When I returned to Uncle Tian after wandering the city, my decision had already been made.
"Uncle," I said, steadying my voice, "I want to try."
His thick brows furrowed. "Try what, boy?"
I clenched my fists. "The sect recruitment. I overheard it in the market. I want to join."
For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then he sighed, long and tired. "You've never even practiced qi. Do you even know what you're asking for?"
"I know," I said firmly. "But something's changed, Uncle. I can't explain it, but I feel it in my bones. I have to walk this path."
His eyes softened. "You're serious, then?"
I nodded.
He gave a small, reluctant smile. "Then I'll walk you to the registration."
The recruitment plaza near the eastern gate was teeming with people. Dozens of young men and women gathered in the open space, nerves and excitement thick in the air.
Four sects had set up their recruitment stages:
The Crimson Cloud Sect, their platform floating slightly off the ground, their elders in crimson robes radiating an air of pride.
The Iron Wind Pavilion, a brutal testing ground where towering men carried boulders across fields battered by strong winds.
The Emerald Pill Sect, surrounded by the scent of alchemical herbs and steaming cauldrons.
The Shadow Veil Sect, whose dark, curtained testing grounds were shrouded in mystery.
Uncle Tian placed a rough hand on my shoulder. "Which one are you aiming for?"
I looked at the platforms, my heart thumping.
Swordsmanship? Alchemy? Stealth?
No.
My instincts pulled me toward the massive stone-laden grounds of the Iron Wind Pavilion. My path began with the body. I didn't even have qi yet—but I had started tempering my body through the Heaven Reversion Law.
"This one." I pointed to the Iron Wind Pavilion. "It suits me."
Uncle Tian's lips parted in surprise but quickly pressed into a proud smirk. "Good choice. If anyone's stubborn enough to survive their training, it's you."
I stepped into the line, breathing deeply as the elder from the Iron Wind Pavilion bellowed:
"You wish to join the Iron Wind Pavilion? Then carry our burden!"
Dozens of stone pillars, each as tall as a man, lay scattered across the grounds. The trial was simple: lift a pillar and carry it across the field as strong winds blasted from rotating formations.
I stepped forward when called.
The elder sneered. "You, boy—can you even lift it?"
Without answering, I squatted, gripped the stone's rough edges, and heaved.
The weight crushed my shoulders.
My bones screamed. My muscles trembled.
But I refused to let go.
Step by agonizing step, I forced my body forward as the wind howled and slammed against me like iron walls.
I had been forging my body since the day I found that ruin.
I would not fall here.
I would not stop.
I crossed the field.
The elder's sneer faded. He watched me with narrowed eyes, as though reassessing something.
He waved his hand. "Pass."
I could barely stand, but a fierce grin stretched across my face.
I had taken my first step.
And it was far from my last.