Tianfeng Sect nestled atop the Tianfeng Cliff,was the number cultivation sect in the world known to produce the most powerful cultivators. Every few years they recruited disciples and trained them in swordsmanship , spells and even alchemy.
When Yaqin first went to Tianfeng Sect as Zhuge Qingyan, everyone pointed out the change in her behaviour. The difference was palpable even the dumbest person could easily point it out.The real Zhuge Qingyan was lazy,weak and always yelling and bullying others. But now the new Zhuge Qingyan possessed the exact opposite of those traits.
The sect masters didn't fail to notice the change as well. Whenever they asked she always convinced them she had gained insight when she went down the mountain. She made up stories about meeting unfortunate people and decided to become the change the world needed.. With time their doubts were eventually cleared.
Everyone got used to her new temperament. The other disciples liked her even more.She already excelled in cultivation but to avoid exposing herself she concealed some of her inner power. When it came to alchemy she pretended to be an amateur, deliberately making low grade pills like other junior disciples.
During her time there,she went back home once in a while pretending to be her younger sister. Even her mother could no longer distinguish between them perhaps due to the fact that she believed her eldest daughter had died.
Over the years, Yaqin's cultivation had improved greatly. The masters praised her and even Master Bu who only trained the most talented disciples took her in.
Tianfeng Sect thrived on competition between disciples to fuel their motivation to improve their skills. Therefore they had a competition held between disciples of a certain batch that is; disciples recruited at the same time. They would be tested on swordsmanship, spells, recitation of popular scriptures,forging of weapons ,alchemy and even music. Out of fifty plus disciples only the best five would be chosen to join the Elite Disciples.
The Elite Disciples in the sect had more privileges than the rest. They could no longer participate in errand tasks and live in crowded residences like the rest. Elite Disciples acted as leaders on behalf of the sect masters and they could leave the sect without restrictions.
Swordsmanship was the easiest part of the contest for Zhuge Yaqin. She had mastered most of the sect's swordsmanship techniques. On the day of the competition,she fought against several disciples all at once. Her sword moves were sharp.,fluid and precise as well as her flexibility. Her sword filled.with inner energy slashed across the fighting arena taking down her opponents. Even against the strong opponents in the sect, she still emerged the winner.
Simple spells were a piece of cake . Even the complex ones that were time consuming to learn she finally grasped them perfectly and became second best.
Scripture recitations turned out to be trickier than the rest. She wasn't dumb but she wasn't a nerd either. Perusing through so many cultivation manuals and books and cramming the citations was hectic. By the day of the competition,she could swear her head was threatening to explode. She would definitely need hours of meditation later to clear her head and relax her overworked mind. Even though she read,she had the lowest expectations in herself for this part though her effort and memory paid a little and she managed to be in the fifth position.
Alchemy was her fort,thanks to Tu Xiaomo. Masters stared in awe as she mixed the herbs in the cauldron while balancing the heat with practiced ease. Within an incense stick's time she refined top grade pills with strong medicinal fragrance.
Crafting weapons was naturally considered to be the fort of male disciples. Most female disciples found it troublesome.It was daunting and dirty.It involved working with metals,shaping them and long hours of exposure to heat took a toll on female disciples. Even though they were allowed to choose weapons from the Sword Hall,.Zhuge Yaqin was determined to forge her own sword that she would use in the future so she put an extra effort in the process .
Her light, airy sword with floral patterns was among the best crafted weapons. She named the sword Spring Dawn to signify renewal and quickly made a story to explain the sword name's relevance.
Zhuge Yaqin knew nothing about music. She had spent her life concocting poisons and refining pills and never actually had the opportunity to practise music let alone touch an instrument. For this reason her music skills were undeniably lousy and only improved slightly on the contest day. On the contrary, many female disciples seemed to outdo the males in the field of music. If Zhuge Yaqin had been raised at the mansion,music would have been easier to learn.
Months of running around taking part in tests had finally come to an end. The sect masters gathered the participants in the hall, after analyzing the results. The seven masters of the sect addressed them , giving their remarks about the contest and what they had observed throughout the process. Master Bu held a list of the chosen disciples. The moment he stepped forward to speak, everyone held their breath in anticipation. The old man, stroked his white beard,his eyes sweeping over the group of disciples looking at him expectantly.
"In the past,we used the elimination method to acquire the best five. Disciples were eliminated at each point," he began,his voice raspy with age,"But this time we decided to give everyone a chance to participate till the end. Some excelled in other parts and failed in others. All in all,my fellow masters and I have compiled a list of the best five disciples and I'm going to read out their names."
A female disciple by the name Mu Yan took the fifth place, Wang Xi'an a playful male disciple took the fourth place,on third place was a gentle,scholar looking guy named Xie Wei ,Zhuge Yaqin occupied the second rank, blame it on music and the quiet Zhuan Ming emerged in the top place. Disciples cheered while masters praised with proud smiles.
Zhuge Yaqin had become more popular especially with female disciples. Most of them admired her,others envied her and wished they were in her place. Random male disciples stood in groups just to admire her praising her in hushed tones,others daring to pursue her.She was the number one beauty in the sect and her talent added more to her value. With her younger sister's identity she had made a name for herself at the sect. The sixteen year old was now bathing in glory as the charming Zhuge Qingyan. Even the sect masters adored her.
The first task after becoming an Elite Disciple was choosing a companion beast and then training it. Master Bu had announced a week earlier that they would be choosing their own companion beast in two weeks time.
That night before the beast choosing activity,the moon shone brightly over the mountain. For some reason sleep escaped from her all because she was stuck in her own thoughts. She thought about Tu Xiaomo, wondered how he was fairing. She had sent him a letter a few months ago when he was leaving the town. Tu Xiaomo liked travelling and every year he would embark on different quests and adventures if not in search of rare herbs then he would be roaming around tasting different cuisines from different regions.
The further she sauntered across the sect grounds,her thoughts circled back to the beast taming activity .It was a significant event in a cultivator's life. It was like choosing a spouse,a companion beast was meant to accompany them for life. They would share life and death situations together. The activity would also test one's ability to tame beasts and their compatibility with the beast.
While pondering alone,she wandered off past the protective barrier enclosing their sect to the sealed cave. She instantly halted when she looked up and realized her location. It was the cursed cave. It earned the name after a number of unsuccessful cultivators committed suicide in it therefore it was considered an inauspicious place filled with dark energy and had been sealed for years. However ,the closer she got to the entrance she noticed how weakened the seal was ..It was even possible for the weakest disciples to access the area.
"Why hasn't Master strengthened the seal?" She wondered , looking around the place with a frown when a figure emerged out of the cave startling her.
A pallid beautiful male stood at the entrance dressed in rugged black robes and slightly dishevelled hair. His dark eyes locked with hers in an intense gaze.
"You must be thinking I'm a ghost?" The male asked,his tone laced with playfulness.
She had heard rumours about the place being haunted.
"I don't believe in ghosts," she said indifferently.
"You must be Zhuge Qingyan?" He asked knowingly.
Surprise flashed across her face,"How do you know?"
" Your badge,"he said simply pointing at the golden badge with her name engraved on it,pinned on her dress around the chest.
"Besides who doesn't know you? The number one beauty of Tianfeng Sect," he added as a matter of fact.
She smirked,"Didn't know I was that popular."
"I heard about the beast taming activity tomorrow. I want to become your companion beast," he spoke up bluntly.
She chuckled,caught off guard by his words,"You're quite straightforward but you're so weak. What makes you think you're worthy of being my companion beast?" She asked,her voice laced with contempt.
Instead of feeling disheartened,he looked up confidently,the corners of his mouth twisting into a smirk," Well if you don't.... I might as well reveal to everyone the fact that you're an impostor."
Zhuge Yaqin's face was instantly drained of colour.