Chương 25

The members of Dawnmere Trading House turned toward the voice and saw the patriarch of House Wang approaching with a large entourage. A young man wearing the distinctive garb of the southern frontier followed behind him, making little effort to hide his resentment. One glance was enough for Elara to identify the likely owner of the Spirit-Eater Beetles. That young man had almost certainly been the one who raised them. Garrick surveyed the patriarch's entourage and clearly noticed him as well.

He offered a formal greeting, though his smile held no warmth.

"Is this the young prodigy your family sent to cultivate in the southern frontier?"

"Prodigy is far too generous," the patriarch replied with the easy manner of someone making friendly conversation.

"The sect he joined in the southern frontier is rather small and simply can't compare to the Moonwatch Sect. Since he's still young enough, we brought him back to attempt the sect's assessment. We'll consider ourselves fortunate if he manages to pass." The patriarch paused, then smoothly steered the conversation toward his true purpose.

"I hear you have two recommendations. Perhaps you could spare one for House Wang. We would, of course, offer a fair price."

"An unfortunate coincidence," Garrick replied with a broad grin.

"I've already promised both of them elsewhere." He had no intention of granting House Wang such a favor. The sour look on the southern youth's face filled Garrick with quiet satisfaction. The patriarch merely expressed his disappointment and didn't press the matter. Instead, he led his entourage away to inquire among the other families and factions.

"Those insects were probably that boy's prized possession," Garrick said once the Wang group had moved out of earshot.

"The sects along the southern frontier rely heavily on strange insect arts like that in battle. Just look at him. Losing that swarm must have cost him dearly. Serves him right." Unable to contain his amusement any longer, Garrick spat into the dirt and laughed.

"House Wang has always favored underhanded schemes," Cedric said. He had already pieced together most of what had happened.

"The young man probably conspired with his family's Spirit Gardener to sabotage the Flamewyrm Fruit grove." Cedric watched the departing group for another moment before turning toward Elara.

"Judging by how highly House Wang values him, they'll certainly secure a recommendation for him. He may try to interfere with some of Dawnmere's apprentices during the assessment." The warning was addressed to Garrick, but Cedric's gaze made it clear that the words were intended for Elara. After that brief interruption, everyone returned to the matter at hand. Dawnmere's head manager concealed one hand inside his broad sleeve, and Garrick followed suit.

Shielded from the surrounding crowd, the two clasped hands and negotiated through a series of finger signals until they quietly settled on a price for the remaining recommendation.

"How does that offer sound?" the head manager asked.

"If the head manager considers it fair, how could I possibly object?" Garrick's teasing reply made it clear that he was quite satisfied. The actual number of Spirit Stones involved, however, remained a secret. The great families conducted trades involving assessment recommendations only in private. None of them would allow the true market price to become public. As long as the transaction remained discreet, everyone could pretend it was merely an exchange of favors accompanied by a modest gift.

The Moonwatch Sect was willing to overlook that sort of arrangement. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Putting an open price on a recommendation would be another matter entirely. That would cross an unspoken line.... With the monthly assessment complete, the quarterly outer disciple selection would begin the following day. It was one of the larger public events held throughout the Moonwatch Sect's territory.

As usual, Dawnmere's head manager gave every apprentice three days away from work. Whether they spent that time watching the selection or cultivating on their own was entirely up to them. Cedric accompanied Elara back toward Valehaven. Since this would be her first time participating in the selection, there was quite a bit she needed to know.

"Elara, this is your first Moonwatch Sect selection, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. With your current abilities, you should be able to secure a recommendation every quarter." Cedric's opening words were meant to reassure her, but the latter half was also true. Elara was currently his only apprentice. More importantly, the skill she had demonstrated in cultivating spirit plants had already made her far more valuable than an ordinary candidate.

"Since this is your first attempt, some of tomorrow's procedures may be unfamiliar to you. I'll explain them now," Cedric continued.

"The Moonwatch Sect's selection process isn't especially complicated. Its purpose is to identify each candidate's strengths and place them where their talents will be most useful. Because Valehaven has so many Spirit Gardeners, the assessment here has been adjusted slightly to account for that."

"The selection consists of three rounds. The first is a professional skills assessment designed to identify talent in fields the sect requires—artifact smithing, alchemy, spirit gardening, talisman crafting, and similar professions. Anyone who earns a recognized Rank One certification before turning eighteen automatically passes this round without further testing."

"The second round usually takes place within an illusion formation. Its contents vary. One assessment may test a candidate's judgment and mental resilience, while another may focus on their mastery of cultivation arts. Fortune plays a considerable role in what you encounter."

"The third and final round is the Stairway of Sacred Ascent. For candidates at your cultivation level, it contains ninety-nine steps. The first candidates to reach the top can earn a substantial number of additional Contribution Points." Cedric gave Elara a measured look before finishing his explanation.

"This last round favors cultivators from combat professions. Even so, if you earn enough points during the first two rounds, you can still pass the overall selection without performing exceptionally well on the Stairway." As they walked, Cedric explained nearly every detail of the outer disciple assessment. Only after he had covered the entire process did he allow Elara to return home and make her own preparations. For the most part, candidates couldn't rely on outside assistance.

Certain artifacts could be used during the final trial on the Stairway of Sacred Ascent, but candidates weren't even permitted to carry such items during the first two rounds. For professions that required specialized equipment, such as artifact smithing and alchemy, the Moonwatch Sect provided every candidate with identical tools. The arrangement reminded Elara of the standardized entrance examinations from her previous life.

It was designed to identify those with genuine professional ability rather than those who simply possessed better resources. As Elara walked home, she considered her chances. Her cultivation had reached Qi Refining Tier 4. Among the apprentices participating in the assessment, that should place her somewhere in the upper-middle ranks and give her a modest advantage. When it came to Spirit Gardening, she already possessed nearly everything expected of a certified Rank One professional.

The only thing she lacked was an elementary art. The first round shouldn't pose much difficulty. The second round might prove troublesome, but its contents were too unpredictable for her to make any useful preparations. It was the third round—the Stairway of Sacred Ascent—that interested Elara most. The Ember Sanctum contained the Stairway of the Great Dao. Could the Moonwatch Sect's stairway be a simplified version built according to the same underlying design?

Curious, Elara had asked Cedric about it before they parted. According to him, the complete Stairway of Sacred Ascent was shared by seven Saint-grade sects, including the Moonwatch Sect. The ninety-nine-step version used for outer disciple selections did nothing more than exert pressure upon those who climbed it. It was an artifact created by one of the Moonwatch Sect's Grand Elders, an expert who oversaw the sect's artifact smiths.

Simply put, the higher a candidate climbed, the greater the pressure imposed upon their body and cultivation. That naturally gave combat-oriented cultivators an advantage.

"The overall assessment is actually fairly balanced. Even if someone performs poorly during the final round, high scores in the first two are still enough to qualify." Elara was genuinely impressed by the people who had designed the system. In a cultivation world where family background and personal strength mattered so much, creating a selection process with even this degree of fairness was no small achievement.

It was certainly more sensible than forcing every candidate into a duel and admitting only those who excelled at fighting or killing. I can still enter the Ember Sanctum one more time before tomorrow's selection. I should use that opportunity to cultivate and raise my strength as much as possible. Even a small improvement might help during the final round.

Together with the one hundred Spirit Stones she had received from Alistair, any Contribution Points she earned during the third round should be enough to exchange for an elementary gardening art. Once she mastered an elementary art, she would be fully qualified to attempt the Rank One Spirit Gardener certification exam.