Long Bingwen lowered the sword and Yu saw more flying beasts than she could count landing, hovering, and gliding both towards and away from the island. They were all waiting for their opportunity to land and let off their charges or leave after having accomplished it. Yu could see orderly lines forming leading to numerous tables with prospective students being spoken to about something. Yu saw an occasional colored flash of a partial Sign at the tables. Her master bypassed the beast landing area and lines of disciples to fly directly towards a group of clearly older students wearing black with red instead of white seams and edges. They were supervising and giving directions to the many others who appeared to be registering the applicants.

He stopped and lowered down the sword. One of the students looked livid and stomped forward screaming, “What in the nine hells do you think you are doing? Get your ass back to-” It was at this point that the student saw the golden garbed man standing tall. His madman visage was back and he looked around fascinated by what was going on.

“Sect leader!” yelped the yelling young man. Then he knelt and all the current students did the same, no matter their level. Then a sort of wave happened and all the prospective students did as well. Yu heard a lot of whispering taking place, the words “Sect leader” the primary spoken, but a few others throughout, including “Who’s the girl?”

Well, there went her anonymity.

Her master said, “Yes yes. Who are you again? Never mind. I don’t care. This-” He looked to her left and saw no one. “Well, what are you doing back there you nincompoop? Get up here!”

Yu picked up Bai’s basket and scrambled forward. “I’m sorry, master.”

“Shut up.” Then he asked Yu, “Where was I?”

Yu answered, “You were introducing me and giving instructions, Master.”

“Yes, thank you. Now didn’t I tell you to shut up? Get off my sword this instant!”

Yu leaped off and landed smoothly, not jostling Bai.

“You, whoever you are, this is my personal disciple. Get her started and do it by yourself.” Then he turned in a circle and said, “Where did you go now?”

“I’m down here, master,” Yu called back up. At this point, Yu heard some laughter and muttering.

“Well, what in the hells are you doing there? I was supposed to introduce you! Oh never mind.” Then he looked around and seemed baffled. “Where was I going now?”

Yu yelled again, “Home master. Up that big island way up high?”

“Ah yes. Well, goodbye, whoever you all are.” Then he and the sword vanished into thin air. No sound or light. Just there one moment and gone the next.

Then she shook her head and turned to the older students and said, “Umm. Hello. I guess I need to register for the testing?”

All the students had returned to standing and were staring at Yu. The original one who yelled at her master and received specific instructions cleared his throat and said, “Yes. Right. Let’s get you registered. Follow me and we can send you through to the testing.”

A lovely young woman student in the same black and red with ocean blue curly hair to her shoulders stomped up the student who was helping her and said, “She should go to the back of the line, Wong Jai.”

He looked at the girl and asked in a whispered hiss, “Are you mad? That is the clan leader’s personal disciple.” Yu said nothing, waiting to see what happened.

She spit back, “Who cares? He probably already forgot about her. Look at her. She’s just some bumpkin child he picked up off the street. Can she even cultivate? For all we know she is a mortal.”

“It doesn’t matter, Bao Jun. He told me to do it myself and I will follow instructions from the head of our sect.” Then turning to Yu said pleasantly, “Follow me, please.”

Yu bowed to him and said, “Thank you, senior.”

Bao Jun’s beautiful dark eyes narrowed and she glared at Yu the entire time she followed Wong Jai. He took her to a table and set a jade tablet on top. He looked at her and said, “I see you already have your badge. You can just tap it against the jade to speed things along. We do this to verify age and cultivation stage. Nobody above sixteen or below Formation with a single meridian can join.” Yu nodded and removed it from her outer robe, tapped it to the tablet which glowed white, and then reattached it to herself. That was handy.

He picked it up and looked it over. Then he blinked at it, then at her then back at the tablet. “Are you-” Then he stopped himself, coughed, and said, “Welcome to the Black Dragon Sect.” He tapped his medallion to the tablet and it emptied of whatever it held and was blank once again.

Yu bowed and said, “Thank you, senior.”

He pointed to the other side of the flat area and said, “If you step over there, you will see a large group of registered students. Feel free to join them and await instructions for your testing.”

Yu turned around and, carrying Bai in his basket, walked as instructed. The nearby part of the registration area appeared to be set aside for flying beast mounts as she saw huge stables and perches all along the tall walls. Large buildings Yu would call barns in her city but many times larger and more involved had students running in and out carrying various implements for feeding, cleaning, and otherwise caring for demonic beasts. Some of the pens were filled, some not. Yu wondered if her brother housed the heron he gave her there.

She whispered to Bai while watching the many disciples do their various beast care-related duties, “Someday you and I will fly on something like that too.”

In her distraction, Yu did not realize someone was behind her and she was shoved forward as a sneering voice said, “Not likely, bumpkin.” Yu grabbed Bai barely in time before he was knocked free. She dropped his basket and stumbled forward.

She almost dropped Bai! What in the hells? “Watch where you’re walking, blind fool!” Yu snapped to the back of a teenage boy with extremely short white hair in outer disciple black and white, walking away with long confident strides. He stiffened and turned around. A smooth teenage face likely 14 or 15 glared at her, his face reddened and brown eyes narrowed.

He hissed, “What did you say to me, peasant?”

Yu glared right back and said, “I said to watch where you are walking, blind fool. Perhaps you have both hearing and sight problems?”

His clenched fists burst into crackling red flames and steam rose from his head. Interestingly the fire was pure red with no yellow or orange. Yu thought to herself, “looks like he’s got a short firework fuse.” She raises an eyebrow at him.

He growled, “Gutter trash like you shouldn’t be here.”

Yu said, “As opposed to you, a blind and deaf boy with control issues? How did you get in anyway? Did daddy make them take you?”

The fire around him sparked and sputtered. Yu could practically hear his teeth grinding.

“See? Control issues?” she said sweetly. Then she leaned down, picked up Bai’s basket, and concluded with, “I don’t think they can solve your problems here,” before walking past him. She watched him out of the side of her eye as she walked past in case he did something foolish but he just continued to breathe heavily and stare at where she was standing before.

Then Yu sighed and walked forward per her instructions. It was not difficult to find the mass of young teenagers just ahead. There must have been close to fifty in this group and she found boys and girls of various sizes, shapes, colors, and confidence. As she had feared, every single one she saw looked older and most larger than her. Some were obviously a good bit older, fifteen or sixteen, and some were maybe on the younger side, eleven or twelve. The majority appeared in the middle. Taking a deep breath she joined the swarm of students and was surrounded by people taller than her. Yu tried to keep her distance so as not to bump anyone. Unfortunately, someone did gently bump her shoulder and she shifted, looking. It was a girl on the younger side. Maybe eleven or nearly twelve if Yu had to guess. She blushed and whispered, “Sorry.”

Without realizing what she was doing, Yu held her free hand out palm facing down and said, “Wait.” The girl flinched and whispered, “Sorry,” again.

Yu put her hand down and said, “It’s ok. Umm. Hi. My name is Fenghuang Yu.” Now that she’d done it, Yu might as well try to see if she could be a friend.

The girl blushed red to her ears and said while looking at her feet, “Gui Ai.”

Yu smiled and said softly, “It’s nice to meet you.”

The girl peeked up through her eyelashes and Yu took a better look at her. She was wearing the obligatory outer sect robes, had long white hair down to the middle of her back in a pair of braids, and bright blue eyes. Her lips were rosy red and her skin tone was hard to figure out under the blush. She was also at least a head taller than Yu.

Not really sure what to say, Yu asked, “Umm, are you nervous too?” The girl nodded quickly a few times.

Yu let out a breath and said, “Oh good. I thought I was the only one. I’m actually terrified. This is my first time away from home.”

The girl spoke so low Yu could barely hear it over the bustling of the surrounding youths, “Me too.” It was almost a squeak.

Yu blushed this time and said, “Do you want to maybe stay together for a bit? My parents told me it gets easier in a sect if you’re not alone.” Thinking of something that might help make a connection, Yu held up her basket and said, “This is Bai.” Bai opened his multi-colored eyes and looked at Gui Ai.

She gasped and her hand lifted slightly then fell down. “He’s beautiful,” she whispered.

Yu smiled and said, “Thank you. You can pet him if you want. Just be gentle, he’s still very young and small as you can see.”

She tilted her head up slightly and glanced at Yu who nodded encouragingly with a gentle smile. Yu’s new friend - at least she hoped so - raised her hand slowly and placed it gently on Bai’s head. She then rubbed the mostly black fur and Bai closed his eyes. After a moment the tiny cat yawned a toothless pink yawn and laid back down. Gui Ai giggled. “He’s so cute.”

Yu smiled and was about to speak but they both jumped as they heard a loud clapping sound echo throughout the area. Gui Ai stepped closer to Yu to hide behind her even though she was taller. Yu gently patted her arm and then turned to see who made the noise.

It was a young man who had to be near or at twenty wearing inner sect robes. He was standing on a raised platform she did not see before, being shorter than everyone else. “My name is Inner Sect Disciple Chung Jin. We don’t waste time here so let’s start. This is the final day for applicants and you are all brand new nobodies, so shut up and listen; what I am about to tell you is actually important. What you lot are wearing are enchanted robes that are affinity neutral meaning they won’t burn or melt or freeze or whatever your particular thing is. And that’s it. I’m not wasting any more time on you until you are official sect disciples. Only the best are welcome here which means nearly all of you are too weak or lack potential and are going to be sent back to wait for transportation out. Hopefully, it will be all of you and I can return to doing something actually important. Follow me and I will take you to the testing so you can fail and I can go home.”

Yu agreed with one thing he said at least; they really didn't waste time.