Demon Wolf

While everyone scampered, rushing to take the second test, Wolf observed Boreo’s vast expanse from two hundred-odd meters above ground level. He gazed at the horizon, which swallowed the depressingly endless plains.

It looks like there’s no way out. A chill ran down his spine. The fancy wall’s over there. Beyond are forests and hills and mountains.

This manufactured landscape hurts. Still, I shouldn’t be disheartened. There’s always a way out. I just need to find my wall and cross it.

He turned to face the mist covered peak, searching for its blurry outline. This is the first step towards finding that distant wall.

After gazing up for a moment, Wolf drew a faint parallel between the mountain and the vision from opening his third Truthhall.

Something stirred within the temple of his soul.

“Crazy son-of-a-bitch,” the third Mental Aspect muttered, and Wolf perceived his crumbling Palace of Echos for an instant.

“I haven’t recovered enough,” the Mental Aspect said, reentering his regenerative torpor.

“Shall we go?” Jakob’s question snapped Wolf out of his trance, and he noticed they were the only ones left on the landing.

“Yeah, sorry. I got lost in thought.” Wolf nodded, and they followed the right path. Seven hundred meters later, they hit the long line of applicants.

“I guess we could’ve stayed back there longer.” Jakob smiled apologetically.

Wolf shrugged saying nothing. He did not mind moving. His Mental Aspects still slept, but just those two mumbled thoughts filled Wolf with hope. In several weeks or months, his acuity would return to its former glory.

Following a melodic sound of flowing water, Wolf spotted a bubbling brook rushing down the mountain’s face. He had already grown used to the birdsong, only noting its absence as a sign of danger. However, the surging stream captivated him as he waited.

Wolf observed a school of tiny fish darting around, ignoring the current.

Considering the World Energy’s density, those fish had evolved into Monster Beasts generations ago.

Jakob noted Wolf was spacing out and watching random scenery, so he decided to pull his weight and take initiative to help his big brother.

“Excuse me, do you know what’s happening?” Jakob asked the last woman in the queue.

“The senior disciple in charge of testing told us to form an orderly line. She said we should enter in groups of sixty when they call. That’s all I know.” The girl beamed Jakob a Duchenne smile; soon, she would become one of Earth Pavilion’s respected disciples.

Time trickled by; every ten minutes Earth Pavilion’s disciple summoned the next batch of sixty. But even then, it took over seven hours to go through twenty-seven hundred disciples who had passed the so-called test of character.

While Wolf indifferently munched on snacks, Jakob paid close attention to the process. Even though groups entered every ten minutes, each batch took twenty minutes to return. Most parties had one disciple who failed to pass, sometimes none, and one group had three.

Jakob’s sense of unease grew as time passed. Eighty percent of the twenty-two failed trial takers were male. There was a dwarf of unknown gender, which Jakob hoped was female; otherwise, his odds might have been worse.

Why was I born a male? Jakob’s mother needed a daughter to inherit their house, not a son. The only way he could support her was by reaching high enough cultivation, but he first had to step onto the road of thorns and walk it before he could reach the stars. What do I do if I fail? Mother said my talent is subpar…

“The last group. Enter,” the senior disciple announced, and the line in front of Jakob moved once again.

“Big Brother,” he called, and Wolf stored his elongated wineskin while tossing yet another chicken nugget into his mouth.

Thirty-eight youths followed their senior apprentice sister. They entered a five-meter-tall doorway, its gate carved with elaborate patterns.

Beyond the short tunnel dug into the mountain’s side lay a large hall. The cylindrical cavern was clean, its walls smooth, the ceiling dozens of meters up. Evenly spaced luminous Spell Formations lined the walls, illuminating the open expanse as a refreshing, artificial breeze blew.

“You will undergo two tests. For the sake of expediency, we will divide you into two groups of nineteen. Once you complete your tests, you will switch. You nineteen,” she pointed the frontmost half of the group. “Pick a room each. Your senior apprentice brothers and sisters inside will guide you through the test.”

A silent half-second passed before the administrator spoke once more. “Get going.”

She then split the remaining nineteen into three groups. Two parties of nine and a party of one.

After directing the two larger groups to their respective corners, she shifted her focus to Wolf.

“Junior apprentice brother, my name is Stella. Please, follow me.” Unlike other disciples, Stella addressed him in a familiar tone, with a well-practiced genuine smile, and a nervous look in her eyes.

Wolf caught her transformation and raised his mental guard.

“Yes, senior apprentice sister.” He nodded, and Stella’s smile grew wider.

“No need for formality. Call me Stella.”

Wolf’s mouth twitched. I need my other Mental Aspects to wake up as soon as possible, to better handle subconscious gestures.

Despite his unease, Wolf said nothing. There was no proper answer to such a forward invitation, so he silently followed Stella to a three meter tall jade obelisk located in a carefully concealed nook.

“Place your hand on the jade and send a surge of Qi into it.” Stella flourished towards the large slab of polished green stone. “A single surge will do. The device tests the purity of your Qi, not its quantity.”

If this happened when he was younger, Wolf would have asked the woman why she was acting so respectfully. He still burned to open his mouth and say something stupid. However, he had matured. Other than the courtier’s dumbfounded look, he would gain little. The odds of getting an honest explanation about why she was kissing his ass were next to nil.

Reaching towards the emerald monolith, Wolf scanned the green-eyed woman. She was two fingers shorter than him, her hair brunette. Her skin was the light brown shade of teak, her lush lips two shades redder than her complexion.

Her bust was ample, but nowhere nearly as overflowing as Mandy’s, yet Wolf could not deny that she was more attractive than his wife; younger too. He guessed she was around twenty-five, and because of her higher realm, her skin appeared flawless to the eye.

If I awaken my senses, I bet I’ll still see all sorts of cracks and creases with tiny monsters crawling all over her. If I was younger, she might have tempted me.

A split second later, Wolf completed his evaluation, but even as he compared breasts in his mind, Silver stayed silent. Wolf sighed inwardly at the quip which never came and pressed his palm against the cool stone, sending a sliver of Qi into the obelisk.

Unlike the device Boreo’s customs officers used, this one did not rely on the test administrator’s ability to interpret the glow’s intensity. The stone remained inert, undisturbed by the trickle of energy. Then, a second later, a yellow “12” blinked atop it.

I figured as much. Wolf could not help a disappointed sigh.

He was uncertain whether he had reached the twelfth stage. After perusing the House of Fairness’s tomes, he hoped he was still at the eleventh, but apparently he was too greedy while ignorant of cultivation’s workings.

He glanced at Stella. Despite trying to appear friendly and cheerful, the woman’s eyes remained tinged with bone-deep fatigue. Yet, Wolf’s result suppressed her weariness.

“The Glorious Tyrant stage?” she muttered, piquing Wolf’s attention.

“Could you explain?” Wolf was about to say senior apprentice sister, but recalled Stella’s request and left his sentence unfinished.

“The tenth stage is called ‘the prodigy realm’, only prodigies dare delay their cultivation and build such thick foundation. Eleventh stage realm is called ‘the ancient family realm’ or ‘rich-folk realm’, even the most talented rarely delay their advancement that long. The resources needed to break through and advance your realm grow obscene. Only ancient families can fund their top geniuses and send them on this path. Cultivating with twelve realm stages is called the ‘Glorious Tyrant realm’. The ancient families prohibit their disciples from pursuing this path, which should explain how difficult it is to advance with twelve-stage realms.”

After seeing this shocking result, the shine of excitement and interest in Stella’s eyes dimmed a great deal. Legends state only the Glorious Tyrant had achieved extraordinary results practicing twelve-stage realms.

Others who tried, all failed, achieving nothing significant.

“Follow me.” Stella beckoned Wolf, her smile gone. “I’ll escort you to take the second examination.”

Once more she led the way, and instead of one of the nineteen rooms she pointed out for others, she took Wolf into a separate one.

“You can test your talent here. Rondel will explain everything, good luck.” Stella’s words were perfunctory, and if not for her orders to watch over this Wolf Hillman, she would have left. Since she had this bonus mission, she summoned her callingjade and reported the matter to Elder Dread.