Yuki washed her body off and slowly made her way out of the pond. Water dripped down her body as she stood on the shore, looking up at the sky. She did not realize it, but her expression was filled with melancholy. She wished to see her mother and father again. She wanted to see her best friend, Chi. But they were either dead or taken away. She did not know their current situation. She did not know how they were being treated. She could only hope that maybe just maybe, she could grow strong enough quickly to save them before too many bad things happen to them. Yuki let a faint sigh escape her lips. Yuki did not even know she was making a sad expression at this time. If she could cry, she probably would, but her tears had dried up long ago.

As Yuki stood there bathing in the sun, letting the sun's rays dry her skin, Elder Nishikawa, who was about to call out to Yuki, stood there stunned when she saw the sad lost expression on Yuki’s face. It made her feel pity for a girl who must have gone through so much.

Sighing, Elder NishiKawa finally called out to Yuki. “Yuki, here is a towel to dry off with and a set of robes.”

Yuki’s expression turned back to being expressionless as she looked over at Elder NishiKawa. She nodded and took the towel, and began drying off without a word. It was only when she got dressed that she spoke two words: “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I will bring you to a place so that you can rest. If you are hungry, I can also get you some food as well.” Elder Nishikawa was trying to think of everything she could do for Yuki at this time. She still had to abide by the rules. But giving her some clothes, a place to sleep, and food was no problem since they would not help her during her next tests.

Yuki shook her head as she pulled out a porcelain bottle filled with food pellets. Seeing this, Elder Nishikawa couldn’t help but sigh. This girl was living off food pellets! Little did she know that Yuki also had a lot of roasted demonic beast meat in her space, but she did not dare reveal it to anyone. Yuki attached her sword to her side and stood there waiting patiently for Elder Nishikawa to lead the way.

Just looking at the now clean Yuki, Elder Nishikawa couldn’t help but be amazed. The little girl was growing up to be a real beauty. She would definitely turn heads in the outer sect if she is able to finish the final two tests. “Follow me. I will show you to your room. Tomorrow you will be undergoing strength and spiritual qi tests. Once those are over, which should be done before the sun reaches its highest point, the third test will start. This test is more of a means of seeing who is the strongest of the new batch. But I must ask you to refrain from killing anyone.”

Yuki looked at Elder Nishikawa’s back and pursed her lips lightly. She wondered if she looked like some kind of murderer. It was true that she would not hesitate to stab anyone who dared to cause her harm, but in a test situation, she could hold back….. Maybe…

Now that she was thinking about it. Yuki was not too sure if it was possible for her. But no matter what, she had to join the sect to get the resources and understanding she needed in cultivation. While she had been doing fine on her own, she could only go so far. She had to have proper teachings to make sure she was not messing up her cultivation path. The last thing she wanted to do was to do something wrong and then never be able to cultivate past a certain point and then fail to help those waiting for her to rescue them.

Night fell, and many tents were being set up in the field where the tests were taking place. “Kenji, why do you look like you were just beaten up?” Ai asked as she walked over to Kenji, who was sitting outside his tent at the small fire he had made.

“Humph! Why does a street rat get to go with an elder while we of the Sakaki family are stuck here eating rations while waiting for the next part of the tests? I mean, come on. What is so good about a street rat!?” Kenji stabbed at the fire in front of him, feeling glum. He did not like this one bit!

“Why are you so worried about that girl? Shouldn’t you be worried about whether or not you can pass the tests tomorrow? Today was just a normal routine check. Tomorrow is when they check our powers and abilities. You heard what Senior Sister Rin said.” Ai did not find any issues with the girl being taken away. It was something that probably happened a lot during these kinds of recruitments. She just worried that her brother would cause an issue when he shouldn’t. He had always been stubborn and prideful.

“Ai, why are you defending the street rat? Why should someone who is not a heaven's chosen like us join one of the top sects!? It just makes no sense!” Kenji just could not understand it. Why wasn’t it he who was getting all this special treatment? Why did that girl, who was dirtier than a beggar on the side of the road, get the attention of not only their seniors but the elders as well? None of it made sense!

“Kenji, if you keep acting like this, you will end up dead.” Ai got up and walked back to her tent before stopping at the entrance. Without looking back, she said: "Our Sakaki family may have a special status in the mortal world, but here things are different. This is the cultivation world. As people who are about to step onto the path of cultivation to become powerhouses, we should not treat even an ant under our foot as a nobody.

“Our grandfather told us before we left that we needed to watch how we act or end up dead. I, for one, will watch how I act, but at the same time, I will not let others step over me. If the girl is truly more powerful than us, then we should work hard and cultivate, so we do not get left behind. Because even if she kills you due to your own actions, even if I am your sister, I will not stand up for you or side with you on this. Because I have a gut feeling that the instigator will be you.”

Ai was only saying these words out of anger and hoping to wake her older brother up. He was a year older than her but acted like he was ten. She wanted him to wake up. Even if it meant she had to stand at the side and watch him getting beaten over and over again. She felt that maybe this would be the only way for him to finally mature.