While moving, Wang Fei was deep in thought. "This Ye Mo looks plain on the outside, but a deep killing intent is concealed in his eyes. How many people did he kill for it to become this way at his age..."
In the meantime, within the mass of survivors, Ma Shinfei's persistent gaze roamed on Ye Mo's back.
"I am not wrong, this is the presence I felt back then in the forest. He looks like a commoner, but his muscles are tough and his body is full of vitality. He must be cultivating a body refining technique. I wonder what grade it is?" Ma Shinfei asked himself as he became excited.
Somewhere else in the crowd, a spear-wielding blue-haired teen was in reflection.
"This boy reeks of blood, he's definitely not ordinary. This tournament is gonna be interesting." The youth smiled as expectations growed inside him.
In front of an expert's eyes, even the smallest subtleties were laid bare.
The birds chirped, and the crickets sang as everyone arrived at Azure Water City. The participants who failed the test left for home, or more accurately, were chased out by the instructors.
Wang Fei opened his mouth as a small cloud came out. It quickly enlarged until it was big enough to carry all the candidates for the second phase.
"Kids, hop in. This is a spiritual tool, we will use this to go to the Tiger Martial Institute from here. Previously, it couldn't hold all of you as you were too numerous, so take this as a special treatment for passing the first phase."
Spiritual tools existed in all kinds of forms and shapes and had varying speeds, but they were all extremely expensive and commonly used to travel great distances.
The youths looked at it with eyes full of awe and bewilderment as they touched it. When they realized it was tangible, they all jumped on and left for the institute. The cloud was soft and comfy, but when flying, it was so fast that some kids almost fell out.
Even though Wang Fei didn't make it fly at top speed, the weakest of participants gripped the cloud with all their strength as they desperately held out, while the strongest were deeply rooted on the mass of steam, enjoying the view of the city from above.
Ye Mo calmly sat as he closed his eyes, feeling the wind on his face. This kind of sensation and this feeling of freedom were novel to him. "When my cultivation reaches a certain stage, I will be able to fly like that by myself all the time, and I wouldn't need such a tool."
Ye Mo couldn't wait.
Unfortunately for him or fortunately for the other kids, the travel was short as they quickly arrived at their destination.
The cloud landed in front of the Tiger Martial Institute's gates as everyone jumped off before it shrank back and disappeared inside Wang Fei's mouth.
The youths looked at the gigantic Tiger Martial Institute while charming young men, refined ladies, and rich-looking horse carriages were coming and going all around them. The institute was in the heart of Azure Water City, where only the strongest cultivators and the wealthiest people resided.
Two guards were posted beside the gates with a solemn expression. Wang Fei approached them and showed his token as the guards nodded and opened the gates.
"Follow me." Wang Fei gestured to the kids, then entered the institution with the other instructors.
The youths followed behind and walked under the arch of the gate, discovering marvelous pavillons, magnificent palaces, and three massive towers. Deeper inside could be seen the figure of an enormous pagoda, it was so big it was visible from tens of li away.
Every participant looked at the scenery with sparks in their eyes. The architecture of each building had its own magnificent style, and the structures looked more luxurious the further they walked.
"So that's where martial artists cultivate..." Only then did Ye Mo realise how awe-inspiring the institutions are. He didn't look at the palaces or the lotus ponds but at the wealth they represented and how much he would profit from this place.
There were many cultivators walking by. They looked mighty and affluent, while the youngest ones seemed proud and excited.
Passing through some streets and bridges, and after many twists and turns, they arrived at the Dusk Yard.
Dusk Yard was a residential area for guests with castles and palaces more or less expensive.
The candidates were led to a black castle.
"This is where you will sleep tonight. The competition will take place tomorrow, so rest well in order to be fresh and ready, but don't forget you're not part of the Tiger Martial Institute yet, so don't roam around casually." Wang Fei and the assisting teachers left with these words.
The black castle had five floors with corridors containing countless doors on each side. Inside were small, simple rooms with a bed, a desk, but no window. Inside the drawer of the desk were paper, ink, and a brush.
Some weren't fond of sleeping there. Most of the cultivators present came from wealthy families and powerful clans, so they were not used to resting in such small and simple rooms, but they put up with it as it was just for one day in order to join the Tiger Martial Institute.
For Ye Mo, instead, it was more than he ever had since his parents died. Their house had been taken from him and sold to a new family while he had been living all this time on the streets. He found his shabby shelter much later in time, so having a bed and a roof of his own was new to him.
Ye Mo closed the door of his room and sat on the bed when he discovered he couldn't feel the others' presence or hear anything from the exterior.
The rooms were isolated from the outside.
"That's good news." Ye Mo rummaged through his pouches, calculating his earnings of the last four days. In the middle, he suddenly, randomly thought of this blond boy who tried to invite him to his team before the first trial.
"I didn't see him come back from the Jade Forest... Guess he died." This way Ye Mo erased him from his memories as he returned to viewing his possessions.
...
In the meantime, in a courtyard of the Tiger Martial Institute.
Six people in green martial suits were waiting in a courtyard. The leading one had short white hairs, and a scar ran across his left eye. He wore a green traditional robe as he stood by with a serious gaze.
Soon enough, a maid arrived and asked the white-haired man to follow her. His companions weren't allowed to accompany him. The two walked along the hallway for a short time when she opened a door and invited him to go in.
On the other side of the door was Wang Fei sitting behind a desk, browsing through some documents.
The white-haired man entered the room as the maid closed the door behind him.
"You wanted to see me?" Wang Fei put down the papers and looked at the tall man as he asked.
"Yes, sir Wang, my name is Liu Zhang Yan, and I am a member of the Liu clan disciplinary hall. I came here to learn what happened to my young master?" Liu Zhang Yan declared in a respectful tone.
He was the same man searching for Liu Hualing's traces in the Jade Forest days ago.
"What do you mean, what happened? Liu Huan didn't come back from the jade forest, so manifestly he died or encountered some difficulties. In any case, he failed the test, so it is not our Tiger Martial Institute's problem anymore." Wang Fei announced flatly.
The Tiger Martial Institute took care of their members, but as long as you weren't a part of it, your well-being was your own responsibility. The ones joining the recruitment knew it was dangerous, if something happened to them, they didn't have the right to complain.
"This is impossible! With his strength, joining the institution would be a piece of cake without talking of the first trial! You should be clear about it yourself!" Liu Zhang Yan raised his voice as he lost his composure.
"That's not impossible, I admit that your young master had greater strength among the participants, but every year, many youths get eliminated in this test, and sometimes the strong ones fail while some weaker kids succeed. Luck is a part of strength too and it's not excluded that he met a high or peak tier blood beast during his trial."
"No, I don't believe it! I want to see the report of the instructor in charge of watching the participants!" Liu Zhang Yan hastily shouted as he lost his manners. This was the heir of his clan they were talking about, and their hope to prosper once again. His life and death were a matter that directly led to the survival or demise of their clan. With Liu Hualing's additional disappearance, this experienced middle-aged man couldn't keep calm anymore.
These words just left his mouth that he already regretted them. He looked at Wang Fei and saw his deep gaze lay on him like he was a piece of meat waiting to be cut, at the same time, the temperature of the room seemed to become frigidly cold. He felt like the air was solidifying around him as a formless pressure appeared on his body.
"Maybe I should teach you some manners in place of your clan so you remember your position in the future." Wang Fei coldly said as he stood up.
"This is this servant's fault for showing such shameful behavior. I deeply implore sir Wang's forgiveness." Liu Zhang Yan stopped breathing as he hurriedly kowtowed.
This veteran had fought so many life and death battles he wouldn't bat an eye even if he lost an arm, but at this moment, he bowed down and begged as if his life depended on it.
Wang Fei was silent for a moment.
After some time, he relaxed and instructed, "You can leave."
Liu Zhang Yan felt the pressure disappear as if it never existed. He stood up and bowed to Wang Fei several times before he departed.
Wang Fei sneered. There was a teacher specialised in reconaissance that was in charge of watching the participants to make sure nothing wrong happened like a rank 2 blood beast suddenly appearing or demonic cultivators showing up, but his report wasn't something an insignificant character like Liu Zhang Yan could view and even if he could, Wang Fei wouldn't have allowed such a rude and presumptuous man to do it.
Liu Zhang Yan just exited Wang Fei's courtyard with his comrades and was walking a street of the Tiger Martial Institute when droplets of blood fell on his robe and the floor.
"Senior Zhang, are you okay ?!" A female member asked worriedly, seeing the blood leak down.
Liu Zhang Yan lightly touched his nose, then looked at his hand when he saw his fingers smeared with blood. The middle-aged man took a sharp breath as he looked back towards Wang Fei's courtyard before they hurriedly left the Tiger Martial Institute.