Chapter 3: The Rabbit’s Disgrace

Chapter 3: The Rabbit’s Disgrace

Just out of the mist, at the top of the stairs stood a pair of doors in a free-standing arch. Nothing could be seen on either side of the arch except an ethereal haze.

When the arch holding the two doors swung wide open invitingly before them, Paike and his little sister stopped to take in the sight. Just through the door materialized an old man, wearing sect robes worn beyond thin, tied at his waist with a bright red sash.

Behind him milled people—hundreds and hundreds of young, newly awakened cultivators, almost all just barely into the first realm, or Ruby cultivators as it was widely known. Each year, more than a thousand disciples attempted to join the outer sect. How many got in varied depending on how many passed the first trial. It appeared this year was just as competitive as any other.

The pair stepped forward in lock step even as they dropped each other’s hands. As they passed through the doors, they swung shut with a thunderous boom that echoed all over the now traditional courtyard of the outer sect compound. Paike felt the tendril of qi, still trying to slowly worm its way into his dantian, immediately lose all animation and begin to dissolve.

Paike took a deep breath of their new home. The air was thin, but still, the clouds were high above, with the sun just peeking through. Not at all like the near asphyxiating atmosphere of their family home. But neither was it welcoming. All of this registered in the back of Paike’s mind as the powerful cultivator standing in front of him demanded his full attention. He and Liming performed identical bows of greeting, dipping low with their hands pressed together.

“Greetings, honored elder,” they chorused.

Paike wasn’t sure how exactly powerful the elder was. His spiritual sense wasn’t nearly advanced enough for that. Paike just knew that he was just far, far above him, at least beyond the Fourth Realm. The old man stroked his beard as he studied them.

“Two members of the Kong family,” he said, the note of question in his voice not really a question, but nonetheless, they both nodded in agreement. The old man studied them more before nodding to himself.

“If I may,” Liming said beside him, and the elder gave her a patient glance.

“Ask, child,” he said.

“The disciples we passed on the stairs. Will they be okay?” she asked with genuine worry in her voice.

Paike felt a small smile creep on his lips. His little sister had always been the nicest of his family, the little baby somehow untouched by the cruel realities of the world around them. He and all of the family had spoiled her. Hopefully, that illusion would hold for a bit longer.

The elder smiled graciously, showing a surprisingly intact set of teeth that the long, thin, gray hair wouldn’t have suggested based on appearances alone.

“Three days after one enters the stairs, they will be removed and shooed away from the sect. Someone with so little resolve is not welcome here. But,” the man said, the brief moment of solemnity vanishing as he produced two wooden tokens with a flourish. He raised his voice and announced to the courtyard, “Kong Liming, two hours, 42 minutes, 36 seconds. Kong Paike two hours, 42 minutes, 38 seconds.

This announcement set the group of people buzzing. This was the third day of admittance, so most people who were getting in had a time measurement in days. The Kong family had a different standard and always started their students on the last day of the enrolment period.

“Congratulations,” he said in a softer voice, handing them their tokens. “I suggest you mingle with your fellow disciples and then find your housing. Housing is not assigned, but do keep in mind that after a week of orientation is over, you will have to defend it. So don’t pick anything too overly ambitious,” he said with a wink and vanished as quickly as he had come.

The siblings stood there as Paike stared at where the elder had been. Together, they moved away from the entrance, making space for other disciples to enter. As they stepped deeper into the courtyard, people followed them with their eyes.

“Under three hours,” Paike muttered to his sister. “That’s good, right?” he asked with a frown. It didn’t make sense. He had thought they had been running for most of a day at least, and he had carried her for almost half of the ascent. It shouldn’t have been a fast ascent. They should have barely passed their families’ standards. Liming looked up at him with a certain amount of respect in her eyes.

“Big brother is fast,” Liming stated simply. “The mist didn’t seem to affect you as bad. Many of the phantoms you just ignored.”

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Paike frowned. Had it been affecting him strangely? The crowd muttering around him was distracting, and he was having trouble sorting out the overwhelming events in his mind. So he had nothing to do but shrug and continue on.

As they walked and thought, a young boy, no more than 12 years old, appeared in front of them. Next to him stood a short and dainty woman around Paike’s age, but clearly not a new member of the sect. She stood at least somewhere in the second realm, judging based on his spiritual senses. But she stood slightly to the right and a half step behind the young boy in front of him.