The last stretch to the mountain quickly proved to be the most perilous part of our journey. Most of it was spent laboring under constant vigilance. Since there were only two of us, Lana and I had to exhaust every possible countermeasure to prevent being ganged up on by a larger group or sandwiched between two parties of aspirants.

  Thus, we carefully maintained our distance to our competitors, slowing down and increasing our pace when we felt the need to. When we didn’t have any other choice, we calmly retreated until the coast looked clear again. Hiding would be impossible with the scant number of trees and boulders scattered haphazardly around the plains.

  No, if we were attacked, it was clear to me that we either had to flee or kill our enemies promptly. Any prolonged confrontation would spell disaster for all participants in an open area like this.

  It was fortunate then that Lana and I weren’t the only ones who’d realized that their lives were in jeopardy. And since no one was prepared to die here, actual altercation between aspirants was surprisingly rare outside of smaller scuffles.

  The sun was beginning to set, heralding the end of the trial. However, with the progress we’d made already, I was confident we would make it on time.

  “Ten o’clock.” Lana suddenly said, warning me about a group of aspirants approaching from a converging road.

  Nodding, I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly. Like I had done to the previous groups, I locked eyes with the teen whom I assumed was the leader. Once I felt like we had a good understanding of each other, I retained eye-contact until they passed us by, similarly heading in the direction of the mountain.

  Whenever an aspirant displayed even a hint of aggression towards either me or Lana, I swiftly visualized myself murdering them, typically by piercing their heart with my sword. I discovered that doing so came disturbingly easy to me since the memory of Ye Feng’s death was still fresh in my head.

  Thankfully, under the oppressive potency of my killing intent, most aspirants paled before opting to leave us be, preferring to pick on what they presumed were easier targets.

  It had taken me a good hour to learn how to use the supremacy, which unlike proficiencies was an active ability. But the trick I quickly learnt lay in the name: Intent.

  Threatening to hurt or even kill someone simply wasn’t enough to activate the bashful ability; I had to literally intend on killing them. And since I unfortunately wasn’t a murderous maniac, I did this by relying on a heavy dose of visualization.

  The difference between threatening to kill and meaning to kill might be small in semantics, but in Cultivation Online it had drastically different outcomes.

  The only downside was that the supremacy turned out to be incredibly draining on my mental stamina. In spite of using it fairly sparsely, I still felt like my head was beginning to implode.

  The fear that someone would discover how weak we actually were was constantly keeping me on edge. There wasn’t a question in mind that If anyone saw us for the paper tigers we actually were, we would immediately be done for.

  Luckily, since the skirmish at the ravine, Lana had proven herself to be more than an ally of convenience. Once she realized I wasn’t in the mood to chitchat and the perilousness of our situation became clear, she adopted a much more professional demeanor that I appreciated considering the circumstances.

  She’d also revealed to me that in other VR games, she defaulted to the sorcerer archetype, explaining why she wasn’t used to handling herself in physical brawls. Thus, it went unsaid that it fell on me to act as the primary combatant if a fight erupted. But with my debilitating headache, I was becoming less and less a fan of our chances.

  Thus, we tried our best to appear as menacing and confident as possible, all while keeping our distance from our competitors. It was a balancing act that required an incredible amount of finesse. One that I wasn’t sure I could’ve handled if it wasn’t for Lana’s perceptiveness.

  Time passed as we made our way towards our destination. The sky was now turning increasingly yellow, orange, and red, like a canvas that was beginning to be set on fire.

  [“Through the use of weaponized bloodlust and potent visualization, you have successfully discouraged ten potential enemies from assailing you or your partner.”]

  [“Results: +1 Killing Intent Lv.]

  Mercifully, just as I was starting to worry, a gigantic gate adorned with crawling tigers appeared like a misty mirage in the distance. Next to the gate stood two white-clad silhouettes, cultivators, impassively looking down on the virtual stream of provisional outer disciples scrambling to enter the sect.

  Lana and I shared a quick look before suddenly increasing our pace.

  The last five hundred meters were littered with corpses and stained almost exclusively in red. Yet, no one seemed to mind the severed limbs and gore as everyone stepped over it with the undying intention to reach the gate.

  When I heard the squishy sound of my feet tramping on bloodstained soil, I knew immediately that this experience would come back to haunt me. Nevertheless, like all the other aspirants, I did not stop.

  I wish I could say that I walked through the sea of blood in a daze, but that would be a lie. It took an incredible feat of willpower to force my body forward.

  Nearby, a scuffle erupted between several armed parties of aspirants, but Lana and I ignored it by giving the altercation a wide berth. Although it meant delaying our arrival by a couple of minutes, both Lana and I considered it a small price to pay if we could avoid another tussle.

  Personally, I felt neither physically nor mentally prepared to engage in another fight. Even though it had been inside of a game, I’d basically been travelling non-stop for four whole days. Despite the paradoxical sense of excitement coursing through my limbs, I also felt tired, cranky, and traumatized by what I had gone through.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  In my heart, however, I knew that I wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who blocked my way, and in extension, Lana’s way.

  Thankfully, through a combination of sheer luck and meticulous distance-keeping, we made it all the way to the gate without having to fight anybody. The disgusted look on the cultivators’ faces indicated that they’d seen how we’d gone about entering and didn’t approve of our actions.

  But neither one of them moved to stop us.

  When we passed through the gate, I couldn’t help but to release a long sigh of relief. Passing through the gate was like entering a different world. On this side, no one dared to fight anyone; all provisional outer disciples were afraid that such actions would unwittingly offend one of the cultivators standing guard.

  And unlike the majority of the playerbase, native NPC teenagers knew how to behave around cultivators.

  “We made it…” Lana gasped in-between breaths. “We actually made it.” She repeated as if she was in a dream.

  I knew how she felt. And based on the number of whimpering teens scattered around the area, I wasn’t the only one who’d been traumatized by this ordeal.

  …

  The base of Mount Longhu turned out to be a city in its own right. Following the stream of provisional outer disciples, we passed market districts, auction houses, workshops, inns, and plenty of occupied residences. There were no guards patrolling the streets here. Instead, every now and then, the occasional cultivator could be seen strolling around, which seemed to be a sufficient deterrence for any potential criminals.

  My final discovery was the distinct lack of players.

  At this point, I’d become accustomed to seeing teenage players scrambling around the streets of each town I’d visited. This was the first time I entered a town almost exclusively consisting of NPCs.

  I admit that it was a welcome change. Without all the goofy players ruining the ambience, it truly felt like I was in another world.

  The stream of provisional outer disciples sparked a guarded interest from the inhabitants of the city. A few children were ushered in-doors, but apart from that, the citizens looked more curious than afraid.

  “I guess this is an annual occurrence for these people…” I noted inwardly, wondering if these were the people who would be tasked with cleaning up the meatgrinder outside.

  Remembering the bloodshed outside was like pouring a bucket of cold water over my head.

  In the wake of our shared experience, Lana and I continued to keep close to each other, and despite the illusion of safety that the city provided, we carefully maintained our distance from the other provisional disciples. Even if one of our fellow aspirants attacked us, I felt reasonably confident that I would be able to react on time if they did.

  Just as we were about to step onto the cobblestone stairs leading up the mountain, a faintly familiar voice called out my name from the crowd of spectators.

  “Bishop!”

  Turning around, my eyes widened as a familiar group of guards smiled back at me, although one of them seemed more interested in the sword hanging from my waist.

  “I knew he’d make it.” Hou Wen laughed as he looked at his subordinates with an indelible mark of pride evident on his face. “Didn’t I tell you? I knew the little sword savant would make it!”

  The guard captain’s boisterous laughter attracted a lot of attention from the passing provisional disciples.

  Removing myself from the train of aspirants, I respectfully clasped my hands in greeting.

  “Nice to see you again Hou Wen.” I smiled at the guard captain who’d helped me advance my swordsmanship. “And you too Huan.” I nodded at the young man politely, not expecting him to begrudgingly return the favor.

  “Well done Bishop.” Hou Wen’s hand patted me on my shoulder, an almost paternalistic smile on the older swordsman’s face. “These gloom-ridden bastards didn’t believe you would make it, but I never doubted you for a second.”

  The other guards tried to protest Hou Wen’s claim, but he dismissed them with a wave.

  “And I see you found a new companion.” Hou Wen raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  “Yes.” I subsequently introduced Lana to the group, who for some reason seemed uncharacteristically aloof as she nodded to the guard detail.

  “Or maybe it’s not that weird after all…” The truth was, despite cooperating for several hours, I still didn’t really know that much about my new ally.

  “But what are you doing here?” I was finally able to ask the question that had been nagging me since I saw them. For all that they could swing a sword around, none of them was eligible to join the sect.

  When Hou Wen hesitated to answer my question, one of the guards interjected with a groan.

  “Come on captain.” The young guard pushed. “Job’s done already, and it’s not like we were paid to keep quiet indefinitely.”

  Hou Wen sighed before nodding his head in agreement.

  “You’re right, of course.” Hou Wen smiled with a hint of contrition present on his face. “I guess you’re already aware of how we were the guard detail escorting this rich merchant’s daughter?”

  I frowned in response. I had known they were guarding one of the more affluent caravan merchants, but I had no clue there was a young woman involved.

  “Anyhow…” Hou Wen hesitated slightly before continuing. “The truth is, we were entrusted with escorting a young noblewoman to the White Tiger Sect. I wish I could’ve told you earlier, but telling you the truth would-”

  I raised my hand to interrupt him.

  “You have nothing to apologize for Captain Hou.” I shook my head softly, indicating that I wasn’t holding a grudge over something so minor. “I completely understand.”

  Ultimately, though I liked to believe that we’d bonded during our time spent in the caravan, Hou Wen, the guard detail, and I were fundamentally strangers, maybe acquaintances at best. Obviously, I wouldn’t have expected him to share his secrets with me. Especially any work-related ones.

  “You’re a good lad.” Hou Wen smiled proudly as he patted my shoulder again. It felt weird being complimented like this by a man who for all intents and purposes appeared younger than me.

  Nevertheless, to my surprise, I found that I didn’t dislike the feeling.

  “Since you’re about to join the illustrious ranks of cultivators.” Hou Wen sighed. “The offer to join my little crew probably pales in comparison. But know that you are welcome if fate permits it. You can always find us in Gangsan.

  I nodded politely despite being pretty confident that I wouldn’t take him up on his offer. Still, it was nice knowing where I could find them in the future.

  “Oh and do us all a favor will you?” Hou Wen added just as Lana and I were about to leave. “Keep an eye out for Meng Ai, will you? There is no doubt in my mind that the young lady is as capable as they come, but I cannot help but feel that she lacks a certain… pragmatism that will prove to be invaluable among the immortals. But, I assure you, she is a good lass.”

  I nodded slowly, unwilling to verbally commit to anything that could hamper my progress in the sect. And from what Hou Wen was saying, this Meng Ai character wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

  Hou Wen must’ve understood that a silent nod was all he was getting from me as he ushered me to head on.

  And so, after ascending a long flight of stairs, Lana and I found ourselves in the outer courtyard.

  ...