Morning sunlight poured across the sect's courtyard, gilding the stone tiles and tall pagodas in gold. The mountains behind the sect rose like eternal guardians, shrouded in mist. For many, this was a holy place. For Li Tianlan, it was a stage — and he had no idea what play he was acting in.
Around him, hundreds of hopeful youths stood nervously in a line. Some wore coarse robes, others fine silk. Everyone looked tense, as if failure meant death. It was only an entrance test, yet the air was heavier than a funeral.
Li Tianlan, however, stretched his shoulders and yawned.
"So, we're supposed to climb stairs, meditate, and punch rocks? Doesn't sound too hard," he muttered. The boy beside him blinked. "You… you seem rather calm, brother."
"Calm?" Tianlan smiled faintly. "Just saving my nerves for when something actually tries to eat me."
The boy looked disturbed, edging away slightly. That was fine. Tianlan wasn't here to make friends; he was here to survive—and maybe figure out why everything around him felt like one of those stories he'd once dreamed about.
---
A gray-robed elder appeared before the crowd. His long beard flowed like mist, and his eyes were sharp enough to slice arrogance in half.
"I am Elder Mo. You stand before the gates of the Azure Cloud Sect. Only those with sufficient talent and perseverance may join our ranks. The test shall measure your affinity with qi, your willpower, and your strength."
Whispers rippled through the crowd. Tianlan tilted his head. Affinity with qi, huh? I wonder what my stats are… Wait, stop. There are no stats here. Probably.
He clenched his fists and focused. There was a warmth in the air, faint but real, brushing against his skin like sunlight through water. When he breathed, something deeper than air entered his lungs. It made his blood hum.
"So that's qi…" he murmured.
It felt… right. Natural. As if he'd known it before in some other lifetime. But he couldn't remember where or when—only that this power, this flow, was something his soul already understood.
---
The first test was the Stairway of Endurance — a flight of stone steps stretching up the mountain. The higher one climbed, the heavier one's body became under invisible pressure. Many failed before reaching even halfway.
When Tianlan stepped onto the first stair, his knees buckled slightly. "Okay… maybe not just stairs," he muttered. Each step pressed down like a mountain's weight. Sweat began to form within minutes.
People groaned and fell behind him. A few fainted outright. The spiritual pressure increased like a storm building on his back. He gritted his teeth and kept climbing, one step at a time.
At the thirtieth step, a voice beside him gasped, "H-how are you still walking?"
Tianlan smiled without looking. "Because stopping looks harder."
"You're insane!"
"Maybe. But at least I'm insane upwards."
The boy stopped talking after that.
By the time Tianlan reached the fiftieth step, his muscles screamed. His vision blurred. But deep inside, something else awoke — a pulse of energy that pushed back against the pressure. The air thickened, and for a moment, it felt like the world itself recognized him.
Then, as suddenly as it came, the pressure vanished.
He blinked and looked around. He had reached the top.
The elder waiting there raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Average spiritual roots… but astonishing willpower. What is your name, boy?"
"Li Tianlan."
"Good. Remember that name. You may enter the sect as an outer disciple."
Tianlan bowed, trying not to collapse. As he straightened, a grin tugged at his lips. Outer disciple, huh? So this is the start of my 'cultivation story.' Hah. Guess I'll just play along and see how far this script goes.
---
Later, as he sat beneath a tree catching his breath, Tianlan glanced at the mountains beyond. The world was vast, filled with danger and wonder. He didn't know how or why he was here, but something in his chest burned—a silent vow.
If this world runs on strength, then I'll learn its rules… and then break them.
Somewhere far below, thunder rumbled across the valleys, as if the heavens themselves had heard him.
Li Tianlan smirked faintly. "Yeah, yeah… I'll take that as applause."