warm up to uprising dominance
1055 Words
“Let’s go,” Zhou said calmly, “but you still have to wear this.”
He pulled a mask from his storage ring and held it out to her.
Hongyue’s face remained cold as she asked, “Why?”
Zhou sighed and glanced at her stunning face, slightly frustrated.
“I won’t make it past this point otherwise,” he explained, urging her to quickly put it on.
With a small “hmph,” Hongyue snatched the mask. “I’ll wear it for now, but it’s ugly. You’d better get me a better one later.”
A blank expression appeared on Zhou’s face.
Great. Now I have to spend money on this sort of thing?
“I don’t even have any money right now… I’m broke,” Zhou thought bitterly as they continued on their way.
---
The desert marketplace bustled with noise as people went along with their day to day activities. on the street, some occasional stares fixed on the pair of a handsome young man and a masked beauty walking side by side. They made their way to an inn and stepped inside.
The innkeeper, sitting lazily behind the counter, straightened in surprise. The boy before him was handsome enough to catch attention anywhere, though when the innkeeper noticed Zhou’s dusty, worn-out clothes, he couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly.
Life is unfair, he thought.
Bam!
A pouch of coins landed on the counter.
“I need information,” Zhou said bluntly.
“What kind?” The innkeeper quickly swept the pouch away.
“Where cultivators can enroll.”
The man’s expression shifted in understanding.
“There’s a place 150 miles from here,” he said. “The Dragon Imperial Empire one of the Seven Guardian Domains. Each domain is ruled by a Guardian King, and together they founded a universal school for cultivators: Hu Ming Academy. It was named after Emperor Hu Ming, who defended the continent ten thousand years ago against the pseudo-gods.”
A trace of respect lit the innkeeper’s face as he continued.
“They only take in those under fourteen. It’s been two years since the war… enrollment should be happening right about now.”
“Wait, two years?” Zhou asked, startled.
The innkeeper frowned. “What! have you been living under a rock?”
Zhou stiffened. He couldn’t exactly say he’d been stuck in the Golden Pagoda for an entire year. Forcing a smile, he muttered, “No… I see. Thank you.”
“You won’t get in looking like that,” the innkeeper said with a chuckle. He reached under the counter and tossed Zhou a fresh set of clothes. “You might even get yourself arrested.”
Only then did Zhou notice he was still wearing the clothes from a year ago. His ears burned in embarrassment.
“Don’t worry, it’s on the house,” the innkeeper added with a small grin.
“Thank you,” Zhou said quickly, taking the clothes and heading toward the washroom.
Just as he was about to step inside, a familiar shadow appeared behind him.
“What are you doing?” Zhou asked, glancing back.
“What do you think? I’m following you,” Hongyue replied casually. “Did you forget you’re supposed to protect me?”
Zhou blinked at her, amused. “Even in the men’s room?”
“Of course.” Her smile turned sweet, dangerously so.
“Never,” Zhou said flatly, slamming the door shut.
He changed quickly, let out a small sigh of relief, and stepped back out only to find Hongyue leaning on the wall, rolling her eyes.
“What took you so long?” she asked, though her gaze lingered on him.
Why does he suddenly look so handsome? No… must just be the clothes, she thought, shaking her head.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Zhou replied casually, brushing past her as they headed out.
---
The enrollment grounds of Hu Ming Academy were filled with youths and ambitious fighters. Zhou stood next to a boy in a red uniform, with a girl in matching attire just behind him.
“Hi, I’m Zi Feng,” the boy said cheerfully. “And you?”
“Zhou.”
The two quickly struck up a conversation and began chatting.
“Ehem.”
A low cough echoed through the hall, and silence fell.
A man in blue robes stepped onto the stone platform at the front. His sharp eyebrows and cold, calculating eyes gave him a commanding presence.
“Welcome,” he said, his voice calm but carrying authority. “I am Hall Master Lee Fei, and I will be overseeing Hu Ming Academy’s enrollment today. Please take your positions and prepare for the Test of Strength. Only those at the Primordial Essence Condensation Realm or higher may pass. Good luck.”
Lee Fei sat down, his sharp gaze sweeping across the hall as the tests began.
A crimson pillar was set up in the center of the room, glowing faintly as each youth stepped forward to test their cultivation.
Minutes later, it was Zhou’s turn. He placed his hand on the pillar.
The glow shifted red, gray, white, then finally stopping at faint purple. Just enough to meet the standard.
Cultivation power levels were divided into three stages — Intermediate, Mid-Tier, and Advanced — and Zhou’s result marked him at the very first stage of Condensation Realm.
Others around him were far stronger some already at the peak of the realm or stepping into the next level. Compared to them, Zhou was clearly the weakest.
But then came the Test of Spiritual Power.
When Zhou injected his spiritual energy into the pillar, the colors changed once more. red, gray, white, purple and finally blazed into a deep azure.
The hall went dead silent.
“How can someone with only Condensation Realm cultivation have this level of spiritual power?”
Murmurs and shocked exclamations spread through the hall.
The examiner checked the pillar again, but there was no mistake.
Zhou’s spiritual base was four stages higher than normal, an unheard phenomenon.
Even the commentator found it hard to focus on the remaining tests, glancing back at Zhou again and again.
When the final participants were done, the Test of Strength ended, but Zhou’s result still weighed on everyone’s minds.
- Writer
