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  “Ahem. Young boys and girls, congratulations on passing the initial screening. You may all call me Elder Wang. I am in charge of today’s recruitment. It takes a long time to process the people stepping up to the stage. As such, we perform these tests in groups of twenty, and in the order which people arrive. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the contents of the test, but in the interest of fairness and for the sake of the crowd, I’ll have the next person in line come forward as I explain the process.”

  As Elder Wang finished speaking, a young boy nervously stepped up, stated his name—Ling Xiao Hou—and gave a short bow.

  “The first test is the test of talent. Please step onto this formation circle.” Elder Wang paused to give the youth enough time to walk to the middle of the formation. “As you can all see, this formation has five circles, with the inner circle representing a Grade 1 talent and the outer circle being a Grade 5 talent.”

  He reached forward and pressed on a stone stele situated beside him. The formation started glowing, and the two center circles lit up. The youngster stepped off the formation once Elder Wang motioned his hand.

  “Grade 2, average talent. Approximately ninety percent of admitted students are evaluated as Grade 1 or 2 talents. Nine percent of students are Grade 3 talents, and another 0.9% are Grade 4 talents. The remaining one of every thousand is a Grade 5 talent, and we evaluate about one or two per year.”

  The group of examinees and the crowd let out loud gasps. Such a disparity in talent was terrifying. It made the new recruits realize that they would, in all likelihood, be relegated to the dregs of the cultivation world. They would never amount to much more than foraging in the woods or joining the city guard. After giving the students some time to absorb this information, Elder Wang continued his explanation.

  “The next test is the test of affinity. Each prospective student must go into this affinity-testing formation. While not exhaustive, this affinity formation evaluates the different affinities you might be proficient with. Some affinities are rarer than others. The affinities tested for in this formation are the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water; the minor space-time elements, light and darkness; and the three balance elements: wind, lightning, and fate. One of every ten people will have two affinities, one of every hundred have three, one of every thousand have four, and one of every ten thousand have five. Note that this only applies to the five elements—combinations with the other elements are much rarer and not worth mentioning for now.” As he finished speaking, Elder Wang once again gestured to the youngster. “Ling Xiao Hou, step into this star-shaped formation.”

  The student followed his instructions and stepped into the formation. The five elements were imprinted into the center in the shape of a star within a circle, as per traditional Chinese five-element theory. The five other elements formed five independent stars outside the circle and were each represented by a crystal. The boy stood for half a minute before the upper green point of the star lit up, glowing with an emerald light.

  “Ling Xiao Hou, wood element!” intoned Elder Wang.

  The wood element was not very exciting, but it was the mainstay of Green Leaf Academy and Green Leaf City. Wood-element practitioners could be employed to grow and collect various herbs, which accounted for half the city’s income. Xiao Hou clearly knew this and was quite pleased with himself. With this result, he could feed his whole family for the foreseeable future without getting into any significant danger.

  “Next, the test of soul,” said Elder Wang. “Most people who go through this test will have a test result of one, while perhaps one percent of participants will have a result of five to ten. Those with innate soul talent are by definition born with outstanding souls, so mediocre readings between two and four are almost unseen. Soul talent is especially useful for the various professions, such as talisman craftsmen, formation masters, spiritual blacksmiths, spiritual doctors, and the most prestigious occupation: alchemists.

  “These professions also require specific elemental combinations, and so potential talents in these occupations are rather rare. Talisman craftsmen and formation specialists have no specific elemental requirements. Healers require dual affinities in water and wood, and while soul force is not a strict requirement, healers with innate soul talent have the potential to become spiritual doctors. Spiritual blacksmiths are physically strong and require fire and metal affinities. Alchemists require wood and fire affinities and innate spiritual talent of seven and higher. Those with results of five and six will at best become apothecaries, who assist the alchemists.

  “This test is difficult to explain, so Xiao Hou will demonstrate it for you. Xiao Hou, please step onto the soul formation.”

  As Elder Wang requested, the youth stepped onto a complex formation shaped like a turtle with a snake as a tail. His face paled.

  “This formation will extract all available soul power and circulate it around you as a force field. This soul field is very effective at levitating these silver pearls etched with soul runes. I have a set of ten soul pearls; it is fundamentally impossible for a non-cultivating body to accommodate more than ten soul pearls. This formation would not have let you through if you had condensed qi, so we know the test represents innate soul power.”

  The silver pearl drifted from his hand and floated toward the formation, where it orbited around Xiao Hou. Once the orbit had stabilized, Elder Wang threw another silver pearl at the soul field, which shattered and dropped both pearls on the ground.

  “Innate Soul Level 1,” Elder Wang announced dispassionately. This result was far too common, and so it was his least favorite test. It was, however, a requirement, and as such he would perform the test meticulously. A sweep of his hand brought the two pearls back to their pouch. He then motioned for Ling Xiao Hou to stand off to the side.

  The following twelve tests were uneventful. The thirteenth test participant, a young boy named Meng Chun, was discovered to be a Grade 4 talent, with dual wood and fire affinities and a Soul Level of seven. He was immediately recruited by a representative of the alchemist guild—this specialty was far too rare and very lucrative. Understandably, they could also make the highest offer. Meng Chun would study in Green Leaf Academy while working part-time as an apprentice alchemist. He would be sent off to the capital for further training once he reached foundation establishment.

  Finally, the nineteenth test participant stepped up. He sighed once upon the platform. Cha Ming was very curious about this youth and the results he would achieve in the test. The white-clad youth clasped his hands politely and bowed toward the elder.

  “Zhou Li greets Elder Wang,” the young boy said respectfully.

  Elder Wang startled slightly, as he was familiar with the name. The Zhou family was very influential and domineering in Green Leaf City. The elder quickly adjusted his attitude and politely gestured for Zhou Li to step onto the talent formation. Elder Wang’s hand shook slightly as he pressed onto the stone stele.

  Suddenly, the talent formation lit up like a brilliant sun. The five bright circles were fully lit, and each circle was more brilliant than the last. The audience was temporarily blinded before the formation faded. The audience let out a soft gasp.

  Grade 5 talent! More importantly, he was a part of the Zhou family. It was only a matter of time before he matured. The full support of the Zhou family would ensure that another earth-shakingly powerful figure stood at the peak of Green Leaf City. The people in the special seats began to pay close attention. Zhou Li’s expression remained unperturbed as he walked toward the next formation.

  Elder Wang was practically trembling at this point, and he became even more polite as he directed Zhou Li to the affinity-testing formation. A half minute after Zhou Li stepped onto the formation, two crystals began to shine brightly. The first was fire, which on its own was quite ordinary. The second, however, was the rarest of all: fate!

  The crowd immediately began murmuring to each other. Fate was a very rare affinity. In fact, the royal f
amily had dominated the capital city through the powers of fire and fate for a few millennia. Fate was very strong on its own; a fate cultivator was also known as an oracle, and such a person could guide a nation through droughts and disasters, quell rebellions before they occurred, and directly add to the fortune of the people leading the kingdom.

  The now-silent Elder Wang’s face became serious when Zhou Li calmly stepped onto the soul testing formation. As Zhou Li’s face paled, a turbid cloud started whirling around him. One silver pearls, two, three. The soul pearls orbited around him one after another, after which nine pearls finally revolved around him. Would he achieve a perfect result? The crowd waited silently for the final result.

  Finally, Elder Wang, tossed the last pearl, and it shattered the soul field, and all ten pearls tumbled toward the ground. The youth didn’t seem to be surprised in the very least. Innate Soul Level 9!

  While it was not quite a perfect result, its rarity couldn’t be questioned. Not even one in ten million people could achieve such a result. As the proud Zhou Li left the platform, the heads of various organizations rushed up to him to make him offers. Even the pretentious alchemist association would want to rope in someone like him, and he couldn’t even become an alchemist.

  The bickering continued as Elder Wang looked around nervously. He wanted to finish the last test, but he dared not interrupt the attention Zhou Li was gathering. Even the school head was trying to get Zhou Li’s attention, and Elder Wang certainly did not want to get fired. The bickering quelled after another quarter hour had passed, and the sound of someone clearing his throat echoed from the golden pavilion and silenced everyone. Not a single person dared utter a word. Once everyone was quiet, a man’s voice sounded out.

  “Zhou Li is hereby issued an invitation from the royal family’s head oracle to become his closed-door disciple. This humble envoy was already aware of this result before coming, and I hereby request all other parties not to haggle with this lowly one.”

  Silence followed. It was difficult to compete with an invitation from the royal family. The only chance the other parties had was is if Zhou Li declined the royal family’s invitation. Even then, how could they pit themselves against the royal family? Trying to recruit him now would surely incur the wrath of Heaven upon their respective organizations. Zhou Li looked toward the pavilion with his usual dispassionate gaze.

  “This humble one sensed that I should take part in this test, and destiny has clearly brought me here. Who am I to argue with destiny? Of course, I gladly accept your invitation.” Zhou Li then bowed and made his way to the pavilion.

  Following the awkward silence, Elder Wang realized that Cha Ming still hadn’t taken the three tests yet. He gestured hurriedly for him to step up and get it out of the way. Standing on the platform had gotten extremely uncomfortable since the last testing, and he couldn’t wait to step out and take a breather.

  * * *

  1 The status of Elder is very revered in Chinese culture. It is a very ageist concept, and members of the younger generation are expected to revere and obey their elders without question. In Wuxia or Asian fantasy novels, this title extends to “senior cultivators.” Seniority, in this sense, is independent of age and completely dependent on progress in the cultivation world.

  Chapter 4: Cultivation Technique

  Du Cha Ming let out a depressed sigh as he noticed the severe lack of attention he was getting on stage. Even a decent result would get overshadowed by Zhou Li’s outstanding result. He shifted his gaze toward the carriage as he felt a burning stare pierce through him once more.

  Interesting, he thought. Despite all the attention he is getting, Zhou Li is still watching me.

  Cha Ming smirked as he made his way to the center of the talent testing formation. Elder Wang impatiently pressed his hand on the stone stele, and three circles lit up.

  “Grade 3 talent, above average,” Elder Wang intoned once again. Seeing that no one was paying attention, Cha Ming moved on to the elemental affinity formation. A half minute later, a strange sight appeared.

  Five glowing lights lit up around Cha Ming, connected by a white circle and inscribed with a black star. Five crystals. Elder Wang was quite shocked. Not even one in ten thousand people had this configuration, and while it was not unheard of, like Zhou Li’s result, it was quite rare. The result briefly took away a little of Zhou Li’s attention among the academic staff. But their distracted attitude meant that they didn’t notice how unusual his result really was. Affinity to the five elements didn’t usually light up the circle and the star.

  While a Grade 3 talent was worth paying attention to, especially with so many choices on how to cultivate, the different organizations were hesitant to make any firm commitments. This was because while he had the greatest ability to choose, there were certain optimal configurations for each department. For example, the alchemy department would want someone to dual cultivate wood and fire, and it was unknown whether he had significant innate soul force. He was also only a Grade 3.

  Once Elder Wang got over his shock, he ushered Cha Ming forward to the soul testing formation. As Cha Ming turned pale, a white cloud even thicker than Zhou Li’s sprung out. Perhaps twenty to twenty-five percent of people were now paying attention to his results instead of Zhou Li’s. After all, he did not have an outstanding affinity like fate.

  One by one, the soul pearls were added to the formation by Elder Wang. One, two, three, finally up to eight. This result pleased Cha Ming. When everyone thought that was the limit, a ninth pearl was added to the soul field. Cha Ming’s result was now as good as Zhou Li’s! It was a pity that he was only a Grade 3 talent, otherwise his results would have been just as outstanding as Zhou Li’s.

  Finally, Elder Wang tossed in the last of the ten soul testing pearls as a formality. Elder Wang and the audience waited for the inevitable shattering sound, but in the end, the sound didn’t come. Elder Wang rubbed his eyes as he realized that all ten soul pearls were still orbiting Du Cha Ming.

  “Innate Soul Level: 10!” he exclaimed. This result was inconceivable and exceeded that of Zhou Li’s. The crowd started loudly discussing the result, trying to determine whether Du Cha Ming or Zhou Li was more outstanding. After a full five minutes of discussion, the audience came to the conclusion that, while his result was very rare, it was a pity that his talent was so low.

  What shocked Elder Wang the most was not his soul talent but the combination of his talent grade and an affinity for all five elements.

  First, perhaps only one out of ten thousand people would have an affinity for five elements, not considering talent. This alone, combined with his full innate soul talent, was just as rare as Zhou Li’s result.

  Typically, Full Innate Soul Force manifests itself within Grade 4 or 5 talent. Grade 3 cultivation talents with Grade 10 innate soul talent were basically unheard of. So despite his results being a thousand times rarer than Zhou Li’s, it just came across as disappointing. Normally he would have attracted quite a bit of attention, but compared to the previous result, it was lackluster. No one from the various factions was willing to discuss an offer with him.

  Looking to clear up the awkward atmosphere, Elder Wang decided to take initiative. “You have a very rare set of talents, young man. However, all of the various representatives will likely wait until you have made a decision on which elements to cultivate. You should bear in mind what interests you before you make a decision, and once you have made your choice, these representatives will likely want to speak with you. That being said, you have been accepted into Green Leaf Academy as a Grade 3 talent, and your future will surely be very promising!”

  Smiling, Elder Wang gave Cha Ming his bronze identity badge and ushered the group off the stage. They were to meet up at the academy gates tomorrow morning. As Cha Ming walked off the stage, he couldn’t help but notice that same burning gaze latched onto him again.

  “It’s a pity his cultivation talent is so low,” said a man in gilded armor from within
the golden pavilion. He shook his head in disappointment. Zhou Li didn’t care about the amount of attention he had gathered, or how much Cha Ming had taken away from it. After all, he had told his family that this dog and pony show wouldn’t amount to much. Only now did he realize that the reason was not because the people didn’t care about him, but that the one who came after him would take away from the attention his family had hoped to gather.

  “Protector Song, I predict that this young man is not so simple,” said the armored man. “He is, after all, the only person who has been able to obscure my eyes of fate.”

  Protector Song gave Zhou Li a surprised look. Those with Zhou Li’s unique talents would be able to predict the fate of almost anyone at their own level of cultivation. Anyone whose destiny was obscured was a very rare individual. Only people like them would be able to make true choices in life. Everyone else was just going with the flow.

  “Let’s go to the capital, Protector Song. After all, fate is a funny thing. It plays with people and pulls them around. It makes people love and it makes people cry.” Zhou Li took one last look at Cha Ming before leaving. Elder Song followed behind him, still shivering at the words he’d just heard. After all, he had witnessed firsthand how funny “fate” could be.

  As Cha Ming made his way through the parting crowd, he heard a familiar voice yelling out his name. He smiled as he saw the same three figures waving off in the distance. Hong Jin was very surprised by Cha Ming’s performance and had long since taken out a cigarette to ease his nerves. Hong Xin was pouting in the ten-foot smoke cloud that surrounded them. The smoke cloud was devoid of everyone but his children, who were obviously used to these antics.