People headed up the mountain in droves.
Soon, disciples from the Southern Yan Sect stepped forward to guide them, leading the crowd into one of the Earthen Towers.
Once inside, they were met with a striking sight: surrounded by the crowd, a figure in a mask and ritual robes was dancing while shaking a Rattle Drum.
The beat of the drum echoed through the Earthen Tower alongside an eerie melody. A moment later, a bonfire in the center of the room flared to life.
“Whoosh!”
Firelight illuminated the space.
“A sacrificial ritual?” Chen Changsheng asked.
Qin Chuan nodded. “Many sects actually follow this custom. Whenever they undertake a major task or send someone on a long journey, they hold a ritual to pray for good fortune. This is my first time seeing the Southern Yan Sect’s method of prayer, however.”
“How do most of them do it?”
While the ritual was entirely foreign to Qin Chuan, Chen Changsheng found it somewhat familiar.
It looked a lot like the sacrificial ceremonies held by the Tujia people in his past life.
It looked a bit strange, but at the end of the day, it was just a ritual.
As the performer by the bonfire gradually brought the ritual to a close, the crowd inside the building settled down as well.
A man then stepped out onto the second-floor balcony of the Earthen Tower.
“You have all traveled a long way to honor my Southern Yan Sect with your presence. You have our deepest thanks.”
“During this gathering to impart our teachings and accept new disciples, we will offer profound martial arts, as well as Treasure Swords and armaments. Furthermore...”
The gist of his speech was that the Southern Yan Sect wished to promote the martial dao. Their first goal was to recruit disciples, and their second was to share the sect’s martial techniques. Even those who did not join the sect would still have the chance to learn a thing or two.
It was much like a Daoist master preaching at an ashram, done for the sake of spreading the Dao.
“To be honest,” Qin Chuan suddenly spoke up, “no one has figured out what they are actually trying to do yet.”
“Hm?”
Qin Chuan turned to him. “Martial arts are the very foundation of any sect. That goes double for the Southern Yan Sect, which is renowned throughout the world for its swordplay and its Yan Rising Qi-Blood. Yet here they are, generously offering it all up to the public...”
“Even if they wanted to do a good deed, this is taking it too far.”
Chen Changsheng thought it over for a moment. “It is indeed a bit baffling.”
“It is,” Qin Chuan said, frowning slightly.
She had come here today solely to figure out what the Southern Yan Sect’s true purpose was.
She was not alone in that; the vast majority of the people present shared her curiosity.
The whole situation was incredibly suspicious.
As the proceedings continued, the crowd inside the Earthen Tower began to gather in a specific area.
Naturally, taking part was not completely free of requirements.
If anyone wanted a chance to learn the Southern Yan Sect’s martial arts, they first had to pass a bone-feeling assessment.
This was to gauge their innate aptitude.
Anyone whose talent was too poor would be weeded out.
“Why didn’t I pass?”
Chen Changsheng and Qin Chuan had not even reached the gathering spot before they heard a commotion break out.
“That guy just now was in his fifties or sixties! He passed the test, so why can’t a young man like me get in?!”
The man continued to shout, clearly intent on making a scene.
But in the blink of an eye, a sect disciple stepped forward, knocked him unconscious with a single palm strike, and dragged him away.
The Southern Yan Sect had always been swift as thunder and fierce as wind in their actions.
Following that brief farce, the crowd lined up to have their bones checked.
“Brother Chen, why don’t you go first?” Qin Chuan offered.
“What about you?”
“I have my own way of getting in.”
Chen Changsheng glanced at her. “You’re just worried they’ll realize you are a woman disguised as a man.”
Qin Chuan froze in surprise. “You knew, Brother Chen?”
“It wasn’t exactly hard to tell.”
Qin Chuan let out a laugh. “Anyway, just go ahead first.”
Chen Changsheng thought it over and nodded. “Go on, then.”
Qin Chuan nodded and slipped away toward another part of the building.
Chen Changsheng walked forward to see what this so-called bone assessment was all about.
The Southern Yan Sect examiner was a martial master brimming with vigorous qi-blood. However, he acted much more like a physician, occasionally stopping to take someone’s pulse for a more thorough examination.
He never said a single word about his criteria for judgment. Those who passed simply passed, and those who failed simply failed.
While the successful candidates were overjoyed, the failed ones felt bitter disappointment and had no choice but to awkwardly leave.
Soon, it was Chen Changsheng’s turn.
The martial master glanced at him. “Sit.”
Chen Changsheng took a seat and asked, “I am curious. What is this bone assessment actually based on?”
“We check the toughness of your bones and sinews. That determines the upper limit of a martial artist’s qi-blood. The martial arts of our Southern Yan Sect require a certain physical foundation. If you try to practice them blindly without it, things will easily go wrong.”
“I see,” Chen Changsheng nodded.
“Hold out your hand.”
The martial master grasped Chen Changsheng’s wrist and began to trace his bones.
A moment later, a frown touched the man’s face. He found something very strange.
“Your bone age...”
The martial master looked up at him. “How old are you?”
“Barely past twenty,” Chen Changsheng replied.
The martial master’s frown deepened, and he gave Chen Changsheng a long, hard look.
“Let me check again. Wait here.”
“Be my guest.”
But just as he spoke, Chen Changsheng suddenly felt a wisp of aura probe into his body.
It wasn’t qi-blood or anything of the sort. In fact, it felt much more like Demonic Power.
Chen Changsheng immediately severed that wisp of Demonic Power.
The martial master abruptly sat up straight.
“Hm?”
“Is something wrong?” Chen Changsheng asked, feigning ignorance.
The martial master gave him a deeply confused look.
He simply could not figure out why his method had failed on this young man.
The martial master opened his mouth, then shook his head. “It’s nothing. All right, you pass for now.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that.”
The martial master then called out, “Next.”
Chen Changsheng stood up and walked on, stealing a glance back at the examiner.
A human carrying Demonic Power?
It seemed the Southern Yan Sect was truly far from simple.
Perhaps they were involved with much more than just the people of the jianghu.
‘To think there are even demons involved in this.’
He mused over the discovery, suddenly getting the feeling that whatever was about to happen would be very interesting.
There would likely be plenty of unexpected surprises.
Once he walked through the doorway, Chen Changsheng realized he had crossed from one Earthen Tower into another.
The layout of this one was completely different from the last.
In contrast, this building looked much more like a proper lecture hall. Futons were scattered across the floor, and prominent seats were arranged up in the balcony.
Just as he was taking it all in, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
Qin Chuan had somehow already snuck inside.
She shot him a grinning look. “Did the bone examiner give you any trouble?”
“Nothing of the sort,” Chen Changsheng replied. “How did you get in?”
“I jumped the wall,” she said.
“I doubt it was that easy. The Southern Yan Sect’s defenses are quite tight.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Seeing her reluctance, Chen Changsheng didn’t press the issue. He turned to her and asked, “What happens next?”
“According to the sect disciples, next comes the martial lectures,” Qin Chuan explained. “I heard there are four rounds. Anyone who makes it to the very end will get to learn the Southern Yan Sect’s most profound martial arts.”
“That is quite strange.”
“It is,” Qin Chuan agreed. “I’m curious to see how this plays out myself.”
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