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The morning light wasn’t as intense as it was during midday, but it still shone aggressively through the window and into Xu Qing’s room. The sunlight didn’t seem to care whether anyone was willing or not. Unless you hid in the shadows, it would find its way down and shine on you. And it was warm enough to wake a sleeping person.

Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the window, soaked in the sunshine for a bit, and once his blood was pumping, he got up. After doing some stretches to warm up, he opened the door, carefully peered outside, then walked out.

The city was completely different during the daytime compared to night. Food carts sold breakfast items, as did many of the shops. People slowly filled the streets, just as detached and in a hurry as the day before. Everyone moved around as if they had a lot of pressure to deal with on a daily basis. Occasionally, he could hear the sound of children reading books in class, echoing out from behind the walls of some of the buildings. That, at least, gave the impression of an ordinary pace of life.

As Xu Qing walked along, he thought back to one of the medicinal plants Grandmaster Bai had lectured about. It was called a doublelife orchid, and it was a strange flower that contained an indivisible symbiosis of light and darkness.

Are all big cities like this?

Young people were in the crowd, buying food and moving at a faster pace than the adults.

Before long, he felt like he was getting used to the environment. After buying a simple breakfast, he started asking around about the entry assessment.

Apparently, the city residents were all familiar with the subject. Xu Qing quickly learned where to go, and found that he needed to arrive by noontime. For the rest of the morning, he spent time familiarizing himself with the layout of the capital city.

Given the time constraints, he got a general idea, but the city was too big for him to take in after only a few short hours. The city was probably ten thousand times as large as the scavenger basecamp, and what was more, there were areas only Seven Blood Eyes disciples were allowed to enter.

Eventually, he checked the time by looking at the sun in the sky, then headed toward the entry assessment. It was located at the southern edge of the city, in the foothills of the Mountains of Truth.

Further south from the city were the sects’ seven mountain peaks. From a distance, it was possible to see paths that wound through the greenery to the top of the peaks.

The assessment area was a large square surrounded by a glittering shield of light that only people with identity medallions could pass through.

When Xu Qing arrived, he saw a few dozen people already present, most of them seventeen or eighteen years old. Some wore simple clothing, others were dressed in finery. Some were clean from head to toe, others were covered in grime like Xu Qing. They were all people with identity medallions who had come from near and far to participate in the assessment.

In the middle of the square stood three middle-aged cultivators who emanated spirit power fluctuations so terrifying that they surpassed Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior.

They chatted with each other as they waited for the assessment time to arrive, though they occasionally glanced at the gathering group of new arrivals.

Xu Qing assessed the scene cautiously.

He wasn’t someone who liked to socialize, so he found a place off to the side where he could stand alone. There he waited and observed the other people here for the assessment. Most of them seemed to be preparing their cultivation bases.

One person stood out to him, a young man in a long, blue gown, with a fan in his hand. His clothing looked expensive, and he was handsome. Furthermore, his casual, approachable attitude had caused a small crowd to form around him.

“I can explain some basics for everybody,” he said with a smile. “The capital city of Seven Blood Eyes has seven districts that correspond to the seven mountain peaks. Those seven peaks all specialize in different things, and have their own unique aspects.

“For example, the Seventh Peak governs the Port District, and is very powerful. They have unique cultivation techniques, so the disciples from there have astounding battle prowess. They also travel a lot, and have a special connection to the Forbidden Sea.

“The First Peak is often considered the outward-facing sword of the sect. Their members do a lot of training in Forbidden by the Phoenix, and are incomparably grim warrior cultivators. They seldom go out to sea, and prefer to live and die in the forbidden regions.

“Those two peaks are the flagships of Seven Blood Eyes, and they recruit a lot of disciples every year. That said, they have very strict requirements. You don’t get to pick them, they pick you! Without a special identity medallion, you can’t get into them. The other mountain peaks also have identity medallions, but the requirements aren’t as strict. Depending on how well you do when you pass the assessment, you might be able to pick one of the Peaks, or they might pick you. The Sixth Peak specializes in equipment forging, the Fifth Peak in formations, the Fourth Peak in beast-taming, the Third Peak in magical techniques, and the Second Peak in the dao of alchemy.

“Regardless of which peak you select, you won’t have the right to earn profit from Seven Blood Eyes until you’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Before then, life is brutal, unless you become a conclave disciple…. In any case, you’ll see what I mean after you pass the assessment.”

All of the surrounding assessment-takers listened to his explanation, including Xu Qing. He took special note of the mention of brutality, and also profit. He fully understood the meaning of the first term, but when it came to the second, he had questions. However, now wasn’t the time to ponder the issue.

At the moment, he was trying to decide which peak would be the best fit for him.

I’m pretty familiar with forbidden regions, he thought, and that made him wonder if the First Peak was the best one for him. That said, he wasn’t sure what type of identity medallion he had.

As he thought about it, the sound of bells rang out from the seven peaks.

The three cultivators in the middle of the square stopped talking, and suddenly looked very solemn. The one in the middle glanced at the dozens of assessment-takers, and then said, “Silence!”

His voice didn’t seem very loud, yet it crashed like thunder in the ears of the gathered crowd. The young man in blue stopped talking, and the other people all stood there looking nervous. Xu Qing, meanwhile, had a calm facial expression.

“It’s time for the assessment,” the cultivator continued. “There are three phases. If you pass all of them, you’ll earn a thousand merit points. Take first place overall, and you’ll receive an additional reward. The first phase of the assessment involves checking your mutagen levels!

“Before we begin, though, come up one at a time and hand us your identity medallion. State your surname and given name, and don’t hide anything from us. If you violate any rules, you’ll be punished severely!”

In response to the instructions, the young man in blue rolled his eyes and walked forward. After handing over his identity medallion, he raised his voice and said, “I’m Zhou Qingpeng. Greetings, Seniors.” [1]

Hearing his loud, clear voice, the three middle-aged cultivators nodded in approval.

A second person walked up, then another, until six had already gone through the line. Finally, Xu Qing went up, respectfully handed over his identity medallion, and after a short moment of hesitation, said, “I’m Xu Qing. Greetings, Seniors.”

It felt strange to Xu Qing, as it had been a long time since he told someone his real name. In fact, it was nearly seven years at this point.

Bowing his head, he backed away.

The three middle-aged cultivators looked over all the identity medallions, but didn’t spare any more attention for the assessment-takers.

With the initial formalities out of the way, the first phase of the assessment began.

The first phase was simple. One of the middle-aged cultivators waved his hand, causing a three-meter-tall bluish stone to appear. It dropped onto the surface of the square with a thump, sending out a cloud of dust in all directions.

“Step up in the same order you just presented your identity medallions,” he said. “Simply place your hand on the surface of the stone.”

Zhou Qingpeng walked up first.

Xu Qing watched how he put his hand on the stone, and then noted how it glittered with light as a complex design appeared on its surface. Within that design were more than forty points of glowing light.

“Forty-two,” said one of the middle-aged cultivators, nodding. “Not bad. You pass.”

Zhou Qingpeng looked pleased as he backed up to watch everyone else take their turn. As the testing proceeded, Xu Qing soon realized what was happening. The higher the number, the more mutagen one had in one’s body. And anyone with a number higher than one hundred was told they didn’t meet the standard.

I bet I don’t have any in me, Xu Qing thought, his eyes narrowing. Given that this was his first day, he didn’t want to make a big scene that made him the center of attention. That just wasn’t how he did things.

That said, if he didn’t do well enough on this assessment, it could affect his future prospects in the sect. So after a while, he glanced down at his shadow and carefully tapped into the mutagen it had stored within it.

As he did that, he heard exclamations of surprise around him.

“Thirty-four! Outstanding!” The middle-aged cultivator sounded shocked at this. Xu Qing looked up and saw a young woman about the same age as himself standing in front of the bluish stone. She was dressed similar to him, had a grime-covered face, and seemed to be a scavenger. She looked so nervous she wasn’t willing to meet anyone’s eyes, but she clasped hands respectfully to the officiating cultivator and hurried back into line.

I think her name was Li Zimei. [2]

Looking away from her, he walked up to the stone and put his hand on it. The light glittered, and the symbol appeared, then glowing dots started to pop up.

The middle-aged cultivator glanced at him and nodded. “Forty-three. Very good. You pass.”

Xu Qing pulled his hand away and walked back in line. Once he released control of his shadow, the mutagen that had seeped into his body was sucked back out again.

Forty-three wasn’t amazing, but it was good enough as far as Xu Qing was concerned.

He was right. Of the over sixty assessment-takers, only nineteen had a number less than fifty. And there were twenty who surpassed a hundred. Those twenty had somber, ashen faces.

“The final assessment score is a combination of all three phases,” said another of the middle-aged cultivators, a man with a long face, a somber air, and a hoarse voice. “The next phase tests the strength of your will. Everyone sit down cross-legged.”

The assessment-takers complied, Xu Qing included. Looking up at the long-faced cultivator, he tried to guess what a test of will would be like.

The long-faced cultivator waved his hand, and a small silver bottle appeared in his fingers, inscribed with numerous magical symbols. It looked ancient, and at the same time, gave the sense that it contained something very special. With the bottle out in the open, the other two test officiators stood by somberly.

“Inside this bottle is a drop of blood that has been diluted countless times over. When the blood is in the open, it will unleash a wave of might. If you can’t handle it, bite your tongue to draw blood and give up.”

With that, he opened the bottle and poured the contents onto the bluish stone.

Xu Qing looked closely as a drop of viscous, golden liquid emerged. When the golden liquid touched the stone, brilliant light shot up, golden in color, accompanied by a roar that seemed to emanate from ancient times.

All of a sudden, the image of an enormous eye appeared.

A host of tentacles erupted from the eye, but along with that gruish sight came a feeling of utter holiness. It was like the god above gazing down coldly at all living things.

The assessment-takers sitting there cross-legged felt their minds reel as heavenly lightning was exploding in their head. Then they trembled as if they had lost control of their own bodies, and were being ripped out of themselves. They began to shiver in the depths of their souls, while at the same time, they felt an instinctual sense of immense fear. Madness rose up in their heart, and many hovered on the verge of losing their minds. Almost instantly, three people coughed up blood and collapsed, screaming.

Zhou Qingpeng and Li Zimei looked pale in the face, and were trembling visibly. They even had blood leaking out of their eyes and noses.

Xu Qing was unique. Though he was also shaking, he was also profoundly shocked because… this eye seemed familiar to him!

Back when the eyes of the god above opened, Xu Qing had looked up, and had felt a sense of might… exactly the same as this!

1. Zhou Qingpeng’s surname Zhou is listed #10 on the top 100 most common Chinese surnames. It has a variety of meanings. Qing is the same character from Xu Qing’s name, and means “green, blue, cyan,” etc. Peng refers to the giant mythical bird that’s also part of the “kunpeng” mythical creature. This is sometimes translated “roc” (as I did in ISSTH). Madam Deathblade says this sounds like the name of a lively, energetic young man. Zhou is pronounced like the common English name Joe. Qing starts with a CH sound, so Qingpeng is pronounced roughly like “cheeng-pung.” ☜

2. Li Zimei: Li is listed #2 on the top 100 most common Chinese surnames. It also means “plum.” The Zi character is a very common character that has no real meaning in the name. Mei is another word for “plum” or possibly “plum flower.” Madam Deathblade says this name sounds sort of old-fashioned, like the name of someone from a village. She also says it sounds like the name belonging to a quiet person. ☜