Chapter 8 – Wait, You’re Not Helping!

  Mei Lian had been watching Jun De since they had left the testing grounds of Nan Ao City. It wasn’t just his appearance that had caught her attention, although he was the most attractive man she had ever met.

  No, it was also how he was always so calm and composed and possessed a grace that made every movement a pleasure to watch. The way he moved, spoke and listened was astonishing. It was like he belonged to a different world.

  Since she had passed her orb to him during the test, she was convinced that Jun De would be no ordinary cultivator. He was a reincarnated immortal, sent back to the mortal world for some divine reason.

  Mei Lian watched him help one of the other candidates when they had lost their footing during a rest stop. Jun Dee had caught him without hesitation and offered him water. When another had spoken of their fear of leaving home, Jun De had listened attentively and offered advice.

  He was always kind and always attentive to those around him.

  Mei Lian’s heart stirred every time he smiled, and she felt a sense of reverence toward Jun De. She held a deep certainty that she was in the presence of someone the heavens had blessed.

  But not everyone saw him that way.

  When a young man dressed in robes of the finest silks and with a family crest prominently displayed walked toward Jun De and insulted him, Mei Lian couldn’t remain silent.

  She stepped forward quickly and intercepted the young noble, blocking Jun De behind her.

  “Watch your words, you do not recognize Mt. Tai. This is Young Master Jun De, the pride of our Nan Ao City. He shattered hundreds of testing orbs just by touching a single one! No one here is more talented than our Young Master!” Mei Lian declared proudly, and the others from Nan Ao City stepped forward to voice their agreement.

  Behind her, Jun De said nothing. He just watched her with that same calm, unreadable expression, although she thought she could see a trace of warmth creep into his eyes.

  Feeling even more incensed that someone would dare insult him, Mei Lian continued.

  “You’ll see! Young Master Jun De will rank first in the test, and no one will be his equal!” Mei Lian exclaimed loudly, her voice easily carrying across the courtyard. Everyone was paying attention now, and she felt an extreme sense of pride that soon, everyone would know how incredible Jun De was.

  The young noble scoffed and shook his head, while some of his entourage flushed red with anger.

  “Such devotion! Are you hoping to become his maidservant when he fails? If this Jun De takes the top spot in the test, I, Ren Qiu, will kneel at his feet and apologize for my rudeness. But, when it is revealed that he is nothing more than a frog in a well, I will expect the same!”

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  Jun De blinked slowly, and his expression was unreadable as Mei Lian’s voice rang out.

  “Young Master Jun De will rank first in the test, and no one will be his equal!” She boldly declared in an unyielding tone.

  A murmur rippled through the courtyard as Jun De felt the attention press against him like a sudden gust of wind.

  For a brief moment, he had been relieved when Mei Lian had stepped in so quickly to defend him. He didn’t need to say a word to the puffed-up young noble and make an enemy of him. Fewer enemies meant fewer complications, and in the cultivation world, Jun De knew that grudges could last for a long time.

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  But then, Jun De registered her next words.

  “He’ll rank first!”

  Jun De screamed internally, although his face betrayed none of his emotions. It stayed calm and serene, an odd quirk of this body that seemed detached from the world around it. His brows didn’t twitch, his lips remained in a natural line.

  He was the perfect picture of composed disinterest.

  Inside, he was already thinking about all the new problems this would cause. Half the courtyard was staring at him with hostility, interest or envy.

  ‘Wait! You’re not helping! Stop!’

  Jun De glanced at Mei Lian and nearly sighed out loud.

  She was beaming. With her wide eyes and bright cheeks, she looked up at him like a puppy that had just fetched a stick. Her eyes practically sparkled with anticipation as she waited for his reaction. Her pride and loyalty were on full display.

  Jun De had no choice. He nodded slowly and calmly in approval, acknowledging a well-meant effort.

  But internally, he was dying.

  It was too late for him to do anything else as an Elder in a blue robe trimmed in white stepped forward to address the crowd.

  “I am Elder Shen.”

  “We will now begin the second test to enter our Tranquil Mountain Sect. You have all proven yourself capable of cultivating, but talent is only a small piece in determining how far you will travel on your journey to immortality.”

  The Elder’s voice easily carried, and he was joined by a half dozen older men and women, all in the 10th Level of Qi Condensation, making them Outer Sect Elders.

  “Perseverance and endurance are required in cultivation. The life of a cultivator is long, and only those who are truly committed should take the first step. The second test will push you to your limits and determine if you are suitable to become disciples.” The Elder gestured to the stairs beside them.

  “The Trial of Perseverance requires you to climb these stairs to the entrance of the Sect.” The staircase began to hum with a low, thrumming sound as the spiritual energy gathered. A faint mist roiled on the ground, obscuring their surroundings.

  “Mortals were never meant to touch divinity. Cultivation is defiance against age, against fate and the natural order. The heavens will push back. These steps are a fragment of that truth, forged long ago by our ancestors. With each step you take, you will be tested in body, mind and spirit.”

  “To pass this trial, you must ascend the first hundred steps. Those who climb higher will not only gain honour, but may also receive rewards from our Sect’s vaults and the attention of the Inner Sect Elders.”

  There was a tense silence as the candidates looked up. The first few steps seemed simple enough, but a haze had gathered after the twentieth, an oppressive shimmer that bent the light.

  Meil Lian swallowed hard from where she stood beside Jun De, her hands clenched tightly into fists at her sides. The others from Nan Ao City shifted nervously as they already felt the weight in the air pressing down on their shoulders.

  “Begin.” Elder Shen’s voice rang out once more, calm but firm.

  One candidate, full of bravado and self-assurance, stepped forward right away and stepped onto the first stair. The others waited to see what would happen, but they were disappointed.

  Still confident, he took another step, then another.

  By the fifth step, his breathing had grown laboured, and by the tenth, his knees buckled, and he dropped to all fours, gasping as if an unseen boulder had been placed on his back.

  The other candidates, seeing the first amongst them struggling, delayed for a moment and hesitated to approach the stairway. The young man on the tenth step managed to crawl to the eleventh, but it was clear he was struggling to move at all.

  Ren Qiu, seeing his chance, began to heckle and taunt Jun De.

  “What’s wrong, Jun De? Waiting for the heavens to roll out a golden carpet for you?” Ren Qiu called out as he stood with his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face. His voice carried loud and clear across the crowd and was laced with mockery.

  “Didn’t your little shadow just claim you’d be first in the rankings? Surely someone so extraordinary wouldn’t hesitate to take a few, simple steps.”

  A few nervous chuckles rippled through the watching crowd, though most had no interest in getting involved in a conflict between someone who was clearly a rich, spoiled, noble, and someone who looked like an immortal reincarnated.

  Jun De turned to look at Ren Qiu, his face as calm and collected as always. If he was irritated, no one could see it. His gaze met Ren Qiu’s for a moment with quiet dignity, as if Ren Qiu’s existence barely warranted notice.

  But then, Mei Lian stiffened beside him, visibly preparing to respond, with a fresh retort already forming.

  ‘No! Don’t make things worse!’ Jun De screamed internally. He raised his hand and gently placed it on her shoulder to silence her.

  But to Mei Lian, she took his action as him reassuring her that she didn’t need to act.

  Without a choice, Jun De stepped toward the staircase and passed the others around him without sparing them a glance. His robes stirred lightly in the mountain breeze as he approached the first step, and even the Outer Sect Elders were stunned by his appearance.

  Without hesitation, Jun De placed his foot on the first step, and the air trembled.