*Pok*

“OW!”

About a thousand steps beneath the ‘Radiant Sea Gates’ was a youth about fifteen years of age, dressed in simple green robes. At the moment, the youth was frowning deeply as he gently massaged a large bulge that was forming on the top of his crown.

“That was dangerous, what the heck was that for?” The youth grumbled meekly as he glared at a strange wooden plaque on the ground.

Earlier, this youth had been minding his own business as he leisurely made his way up the ‘Heaven Ascending Steps’, but suddenly, out of nowhere, this strange wooden plaque dropped down from the sky and struck him square on his forehead, sending him tumbling dozens of steps down the stone staircase.

“Well, at least I’m not bleeding anywhere…” after patting his body a few times and noticing nothing wrong with it, the youth reassured himself with a bright smile. “This must be from all the training I did with big sis! I might’ve died there if I didn’t work so hard on my cultivation! My ‘Qi Immersion’ cultivation was probably what saved me there! Cultivation is simply too amazing!”

Unfortunately for the youth, out of the five statements he made, only one rang true…he was in fact, bleeding quite badly. There was a large gaping bruise on the back of his head, and fresh blood was dripping out of it rather quickly, dyeing the collar of his green robes bright red, but the youth seemed to not have noticed this at all.

Fortunately for the youth, the wound on the back of his head was rapidly healing, and what little brain functions he originally had seemed relatively unaffected. But this had nothing to do with his 'Qi Immersion' cultivation, if any other ‘Qi Immersion’ cultivator had taken that wooden plaque to the temple, their skull would’ve been smashed…no…blasted to microscopic pieces, and their neck turned into an impromptu water fountain. After all, the wooden plaque was carved out of something even cultivators beyond ‘Qi Immersion’ would have been hard-pressed to scratch and had been sent flying down the ‘Pure Moon Peak’ as the result of a battle from those far, far above ‘Qi Immersion’.

No, the youth’s survival had nothing to do with his ‘Qi Immersion’ cultivation nor did it have to do with the measly efforts he expended on his cultivation. Even if he hadn’t cultivated a single day in this life, he would’ve still survived the plaque to the head. Alas, his current nonchalant wellbeing was due to something else entirely, a reason he was completely oblivious to…

However, the youth wasn't wrong when he mentioned that cultivation was amazing, because it definitely is!

“Pure…Moon…Pa-vi-li-on…” The youth muttered softly as he read, out loud, the words written on the wooden plaque, and his eyes widened slightly when he finished. “Eh…isn’t this where I’m meant to go? How did this thing end up here?

“Hmmm…” The youth hummed lightly as he stared at the parting clouds and the greying sky above, and fell into deep thought, “Why did it suddenly become so dusky all of the sudden? Did I fail the test? Is this some sort of a heavenly sign to show that I've been disqualified? No way! There’s still at least twenty-eight minutes left until sunset! And the bell that signifies the test’s end hasn’t rung yet, so what the hell is going on? Is it some sort of freaky weather? Does that kind of thing even exist in a world of Immortals? Shouldn’t there be some Immortal magic preventing this? Eh…whatever, I guess I’ll just have to find out when I get up there!”

With that thought in mind, the youth started scaling the ‘Heaven Ascending Steps’ once more, completely unconcerned by the furious aura surging madly from atop of the peak...

“My journey to Immortality is about to begin!” the youth whistled happily as he merrily hoped and skipped up the stone stairs…

*****

“Aunty, should we…stop them?”

Stood atop a colorful lotus floating above the ruined ‘Pure Moon Peak’ was the figure of two women, one young, one old.

The elder of the two was dressed in a red imperial gown, appearing like an empress from the primeval times. She looked to be fifty years old, but despite her age, her beauty was something even young women decades her junior, could not match. With a tall and sharp nose, and a dignified gaze, she was every bit the absolute monarch the robes on her body symbolized.

The younger of the two was stood behind the elderly woman at a respectful distance. She appeared to be about twenty, was dressed in simple, flowing white robes, with long, cascading snow-white hair, bright silvery eyes, and a warm, tender gaze, the very image of a benevolent celestial deity, untouched by the profanity of man.

“Let them fight,” the old woman replied in an aloof tone. “It is best not to get between two crazed beasts…if you try to get between them, they will tear you apart without batting an eye”

“But aunty…the students below…” The young woman argued.

“Did you not think I knew this was bound to happen and made preparations?” the old woman responded, pointing towards the faint image of a vibrant lotus that shimmered around the space surrounding ‘Pure Moon Peak’. “Besides, Ying’er, have you not been using your ‘Martial Intent’ to observe below? There are no students on the ‘Pure Moon Peak’ or the eighteen peaks surrounding…”

“Aunty, the spiritual force elder Heigu exudes is simply too powerful, I am unable to see past the spiritual tempest formed from his ‘Imperial arts’,” the young woman, Ying’er, explained.

“Hmm…it appears that I have been too lenient with you. Recently, your improvements in the ‘Seven Hue Lotus Tenet’ has stalled…is it because of that little lover of yours?” The old woman questioned in a stern tone; her brows raised in a slightly threatening manner.

“Eh…aunty, what do you mean…?” Ying’er asked as she hastily took a few steps back, averting the old woman's piercing glare.

“Hmph…I have been turning a blind eye to things because I find that brat only…mildly annoying, but do not think that your little trysts are a secret from me. However, you should still be wary, even though the ‘Seven Hue Lotus Creed’ does not require you to be chaste, you are at your prime, and an accident would very much hamper your progress, so you had best protect yourself well.” The old woman warned, her words sounding slightly ambiguous.

“Aunty!” Ying’er exclaimed, her face turning beet red as she turned away, unable to endure her elder’s sharp gaze, “I…me and him…we-”

“We will mention your affair later…what is more concerning, is why did these two clowns decide to leave their ‘Yin-Yang Transformation Peak’ and demand to oversee the second round of examinations.” The old woman interrupted, irritated by the young woman's stuttering, “what are those old codgers planning…”

“I thought that elders Jun and Heigu never leave their ‘Yin-Yang Transformation Peak’…” Ying’er quickly chimed in after heaving an imperceptible sigh, relieved by the sudden change of topic. “Nor have they ever partaken in any responsibilities as elders of the institute…”

“Ah, they do leave their little cave ever so often, but not to do anything productive of course…” The old woman revealed, muttering in a faint tone, “but certainly, they’ve never really done anything positive for the institute, nor have they ever taken interest in the institute’s affairs. But out of nowhere, they came to pay me a visit…rambling on about some ‘heavenly phenomena revealing an eminent sign of everlasting blessings’, and some ‘divine karma announcing an incomparably felicitous revelation, ordaining the countless masses’, what a load of horse shit…

“They were rather adamant about being stationed here, even swearing by their ‘good name’ to not cause any trouble… fortunately, I had no faith in their good name. These two old dogs are like cat and mouse, if they’re together for more than five breaths, they’ll always find an excuse to fight! You have yet to see the scenery behind their ‘Yin-Yang Transformation Peak’, when I was young, it used to be called ‘Heavenly Paradise Ridge’, now, it is a fifty li deep chasm, where nothing, not even a single blade of grass grows…”

“Eh…aunty, if you knew this was going to happen, why did you still agree to it?”

“It is because they offered a ‘Yin-Yang Dao Lotus’ as a gesture of their sincerity!” The old woman revealed, “for that price, they may as well destroy the entire ‘Radiant Sea Institute’ and I would not utter a single word of complaint!”

“A ‘Yin-Yang Dao Lotus’? A flower that is only ripe to pick, in a location between the two extremities of Yin and Yang, once every ten-thousand years?! A saint-ranked herb, that ‘Yin-Yang Dao Lotus’?!” Ying’er’s two eyes and dainty lips were like three large moons, it was clear that she was very, very surprised.

“Yes…it is that ‘Yin-Yang Dao Lotus’, a treasure that will allow you to glimpse into the ‘Grand Dao’ of Yin and Yang!” The old woman affirmed as she turned around to face Ying’er, and her gaze softened. “With your talents and the insights contained within the ‘Dao Lotus’, the ‘Seven Hue Lotus Creed’ can absolutely evolve into something far beyond what it possibly could in my hands! And perhaps, that glimpse into the elusive ‘Grand Dao’, will allow you to transform your ‘Saintly Pagoda’, and attain the fabled ‘Flawless Pagoda’!”

“Aunty…I, I’ll definitely not disappoint you!” Ying’er answered, her gaze full of determination as she looked into the old woman’s eyes.

“Good!” The old woman smiled warmly, before placing her hand on Ying’er’s shoulder, “Little Ying’er, I know that the burden on you is heavy, but I can sense that the peace we enjoy today will not last…and I…I do not have much time left…Ying’er, our Shangguan clan needs you to be strong, strong enough to bear the brunt of the very heavens, should they fall!”

“Aunty…” Ying’er could feel her gaze waver beneath the weight of the old woman’s expectations, she had only turned thirty-three this year, but yet, the fate of her clan now rested on her shoulders, how could anyone not falter under such pressure? “I…”

“Ying’er, I can see it on your face, you do not wish to succeed me…do you?” The old woman asked as she gently caressed the young girl’s face. “It’s alright, Ying’er, you are still young, and although I say that I am do not have much time left, that is only relative to my own lifespan. Little lass, you still have a few years to grow…and decide.”