Heavenly stage

An earth-shattering aura erupted from Zhong as he descended upon Dark fang, the rain froze in the air unable to move under the pressure as the clouds above dispersed, forming a ring of pure sunlight that descended onto the meadow.

The light refracted off the frozen raindrops like twinkling stars as Dark fang stood unable to move, his ebony claw stuck into the ground seconds away from ripping the wolf apart, his muscles refusing to move under the pressure.

Whines of fear escaped Dark fangs muzzle as he saw the figure floating through the air towards him, instinctively his body telling him to run, its crimson eyes no longer flashing with evil thoughts as it only desired to flee.

The pressure grew stronger as Zhong grew closer to Dark fang, forcing it to lie down among the mud struggling to breathe, strangely the youth and wolf were unaffected as they lay unconscious their wounds catching up to them.

A deep righteous anger filled Zhong as he glared at Dark fang his gaze only softening as he crouched down next to the two injured lying on the floor. Sending his essence into the youth he was shocked at the level of injuries, bones covered in cracks and breaks, muscles torn and shredded across his arms and chest, whilst his organs were bruised and bleeding yet he still somehow drew the strength to fight the beast.

He had earned Zhong's heartfelt respect.

Withdrawing a handful of pills from his pockets Zhong crushed and spread the dust over the youth as he used his essence to guide it into his body, it would stabilise his condition for now but he had to get him back to the estate for a full treatment.

Turning his body to face the wolf lying near the youth, Zhong was surprised at how soft the fur felt as he patted the wolf using his soul sense to assess its injuries, they were even more extensive and horrible than the youths yet he too had somehow kept fighting.

Withdrawing a few more pills he mixed them with the rainwater in the air, he could only guide it to land on the wolfs body and drip in slowly, if any of his essence entered the wolf then it would do more harm than good.

Emergency measures complete he turned to face Dark Fang as it whimpered looking into the forest, wanting to flee.

"You enjoy slaughter and cruelty," Zhong's voice boomed out like lightning strikes from the heavens, causing Dark fangs body to tremble and bleed. The frozen rain shattering into small clouds of vapour as the air exploded outwards.

"You ridicule the weak and seek to crush them."

"I will let you know how that feels," Zhong grew more enraged as he spoke, flashes of Dark fangs cruel acts playing through his mind. Raising both arms to his sides a ghostly image started to condense behind Zhong, this was the spirit of his essence.

As the spirit took form it revealed the shape of a hooded decrepit man wielding a gnarled staff standing atop a broken boat, Zhong didn't mean to summon his essence spirit but somehow his aura was spiking, his cultivation soaring as it progressed. Drawing his hands closer together the pressure around Dark fang surged as it grew stronger and stronger, slowly crushing its body, causing it immeasurable pain and suffering, its body beginning to shrink and bleed.

The ghostly figure behind Zhong stretched out an old bony hand and pulled forth the soul of the beast as its body exploded in a shower of blood under the pressure, coating them all in a crimson tide. Wailing cries could be heard as Zhong's spirit devoured the beast before slowly dissipating.

Zhong was amazed, all these years he had struggled to progress his cultivation yet something about the youths fight had set it in motion, he needed to immediately meditate and digest this insight but not before treating the youth and his wolf properly.

Using his essence to control the wind he picked them both up gently, cocooning in them in a ball of essence to protect them from the air pressure. Zooming up into the sky with his charges he rushed home, not caring if he was seen, only worrying about their lives.

Blood fell as he flew, marking his passage in the sky as the pure white clouds became stained crimson, some disciples below horrified as drops of blood fell through the clouds, not able to see or sense what was happening above.

The mountain was once again quiet. No more howls or cries of battle sounded out, just the wind slowly travelled as it made its rounds. The clouds above reformed and resumed their downpour, hiding all traces of battle and washing away the remnants of Dark fang as its blood mixed into the ground below.

The peaceful glade now dark and empty, the water of the small pond overran its shallow bank washing away the carefully planted herbs, devouring the glade and carrying with them 3 small yellow pages of paper, soon lost to the mountain.

A shadow of a figure could be seen floating above the mountain, drenched in rain as lightning struck at his figure his soul sense cast out regardless, only to find nothing, cursing aloud the figure raged as he struck at the mountain, uprooting trees and crushing demonic beasts in anger. This figure was Elder Chen as he had sensed Zhong's aura earlier but hadn't been able to get here in time to find anything, it infuriated him to think that Zhong had found something of use and benefited from his area just like how Elder Hwei-ru had.

He would confront Zhong about this, he wasn't willing to just hand out free meals.

..

Landing in front of his estate Zhong was exhausted, normally flying was easy for him but holding back his cultivation as it wanted to break through whilst carrying the youth and his wolf was hard.

"Girls quickly," sensing the urgency in his voice Ming, Mei and Min all ceased what they were doing and rushed out to help him, upon seeing Zhong they were shocked. Dripping blood whilst carrying two corpses and visibly struggling to hold them, they hadn't seen Zhong like this for a long time.

"Ming and Mei bring these two to the house in the garden and care for them as best you can, at most stabilise their conditions until I return. Min quickly notify Elder Hwei-Ru we will need her help in healing the two, quickly girls I need to enter closed-door meditation to solidify my break through, do not tell anyone about them being here and activate the formations so no one can see inside the estate."

"Hurry!"

Not wasting time to ask questions the girls took on their duties, carrying the two bodies into the estate the girls flashed past quickly as Min took off down the mountain bounding towards Elder Hwei-Ru's residence.

Disappearing as quickly as he arrived Zhong was in the heart of his residence as he closed his eyes and meditated, his essence running wild as it attempted to break through, just the actions of the pair played over and over in his mind as his masters final words resounded in his ears coinciding with how he felt as he spoke to Dark Fang.

Many Elders and Masters of the Mistfire Sect peeked over at Zhong's estate that day as the heavenly laws descended upon the mountain, he was breaking through into the heavens stage, even the patriarch appeared to warn others away from the mountain and from disturbing Zhong.

A heavenly stage cultivator was seen as a strong powerhouse to any Sect.

The only people still busy inside the estate were those of the three girls and Elder Hwei-Ru as they sought to save the two that Zhong had brought back, growing more and more horrified as they assessed their wounds. Wondering just where Zhong found these two and why they were saving a demonic beast as well.

They would have to wait until he had finished breaking through before finding out.

..

"I am the Elder of the outer court disciples, Zhong needs to be punished for his wrong doing, barging into and selecting a disciple who isn't in the inner court is not allowed," Elder Chen's angry voice resounded out in the hall as he spoke to the other Elders and directed a fierce gaze at Zhong.

The hall that the elders were in was the meeting hall, used when elders wished to lodge complaints or make decisions in regards to the future of the sect. Not knowing what Zhong had found on the mountain he could only complain and bring it to everyone's attention after hearing about the disciple that Zhong had saved.

"Elder Chen if you do not calm down, I will be forced to act!" This voice of reason was the Vice sect leader Shao Shen, usually addressed as Vice head Shen, dressed in a flowing purple robe marked with the insignia of the Mistfire Sect, Shen had the appearance of a middle-aged man despite being the oldest in the room.

"Vice head he has entered my mountain ranges and acquired some kind of treasure that has allowed him to break through, how can I not be outraged!"

"Master Zhong has already described his strange actions from the past few weeks as well as about the disciple he found and how he has observed only out of pure curiosity, only stepping in when he did you a favour and exterminated a beast at the equivalent level of a Rank 3 demonic beast which you should have found especially as that mountain re-enters the rotation soon," momentarily pacifying Elder Chen, Vice head Shen could only sigh at the situation they were in, disciples were banned from entering the inner courts under any circumstances unless they had passed the inner court promotion competition.

"Furthermore you have neglected your duty and left a disciple on a mountain alone, long enough that the mountain was actually about to open and accept new outer court disciples."

This was the root of the current problem as only Elder Chen and Elder Hwei-Ru could promote disciples into the inner courts, if this strange youth that Master Zhong had found was already in the inner court then there wouldn't be a problem but Elder Chen was determined to create trouble for him as Zhong had knowingly brought him in.

Glancing over Vice head Shen could only sigh at the sight of Master Zhong and Elder Hwei-Ru as they peacefully chatted, not a care on their faces at all, only serving to infuriate Elder Chen even more.

"Master Zhong, what do you have to say about this matter?" Looking over to Zhong, Shen hoped that he would at least apologise or say something to help solve this problem.

Taking his eyes off of Hwei-Ru, Zhong glanced at Elder Chen before looking at the Vice head "I found no treasures on that mountain, we all know the mountains are scoured before use and the heaven and earth essence cannot maintain a treasure capable of aiding a peak sky spirit stage to breakthrough into the heavenly domain or comprehend the laws."

Pausing briefly to allow his words to sink in Zhong addressed the rest of the elders and continued with his speech "The disciple I found had been left alone on that mountain for many years, seeing him and the wolf interact aroused my curiosity so I continued to watch. Saving him and the wolf from the mutated Dark fang wolf is something that I would choose to do every time, I haven't brought him in so that he can enter the inner court, I've only brought him in to treat the wounds that would have otherwise killed him."

Many elders nodded their heads and agreed with Zhong's actions only a few elders such as Elder Chen who didn't like Zhong were willing to disagree and raise protests.

"Where do we send him now? He hasn't passed the inner court promotion, if he is to stay then he must stay in the outer court or join the inner court." Comments and opinions arose as the Elders clashed, despite the size of the sect the rules had never been broken before.

Shao Shen could just feel a headache coming on, stuck in a room full of stubborn old foxes who all aimed to pull one over on each other.

A grand and pristine aura spread across the hall as the Elders all recognised the aura, "Patriarch, "their voices raised in respect as none dared to not bow their heads.

A voice worked its way inside their minds as they all patiently listened "I have scoured the mountain in question there are no traces of any treasures, alchemist Zhong broke through purely on his own insights. The disciple in question will stay and be confined to Zhong's residence until the inner court promotion and then compete on his own as punishment, the demonic beast that follows the boy is to be watched, if it reveals any signs of endangering other disciples or running loose then it is to be killed."

"If the boy refuses then destroy his cultivation and remove him from the sect."

"For breaking the sect rules and bringing an outer disciple into the inner court alchemist Zhong is required to refine a single rank 5 pill for the sect and provide Elder Chen with a rank 3 or below pill of his choice."

As soon as the patriarch had finished his aura rescinded disappearing as swiftly as it had arrived, many elders after hearing the patriarchs words knew that the matter was finished and thus left. Shooting Zhong a satisfied and smug grin Elder Chen joined them in leaving, already thinking of what rank 3 pill he required.

Only Zhong and Hwei-Ru remained standing there as he worried, not about the pills as they would be easy for him to make, the patriarch had been kind in that regard, but the inner court promotion test.

Usually the whole group of disciples living on a mountain would form a large cohesive group enabling them to have the manpower and teamwork necessary to pass the test. The tests always took place in different beast lands, where the groups that completed the most missions or slayed the most demonic beasts would score more points and be allowed to enter the inner court, the more people you had the better your chances were. Groups of disciples were known to sabotage each other causing many deaths and injuries yet the patriarch wanted a single disciple to deal with this on his own. Seeing the worry on his face Hwei-Ru embraced him from behind and comforted him as best she could, it seemed that he really had developed a soft spot for this youth.

Two months, he had two months to prepare the youth for the trial that awaited.