NovelChina Chapter 616: Misjudgment
Chapter 616: Misjudgment
"The welcoming ceremony is officially concluded," said the Chief Instructor. He rolled up the golden scroll with a sharp snap that echoed across the grand assembly hall. "From this exact moment onward, you are all formally recognized as official outer disciples of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion."
"However, do not let this meager title get to your bloated heads," said the Chief Instructor, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the smug faces of the noble heirs. "In this frontier branch, there is no such thing as an inner disciple. Every single one of you starts at the absolute bottom of the food chain. If you wish to climb higher and earn the ultimate right to be transferred to the central headquarters in the core world, you must fight, bleed, and thoroughly dominate the upcoming internal selection trials."
A collective murmur of determination and anxiety rippled through the ranks of the one hundred and fifty youths. The core-region nobles gripped their fists, realizing that their wealth and family titles would mean very little in this isolated training ground.
"As a final reward for your standing in this examination," said the Chief Instructor, his voice carrying a hint of cold amusement. "The top five scorers of the entry rankings are granted a special privilege. You are permitted to bring up to two personal companions or servants into the outer sect residential quarters to assist with your daily needs. For the rest of you below the top five, you will sleep in the communal barracks and carry your own water."
The announcement caused several of the top nobles to let out a small sigh of relief, while the lower-ranking applicants looked on with burning envy. Having personal attendants meant more time dedicated entirely to cultivation rather than mundane chores.
"You have until sunset to gather your belongings and establish your quarters," said the Chief Instructor, waving his heavy sleeve to dismiss the crowd. "Disciples, your path has begun. Do not disappoint the pavilion."
The massive obsidian doors swung wide open once more, and a group of senior outer disciples marched in to guide the newcomers toward the residential peaks.
As the crowd of newly admitted disciples began to disperse toward the residential peaks, Roy walked closely beside Ethan, his expression shifting into one of quiet contemplation.
"Master, will you be heading back to the frontier town to bring my mother and sister into the outer sect quarters?" said Roy.
"Yes," said Ethan. He kept his gaze fixed on the winding stone paths ahead. "I will bring them here before sunset. However, from this moment onward, your training will become incredibly demanding. It will be difficult for you to see them often."
"I understand," said Roy. He tightened the straps of his gauntlets, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes. "I came prepared for this. I know exactly how difficult the path ahead is going to be, but I will do everything in my power to catch up to your footsteps, Master."
"That is a good goal to have," said Ethan. A cold, challenging smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You had better push yourself to the absolute limit. If you don’t, it will be very difficult for you to ever hold your head high in public within this place."
Roy let out a low, grim chuckle and nodded. He glanced back toward the central plaza, where the massive obsidian pillars stood. Carved deeply into the stone just outside the official top-five ranking list were two distinct names: his own and the grandson of the Sword Saint. They were listed under the ’Special Exemption’ category.
The Chief Instructor’s grand speech about them entering directly because they had awakened Sword Intent was nothing more than a convenient excuse pulled straight out of their asses. The truth was far less poetic. Nobody truly understood the inner workings of the pavilion’s selection politics; every single year, the elders simply used that exact backdoor clause to slide two chosen candidates through the side gates.
This year, Roy had been lucky enough to seize that spot, but he knew his luck wouldn’t last forever. He had trained savagely in the hotel, yet during his hidden duel against the Sword Saint’s grandson, he had felt the terrifying reality of the core-region elite. Their raw power and cultivation foundations were completely unequal—the noble youth vastly outmatched him in raw energy.
The only reason the young master had lost his arm and fallen into a panic was his complete lack of life-or-death combat experience. The pampered elite simply didn’t know how to react when a relentless opponent completely ignored his own survival, attacking with a feral, suicidal ferocity that defied all orthodox forms.
If the noble youth had remained just a fraction more composed, he would have easily deciphered Roy’s wild patterns and annihilated him on the spot. But Roy wasn’t blind to his own shortcomings either. He had severely blundered during their very first clash. He had caught the young master completely off-guard and possessed a golden window to cleanly decapitate him. Instead of taking the kill, Roy had hesitated, delivering a mere warning strike that ultimately dragged the confrontation into a long, grueling, and tedious battle of attrition.
Ethan brought his hand down, delivering a heavy, echoing slap to Roy’s uninjured shoulder that instantly broke him out of his deep trance.
"Go to your quarters, meditate on your mistakes, and dissect exactly where your execution failed," said Ethan. His piercing amethyst eyes locked onto his student with an unyielding, intense gravity. "Remember the foundations I taught you. Practice the sequence until it becomes second nature, and do not stop until you have completely mastered it."
"Yes, Big Brother, I will practice until the day I die," said Roy. He straightened his back, bowing deeply with profound, absolute reverence. "My mother and my sister are completely in your hands now. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done for our family. I leave them in your care."
Ethan simply nodded, accepting the heavy weight of the request without a single trace of hesitation. He watched as Roy turned and walked toward the special exemption barracks, before turning on his own heel and heading back toward the frontier gates to retrieve the family he had promised to protect.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??