Making my way towards the city center was much easier now since the number of people heading there was not as great as those on the streets when I first entered the city.
It took some time, but I finally made it to the city center... Wait, have I been calling it the city center throughout my narration?
I meant the city Colosseum.
You guys should really call my attention to these things. I told you my memories are still jumbled up.
The Colosseum is just like any other colosseum: big, huge, made of stones, and built by 12,000 human slaves that were captured from smaller countries and forced to do hard labor and fight other slaves in the colosseum they built for the entertainment and pleasure of the people in Lin City for the rest of their miserable and cursed lives for all eternity, never to see the light of freedom. Amen.
So the Colosseum was also used for other things like a drama stage, music performances by well-renowned musicians, and other things I can't remember.
The entrance was the same size as the city gates so that two carriages carrying new victims for the Colosseum could pass side by side.
What a huge design flaw to have only one entrance; what if one of the slaves breaks free and mingles with the crowd entering? It's not like the guards could find that slave in a crowd of people like this; it would be even worse if the slave were short.
Of course, unlike the city gate guarded by mortal humans, outer disciples of the sects would act as temporary guards, that is, if anyone is dumb enough to cause trouble in a place flowing with practitioners that could wipe out a whole army with a wave of their hands.
"Candidates should line up and get registered for the test; practitioners can directly go inside." An old man stood in infront of a group of young men wearing yellow Daoist robes, standing neatly by the beard-stroking elder.
I headed inside, of course taking the passageway that would lead me inside, walking with the other practitioners for a while before breaking away from the group and heading towards the VIP stands that the important people that usually come for gladiator fights and concerts stay in to watch the shows, but now it was being used by the elders of various sects.
It's a real honor for those mortals to be able to sit and stand where the elders of these sects have been. I have to remind you that the practitioners are not only respected but even treated as demigods...
Humans would really worship anything, don't they know that if they believe in something too much, it will gain divin...
...
My sect was on the first VIP stand, where only high-ranking sects stay—well, only the elders, since disciples are not allowed there, although personal disciples of the elders can still be brought in. The VIP stands were really spacious since those silly mortals love to socialize with like-minded and rich people.
As I made my way there, I spotted an elder of a sect standing in front of the entrance to the VIP stands, looking a bit bored as he stroked his long beard that reached his bulging belly. Now that I look closely, he is not actually standing but sitting on a stool; his body has really covered the whole stool... A silent prayer for Stool-chan...
Let's talk a little about what the whole process of the selection is going to be like.
I don't want to waste your time while I try to explain to the strict, fat elder that does not believe that I am an elder since most of the elders prefer flying into the VIP stands rather than taking the passage as the other practitioners and then walking here.
Now that I think about it, letting the rich, wealthy, and powerful people share the same entrance as the commoners is a real building disaster... I guess letting slaves that can't read and write build things for you is not really ideal, huh? They can make huge mess-ups like this.
So the process involves the candidates first being tested for how compatible they are with the elements, from being loved by the elements or despised by them. The ranking for such tests is usually wood tier compatibility, bronze, silver, gold, diamond, jade, and sprite.
I, of course, am a demigod in the compatibility tier. It was a new tier created by the various sects when I was tested and the crystal did not react.
Don't tell me you thought people would think that my compatibility was poor because the crystal did not react right? Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but no, it did not happen.
Anyways, after a couple of minutes of back-and-forth, the fat elder finally let me go, snorting at me as he stroked his beard.
"The Ink Cloud Sect really is in decline, letting such a young man, still wet behind the ears a sect elder. Humph, preposterous!" I heard him say when I was halfway down the passage.
This happens sometimes. I know they know me, but I just don't get the prejudice against me.
Hmm, let's leave him be. I had already weakened the foundation of the stool, so a little tumble won't hurt him; he needs the movement anyways. Sorry, Stool-chan.
I easily located the terrace where my fellow sect elders resided as they all engaged in idle chatter with their hands stroking their beards. The elder with the longest beard, reaching his knees, the sect master, was surrounded by the other elders, all in light ash robes, as he also stroked his beard, laughing. He was in white robes, just like me.
The disciples also had their own robes.
Why were my and the sect master's robes white? Well, due to the fact I was a heaven-sent genius and the youngest elder in history, they, of course, tried to make me look more important... That was what an elder who was jealous of me said last year; it sounded more like praise, though.
"Sorry am late." I announced my presence as I cupped my hands towards the other elders and sect master in greeting.
"Oh, elder Zen, what took you so long?" The sect master asked, stroking his long beard, appearing sagely and wise.
"I had a little accident on the way, sect master," I explained the whole ordeal of my flying sword running out of power.
Removing the falling out of the sky part, that would, of course, embarrass me.
"Haha, I told you Elder Zen would have forgotten to recharge his flying sword; that's why he would be late!" An elder laughed, looking happy to have already predicted my plight.
"Elder Sun has a huge foresight."
"It seems elder Sun's divinations are getting more accurate each passing day."
"I might have to consult elder Sun very soon."
The other elders praised Elder Sun, who happily stroked his beard with a smug look on his face.
"I think the word foresight means being able to prepare adequately for the future, right?" I said.
"..."
"..."
Uh, did I say something wrong?