The Blazing Sun Sect

Miao Ying's casual jog ate up the miles with supernatural speed, leaving trails of dust in his wake. But suddenly, danger pricked at the edges of his perception. Not a threat to himself, but somewhere nearby. 

He could have ignored it, but Miao Ying trusted his instincts. If he was lucky, he might find a disciple in trouble, someone whose gratitude could smooth his entry into the Blazing Sun Sect.

As he drew closer, the earth trembled with the impacts of a ferocious battle. Breezes tinged with power whipped the trees and shattered stones. 

Miao Ying arrived at the scene to witness three figures locked in desperate combat against a nightmarish creature - a towering Demonic Bear, wreathed in flames and etched with mystical runes. A Spirit Beast!

Two of the combatants wore the fiery robes of Blazing Sun disciples. They flew backward from a mighty collision, righting themselves with bursts of Qi. Blood marred their tattered robes as they panted with exhaustion. 

Sensing Miao Ying's arrival, they spared him a glance and a sneer before refocusing on their monstrous foe.

"This damned beast has the strength of a peak 2nd stage Qi Establishment expert!" one disciple clicked his tongue in frustration. "Its hide could likely withstand attacks from the 3rd stage."

"I know!" the other snapped. "At this rate, we might-"

His words cut off as, Miao Ying moved.

With an eruption of suffocating might, his ambient energy exploded outward in a maelstrom of crackling lightning. The earth shattered beneath his feet, wind howling like a thousand grieving spirits as he launched into the fray, his blade scything through the air in a dazzling arc.

The bear, no stranger to the might of ambient energy, reacted with preternatural alacrity. But even as its claws came up to parry, a flicker of uncertainty crept into its soulless eyes. 

The lightning wreathing Miao Ying's sword danced and spat; the promise of devastation etched into every coruscating bolt.

When sword met flesh, the resulting detonation shook the very earth. A geyser of blood painted the clearing crimson as Miao Ying's strike sheared through the beast's claw like so much rotted wood. 

The bear reared back in agony, its anguished roar shaking leaves from the trees.

The disciples looked on in mute disbelief. For all their arts, they had scarcely scratched the creature's hide. Yet this unknown youth, a junior by any reckoning, had crippled it in a single blow? 

Unthinkable!

Miao Ying pressed the assault, weaving a dazzling trail of tiny arcs of lightning across his blade as he closed back in. 

The bear rallied with a snarl and belched out a torrent of clinging, ravenous flames.

But Miao Ying would not be denied. Flowing around the inferno with liquid grace, he lunged for his foe, the Devourer rune on his hand pulsing with ominous intent. In a flash, he siphoned away a sliver of the beast's Qi, its sluggish bewilderment lasting but a fatal second.

That stolen Qi flooded Miao Ying's body and sluiced through his blade until it fairly hummed with power. He struck like a thunderbolt, his sword plunging deep into the bear's unarmored belly.

There was a hideous squelch as the blade pierced hide, meat, and bone, shattering ribs and pulping organs. 

The bear convulsed, choking on a tide of its own blood. But Miao Ying was a blur in motion, ripping his gore-soaked sword free and vaulting towards the beast's slavering maw in a spray of crimson.

The bear's eyes widened in slow horror as it beheld its onrushing doom. It made a futile attempt to turn aside but Miao Ying was faster and would always be faster. 

His blade punched into the creature's eye and kept going, shearing through meat and bone to skewer its brain in a riot of blood and twitching viscera.

By the time Miao Ying wrenched his sword free and leaped clear, the beast was a tumbling ruin. It crashed to the forest floor in a boneless heap, its lifeless bulk still shuddering from the lightning coursing through its nerves.

Miao Ying smiled wolfishly, his blood singing with savage joy. Truly, without the Devourer rune, his might surpass the boundaries of the 2nd stage and can contend with the 3rd stage.

With it... he eyed the bear's hulking carcass, reveling in the confirmation of his power. Even the 3rd step would not be beyond him.

"Yo-you..."

Miao Ying turned at the sound of the disciples' stunned stammering, an easy smile on his bloodstained face. "Blazing Sun Sect disciples, right? I've been meaning to join up. Perfect timing - you can take me back for the entrance test. I'm sure that won't be an issue."

Arrogance and pride warred with fear in the disciples' hearts. A moment ago, they would have scoffed at being ordered around by a mere Body Refinement cultivator. Now, they could still feel the phantom heat of the bear's flames, and hear the crackling song of Miao Ying's lightning.

One of them stepped forward, his composure visibly shaken. "The Blazing Sun Sect welcomes all exemplary talents, of course. Given your stunning performance here, I've no doubt you'll pass the special selection. May we know our new brother's name?"

"Just call me Miao. Now, let's not waste daylight. Lead the way."

The two disciples nodded, not daring to voice a word of complaint as Miao Ying claimed the bear's Demon Core for himself. They set a brisk pace through the forest, the trees thinning as they approached the edges of a grand city that put Miao Ying's humble hometown to shame.

Moon Sky City, home of the Azure Cloud Domain's mightiest sects, sprawled before them in a vista of opulence and power. Exotic materials and masterful craftsmanship were visible in every towering pagoda and shimmering street. The air practically thrummed with the vital energy of countless cultivators, their very breaths suffused with Qi.

Commoners and merchants thronged the gates, their purses laden with spirit stones for the hefty entry toll. 

Stern-faced guards, each one a Houtian realm powerhouse, ensured that only the worthy set foot inside the city proper.

Miao Ying and his guides bypassed the crowds with a flash of the disciples' identity tokens. The might of the Blazing Sun Sect guaranteed them safe and speedy passage through the bustling streets, all the way to the sect's district on the city's far side.

Soon enough Miao Ying's gaze bore witness to a compound that stretched for miles, fiery Dao runes coruscating across elegant lines of gold and crimson, the heat of their presence a comforting inferno against the soul.

This was the Blazing Sun Sect, a supreme fourth-rated Sect!

In no time at all, Miao Ying's group arrived at the resplendent gates of the Blazing Sun Sect itself. Brilliant Dao runes limned the mighty doors, radiating an aura of elemental fire that seared the souls of all who gazed upon them. 

Before the gate stood a powerfully built middle-aged man, his presence even more overwhelming than the Houtian experts Miao Ying had faced earlier.

The disciples' steps faltered as they approached, trepidation flickering across their faces. Only Miao Ying continued to radiate calm confidence as the elder's penetrating gaze swept over him like a physical force.

"Juniors," the man rumbled, his voice edged with the simmering heat of a volcano. "Who is this you bring before me?"

The lead disciple bowed low. "Honored elder, this is Miao Ying. He desires to join our glorious sect and partake in the special entrance examination."

Skepticism and annoyance warred in the elder's eyes, but after a moment, he withdrew a softly glowing ring from his robes. "So be it. If this is a waste of the sect's time, know that the consequences will be dire."

Miao Ying stood calmly as the ring on the gate elder's finger began to glow with a faint radiance. Though he could feel a tightening of his nerves, he maintained his composure, prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead. 

It didn't take long for the proctor elder to arrive. The elder stepped through the gate, his overwhelming presence reminiscent of a scorching heat capable of melting the earth itself. 

The two disciples at Miao Ying's side trembled, but Miao Ying maintained his composure.

The proctor elder's piercing gaze scanned over Miao Ying appraisingly. After a moment, he gave a curt nod. "Come with me," he stated simply before turning and striding back through the gate.

Miao Ying followed closely behind without sparing a glance at the two disciples, whose names he had not bothered to learn. 

"Good luck, Brother Miao," they called after him, but Miao Ying did not respond.