Five Exchanges!

There were about twenty booths in total, all over the wide courtyard. As if communicating status, some were bigger and larger than others; some had more people accompanying the representatives, and so on. Ning Fulan walked to the middle of the courtyard and bowed towards the booths of the Four Schools, Two Guilds and One Hall. She ignored the rest.

"May I present the hatchlings?"

"You may," all the reps chorused. Ning Fulan bowed again, and then turned around.

"You may approach the school or sect you want to join." She said to the hatchlings. Immediately, they all swarmed in different directions.

"Wait," Su Hanlin said to her girls, "let's go slowly," and they joined the throng already heading for the Spear School's booth.

"Ugh,"

"Move,"

"Shift,"

"I can't see what's going on in front!"

They jostled one another. Su Hanlin deliberately pulled her girls towards the back of the line.

"What are you doing, Hanlin!" Feng Chusan, who was ready to push others for all she was worth, suddenly found herself being pulled back by Su Hanlin.

"Relax. Remember what I told you about conduct and etiquette?"

Sure enough, the line was soon straightened up by whip-lashes from a Spear School disciple. She noticed the four standing patiently at the back and nodded involuntarily.

"See?" Su Hanlin whispered, "we'll get to the front in the end. Just be patient."

Feng Chusan leaned to the left, stood on tiptoe and craned her neck. She was able to faintly see what was going on.

"I think they're checking element affinity with that artefact," she informed the others.

"Hmn. I reckoned they would do that," Su Hanlin nodded. She looked towards the other booths, which were also crowded. As expected, the booth with a pheasant flag flying overhead was deserted. She smirked lightly.

"Dismissed! Dismissed! Dismissed!" They suddenly heard this word coming from the front.

"Are they eliminating those whose cultivation is not up to the standard they want?" Li Beiyao asked worriedly.

"I suppose," Su Hanlin nodded.

"So what is their standard?" Gu Yuwei raised her eyebrows.

"Wait," Su Hanlin put a finger over her lips. She stepped an inch out of line and "psst!d" a girl who had been eliminated and was now on her way to try her luck at another booth, "Jiani, what's your rank?"

"Martial Practitioner, rank three," the girl replied quickly with a frown before running off to the Archery School booth.

"Pfft," Feng Chusan sniggered, "What'd she expect?"

"She better head to the Pheasant Squad," Li Beiyao snorted.

"Come on, it's not her fault," Su Hanlin pinched them playfully, "she just joined the hatchery not long ago,"

"I've been seeing her around for almost a month," Feng Chusan countered, "that's enough time to have broken through to Martial Skills at the very least,"

"You know what you said is impossible out there in the outside world, right?" Su Hanlin pointed out, "this mercenary camp is located in a place permeating with thick undiluted cultivation essence. That's why we can cultivate and advance so easily. Normally, a person has to cultivate for almost two years to become a Martial Skill from the Martial Practitioner rank,"

"Rank one, right?" Feng Chusan said, "I know. I'm not saying she should have used a month to go all the way from Practitioner to Skills. As far as I know, she was only two ranks away from Martial Skills when she came to the hatchery. And she got five pills from Tutor Sal! She should be at Martial Skills rank two at the very least now!"

"She could have had a bottleneck," mused Gu Yuwei, "and cultivation journey for each person is usually different. There's no fixed time for breakthroughs,"

"You're right,"

They were slowly edging forward the line. More and more people got disqualified. Li Beiyao was nervous. She was the lowest ranked cultivator among the four; a Martial Grandmaster rank one.

"You'll make it," Su Hanlin reassured her, "you remember that even Senior Red Monkey said she selects Martial Grandmasters as her disciples, Chusan? Back then, Yue Li wasn't even a Martial Grandmaster, yet she was chosen. So relax,"

Li Beiyao nodded and took a deep breath. They were behind about twenty people now. By leaning out of the line, they could see what was going on under the booth.

"Dismissed!"

"What's she doing there?" Feng Chusan pointed at Ren Ziyan, who had now started walking away from the booth, "hah. Who does she think she is?"

"The Grand Chief's aunt," Su Hanlin smirked, "I'm surprised she didn't pull that one on them,"

"I guess she learnt her lesson when you had her tied up," Gu Yuwei said.

"Idiot," commented Li Beiyao, "I'm surprised we believed her for even half a second. Who is the Grand Chief? Who is she? How can she be the Grand Chief's aunt? Aunt? It's impossible,"

"What makes you think so?" Su Hanlin smiled.

"Perhaps niece could be very remotely possible. Or rather, great-great-granddniece. Do you know how old the Grand Chief is? Do you know how long the Si Lak Mercenaries has been in existence? Where did she get 'aunt' from?"

Su Hanlin shrugged.

"It's almost our turn," Feng Chusan stood on tiptoe again, "oh, come on, they should hurry up!"

"Hey, look!" Li Beiyao, who had been looking around, suddenly pointed toward the Deer Squad, "I think Ye Haobei has been selected!"

"Not selected; I don't reckon it's going to be that simple. Maybe she simply wasn't disqualified," Gu Yuwei countered. She raised her hand and waved at Ye Haobei. The girl waved back with a big smile and a nod.

"I guess she's passed the, what, first stage? Her cultivation meets their requirements? Isn't she a Martial Skill rank three?" Li Beiyao wondered aloud.

"Yes," nodded Gu Yuwei.

"Good for her," commented Feng Chusan. "I suppose they'll work off her fat,"

"Chusan!"

"Sorry, alright!" Feng Chusan laughed sheepishly at Su Hanlin and Gu Yuwei's collective glare.

"Your turn, Chusan," Su Hanlin said suddenly. Feng Chusan turned around in alarm. She had reached the front of the line! She hurried towards the table at once, bowing to the seated people.

The whip bearing disciple gestured to the orb artefact. Feng Chusan placed her palm on it. The smoky white substance in it turned blue.

"You're of the water affinity too," said Han Yuefeng softly. Feng Chusan lowered her eyes and nodded. She was afraid if she looked straight at her she would do something silly (for example, leaping over the the table to hug her and squeeze her cheeks). She couldn't afford to make a mistake because of the vast difference in their status now, and also because of the Spear School disciples next to her.

"What's your cultivation level?" The man seated next to Han Yuefeng snapped.

"Martial Grandmaster, rank three,"

"Elder Han?" He turned towards Han Yuefeng, who nodded once.

"Write your name,"

Feeling ecstatic, Feng Chusan took the quill and shakily wrote her name on the sheaf of paper. There were only three other names aside hers as yet.

"Stand by," said the whip carrying disciple. Feng Chusan nodded and stood beside the others who had met the cultivation requirements. Su Hanlin had stepped up to the table. She bowed.

"Affinity," she was also gestured to the orb. It turned red.

"Flame, finally," the whip carrying girl (Yan Mi) commented.

"Cultivation level?"

"Martial Lord, rank one,"

"You finally broke through!" Han Yuefeng smiled. Su Hanlin looked up at her and nodded with a smile.

"Do you know her, elder?" Yan Mi muttered jealously.

"Of course. Next,"

"Is she dismissed?" Yan Mi asked with a glint in her eye.

"Absolutely not," Han Yuefeng frowned. Pouting, Yan Mi pointed towards where Feng Chusan stood with the three others after Su Hanlin had written her name.

Gu Yuwei and Li Beiyao also passed the first requirement. Li Beiyao heaved a sigh of relief and gave Han Yuefeng a tiny wink.

"So we have seven candidates," Han Yuefeng commented.

"Yes, elder," the man beside her (a Spear Squad member, Jing Yu) nodded, "shall we proceed?"

"Yes," Han Yuefeng agreed. Thus, Jing Yu rose from his seat and came in front of the small group. From his waist he unsheathed his sword.

"If you can last five exchanges against me, you'll pass this stage,"

Ah?!

They were to duel him?!

This Jing Yu was tall, sturdy and muscular; the standard image of a mercenary. His sword was also a top armament who knew what grade! He had years of battle skill and experience to rival an average general in the outside world!

But of course, it wasn't as if they had a choice. One of the boys from the male hatcheries stepped up to him at once. He had with him a low grade silver dagger.

"May I duel with you first, elder?" He asked.

"I'm not an elder, but you may," Jing Yu nodded and took a battle stance at once. It was clear he was not here to joke!

The boy ran towards him and swiped horizontally with his dagger. Jing Yu avoided the strike easily and countered with his own blow, which was a semicircular whip of flame that shot out of his sword as he swung it towards his opponent. The boy threw himself face down, and quickly got up again before the sword came crashing down. He flung out his sleeves and three bolts shot towards Jing Yu's face, thorax and chest. Jing Yu deflected them with his sword even as he sidestepped the bolts. He swung his sword in a semicircle again, and another flame whip shot towards the boy, grazing the side of his face as he was not able to quickly avoid it. In retaliation, the boy flung out his sleeves again in quick succession, and a swarm of bolts flew at Jing Yu.

Deng! Jing Yu raised a shield matrix. The bolts were flung back at their owner. Again, the boy threw himself face down, not being capable of a shield matrix. This time, Jing Yu was fast and he swung his sword again! The whip of flame hit the boy, eliciting a squel of pain as it burnt him.

"Hasn't it been five exchanges yet?!" Li Beiyao was clutching Feng Chusan's sleeve in worry. This boy seemed to have had some skill before he was probably brought into the mercenaries, yet he was so hard pressed to last five exchanges with Jing Yu!

"Eliminated!" The boy collapsed on the fourth exchange and Jing Yu put his sword to his throat. Yan Mi thus proclaimed his disqualification.

"Next!"