a mere pawn. The scary maid was also there, fanning the two with an equally neutral expression.

Murmurs rose from all sides, looking at the strange scene. Chun had guessed from Youjin Chao’s recent behaviour that he was aiming to capture the Su Fox Princess's heart.

It was a guilty thought, but she wished he would have bad luck. Just a little.

On the left to the Twilight Blood Palace were the Malignant Moon Sword Sect, headed by Elder Han Xinglou. They sat under a flag of a silver sword bisecting a crescent moon in half.

And there he was, the hated Duan Louheng. The youth stared at her with flames in his eyes, but Chun averted her gaze with an equal fire burning in her depths. She did not want to deal with the Duan heir now. But her lips were bleeding, and her father showed a worried expression.

On the Twilight Blood Palace’s right were the Selenosilver Valley, who made their base around the Moonvalley Trade City area where phase two and three would be held this year. Chun’s uncle was there, laughing loudly with his sectmates. Their icon was also a moon, but it was silver and showed only a third quarter, with the left side of the moon showing in vivid details but the right side obscured by a twilight fog. They had a historical bad relationship with the Malignant Moon Sword Sect, but according to many scrolls, these two were descendants of the same unnamed sect which perished thousands of years ago.

Duan Louheng’s bid for her heart was also partly to alleviate this tension, yet selfish as she might seem, she no longer wanted to be a pawn to such politics. Instead, she would willingly slave away to be a pawn to her heart’s desires! Consequently, the Selenosilver Valley could never accept her into their ranks if they, in the future, still intended to resolve their conflict with the Malignant Moon Sword Sect through words rather than swords.

The final two of the Big Five were the Victorious Tide Island, located near the ocean to the northwest, and they were a direct offshoot of the Azure Deep Island. And the Dawn Dragon Throne, the premier alliance of noble clans in the region. The richest of the five, and according to hearsay (her uncle), also the organization with the greatest local power.

Beneath the amphitheatre, a pedestal stood at the centre, its stairs descending towards the starting point of the aspiring candidates' line. It was set up with ivory wood and ebony steel, with an artifact that looked like a floating sphere rotating slowly, crystalline, sparkling like water on a sunny day. This was the orb that would divine bone age and spirit root affinity, dashing dreams for most yet giving a select few a taste of heaven. Above it, far up in the sky, was a huge mirror cast out by some strange light transmission token, and it seemed to cover the market square entirely. It showed the stage with clear details for all residents of the city to spectate. Most would have to get on the roofs for a clear line of sight, but by the murmurs in the crowd, it wasn’t too big a price to pay.

Chun worried about how many houses would collapse, but then shooed away the silly thought. Her mood turning sombre again.

This screen was a last-minute addition by the Fox Princess, or so they said. Seeing the small fortune fox totem drawn on the top right corner of the mirror, she knew who the real culprit was.

Chun admitted, she did not like Ziyou Yung. He had no respect for authority and spat on tradition like it was a doormat. But, but! She could not lie to herself. She decided not to lie to her heart any longer.

It was another guilty thought, but she dearly wished the boy would woo the Fox Princess successfully, giving her Elder Brother Chao some much needed bad luck. Just a little.

"Chao'er is here," Youjin Liu said, snapping her out from her devilish thoughts.

Chun looked where his gaze landed, and saw the tall, handsome boy in line, about fifty people away from the start, standing with the dirty harlot Ling. Her eyes met his, but Chun saw obvious disregard as Youjin Chao cast his gaze towards Su Nanya. The vixen had joined Yung in making strange gestures in the air, with an equally annoyed face.

Chun had tried many times to speak with Youjin Chao in the recent days, but the boy ignored her like she was made of sand. Chun held back her tears and looked at the beginning of the line. She did not know why, but her mind needed to be occupied lest the tears fell again.

The nervous tick on the first girl’s face was palpable to all. Chun recognized the girl. She was the daughter of the Dim Gold Hotel manager, working as a waitstaff there. She might have gotten the first spot because her home was literally across the street.

Many aspirants had camped nearby throughout the night for an earlier spot. The ones who came early might have wanted to get the tension over with, as soon as possible. And the ones who took their time, well, Chun didn’t know what they were thinking.

The line was not really first come first serve, though. As the host clan, the Youjin talents—the ones who wished to go to the sects rather than remain under the tutelage of the clan directly—would go first, with Chun at the forefront. Doing this meant giving up her position as heiress to the clan, but Chun would not second-guess her decision. About half of the Youjin clanskin of qualified age would take the test, as they did in every sect recruitment in recent history. Later in their lives, if they wanted to retire and return, they could take on an elder position. But never as the clan patriarch.

Although for ridiculous talents like Duan Louheng, these strict clan rules were apparently negotiable, as the hateful man yet retained his official status as a the Duan heir despite being a legacy disciple.

Chun took a deep breath. She had talked with the scary Fox Yao maid the previous week. The Blood Spirit contract would not give her a free pass into the Twilight Blood Palace.

She would need to prove herself, just as Ziyou Yung needed to too, despite being Su Nanya’s ‘Servant dearest.’ Chun found it profoundly unfair that the Madlander boy would get spoon-fed resources by the indecorous Fox Princess, despite fully acknowledging that she herself was a product of such unfair advantages. There was something wrong, seeing a madlander receive such gifts. Something dirty and untouchable—like a slap on the face.

Phase one will take the whole day. The last of the darkness left from the sky, and the gong that heralded the morn resounded through the town.

The Dawn Dragon Throne representative, a woman with violet hair and a short frame, took in the final wisps of the violet qi from the east with calm breaths, as did all the other disciples of the organization. She was the Flareful Empress, a bona fide Xiantian 1st realm Yuanqi cultivator, a Dao Vessel powerhouse. She was also the empress dowager of the largest of the seventeen kingdoms and empires of the Warring Twilight Region.

The Flareful Empress cast a glance at the indecorous princess. She narrowed her eyes, then opened her pale, violet lips.

"Honorable Fairy Su," she called Su Nanya with picture-perfect manners, "This old woman has a question she would like to ask. We ask for permission and are deeply apologetic for our insolence."

"You may speak," Su Nanya replied.

"I must admit, our sect recruitments are indeed a grand venture. We come together once every five years to celebrate our culture and traditions. However, I cannot help but wonder, why on earth would the Honorable Fairy Su want to associate her esteemed name with these dark-skinned savages? It is truly beyond me." The Flareful Empress's voice was carried by the wind for all to hear.

There was something proper in that statement, and something honourable in her courage to directly question the vixen royal.

As expected of the Flareful Empress. She won’t let any wrongs go by, not to us nobles. Chun felt cathartic, despite knowing that the Flareful Empress’s words could very well null the much treasured Su Fox Clan Blood Spirit Contract. She could not help it, her brain scolded her with logical admonishment, yet her heart sung, hearing basic truths be defended as was fitting.

She sighed, and her raven eyes looked down below.

The many hundreds of Madlanders standing in line, ready to take the sect recruitments for the first time in known history, recoiled in unison. It was an emotional thing, as though the very joy and hope that all these dirty monkeys’ felt were sucked away, and all they could do was flinch. As did Ziyou Maque, seated with his lot at the lowest step of the amphitheatre.

The insufferable Ziyou Ling had hatred in her eyes as she looked at the Flareful Empress. The harlot said something to Elder Brother Chao, but the tall boy shook his head, and Ziyou Ling’s eyes went wide in shock. The madlander girl glanced at the amphitheatre, and her gaze crossed Chun’s.

Chun smiled sweetly, and then she looked away. No need to humour mutts for long.

The Flareful Empress finished her piece. The vast majority of the clans, such as the Duan, Zheng, and even Baishui, who had sent a representative despite their recent disgrace, bared their fangs with the Flareful Empress at the lead, their righteous indignation pouring out like a noble flood.

"Indeed," echoed an old minister from the Xiyue clan, "Madlanders are notorious for sowing discord and causing chaos wherever they go. As a proud member of the Westmoon Kingdom, I can say that we have already done enough by providing them with land to live on. I cannot fathom why we should even consider sharing our precious treasures and resources with these ungrateful snakes who may very well turn around and bite the hand that feeds them. It is simply preposterous! Look at how they evicted the noble Baishui from their lands, look at how they scheme and plot!"

"While I hold no ill will towards Fairy Su and her judgement, recent history has shown us that the Madlanders cannot be trusted. For we have paid in blood when we were foolish enough to do so. They orchestrated a rebellion in our Lunar Bird Dukedom seven years ago. If not for the Dawn Dragon Throne, then…" There was a treble of furious justice in this calm voice, and Chun recognized the speaker as part of the Lunar Bird ducal family. The young man continued with a raised fist, "It is no secret that they have a history of causing trouble and unrest wherever they go. I believe it is only right to be suspicious of their motives and to take any necessary precautions to protect ourselves and our domains from their harmful influence."

More dissident voices rose up, but the façade of politeness was maintained. They were trying to shame the Madlanders but not offend the vixen. Chun closed her eyes, smiling. In her heart, she kept agreeing with every word spoken, so she hid her expression lest her sin be known.

The likes of Ziyou Ling were thieving cats. And the likes of Ziyou Yung were men without shame and honour, only to know how to take advantage and repay goodwill with snide words.

But soon, Chun realized something was wrong. It had been some time since the last noble had voiced their grievances, but as was tradition, Su Nanya hadn’t given her subjects a reply. Neither had Ziyou Yung, who was known for his snide remarks.

She looked up at the Madlander boy to gauge his reaction, and gaped, not believing her eyes.

Ziyou Yung ceased his peculiar hand movements, freezing in an unnatural pose reminiscent of a broken puppet. Lost in deep contemplation, as though the tsunami of rightful words had overwhelmed his small mind.

Yet, that wasn’t it, as his brows furrowed, and his eyes rolled back as he emitted a peculiar, soft groan, with fast marionette-like twitches of his limbs. Engaged in an eccentric act as if to slap every high-born there, he meticulously cleaned his ears using a cotton-tipped feather, sighing with pleasure as his fingers rolled the plume.