Chapter 14: The Imperial Capital
After traversing towering mountains and rolling hills, hiking over plains, passing many cities and various counties, Zen finally arrived in the Imperial Capital.
Standing in front of the high golden gate of the city, Zen was in awe. His mouth fell open in a silent 'wow'. Because he had thought that the C County was a large city. And he was surprised to see this golden gate which was several hundred feet high.
Having read many books on the Imperial Capital, in which writers elaborated on the grandeur of the capital, Zen was mentally prepared for the magnificence and luxury of the capital. However, he was still profoundly shocked when he first stepped into the Imperial Capital and felt like a country bumpkin visiting a city for the first time.
The books Zen had read were very detailed, and some had illustrations of the landscapes in the Imperial Capital, including illustrations like the golden gate towering over Zen now. The name of the gate was Heaven's Arch, which was four hundred feet high and one hundred feet wide.
Thirty years ago, the Princess Qi of Ogre was married to the Prince of the Burning Empire, and the princess Qi brought the Heaven's Arch with her as her dowry.
Even though Zen had imagined how the Heaven's Arch would look many times in the past, seeing the golden archway in person, he finally understood why this was the dowry Princess Qi brought with her. The Heaven's Arch was made of gold, and gemstones were inlaid over it, making gleam shine in the sun, with a rainbow of sparkling colors reflecting off it. Perhaps, Ogre wanted to make sure that the people in the Eastern Region knew every time they walked through this expensive dowry how poor they were.
After passing through the Heaven's Arch, Zen walked along the Imperial Capital's main street, enjoying the local sights. As he walked, Zen even chanced to see the Incandescent Pavilion that stood majestically over 1000 feet high. He saw the enormous Temple of Dragon and several chariots flying by.
Though intrigued, Zen did not stop to enjoy these stunning spectacles. His interest was in finding the Cloud Sect, and Zen wouldn't stop until he reached his destination.
Periodically stopping as he strolled down the street slowed Zen's trip. Because he asked anyone he could about the Cloud Sect. Finally, he came to the Cloud Sect after searching for an entire day.
The tremendous Cloud Sect made up nearly a quarter of the Imperial Capital, which was several times larger than the Imperial Palace. If the rolling Cloud Mountains that lay behind the Cloud Sect was counted, the area of the Cloud Sect would be much larger.
Compared with the luxuriousness of the dazzling Heaven's Arch, the gate leading to the Cloud Sect seemed plain. Aside from two words in large lettering at the top of the gate, there were no decorations. Surrounding the entrance were large green trees that had green vines entwined. Each factor added to the charm of the ancient building.
In front of the gate, two lines formed for sign-ups.
The one to the left had only no more than ten people, while the line on the right extended for miles. At a glance, it was difficult to see where this group's line ended. Zen counted quickly in his head and surmised that there were more than a thousand people waiting to the right.
He did not know the difference between these two lines, so, he went to the left first. There were not so many people and soon, it was Zen's turn.
The receptionist in charge of enrolling the students glanced up at Zen, and extended his hand as he demanded,“Please, show me your noble clan certificate.”
“Noble clan certificate?” echoed Zen in a surprised manner.
Seeing Zen's blank look, the receptionist pointed down at his table while he explained,“This line is only for applicants from noble clans. If you do not have a noble clan certificate, you need to be in that line.” As he spoke, the receptionist pointed to the long line to the right.
That cleared up any confusion Zen had about why there weren't many people standing in line here. It was dedicated to serving those of noble clans.
The noble clan was a special class bestowed on families by the emperor.
Throughout the entire Empire, there were only a small number of powerful families which were deemed noble clan, and most of those families were located in the Imperial Capital.
Since the Luo Clan of C County was not one of the noble clans, Zen could not show the noble clan certificate to the receptionist.
Watching the scene unfolded, people standing in the long line burst into laughter with contemptuous looks on their faces. Waiting in line like that was boring, aside from gossiping with each other to pass the time, there was nothing to do. Zen's actions broke the monotony and were entertaining for the people standing there waiting for their turns.
“Where did this bumpkin come from?”
“He didn't know what the noble clan certificate was. How dare he come to the Cloud Sect? Do you see what kind of people come to the Cloud Sect these days? That's funny.”
Ignoring the taunts, Zen didn't acknowledge the harassing opinions and gave the receptionist a nod before walking to the end of the line on the right. Contemptuous glares from other hopeful applicants followed Zen.
The past two years that Zen lived as a slave in the Luo Clan, and his harrowing escape from death had numbed Zen to the sort of insignificant provocations and ridicules these strangers tossed at him. Right now, nothing could annoy him.
The line was moving slowly, and since Zen didn't know anyone there, he decided to use the time to refresh himself and closed his eyes.
“Is this your first time here to take the initial exam?” came a gentle voice unexpectedly from in front of Zen.
Keeping his eyes closed, Zen nodded. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and saw a young man standing in front of him. Zen noticed the young man had a benign face and was about eighteen or nineteen years old.
When the young man saw Zen's eyes open, he smiled slightly and said, “This is my second time!”
“What's the initial exam?” Sensing kindness in the young man, Zen felt comfortable enough to ask. He knew the Cloud Sect's requirements for disciples to be recruited were very strict, and applicants had to pass multiple exams to qualify for admittance to the Cloud College. However, he was not from the Imperial Capital, so he wasn't very clear about the processes used in selecting recruits for the Cloud Sect.
The young man smiled congenially and said, “The Cloud Sect is a prominent place famous for having the finest refining instructors in the world. Countless people want to join the Cloud Sect, and each needs to be assessed. Since there are too many candidates, the Cloud Sect stipulates that, except for people from the noble clans, applicants must pass the initial exam before they become eligible to take the Cloud Sect's exams.”
“Thank you for sharing that. If you don't mind, would you tell me, what are the contents of the initial exam?” Zen had heard it was difficult to gain admission into the Cloud Sect. After listening to this young man explain the exams, Zen realized there were a lot of rules which made him wonder what Perrin had sacrificed. Because Perrin not only got into the Cloud Sect but also was recruited as an inner disciple immediately.
Chuckling, the young man said, “At the professed initial exam, they will gather us together for a race. The Cloud Sect specifies that those who are permitted to participate in the initial exam need to be at the bone refining level at least, and although people who have reached the organ or marrow refining levels can participate, the requirements for each level vary. For example, applicants at the bone refining level need to run a predetermined distance, but, applicants at the organ refining level need to run further...”
'Is it just running?' wondered Zen. As he thought, he blinked. The initial exam sounded easy. After all, everyone could run. When Zen arrived at the organ refining level, his breaths were longer, allowing him to run longer and farther.
Now that he knew what the initial exam entailed, Zen was more at ease, and he chatted with the young man as they waited. Through their conversation, Zen learned the young man's name was Nory Mo, and he was part of a small clan here in the Imperial Capital.
The Cloud Sect's initial exam was held once a month. Nory failed last month, so he was here for his second attempt at the exam this year.
The two men became engrossed in discussing trivia. The line moved along, and before they knew it, it was Nory's turn. And Zen was the next.
After registering his name, the receptionist handed Zen a jade pendant that had his identity information recorded on it.
As he carefully put the jade pendant away, Nory said, “Zen, make sure you rest well tonight. Running may sound simple, but the trail the Cloud Sect has is unique. You'll be able to receive more details the day after tomorrow.” Nory thought for a moment and then he added, “Zen, you're not from the Imperial Capital. If you don't have anywhere to stay, you can come and stay at my place.”
Indeed, Nory Mo was a warm-hearted person.
However, as kind as Nory was, Zen politely declined his invitation. After living in slavery for the past two years, he understood how cold the world was, and through his experience, he knew there was a price for everything. While he wouldn't suspect everyone completely, Zen also would not trust anyone easily.
Just then a group of people came through the gate from the Cloud Sect. A few were wearing black robes, but most of them wore white robes.
Noticing Zen watching them thoughtfully, Nory offered, “The ones donned in white robes are the outer disciples. We will earn the right to wear those if we pass the initial exam and the Cloud Sect's test.”
“What about the black robes?” asked Zen.
“Black robes? They are the inner disciples! The standings of the inner disciples, as well as the pills they receive every month, are superior to the disciples in white robes. My father's goal for me is that I can become an inner disciple and wear a black robe,” stated Nory with a look longing on his face.
Acknowledging Nory with a nod, Zen reflected on the day Ken declared that Perrin was enrolled as an inner disciple. What was the reason behind that? Was it for the effects of the Magical Pill that Perrin could progress more rapidly with his refining skills?
While Zen was lost in thought, six or seven disciples dressed in black robes walked towards him. One of them stared at Zen with a strange look on his face. “Zen! Well, isn't this a surprise? You're not dead! Do you want to study at the Cloud Sect? How dare you come to sign up for the exam? That's absurd! Ha!”
Hearing his name, Zen squinted, looking at the man who was shouting at him. Inside, his chest constricted with disgust when he got a good look at the man. What a coincidence! He was just thinking of him, and now, surprisingly, Perrin was standing in front of him.