"Shall we proceed, Hikaru?"

She took delight in addressing Kenja with his given name.

"As you wish, himesama." Kenja bowed politely, but Hanabi's eyes pouted and looked ahead of her.

The retinue of soldiers formed a path for Hanabi and Kenja to walk through. Souji leapt off the carpet and trailed behind them, a.s.sessing any potential threats amongst the spectators. As they approached the gate, Bolo stood to the side and made way for them.

The princess tilted her head at the gate in confusion. Seeing that Kenja was perplexed with Hanabi's behavior, Souji discreetly explained to him.

"The princess has not experienced much of the normal customs outside the castle. For her to encounter multiple doors that did not open for her right away, it is a new experience."

Kenja nodded his head in amazement.

"You there," Hanabi turned to Bolo, "Is this gate broken? Open it for us."

"Himesama, I am afraid I do not have the capability. I am also here for the examination, but the time for it has not arrived yet," Bolo spoke politely with his head still lowered.

"I see," Hanabi replied with a disappointed tone. She was not used to waiting; things were usually delivered to her promptly and on a silver platter.

She contemplated for several moments before looking at Bolo as if she remembered something.

"You may rise. Since we may become fellow sect members, how shall I address you?"

Ecstatic that the princess permitted him to rise and asked for his name, he answered, "Himesama, my name is Kitamura Bolo. Please address me as you wish."

"Very well," she motioned to Kenja, "This is my close friend Hirai Hikaru. She will be joining the sect with us."

'I am happy that you have such confidence in me, but since when did we become close friends? We've known each other for the time it would take a candle to flicker off. At this rate, you will tie the knot between us before the sun sets,' Kenja's distress level continued to rise.

Kenja and Bolo politely bowed to each other.

"It is an honor to make the acquaintance of himesama's friend," Bolo offered his greeting politely.

Kenja chose to hold his silence. He may be in disguise, but if Bolo attained a clue to his real ident.i.ty, the amount of trouble Kenja would be in is not a joking matter. As they finished their greetings, the gate in front of them squeaked open and a sect disciple came out followed by a woman wearing a different outfit.

'An Elder's robes?'

Kenja had frequently seen the robes of normal disciples and Vice Elder s.h.i.+rou, but he had seen these robes only twice in the past three years, and the person wearing them always emanated an aura of power and magnanimity that belittled Vice Elder s.h.i.+rou. Kenja could gauge that the sect disciple was around mid-level Foundation Establishment, but similar with Souji, he couldn't grasp the real cultivation level of the Elder.

"Junior Brother Souji, it has been too long," the elder spoke out while clasping and bowing to Souji.

Souji bowed back in return, "Senior Sister Kazane, junior gives his greetings."

She had the appearance of a woman no older than twenty-five, but her hair was completely white. Despite her youthful appearance, she was apparently the old man's senior. She turned to scan Kenja, Hanabi and Bolo which placed a slight pressure on their bodies. The pressure was overbearing and yet gentle, like a divine hand patting them down softly. She lingered her eyes on Hanabi.

"For you to personally escort your student here, she must be quite exceptional."

"Senior is too gracious with her words; junior is humbled. I am unworthy of Hanabi-hime's talent, and I would be a failure as her caretaker if I did not deliver her under your tutelage. I can guarantee you that she is a once-in-century genius."

The princess couldn't remain silent, "Souji-sensei, that isn't true. I have only reached this point with your teachings."

Souji smiled at the princess and turned back to Elder Kazane, "As you can see, she lacks discipline. But as I am her caretaker before her mentor, I cannot teach her that."

Kazane responded with a nod and a smile, "Still. For a disciple, a princess no less, to show such grat.i.tude and care for their benefactor...she is, indeed, a seed worthy of grooming. Because of my friends.h.i.+p with junior brother, I will permit her entrance to the sect without the formality of the test."

Souji bowed gratefully, "Junior is indebted to senior for this favor."

"Think nothing of it. Bring me some of the famous Dragon's Breath Spirit Wine that self-absorbed brother h.o.a.rds, and we can toast a drink together," she winked.

"I will definitely bring the emperor to pay his respects with a bottle of his guarded stash."

Princess Hanabi took a step forward, "Elder Kazane, disciple wishes to speak."

Elder Kazane looked at Hanabi and nodded her head.

"I accompanied my dear friend, Hikaru, to take the examination together. Even though it is a formality, I would like to proceed through the first test with her."

'What the h.e.l.l, 'dear friend'? Will you level me up every time you introduce me? No, I must separate from her now before I become part of the Ryu family tree.'

"Himesama, do not worry about me. I will be right behind you after I pa.s.s this test. You go on without me and have faith in me," Kenja gave his 'There's nothing to worry about smile!' that he gave Yos.h.i.+e yesterday, trying his best to encourage her to leave without him. With Snail's influence, the smile looked slightly more heroic and self-sacrificing.

Touched by the seemingly close relations.h.i.+p between Hanabi and Hikaru, Elder Kazane nodded.

"I will allow it. Let's proceed with the test, Martial Nephew Jin," she commanded the Foundation Establishment disciple next to her.

Jin split from Elder Kazane and Souji and walked towards the three examinees.

"When you approach, please state your name and age, followed with three cycles of Qi-breathing."

He paused for a moment to confirm their understanding of the procedure.

"Very good. The first one may approach."

The three examinees weren't standing in a line, but the princess turned to Bolo and said, "Since you were here first, Brother Kitamura, please go ahead."

Normally, Bolo would have refused out of politeness and insisted that the princess should go first, but his aim was to impress her, so he accepted her offer.

"I offer my thanks, himesama." He stepped up towards the sect disciple.

"Kitamura Bolo, I have turned sixteen this year."

Jin nodded his head, "Very well, continue."

Bolo adopted the usual Qi-breathing stance and peeked behind him to make sure the princess was watching. Thankful that her attention was on him, he began to breathe in. Small amounts of Qi in the air and from the ground noticeably flowed towards him at a gentle speed and acc.u.mulated in his body. His body shook slightly with the fresh intake of Qi, and when he exhaled, about ninety percent of the absorbed Qi left his body. Before he could begin his second breath, Jin stopped him.

"You pa.s.s. Enter the gate."

Elder Kazane and Souji nodded their heads at Bolo's performance.

"For one at the Body Tempering stage to absorb that amount of Qi and retain ten percent is quite an impressive feat," Elder Kazane praised.

"Yes, he has a bright future in cultivation. The Flowing River Sect has secured a good harvest this year," Souji complimented.

Bolo laughed triumphantly as he held his nose up and entered the gate before turning around to see the princess' reaction. To his dismay, he saw the princess speaking with her dear friend.

"Hikaru, I will go next. Watch over me," Hanabi was excited about showing off her capabilities in front of her new friend.

"Approach," Jin's voice rang out.

Hanabi stood in front of Jin. Without asking for the name or age, he commanded, "Begin."

She did the same as Bolo had done moments before. She breathed in and a much larger amount of Qi than previously flowed into her. Her eyes were closed as she continued to inhale a much larger breath than Bolo had done before. Being at the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage allowed Hanabi to take in more Qi at once as well as gave her a better retention rate. She finished inhaling and paused for a moment as she spent time circulating all the Qi she had received within her body. Finally she exhaled, releasing about seventy-five percent of the Qi she had drawn in earlier.

Everyone's eyes widened while Souji's face was beaming with pride. The spectators off to the side, while not familiar with Qi-control, could feel the power well up in Hanabi as well as notice the change in the air, and they began speaking in hushed whispers full of respect and praise.

"Stop. You pa.s.s. Congratulations, himesama," Jin bowed in respectful admiration.

"See? What did I tell you senior sister? She is a once-in-century genius!" Souji advertised.

"Indeed, you did, junior brother. She truly is a marvel," Elder Kazane responded with a glowing smile of antic.i.p.ation on her face. Mentoring such a splendid disciple would be a great joy while also improving the sect's prestige.

While Bolo's above average Qi retention had been around ten percent, if he were to advance to the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage, the expected improvement would be two or three percent at best. For a fresh Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage to exhibit a Qi retention of twenty-five percent, it was absurd—a once-in-century genius would be an understatement.

Princess Hanabi's eyes glowed fiercely after hearing their praise, and she turned back and walked to Kenja. She grabbed Kenja's hands and, in search of praise, asked him innocently, "Did you watch me, Hikaru? How did I do?"

'Does this princess really need to hear my praise?' Kenja sighed inwardly, as he began regretting not making Wise Man Satos.h.i.+ leave for Baba right away.

"You performed exceptionally, himesama. I can only hope to perform well-enough as to not embarra.s.s you with my company," Kenja responded.

The princess' eyes glowed fierce in anger as her bangs seemed to stand on end in front of her eyes, which made the slit take the form of a jaw with jagged teeth.

"Anyone who dares insult or laugh at my best friend will not live to see another sunrise," she a.s.sured Kenja.

'Great...I just became her best friend. The more I distance myself from her, the more she pulls the leash.'

"Sensei is truly impressed with his disciple. To befriend the princess of a kingdom to such a degree in such a short time, even your sensei is not sure he could pull this off. Perhaps you should consider staying as Hirai Hikaru permanently," Snail applauded him quietly.

'Perhaps, I will smash you against the wall the first chance I get...' planned Kenja.

Kenja nodded to the princess with an awkward smile when he heard disciple Jin's voice.

"Approach."

"Finally, it's our turn. I was about to doze off with all these snooty sn.o.bs talking about nothing. Disciple, you had best impress them; otherwise, I will lose face as your sensei," Snail chirped.

Kenja's heart began racing. This is his twenty-first attempt at attempting this examination. He may have reached the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage, but at this point, he had a reasonable aversion to this test. Twenty times he began the exercise, and twenty times he left with faces looking at him full of pity. He steeled his mind and approached Jin.

"Name?"

"Ken—*cough, cough*—my apologies, my name is Hirai Hikaru." He had nearly given his actual name out of habit.

"Age?"

"Seventeen."

Jin nodded, "You may begin."

Kenja adopted the stance that had become ingrained in his body over the past few years. He inhaled.

In...

And Out...

Since advancing to the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage, his ability to sense Qi had multiplied. Kenja had realized that he had been mistaken all along concerning this Qi-breathing exercise. Previously, he thought he couldn't feel any Qi flowing through his body, but in reality, the Qi he drew in was immediately let out through the flaws of his Perfect Body const.i.tution. Even before he exhaled to release excess Qi, it had already dissipated the moment it was drawn in.

The main difference between then and now is that he can sense the Qi entering his body as well as its immediate departure from his meridians and acupoints. Even with this breath, he didn't retain any Qi in his body, and to the outside world, it looked like he drew nothing in.

"How strange! Junior brother, did you notice any change in the Qi around her?" Elder Kazane queried Souji.

"I did not. But that can't be! She is clearly at the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage; she must be able to draw in and circulate Qi through her body. Otherwise, how could she have pa.s.sed through the Body Tempering stage?" Souji reasoned.

"I agree, but did you notice how her body did not leak any Qi out since your arrival here?"

"Junior did notice something odd about that, but I a.s.sumed she had taken a pill for the examination that would reduce the soul's outward leakage," Souji conjectured.

"No medicinal pill can reduce it to such an extent."

All cultivators' bodies and souls have flaws that prevent them from perfectly drawing in, retaining and absorbing Qi. Only through centuries of cultivating did one reach a level where the soul could retain most of the Qi it stored for long periods of time with very little seepage. Only two types of people could display such an effect: those who have reached a mythical stage in their cultivation and those who have never cultivated, mortals.

Little did they know that the truth behind Kenja's lack-of-leak is that his Perfect Soul retains almost no Qi to leak out in the first place. If his body could circulate a small amount of Qi, it might have not been so bad, but his Perfect Body was determined to make things difficult for him.

'Okay, I'm going to have to draw more in and hope a little bit can make it through my meridians!' Kenja began to inhale a second time.

In...

And out...

Kenja could feel the Qi near his skin seep in and out in a continuous cycle, but to the onlookers, it looked like he was ama.s.sing the Qi over his skin without absorbing it.

"Why is she having the Qi stop right outside her body, senior sister?" Souji inquired baffled.

"The better question is how can she stop the Qi right outside her body? And look at the density! A Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage shouldn't be able to do such a thing," Elder Kazane answer, equally amazed.

Jin was anxious at this point. He couldn't sense any change in Qi from within Kenja's body, but this was his first time seeing Qi layer itself on top of a person's body in such a way. Princess Hanabi and Bolo were amazed as well.

'I can't keep it drawn in...' Kenja panicked.

As if on cue, Snail interrupted Kenja's thoughts with the Wind Whispering technique.

"You need to grab hold of the cheese slicer. Cheese slicer, you take the first ten acupoints, and I'll take the second ten acupoints. Disciple, you're going to have to take a deep breath and circulate the Qi through your body as quickly as possible. It isn't like the forest; the Qi is more spa.r.s.e here," he instructed Kenja and Sakura.

Kenja paused and saw everyone staring wide-eyed at him. He smiled and coughed lightly, "Senior Brother Jin, may I a.s.sume a stance that I am more comfortable with?"

Jin, pleased to be spoken with so politely by a beautiful junior, replied, "Yes. Please use whatever position you are most comfortable with, junior sister."

Kenja gave him an innocent smile before shocking everyone by suddenly drawing his sword. Jin guarded himself only to see Kenja close his eyes.

Kenja's right side of his face and hands burned once again as he readied himself for his last and final chance at pa.s.sing through the exam this year. He stood firm; his muscles relaxed, and his eyes, now open, were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with resolution. He inhaled.

In...

And in...

And in some more...

All the Qi within a five-meter radius began gus.h.i.+ng towards him. Qi from the ground, Qi from the sky and even the Qi seeping out from those standing nearby rushed to Kenja as his body quickly absorbed as much as it could. He could feel the Qi make it through his meridians for a period of time before dissipating out of his body, but he just drew the Qi back in as it was exiting. He pushed his meridians as much as he could, forcefully pumping Qi and speeding the circulation within his body. Qi continued to layer over Kenja's body as he inhaled and attempted to extend his reach for more Qi. Six...seven...eight...nine...ten meters out, Qi could be seen violently flowing in his direction.

The Qi formed a ma.s.s that engulfed his body as he stopped caring about drawing Qi to him. He held his breath and continued to pump his meridians with Qi, continually recycling the Qi that leaves back into his body. His body was reaching its limit. Prolonged exposure to vast quant.i.ties of Qi at an early stage can cause bodily harm similar to how children are susceptible to a vitamin overdose if they take too much. He could feel the circulation nearly complete a full circle in his body, and he was focused wholeheartedly on finis.h.i.+ng the cycle.

80%...82%...84%...86%...

"Kenja, you're nearly there! If you don't complete it soon, your body won't hold out," Snail warned.

90%...92%...94%...95%...

Kenja barely heard him as he noticed that the Qi slowed down and couldn't complete the cycle. He decided to completely halt Qi from entering his body and placed all the strain on his meridians pumping the Qi through his body.

97%...98%...99%...100%!

Complete! He exhaled out.

Qi gushed out from Kenja as it dispersed outward toward the onlookers and beyond. He opened his eyes and looked at Jin. His mouth was wide-open as he looked like he had seen a monster.

"Senior brother Jin?"

Seeing no response, he looked around at the spectators but saw that they had retreated several meters with many of them having left entirely. He turned to Hanabi and saw shocked eyes that turned into a glow of admiration. Then, he turned to Bolo, but he had already warped to the sect's front door. Finally, he turned to Elder Kazane and Souji who were still staring at him with looks of disbelief.

Kenja asked coyishly, "Elder Kazane, did disciple pa.s.s the test?"

Elder Kazane smiled at Kenja before looking at Souji, "You bring me a once-in-century genius, but do you expect me to save this one for the next century?"

Souji began coughing with no sign of stopping.