"Disciple offers greetings to Elder Kazane," they said in unison.

She nodded to acknowledge their greetings before responding, "I've brought your new juniors for the test. Go prepare junior brother and I some fruit...and make sure you don't have your juniors prepare it. We don't need another mishap."

"Disciple understands."

They bowed again and walked away.

Souji had a look of confusion on his face. He turned to his senior sister and asked, "Have you changed the inner sect exam? Will they not be facing the Trial of Perseverance?"

Elder Kazane smiled at his question before answering him, "We have adopted a new test since your last visit here years ago. It gives us a more accurate estimation of the true talent one possesses for cultivation."

While most people could cultivate and achieve a small level of success, true progress relied on talent and the good fortune one could encounter. Sects could not easily gauge the good fortune one is destined for, so they used the 'talent one possessed' as a measuring stick. Those with more talent would be provided with more resources and guidance.

Souji raised his eyebrows, and his eyes filled with curiosity and expectation. Elder Kazane waved her hand at the door, causing it to open, and led the group inside. Kenja walked into a dark chamber. He could make out three orbs hanging from the ceiling held in place by black chains. The walls were lined with candles that flickered on as soon as Elder Kazane cleared her throat.

"We call these the Orbs of Eventuality." She motioned to the floating orbs.

They were floating in a lined ordered by size. The left orb was about the size of Kenja's head while the right one could contain half a dozen bodies comparable to Souji's build. Their color was a translucent mesh of black and gray, reminiscent of an empty void that devoured anything and everything. The orbs did not emit or emanate any pressure or aura, so even Souji could not guess what their power or purpose held.

"Essence Stones? We've hit the jackpot! See?! It was the right decision to join this sect! This is why you shouldn't doubt your Snail-sensei!" Snail secretly celebrated, ignoring Kenja's look of ignorance.

"These orbs are able to house essence," she continued.

Souji's eyes widened in surprise as he finally understood their purpose. "You mean...?"

Elder Kazane nodded her head and confirmed, "Yes. One can simply touch these orbs, and essence will flow into them."

Essence is the enhanced version of Qi; a person can continuously cultivate Qi in his body till it becomes more refined and pure. Essence is stronger, easier to use and flows through the body and soul more easily than Qi. Converting Qi to essence is more helpful for cultivators in the long run, but the process takes time and effort.

Souji glanced at the three initiate disciples with a warm jealousy. Elder Kazane looked at him and laughed.

"No need to be envious, junior brother. We've had our own share of good fortune in our lives. Let's enjoy some fruit and watch over the good fortune our beloved fellow nieces and nephews have found."

Souji looked back up at her and nodded his head.

"Of course, I am happy for them. I was simply contemplating what could have been if I had the same opportunity when I had started down on this path."

Elder Kazane nodded her head in agreement with the sentiment. After she was done, she turned back to her nieces and nephew.

"Each orb contains the essence of Qi for a different realm. They aren't used often, but the sect disciples use them when they are unable to advance to the next major realm. They place both hands on the corresponding orb, and the essence of a higher realm fills their meridians and dantians. Because their bodies haven't adapted to the concentration and purity of the higher realm's essence, they can maintain contact for only a dozen or so breaths, but the experience and enlightenment one receives from those few breaths is quite effective. It greatly helps in their advancement to that realm."

She lectured them on the orbs' proper usage and procedure occasionally glancing at their faces to confirm they were listening.

"Now, we also use it to determine whether a new disciple will enter the inner sect or the outer sect. Martial Nephew Kitamura, you will be tested with the small orb. It contains the essence of three peak Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng disciples collected for a month. You will place a single palm on the orb, and if you maintain contact for three breaths, you will join the inner sect," she smiled at Bolo, showing her complete trust in his capabilities.

Bolo gulped as the two disciples from before entered the room and offered a plate to Elder Kazane and Souji. The fruit seemed to have been peeled into several marble-sized spheres with toothpicks sticking out of them. Souji's eyes lit up as he immediately picked one up and ate it, showing a look of complete satisfaction before closing his eyes. Elder Kazane held her plate as she motioned to the small orb with her head.

Bolo immediately reminded himself to puff out his chest and appear manly in front of the princess. He approached the orb full of confidence, ready to place his palm on the orb when Souji suddenly realized something and spoke up.

"Senior sister, I am curious. Why have you hung these orbs from the ceiling? Wouldn't it be safer to place them on a pedestal?"

Upon hearing his question, Elder Kazane sighed.

"It's to prevent accidents." She did not show a sign of continuing her explanation.

"What kind of accidents do you mean, senior sister?"

She had a difficult look on her face.

"They were initially on pedestals. An ambitious nephew who had reached the pinnacle of Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng was using the orbs to achieve enlightenment. He utilized the middle orb which housed the stored essence of two mid-level Foundation Establishment disciples stored over the course of a month. Several years eventually pa.s.sed, but he could not break through his bottleneck..."

She paused, hesitant to continue, but she pressed on.

"He grew impatient, so one day he entered the chamber and distracted the supervisor for a moment so that he could touch the large orb. The large orb contains the essence of a single low-level Core Crystallization niece that she acc.u.mulated for one month as well, so the foolish disciple believed that it would solve the issue that had plagued him for so long."

She paused once more, wondering if she should say the rest. Since he was about to touch the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng orb, Bolo was quite anxious to hear the outcome of the disciple. Kenja and Hanabi were heavily engrossed as well, while Souji had closed his eyes, able to guess what happened to the boy.

"He placed one palm on the orb, and overwhelmed by the purity and concentration of the essence inside, he immediately collapsed. But while simply fainting would have been fine and could be remedied with some rest and medication, he had fallen on top of the orb, and he..." Elder Kazane was unwilling to continue at this point, as if the next few words were too vile to grace her lips.

"He spiritually combusted," Snail finished her story for Kenja.

The room was filled with a somber silence as Bolo was considering whether to just forget the inner sect and join the outer sect. Souji spoke out once more.

"Forgive me, senior sister. I did not wish to foul the mood with tragic memories."

Elder Kazane shook her head and put on a small smile.

"And that's why the Sect Leader had the orbs held up by chains above our heads. If one challenged himself too much, he would simply faint and his hand and body would fall onto the ground, away from the orb."

Souji nodded in understanding. Elder Kazane looked back to Bolo.

"Please continue, martial nephew."

Bolo began sweating, but he steeled himself. He wasn't touching an orb far beyond his realm, and he couldn't fall on top of the orb. He was perfectly safe, so he might as well show his full capability! He lifted his right palm and placed it on the orb above his head.

One breath pa.s.sed, and pure white threads of energy could be observed seeping out of Bolo, but the essence inside him could not be observed as easily. Two breaths pa.s.sed, and he lost consciousness as he fell to the floor.

Elder Kazane frowned.

"How unfortunate, but two breaths as a mid-level Body Tempering stage is nothing to be ashamed of."

She turned to the disciples watching outside the chamber and ordered them, "Take him to Vice Elder s.h.i.+rou. He will handle his initiation into the outer sect."

The disciples bowed and walked to him to carry him out. Elder Kazane turned to Princess Hanabi.

"You are next. Since you are Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng, your goal should be to last three breaths with one palm on the middle orb. I already intend to have you join the inner sect, so do not worry about your performance. Seek to attain as much good fortune from this opportunity as you can."

Princess Hanabi nodded her head before turning to Kenja.

"I will be going first, big sister. Please watch over me," she requested with a smile.

Kenja smiled back with a slight discomfort and advised her, "Don't overdo it, little sister."

Hanabi's eyes s.h.i.+ned as she nodded her head and resolutely walked over to the middle orb.

"This girl is happier being addressed as 'little sister' than she is with the rare good fortune in front of her. Royals truly are the strangest people you will ever meet," commented Snail.

Kenja couldn't help but agree with Snail as he watched Hanabi place her hand on the orb. One breath pa.s.sed; pure white threads of energy thinner and fewer than Bolo's attempt trickled out of her body. Two breaths pa.s.sed; more white threads popped up as she began trembling. Three breaths pa.s.sed; she swayed slightly as the threads of energy became thicker. Four breaths pa.s.sed; she dropped to her knees with both her hands sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily with sweat dripping down the side of her forehead all the way to her chin.

Elder Kazane moved her hands in front of Souji and Kenja to keep them from going to her. They waited for several breaths before her breathing slowed, and she began meditating. They could feel the Qi in the room flow towards her as she acc.u.mulated it within her body. She continued to gather the Qi for a few breaths as she slowly circulated it within her body. Elder Kazane picked up one of her fruits and ate it as she watched over Hanabi expectantly. Several breaths later, Qi gushed out of Hanabi's body in a torrent. She had advanced from low-level to mid-level Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng.

Everyone, including Kenja, had pleased smiles plastered on their faces. Hanabi turned around and bowed to them as they offered her their felicitations.

She walked over to Kenja, still smiling, and rea.s.sured, "I will watch over big sister now!"

Kenja nodded his head and slowly walked forward to the middle orb when Snail interrupted his concentration.

"Since they offered us this good fortune, it would be rude to leave any behind. Let's take it all; otherwise, they may feel insulted."

Kenja's eyes bulged, but he couldn't respond to Snail in the presence of the others here. Even his hushed whispers would be picked up by Elder Kazane and Souji's hyper-sensit.i.tve hearing.

"Don't be afraid, disciple. Snail-sensei is here. Essence isn't something you can cultivate with your const.i.tution right now, but it flows through the meridians more easily. With the wood cutter and my a.s.sistance, your leaks will be significantly reduced. Even though this amount of essence is a drop in the sea, it can still be helpful to me as well, so I will absorb the essence you can't retain," he consoled.

Kenja closed his eyes in frustration, trying to prevent the oncoming headache.

'It's 'Foundation Establishment' essence! Surviving for three breaths would be the incredible achievement possible only for a genius, and you wish to have me absorb it all?! Me? The cultivator who can't even cultivate Qi without outside a.s.sistance?'

Kenja was furious, but no one other than Snail could see it.

"Stop panicking! Look, you're a cultivator now. It is proper etiquette that when one places fortune in your hand, you must clasp it tightly and give nothing back. Now get ready!"

Kenja had walked as slowly as he could to come up with a counterattack, but the distance was too short. Five steps isn't enough to think of a way out. He could insist on settling for the outer sect, but they would raise their eyebrows at his reasoning or att.i.tude towards cultivation.

He was below the orb and could raise his arm up to touch it. It was around the size of a curled-up Hanabi. He couldn't feel any energy emanating from it, but he could sense the danger held within. Kenja decided he would hold his hand on the orb for three breaths and let go immediately if it felt like too much.

He couldn't be bothered with Snail's machinations, and he certainly didn't want to overburden himself. It had been only a day since he entered the forest, and he had been through a lot. He failed the sect examination, escaped a Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng bodyguard, got stuck in the Lost Forest, met a talking snail and sword, was made to cross-dress as a woman, fought the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng bodyguard, was forced to befriend a princess, finally pa.s.sed the sect examination, and on top of that, he went from Body Tempering to mid-level Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng. Needless to say, he was exhausted, and if he hadn't been required to take this part of the exam, he would have already found a bed to lie down on for several days.

Kenja placed his left hand on Sakura's hilt, and he could feel the burning sensation that he's grown used to on his hand and face. He raised his hand up and placed it one cun away from the surface. He held his breath and touched the orb.

Immediately, he felt a wave of energy he had never felt before flood into his meridians from his palm. His meridians were filled to the brim and expanded painfully as he circulated the essence within his body. Despite the fullness of his meridians, he could feel very little essence escape, so he continued to absorb and circulate the essence. He could tell that his body was able to contain most of the essence while Snail and Sakura picked out the few threads of essence that would have leaked out.

"Junior brother, I cannot see any essence leak. Can you?"

Souji stayed silent as they both looked at Kenja in utter shock.

Three breaths have pa.s.sed, and Kenja's meridians and acupoints trembled in pain. This volume and purity was an abundant poison to an unprepared body. While small doses could help build a person's 'resistance' and adaptability, continued exposure would be tantamount to suicide. But Kenja could feel his body's advancement as it endured the pain. His meridians swelled, and the pain grew as he moved the essence to his upper dantian for cultivation. This essence was stored with the intention of enlightening others, so it was easier to compel it to the upper dantian located at the forehead.

Kenja hadn't cultivated his upper dantian as much before, so he quickly developed it with the sudden presence of essence. He could feel his cultivation rising closer to the next stage as he nourished his meridians and dantian with essence. Several more breaths pa.s.sed, and his pain tolerance had already exceeded his limit. He was about to let go of the orb when essence stopped flowing into his hand. He quickly circulated the remaining essence in his body. He was near the wall to the next minor realm, but he ran out of essence, and his body had endured a lot of pain to accomplish this.

He had endured the orb for eight breaths. Finally breaking from his trance, he relaxed as he tried to meditate to clear his mind a bit. Then he heard someone speak.

"Elder Kazane, I think this...o...b..is empty. I didn't feel anything from it."

The voice came from a girl that sounded unfamiliar to Kenja. To his horror, he immediately recognized that Snail used Hirai Hikaru's voice to speak on his behalf.

'Why would you say such a thing? Don't you want me to enter the inner sect, you d.a.m.n snail?'

Elder Kazane was stunned. She approached the orb and placed her palm on it.

"Indeed, you are correct. It is out of essence. How odd! It shouldn't need to be refilled for at least another year. How will we test your talent now?"

She was troubled with the sudden change of events. Without the orb, she couldn't test Kenja's apt.i.tude and place him in the correct group of disciples.

"Disciple, look at the giant orb. Something's happening to it!" Snail warned Kenja.

Kenja turned around to face the orb, but he couldn't see anything wrong with it. Then he heard his female voice speak once more.

"Elder Kazane, if I can stand one breath with one finger on the big orb, would that suffice to enter the inner sect?" Snail asked out loud with Hirai Hikaru's voice.

Everyone's eyes bulged when they heard this, including Kenja.

"Like I said, it is improper to not clasp the good fortune given to us. Since it is in front of our face, we may as well take it," he taught Kenja.

Kenja tried to face the others or say that he was joking, but an invisible force kept him from turning around or opening his mouth. Kenja was on the verge of losing all hope, being controlled by a crazy snail h.e.l.l-bent on killing him.

'Since when did good fortune mean to give my own eulogy as I walk to my coffin? Are you mad, Snail?!'