Elder Feng stood before the assembled disciples, his white beard flowing in the mountain wind. "Today, we test your progress. Those who have reached the Third Layer of Foundation Building will advance to the inner sect."
One by one, disciples demonstrated their cultivation. Flames danced, winds howled, water coalesced from nothing. When Chen Wei's turn came, the silence was deafening.
"Chen Wei," Elder Feng's voice softened. "Perhaps it is time to consider another path."
But Chen Wei had no other path. Cultivation was everything.