Chapter 7: Cute Things Tickle Heartstrings

The bandit brothers! They were almost guaranteed to get involved and start taking tokens at some point, so why not get on their good side now?

This left everyone else in a four vs three situation. Naturally the three token holders were quite annoyed at this turn of events and wanted to follow him. Just as they were about to leave though, two people without tokens took off after the little scholar. Having one extra person wasn't going to immediately make a massive difference in this squabble, so they decided to give chase. The cycle of taking and losing tokens would just keep going at this rate. Besides, the lightning and water guys that fought with Appa earlier had both managed to finally get tokens at the same time and were surprisingly good at working with one another. The bandit brothers were an unknown variable, sure, but at least that meant there was a chance for things to be easier for them on that side. If the bandit brothers turned out to be weak, then the only real threat would be each other. They couldn't see the scholar being particularly strong as all he ever did was run away. A one-on-one fight was preferable for these two compared to whatever kind of nonsense that previous, hectic brawl was.

Now the original four vs four had devolved into a two vs three, but the lightning and water duo were basically untouchable. The two without tokens didn't want to leave and start another massive group fight, especially seeing as how there was only one token to fight for on the other side. They decided to ignore the lightning and water duo and focus their efforts on the remaining third token and, unsurprisingly, the duo let them. Why get involved in something that has nothing to do with them? At this rate, they were guaranteed to pass so why risk it for someone neither of them cared about? This meant there were only two tokens left in play to fight for, the one the scholar had, and the one currently being fought for in a three-way fight. Everyone had already hedged their bets and made their choices; it was too late now to turn around and pick a different fight now.

"ONE MINUTE LEFT, MAKE THE MOST OF IT!" Teng gave a reminder before falling silent again and watching what turned out to be one hell of a show. Compared to previous years, there was a lot more smarts and quick decision making on display which made Teng and Rud quite pleased. Adaptability was important for a cultivator. Skirting around a fight, bribing others, running away, etc. All were valid strategies as long as you won in the end. Of course, brute strength was valuable too, but it was important to be able to think on the fly and make use of individual talents to get things done and survive under pressure.

"Brothers!" The little scholar had finally arrived in front of Ares and Aejaz. 

Ares' eye twitched, why did people only ever call him 'brother' when they wanted something from him? "Don't you 'Brothers!' me, do I look like a hired bodyguard to yo..."

"Stardust," Aejaz cut off Ares before he could finish his sentence.

Both Ares and the little scholar stared at Aejaz blankly.

"100 low grade pieces of stardust, and that token of yours will stay safe and sound where it is."

"AEJAZ! You bastard, don't sell my services off like some kind of pimp!" Ares was filled to the brim with indignation. "Besides, you just want that goddamn stardust so you can afford to buy something from the tailor shop again!"

"Deal," the little scholar hastily interrupted their conversation before any minds were changed as this would be his cheapest bribe yet! If he had known they wouldn't even ask for a quarter of what the others had, he would have bloody well come here earlier!

"Haha, I'm coming back Misssss…." Aejaz dragged the name on as he realised Ares was glaring at him from the side.

"Misssss?" Ares questioned with a rising intonation. 

"Missssster Hans, the lovely old man who occasionally works at the tailor shop, haha, haha. He can finally finish that one story about his grandson! Haha." Aejaz was practically sweating bullets as he desperately avoided making eye contact with Ares.

"Whatever, just do as you promised and I won't send you back to Missssster Hans in stitches." Ares rolled his eyes as Aejaz gave him a thumbs up. "You, what's your name?" Ares turned to the little scholar.

"Onno."

"Oh really?"

"Oh yes! Tis I, Onno of the famed Honesty Merchant Trading Group. HMTG for short!" Onno had a proud smile plastered across his face as he lifted his chin high.

Ares had heard of the Honesty Merchants but, then again, who hadn't? Honesty had set up merchant trading outlets in just about every corner, nook, and cranny of the world. This little scholar was a well-known fellow. He was the son of the current owner of Honesty and held quite a prestigious position in Red Sun City. Actually, that was an understatement, he held a prestigious position wherever he went. 

"Never heard of you," 

Ares bluntly lied just to knock Onno's pride down a few notches, although he also kept a playful smile to signify he was messing around with him.

Onno was visibly 'devastated'. "You rascal, it's a good thing you're cheap!" Onno retorted.

"Unlike the businesses you run," Ares grumbled under his breath and held back on smacking some sense into this little con/business-man. 

There were only about 30 seconds left and the two participants without tokens had covered enough ground to come fairly close to Onno. Ares had already stood up and walked over to stand in front of them.

"Hand over the token and we won't hurt you."

Ares rolled hie eyes. "Good lord you two are stupid. Isn't it obvious we aren't going to give it to you? Why even ask? Aren't you just wasting your own time here? Better yet, why are you just standing there, gawking like idiots and listening to me? Are you really gonna let me waste your time like this?" Ares gave the two a quick verbal lashing as a lesson not to say dumb shit in do-or-die situations.

One kissed his teeth and the other frowned, but both kept silent and stopped pointlessly trying to negotiate with Ares. One tried running around his right and the other his left. It was better not to waste time with Ares as the clock was running out. Of course, they couldn't waste too much time in giving him a wide berth, so they were both in attacking range. They presumably thought he wouldn't be able to stop both of them if they attacked him at the same time on the way past. They were relying on the difference in cultivation. 

Ares just sighed to himself. Lazy, he thought. They weren't going to get past him regardless, but to not even put any real effort into fighting him? That was just asking for trouble. They weren't even using mana. Of course, they still had to deal with Onno, Aejaz, and each other after Ares, so from their perspective they were no doubt trying to conserve energy for all the above. Even so, to be so blatantly ignored irked Ares to no end. 

Both participants readied their swords. The one to Ares' right swung vertically from the head down and the other thrust toward Ares' stomach. 

Ares raised his left foot and brought it down on top of the thrusting sword, forcing it down and burying it into the platform. Ares also raised his right hand out of his pocket and caught the other sword just above his head before taking a step forward to stand in between both of them.

Thump

The Stygian Zephyr rapidly raised itself off Ares' back, split itself down the middle, and spread out to either side, resembling a pair of ebon wings. The speed at which the Zephyr unfurled plus the unexpected nature of the attack was far too much for either of the two to react to and they were struck with enough force to make an echo resound throughout the hall. Truthfully, they got off easy. The feathers on the Zephyr were sharp enough to cut through most metals even without mana. Ares could have just as easily pierced through their stomachs and further spread out the tips of his wings to showcase them in all their glory, slicing the two fools in half. There was no real need to go so far in a test though so he simply grabbed their heads after they hunched over and smashed them together, knocking them unconscious. 

Gulp

Onno hastily made the smart decision not to call Ares 'cheap' ever again. What the hell was that? That was completely effortless is what that was! Those two were 4th realm 3rd stage cultivators. He barely even lifted his hands! Onno cried inwardly 

Naturally everyone else was just as surprised. The three fighting for the last token momentarily stopped and thanked their lucky stars they hadn't run over to that side only to catch a swift beating like the other two idiots. 

Dirk and Li Li raised their eyebrows. The two people they had fought with previously had the same cultivation as the two Ares had just dealt with, but even they had to use mana to take care of them as quickly as that. They really wanted to run over and fight Ares but there was far too little time left. 

Teng and Rud were still disappointed. Yes, Ares took to combat like a fish to water, but to what extent exactly? Those two morons were foolish enough not to use any mana, meaning Ares didn't have to exert any effort whatsoever and that annoyed Rud to no end. Rud was secretly glad those idiots hadn't passed. If you're going to fight, fight properly you schmucks. 

Meanwhile Appa was… Well... Appa was just glad there were potential new friends for it to make. It really was quite a simple creature.

"FIVE." Everyone took their eyes off Ares to see Teng start his final countdown. "FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE. STAY WHERE YOU ARE, STOP FIGHTING, AND SIT DOWN!" Teng gave out orders to which everyone complied. "If you have a token, please raise your hand while holding it."

Everyone with a token promptly took it out and raised their hands. The three who were fighting for the last token were confusedly staring at one another. "I thought you had it?" the first person said to the second person in the group.

"No, I lost it to him," the second one replied while pointing at the third.

"I thought you took it back when I wasn't paying attention?" the third spoke as he looked back at the first person.

"..." All three looked around briefly and came to a silent understanding without having to utter a single word. Ah, they collectively thought. We've been the victims of a broad-daylight robbery but, seriously, how the fuck did he take the token from the other side of the bloody platform?

Aejaz was raising his token high to the sky with a smug look on his face. Not only did he steal it, but his little trick worked too and people were starting to realise there was something strange happening.

"Um, Rud… You're seeing this too, right?" Teng nudged Rud with his shoulder as he stared in astonishment at the new development in front of him.

Rud sighed and shook his head. "This is your problem to figure out and fix, I'm too old for this nonsense."

Teng took a deep breath to calm his stupor and counted again, just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. "Ok bandit brothers, I have to ask, why are there eight tokens now?"

Sure enough, eight people, Ares included, were holding a token in their hand. There were only seven at the start, so something had clearly gone wrong somewhere. Seeing as how everyone else was just as clueless as Teng himself, he decided to ask the two people that were completely calm about this whole ordeal. Besides, realistically, who else would it have been?

"Ask him." Ares pointed at Aejaz.

Aejaz was practically beaming at finally having had a chance to show off. "Not only can I increase the quality of certain stolen items, but I can also duplicate certain stolen items!"

Wasn't this guy literally the worst thief ever? Why was he telling everyone how he'd done it? Wasn't the whole point not to? These questions were quickly put to the back of their minds though as they really couldn't help but be impressed once again by this unusual aspect. 

Aejaz had accidentally discovered this trick the same day Ares was stabbed through the head with the Primordial Blade, so naturally he felt a little discomfort whenever he used it. The memory of Ares spasming on the floor came creeping up on him every single time. Ares' whole near-death experience thing really put a damper on what was otherwise quite a pleasant day for him. As for the art, he called it 'Dupe-lication' for fairly obvious reasons.

"Uhhh, right. Ok. I mean, I guess this counts as being resourceful… Right?" Teng wasn't entirely sure what direction to take so he just allowed it. It's not like he knew which one was the original token after all. Who would he disqualify if they didn't outright tell him which token was fake? As far as he could tell, one was a perfect, functional copy of the other in every way. As such, calling it a fake wasn't even accurate anyway. This also counted as 'resourcefulness' in his book and he really didn't want to make someone fail after showing off such a unique method. There was a nagging thought in the back of his mind eating away at him though. Yet again, Ares had basically done nothing and passed a trial. At least he wouldn't be able to do nothing a third time, a fight was simply unavoidable in the next trial. Rud and Teng wanted answers, damnit!

Looking at Aejaz's cocky smile, Rud couldn't help but evaluate him as 'extremely annoying'. These evaluations had nothing to do with the person in question as a cultivator, it was just a mental list of people he would try to avoid in the sect by any means necessary. Aejaz was somewhat of a first in this regard. The only other people rated as such were people like the sect master, people who would constantly interrupt Rud's naps. 

"Well, I guess there'll be eight of you taking the final trial of the test then. You'll have twenty minutes to rest this time. I'll warn you in advance, prepare yourselves for a hard fight." With those words, Teng turned around and walked out the hall for a second time.

"But man, that aspect is really cool. Is there anything you can't steal?" Onno was both really curious and really wary of Aejaz's unique aspect. What kind of businessman would he be if he just let his guard down and openly accepted a thief of all people? That was the fast-track to getting robbed for people like him.

"Yeah, he can't steal Missy's heart." Ares snickered off to the side, revelling in Aejaz grumpy face.

"You mean that tailor shop lady? She certainly is a woman that goes for the hard sell by any means necessary," Onno recalled a rather eager lady from a shop he once visited.

"Humph, she's not like that." Aejaz folded his arm and turned his pouting face off to the side. 

The three kept talking to one another for a while and got along rather well. About ten minutes into their conversation, a chilly presence crept up behind them. "Umm… Can I sit here?" Appa asked in a nervous tone, almost stuttering on its words.

"Of course! But I feel I have to ask; can you even sit down? I don't mind standing if it's more convenient for you." Ares was more than happy to let Appa join them as damned shades were known for essentially never being malicious, unless you really deserved it that is. If he felt he could trust a person, then Ares didn't mind talking to them. He could also tell that Aejaz really wanted to know more about this ghostly 'thing'. To top it all off, Ares was also quite interested in seeing a shade 'sit'.

"Yes, I can sit!" Appa replied excitedly as the cloth fell to the floor. The cloth gradually spread out until only about half of Appa's 'upper body' was left still upright. Appa's head had become noticeably smaller and its upper half now resembled an oversized road-bump. This made the shade look rather endearing as the most apt way to describe its current appearance would have to be 'smooshed'.

Ares had a secret weakness to cute things like puppies and kittens and was overcome by an overwhelming urge that he simply couldn't resist. He instinctively pet Appa on the head. 

Appa turned to face Ares with its hollow eyes and just stared at him as Ares froze after realising what he had done. "Keep petting me or I'll haunt you." For the first time since arriving at the sect, Appa had a fierce determination in its otherwise gentle voice. It really loved this new sensation! No one had ever been bold enough to touch it, let alone pet it before. Appa really liked this new human!

Ares was simultaneously relieved the shade wasn't annoyed at him and surprised he managed to somehow get away with that daring action of his. He made a mental note not to go around reflexively petting things just because they were cute, even if it somehow worked out this time. He was also secretly glad he could continue petting the shade, it really was quite adorable and also shockingly smooth and soft! He had no intention of making it a pseudo-pet like others had done before him, he just really wanted to stroke the sweet little squashed shade. That being said, it was highly likely this shade was going to follow him around whenever it could and come looking for him for pets from now on. Not that Ares was complaining, mind you. Ares continued to pet Appa as the four kept talking and getting to know each other. 

Eventually, the twenty minutes of rest came to an end and a voice rang out from the hall entrance, "Alright everyone, your twenty minutes are up and the final trial is about to start," Teng announced his return with the start of the next trial. "The first trial was just a bit of gatekeeping to stop those with a weak will. The second was about testing your ability to use your own unique talents and resources to problem solve. The third and final trial will be one of perseverance. If you're still holding the token you've thus-far earned at the end of the test, you can become a disciple. The rules are simple. You're each going to take turns fighting the Heaven's Path guardian for a minute. The guardian will limit his cultivation realm to whatever yours is and try taking your token away from you. In that time span you can use whatever method you like to avoid or fight with him. The guardian will naturally not be using mana or treasures as that would simply be unfair, but that doesn't mean he'll go easy on you. He's actually quite obnoxious like that. If you lose the token, you can always take it back. As long as you have the token after the minute is up, you pass. The guardian won't let you run away forever though, so expect a fight at some point. Any further questions?" Teng realised he was supposed to ask that question at the start of every trial but had completely forgotten every other time! Whoops, he thought to himself. Nobody's perfect!

"Yeah, I have a question, if that's alright?" Ares asked.

"Go ahead."

"What if the guardian uses mana?"

"Don't worry, he won't," Teng waved his hand and dismissed the question.

"But what if I make him use it?" Ares had a completely indifferent look on his face, as if him forcing the guardian to use mana was already a forgone conclusion.

"It's for the best if you don't go into this trial with such thoughts, but they'll probably get smacked out of you soon enough anyway so you do you. If you somehow force him to use mana, then I suppose you'll pass immediately regardless of who's holding the token when the time is up. It's only fair as that rule is set in place specifically to be an equaliser for you. If that rule is broken then the test will become impossible to complete in the expected manner and thus be meaningless; BUT it will also mean you're more than capable enough to warrant a place in this sect, I guess." Teng shrugged his shoulders at Ares. It was good to be confident at least, but only if he managed to retain that confidence even after his inevitable failure to make the guardian use mana. If he could retain some of that confidence after failing without becoming dispirited, then that was a good mentality to have in Teng's opinion which was why he didn't chide him for his question. "Anyway, without further ado, it's time for you to meet our guardian, Slick." Teng gestured to the door at the far end of the hall.

BANG

A large hole in the wall near the door was pulverised as parts of it flew off in every direction. A humanoid robot that simultaneously looked as though it were a relic of the past in parts, and a tool from the future in others, swaggered through the hole and the dust in the air, stepping onto the platform in a single stride. "Ahh, knocking a few screws loose in the new-bloods will never get boring. This really is my favourite time of the year!" a crisp, robotic voice rang through the hall.

Rud was frantically waving the book in his hand at Slick as he cried out, "JESUS CHRIST SLICK, YOU COULD HAVE USED THE DAMN DOOR YOU KNOW!? DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO THAT EVERY BLASTED YEAR!?"