This was how the sect kept the weak in line, ensuring they remained dependent, forever scrabbling for scraps.
"Begin the spiritual perception test!" Elder Lu commanded.
The first test was mundane: disciples had to pour their spiritual Qi into a crystal orb, measuring its purity and quantity. It was a tedious affair. I knew Han Xiao's Qi was naturally weak, but the Void Heart had purified his meridians, and the shadow-Qi, though alien, was potent. I would simply have to mask its true nature.
When my turn came, a young proctor sneered. "Han Xiao. The trash of North Peak. Don't bother, just sign the failure sheet."
I ignored him, stepping up to the crystal orb. I focused, allowing a thin thread of my shadow-Qi to flow into the orb, carefully tempering its darkness, imbuing it with a faint
