Absolutely,
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The crowd buzzed with nervous chatter and rising tension as the next hopeful stepped toward the glowing flame crystal. A moment of silence passed… then nothing.
The guards dragged the trembling boy away as others looked on in dread.
Jian Wuxin stood near the outer edge of the crowd, arms crossed, pretending like he belonged. His ragged martial robes were stained and travel-worn. His hair hung loose and wind-tossed. But in this place? It almost fit.
No one had stopped him yet.
> "You're lucky, boy," the Soul Devouring Banner murmured in his mind. "They think you're another mountain rat here to try your luck."
He grunted and stepped away from the main crowd, scanning the faces of those nearby—dozens of youths ranging from proud noble scions to scared peasants in simple garb.
He leaned toward a boy standing close to him—nervous, fidgeting, maybe 14 years old.
"Oi," Jian Wuxin muttered under his breath, "what's all this?"
The boy blinked at him. "You don't know?"
"If I knew, would I ask?"
The boy hesitated, then glanced around. "This is the entrance ceremony for the Iron Vein Sect! They hold it once a year. Everyone here is trying to become an outer disciple."
"Outer disciple?" Jian Wuxin repeated, furrowing his brow.
"Yeah. You pass the spirit root test, then get accepted. If your root is decent enough, maybe you'll get Qi training. If not, they throw you into labor or kick you out."
Jian Wuxin nodded slowly.
> "So this is how they do it…" he thought.
Another youth behind him chimed in, overhearing the conversation. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"Not really."
"Did you just… wander in?"
"Pretty much."
The boy looked impressed and confused. "You just walked into a sect trial without knowing?"
Jian Wuxin shrugged. "Saw a crowd. Thought someone might be giving away food."
A few nearby youths chuckled.
The tension around him eased slightly. Jian Wuxin's casual tone and disheveled appearance made him seem harmless—at worst, an idiot. Perfect.
Then the older teen to his right scoffed. "Idiot or not, you're in the line now. If you've got no spirit root, you'll be gone before sunset."
Jian Wuxin tilted his head. "And if I do?"
The boy pointed toward the flame crystal glowing at the heart of the stone platform. "Then you get a jade token, a sect robe, and a place to sleep. After that, you're on your own."
Jian Wuxin nodded again, piecing it together.
> So that's the path. Start as an outer disciple, claw your way up. Better than being hunted in the forest like a demon. For now… play dumb. Pass the test. Climb from the inside.
A distant bell rang.
A tall elder in black stepped forward—sharp-eyed, cold-voiced.
"Next!" he barked.
The crowd shifted.
Jian Wuxin fell into line, the puppet-controlling soul thief now masquerading as just another desperate youth.
He smirked to himself as the flame crystal pulsed with power ahead.