DDD Chapter 17: Entrance Exam (Patreon)

(Edited by Radriel7)

At first the pair of Foundation Establishment cultivators were little more than black dots flying towards us, but within seconds they arrived in the air above the South Vale Branch Office. Everyone in the crowd stared up at the two with varying expressions on their faces. Some looked at them in awe, some looked disinterested (or pretended to at least), and a few even looked derisive.

The pair of Foundation Establishment cultivators each rode on a flying magic treasure. Both of them looked to be in their early to mid twenties. One was a dainty and petite woman with tanned skin. She wore her long brown hair loose. She wore a set of white robes trimmed with gold, similar to Cultivator Raphael’s though it looked much less expensive.

The woman exuded a holy aura, suggesting she was a divine cultivator of some kind. Her features were set into a cold and haughty expression. She rode atop a flying sword. From what Astra and Cultivator Raphael told me, flying swords were a favored flying magic treasure for cultivators since they could also be used as weapons.

The other Foundation Establishment cultivator, a man, differed from the woman in many ways. He was tall, with pale skin and short dark hair. However, unlike mine, his hair looked smooth and glossy. I felt a little jealous. He wore a set of black robes trimmed with gray.

This man exuded a chilling aura, one reminiscent of the grave, suggesting he was a demonic cultivator that dealt with the undead. Unlike the woman, this man wore an open and friendly expression, which contrasted with his aura. His expression seemed genuine too, from what I could tell. He rode atop a flying magic treasure that looked like a stone block. It took me a moment to realize that it was a tombstone.

“Welcome, fellow cultivators and prospective disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect,” the man said in a cheerful voice. “I am Cultivator Thurstan, inner disciple of Restless Grave Hall of the Dawn and Dusk Sect.” He gestured to the woman hovering next to him. “This is my martial sister, Cultivator Euphemia. She is an inner disciple of Celestial Warrior Hall of the Dawn and Dusk Sect. The two of us will be the proctors for today’s entrance exam.”

I took a quick glance around to gauge everyone’s reactions. Most watched Cultivator Thurstan with wary expressions on their faces, while some looked alarmed. A few even looked at him with outright hostility. This was understandable. While demonic cultivators were more tolerated than I was led to believe by my kin, they were by no means accepted by society at large.

Demonic cultivators who dealt with the undead, called ghost cultivators for convenience, were especially feared. They knew how to capture and refine ghosts, turned corpses into undead puppets, and even harvested souls. Having one’s soul fall into the hands of a ghost cultivator was a fate many feared more than death. After all, becoming a ghost or a puppet under a ghost cultivator’s control removed one from the cycle of reincarnation.

I noted that Cultivator Clemont and his family were among the ones who viewed Cultivator Thurstan with hostility. Interesting. The Dawn and Dusk Sect was famous for its divine cultivators and demonic cultivators. I wondered why Cultivator Clemont would have his daughter join the sect, given Clan Wind Dance’s obvious hostility towards anything demonic.

I paused. Unless that was the point. He wanted to hide his daughter from my uncle, and what better place than the Dawn and Dusk Sect? No one in Clan Wind Dance would suspect she was here. From that perspective, it made perfect sense.

All these thoughts passed through my mind in the blink of an eye. I shook my head and focused on the present again.

“We will wait a few more minutes for any stragglers to show up,” Cultivator Thurstan said. “Afterwards, we will head north to begin the entrance exam. Only those who have an exam token will be allowed to participate. Everyone else must remain here in South Vale.”

“Those of you who are having second thoughts or who wish to withdraw from the exam should do so now,” Cultivator Euphemia said, speaking for the first time since she arrived. She spoke in a cold, harsh voice. “Ninety percent of you will fall at the first hurdle, and the exam will only grow more difficult from there. Only a few of you will pass the exam and become disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect. If you aren’t confident that you will pass the exam and become one of those few, then you should save yourself the effort and leave.” She nodded towards the branch office building. “If you do so now, you will be refunded the entrance exam fee. However, if you participate in the exam you will forfeit the fee, whether you succeed or fail.”

A large number of people looked uneasy at her words, and a few of them even headed back inside the branch office building in order to have the entrance exam fee refunded. Not that I blamed them. Taking the entrance was a gamble, and there were plenty of people who couldn’t afford to take that risk. Of course, this only applied to those who paid the fee. Those of us who had letters of recommendation, or something equivalent, didn’t have to worry about that.

The next few minutes passed by in silence. When it became clear that no one else was going to register for the exam, or withdraw from it, the two inner disciples signaled for us to follow them. We did so, leaving everyone else behind.

As a group, we headed north, walking towards the southernmost of the Dawn and Dusk Mountains. The inner disciples led the way, still riding their flying magic treasures. I took this time to examine the Dawn and Dusk Mountains. The mountain closest to us was similar in size and shape to Mt. Wind Dance, so it didn’t look like anything special to me. However, several of my fellow exam participants looked at the mountain with amazement and awe in their eyes.

It was the mountains behind the first one that caught my eye. While I couldn’t see much of them from down here, it was clear that they rivaled the Black Mist Mountains in size and majesty. Not only that, but they weren’t as menacing and terrifying to behold. Instead, they exuded an air of mystery, as if they hid profound secrets. I could easily believe that immortals lived atop their peaks.

A massive stone gate stood at the base of the first mountain. Half of it was constructed from white stone, while the other half was constructed from black stone. Images of divine creatures, such as cranes, tigers, and dragons were carved into the white half of the gate. Images of demons, devils, and undead were carved into the black half of the gate. On the other side of the gate was a simple stone path that spiraled up the mountain.

After studying it with my eyes, I examined the gate with my spirit sense. I sucked in a breath when I saw that it was brimming with qi, both divine and demonic. It was some kind of magic treasure, a powerful one at that, though its effects were too profound and complex for me to understand within a short amount of time.

However, I noticed that the gate was connected to a faint barrier that surrounded the Dawn and Dusk Mountains. The gate was part of the defensive arrays that protected the Dawn and Dusk Sect from intruders, serving as the only way entrance through said defensive arrays. After studying the gate for a few more seconds, I withdrew my spirit sense.

When our group reached the gate, Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia flew over until they hovered right next to the gate.

“This is the Gate of Dawn and Dusk,” Cultivator Thurstan said. “Passing through it is your first test. Only those who are deemed worthy will pass through unimpeded. Those who are deemed unworthy will not.”

“Worthy in what way?” someone called out. I couldn’t see who they were from my position.

“That depends on a number of factors,” Cultivator Thurstan said with a shrug. “Talent, your current cultivation, future potential, and so on. The Dawn and Dusk Sect has strict requirements for entry. If you meet those requirements, you will pass through without issue. If you don’t meet those requirements, the gate will block you. Simple as that.” He gave us all a cold smile. “It should go without saying that if the gate blocks you, then you have failed the exam.”

Several in the crowd started to mutter with discontentment. It was clear that they hadn’t expected the exam to begin with something like this, and it caught them off guard. While I wouldn’t say that I had expected something like this either, I knew beforehand that it wasn’t easy to join the Dawn and Dusk Sect, so I wasn’t as surprised.

“You may begin whenever you feel ready,” Cultivator Thurstan said.

No one moved right away. Several people looked at each other, waiting to see who would give it a try first. When I saw this, I shrugged and started walking towards the Gate of Dawn and Dusk.

“Ooh, we have a confident one here,” Cultivator Thurstan said. “Let us see if he has the aptitude to support that confidence.”

I ignored him and continued walking forward. No one else moved. It seemed that they would wait until I either passed or failed this part of the exam before trying it themselves. When I reached the Gate of Dawn and Dusk, I hesitated a moment, before taking a step forward. To my relief, nothing blocked me and I crossed the threshold without issue.

I took a few more steps, before I turned around to face the others. Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia studied me with surprised expressions on their faces. The surprise turned to understanding when they noticed the token hanging from my hair tie.

“Ah,” Cultivator Thurstan said. “I see. So, it was like that.”

Cultivator Euphemia nodded, before turning towards the other exam participants.

“Well?” she asked in a harsh voice. “What are you waiting for? Move!”

It was as someone had opened the floodgates. The rest of the participants rushed forward with eager expressions on their faces. However, most of them bounced off of some kind of invisible barrier when they reached the Gate of Dawn and Dusk. No matter how hard they pushed against the barrier, they were unable to move forward. In the end, they could only give up in disappointment.

Of the hundreds of exam participants, only a few dozen managed to make it through the Gate of Dawn and Dusk, including Clarissa Wind Dance. The rest were unable to move forward. It was as Cultivator Euphemia said earlier, when she claimed that most of us would fall at the first hurdle.

To everyone’s shock, something peculiar happened to three of the participants who tried to pass through the Gate of Dawn and Dusk. Everyone else either passed through or failed to do so. However, for these three, something else happened.

The black half of the Gate of Dawn and Dusk Dusk started to glow with demonic qi, while the white half started to glow with divine qi. Projections, taking on the forms of the creatures carved into the gate, emerged before shooting forward to restrain the three participants. When they realized what was going on, all three tried to flee, but they were too slow.

The demonic qi restrained one of the three, while the divine qi restrained the other two. They tried to break free from their restraints, to no avail. The magic symbols must have restricted their use of qi, since none of them used any mystic arts, meaning they could rely on their physical strength alone. However, none of them were strong enough to break free.

“Oh, right,” Cultivator Thurstan said, his voice filled with malicious glee. “I forgot to mention. The Gate of Dawn and Dusk will restrain anyone who harbors nefarious intent towards our Dawn and Dusk Sect, such as spies and saboteurs from other sects.”

The three stopped struggling when they heard this and stared at Cultivator Thurstan with horrified expressions on their faces.

“Two of our fellow disciples will take you away now,” Cultivator Euphemia said, glaring down at the three would-be spies with undisguised hatred. “While it’s unlikely that the three of you know anything useful, there is still a chance that you do.”

When the three would-be spies heard this, they renewed their struggles. Cultivator Thurstan made several hand seals. Beams of black light shot out of his hands, hitting all three of the would-be spies. They stopped struggling and fell unconscious. A few moments later, two figures flew into view. One was a youth wearing iridescent rainbow robes, while another was a woman wearing red robes trimmed with black. They extended their greetings to Cultivator Thurstan and Cultivator Euphemia, before taking the three unconscious would-be spies into custody. Afterwards, they flew off towards the Dawn and Dusk Mountains and disappeared from sight.

“Is this a common occurrence, seniors?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

Cultivator Thurstan raised an eyebrow at me, but answered my question anyway.

“On occasion, yes,” he said. “Every few decades, one or more of the other sects tries to sneak in a spy during the entrance exam. It never works, yet they still keep trying.”

“What will happen to those people?” someone else asked.

Cultivator Thurstan snorted.

“What do you think will happen to them?”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out the answer to that question. During my lessons with Astra and Cultivator Raphael, they told me of a method to forcibly retrieve information from a person’s mind called soul scouring. While effective, soul scouring was an invasive technique that damaged the victim’s mind and left them as little more than a drooling idiot afterwards.

“Enough chatter,” Cultivator Euphemia said, giving Cultivator Thurstan a cold look. “I’ll take the failures back to South Vale, Martial Brother Thurstan. Continue with the exam in my absence.”

Cultivator Thurstan nodded at her, before turning towards those of us who passed through the Gate of Dawn and Dusk. Cultivator Euphemia turned towards those who hadn’t passed through the gate and started herding them back towards South Vale. Several of them protested, but Cultivator Euphemia ignored their protests and forced them back. Since she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and they were all just Qi Condensation cultivators, there was little they could do to resist her. I watched them go for a few moments, before turning my attention to Cultivator Thurstan.

“The Gate of Dawn and Dusk tested your aptitude and future potential,” he said, floating in the air above us. “The next part of the exam will test your willpower and mental fortitude.” He gestured to the stone path that spiraled up the mountain. “Your task is simple. Make it to the clearing at the top of this mountain by sundown.”

I frowned at him, before glancing up at the sky. It was only mid-morning at the latest. The mountain before us wasn’t that tall. It wouldn’t take the entire day just to climb to the top, especially not for cultivators. Unless there was some trick involved, I failed to see how this would test our mental fortitude and willpower.

“It can’t be that easy,” someone muttered.

Cultivator Thurstan grinned.

“I never said your task would be easy,” he said. “I said it was simple.” He nodded to the stone path. “If you take a closer look, you’ll see that the path is under the effects of an array.”

I cast my spirit sense and realized that he spoke the truth. The path was under the effects of an array. While I wasn’t an expert on arrays, Astra and Cultivator Raphael had taught me some of the basics. From what I could see, this particular array applied…

“Mental pressure?” I asked, muttering out loud.

“Correct,” Cultivator Thurstan said. “Once you step onto the path, the array will apply mental pressure akin to the pressure you might feel from another cultivator’s spirit sense. At first, the pressure won’t be that much. However, the pressure will grow stronger the higher up you go.”

The crowd looked excited by this. Unlike with the Gate of Dawn and Dusk, this was something they had some measure of control over. After all, one’s aptitude was set at birth and there was very little one could do to change it. However, willpower was something one could hone and temper.

“To further motivate you,” Cultivator Thurstan said. “I will say this. Those who make it to the clearing at the top of this mountain will become outer disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect. While you may continue with the exam afterwards to potentially become an inner disciple, or even a core disciple, all you need to do to become an outer disciple is pass this part.” He smiled. “Now then, off you go.”

Many in the crowd let out shouts of joy at this, before rushing towards the stone path, eager to secure their place within the Dawn and Dusk Sect. A few, however, decided to take it slow, myself included. After all, rushing ahead wasn’t necessarily a good idea in this situation despite the time limit. According to Cultivator Thurstan, the higher up the mountain one went, the more powerful the mental pressure became. Going slow allowed one to acclimate to the mental pressure over time, making it easier to bear.

Others had the same thought and headed up the stone path in a slow and steady fashion. To my surprise, this included Clarissa Wind Dance. Given what I overheard of her conversation with her parents, I expected her to be one of the eager ones. They were desperate for her to join the Dawn and Dusk Sect, to keep her safe from my uncle, and passing this part would ensure that. However, she walked rather than ran up the mountain, her eyes shining with determination. After that, I ignored her and focused on my own affairs.

I felt the mental pressure as soon as I set foot on the stone path. At first it was just a light touch, but with each step I took, the pressure increased. After making some quick mental calculations, taking into account the rate the pressure increased and the height of the mountain, I realized that the pressure would be almost unbearable by the time I reached the top of the mountain. No wonder they set this portion of the exam here. If the mountain had been any taller, it would have been impossible to climb it within the given time limit

However, I was confident that I would make it in time. I practiced the Song of Dawn and Dusk mental refinement technique and had endured the pain of the Divine Fire qi before I became a divine demon. A little mental pressure was nothing compared to that. In addition to that, over the past several months, Astra and Cultivator Raphael had helped me temper my mind further by using their spirit sense to pressure me. I was used to this sort of thing. In fact, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and adjusted my pace to receive the most benefit from it. After all, this was a perfectly good chance to refine my mind.

As I walked up the mountain, I scanned the surrounding area. To my lack of surprise, the mountain contained a significant amount of qi. Not as much as Mt. Wind Dance, but still a fair amount. Life thrived here. Plants of all kinds grew on the mountain, and I noticed several small animals scurrying about. The qi-rich air smelled clean and pure. It had a cleansing effect on me. With each breath, I felt my heart grow lighter. Despite the increasing pressure on my mind, I smiled and felt at peace.