Long ago, when the first generation of humans had come into conflict, they had decided to settle their problems with a tournament.
Two sides, one area, and victory or loss.
The winners were right while the losers were wrong.
That is the way of life.
That is how it’s always been, and that is how it shall remain.
After all, order is righteousness.
Or so they say.
Gu Xuanming stood firm before the arena, surrounding it like the many other participants of the examination.
The location itself was in the forest, where guards had the spot surrounded to prevent any spirit beasts from attacking them.
This test was already proven to be difficult, as your participation was determined over the month.
Examined by your master, they would determine if you were fit to participate in the exam.
Should you not show promise, you were forbidden from participating, which means you failed your first examination and only 2 more in a row before you were kicked out.
It was a heavy blow to those without talent.
Even Nangong Xuanhe had just barely managed to be accepted despite his C-grade talent, invoking envy from the other C grades and lower.
Gu Xuanming was clad in a brand-new attire, which came from the support package his father had sent him today.
While his hair was still long, he now had a bun on top of his head with a hair stick; the robe was black, and the layer over that was red.
He also wore a strange face mask made of golden coins brought together by a small red rope.
This was the other martial attire of his father, one created when his father turned 80 years old.
It was created with the intent of unpredictability.
This is because, unlike everyone else, whose sleeves were small, Gu Xuanming’s were large, making it harder to predict where he would swing next.
It also allowed him to hide the kunai within his sleeves.
Gu Xuanming held the same expressionless face, a gaze that held no light; looking over at his brother, impressed that he even managed to pass.
‘My brother passed.
I find it impressive, although I still don’t understand some things.’
Gu Xuanming thought about the fast growth of his brother over the years.
Every day, he fought his brother, and with each day, his brother seemed to grow stronger each time.
He seemed to learn martial techniques in one day; he was able to learn how to use different weapons in mere minutes; it was all strange to him.
Regardless, he was still confident he could beat his brother.
By the platforms near the area, sat the elders and master of the sect.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of talent within the village, only 6 elders were in the sect.
Gu Xuanming spotted both Xu Changfeng and Luo Jingyuan seated on the platform.
But the other ones were unfamiliar to him.
Next to the other two was Mu Lingfeng, a tall beauty with long brown hair, dressed in pale yellow robes and a white hanfu under, with white slippers, with a very beautiful face.
Glancing at the center, Jiang Haotia sat on the higher seat, almost like a king of sorts.
On the other side, however, he started to feel a heavy presence.
Gu Xuanming could recognize that the other three were vastly superior to the ones training the outer disciples.
Feng Qingwu was also sitting with the other servants of the respective clans.
Gu Xuanming was lined up with the other outer disciples, all of them prepared to fight and take the spot of an inner disciple.
An inner disciple was someone who showed immense promise.
Whether they won or lost didn’t matter, as what mattered was how well you performed.
Naturally, those with high talent could easily pass, while those with low talent, you could guess.
The sect master stood up, looking down at the current disciples who were participating.
“Hmmm, there are certainly a lot of nice talents here.”
That is…certainly odd.’
‘Wasn’t he a C-grade talent?’
‘I mean, he is a late C-grade talent, so I guess it’s possible, and from what I’ve heard from Luo Jingyuan, he was working the hardest.’
‘It certainly wouldn’t be impossible for him to pass, unlike the others.
There’s also the fact of quick growth.’
‘If he happens to pass, I’ll tell these three to keep track of him; if not, then I’ll tell the others to keep doing what they were doing.’
‘The real interest is Gu Xuanming, however.’
Jiang Haotia looked over at Gu Xuanming, noting his new look after only a month.
While he still possessed eyes darker than darkness, his hair grew out a little, and with a new robe to fit him.
He felt like something was up, like he was missing something.
It was a sudden and random feeling.
No…
No, he was wrong.
It wasn’t so sudden, but a feeling that had been building up over the month.
He didn’t want Gu Xuanming to pass despite how he first thought.
He always wanted to give Gu Xuanming the benefit of the doubt, but over the month, he felt like something was building.
He would watch as Qing Yuru trained Gu Xuanming with such dangerous enthusiasm that it made him wonder if his demonic urges would surface, of course, assuming he had such urges as Jiang Haotia thought.
Regardless, it wasn’t like he could stop the examination.
He stood up out of his chair and cleared his throat.
“Welcome, outer disciplines!
As I’m sure you were all made aware, today is your examination, and this day shall determine if you are to rise in the ranks of martial arts.”
“All of you here have already reached your first star, so all of you are on equal terms.
Of course, when it comes to skill, that is a whole different discussion.”
“Regardless, you stand here ready to fight for your families and to prove to them and the world, and even the heavens themselves that you are worthy of their power!”
The sect master then took his seat.
Looking over to his left, Xu Changfeng had passed a piece of paper to him, holding the names of everyone currently there.
“Interesting matchups.” He looked over at Xu Changfeng before looking back to the disciples.
“First up, Bai Zhenyu vs Gu Xuanming!”
Gu Xuanming glanced up, hearing his name.
His expression remained indifferent to the situation, choosing to continue forward.
He walked to the right end of the arena while Bai Zhenyu went to the left.
He was clad in a martial attire that was made with more fashion, if anything else.
There was very little thought put into giving someone an advantage like Gu Xuanming’s attire.
“Brother Wuxin, trust me, I’ll reach your level soon!”
His brother, Bai Wuxin, was even taller, with long black hair as well, clad in a black robe, but with a silver sword by his side.
His stoic eyes met Gu Xuanming’s for a brief moment.
Bai Wuxin’s eyes immediately narrowed, and for the first time, Gu Xuanming felt a sense of danger from someone.
His eyes briefly widened, realizing the threat this person posed.
He didn’t know who he was, but whoever he was, he needed to be wary and be sure to avoid him.
Looking back at Bai Zhenyu, he unsheathed his weapon.
Shing—
“Oh ho ho!
You like using exotic weapons, I assume?”
Bai Zhenyu dramatically unsheathed his iron weapon, pointing it towards the sky.
In just one moment, he had shown how unprofessional he was with his weapon.
Gu Xuanming looked at the elders.
He could immediately see their disappointed gazes; some even shook their heads, holding no faith in Bai Zhenyu.
Bai Zhenyu, on the other hand, felt hollow satisfaction in his cringey act.
The sword itself was rather plain, nothing unique, other than lacking a hilt.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about you.
People say you’re a demon in disguise.
Others say you’re cruel to your brothers.”
[Brothers = Classmates]
“Well, regardless, I will beat you.
After all, unlike everyone else here, I’ve already formed my second constellation!”
The disciples began to murmur amongst each other.
They didn’t realize that someone had already reached the second constellation of their first stars.
That was a major achievement in a month.
It meant he could now execute techniques on the elite level, and he hasn’t even become an inner disciple yet.
It was truly the mark of genius!
That was the one thing on everyone’s mind.
Everyone except Gu Xuanming, who didn’t even budge.
Xu Changfeng shook his head, feeling embarrassed that he had to teach such a kid.
He was even hoping this kid would be accepted as an inner disciple; it would take a lot off his hands.
He walked up to the arena, looking left, then right, making sure both sides were ready.
The wind blew as both opponents stared each other down.
It was as if the world was responding to their battle.
“Ready… Set… Fight!”
Bang—
The first sound made was the destruction of the floor beneath Bai Zhenyu.
With his first action, he had left an imprint in the ground, moving faster than the wind that blew, almost like it was carrying him!
Gu Xuanming took a deep breath, gaining a deep understanding of his first constellation.
It was nearly complete; he just needed to push a little further if he wished to reach his second constellation, but there was something missing.
What he was missing; that was the question.
For the past month, he had been training to augment his muscles in all sorts of ways, some useful, others not so much.
The point was that he was at the peak of his first constellation, with very little understanding of how to push himself further.
Gu Xuanming raised his weapon and parried the first strike!
The other disciples were shocked to see him parry it!
It was as if Bai Zhenyu had disappeared from the world, yet Gu Xuanming parried him in an instant!
“Not bad.” Bai Zhenyu said with a smirk.
In his mind, he praised Gu Xuanming’s quick feet and reflexes.
He could tell Gu Xuanming was really ready to fight.
The moment the attack came, he changed his footing, allowing him not only to block but also to keep his position; after all, speed was also strength.
After a long silence between the two, combat went underway!