This was perhaps the happiest moment of his life. He looked out the window of the skyship, his home fading rapidly in the distance. His hand grasped another: soft, warm, filled with love. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ling Qi smiling at the same view. He squeezed her hand lightly, and got a squeeze back in return, eliciting a grin to bloom across his face. Yes, this indeed was the happiest moment of his life, Xian Chen thought.

  They both turned away from the window and chose to sit on one of the various benches that littered the skyship. Accompanying them were various other kids, small nobles like Xian Chen, and commoners from all walks of employment. But he and his childhood friend only had eyes for each other. They were going to the Thundering Crane Sect to be tested, and learn how to be a cultivator, and journey to Immortality together.

  Xian Chen was grateful to his father. He was part of the noble family that governed East Lotus City, but they were by no means influential when the scale of the land was considered. Yet he had somehow managed to procure a weak testing stone and helped him and Ling Qi test their potential. And they did have the potential. The tears that ran down their face when the rock grew bright were a sight to see.

  The ship passed over various places, and stopped at other cities, picking up more hopefuls who wanted to join the Great Sect.

  "Chen, what kind of cultivator would you want to be?" Ling Qi asked from his side, leaning her head on his shoulder.

  Xian Chen considered the question. He had never really thought about this before. There were various kinds of cultivators he had heard about, like alchemists, sword cultivators, and even those who followed music. But his mind drifted to that one painting held in his father's office, of the man breaking the Heaven's with a lone saber.

  "A saber cultivator," Xian Chen decided. While a sword was fine, a saber held a domineeringness and a weight that a sword could not compare to.

  Ling Qi giggled slightly. "That is so like you~" she teased. Xian Chen huffed. What did she know? A saber was the manliest weapon out there.

  "What about you then?" he grumbled. Ling Qi leaned out of his shoulder, putting her elbows on her thighs, her chin in her palms, looking like the image of concentration. He thought it was cute, especially the strand of brown hair that kept falling into her eye that she blew away with the corner of her mouth.

  She thought for a few more moments, before straightening and saying brightly, "I don't know!"

  Xian Chen was silent for a second, before laughing hard, clutching his stomach. A few people nearby shot them dirty looks, but he did not notice them.

  Wiping a tear out of his eye, he wheezed, "Y-you said that so confidently. I was expecting so much more with how you sounded."

  Ling Qi smacked him on the shoulder, pouting a little. "There's nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do. Cultivation is a long journey regardless. I shall find out where my talents lie in the future."

  Still chuckling a little, he put his arms around her shoulders, hugging her slightly. "I know, I know. I was just teasing you a little. We will find out together what you are good at, and do our best to pursue that path."

  She leaned into the embrace, her indignance forgotten. They switched back to people watching, and seeing the sky blur past as they moved through the lands.

  In a few hours, the ship started to slow down, and a slight weightless feeling descended upon the people inside, their stomachs rising a little. A few seconds later, there was a small jerk, and they finally landed. The people who were watching the window started chattering loudly, so Xian Chen suspected that they must have arrived.

  The hull of the ship opened to let the bright afternoon sunlight stream into it, making everyone blink rapidly at the change in lighting. One-by-one, they alighted the ship, Xian Chen and Ling Qi following the crowd out into their new home.

  Xian Chen's jaw dropped at the sight before him. They were in a huge port, where a bunch of skyships rested on the ground, with more landing and taking off as he watched. Huge, green mountains surrounded them, their peaks shimmering under his gaze. A giant, white pagoda rose out from the middle of the forest, its roof dotted with what Xian Chen thought were giant birds. They must be truly big if he could make out their form at this distance.

  The disciple who had collected them on their journey called out to follow him, and he herded them through the crowd, most of them not paying any mind to the hopefuls.

  They spent a few minutes travelling through a well-kept forest path, before emerging into a large clearing, where a small, old building stood, titled Recruitment Centre. In front of the building stood a disciple, a blue vest on top of his white shirt, accompanying a stone pedestal on which was what Xian Chen thought was a jade slip.

  Once they were all gathered into the space, the disciple clapped his hands, making a loud boom ring through the clearing, claiming their attention.

  "Hello to you all," the man grinned. He was slightly intimidating, Xian Chen thought. It was not just his large stature or the obviously trained body. There was a certain sort of wildness in him, from the unkempt hair that reached his shoulders, to the slight glint of the sharper than normal canines visible in his grin.

  "My name is Shi Qiang," the disciple continued as Xian Chen observed him. "I welcome you all to the Thundering Crane Sect. Now I know all of you are excited to get started, but we must test your potential first. If you do not have any potential, you can choose to stay here and work on as mortal labourers, or be sent back home."

  Whispers sprang up all over the groups of people. Ling Qi squeezed his hand slightly. "We won't be rejected, right Chen?"

  He tried to put on a brave face. "No need to worry Qi. Father already tested us for the potential, didn't he? We just need to find out the specifics now. We shall surely be able to get in."

  Apparently assured, she gave him a relieved smile, and turned her attention back to the sect disciple, who had started calling out people's names. He did not tell her how nervous he too was.

  There were more than a few hundred people in the clearing, but only about one in five people made the jade slip shine for them. Some were bright, and others a little dim. Those who did not make the jade slip glow were despondent, and were separated from those who had the potential.

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  A pale, snake-like boy by the name of Shen Yao managed to make it grow the brightest, and he had a pleased smile on his face. A minute later, a trembling girl by the name of Cai Lingxin got the same intensity, and she visibly sighed in relief.

  The crowd continued to grow thinner, and Xian Chen's nervousness grew. But eventually, his turn too arrived.

  "Up next, Xian Chen," the disciple called Shi Qiang called out.

  Gulping visibly, Xian Chen made his way to the pedestal, the innocuous jade slip on it threatening him. Shi Qiang gave him an encouraging smile, and with a deep breath, he placed his hand on the slip.

  For a second, nothing happened, and Xian Chen's heart dropped. But the slip started to glow. Not as bright as some others, but it did glow. A smile bloomed on Xian Chen's face as he removed his hand from the pedestal, accepting a slip of paper that Shi Qiang handed to him, and skipped to join those who had passed.

  He gave an encouraging smile to Ling Qi, who smiled back nervously. Soon, there were only a few people left, and it was her turn.

  Ling Qi walked up to the pedestal, fidgeting with the gown she was wearing. She placed her hand on the slip, and suddenly it was as if the sun had descended to the earth. The slip grew so bright that the whole of Ling Qi's arm was made transparent with white light, making everyone in the vicinity shield their eyes.

  Shi Qiang just looked on in astonishment as a piece of paper materialised in front him. He read through the paper, and his bushy eyebrows flew up into his hairline, his eyes wide with shock.

  Ling Qi slowly withdrew her arm from the slip, suddenly aware of the gazes of all that were staring at her.

  Still looking at the paper, Shi Qiang cleared his throat. "Ahem, Miss... Ling Qi? Please wait for a moment as I call someone."

  He quickly materialised what looked like a talisman, and whispered a few words to it. It burned up in his hands as he shuffled his feet, clearly impatient, but also nervous.

  There was a minute of silence as everyone just waited for something to happen, Ling Qi fidgeting more and more. Every single second seemed to stretch for Xian Chen, as he worried about what was going to happen.

  Suddenly, the center of the clearing shimmered slightly. The space around it seemed to bend slightly, before a woman and a man walked out of thin air.

  A pressure descended upon the clearing making everyone but Shi Qiang drop to their knees, their heads pounding in agony. As suddenly as it had appeared, the pressure disappeared, and everyone was able to look up.

  The woman and man had appeared next to Ling Qi, the woman reading through the paper Shi Qiang held in his hands an instant before. She was very old, older than anyone Xian Chen had seen. But there was a strength in the hard lines that dotted her face, and she radiated an aura of force that made eyes naturally settle on her. Her robe was modest, yet elegant, and billowed slightly in the summer breeze.

  Meanwhile the man looked like he could be anywhere near their age. He was dressed similar to Shi Qiang, except for the fact that his blue vest also had gold embroidery on it. He looked at the gathered people almost impassively, just giving a slight nod to Shi Qiang.

  Done reading the paper, the woman fixed her stare onto Ling Qi, who looked nervous enough to faint.

  "I am called Elder Lin," the old woman started. "I am one of the Elders of Thundering Crane Sect. You have the Clear Heart Physique, which is extremely compatible with the cultivation method that I employ. I wish for you to become my disciple, so that your potential is realised."

  She stated all this in a matter-of-fact voice which brooked no arguments. Ling Qi felt like the world had turned on its head. But suddenly as if coming to a realisation, she shook her head and composed herself, before going to one knee.

  "I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and would be glad to call you Master."

  Elder Lin nodded in satisfaction, and motioned with her arm. "You shall be my in-name disciple until you reach Foundation Establishment, upon which we shall perform the rites to formalise our relationship."

  Ling Qi bowed her head, agreeing with her words. But suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked around the crowd before her eyes found Xian Chen's, and a guilty look entered her face.

  Xian Chen tried to give her an assuring smile. He was happy for her, really. She had stumbled upon an incredible opportunity, and deserved to make full use of it. But before he could express any of that, Elder Lin glanced towards where Ling Qi was looking and spotted him.

  "Who are you?"

  It was as if the weight of the world had descended upon Xian Chen's shoulders with her attention on him. Bowing low, he somehow managed to grunt out an answer. "T-this one is called Xian Chen, Honourable Elder. I am Ling Qi's intended husband."

  "No you are not," Elder Lin stated in that same tone, as if her words were command.

  Xian Chen frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

  "The Clear Heart Physique and its cultivation requires one to be detached from any mortal emotions. The same is true for the Clear Body Physique, of which Li Qian is the holder." She gestured to the disciple who had accompanied her.

  "When the two cultivate together, there is a chance that one of them evolves into the Clear Heavens Physique. Thus your engagement with her is null and void from today."

  Xian Chen's world came crashing down around him. He wanted to protest against the injustice, but the eyes drilling into him promised untold pain if he opened his mouth. Thus, his words got stuck in his mouth, even as Ling Qi's eyes travelled back and forth from him to her new Master helplessly.

  A small clink sounded at his feet as he was staring down, and he picked up a small jade token.

  "That is compensation for your engagement," the Elder said. "Once you reach Solidification, you can choose any Earthly Realm cultivation art for free from the library. You will need the resources if you even want to think about reaching Heaven Formation."

  Tears pricked at Xian Chen's eyes at the humiliation. He could not believe what was happening to him. In a few minutes, his entire life had been ripped away from him, all because of a strong cultivator's whims. His love, whom he had decided to spend his entire life with, was now to be with another man, just because their physiques were compatible.

  Elder Lin pulled on the air, and Ling Qi floated to her like a doll, unable to say anything. Space started bending again as the crowd looked at the spectacle that just happened. Just before they flashed away, Li Qian shot an apologetic look towards Xian Chen. But he did not notice, for his eyes were now burning with hot tears.

  The two who had arrived in the clearing, disappeared again, but now with an extra member, while the crowd broke into loud whispers.

  Xian Chen clutched the locket around his neck in his palm hard enough to draw blood, the blood dripping onto the locket in rivulets. He just looked up over to the afternoon sky, and made a vow.

  "I will get back to Ling Qi, no matter what or who stands in my way, whether it be that Li Qian, his master or the Heavens themselves."

  Thunder rumbled in the sky at his silent oath. To the inhabitants of Thundering Crane Sect though, it was a normal occurrence.

  But in various parts of the land, old things stirred. An ancient willow tree swayed its branches, but people thought it the wind. A guqin rang with a clear note in a frozen land, stopping the snowfall for an instant. In the east, the sunlight flared azure for a split-second. In the south, a giant floating island was buffeted with turbulence. And in a small room, at the top of a tall, tall white tower, a purple feather quivered in anticipation.