"Worry not," Rein smiled in return, hiding his sense of unease within. "I will partake in the trial as normal."
"No, no, no. That is unacceptable!" The refined man flicked his sleeves. "If you were to fail this trial, what am I to do?"
"What do you mean?" Rein narrowed his eyes at the refined man's words.
"If I end up rejecting you because of your failure, yet you have earned the favor of Elder Baejenh… I will suffer at the hands of others if I am ever sent to the Fusion Sect. They would claim that I intentionally sabotaged your trial!" The refined man slapped the back of his right hand against the palm of his left to emphasise this troublesome 'problem'.
"And what if you were to lose your life in this trial? After all, many do, often due to a run of bad luck. Elder Baejenh will no doubt demand one or more of our heads in return!" The refined man gestured at the other robed advancers standing beside him. "We are all only servants, commanded to carry out orders. You would not make a choice that could endanger our innocent lives, surely…"
"It is normal protocol for one such as you to enter without going through the trial!" He declared, smacking the back of his right hand against his left palm again. "Come. Come!" The advancers grumbled under their breath as they opened up a path for Rein to pass through the archway.
Rein found himself incredibly troubled by the current situation. This refined man's words were simply too insidious. He could tell that if he entered the Thousand Facet Sect without going through the trial, it was likely that at the very least, his reputation would suffer for it. The positive side was that others will miss an opportunity to determine his capabilities-- which he may be forced to employ in the entry trial.
On the other hand, if he demanded he be tried… Perhaps that in itself is the trap. Under those circumstances, this refined man or others behind a veil, might intentionally sabotage him. The refined man might then send over a vision egg of his demands to be tried. The refined man would thus prove his own innocence.
Rein's opinion was that under these circumstances, Baejenh would not be able to make a move. He could lose his life for nothing. He wasn't arrogant enough to think that the unnamed faction in control within the Thousand Facet Sect do not have something devastating tools up their sleeve. Moreover, he wasn't even certain that Baejenh would seek revenge over his little life.
Then again, he does have a few tricks up his sleeves. Rein impulsively wished to forcefully participate in the trial, but a memory of his half-senior Chenhr chiding him for being overly reckless sounded in his mind.
He took a deep breath. He should play along for now. Remain quiet and observe. If he remains 'cooperative', sooner or later, their attention will shift away. At least, he felt that first, he needed to understand the system of the sect's structure and current situation much better so that he can develop a proper plan to protect himself.
"Very well," Rein nodded. He had no doubt that his own reputation would be in the gutters-- word of his entry into the sect, bypassing the trial, was certain to spread amongst the many disciples. A bitter pill that he had to swallow-- for now.
"Good!" The refined man smiled and hooked the fingers of his two hands together before giving Rein a bow. "The name's Jekz. Thank you, brother."
For a moment, Jekz seemed almost… genuine in his offer of thanks.
"Let us begin!" Jekz held up a translucent orb, refracting the rays of the morning sun. "All of you are already aware of the procedures, but it is protocol for me to explain the process. Obviously, we must first determine your elemental affinity."
"Then, your age-- we will send sound through your bones, and one of our experts in sound and medical arts will analyze that reverberation within your bones." As he said this, an elderly bald man with a grey goatee stepped forth.
"Our assessment is final. Those accepted will still have to enter our final trial within our garden of elementals. Many die within. You still have a chance to opt out…" Jekz's gaze ran over the many late teens and young adults. None opted to withdraw-- they came here knowing the dangers.
"Very well," Jekz nodded. "Rein. Your elemental affinities and age-- we must know."
Rein had done the same on his entry into the Hall of Heroes in Green Trout City.
He reached out a hand and gripped the top of the orb, nested within Jekz's palm. The magical necklace that had sunk into his skin around his neck should still be effective, as it was given by the mysterious Master Yirn.
The orb glowed brightly for spatial and lightning, but shockingly, became blindingly radiant for the element of wood!
Rein himself was in disbelief. In his previous testing, the necklace had suppressed all three elemental affinities to a bright hue. This time, the wood element was resplendent. What exactly changed?
He suddenly recalled that upon parting from Wilo, who escaped with that ancient relic, Wilo had given him a sapling, which entered his body. He never really knew what happened to that sapling, but it must have entered the so-called personal astral space that all advancers drew magical powers from, and changed something!
Afterwards, the bald man with a grey goatee held out two metal rods. These two metal rods were inscribed with some sort of amplification arts. He smashed the two together. A ringing noise caused the air to blur and expand towards Rein.
Rein braced himself, and felt his bones, organs and flesh vibrating as the blurred air passed through his position. His body quickly stabilized.
The bald man with a grey goatee hesitated.
"Senior Harmyz?"
"Over sixteen, entered early adulthood, that's for certain…" Harmyz muttered.
Rein chortled internally. He was certain that the draconic metamorphose bead must have transformed his bones somewhat as well. This man named Harmyz… might have detected that technically, his current bones might just be over a year old. Harmyz must be absolutely confused, and was trying to avoid embarrassment in front of the trial-goers.
"Indeed, I am seventeen," Rein nodded, before walking to the side.
It was the others' turn to be tested.
Little did Rein know that Harmyz wasn't just confused by the age of Rein's bones. No, Harmyz was also internally shocked that Rein hadn't coughed up blood from the sound arts released from his two rods. He had received an order to put some pressure on Rein, after all.
_________________________________________________
Significantly deeper in the mountains was an area known as the Floating Facets. This area carried an immense concentration of aurae, an endless supply that flowed out from beneath the earth.
The flow was given order and structure, lifting up many mountainous peaks up into the air, creating a levitating central peak surrounded by a number of smaller but just as grandiose airborne peaks. These various peaks were all suffused with a different type of aurae, and their energies weaved together to lift the central peak ever higher. Beneath these peaks was a gigantic lake, a column of its water rising into the underside of the central peak.
Within a luxurious cave at the top of the central craggy peak rested the man known as Xik. He was the man who effectively ran the Thousand Facet Sect for decades, placed here by the Lahker faction of the Fusion Sect.
But he is not the Sect Leader of Thousand Facet Sect. No. The Sect Leader of Thousand Facet Sect is, in fact, another man who rarely made an appearance, belonging to the ruling faction placed in charge of the Fusion Sect. Of course, that ruling faction obtained their position after earning the favor of the Grand Uni Heavens. Both the Lahker and Eihr-Baejenh factions, among others, were tolerated provided that they remain loyal to 'The Cause' as dictated by the Uni Heavens.
Xik sat before a gigantic wide and flat bowl of water that displayed the trial being conducted by Jekz.
Beside him stood Winfr and Miksen, their heads bowed.
"Well, girl," Xik glared at Winfr. "What do you make of this? The man known as Rein opted to not partake in the trial."
"He… perhaps he has succumbed to fear…?" Winfr said as she bit her lips and controlled her annoyance. She had observed Xik give orders to Miksen, who then instructed Jekz on his task.
Master Xik controls many extremely powerful elemental beasts and constructs within the trial. Normally, he would dull the senses of these tamed beasts and limit the capabilities of the manufactured constructs. However, if an opportunity arose, he most certainly could remove those limitations. If Rein forced his way into the trial, Xik was prepared to take the potential consequences from taking Rein's life. After all, his greatest concern was Rein potentially building a base for the Eihr, soon-to-be Baejenh faction.
Winfr felt annoyed primarily because she knew Master Xik preferred Rein to not force his way into the trial. Master Xik's orders to Jekz was to push Rein into not participating in the trial.
She could not understand why her Master preferred that option-- she personally wished to see those beasts and constructs rip Rein apart, after all.
As for Master Xik, his considerations were much deeper. Indeed, if Rein forcefully entered the trial, Xik could choose to kill the man. Yet there would be a price. Though Grandmaster Lahker might appreciate him, it was likely that the Eihr-Baejenh faction would create many difficulties for him-- at least for a few decades, thus lowering his chance at ascension. At least, he was of the opinion that this would be the likely outcome. In addition, he also wasn't sure as to how the rarely-seen Sect Master belonging to Fusion Sect's ruling faction might react.
That ruling faction was the Dust faction. Having earned the favor of Grand Uni Heavens, their strength was far above the others within the Fusion Sect. As such, they were more than happy to give the other factions control over troublesome regions.
Perhaps Xik might be overthinking, but in his mind, he had to consider the possibility that the Dust faction, belonging to Madam Dancing Dust, might interfere, using Rein for purposes of testing both the Lahker and Eihr-Baejenh faction in relation to 'The Cause'.
If Rein knew of Master Xik's thoughts, he would probably laugh until his stomach became pained. Rein really wasn't here on Baejenh's behest, after all.
For Xik, however, this was a serious matter, a matter that he believes will impact his very opportunity of ascension.
What if others within the trial witnessed these overpowered elemental demon beasts and golems acting beyond their usual trial 'limit', and generated this memory within a vision egg? If that vision egg found a way out, this would damage both the reputation of Thousand Facet Sect and Fusion Sect. He would be forced to take the fall by Grandmaster Lahker. With this many trial-goers, it was impossible to fully mitigate this risk. In fact, he was fully aware that some sect disciples sell their memories of those constructs and beasts to trial-goers.
As such, if he wished to remove the limitations placed on these demon beasts and constructs, he would need to ensure that none within the trial survived. That, however, could lead to other problems-- nothing would be more suspicious than a complete wipeout of all trial entrants.
"Is that all?" Master Xik glared at the girl. He then sighed. Yes. Perhaps this was simply her nature. With his proper teaching, perhaps, at least she won't become a complete liability in the future. Or… Xik glanced at Miksen. Perhaps, it was best to pair her up with an astute man. After all, her pace in raising her magical powers was frankly, the best he had seen in decades.
"Let us assume that he may have unique abilities beyond our expectation. Why do you think he might opt to not participate in the trial, girl?"
"He wishes to keep them hidden…?" Winfr hesitated.
"Yet… if he were to enter the trial, and demonstrate talent, many of the newer disciples will be swayed by him, allowing him to establish a foothold to grow the Eihr, soon-to-be Baejenh faction," Miksen frowned. He initially believed that Rein would force his way into the trial. It needed to be said that the average disciple wasn't part of any faction. The typical disciple was usually drawn to a particular talent in their generation. It was these talented individuals and their loyalties that mattered.
That was precisely why Xik planned to remove the limiters on tamed demon beasts and constructs and set them upon Rein if he forcibly participated in the trial, consequences be damned. After all, if Rein cooperates with the other trial-goers, and perhaps even saves a few of their lives… that will result in a base that can be built upon. Rein would have become that particular talent that drew others in. A decade later, it was a possibility that many disciples might then become part of Baejenh's faction.
Now that Rein had chosen not to participate in the trial, Xik felt that his plan was proceeding smoothly. If he could get rid of Rein without drawing suspicion and risking his own future, that would be the best result.
"Let your junior do the thinking," Xik glared at the young man.
"Yes Master," Miksen sealed his lips.
"I…" Winfr wasn't sure what her Master wished for her to say.
"Come on, girl," Xik sighed. "What of Rein's elemental affinities? Tell me your thoughts."
"Well. He has an incredibly high affinity with wood. Is it… beyond the detection of the orb? And high affinity with spatial and lightning," she said.
"So?"
Silence pervaded the air.
"Recall your brief clash against him. What did he display?" Xik probed.
"Speed augmented by the lightning element. A tempered body with power and vitality…" Winfr muttered. She could already sense her Master's dissatisfaction.
Awkward silence ensued once again.
"What does vitality have to do with…?" By now, Xik had come to accept that he would need to lead this disciple by the nose step-by-step.
"The element of wood…" Winfr mumbled before suddenly lighting up with joy. "His elemental affinity with wood is beyond limits! There must be a secret there! Healing capabilities…?" She suddenly recalled the report that Rein had sustained an injury from one of her fire-wind aurae arrows.
"... Finally," her senior Miksen exhaled.
"Indeed. Miksen is correct to say that Rein must have initially planned to build influence by participating in the trial. That must be Elder Baejenh's intentions. He chose not to, precisely because his advantage lay in his fiendish physical strength, his recovery capabilities, and perhaps his ability to provide healing. He must know his own limitations."
"Perhaps he believes that the risk of the trial isn't worth it-- if he could provide healing on sect missions, others will undoubtedly owe him their lives. If he fears anything, it must be those capable of staying at range, continuously wearing down his strength with endless waves of magical arts. He chose not to risk the trial, because he doesn't have to in order to accomplish Elder Baejenh's orders-- that much I am certain," Xik concluded. Those with high affinity to wood often practice healing arts.
If Rein heard these words, he would most certainly fall over in complete shock.
"That… that bitch!" Though Winfr's forte wasn't in analyzing all these strategic moves, even she realized how insidious a move it was to send an advancer capable of providing healing to build influence in an area that was under the control of a competing ally. Her view of Rein had changed. She now saw Rein as a difficult-to-kill healer.
"Nearly all advancers with truly powerful abilities-- there is one behaviour common in all of them. They gradually become ever more confident that their abilities will allow them to overcome all. As such, we can be relatively certain that the man, Rein, currently is not capable of such advancer arts."
If Rein heard this, he would internally grumble that it was the memory of his half-senior Chenhr berating him that prevented him from forcibly entering the trial.
As for Rein's spatial affinity? Creating portals requires time, not to mention, at least the outer realm level. Xik simply did not think much of it. But of course-- he did not know that the echo of an ancient god with spatial talents had taken root within Rein. Instead…
"For Elder Baejenh to give him her token, and for his wood affinity to be beyond the limit of the orb's testing… There is a possibility that he may have an origin ability linked to the affinity of wood," Xik muttered. "Disciple Miksen. Bring me the relevant tomes."
"Yes, Master," Miksen bowed, and strode towards the exit of the luxurious cave. He paused at the entrance.
"Master. Should we inform the…origin ability hunter organizations?" He asked. Before Xik could even open his mouth to reply, Miksen had already begun answering his own question. "No…This would turn the Dust faction on us. The Grand Uni Heavens will slaughter us."
Cold sweat rolled down Miksen's back, and his hands felt stiff from fear. He was shocked that he had even considered that idea. All know that the Grand Uni Heavens wishes to acquire and control more origin advancers. Other forces do too.
"It would be best if this Rein's resplendent wood affinity is not due to an origin ability," Xik muttered. "Otherwise, we truly will have to risk it all to take his life." If the Baejenh faction gets rewarded for offering up an origin advancer… Luckily, most advancers who may have one resplendent elemental affinity-- most of the time, it was not due to an origin ability.
"Heh," Master Xik laughed and shook his head. "Regardless, he will soon understand his position. He will soon understand that he has no place here. And if he remains, he will find himself sacrificed. After all… if those you save inevitably die, your base will still be nothing but sand in the wind. After all, all the true peak masters and mistresses are on my side."
Rein would soon discover Master Xik's full intentions.
____________________________________________________
After all the entrants were tested for the affinities and bone age, they passed into the gates that signaled the beginning of Thousand Facet Sect's territories.
"Follow me for now, junior Rein," Jekz said. "I must send these would-be advancers into their trial."
Jekz and his entourage began to accelerate, and the trial-goers shared a few glances before they, too, increased their pace.
Jekz wasn't travelling at any amazing speed for an advancer. After all, many advancers only lightly tempered their bodies, particularly true in the case of female advancers. Still, it was necessary to ensure that the trial-goers met a certain standard.
As for Rein, he felt the pace to be almost leisurely.
They soon arrived at the entrance to a deep valley. Rein could see, in the very far distance, many mountain peaks floating in the sky behind the valley.
"This is your trial grounds," Jekz said, before pointing at many stone pillars erected on the mountain ridges that formed the two sides of the valley. "Those pillars ensure that the demon beasts and manufactured constructs remain within the valley. Enter, survive a day. Special status will be given to those that collect the cores of the constructs and demon beasts. You know the deal. If you have second thoughts, you may still turn back now."
None did. The few hundred trial-goers remaining entered. The original thousand had been trimmed by the elemental affinity testing and bone age test, while a small number had strangely failed to keep up with Jekz's relatively casual pace.
As for Rein, he followed Jekz and his entourage. They travelled on the outside of the ridge on one side of the valley, and waited at the higher end of the valley.
Jekz stood beside a sword-shaped stone pillar marking that exit, and withdrew a vase with a long tip blocked by a cork. This vase fitted perfectly into an indentation at the blade of the large stone sword stabbed into the ground. Jekz uncorked the vase, and out of its long neck flowed a cloudy substance that formed an image.
Seeing the image, Rein now realized that this was the method to observe the happenings inside the valley.
If Rein was being bluntly honest, many abilities that he saw weren't particularly interesting-- after all, he had observed the Supremes of the Halls battling. Of course, he was also aware as to why-- those who demonstrate talent are often recruited at a young age by advancers across the world. The goal of these trials are, more often than not, a method to fill the numbers, or potentially acquire the rare unexpected late-bloomer. Most of the real talents must have long entered the sect.
Still, there were a few surprising entrants. There was a man who seemed to have some ability to fool demon beasts into treating him as one of their own. He was an absolute terror to other entrants, taking lives in cold blood. A female advancer had a myriad of tricks that Rein struggled to understand. Her weapon and magical arts seemingly flowed and transformed into various shapes and sizes that allowed her to attack and defend in unique ways.
There were many entrants that simply found a spot, laid many traps with rather elementary formations, and turned to bow and arrow while protected by these traps. These entrants did well when facing the demon beasts, and fared poorly against the elemental constructs that often suffered little to no damage from their elementary formations. These elemental golems, with powerful but simple magical arts of one specific element, took the lives of entrants who depended on this tactic. An area filled with a flame field, or the ground transformed into a muddy pool that one would sink ever deeper into.
Witnessing this, Rein couldn't help but suspect that some of these entrants must have received valuable information, and made certain prior preparations.
Many entrants also simply wielded a melee weapon, usually a sword, sabre or spear. These entrants fared better. Though they struggled to take down the constructs, they easily escaped their slower form-- from the onset of the trial, they were prepared to do so. However, they did suffer much under the mobile elementally-charged demon beasts.
Rein felt a high degree of curiosity towards these elementally-charged demon beasts. After all, the demon beasts he had come across in the wilderness were much more versatile in terms of both movement and types of attack. He suspected that these demon beasts were specifically bred a certain way. For example, a wind-charged spiked cheetah-like beast was particularly quick on its feet, by design.
He soon noticed why. He observed quite a few demon beasts' eyes becoming hazy right before they could deal a killing blow. Some constructs seemed to slow at disadvantageous moments. The whole trial was manufactured, in a way.
Initially, Rein somewhat regretted not participating. After his experience in serving the Hall of Heroes, these elemental demon beasts and constructs weren't particularly threatening in his eyes. After noticing that the whole trial was manufactured and controlled by some invisible hand, he no longer felt that regret. After all, whoever controlled these demon beasts and constructs could well have chosen to target him in an overwhelming demon beast wave.
Indeed, currently, the entrant who could fool the demon beasts into thinking of him as a friend-- that man was currently being pursued by a fiery horned tiger. The fiery horned tiger's powers were seemingly increasing, its eyes ever sharper. It soon began to fly through the air like a meteor towards that man. That meant this tiger was at least on the level of an outer advancer.
Jekz observed Rein in the corner of his eye. He could tell that Rein was very much unperturbed by the scenes of bloodshed.
A day soon passed, and no more than thirty survived. The man pursued by the fiery horned tiger survived by detonating many different treasures in the tiger's path. The eruptive waves of aurae repeatedly slowed the fiery horned tiger's flight. The man's pockets must be badly hurting. Rein could see that Jekz was rather irritated, and his ire was pointed towards this man who was capable of making a number of the demon beasts treat him as their ally.
Rein observed this cold-blooded man. He had a pale face with slanted eyebrows and small eyes, crooked nose and thin lips, and was dressed in demon beast furs. This man had slain all the demon beasts acting docile surrounding him towards the end of the day, and now presented their cores as his spoils of battle. Perhaps that was why the fiery horned tiger was set upon him…
"The masters and mistresses within the sect will determine the nature of your art," Jekz warned this man. "The fiery horned tiger was but a warning. Seeing as you survived, you will be given the opportunity to prove your innocence."
"It is not my place to judge, but you had best prepare yourself to face questioning from the elders," Jekz gruffly informed the man. "We do not tolerate those that commune with the demon beasts."
"Indeed, it is not your place to judge," the pale man curtly replied.
Jekz harrumphed then led the survivors onto an inscribed sand-colored cube. He pressed his palm wrapped with his aurae into the cube's surface. The large cube activated and carried them skyward, towards the central thickly-vegetated mountain floating in the sky.
Rein bent back his neck, his eyes following the water flowing upwards from the lake below into an opening at the bottom of this central mountain. His eyes ran up and past the greenery to the craggy peak. Then there were the many waterfalls that rolled outwards from this central peak, sparkling streams that flowed into the many surrounding peaks at a lower altitude. The mist created from their arcing falls formed many rainbows over the many levitating peaks. Truly a sight to behold.
As the cube travelled high, Rein also observed many disciples milling about below, some practicing a multitude of combat arts in large open spaces.
Soon, the cube slid into a vertical rectangular tunnel below the craggy peak. That extra height accounted for the cube's riders.
They slowed to a stop before a twenty feet tall archdoors decorated by carvings of many elements, aspects and weapons of advancer arts.
"Each one of you will enter by yourself. You will be judged and given a place by the masters and mistresses of the many peaks. Best of luck," Jekz informed the remaining thirty entrants.
The pale man stepped forth with a sneer and became the first to be judged.
Rein sighed. He could sense that this was likely what the 'other' faction intended. If that other Fusion Sect faction-- whose name he was not even aware of-- had primary control over Thousand Facet Sect, then undoubtedly, he would not end up anywhere good. He took a deep breath. As half-senior Chenhr repeatedly said-- patience. Rein reminded himself-- sooner or later, there will be a chance to strike. He only needed to strike with conviction when that opportunity presented itself.
It was soon his turn to be judged. He entered through the archdoors into a semi-circular room constructed from thirteen types of marbled stone. Each type of marbled stone was a conal sector of the semi-circle, with a seat occupied by one particular master or mistress.
Rein could tell that these marbled stones each carry some significant meaning to those belonging to the Thousand Facet Sect. For now, he could only tell that they were of different patterns and colors. None of these marbled stones are used in blacksmithing, so Rein's knowledge of materials for blacksmithing was rather useless here.
"Remember. As is courtesy, you all must provide a valid reason for your… choice. It would not do to have our reputation tarnished," a man who sat upon a seat elevated behind the others said. This was none other than Master Xik, as Rein would eventually discover.
"My peak will not take him," a burly master, the first from the left, stated. "Though he may have earned the favor of Elder Baejenh… forgive me, but Elder Baejenh's judgement of late has been… concerning, to say the least. After all, she took in a disciple who has supposedly lost her purity-- a miniscule chance at ascension."
"I must agree," an expressionless, deadpan man stated. "For the same reason, my peak will not have him. Moreover, he took advantage of Elder Baejenh's token to avoid the trial. I will not take him."
"Nor will my peak receive him," the third in line was a veiled mistress of a peak. "After all, I have not even seen him in action. Elder Baejenh's words and judgement have been erroneous as of late."
"It must also be noted that he has a mortal wife-- that in itself is highly irregular and a distraction for us advancers," another mistress stated.
Rein remained quiet throughout. Frankly, at some point, his mind no longer processed these words. He, of course, understood exactly the very reason as to these peak masters and mistresses' rejection of him.
Though they provided seemingly 'valid' reasons for their rejection, Rein understood the game. After all, if one was intent on rejecting something, he or she could always come up with various reasons to justify that rejection. And if one wished for something, he or she could ignore all sorts of opposing points, simply to justify their desired choice. This was no different.
Yet, Rein did not regret his choice to not push his way into the trial. He had already ascertained that those demon beasts' minds could be muddled by another. As for the constructs, those must be directly under someone's control. Not to mention, that outer-realmed fiery horned demon beast that had made an appearance.
Master Xik smiled upon his raised seat. Indeed, he was prepared to remove the limiters placed on the constructs and demon beasts, and order the constructs to wipe out all entrants should Rein had begun to build influence. That was the obvious method to kill Rein and remove all possible witnesses. As for Jekz and his entourage? They were easy to silence, and could be prevented from viewing the trial if needed.
Regardless,there were thirteen total peaks, and all rejected Rein. The Peak Master of the thirteenth peak did hesitate, but the other thirteen pairs of eyes glaring at him soon led to him hastily rejecting Rein with the similar previously stated reasons, with a dissatisfied grumble.
"Son," Master Xik said. "The way I see it, you have two choices. You can always leave and join… hmm perhaps a sect under Elder Baejenh out northwest. But if you remain, seeing as none of these thirteen peaks will take you, the only other choice is the fourteenth peak."
"Let me, however, be gracious and warn you that the fourteenth peak is where rejects are placed. It is a peak for those semi-exiled-- an open air prison, one could say."
In truth, under these circumstances, Rein might have opted to return to the northwest and taken shelter under Baejenh's wing. However, the Jeihr Merchant House was in Final Solace City, and he was intent on giving Meynan the necessary support.
Beyond that, there was also the problematic issue that his face might be recognized by the Halls positioned in the northwestern reaches of Minhr Nation.
As for other sects within this area, they would not take him due to his link with Elder Baejenh. He considered possibly severing his ties to Elder Baejenh. That action, unfortunately, would ruin his reputation. After all, he himself had claimed that Baejenh used some worldly treasure to elevate his elemental affinities. What master or mistress would provide guidance to him if he made such a decision?
These considerations forced Rein to take one path.
"The fourteenth peak it is then. Thank you, Peak Masters and Mistresses," he hooked his fingers together and bowed towards the fourteen advancers forming the semi-circle. He gave an extra bow to the Peak Master of the thirteenth peak. Twelve pairs of eyes returned to stare at the thirteenth peak master. Rein wasn't sure why this master hesitated to reject him. But it was enough to know that the man had doubts.
"Is this truly your choice?" Master Xik's attention, unlike the others, remained focused on Rein. His eyes were narrow. He had hoped that Rein would simply leave. That way, he would maintain a stranglehold here for Grandmaster Lahker, without having to face the potential consequences from forcibly removing Rein. The fact that Rein chose to stay further cemented his belief that Rein was intent on carrying out a certain set of plans for Baejenh.
"The fourteenth peak is filled with exiles who ran afoul of laws in the upper realms, deposited here by the Uni Heavens as punishment. You have only been rejected by the thirteen peaks, so you may leave if you wish to. Those of the fourteenth peak are who we sacrifice in the event of a war against the Zoh Empire," Master Xik spat. This was also why he held no sway over the fourteenth peak.
This information did not deter Rein. Rein nodded, having accepted that this was his path, unfortunate though it may be. He could see what this fourteenth peak functioned as for the Thousand Facet Sect. As a sect within Minhr Nation, they needed to compromise with the ruling Dingien Clan. The fourteenth peak was that compromise-- advancers to send into sure-death battles, to protect the talents they do not wish to risk, while demonstrating the sect's willingness to dutifully protect the Minhr Nation's people.
"Inform Jehk, and he will take you to the mistress of the fourteenth peak," Xik snarled as he waved Rein away.
After Rein left, Xik turned to the burly man of the first peak.
"Ganhj. This will be your duty. Keep an eye on that man. You are already responsible for creating different weapons for the fourteenth peak to test during wartime. The Zoh Empire is growing restless. The Seventh Prince's influence has grown after the Xuere Clan chose to stand with him. His intentions, you already know. The Zoh Empire will act on behalf of the Halls."
"I will carry out your orders, Master Xik," Ganhj hooked the fingers of his two hands and deeply bowed.
"And you. Huaht!" Xik barked at the master of the thirteenth peak. "Explain yourself!"
The Master of the thirteenth peak simply bowed, calm before Xik's simmering rage.
"Master Xik," his deep voice could soothe and calm even an erupting volcano. "You should understand the value of those with affinity to wood beyond the limit of the testing orb. Those with potential to take up healing arts are highly valuable to 'The Cause'. I worry that should the Sect Master discover that…" Huaht's words trailed off.
Xik did not speak for a hundred heartbeats. For a moment his eyes seemed to clear, but the turbulence quickly returned.
"The sect master will only know that in my concern for the critical eastern front of the Minhr Nation, I sent to the fourteenth peak one capable of learning healing arts," he stated.
"Then, Master Xik-- I take it I should at least provide that child some guidance in certain healing arts?" Huaht's eyes bore into Master Xik's. "Forgive me for saying this, but the Sect Master will eventually come out of seclusion. And if he were to speak to the fourteenth peak's mistress…"
"... then do so." Master Xik barked. It had been a long time since Huaht had shown any of this… what Xik viewed as action bordering on insubordination. Today, he was reminded of something he hated, yet was helpless about. The thirteenth peak is in charge of primarily healing arts. Xik, for the moment, was reminded of the fact that despite being placed in charge by Grandmaster Lahker, he needed to be very careful in interacting with Huaht. Xik's internal fear? The possibility of a future injury that might require Huaht's healing.
Huaht bowed and sat back down in his seat to a resounding silence in the semi-circular chamber.
As the next entrant entered to be judged, Xik managed to calm down as he assured himself that his plan was more or less foolproof.
"Since you have chosen to stay, your death will be on the eastern front," Xik muttered to himself. He would suffer no consequences, if Rein vanished in the expected eventual war. It mattered not that Huaht had chosen to provide Rein with some healing arts. After all…
Those exiles who occupy the fourteenth peak? They were exiled here precisely because they made an enemy they should not have in the upper realms under the Grand Uni Heavens' control. The Dust faction created the fourteenth peak simply as a place to collect these exiles to send into battle against the Zoh Empire-- finding use in effectively dead men and women.
Xik honestly held a degree of hatred towards the fourteenth peak and the mistress placed in control of that peak. An unruly group of wretches.
What he found comfort in, though, was that in all previous wars against the Zoh Empire, most members of that fourteenth peak did lose their lives. Then slowly, it would collect exiles until the next outbreak of war. It was for this reason that he was confident that Rein would not survive.
Even if Rein somehow survived, he would be foolish to build any sort of base for the Baejenh faction with these exiles. After all, these exiles were sent here precisely because they offended the controlling powers in the upper realms. At least, in Xik's opinion, no sane man would form any friendship with those wretches.
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Rein sighed deeply as he rode upon another sandy cube towards the fourteenth peak. In truth, he wasn't sure as to why these peak masters and mistresses were so intent on pushing him out of the sect.
After all, he had stated that he wasn't here to grow any sort of influence. Well, at least, he had stated that to that girl backing Meynan's first uncle. He was certain that the events of that meeting must have been shared through a vision egg.
Rein sighed again. Perhaps that was just… how it is. After all, one's beliefs shape their perceptions. If the faction here viewed the Baejenh faction as enemy, then everything he says or does will be seen as growing Baejenh's influence in this region-- simply because of his affiliation with the elder.
Or… Rein suddenly recalled his conversations with Master Yirn and half-senior Chenhr regarding psychedelics. Perhaps those who consume psychedelics on their advancer journey might fail to register certain insights-- psychedelics work by allowing an advancer to temporarily expand their mind to overcome barriers in enlightenment.
After the effect of a psychedelic wears off, an advancer might fail to fully internalize those understandings, leading to a slight deviation in the mind. That slight deviation is all it takes for some unexplainable behaviour down the road…
If true… Rein was beginning to truly understand Master Yirn's teachings.