Born in Blood



By then, a crowd had gathered around the woman and began cheering loudly at the display of abilities.

Even Liam was amazed at the woman's martial arts.

Echorian martial arts were entirely different.

They were simple and had basic functions even until the third Rank, and none had as much power and ability as the one displayed by the lady.

Liam noticed how her 'Ora' patterns fluctuated with each light swing of her blade. 

At the same time, she switched footing and stance constantly. 

Obviously, a martial arts country would have complex martial arts!

It only made Liam more curious in what the Seven Clans themselves specialized in. 

But even more so, the Temple of Shadow.

"How about it, lad? Will you join? I know you're hiding it, but you're pretty strong yourself," the lady clicked her blade into her scabbard and approached Liam with a smile.

Liam cupped his fist. 

"Thank you, senior… but I am not of the water element. Besides, I am much too lacking with the blade, and the movements you have displayed are too delicate for my two hands."

Regretful, the woman sighed. 

Before Liam could shamelessly ask more questions, the lady was called back inside. 

Liam simply moved on. 

Not too far out were several Sects in close proximity to one another. 

Those were by far the weakest, as smaller Clans didn't have much jurisdiction, and they were tightly packed in large areas.

Another slow week passed.

Moving from Sector to Sector and asking more questions, Liam eventually found one that caught his eye.

It was the Piercing Sword Sect. 

As the name suggested, they were a sword-focused Clan that was slightly less renowned compared to the mid-size Sects, but a league above those below it.

They weren't element exclusive, and it didn't matter anyway.

The entrance to the Sector was packed like usual. 

The cultivators joining were much more powerful compared to the Soaring Rain's.

As the martial artists looked towards Liam, they sneered and glared at him from a distance, confusing his youth for weakness.

Liam didn't feel the need to respond or even acknowledge their existence. 

He felt superior in every way to them, and his pride as a half-Ashura wasn't hurt due to how weak they were.

Eventually, his turn came.

Piercing Sword's Sect colors were white and silver. 

Their buildings and robes matched it perfectly, and their disciples took care of their appearance.

The instructor in charge of inspecting the tryouts nodded in approval when seeing Liam. 

"Young, dual-wielder, and already has a powerful cultivation base. You are a Rank 1 Magus, correct?"

Liam nodded with cupped fists, a bit surprised the man guessed his choice of weapons.

"Come with me," the horse-faced instructor said with a smile, leading Liam in.

Meanwhile, Liam assessed the surroundings for any formations or inscriptions, and found the entire Sector grounds riddled with them.

There was another long line of people waiting to get inside the building itself, but the man skipped past them and entered with Liam at his side.

Within the ornately decorated rooms, ten men and women sat side by side on the carpeted floor with an older, tanned instructor in front.

Coiled around his arm was a horned viper with iridescent scales. It poked its head through the man's shoulder, softly hissing with a white forked tongue. On its head, there was a black slit resembling a diamond.

The horse-faced instructor gestured for Liam to sit down, which he quickly did.

The two instructors exchanged a knowing look, before the man that led Liam in left and slid the door closed.

Liam's eyes were fixed to the snake. It was merely Rank 1, but there was something strange about it he couldn't put his finger on.

"Our Piercing Sword Sect doesn't have any restrictive requirements. However, our Clan's martial arts are quite demanding… requiring a determined and resolved user."

On his words, the snake on his arm dropped to the floor and began slithering over to the nearest tryout. 

"This is a Tester of Resolve, a Rank 1 Spirit Beast. It measures a cultivator's determination, resolve and character. Don't be afraid. It won't bite unless provoked or threatened. Place your palm on its head, and it will do the rest."

The burly, middle-aged man it slithered to nearly slapped it away, but the instructor's firm words stopped him.

Hissing, the viper raised its head, and the man put his palm on it.

Slowly, the snake automatically began absorbing the man's 'Ora'. As it did so, the iridescent scales started to change color from top to bottom, turning faintly blue, green, red and yellow with black marks in between.

"I'm sorry," the instructor said with a stern look. "But you have low resolve and lack character. We cannot accept you."

The tryout snorted derisively and stomped the floor in anger as he left.

Indifferently, the snake moved to the next tryout.

Liam watched with curious eyes. 

To think there were animals that could test a person's character…

Wait.

…This was against him in every way!

There was nobody that was worse in character than Liam himself.

Still, he was curious enough to linger. He wanted to know how deep his resolve and determination went.

There wasn't much the Sect could do against him even if it implied his wicked personality.

He was there as a guest, after all. 

After absorbing another tryout's 'Ora', it changed colors again. This time, the scales were a vibrant green, milk white and azure blue with no black marks.

"You pass! Hardworking, compassionate and headstrong. The servants will take you inside and give you our Sect's robes," the tanned instructor smiled as the tryout was taken into another room.

One after the other, the tryouts were being tested for their compatibility to the Clan.

Three more men managed to become disciples, and the rest had failed.

Before long, it was Liam's turn.

Putting his hand on the viper's head, the snake slowly absorbed his 'Ora'.

At once, the snake's scales turned pitch black, and it lunged at Liam with a loud hiss.