Everything was happening too suddenly. I stepped into the Trial, but I immediately appeared back outside the Trial. What was going on? Was this the Trial? Was it some strange recreation of the world outside?


    “Fire. Or. Earth.” The scribe enunciated each word, bringing my focus onto the topic at hand.


    Whether I was still inside the Trial or not, I had to move forward and make a decision.


    Fire or earth. I had thought about this decision a few times over the years. Which would be best? What did I want to accomplish in this life?


    I needed a way to advance quickly as a Martial King. That meant having access to both Rank 5 formations and pills, so both peaks could help me progress in that regard. Pills had the advantage of speed, but formations required fewer resources. Overall, I considered both options somewhat balanced for helping me advance.


    There was also the promise I had made to the person in charge of the Earth Peak Trial to consider. I told him I would be joining the Earth Peak. It was a consideration, but not one I put too much emphasis on. This was a disposable timeline, so if he smashed me to pieces for breaking my promise, it would only give me more information about the sect and its people.


    More important was the reason I had given him for wanting to join the peak. I wanted to learn more about how spatial bags and the Trials were constructed. Learning to turn my storage space into something greater was far more important than the extra credits I might earn from joining the Fire Peak.


    The scribe was getting impatient, so I needed to give him my answer.


    “Earth Peak…”


    The scribe snorted, seeming unhappy at my choice. He took out a small jade from under the counter and placed it on a formation plate. After channeling some energy into the formation, it lit up and the character for ‘outer’ appeared on the token. Then, he slid it toward me.


    “Place a drop of blood on it.”


    When I didn’t move fast enough for his liking, he sent out a quick burst of qi that sliced open the back of my hand. He then used his water affinity to move a drop of my blood onto the token and shoved it into my hand.


    Without wasting another moment, the scribe touched something on his desk which created a loud buzzer sound. A young man in plain brown robes quickly entered.


    “Earth Peak, Grade 2 outer.”


    “Yes, deacon.” The young man bowed and then looked at me while gesturing toward the far wall. “This way.”


    I was hesitant about following him. I couldn’t be sure if I was still in the Trial or not. Was following him the right move? Was I supposed to do something else? Uncertain, I took halting steps in his direction.


    As I walked, he gave me a look of compassion. “The effect will fade. You’ve heard that no one knows what the exam to become a sect disciple is, right? Now you know why. The memories of it are wiped from your mind. You aren’t allowed to mention that part to people who haven’t been through the Trial yet, by the way.”


    I rubbed my temples, trying to clear the fog from my mind. The reality of the situation was starting to set in. This was the real world, not a Trial. Could I be certain? No. But it felt real, for all that was worth.


    I considered spending credits on something that would help me confirm this but decided against it. This was real enough, and I would treat it as such. If I was wrong, I could act differently during the next loop.


    My guide chuckled as he watched my facial expressions shift. “Looks like you’re good now. Though, that might change again soon.”


    He opened a large double door and showed me the room beyond. It was a simple antechamber with an open doorway leading outside.


    I raised my eyebrow at the buildup for such a simple room, but when I stepped outside, I understood.


    A mountain larger than any other I had ever seen appeared before me, its peak hidden by a layer of clouds. At the base of the mountain was a large city surrounded by a thick stone wall. A path led from where I was standing into the city, and another left from the city to spiral up the mountain. Other sizable cities seemed to have been built into the sides of the mountain, but they were too far away for me to make out any details.


    My guide walked a bit in front of me, caught my attention, and waved his hands at the enormous mountain in a wide gesture of welcome. “Welcome to Dragon Peak, the heart of the Nine Rivers Sect.”


    I blinked. “Oh…”


    That doorway was one of the other stone arches on the hill we had always used to visit the sect for the Trials. A quick glance around confirmed this when I saw the Academy’s portal nearby.


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    The young man’s eyes dropped at this.


    “That’s not the normal reaction. Most people’s jaws drop in amazement.”


    His antics made me chuckle a bit. “Sorry, I was a student at the Yellow Orchid Academy. I’ve visited a few times already.”


    “Really? An Academy student? But you’re only a Grade 2 outer disciple. Were you in one of the weak classes? How did you get to come here then?”


    The excitement returned to the boy as he bombarded me with questions. I tried to ignore most of them as we continued walking forward. Once we got to the city gates, he stopped me and tried to talk in an officious tone.


    “This is the City of Mortals. It is where all new disciples begin. Mortal City has very strict rules. No fighting, no stealing, no abusing people in any way. It is a safe zone for new disciples to adjust to the sect.”


    He looked around a bit before continuing in a more relaxed manner. “It’s where I live. Most of us here are mortals who do basic jobs around the sect that cultivators don’t want to do. Just so you know, most of the people here are related to high-ranking members of the sect, so even if they’re just mortals, don’t try to push your weight around with them too much, okay?”


    I nodded in agreement, having no wish to do such things anyway.


    As we walked through the city, I looked at the mountain looming over us.


    “What can you tell me about Dragon Peak? I’ve heard that to become a Sovereign, I need to climb to the top of it.”


    He smiled a wide grin. “Well, this city is a safe zone, right? Once you step outside the northern gate, Dragon Peak itself has only one rule. You must advance. You are not allowed to walk down the peak. Once you leave Mortal City, you must keep walking up the path until you reach Yellow City.”


    His voice began to show a hint of fear.


    “Even if you get stuck on the path for years, you are not allowed to return here. If you need something, like food or water, you have to find it on the mountain or take it from others. You are trapped on the path until you complete it. Once you reach the next city, you are not allowed to descend to Mortal City, you can only continue upwards.”


    His face now openly showed a fear of the place. “After you leave Mortal City, that is the only rule. If you create an enemy in the sect, they can’t do anything to you while you’re here, but once you begin ascending the mountain, they can do whatever they want.”


    “Won’t that lead to a lot of death?” I was confused about why the sect would want this.


    “Yes. Do not go up the mountain until you are ready. For many people, that means never. This place is designed for the Chosen, to push the best of the best to their limit. If they reach the peak, they will gain an opportunity to advance to Sovereign. If they die, they are discarded. As for the normal disciples? They’re just stepping stones on the Chosen’s path. Only a lucky few will be taken in as true parts of a future Sovereign’s retinue and ascend behind them.”


    He let me think about his words for a few moments before continuing. “As an outer sect disciple, if you truly want to advance, your best chance is to become a subordinate of a core disciple who is a member of a Chosen’s retinue, though you’ll probably have to advance to inner disciple before that happens. However, I don’t recommend this. It is better to live a safe life here than throw your life away climbing the mountain.”


    Leaving the topic of the peak behind, he returned to introducing me to the city.


    “Dragon Peak is the center of the sect and is the gathering point for all its members. If you visit a designated economic zone, you’ll find stores for anything a cultivator requires. A few are run by the sect, but most are managed by other disciples. You can purchase a permit to set up a shop and sell anything you wish. If you don’t wish to manage the store yourself, there are countless people in the city you can hire to run it for you. You’ll be surprised by the variety of items and services available here, but the quality is limited. For better quality, you must ascend the mountain.”


    He continued walking down the main boulevard of the city without stopping. He pointed to a few shops along the way, talking about what they sold. A lot of them were restaurants, but there was a good mix of stores selling wares with carpenters, smiths, and other trades all mixed together.


    “These are all mortal goods, right? Where are the stores for cultivators?”


    “Oh, yeah. Like I said, they are limited to special zones. Most of this city is for mortals to live and work, so it’s better if there’s one place you can go for all your needs instead of searching through all the normal clothing stores to find one aimed at cultivators.”


    I could agree with him, but that didn’t tell me where to find them. “And they are located…”


    “Well, you’ve been here before, right? Biggest zone is right next to the Plaza. You can get everything you need there. I hear it’s a bit more expensive than the smaller ones around the city, but they have everything you could want there.”


    “Are they just normal stores? I can use gold in them?”


    “No, no. Not at all. Gold is generally worthless to cultivators here. It can only be used in the mortal stores. You might find someone who wants to send money back to their family that’ll accept gold as payment, but it’s rare. Spirit stones are accepted almost everywhere since they can be used for cultivation, but that’s only for expensive things. Mostly, people use contribution points.”


    I had to deal with contribution points in the Twin Mountains Sect and considered them little better than a company scrip used to avoid paying people real money for their work. It was a currency that could only be used within the sect and was worthless anywhere else.


    “The sect stores only accept points, so it’s the only type of money that has real value to the disciples here.”


    We eventually arrived at the Gateway Plaza where there were portals to each of the different peaks. My guide gave me a brief introduction, covering details that I was already familiar with, and then led me through the arch near the southeastern corner of the inner pentagon.


    I stepped through and returned once more to the ever-familiar Earth Peak. A place of rocky, barren soil at the base of a large stone mountain.


    “This is the Earth Peak. It’s accessible from the Plazas in every city, and only Earth Peak disciples are allowed to come here. Each peak has slightly different rules, but the one constant is that no outsiders are allowed. If you want to meet with someone from another mountain, it must be done on Dragon Peak or outside the sect. Mortal servants from the cities are allowed limited access for sect business, such as right now, but that does not extend to your personal business matters.”


    He took me to the administration building in the small town near the portal.


    “This is where you register as a new disciple of the peak. They will get you set up and let you know what you need to do from here. I’m not allowed inside and must return to guide others. Good luck. Welcome to the Nine Rivers Sect.”