Chapter 917: Resonance Test
"Name?" The young woman wearing gray robes asked.
"Kana," Kana replied while handing over her wooden token.
"Please place your hand on this...o...b..here." The young woman pointed to the basketball sized crystal orb at the side. Kana nodded and did what she was told. The orb glowed brightly before dimming again.
"Okay, please pa.s.s through the gates at my side and wait for the test to begin. A tent will be allocated to you. I wish you luck with the entry test." The young woman said with a smile.
Kana gave her thanks and pa.s.sed through the door. One thing she noticed about the people here was that they all seemed down to earth. There was something about the sword dao that made most of these people calm and expressionless while at the same time making them welcoming.
As Kana entered the area where the testing was to take place, she saw many young men and women all standing alone while either cultivating or doing sword swings. Each one had a sword attached to their side, in their lap, or in their hand. Noone did not have a sword. Of course, this was pretty much a given since this was a sect dedicated to the sword.
Kana was different, though. Because her sword was now part of her, so she did gain a few gazes that landed on her that were filled with curiosity. But even as she sat down, she did not summon her sword out. She did not see a need to.
The sun set and rose quite a few times before a strong pressure fell over the area. All the sword cultivators who had come to try to join the sect opened their eyes and looked up at the sky. Two old men and one old woman stood high in the sky, looking down at the group of young cultivators. All three quickly examined everyone below, but only one stood out amongst all of them because she did not have a sword in her hand.
"You have all come from far and wide and have followed your sword dao each step of the way. Whether it was a b.l.o.o.d.y path or not, you still followed your path to this sect. The sword dao is different from other cultivation as it can be a lonely path. But this also does not mean it needs to be. This sect was formed to help sword cultivators to strengthen their abilities and allow them to progress even further along their path.
"But we will not take in just anyone. You must prove that you are truly one with your sword and resonate with the sword doa. To test this, we have come up with one single test. And that is the sword resonation test. By testing how well you resonate with your sword, we will be able to tell how far along the path of the sword dao you truly are. Only those at the second stage will be allowed to enter." The old man explained.
Kana yawned because she found the whole explanation boring, which did not go unseen by the old woman standing in the sky. She had been watching each cultivator closely to see their reactions to the sect master"s aura that he kept fluctuating to affect those around him. The truth was that this sect had two tests that had to be pa.s.sed beside the qualifications exam before entering. And the first was dealing with the sect leader"s aura.
Just by looking at the sword cultivators below, some were having a hard time keeping themselves from falling over. But yet, one person seemed unaffected by the sect master"s aura altogether. "An interesting girl. I wonder how her second test will be."
"Hmmm? The little lizard girl caught your eye?" The old man next to the old woman asked.
"Mmmm… She is different from the others. This is the first time I have seen someone come to our sect without having their sword out in the open. It makes me wonder what she will show us." The old woman replied.
"Mmmm, now that you mention it, yes, she does seem different from the others. " The old man nodded as he stroked his beard.
"And so we will now begin." The sect leader waved his hand, and five large stone pillars rose up from the ground. They were black in color and slightly reflective. The surface was also as smooth as gla.s.s.
"The test is simple. Just strike the resonation stone with your sword without using any kind of ability. Just a normal sword strike. You can hit it hard or soft however you like based on your sword style to allow the resonation stone to test how well you resonate with your own sword." The sect leader explained. "Please form five lines. One strike only. There will be no second strike."
Kana pursed her lips as she moved to one of the lines. There were only a few hundred people here, not that many, but this was still a good amount of people. She stretched her arms and waited in line while everyone else around her kinda gave her strange looks. She did not know why she was getting strange looks, but she was.
She watched as each person swung their sword at the stone in front of them. When the sword connected with the stone, it would light up. She saw white, blue, orange, and many other colors. She was unsure of what these colors meant, but the people who got white were sent away by the person standing next to the stone.
If it turned gray, they were also sent home. Kana could only guess that white and gray did not meet the requirement. She wanted to ask someone if they knew, but since everyone looked like a p.r.i.c.kly porcupine, she decided to just wait and see what her results were and ask later if she remembered to.
The line actually moved quite swiftly. In only a few hours, half the people who lined up had already taken their test. While only about a handful was standing at the side after pa.s.sing the test. Kana never thought this sect would have such strict requirements to join. After another few hours, it was now finally Kana"s turn. "Next!"