In a valley between two large mountains, a massive white and gold gate several hundred yards wide and tall stood, guarding its entrance for all who wished to enter. Two massive blue lightning bolts were carved into either side of the gate, and massive walls extended outwards in both directions from the gate as far as the eye could see.
A wide road led directly to the entrance of the gate, and over fifty thousand people were gathered before the gate, with more people arriving by the minute. The crowd ranged from young teenagers to the elderly, and a boisterous atmosphere filled the crowd.
Many large and powerful beasts were seen throughout the crowd, with grand carriages attached to them. Powerful cultivators were seen guarding the carriages, and many important looking people, dressed in fine robes and surrounded by a large following were present.
Some of the cultivators were floating in the sky above the crowd, but none dared venture higher than the height of the gate itself, as doing so was considered an act of disrespect.
Closest to the gate, tens of thousands of young juniors stood. Their expressions ranged from nervous to confident, and their cultivations were all in the Qi Condensation Realm.
Today was the start of the Heavenly Lightning Sect's entrance exam, and all the juniors from the surrounding lands who wanted to join had gathered at the gate. The massive crowd showed just how many people yearned to enter the sect.
The only requirement to enter the entrance exam was that the cultivator should be below the Core Formation Realm, and be sixteen years of age or below. As such, most of the cultivators gathered to enter the test were fifteen or sixteen years of age.
The crowd of juniors bustled with anxious chatter, while the crowd of adults discussed their predictions of this years entrance exams amongst themselves.
Within the crowd of juniors, one boy stepped forward to the front of the crowd, and the eyes of many looked towards him.
"That's Mason Light," one of the girls in the crowd commented, pointing to the boy standing at the front of the pack.
He had long silver hair, which loosely flowed over his shoulders, and a handsome face with arched eyebrows. He wore a pure white robe, and his face displayed an unbridled arrogance and confidence.
"He's the prodigy from the Light Clan. I hear he's their most promising junior to rise up in his clan in hundreds of years, and his clan believes he has a good shot to make it as a Core Disciple in the Heavenly Lightning Sect. He's also aiming to be the number one junior in the entrance exam," a nearby boy commented, drawing the eyes of many to look at Mason.
Mason stood there with an arrogant smile, and basked in the attention he was getting. However, his cultivation was at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, showing that he had the strength to back up such arrogance.
A girl soon stepped up to the front of the crowd, and the eyes of all those in the large crowd focused on her. She had long brown hair, tied up into two ponytails, and had soft facial features, making her look quite childlike and adorable to most. Her large brown eyes looked forward cheerfully. Heated discussions broke out once more.
"That's Mae Faerie, from the Faerie Clan."
"Mae Faerie? That's her? I hear she's the number one junior of the Faerie Clan, and successfully cultivated their Ancestral Water Tome. She's definitely going to be one of the juniors aiming for the number one spot this year."
While the group was discussing Mae, three more juniors stepped to the front of the group, each displaying a look of confidence.
"Who are these three?" one of the juniors asked. Clearly each of the three were confident enough in themselves to step forward.
Although it was unofficial, during each entrance exam, all those vying for the number one spot would step forward to the front of the group before the exams started. Such an action signified that they were confident in fighting for the number one spot, which came with prestige, as well as extra rewards. However, only those with true confidence in themselves would do such a thing.
One of the more knowledgeable juniors pointed to a girl who had stepped up. She had long blonde hair which flowed freely down to her waist, and a pretty face that stunned many of the boys speechless. However, she had a cold demeanor, that made all those nearby not want to approach her. A powerful aura radiated from her, and small wisps of lightning danced over her skin occasionally.
"That's June, the number one junior from the Raging Lightning Sect."
"Raging Lightning Sect? That's a First Tier Lightning Sect, no wonder she has such confidence. I hear they train their lightning arts in quite a brutal way. They always have a small item filled with lightning essence on their body, which constantly tempers their body to be able to handle the brutal lightning techniques of their sect."
Many looked towards the lightning occasionally dancing over June's skin and shivered slightly. Surely such a cultivation technique would be painful, but she acted as if she didn't notice it.
The eyes of the crowd shifted over to the boy standing next to June. He had a bald head, carried a large greatsword on his back, and appeared older than most of the juniors in the group. His tall frame towered over all of the other juniors, and his powerful body carried an intimidating presence.
"Isn't that one a little too old to be participating in these exams?" one junior asked in a hushed tone.
Another looked towards that person as if they were stupid before responding.
"That's Russell Garde, from the Ruinous Earth Sect. He might look like that, but he's only fifteen like the rest of us. He apparently has a very powerful body, and most of his fights end in him brutally beating his opponents into the ground. Most flee just at the sight of him."
"Russell from the Ruinous Earth Sect? I hear he has an Innate Variant Body! Even though it's only the Common Grade, it's still enough to dominate most in his realm."
"Innate Variant Body? No wonder he looks like that!" The eyes of many of the juniors opened wide in shock at the mention of Russell's Variant Body.
Even within the Holy Lands, Variant Bodies were not commonly seen. In fact, within the crowd of tens of thousands of juniors, Russell was the only one with such a body.
The crowd's eyes shifted over to the fifth and final junior who had stepped forward. It was a boy with long and straight brown hair. His face was more on the pretty side, making him appear quite feminine, and he carried an ornate fan in his hands which he waved in front of his face. His thin frame was dressed by a pure gold robe, which caught the attention of many.
"That's the second prince of the Randel Kingdom, Hartley Randel. I hear his brother, the first prince is taking over the kingdom when their father dies, and so Hartley has focused on his cultivation instead. He's apparently the prince with the highest martial potential in the Randel Kingdom," one junior commented.
"Randel Kingdom? That Kingdom is equivalent to a First Tier Sect, so he must be incredibly strong."
All five of the juniors who stepped forward radiated a powerful peak Qi Condensation cultivation. Despite being from powerful backgrounds themselves, each of them yearned to enter the Heavenly Lightning Sect. Entering such a sect would change their fortunes forever, and would also elevate the status of the power's they came from.
While the crowd fervently discussed the many promising young juniors in this year's entrance exam, many eyes peered down from the top of the walls at the crowd below.
One familiar face in a grey robe scanned the crowd below for someone in particular, but was unable to locate that face. He turned to a man standing next to him who had just appeared, and spoke up.
"You said John was going to make it back in time, so why don't I see him here?"
"Elder Ragur, John is just down the road. He'll be here shortly."
Elder Ragur nodded his head and peered into the distance, looking for a familiar face to show up. The man who had just spoken was the one who had secretly guarded him for several months, although John was unaware of his presence.
Before long, a lone boy appeared, walking directly towards the large crowd gathered in front of the gate. His robe was torn in many places, and dirt and blood covered most of his body. To most in the crowd, he looked like a homeless beggar.
"Damn Elder Ragur, I just barely made it in time. I haven't even had time to bathe, and all my robes are destroyed, leaving me looking like this."
John had spent most of the past three months working his way through the ancient forest towards these gates, fighting powerful beasts along the way. The journey had taken much longer than he had expected, and he had just barely made it in time.
John continued to walk and push his way through the crowd while grumbling to himself, making many nearby think he was a madman. After pushing his way through the crowd of adults gathered, he made his way into the crowd of juniors.
He was deep in thought regarding his arduous journey and his revenge plans as he walked through the crowd. A large white gate appeared in front of him, and John finally snapped out of his deep thoughts. He found himself standing next to five juniors at the front of the crowd, and turned to see everyone behind staring at him in an odd manner.