As dawn broke, Yang Kai woke up, quickly washed up, and grabbed a broom from the corner of the wall, heading out of his solitary hut.
He stretched at the doorway, glanced at the first hint of light on the horizon, closed his eyes to savor a moment of peace, then opened them and began sweeping away the dust and fallen leaves.
Clad in a simple, clean blue robe, the understated color of his attire made the young man appear several years older. Yang Kai stood ramrod straight, like a javelin, his expression unwavering even in the most menial task. His movements were steady; his hands gripped the broom with minimal force, his body barely swaying. With just a flick of his wrists, the broom moved with effortless grace, as if it had grown legs.
Yang Kai was a trial disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion. He entered the sect three years ago to begin his cultivation, but he had only reached the third level of Body Tempering. His fellow disciples who entered at the same time had long since surpassed this stage, each finding an opportunity to study under a powerful master and rise to prominence, while he could only watch with envy.
Three years to reach the third level of Body Tempering—this level of talent was beyond ordinary; it was downright mediocre.
Helpless, Yang Kai could only take a sweeping job within the sect, struggling to make ends meet while diligently cultivating.
Lingxiao Pavilion was a rather unique sect, its uniqueness manifested in the brutal competition among its disciples. Within this sect, the capable rose to power, the incapable were eliminated; the ironclad law of the jungle was vividly demonstrated within Lingxiao Pavilion.
Other sects might have some camaraderie and brotherhood among disciples, but there was none in Lingxiao Pavilion! To climb the ranks, one must step on the shoulders of so-called fellow disciples, treading over their blood; only then can one gain the right.
The Lingxiao Pavilion is renowned throughout the Great Han Dynasty for its strict discipline. While not a super sect, the brutality of its disciples' struggles is unparalleled! Because of this, its disciples are all fierce and valiant, rarely daring to provoke them when roaming the martial world.
Lingxiao Pavilion has a rule: disciples under the age of fourteen, regardless of who they are, undergo a three-year trial period from the time they enter. During these three years, the sect provides for their food, lodging, and transportation; disciples only need to focus on cultivation. If they break through to the Body Tempering stage within three years, they are qualified to become disciples of masters within the sect, receiving instruction from these experts. Of course, they can also choose not to become disciples and cultivate independently, but the path of cultivation is vastly different between having a good teacher and figuring things out on their own. In a sense, Lingxiao Pavilion's rule is somewhat liberating.
Those who fail to break through to the Body Tempering stage within three years either leave the sect or are demoted to trial disciples. Yang Kai's current status is that of a trial disciple! It's also a disgrace within the Lingxiao Pavilion!
Unlike ordinary disciples, trial disciples face far harsher living conditions. Having reached this stage, they must take care of their own food, clothing, and shelter; the sect will no longer waste any cultivation resources on them. Once demoted to a trial disciple, there's essentially no hope of advancement for the rest of their lives, unless their strength increases dramatically in a short period, making the sect see them as worthy of investment.
Of the three thousand disciples in the entire Lingxiao Pavilion, how many are trial disciples? Only a handful! Yang Kai is fortunate enough to be one of them!
Surviving within the Lingxiao Pavilion as a trial disciple is incredibly difficult. For example, the small hut Yang Kai currently lives in was built by himself, piece by piece. The roof has several holes that he hasn't had time to repair, and the hut floods every time it rains. He buys his own clothes, prepares his own food, and is responsible for everything himself.
Even the location of the hut was in the most remote and deserted part of Lingxiao Pavilion.
Such terrible treatment would be unbearable for most people, which is why Lingxiao Pavilion has so few trial disciples. Basically, disciples who haven't broken through to the Body Tempering Realm after the trial period choose to leave Lingxiao Pavilion. But Yang Kai stayed.
Having already been kicked out once, how could he let it be the same this time?
After being demoted to a trial disciple a few months ago, Yang Kai took a sweeping job within the sect to make a living.
It could be said that Yang Kai was now both a trial disciple and a sweeper for Lingxiao Pavilion. But this sweeping job sometimes couldn't even keep Yang Kai fed; he often went hungry, and no one cared about him when he was cold or windy, living a miserable and lonely life. Even so, Yang Kai never gave up. Life is short, only a few decades; he had chosen this path, and he had to see it through. Giving up halfway was not the act of a man.
Yang Kai possessed a tenacity, a tenacity that wouldn't give up until he hit a wall!
As dawn broke, Yang Kai swept the floor for a while, leaving it spotless, all the dust and debris swept away.
Sweeping didn't require much effort, but working for so long so early in the morning without eating or drinking left Yang Kai drenched in sweat. This had nothing to do with his strength; it was entirely due to his poor physical condition.
Being hungry two out of three meals a day, anyone living in Yang Kai's environment would suffer.
Gradually, a group of Lingxiao Pavilion disciples gathered around him. These disciples had all gotten up very early, not to cultivate but to surround Yang Kai. Many were observing him with great interest, some even with greedy eyes, as if Yang Kai were a naked, beautiful woman, a tempting and alluring object.
A tense and competitive atmosphere spread among these Lingxiao Pavilion disciples gathered around Yang Kai, their faces wary as they eyed their fellow disciples.
A voice in the crowd, looking reluctant, murmured, "So many people, this is a bit much."
Immediately, someone replied, "If you think there are too many people, you can leave. Nobody's asking you to stay."
That one sentence silenced the man. Everyone knew why they were gathered here, knew why they were watching Yang Kai, and were waiting for that moment. The deadline was fast approaching; leaving now would be a waste. If they could be the first to arrive, today would be another lucrative opportunity.
Yang Kai was naturally aware of the commotion around him, but his expression remained unchanged. He experienced this kind of scene every five days, six times a month, so it wasn't anything to be surprised about. Besides, the number of people here seemed a bit small; they probably hadn't all arrived yet.
Therefore, he continued sweeping, ignoring the people around him, sweeping as he walked.
As time passed, more and more people gathered around Yang Kai, roughly estimated to be at least thirty or forty.
Yang Kai suddenly stopped, sitting down in the middle of the road, slowly taking a deep breath to recover the energy he had expended that morning.
Upon seeing this, everyone gathered around Yang Kai immediately dispersed, surrounding him completely. The tense, competitive atmosphere instantly intensified to a new level, as if even the air itself had stopped moving.
Everyone disliked each other, yet all looked at Yang Kai with unwavering anticipation.
If someone unaware of the situation saw this, they might think that the person surrounded by the crowd was a top-tier expert; otherwise, why would so many people be mobilized to deal with him? In reality, however, Yang Kai was merely a trial disciple at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, and everyone present was stronger than him.
"Yang Kai, don't bother trying. Just obediently let us beat you down; it'll save everyone time, won't it?" someone said disdainfully, seeing Yang Kai's demeanor.
What's the point of recovering at the mere third level of the Body Tempering Realm? "Since we're going to lose anyway, might as well finish it off cleanly. Why prolong the fight like this?"
"Yes, yes, Yang Kai, you should at least consider how your fellow disciples feel. We're not like you; we still need to cultivate after this match."
These words made it seem as if Yang Kai was destined to be quickly defeated, making his recovery seem disrespectful.
Yang Kai ignored them, as if in deep meditation.
Time continued to pass. Suddenly, a melodious, resonant bell rang out—the morning bell of Lingxiao Pavilion. The sound reached everyone's ears, and the disciples gathered around Yang Kai instantly perked up.
The bell tolled nine times, the sun rose in the east, and a new day began!
The crowd's breathing suddenly calmed, their eyes fixed on Yang Kai, who was surrounded in the middle. Yang Kai slowly rose, picked up his broom, and glanced indifferently at the group around him.
"Pick me, Senior Brother Yang!" someone shouted. "I'll go easy on you, I promise it won't hurt!"
"Bullshit! Pick me, and I'll give you a quick death, one punch and it'll be over, no wasting anyone's time."
"Pick me..."
"Pick me..."
The arena erupted in chaos, like vegetable vendors at a market hawking their produce, competing to see who could be the freshest.
"Yang Kai, don't break the rules you set!" someone warned.
Yang Kai chuckled, casually tossing the broom he was holding into the air. Dozens of eyes turned upwards, eagerly awaiting the moment the broom landed, silently praying, "Pick me, pick me!"
Time seemed to slow down. The broom spun a few times in mid-air before falling, bouncing on the ground, and freezing in place.
The broom's tip pointed to a burly young man in the crowd.
A chorus of sighs arose, filled with resentment and unwillingness. The burly youth, however, laughed heartily, stepped out of the crowd, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and greeted everyone with a smile: "Fellow disciples, I have won this battle today. I hope you will not blame me."
"Damn, what incredible luck!" someone grumbled enviously.
"Why couldn't I be chosen? I've been here every five days for a whole month! Yang Kai, are you doing this on purpose?"
"Don't even mention it! I've been here for three months and haven't been chosen even once!"
"Senior brother, you're worse off than me."
"Not at all, not at all. Let's just watch the show." The two disciples exchanged a knowing glance and smiled knowingly.
In the arena, everyone else had dispersed, leaving only Yang Kai and the burly youth staring at each other.
"Trial disciple Yang Kai, Body Tempering Level 3!" Yang Kai announced, looking at his opponent.
"Ordinary disciple Zhou Dingjun, Body Tempering Level 5!" the burly youth announced himself.
The disciples of Lingxiao Pavilion are also divided into five levels, from lowest to highest: Trial Disciples, Ordinary Disciples, Subordinate Disciples, Elite Disciples, and Core Disciples. Zhou Dingjun said he was an ordinary disciple, meaning he hadn't yet been formally accepted as a disciple by a master within the sect and hadn't received proper guidance. If he broke through to the Body Tempering stage and became a disciple of a master, he would be a higher level, a Subordinate Disciple. The next level up, Elite Disciples, are all exceptional individuals selected from among the Subordinate Disciples.
Core Disciples are the hope of the next generation of Lingxiao Pavilion; the sect cultivates these individuals as future successors.
This rigid disciple ranking system, seemingly inhumane, effectively stimulates the fighting spirit and competitive drive of young people, which is the foundation of Lingxiao Pavilion's ruthless system.
The fundamental reason why Yang Kai was sought after by so many was another rule of Lingxiao Pavilion: the rules of challenge.