Chapter 1 Connection

A caravan treaded down the paved dirt roads, tens of carriages all carrying youths from the surrounding villages. Hope and pollen filled the air inside and out of the carriages, each youth harboring doubts in their hearts about the potential results of the day.

Redwood Sect, the premiere sect of the Redwood Forest area, was hosting a public entrance test. The hundreds of youths were from nearby mortal villages hoping to try their luck at becoming a Gu master. Regardless of if they would enter the main sect, awakening an aperture meant they had a future somewhere. Despite the examination fee, there was no village unwilling to try.

"Brother Han, do you really think I can awaken an A grade aperture?" A short and perky boy exclaimed for the fourth time in ten minutes.

"From what I heard, the more intelligence and exceptionality one shows from a young age, the higher their aptitude should be. You certainly have the intelligence, solving complex mathematical equations before you even turned ten." Han Zifeng said, rephrasing the same message for the umpteenth time as he failed to diminish his fellow villageman's raging excitement. The other youths in the carriage would have chimed in to put an end to the annoying blabber, but nobody wished to offend Han Zifeng.

Standing at seven feet tall with a tanned and muscular build, Han Zifeng gave the aura of fierce warrior, and that he was. Despite being only fifteen, the same age as the rest of them, he had three years experience as a hunter for Mid Oak Village, where he captured enough game to gain a reputation as the greatest hunter in the village's history. 

"Hey, is that Redwood City?" Suddenly, one youth asked a question, causing everyone in the carriage to quickly turn their heads out the window. A massive city wall colored in reddish brown appeared in the distance, certainly reaching the expectation of the main mortal outpost for the Redwood Sect. 

"Wow, I've never seen such a large wall in my life! Mid Oak Village's stone wall isn't even half the size!" Zifeng's village-mate Yu Pushu exclaimed, his words once again forcing their way out of his mouth. This time however, the youths in the carriage were too occupied with the sight of such a towering wall that they couldn't be bothered with feeble emotions such as annoyance.

Zifeng's face lit up as well, but not as bright as the other youths. Compared to something like the pyramids, this wall left much to be desired. His excitement was more so based on the prospects of this city, which would either make or break his life. Transmigrators generally had two routes, being given either the best talent and resources, or the worst, thrown aside until they obtained a mysterious skill. However hopeful he was, Zifeng had cultivated a mindset of thankfulness since he first heard of Gu masters. It was best if he was an A Grade talent, but it would be fine even if he didn't awaken at all.

Nearly an hour passed, and the caravan made its way down the roads as the dirt transformed in quality. The flower arrangements were much more plentiful and beautiful, with various colors making neat designs, presenting the work of the mortals who worked hard to make the city prosper. The stone gate up ahead was open, letting the caravan through. 

The main plaza of Redwood City was floored with a nice stone tile and held various shops on all sides. A few eunuchs of the sect, accompanied by a presumed Gu master, gathered in the center of the plaza where Han Zifeng and the hundreds of youths from his caravan were led once they departed. In the very center was an elevated stage, but none of the eunuchs or even the presumed Gu master stood there.

Taking a deep breath, Zifeng sat on the stone tile and waited for the remainder of the caravans to arrive. The atmosphere at the center of the plaza was much more tense than even in the caravan, even affecting Yu Pushu.

Suddenly, but not without warning, a weird feeling overtook Han Zifeng's mind. A new caravan pulled up to the plaza and let a couple hundred youths out, one of which Zifeng felt vaguely familiar with. It seemed the feeling was mutual, as they quickly made eye contact, although the youth did not seek Zifeng out.

Lu Tianxi was of medium height but of sickly stature. He dressed in a clean white robe which was too large for his body, where the sleeves extended further than his arms. His pale skin and long black hair made him almost emit a feminine appeal, although his face looked nothing like a woman's. Seeing a monstrously tall and muscular youth like Han Zifeng in the crowd, Tianxi did not immediately approach, constantly wary of his surroundings as his father had taught him from a young age. Although he was curious, the first objective in Redwood City was to awaken an aperture no less than B Grade.

Soon, the last of the caravans arrived in the plaza, and the head eunuch spoke aloud.

"Welcome all! Today, some among you will awaken your apertures and join the Redwood Sect. The Redwood Sect has been the top sect in the region for a thousand years, with nineteen rank five Gu masters throughout. Traditionally, the sect will only accept talents whose aperture has filled above forty-five percent, but this time an exception has been made, and any C Grade talents with lower aptitude may join as part of the new in-name disciple program. Now then, we shall begin the testing."

The head eunuch proceeded to point at some of the youths, who walked up to him and presented the bag of ten primeval stones required as a fee for the testing. 

"There are at least a thousand of us here, the sect must be earning quite a sum for this." Zifeng thought as he watched the presumed Gu master, dressed in a red robe, place his hand on the center pattern, which promptly shined with light around the youths.

"Woah!" One of the youths was enveloped in a golden light, causing them to jump in surprise before a feeling of ecstasy came onto their face. The light only glowed for a few seconds, but compared to the mediocre lights of the youths around him, that was enough for the crowd to notice a difference.

"Ji Majing, A Grade talent!" The head eunuch applauded, making the awe-struck crowd erupt in surprise and cheers.

"Zifeng, can you believe it? He's one of the first three to awaken and he's already an A Grade talent!" Yu Pushu exclaimed. 

The presumed Gu master, dressed in a red robe, patted Ji Majing's back and spoke to him in words only the two of them could hear. Meanwhile, more of the youths were motioned up and awakened their apertures. 

"Shao Yaozu, C Grade talent. Please allow the master to confirm your potential."

"Wan Yongzheng, B Grade talent."

"Dong Ruolan, no talent to become a Gu master."

More than half of the youths managed to awaken, some being D Grade or C Grade while a few were B Grade. The golden light shined on all of them, but at varying degrees of richness. Compared to Ji Majing, none of the lights were all that special. Around two hours into the process, Zifeng and Pushu were called by the head eunuch.

"Please." The eunuch said, motioning for the bags of primeval stones. ZIfeng and Pushu felt the pressure of the Redwood Sect and didn't dare to cause trouble or even speak, simply handing over their bags to the eunuch for him to throw them into a large mountain-like pile. 

The moment the red-robed disciple placed the palms of his hands back on the pattern, an odd sensation slowly crept up Zifeng's spine, like goosebumps with a more slithery texture. Bang! The golden light glowed around Zifeng's body as a mystical sensation filled the space just below his navel. What looked like a snowglobe of jade green water burst into existence, giving him the feeling of his bones popping. The otherworldly sensation was ensnaring, the only thing taking him out of it being the words of the head eunuch.

"Han Zifeng, A Grade talent!" The crowd erupted once more. It was already rare for a single A Grade talent to awaken, but there were already two in this single test! 

"Yu Pushu, no talent to become a Gu master."

ZIfeng had little time to think. He registered the words being said and immediately turned to his good friend beside him.

"Pushu, I'm–" Zifeng started, but was unable to finish. The red-robed Gu master grabbed his attention like a politician, bringing him over to where the sect's confirmed members sat and stood.

"Han Zifeng, congratulations. When you get to the sect, a master will likely take you in as their disciple. Once you're in the big leagues, please remember me, okay?" The Gu master smiled. Now that he was an A Grade talent, Zifeng had a higher value than the red-robed Gu master.

As they spoke, the Gu master put his palm on the ground, immediately causing a strong feeling to overwhelm Zifeng. Looking back, the sickly youth from earlier was glowing with an A grade talent!

Lu Tianxi's awakening brought another distraction to Zifeng. The connection between the two of them was weak before, but now it had ignited like a volcano. Thoughts not belonging to himself flooded Zifeng's mind. He was still Han Zifeng, but now he was also Lu Tianxi. 

Tianxi felt a sense of satisfaction like no other upon awakening his aperture. With a Gu master as his father, Tianxi knew that it would feel orgasmic, but he couldn't have expected this feeling. His very soul was touched, enlightening him to the truth behind his transmigration.

Unknowingly, when Lu Tianxi was transmigrated, his soul was split into two halves; Lu Tianxi and Han Zifeng. When they were close enough to notice each other, they could feel a connection, and now that they had both become Gu masters their relationship was symbiotic. Not only could they read each other's minds within a certain range, they could also always know each other's location no matter how far away they were.

"Lu Tianxi, A Grade Talent!" 

The head eunuch couldn't stop smiling. One A Grade talent was enough for two or three promotions, but three was enough for him to rise to the sect leader's side in an instant! As he took the bags of primeval stones from the next few youths, the sixty-seven year old eunuch was already daydreaming about the future. 

Light glowed from behind the head eunuch, striking shock into not just the crowd but the performers too. Four A Grade talents!

"The sect is going to rise in the future." The red-robed Gu master thought, and he wasn't the only one. Most of the crowd had the same thought in mind.

"Song Xiabing, A Grade Talent!"

The rest of the test was a blur. Zifeng and Tianxi were absorbing each other's memories at a rapid rate, not paying much mind to the outside world unless directly mentioned. As the test came to an end and the sun set, Han Zifeng left his stupor and walked over to Yu Pushu who stood a reasonable distance away.

"Please send my regards to the village. I might not be able to return anytime soon, but let them know that I will never forget them for the rest of my life."

"Brother Zifeng–" Pushu started, but was cut off. The tears forming in his eyes stopped for a second as Zifeng pulled him in for a strong hug, but quickly started pouring even faster. 

"It's okay. Even if you can't be a Gu master, life has meaning. I can't help you from here, you'll have to find it on your own."

The sun set with bright tropical colors, giving a background to the two friends. Zifeng didn't know what his future held, but he was ready to overcome anything that came his way. 

"Was I really this oblivious to the world?"