Their inner sect disciple guide led the group of fifty applicants to an open area with a circle carved into the stone floor. “Everyone in the circle. It’s big enough for more than fifty at a time which is why we group up this way.” Fenghuang Yu heard a few muttered questions and saw some members of their group delaying for whatever reason. Their guide yelled, “Shut up and do what you’re told. Or you can leave a failure, which would be our preference if you cannot even follow the simplest of instructions.”

Yu and Gui Ai stood shoulder to shoulder as they shuffled inside the circle with the other applicants. Everyone managed to get settled a few breaths later, all standing too close together for comfort. Yu was forced to hold Bai and send the basket into her ring. Poor Gui Ai was constantly flinching at all contact but with Yu. All of sudden Yu observed what appeared to be a brightening of light around everyone coming from below causing the shadows of the surrounding faces to be amplified, making everyone look somewhat spooky. Looking down for the source, she saw a glowing white light laid out in what Yu recognized as a formation of some sort with circles, scripts, and swirls. Then there was a bright flash and Yu found herself and the rest of the group in the stifling heat of a dome of some sort with a dirt and stone floor. The room was lit not by lamps, but by bright veins of glowing orange magma that ran along the single-piece wall/ceiling, all seeming to lead to the very top of the dome. All of the magma gathered in a natural-appearing cone of glowing stone and dropped in a flood straight down into what was in the heart of the room, what Yu assumed was the testing center that her master mentioned. A four-story red and gold pagoda, which the magma poured into, stood as the only mark of obvious human creation. Black dragons of various sizes and in various states of motion were carved and painted all over the red walls.

In front of the tower was a woman of middle years in mortal time, her short hair an almost identical blue color to that of the girl who disliked Yu at the entrance, except this woman’s was straight and only to the bottom of her ears. She was dressed in a sect robe showing the opposite colors of the applicants, primarily white with black seams and edges. Her hands were behind her back and she had a neutral expression on her face.

Most of the group members were looking around and speaking in low tones to each other. They were all interrupted when a firm voice that caused Gui Ai to jump called out, “Welcome potentials.” The woman still hadn’t moved anything by her mouth. “There will be no speaking from this point forward without my permission. I am outer sect elder Bao Zhonghua.” Her being an elder explained the robe colors. Recalling something, Yu realized there was a clan at home surnamed Bao. Could it be a branch family? Or it might just have had the same name. “You may call me Elder Bao. I am here to guide you in your testing which will determine if you are worthy of joining this prestigious sect. We only accept those of a certain. . . quality.” There was something of a sneer on her face at that.

Finally, she moved, turning to show the group her right side while her left arm raised to point at the building in front of everyone. “You will notice the testing building. It is a structure that determines your potential. I will not go into how as only a few of you will ever have seen such a thing, never mind entered one.” Her tone was really quite derisive. Was that the kind of snobbery Yu should come to expect from the sect? “All you need to know is that most of you will not meet our strict standards. In most years more than three-quarters of applicants are declined entry due to lack of pedigree, bloodline, or talent.” Pedigree? Bloodline? She was even worse than the sect snobs who visited her father’s palace. Her parents warned her, but this was ridiculous. Who cared as long as they could fight or serve?

Continuing in the tone of someone who smelled something rotten, she said, “Those of you who will inevitably fail will lose your badges at the last test and be escorted out so you don’t pollute this institution. The few of you with the potential to add to the sect will be returned above to your cycle’s three-day Welcoming.”

A few students actually whispered or mumbled at this speech. The woman snapped loudly, “Be silent!” She glared at the group, moving from one face to another. “Any further disruption will result in immediate failure.” Gui Ai scrunched lower as if hiding from her wrath even though she didn’t say a word. The elder continued, “Inside you will face four tests, each being a different measure of your potential. The first floor is your body strengthening quality. The second your meridian type. The third is your Qi purity, and the last is your combat capability. No, we do not care if you are not a combat cultivator, so do not ask. All four tests are judged independently and the results will be stored in your badge.” She pointed at the black dragon medallion on her chest. “You are required to reach certain minimums when added together and individually. So if you have average meridians but extremely pure Qi, you may still pass depending on how you do in the body and combat portions. If you do not meet the minimum standard on any one test, you will fail. Once you complete the final test, your badge will either alight and turn gold for a moment or crumble to dust. I’m sure even you lot can guess which is good and which is not. There is a formation inside the building which will send you to where you should go depending on if you have a badge or not. Before anyone decides to ask and force me to fail them, no, I will not tell you what any of that means. Either you will learn in your classes, or you will not. All results are confidential so do not speak of them until you know what you are talking about. For those of you with bonded beasts, place them on the formation next to the door and they will join you upon exit, pass or fail.”

Having finished her introduction, she walked forward and stood at the foot of the stairs leading to the open doors of the first level. Looking back at the group she ordered, “Line up. Only one student is permitted in at a time so you will follow my directions. When I say to enter, enter and not before.”

Everyone scrambled to line up, Gui Ai standing behind Yu. Yu turned to her and whispered in her ear, which was only reachable because the girl was slouching so much. “You should go first. Then you won’t be alone with the elder while you wait for me.” Gui Ai looked at the elder and then at Yu and shook her head. Yu asked, “Are you sure?” Gui Ai nodded and Yu shrugged.

A tall boy with long straight black hair was in front. The elder asked, “Your name?”

The boy answered, “Gong Mozhi.”

She pointed at the door and instructed him to enter.

He stepped inside the dark entrance and everyone shuffled forward a step. They were all standing there for a dozen breaths while watching the building or looking around at the astounding glowing construct. All eyes were suddenly drawn to the building when a lamp as tall as Yu’s torso hanging on an eve of the bottom floor flashed a white color. Nothing else happened and the elder didn’t react except that her nostrils flared as she watched. About as much time passed again and another white, this time dimmer, flashed on a lamp on the second floor. The third resulted in a similar outcome but the color was grayer. This time the elder sneered openly and shook her head. Only thirty or so breaths later the top lantern, which Yu realized was already lit and glowing yellow, went out for a few breaths, relit itself and the elder said, “Failed. Next.” That entire test took less than two minutes.

***

The process continued as everyone presented their names and then failed for whatever reason. Only a few of the disciples had bound beasts, all were small, and they disappeared from the formation when the last lantern went out. Speaking of the lantern, sometimes the colors were different shades of white and gray, but all eleven failed until the boy with white hair that ran into Yu stood before the elder. Interestingly she didn’t ask him his name. Her lips moved but Yu couldn’t tell what she said. He entered with strong confident strides and shortly after the lamp flashed silver. The elder smiled and nodded to herself. The second floor flashed gold, the third white and the last flashed brighter briefly.

“As expected, a pass,” the elder said. Gui Ai slumped even lower and practically climbed on top of Yu’s back. White hair wasn’t a particularly rare trait so it did not mean anything but that plus the girl’s reaction made Yu think they might be related in some way. Perhaps the girl is from a different line that was not favored? Gui Ai was clearly not interested in talking about it so Yu wouldn’t press. And it didn’t matter to her either way.

A few disciples later there was a pass that surprised the elder. Yu didn’t understand the criteria but the final lamp flared brightly, if not as brightly as for the first passer. The only giveaway was that on the second floor the lamp flashed silver. The others mostly had the same results with white on the first and a light gray on the second.

Eventually, it was Yu’s turn and she answered the call for her name. “Fenghuang Yu, elder.”

Yu’s teacher at home, Grandma Huan, taught her many things about survival, combat, politics, plotting, planning, and generally about Qi. But one of the greatest things she taught was something Yu struggled with for a long time - how to hide her emotions so they did not show on her face and body. In the process of understanding how to control her visible reactions through mastery of her muscles and disciplining her thoughts, she learned about how most humans gave away certain things. All one had to do was know what to look for. What Yu saw in this elder’s face two breaths after she said her name was first the wide eyes of recognition and surprise, followed by the narrowed pupils of strong emotion such as fear or anger. The stiffening of lips and clenching of fists, and eventually the narrowing of those thin and clearly suspicious eyes which scanned Yu from top to bottom, told Yu much about the opinion this elder had of the sect master’s personal disciple.

Clearly, elder Bao remembered hearing about Yu from the headmaster; and just as clearly she did not like it. Either because of what she saw or something else that Yu didn't have knowledge of, the woman looked on with disfavor. Either way, the woman pointed at the open doorway through an obviously clenched jaw, the muscles showing through her light, but not quite pale, skin.

Yu bowed her head and walked forward. The arched double doorway was completely black from the outside. She placed Bai in his basket on the formation, pet him, and whispered that she’ll see him soon. Taking a deep breath she stepped forward. The moment she passed through, she found herself in what might have been an orange glowing cavern like that of the family of the vermillion bird she met over a year ago, except made of wood instead of stone. There were walls and columns filled with various drawings, formations, and whatever else Spiritualists had added to the amazing structure. Was the magma powering this building? That would make sense as something strong certainly had to.

The dry heat was sweltering and Yu began to sweat immediately in her disciple clothes and outer robe. Not wanting to hold everybody up, she scanned the area and found a path beneath her feet that did not glow leading past and around some walls and columns into what she believed was the center of the floor. Interestingly, as she followed it the heat did not increase or decrease. It stayed at a survivable but scorching hot as the nine hells. After following the path for a few torrid breaths, she reached a massive irregular glowing white crystal floating in the middle of the floor. On the other side was a spiral staircase leading up.

Ok. She knew where to go next but now what? Scanning the crystal she saw a large indent in the shape of a right hand. Oh. Walking up she placed her hand in the indent and waited. A moment later Yu felt the oddest sensation. Like something was examining her from her toes to her hair. It started with a slight tingle and then intensified to an itching. Then pinpricks similar to back before she was healed and sat for too long causing her legs would go numb until she moved then they would hurt. Yu grit her teeth but it really wasn’t that bad compared to what she had been through.

“Oh. What do we have here?” a deep male voice echoes through Yu’s head.

Yu blinked and looked around, her hand still in the crystal spot. “Umm. Hello.”

The voice said, “Hello. And what are you exactly?”

Unsure how to answer she said, “I’m Fenghuang Yu and I’m a cultivator. I’m trying to enter the sect.”

“Clearly. But what else?”

Yu had absolutely no idea what that meant. “Nothing else, sir. I’m just trying to enter the sect to learn and become strong.”

“Humph! Nothing indeed. Well, I do enjoy a mystery. Maybe we’ll meet again.”

Yu scrunched her face. Why would she have to come back to the testing center? She asked, “Do you have a name?”

She then heard the voice laughing in her mind. Why was that funny? Whoever was controlling this crystal must have a name. “I do, but I have not been asked in ages. Perhaps I will share it if we meet again.” Then in a bland tone, the voice said, “As per your badge, your results will be private.”

Yu shrugged and said, “Thank you, sir,” just before her hand was pushed away by a force from the crystal and it flashed a golden color. Hopefully, that was good. As no one else showed that color she could not be sure but figured it was at least better than white.

Shrugging, Yu walked around the crystal to the stairs and climbed to the second floor. Once she reached it, she found herself facing an even more unexpected sight than the floating crystal. A set of five wooden pedestals glowing with more lines and drawings than anything Yu had seen yet. Opposite them was another spiral staircase. On all the pedestals appeared to be pearls the size of Yu’s fist and each was a swirling cacophony of mostly white with streaks of different metallic-looking colors. Yu looked around and found a small circle formation in front of each pearl. The formation all the way to the left closest to the stairwell she had just climbed was lit so Yu walked forward and, shrugging, stepped in it. It was much bigger than her, probably so it could accommodate some of the larger cultivators she saw in the group. Why didn’t they actually give instructions? Probably to weed out those who were either too uninformed or timid. Concerned at that thought, Yu hoped Gui Ai would be able to get through it.

Disrupting her thoughts, the pearl in front of her lit up and Yu felt power flood her body. It was not painful, but it felt quite invasive, like fingers crawling all over her insides. Two breaths later the feeling was gone and Yu shuddered as the pearl darkened to black along with the formation beneath her feet. Yu’s eyes widened and she was terrified for a few moments thinking she failed this part of the test. What would happen? Would she be sent back home?

Her anxiety calmed when the formation next to her in front of the next pedestal was lit. Letting out a breath and nearly wilting from relief, she stepped over and stood in it. The same feeling invaded her body, but even more invasive and the same result happened. Yu immediately looked over to the next formation, still nervously hoping she didn’t somehow mess it up. Once again it lit up. This repeated for the next pearl and the next as well. Yu was biting her lip now. What would happen if the last pearl didn’t like her either? Tentatively, she stepped inside and that invasion of power repeated itself, this time it crawled through her and made her shudder. The pearl in front of her didn’t turn black, although it did darken. The white dimmed and a gentle violet began to show through the swirling pearl. It became a deeper violet until the strong color showed through and flashed brightly once, causing the entire orange room to be highlighted in purple for a blink.

“Aren’t you an oddity,” a female voice said in her mind.

Not again. Yu said, “Hello.”

“Whoever did that to your meridians accomplished something I haven’t seen in ages. Who did it?” Yu could swear that voice contained not just curiosity, but a trace of. . . fear?

Yu’s meridians were a sensitive topic so she only said, “Oh. Umm, my name is Fenghuang Yu. What’s yours?”

“Whoever did that may want them back one day. Hopefully, you will be long gone when that happens. Now get out.” As below, in a bland voice it said, “As per your badge, your results will be private.”

Then all the pearls returned to their original swirling white and the formations started again at the beginning. Yu shook her head and moved to the stairs figuring whoever the elders or whoever were running the tower were odd. Considering her meridians were an “oddity” because of a weird encounter with a beast who sadly died, she was pretty sure nobody gave them to her, nor would they be asking for them back.