I open my eyes, sighing with relief at my health. I let out a small smile as I walk over to Elder Yu. I turn around to watch the next person walk the line.

  A cloud passes overhead, shading the courtyard in darkness. Most of the disciples look more confident now that I’m over here. Xia Jing catches my eye and gives a supportive smile.

  Once the sun comes back out, Elder Yu speaks, “Yu Guan.”

  A boy of sixteen, one of the older disciples trying to enter the sect, steps forward. He bows to Elder Yu, his body language confident. “Elder Yu.” He greets.

  Despite his body language, I notice him sweat as he approaches the line.

  He studies the line for a moment, before glancing up at me.

  With one large step, he crosses the line. A breath of relief escapes him as nothing happens.

  My eyes widen as blue mist leaves the line, flowing towards the boy. He walks towards us, not noticing the look on my face.

  He turns around, only to stop moving as the mist enters his body through his nose and mouth. He stands there frozen, before a loud snapping sound comes from his body. He falls to the floor, his eyes rolling up into his head.

  A collective breath is held by the disciples as we study the dead boy.

  “You were all warned.” Elder Yu waves to some nearby servants to pick the boy up. “And you may still refuse the test.”

  I don’t process the Elder’s words as I stare at the dead boy. The smell of blood fills my mind as I remember the clash of steel and my own struggles against the arms holding me.

  I raise a hand to my neck, shuddering as I realize how easily the person lying on the ground could’ve been me.

  The servants cover the boy in a white cloth, and I force myself to focus back on the other disciples. The sun is out, and it’s not night. I’m safe here. The servants carry the boy off, and I can’t stop myself from watching them go.

  “Da Qiao, you’re next” The Elder says as if nothing morbid had occurred.

  After the death of the disciple, four more requested to not take the test. One more was killed upon crossing the line, a girl this time. I can feel my heart racing from shock at the casual death.

  My gaze narrows in on the line until Xia Jing crosses. Her hand holds my arm, and the warmth is enough of a distraction for me to focus on what’s happening.

  A lady doesn’t show her fear. A lady of the imperial court is composed, like Da Shi, like Elder Yu.

  Elder Yu turns to the sixteen disciples who had crossed the line safely. His gaze travels over all of us for a moment before speaking. “Every inner disciple receives four low grade spirit stones a week and a cultivation manual from the library. If you do well, your rewards will increase, if you do poorly, well… You don’t want to do poorly.” He motions towards a scholarly young man, “This is Senior Disciple Wang, he will guide you through the inner sect and to your new homes.”

  The Senior Disciple bows to Elder Yu, then turns to us with a curt “Follow me.”

  No one objects as he starts walking, all of us following close behind. We are led past the pavilion and through another gate.

  A disciple next to me gasps in amazement as we enter the city-like outer sect. I also can’t help the small sound of amazement I make.

  It’s like a small city in and of itself. Thousands of men and women wearing the robes of the sect walk, argue, and barter with each other along hundreds of different roads and pathways. More bridges than I can count cut over streams and rivers in architecture that rivals the capital of the Empire. Merchants from our sect and beyond hawk their wares on the edges of these paths, holding strange items, crystals, and scrolls out to any interested in buying them.

  A ring of disciples surrounds two outer sect disciples, making me halt for a moment to peek over the crowd at the event. They bow to each other, then move fluidly into a fight I can hardly follow. The fight is over quickly as one of the fighters falls to the ground gasping for air. A series of boos and yells echo out from the onlookers as spirit stones and items exchange hands. My eyes catch on a pair of Spirit Beasts, two wolves who walk next to one of the more powerful disciples in the crowd.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Elder Zhu says from behind me.

  “Elder Zhu!” I spin around to see the Elder watching me with a smile. I’m pretty sure he hadn’t been in that spot a moment before, but a powerful cultivator like him can appear and disappear in ways I can’t imagine.

  “Congratulations, Little Miss Lin. I knew you would pass the tests.” Elder Zhu says, his eyes dancing with playfulness. “Now all that’s left is for you to become the most powerful cultivator in the sect. I’m counting on you.”

  I nod, “You can count on me.” I study the Elder, then frown “Where is it?”

  Elder Zhu smiles. “What could you be talking about?”

  I put my hands on my hips. “You promised.”

  He nods, “I did.” With a wave of his hand, my cloth-wrapped flute appears in his hand.

  I take the flute back from him and clutch it to my chest. “Thank you Elder.”

  He pats me on the head, “Of course Little Miss Lin.” He looks up at the disappearing backs of my fellow disciples. “You’d best hurry along and catch up. I will make sure your belongings arrive safely in your room.”

  I look over to the other disciples, only now realizing how far from the group I’d gotten. “Thank you Elder!” I say, then turn to run. I stop halfway, then spin around to wave goodbye to Elder Zhu. He smiles at me, the disciples of the sect creating a small space around him.

  I turn back and continue my run to catch up with Senior Wang and the inner disciples. We pass through another set of walls to arrive at the inner sect, at which point Senior Wang directs us toward a large ornate building. This is where the few girls among the inner disciples and I stay. I manage to pick a room next to Xia Jing and another girl I don’t know.

  Senior Disciple Wang hands each of us a jade bracelet

  “This is your key to this building and to your room. Don’t lose it.” With that said, Senior Wang leaves us, taking the male inner disciples with him.

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  Xia Jing waves at me before disappearing into her room.

  I find myself alone in the corridor. I take a deep breath and open the door.

  As I enter my room, my joy disappears. This is my new home. And I won’t get to see papa for a very long time.

  I look at the bed where my inner disciple robes wait for me. The robes are blue, with white lines going down the sleeves. The flowing design of a river on the cuffs mark me as an inner disciple of the sect.

  I push the robe aside and fall onto the bed, cuddling with my flute as tears well up.

  I sniffle as I rub my eyes with my sleeves. “You’re an idiot Lin Jia.” I whisper to myself “Always crying too. You won’t ever be a strong cultivator if you cry all the time.” I laugh at myself as I rub my eyes with the blanket under me.

  A knock on the door interrupts me. “Sister Lin? Are you in there? We’re going to the library and I thought you might want to come.”

  “One moment!” I call out, wiping my face with the blanket on my bed. Then hurry to put on the sect’s robes.

  I glance at my flute and wonder what I should do with it. I don’t feel safe leaving it here. I grab it and place it in one of the long pockets of my robe. It fits perfectly... “Thank you Elder Zhu.” I say, clasping my hands together.

  I open the door to see Xia Jing and another girl. I stiffen as Sister Xia pulls me into a hug. “Everything is going to be alright.” she says.

  “Sister Xia. You’re squishing me.” I say quietly, but I still bury my face in her shoulder.

  “Sorry.” She responds, not loosening her hug one bit.

  She moves away from me, “Do you feel better now?”

  I nod.

  “Good.” She says. She steps aside, motioning to the other girl with her. “This is Senior Sister Lai Ming. She’s in the room next to mine.”

  Lai Ming bows to me in greeting. Her strange purple eyes study me, “Junior Sister Lin, I’m already hearing stories about your talent.”

  I bow, and study her in return. She wears the clothes of an inner disciple, but the fact that she calls me Junior Sister tells me that she has been in the sect for at least a year. Her brown hair flows in a ponytail across her right shoulder and she stands on the balls of her feet, like the warriors working under my father.

  “I’m no more talented than any other disciple, I’ve just had good teachers.” I respond, remembering the noble lessons drilled into me since I could speak. Humility and respect, the cornerstones of etiquette, according to Shi Da.

  “Is that so?” Senior Sister Lai smiles, breaking the atmosphere. “Either way, I’m happy to be showing you our sect’s library. It is one of our greatest treasures.”

  I nod and follow as sister Lai leads us out of the building.

  We are led through the streets of the sect, the outer disciples making way for the three of us. “There are a few things you should know as inner disciples.” Sister Lai says as we walk over one of the larger bridges, the river below us meandering down the mountain. “One of the main things you should know is that the new disciples will be ranked by the Elders at the end of the month. If either of you are doing too well, then you’re likely to be challenged.”

  “Challenged? What does that mean?” Sister Xia asks.

  “Other disciples can challenge you for your ranking. There are rules around challenges and you can refuse if you want. But, it is frowned upon to refuse a challenge.” We arrive at the steps to a large building, at least four stories high and with beautiful artistry carved into the walls. I can feel the qi around the structure soothing my meridians.

  I stare at the building, my eyes wide.

  “That said, fighting is not allowed until the end of the month.” Sister Lai steps in front of us, making sure she has our attention. “I would recommend not making any enemies before then.”

  I pause at her words.

  Who would I make angry? Aside from Lu Gang. But he doesn’t count, he was being a bully.

  Lai Ming snorts, almost as if she can hear my thoughts, then leads us into the beautiful building.

  The first thing I see upon entering is a young man sitting at a desk stationed between us and the deeper ends of the library. He writes something down as we approach, not noticing our presence. The young man doesn’t wear the normal sect clothes, but rather, a simple brown robe. He looks up as Sister Lai clears her throat in front of him.

  “Yes?” He says, setting his brush down.

  “My juniors are here for their things.” Sister Lai says.

  “Bracelets?”

  Xia Jing and I both hold up our arms, showing him the jade bracelets we had received when we got our rooms.

  He studies the bracelets for a moment before marking something down in a ledger. Pulling open one of the drawers in his desk, he pulls out two pouches, and hands one to each of us. He stands up, stretching his back from the perpetual slouch we’d found him in, and opens the doors to the library for us, “You may have one cultivation manual from the first floor. You are not allowed to travel to the second floor. Please be out of the library by the dinner bell.”

  Lai Ming bows to the scholar. Xia Jing and I follow her lead a moment later. Lai Ming turns with the grace of a dancer and leads us into one of the most breathtaking rooms I have ever seen.

  Books everywhere. The library at the imperial palace was large. But certainly, it could not compare to this. Even my father’s collection pales in comparison.

  Tall oak shelves are filled to the brim with books, creating a labyrinth of knowledge beyond anything I’ve ever seen. A staircase in the distance tells me that this is only the first floor, and I wonder what kind of secret knowledge is hidden on the upper levels.

  “Beautiful.” I whisper, barely noticing as the two girls giggle at my amazement.

  “Come on, the manuals are this way.” Sister Lai heads to the left, her steps purposeful. I stay still until Sister Xia grabs my arm and pulls me with them.

  Sister Lai leads us to a cozy corner of the library, with cushioned seats and a few tables. She sits down at one of the tables, pulling out a book that I hadn’t seen her grab. “I’ll wait here while you two search the shelves. Take your time and don’t choose rashly.”

  I look at the young female cultivator, then back to the shelves of books. Taking a deep breath to motivate myself, I take my first step into the stacks. Books sit on shelves reaching at least twice my height on either side of me. I glance over to Xia Jing, who is already sitting down with a stack of books and looking through them one by one.

  I turn my attention to the books I’m passing by, and drag my finger down the spines of the nearest books, waiting for something to call out to me.

  Flowing River Sect’s Way of the Rivers

  The Way of a Thousand Cuts

  The Rules of an Emperor

  Ha. No.

  None of these appealed to me. I continued through the section for another few minutes before a set of different texts caught my eye. Each one looks similar, but markedly different from each other, combining music with the element involved.

  The Twelve Notes of Fire

  The Twelve Melodies of Wind

  The Twelve Songs of Water

  The Twelve Beats of Earth

  The Twelve Ballads of Darkness

  The Twelve Requiems of Illusion.

  I stare at the Cultivation manuals transfixed, as my hand goes down to the flute hidden in the pocket of my robes.

  Maybe… I’d never heard of a cultivator using music in their cultivation, but something about the books called to me.

  But which one to take? All of them call to me in different ways, call to different parts of me. But we’re only allowed to take one.

  I hold my hand over the Cultivation manuals, feeling for one that calls me over the others.

  Taking a deep breath, I grab the one I know I really want.

  The Twelve Requiems of Illusion