Yang Lujia had considered accepting a disciple after Zhuquan De mentioned it.
However, he still did not believe the sect would permit him to do so.
He possessed no cultivation.
Most Junior and Senior Scribes would not accept the idea of a person with a Blank Imprint guiding someone who had already begun walking the path of a Page.
Zhuquan De may have given him the authority to choose, but the old man was no longer present to deal with the objections that would follow.
"To step onto the cultivation path," the Junior Scribe continued, "a person must absorb Ink and use it to strengthen the first parts of his existence."
More characters appeared upon the floating paper.
Muscles.
Bones.
Blood.
Several internal organs.
"The First Page is known as Flesh Inscription. A cultivator writes Ink into his body, strengthening his muscles, bones, blood, organs, and senses. Once enough of the body has been inscribed, ordinary sicknesses and poisons will no longer affect him easily."
A young boy below the stage raised his hand.
The Junior Scribe looked toward him.
"Can someone begin cultivating without an Ink Imprint?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"Without an Ink Imprint, the Ink entering the body has no foundation upon which it can be written. It will either disappear, disperse, or damage the person attempting to absorb it."
Yang Lujia's expression did not change.
The explanation matched what happened whenever he cultivated. The Ink entered his body and disappeared.
Several people on the platform glanced toward him.
Yang Lujia ignored them.
"Today," the Junior Scribe said, "we will determine which of you possess an Ink Imprint and whether its quality is sufficient to enter the Dragon Brush Sect."
The assistants waiting beside the crowd began moving.
Each carried several sheets of thin paper.
The materials had been obtained from traders and inscribed with scripts capable of interacting with a person's soul. When placed against the participant's hand, the paper would temporarily reveal the form and quality of his Ink Imprint.
The materials were not particularly rare, but they were difficult for ordinary families to obtain.
Most sects used similar methods during recruitment.
The first participant approached the examination table.
He placed his hand against the paper.
A faint gray light appeared.
The outline of a fishing rod formed upon the sheet before quickly disappearing.
The evaluator looked at it.
"Faded Imprint. Fishing Rod. Failed."
The boy lowered his head. An assistant directed him toward the exit.
The second participant stepped forward.
A thin line of light appeared.
The image of a sword formed upon the paper.
"Thin Imprint. Iron Sword. Passed."
The boy's expression immediately brightened.
Several members of his family shouted from behind.
The examination continued.
"Thin Imprint. White Crane. Passed."
"Faded Imprint. Rope Knot. Failed."
"Faded Imprint. Clay Bowl. Failed."
"Thin Imprint. Stone Palm. Passed."
The results followed a predictable pattern.
Faded Imprints were the weakest.
They could absorb Ink, but the connection between the Imprint and Reality was too shallow. Most people with Faded Imprints struggled to complete the First Page, even after receiving proper resources.
The Dragon Brush Sect rarely accepted them.
Thin Imprints possessed a more stable foundation.
They were considered ordinary among established cultivation forces, but they still allowed someone to properly begin cultivating. With enough effort and resources, a person with a Thin Imprint could reach the Second or Third Page.
Clear Imprints were different.
They appeared rarely, even among the larger families surrounding the Dragon Brush Sect.
According to the sect records, most people born with Clear Imprints possessed enough potential to eventually reach the Fourth Page.
The next participant approached.
He appeared around thirteen years old and wore a red robe displaying the symbol of a local clan. Although he attempted to remain calm, his shoulders were visibly tense when he placed his hand against the paper.
For several moments, nothing happened.
Then a strong red light spread throughout the Trial Ground.
Several people raised their hands to protect their eyes.
The outline of a large hawk appeared upon the testing paper. Flames moved across its wings while its claws remained surrounded by crimson Ink.
The evaluator immediately stood straighter.
"Clear Imprint! Crimson Hawk! Passed!"
The crowd became noisy.
"A Clear Imprint?"
"Which clan does that child belong to?"
"The Fang Clan from Redwillow City."
"No wonder they brought so many elders with them."
Several Junior Scribes leaned forward. Even the Senior Scribes began discussing the boy among themselves.
Yang Lujia examined the Imprint.
'Aerial movement and flame affinity.'
The Crimson Hawk would likely allow its owner to cultivate scriptures related to flame, speed, and attacks from above. Depending on how the Imprint developed, it might also strengthen the boy's vision.
A man among the spectators could no longer contain his excitement.
"He is practically guaranteed to reach the Fourth Page!"
"Do not speak too early. He still needs a compatible cultivation method."
"The Dragon Brush Sect possesses several flame scriptures. Any elder would be willing to accept him."
"I wonder whether the Chronicle Lord will personally take him."
The Chronicle Lord did not react to the conversations.
However, several elders sitting below him clearly wanted the child.
Yang Lujia saw one Junior Scribe whisper to another while looking repeatedly toward the boy. An Archivist also appeared interested, although he concealed it better than the others.
The young participant stepped toward the group that had passed.
His posture had changed.
He now held his head higher, aware that almost every important person on the platform had begun paying attention to him.
Yang Lujia understood the reaction.
In this world, the quality of someone's Ink Imprint greatly influenced how others treated him.
Faded.
Thin.
Clear.
The stronger the Imprint, the deeper the person's possible connection with Reality.
Above those three levels was the Deep Imprint.
Only a few had ever appeared within the records available to the Dragon Brush Sect.
Several decades ago, a young woman from the Jade Savannah Region had awakened a Deep Imprint. According to the stories, she eventually surpassed the cultivation limit of the Verdant Archive and entered a higher Archive.
How much of that story was true remained uncertain.
Zhuquan De claimed that written records became less trustworthy whenever the person recording them wanted the event to sound more impressive.
The examination continued after the commotion surrounding the Crimson Hawk gradually settled.
More participants stepped forward.
Yang Lujia remained seated and watched each result.
"Faded Imprint. Copper Spoon. Failed."
"Thin Imprint. Three-Leaved Grass. Passed."
"Thin Imprint. Water Serpent. Passed."
A young girl began crying after receiving a Faded Imprint.
Her mother attempted to reach her but was stopped by one of the assistants.
Another boy shouted that the testing paper had made a mistake. He had to be removed after refusing to leave the examination area.
The Junior Scribe continued calling the results.
Nothing unusual happened.
Then Yang Lujia felt something cold inside his throat.
His body reacted before his mind understood why.
The coldness was not caused by the wind.
It appeared suddenly, spreading from the center of his chest toward the back of his neck. For a brief moment, he felt as though something far away had noticed him.
Yang Lujia looked toward the sky.
Nothing appeared different.
The stone dragon remained above them. The golden sphere inside its mouth continued releasing a faint light, while the formations surrounding the Trial Ground functioned normally.
Still, the pressure continued increasing.
'Something is wrong.'
Yang Lujia stood.
"Oh no!"
The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
Everyone inside the Trial Ground turned toward him. The Junior Scribe stopped speaking. The children below the platform looked up, while several elders frowned because of the interruption.
The moment those eyes focused upon Yang Lujia, the pressure disappeared.
It vanished so quickly that he briefly wondered whether he had imagined it.
However, the coldness remained inside his body.
He felt exposed.
It was similar to standing in an open field while something hidden watched from beyond the trees.
The Chronicle Lord turned toward him.
"Lu'er?"
Yang Lujia looked around the Trial Ground. He could not find anything. The formations had not reacted. None of the sect elders appeared to sense what he felt.
The Chronicle Lord's expression became more serious after noticing Yang Lujia's posture.
"You should not disrupt the—"
A suffocating pressure descended upon the Trial Ground.
The Chronicle Lord immediately stood.
Before he could complete his sentence, a horizontal line of white light appeared across the platform.
It produced no sound at first.
The line cut through the vellum platform, the rows of seats, and several protective formations surrounding the stage.
Then the entire platform separated.
An explosion followed.
The Junior and Senior Scribes had been caught completely unprepared. Several were thrown from their seats, while others immediately released Ink to protect themselves.
Cracks spread throughout the Trial Ground.
The children below began screaming.
Dust and broken stone covered the air.
From somewhere beyond the destroyed platform, an unfamiliar voice reached everyone. "Red-stained Pages!"
The pressure increased again.
"Filth!"