"You're right. Our sects are divided across the continent. The eastern continent is ruled by the Zi Sect, known for its dark powers. The southern continent is ruled by the Lie Sect, known for its fire powers. They can now even burn water with fire powers that surpass lava."
"Impossible!"
It sounds absurd, but you'll see it later during the match. Then there's their eternal rival, the Shui Sect, in the eastern continent. As the name suggests, this sect dominates the power of water, but they've managed to create a water power by transforming it into ice.
"Heh, it seems the Shui Sect doesn't want to lose to the Lie Sect. No wonder you call them rivals."
"Then there's our sect, the Rong Sect, in the northern continent. This sect relies on the power of the earth and wind elements. Wind itself is Elder Zhuge Xin's power. So Elder Yuan Shao intends to combine these powers. It becomes an evolution... I won't talk about this; you'll experience it during your first training session... Well, now you know. "We'd better get some sleep."
When Fang Yun finished his explanation, he lay down and went straight to sleep. Zhou Feng, meanwhile, just lay there, thinking about something.
(I see... the four ruling sects of the intercontinental world, hehe, the master of the compass... Hm, training later. It doesn't seem like the usual martial arts training, I should prepare myself for that... But... I'm still curious about the fruit I ate earlier in the forest... Ah, never mind!)
After that, Zhou Feng went to sleep and turned off the lamp in the middle of the room. In the silent, dark night, there was a sense of tranquility within the silence.
"Zhou Feng, wake up for a moment. I forgot to mention that your training will be different from mine. That's all," Fang Yun said abruptly, then went back to sleep.
"Huh... You. I already knew that..."
"Hehe."
First Training
The night sky descended and was replaced by a clear sky as the sun rose, marking the beginning of a new day, signaling the beginning of morning. Somewhere, nine disciples were lined up in three rows. In front of them was Zhuge Xin, who was about to begin the first training for the new disciples joining the Rong Sect.
Zhuge Xin stared intently at them all and circled around, explaining the first training. "Alright, since you don't have the potential to awaken Qi, we will first train to awaken the Qi within your bodies!" he said firmly.
"Yes, Elder!" the disciples, including Zhou Feng, who was in the first row, chorused in unison.
"Before the training, I will examine your Qi potential. If your potential is high, you will be able to continue, but if your potential is low, you will be able to continue." Please leave and never come back. Are you ready?!" Elder Zhuge Xin continued in a firm tone.
"Okay, ready..."
Hearing this, the disciples trembled in fear, not because of Elder Zhuge Xin's loud voice. Rather, they were afraid of failing the potential assessment. Zhou Feng remained steadfast and prepared for the examination.
Elder Zhuge Xin, noticing some of his disciples' spirits had dropped, immediately inspected them and glared at them. As he inspected them, he chose one of the prospective disciples in the second row.
"Here!"
Elder Zhuge Xin pulled his hand away and checked his body for potential Qi. The boy trembled in fear and pleaded with his heart to pass the examination.
"No potential! Get out!"
*Bush!*
"AH!"
The boy was thrown far towards the exit gate by Zhuge Xin's power. The other students looked shocked and terrified at the sight. Zhao Feng, who had read several Chinese fantasy novels, wasn't afraid at all.
(Don't worry, I've read several Chinese fantasy novels by then. So, I shouldn't be afraid.) He said confidently to himself.
"No potential! Get out!"
"No potential! Get out!"
"No potential! Get out!"
Elder Zhuge Xin examined five of the nine disciples, but they failed and were dishonorably expelled like the others. Then, four disciples remained unexamined, one of whom was Zhou Feng.
Then, Elder Zhuge Xin examined the three disciples one by one. Upon examination, they were seen emitting a white aura around their bodies, which delighted Elder Zhuge Xin.
"Potential revealed, Pass!"
"Potential revealed, Pass!"
"Potential revealed, Pass!"
The three of them looked very happy to have passed the potential examination. Zhou Feng remained alone, waiting for his turn.
"Next! Oh... It's you."
When Elder Zhuge Xin looked at Zhou Feng, he seemed very unenthusiastic and disliked his presence. Zhou Feng stepped forward without hesitation and prepared for the Qi potential examination. Although Zhuge Xin doubted him and predicted he had no potential,
During the examination, Zhou Feng closed his eyes and appeared focused. An aura of Qi potential began to emerge from his body. However, Zhou Feng's aura was different, which confused Zhuge Xin, as did the three other students who passed.
(This kid does have potential, but why is it blue? Hmmm... Very interesting...)
"You passed... Open your eyes and quickly join the others!" he said firmly.
(As expected, this is going well... Although I have no idea what I'm doing.)
Zhou Feng didn't notice this at all. Elder Zhuge Xin halted the examination with displeasure. Zhou Feng opened his eyes and immediately joined the others.
"Alright, everyone. Since the four of you have the potential to awaken Qi, this time we will move on to the second stage of the examination, namely Qi awakening. Potential alone is not enough if you cannot awaken it. Therefore, I will have you meditate using this paper," said Elder Zhuge Xin, who then took out a green paper.
The paper then lit up and split into four pieces, floating before the four disciples, including Zhou Feng. "While you are meditating, use this sealing paper," Elder Zhuge Xin continued.
"This is to test whether your Qi can be awakened. If the light from this paper disappears, you are no longer just trash who cannot awaken Qi. You have 30 minutes!"
"Okay!"
"Umm... Do we have to do the meditative practice here?" asked one of the disciples, who raised his hand innocently.
"Can't you think clearly? Of course, here! Let's hurry up and focus on your training!" Elder Zhuge Xin rebuked.
The four of them then sat cross-legged, their hands parallel on their knees, their thumbs pressed together, and their eyes tightly closed. They seemed focused and absorbed in awakening the Qi within their bodies.
(Hmm... What should I focus on? Maybe it's like yoga, focusing on stabilizing the body... Luckily, I've done it before.) Zhou Feng thought to himself.
Elder Zhuge Xin walked by, observing the four of them as they focused on their asceticism. He glanced at Zhou Feng, his expression condescending. (I hope you fail, you bastard. Because at this stage, even great potential can be destroyed if you can't awaken the power of Qi.)