The Selection Begins

The burly man soon collapsed onto the ground. Lin Tian helped Luo Tao to his feet, then placed a healing pill into each of their mouths.

“Can you two still walk?”

Roman and Rohan appeared to be severely injured, their chests bruised a deep purple. Lin Tian had no doubt that the burly man’s punch could kill an ox.

“You two go on ahead,” Roman said. “We’ll rest for a bit and then catch up.”

Old Jiang, hiding nearby, nodded discreetly. If they couldn’t even protect their finances, they might as well go home early.

The four parted ways. Luo Tao and his sister continued their ascent, yet Roman and Rohan never followed.

The sun beat down mercilessly, and Lin Tian was breathless with exhaustion. He carried all the luggage himself, feeling as though he could compete with special forces.

Fortunately, the sect was not at the very peak. Upon reaching the mountainside, they spotted stone steps. The characters for “Mufu Mountain” were carved into a stone pillar.

They occasionally encountered other young people. Not one person who had climbed this far wasn’t complaining of fatigue. Seeing Lin Tian carrying several boxes at a brisk pace, they cast astonished glances his way.

“Luo Tian, slow down!” Luo Tao gripped a branch like a cane, utterly exhausted.

The mountain gate stood halfway up the slope, with houses evenly distributed. The higher they went, the sparser the buildings became, though the ones at the top were noticeably more luxurious.

After ascending the steps, a vast open area unfolded before them. A long queue of young people, mostly men, snaked in front of the pavilion.

“Phew! Hah! Are we here?” Luo Tao caught up, slumping onto the steps.

“This should be the registration point.”

****

It was merely a name registration, and it was soon Lin Tian’s turn.

The attendant seated at the desk glanced at him, then spoke with a dismissive air:

“Are you here for tourism or for the selection? Do you need to bring so many things? Don’t say I didn’t warn you: injuries and casualties are inevitable in the selection. There’s still time to go back down the mountain now.”

Lin Tian looked very young and was of average height. If he were known to be a girl, it would be understandable, but disguised as a man, he appeared quite frail.

“Thank you for the elder’s reminder. Having come all this way, I still wish to try.” He deliberately deepened his voice to sound more masculine.

The attendant’s expression softened. An elder held a higher position than him, and being addressed as such gave him some face.

“Name, gender, birthplace.”

“Luo Tian, male, Sifang Town of Wu Kingdom.” Lin Tian answered concisely, not wasting his time.

“Alright, next. You may temporarily leave your luggage with me; you can retrieve it later.”

Lin Tian hesitated, then still unloaded his luggage. These explosive items were dangerous; should he tell him? Saying something wasn’t ideal, but not saying anything might lead to trouble.

He decided against it. Telling someone these items were explosive would, firstly, not be believed, and secondly, would lead to him being interrogated.

“Yingkong, I heard the selection starts soon. I’m actually a bit nervous. We should rest for a while.”

Luo Tao approached, offering him a rice ball.

“Where are Roman and the others?” Lin Tian asked, taking the rice ball.

“How would I know? They probably went down the mountain. If they can’t even climb the mountain, how can they participate in the selection?”

The two sat under the shade of a tree to rest. A chubby boy, half a head taller than Lin Tian, ran over.

“Two brothers, could you spare me some…”

Luo Tao eyed him. “We only have two rice balls. Didn’t you bring your own?”

The chubby boy looked distressed, complaining, “I accidentally ate all my food on the way. Just a little bit would be enough…”

“Damn it, you ate it all, what’s that got to do with us? Get lost.” Luo Tao rolled his eyes at him.

“Here.” Lin Tian handed him his half-eaten rice ball.

“Thank you, brother!”

The chubby boy looked grateful, reaching out to take it, but Luo Tao snatched it away.

“Hey! He gave that to me! Why are you grabbing it?”

“Hmph! I don’t even have that good fortune.” Luo Tao took a new rice ball from his bag and gave it to the chubby boy, returning the one in his hand to Lin Tian.

“Thank you, both brothers…” Junzhu took the rice ball and immediately stuffed it into his mouth.

“The assessment later will be dangerous. How about the three of us form a team?”

“Do you know the assessment content?” Lin Tian inquired.

“I heard about it on the way. The first test is physical endurance, which we’ve already passed by climbing here.”

He stuffed the rest of the rice ball into his mouth, then continued, “There are three parts to the selection. The second part is dealing with wild beasts, and the third is fighting inner sect disciples.”

“Inner sect disciples? Can we beat them?” Luo Tao asked, puzzled.

“Of course, we can’t beat them, so it’s three against one. It’s not about winning; just completing the second selection means you’re a disciple.”

“The final part is mainly to filter out disciples with good aptitude. If you perform well, you can directly become an inner sect disciple.”

The three chatted for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and registration quickly concluded. A middle-aged man with temples streaked with white stood before the pavilion.

“Registration is closed! Those still lingering on the mountainside will have to wait for the next batch.”

At this moment, there were over sixty people in the field, all looking at the middle-aged man.

“Pass the second round of testing, and you will be disciples of this sect. The rules are the same as last year: hunt wild boars in the back mountain and cut off their left ear as proof!”

Those unaware of the test content murmured with surprise.

“We have to go back down the mountain?”

“It’s just wild boars, that shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“I heard there are many wild boars in the back mountain, and they’re extremely fierce. The larger ones are as big as oxen…”

“This sounds very dangerous. I think I’ll withdraw…”

The middle-aged man cleared his throat, and the field fell silent once more.

“The test is very dangerous. There are traps set by previous candidates in the back mountain. Don’t just focus on the wild boars…”

“I won’t say more. Gather here before sunrise tomorrow. Only twenty-one will ultimately pass. Good luck to you all.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd dispersed in a rush. The elimination rate was too high; if they didn’t seize every second, they would be eliminated.

“Hey, Fatty, what weapon do you use?” Luo Tao asked, seeing him unarmed, as they ran.

“My name is Junzhu!”

“Huh? Your name sounds like it’s asking for a beating!”

****

Lin Tian ran at the forefront. Descending the mountain was much faster than climbing it, and having unloaded his luggage, he felt light and agile.

He hadn’t expected the elimination rate to be so high. Out of over sixty people, only twenty-one would be accepted. He glanced around; everyone was scrambling down the mountain.

“Wait,” Lin Tian gestured.

“What’s wrong?”

The two stopped, both looking puzzled. Why wait now? If they didn’t run fast to gain an advantage, they’d only find boar carcasses.

“No need to go down,” Lin Tian stated calmly.

“Uh… what do you mean?”

“Conserve your energy. Sleep here for a while. Someone will bring the boar ears up to us.”

Luo Tao and Junzhu’s eyes lit up. These people would hunt boars all night, then climb back up the mountain. By then, they would be well-rested and could simply snatch the ears!

“Haha, truly a scholar! Let’s find a place to rest first…”

****

Junzhu pulled out a cloth pouch and released several flying insects from it.

“My weapon is Gu worms. If anyone comes up, I’ll know immediately. Rest easy.”

“Gu worms!” Luo Tao was startled. Luckily, he hadn’t offended this chubby boy earlier. Those who wielded Gu were masters; you wouldn’t even know when they’d inflicted a venomous Gu upon you.

“Gu worms?” Lin Tian had heard of Gu practitioners in his past life on Earth, but only in TV shows and novels. This was his first time seeing a real one.