Loitering around the Plaza, a young man wearing the robe of the Outer Sect was looking back and forth, waiting for someone.

  The moment he set eyes on a taller disciple with a foul-looking expression, he quickly beckoned him over. “Hey, Brother Yi! You ready for the Trial?”

  With a toothy scowl, the taller disciple replied to his junior. “Of course I’m ready, I just hope you’ve not been slacking so badly in your Cultivation that you embarrass yourself like last time…”

  These two disciples were frequenters of the Outer Sect Trials and would often undertake them as a pair. They didn’t have many expectations regarding their performance and were of the most common type of Outer Sect disciple; those who were sent by their family to study at the Sect for a few years.

  For a noble child of the Zhao Kingdom to not be able to enter the Glass Cloud Sect was seen as a failing, so almost all noble children would be forced by their families to study Cultivation and pass the entrance test of the Glass Cloud Sect.

  If they were to fail, it would be considered a shame on their house, and something to be mocked and derided for.

  “Relax!” The shorter disciple thumped his own chest. “I’ve been putting in some real effort recently! You’ll see!” Ignoring the suspicious gaze of the taller disciple, he turned and subtly pointed across the Plaza.

  “Hey, Brother Yi! Do you recognize her? I’ve heard of people becoming more attractive after a big breakthrough in their Cultivation, but I don’t even have the slightest idea which house she’s from…”

  Now convinced that his indolent friend hadn’t been spending any time Cultivating, the taller disciple shook his head and looked where he was pointing. Across the way, a younger woman was sitting against the incline of one of the Plaza’s stages.

  For a moment, the taller disciple was just as clueless as his friend, unsure of who this young woman was. Surely there weren’t so many people in the Outer Sect that someone with her looks would have been entirely unknown to them.

  Seeing a white snake creep up from behind the young woman’s collar, however, the taller disciple’s already ugly expression distorted further. “Ahh, Brother San, you’ve got some rotten eyes to be looking her way…”

  Looking up to the taller disciple, befuddled, ‘Brother San’ made a confused sound. “Uh?” “That’s Jun Li, you know, the commoner who’s been making a scene recently.”

  Hearing this, Brother San’s expression crumpled inward as if he had just taken a bite of mud. An unaware person might find his reaction overstated, though in truth it was anything but. It was difficult to overstate how strong the Outer Sect’s distaste for Jun Li was.

  Initially, the concept of a commoner with no background entering the Sect was perceived as a stain on the dignity of the established houses, as training in the Sect for a few years was considered a prestigious badge of honor that only the elite noble and merchant children of the kingdom had the means to achieve.

  For Jun Li to breach this tradition was considered not only a fluke but a grotesque overstepping of proper decorum, even for a commoner.

  It was to the point that, despite Ren Liwei publicly beating Jun Li on stage, and although some considered his actions as excessively brutal, not a soul would publicly raise an issue with his actions, with the most soft-hearted disciples only silently offering condolences to Jun Li, in the form of anonymous medicines to speed her recovery.

  If Jun Li had simply hidden away in her home in the Outer Sect after that, nobody would have thought much of her, but she didn’t simply stay still and silent as many wished.

  Jun Li had not only participated publicly in the Outer Sect Trials, but she had also received great rewards from her performance in them.

  To these proud sons of heaven, it was as though Jun Li had unjustly ripped the food from their mouths, leaving them nothing to swallow but indignation.

  The resentment towards Jun Li had only grown over time, and with Yang Chen’s recent defeat, many Outer Sect disciples were left feeling as if they had no recourse from their bitterness.

  Jun Li had grown to be viewed as such a bad omen that even ambitious young men like Brother San, who dreamed of taking multiple mistresses in the future, were not willing to view Jun Li as a member of the opposite sex.

  No matter how appealing she was to his senses, Brother San knew that Jun Li was effectively a poison to one’s reputation, and that interacting with her in any way at this point would lead to a loss of face that was difficult to recover from.

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  Needless to say, regarding the rumors of Jun Li having personally spoken to the Princess at the end of the last Outer Sect Trial, and even having been invited to meet again in the Inner Sect; few were willing to dignify the rumor by spreading it, especially when claiming such an outrageous thing could embarrass the speaker, thus, the rumor was slowly forgotten.

  “Gather around!” Carried along a soft wave of force, a voice clearly rang out across the Sect Plaza. “The Outer Sect Trial will begin as soon as everyone has gathered on the stage before me!”

  Turning to see the origin of the voice, the disciples loitering across the Plaza saw Elder Guo, seemingly intent on leading the tri-monthly Outer Sect Trial this time around.

  As most of the disciples in the Plaza gathered on the stage before him, Elder Guo nodded. ‘Good… Even if they’re not the most ambitious bunch, this should be a good learning experience for them.’

  When Elder Guo first joined the Glass Cloud Sect, he was eager to help the younger generation learn the intricacies of Cultivation, and perhaps to assist in nurturing a genius or two.

  Unfortunately, in the past few decades, he has found himself continuously disappointed by the character of the Zhao Kingdom’s disciples.

  Too often, even those with considerable talent would only seek to cultivate for the sake of status and mortal wealth, inevitably slinking away to their manors and estates after feeling they had received enough applause from their peers.

  Despite this, in recent years Elder Guo has found his appetite for teaching piqued once again, with the emergence of some considerable talents throughout the Glass Cloud Sect.

  This year, Jun Li and Ren Liwei caught his attention, the former for her swift Cultivation in contrast to her impoverished origins, and the latter for his diligent Cultivation even after achieving the prestige of the Inner Sect.

  ‘There’s also Zhao Xiaoli, Han Wenyan, and Zhao Shun, the genius of the royal family to keep in mind…’ Thinking of these good seedlings, Elder Guo was somewhat satisfied, feeling the Glass Cloud Sect wouldn’t be left stagnating just yet.

  Seeing the few dozen disciples standing before him on the stage, Elder Guo cleared his throat and spoke. “The entirety of the Outer Sect Trial today will be taking place atop the stage you are standing on!”

  Letting his words linger for a moment, Elder Guo smiled as he saw confusion and doubt spread across the gathered disciples.

  It was natural to be suspicious of Elder Guo’s claim. After all, the stage was large, but not so large that the dozens now gathered there could move freely.

  “Today’s Trial will begin with a lesson!” Hearing this, many of the more impatient disciples groaned, with some sitting down for the long haul. Ignoring them, Elder Guo continued.

  “As someone’s Cultivation grows, so too will their ability to control Qi, both external and internal.” As though to emphasize his point, a roiling mass of energy flowed from Elder Guo’s center to his hand, before slowly parting from his body to suspend itself next to him.

  Though the mass of energy was barely visible to the naked eye, all of the disciples gathered could perceive just how dense it truly was.

  Though it was likely only a sliver of Elder Guo’s full capacity, the pressure that mass exuded was enough to make the hairs of those gathered stand on end.

  Seeing that he had garnered an appropriately visceral reaction from his students, Elder Guo withdrew his power. “With this refined control of Qi, it becomes possible to perform Techniques that would be impossible with traditional Martial Techniques.”

  “As you progress down the path of Cultivation, you will inevitably come into contact with more and more complex Techniques, the likes of which may take months, if not years of training to use at an adequate level.” Elder Guo flicked his wrist, sending a series of blades flying out from his sleeve.

  Under the astonished gazes of the gathered disciples, the path of these small blades quickly and unpredictably changed, flying near and far across the Plaza at blazing speeds, before disappearing back into Elder Guo’s sleeve as quickly as they appeared.

  Seeing that he had garnered attention from even the most disinterested disciples, Elder Guo smiled. “Those who specialize in learning myriad esoteric Techniques, such as I, are known as ‘Sorcerers,’ and those who eschew complex Techniques and instead focus on refining their bodies and Martial Techniques are known as ‘Martialists.’”

  “There exists no rigid categorization or restrictions between the two schools of thought, but these terms have been used to identify and describe other Cultivators for thousands of years.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Elder Guo’s voice became serious. “I am not here today to teach you any Techniques. Today’s Trial will be testing something far more important.”

  Pulling a stack of cloth talismans from his robe, Elder Guo continued. “The most formidable Techniques known by Sorcerers are called ‘Spells’ in reverence towards their complex and arcane natures.” With a flick of his wrist, the thick stack of talismans dispersed into a flood of cloth, each individual talisman splitting off to stick onto a disciple.

  Ignoring the confused and concerned disciples before him, Elder Guo finally explained the contents of the Trial.

  “Today, you will be attempting to resist a spell of mine, weakened to a level appropriate for those of the Qi Condensation stage. When activated, the spell inscribed on that talisman will seal your mind in a ‘Spiritual Prison.’ Without sufficient mental strength, you will find yourself unable to break free and regain control of your body until either I remove it, or one full hour passes.”

  Slowly forming a series of hand seals, a force as deep and unfathomable as the ocean seeped out from Elder Guo as he spoke. “If you do not wish to take part in this Trial, please discard the talisman on your person. If you are willing to try your luck, however… the first three disciples to break free from the spell will receive great rewards.”

  Seeing that after a minute, even the most anxious-looking disciples did not throw their talismans aside, Elder Guo smiled deeply and slowly formed a simple hand-seal. “Then… break free with the power of your own spirit!”