Dawn came gray and cold.
Wei Chen woke before the wake-up call, dressed in practical traveling clothes, and secured the knife from Lian Xiu at his belt. The wooden charm stayed on his wrist. Everything else — the shadow quartz, extra clothes, personal items — stayed locked in his room's chest.
The entrance exam allowed only what applicants could carry. No magical artifacts. No excessive supplies. Just yourself, your magic, and your will to survive.
All twenty-four applicants gathered in the main courtyard. Ming Yue stood apart from her former group, expression controlled but eyes burning with suppressed rage. Her confinement had ended with the exam's start, but the humiliation clearly remained.
Master Zhao stood at the courtyard's center, flanked by two Outer Disciples. His expression was unreadable, assessing each applicant with the same calculating gaze Wei Chen remembered from their first meeting.
"The entrance exam begins now," Zhao announced. "No questions. No delays. Those who wish to withdraw may do so immediately without consequence. Once the exam starts, withdrawal equals failure."
No one moved. Wei Chen hadn't expected anyone would — making it this far meant commitment, even if some applicants were less prepared than others.
"Good. The exam has three components spread over three days. Today: survival trial. Tomorrow: combat assessment. Final day: psychological evaluation." Zhao gestured to the Outer Disciples. "You will be transported to wilderness twenty kilometers from the capital. Your objective is simple — reach the designated checkpoint within twenty-four hours."
He pulled out a map, holding it up for everyone to see. Wei Chen memorized the terrain quickly — forests, a river, rocky hills. The checkpoint was marked in red, approximately fifteen kilometers northeast of the drop point.
"You will be given minimal supplies. One water flask. Basic rations for one day. A signal flare for emergency extraction — use it and you fail, but you survive." Zhao's gaze swept across them. "The wilderness contains magical beasts. Other applicants may attack you if they believe eliminating competition improves their chances. Environmental hazards are numerous. This is not a training exercise. People have died during this trial."
Nervous shifting among some applicants. Wei Chen stayed still, focused.
"You will be dropped individually at five-minute intervals. This prevents immediate grouping and tests your ability to function alone." Zhao stepped back. "Transportation begins in ten minutes. Prepare yourselves."
The transportation method was magical — a large inscribed circle on the courtyard ground. Applicants entered based on their room numbers — random assignment that gave no one unfair advantage through arrival order.
Wei Chen watched the first few disappear in flashes of light. Han Tao went third, offering Wei Chen a slight nod before vanishing. Chen Ling went seventh, expression calm and focused. The mysterious Xu Lan went fourteenth, silent as always.
Wei Chen was twenty-third — last to be transported. He stepped into the circle, feeling the ward's energy pulse around him. The world twisted, compressed, and then—
Forest.
Dense trees. Thick undergrowth. The smell of damp earth and decaying leaves. Wei Chen oriented himself immediately, checking surroundings for threats.
Nothing visible. But that meant nothing. Magical beasts could be anywhere. Other applicants would arrive soon at different drop points.
Wei Chen pulled out the map provided in his minimal supplies pack. Basic sketch showing his approximate location relative to the checkpoint. Northeast. Fifteen kilometers. Twenty-four hours.
Manageable if nothing went wrong. Extremely difficult if everything did.
Wei Chen activated shadow concealment — just enough to blend with the forest's natural darkness without draining his core significantly. Then he started moving northeast, staying low, using trees for cover.
The first hour was uneventful. Wei Chen covered maybe three kilometers, moving carefully to avoid leaving obvious tracks. Feng's survival training paid off — he recognized safe plants and poisonous ones, identified water sources, noted animal trails that indicated relative safety.
The second hour brought the first complication.
Wei Chen heard movement — heavy footfalls, something large crashing through undergrowth. He froze, pressing against a thick tree trunk, deepening his shadow concealment.
A magical beast emerged thirty meters away. Bear-like creature, twice the size of a normal bear, with fur that seemed to absorb light. Shadow bear. Dangerous but not immediately aggressive if not provoked.
Wei Chen stayed absolutely still. The bear sniffed the air, massive head swinging side to side. It couldn't see him through the concealment, but smell was harder to mask.
The bear moved closer. Twenty meters. Fifteen.
Wei Chen's hand moved slowly to the knife at his belt. Fighting a shadow bear was suicide — they were naturally resistant to Darkness magic and physically overwhelming. But if it detected him, he'd have no choice.
Ten meters.
The bear stopped. Sniffed again. Then turned and lumbered away, disappearing into the forest.
Wei Chen released a breath he'd been holding. First real danger passed. But there would be more.
By midday, Wei Chen had covered eight kilometers. Halfway to the checkpoint. Ahead of schedule if nothing else went wrong.
He found a small stream, refilled his water flask after purifying it with the alchemical tablet from his supplies. Ate half his rations — needed to conserve, but also needed energy for the remaining journey.
While resting, Wei Chen heard sounds in the distance. Human sounds. Voices. Argument.
He moved toward the noise carefully, staying concealed. Through the trees, he spotted two applicants — both older, maybe fourteen or fifteen. They were fighting. Not physically, but magically. Shadow techniques clashing in the small clearing.
One applicant created shadow bindings, trying to immobilize the other. The second countered with shadow blades, cutting through the bindings. Both were competent but not exceptional. Intermediate level, probably sixty to seventy percent mastery.
Wei Chen watched from cover, analyzing. Why were they fighting? Competition? Resources? Personal conflict from before the exam?
The fight ended when the first applicant — the one using bindings — took a shadow blade to the shoulder. Not deep enough to be fatal, but debilitating. He collapsed, clutching the wound.
The second applicant stood over him, breathing hard. "Should've just given me your supplies. Now you're injured and I'm taking them anyway."
He rifled through the fallen applicant's pack, taking rations and water. Then he left, heading northeast — same direction as Wei Chen.
The injured applicant lay on the ground, clearly in pain but not dying. He still had his signal flare. Could call for extraction if the wound was truly serious.
Wei Chen faced a decision. Help the injured applicant — humanitarian but strategically foolish. Ignore him — cold but practical. Or take advantage and steal any remaining supplies — ruthless but effective.
Feng's voice echoed in his mind. Pragmatism means doing what's necessary. Cruelty means doing what's unnecessary.
Helping was unnecessary. The applicant had a signal flare. Taking supplies was cruel — the injury already eliminated him as serious competition.
Wei Chen moved on without engaging. Not helping, but not harming. The injured applicant would make his own choice about extraction.
Practical. Efficient. Neither heroic nor villainous.
Afternoon brought more challenges. Wei Chen encountered another shadow bear — this one more aggressive, forcing him to use Shadow Step to teleport away before it could attack. The technique drained his core more than he'd wanted, but better exhausted than dead.
He crossed the river marked on the map, using fallen logs and stones to avoid getting wet. Staying dry was crucial — cold and wet meant hypothermia risk overnight if he didn't reach the checkpoint.
As evening approached, Wei Chen climbed a tall tree to get his bearings. The checkpoint should be visible from high vantage point — a tower structure used for these trials.
There. Northeast. Maybe four kilometers. He could reach it by nightfall if he pushed hard.
But pushing hard meant more risk. More noise. More chance of encountering beasts or hostile applicants in failing light.
Wei Chen made the calculation. Risk versus reward. Reaching the checkpoint tonight meant success without overnight exposure. Waiting until morning meant safer travel but wasted time.
He chose to push. Climbed down from the tree and started moving faster, sacrificing some stealth for speed.
Big mistake.
Wei Chen was a kilometer from the checkpoint when he heard voices ahead. Multiple people. He slowed, approaching cautiously.
Three applicants. One was the boy who'd robbed the injured applicant earlier. The other two Wei Chen recognized from meals — part of Han Tao's group.
They were talking, apparently having formed an alliance.
"Checkpoint's just ahead," the robber was saying. "But there's a problem. Shadow wolves. Pack of at least five, maybe more. They're hunting the area."
"Can we go around?" one of Han Tao's friends asked.
"Not easily. The terrain forces you through a narrow valley. The wolves know this. They're waiting."
Wei Chen processed this information from his hidden position. Shadow wolves. Pack hunters. Extremely dangerous, especially at night when shadows were strongest.
"We fight through," the robber said. "Three of us working together can handle five wolves. Probably."
"Probably isn't good enough," the other applicant replied. "What if there are more than five?"
"Then we use signal flares and accept failure." The robber shrugged. "Better than dying."
They moved forward, toward the valley and the wolves. Wei Chen stayed hidden, thinking.
He could follow them, let them engage the wolves first, then slip through while the wolves were distracted. Tactical. Ruthless. Effective.
Or he could go around, find an alternate route. Safer but time-consuming. Might not reach the checkpoint before full darkness made travel nearly impossible.
Or he could help them fight the wolves, increasing everyone's survival odds while also revealing his position and capabilities.
Wei Chen chose the first option. Tactical ruthlessness. He'd let them engage the wolves, create an opening, and exploit it.
He followed at a distance, staying concealed, as the three applicants entered the narrow valley.
The attack came suddenly.
Shadow wolves materialized from darkness like they'd never existed until that moment. Five visible. Probably more hidden.
The three applicants fought immediately. Shadow techniques clashing with wolf magic. It was chaos — shouting, snarling, the wet sounds of claws meeting flesh.
One applicant went down within thirty seconds, throat torn open. He triggered his signal flare before losing consciousness. Light flared red, and the teleportation ward activated, pulling him to safety.
Two applicants left. Both injured. The wolves pressed harder.
Wei Chen moved through the chaos, using shadow concealment and the distraction of combat. He skirted the edge of the valley, staying low, moving fast.
A wolf detected him. Broke from the pack, lunging.
Wei Chen's knife was out instantly, coated in Shadow Blade. The wolf's momentum carried it onto the blade. Wei Chen twisted, ripping upward through shadow-flesh. The wolf dissipated with a pained howl.
But the noise drew attention. The other wolves turned. The remaining two applicants saw him.
"Help us!" the robber shouted.
Wei Chen calculated again. Two wounded applicants, four wolves, narrow valley. Fighting increased survival odds for everyone but also increased injury risk for him.
He made his decision. Drew more magic, created shadow constructs — not for attacking wolves, but for creating barriers that split the pack.
"Run to the checkpoint!" Wei Chen shouted. "I'm blocking their pursuit!"
The two applicants didn't question it. They ran. The wolves tried to follow, but Wei Chen's shadow walls forced them to go around, buying crucial seconds.
Wei Chen ran too, maintaining the barriers while moving. His core screamed from the exertion — multiple techniques simultaneously, complex control, all while sprinting.
The checkpoint came into view. A stone tower, fifty meters ahead. Guards stood at the entrance.
The wolves pursued, but the barriers held just long enough. Wei Chen and the two applicants crossed the threshold into the checkpoint's warded area.
The wolves stopped at the ward boundary, unable to cross. They howled frustration, then faded back into shadows.
Wei Chen collapsed against the tower wall, breathing hard, core completely depleted. He'd made it. First trial completed.
Inside the checkpoint tower, a Sanctuary instructor marked Wei Chen's arrival. "Good time. Rest here tonight. Tomorrow, return to the Sanctuary for combat assessment."
Wei Chen found a corner, sat down heavily. The two applicants he'd helped were talking with the instructor, explaining what happened. One kept glancing at Wei Chen with an expression mixing gratitude and wariness.
Wei Chen closed his eyes, running through mental assessment. He'd survived day one. Made tactical decisions. Balanced pragmatism with calculated cooperation. Killed when necessary, helped when strategic, stayed hidden when safe.
The Sanctuary would evaluate all of it. Every choice. Every action. Determining if he'd demonstrated the right qualities.
Wei Chen thought he had. Time would tell if Master Zhao agreed.
Around him, other successful applicants were arriving — Chen Ling appeared looking exhausted but uninjured. Han Tao arrived shortly after, along with Zhao Feng. The mysterious Xu Lan slipped in silently, completely unharmed and carrying supplies that suggested she'd avoided all conflict entirely.
By midnight, seventeen applicants had reached the checkpoint. Five hadn't — four had triggered signal flares after injuries, one had died to shadow wolves before the flare could be activated.
Wei Chen fell asleep against the tower wall, knife still in hand, shadows still moving slightly around him even in unconsciousness.
Day one complete. Two more days to go.
The wilderness test had been brutal but survivable. Tomorrow's combat assessment would be different — direct confrontation, no hiding, no maneuvering.
Wei Chen would be ready.
He had to be.