The morning sun rose over the bustling city streets as I stood at the edge of the eastern plaza, the iron token clutched tightly in my palm. The noise of merchants, the scent of fresh bread, and the shouts of street vendors buzzed all around me, but I heard none of it. My thoughts were already far away.
Uncle Tian had accompanied me to the city, but now he stood a few paces back, arms crossed, his weathered face calm but his eyes sharp.
"The sect life isn't easy, boy," he warned, his voice low. "They'll grind you down to your bones. If you're weak, they'll crush you. And if you're strong, they'll just try harder."
I smirked. "Sounds like I'll fit right in."
His lips twitched into something close to a grin. "Good. Stay stubborn. And remember—don't come back until you've made something of yourself."
I bowed deeply. "I will."
When I turned, four others stood waiting at the plaza, each carrying the same iron token, each wearing the same mixture of nervousness and determination. We had all passed the recruitment trial yesterday. Now, we were about to leave the city—and our old lives—behind.
The Iron Wind Pavilion elder arrived not long after, gliding down on a wind-propelled artifact. His sharp gaze swept over us with mild disinterest.
"You five," he called. "Board. If you fall behind, don't bother catching up. You'll be left to rot."
Without another word, we stepped onto the platform. With a roar of wind, it surged into the sky, lifting us high above the city.
I had never flown before.
The city quickly shrank beneath us, the people and streets reduced to tiny dots as we soared over forests and rivers, the vastness of the world stretching endlessly in all directions.
It was… breathtaking.
We traveled for hours, stopping briefly at a relay station where the elder warned us about dangers in the wild—bandits, rogue cultivators, and beasts that could tear through bone with ease.
When we finally approached the horizon, the scenery changed.
There—nestled among jagged mountain peaks—stood the Iron Wind Pavilion.
It wasn't grand in the way I expected. The sect's buildings clung to the cliffs like stubborn vines, and wind formations spun violently around them, slicing the air with invisible blades. Stone staircases wound up the mountainside, connecting dozens of training grounds and stone pagodas.
The elder gestured to the base of the stairs. "Your transport ends here. From now on, you walk."
The platform vanished into the wind.
I looked at the endless stairs ahead and stepped forward without hesitation. Every step was heavier than the last, the wind biting at my skin, but I didn't stop.
This was my path now.
And I would climb it, no matter what waited at the top.