Chapter 4: Bone Tempering Cliff

Hall Master Yue stood before the crowd and announced loudly:

“Listen up, everyone. Follow the path through the bamboo forest, and you’ll reach the Bone Refining Cliff of the Seven Mysteries Sect. The first section is the bamboo forest, followed by a rocky area, and finally, a cliff. Only those who reach the cliff top can officially join the Seven Mysteries Sect. If you fail to make it by noon, you won’t become a formal disciple, but if you show promise, you may be accepted as a provisional disciple.”

Han Li naturally didn’t understand what a “provisional disciple” meant. All he knew was that he had to keep moving forward and climb the mountain. Glancing ahead, he saw a relatively gentle slope covered with bamboo stalks of varying thickness. It didn’t seem too difficult to climb.

He looked around at the other children, not wanting to fall behind his peers. A tense atmosphere had suddenly settled among the group.

Hall Master Yue glanced at the rising sun and said, “It’s about time. Get ready to set off! Don’t be afraid. Your senior brothers will be following behind to ensure your safety.”

Han Li turned to look at the young men behind him. So these were the “senior brothers”—likely disciples recruited in previous years. If he managed to join, would he get to wear the same impressive robes?

Lost in thought, Han Li suddenly noticed the other children had already rushed into the bamboo forest. Seeing this, he quickly hurried after them.

The bamboo forest was vast. As soon as the thirty or so children entered, they immediately scattered. Following closely behind Han Li was a tall, lean senior brother who remained expressionless and silent. Han Li felt a bit intimidated and didn’t dare speak to him. Instead, he lowered his body and slowly made his way up the slope.

The bamboo forest didn’t seem particularly challenging at first, but the longer he walked, the more exhausting it became. His legs grew heavier with each step, and soon he had to use one hand to pull himself forward by grabbing bamboo stalks to conserve energy.

After what felt like an eternity, Han Li was utterly exhausted. He plopped down on a mound of soil, panting heavily.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he glanced back at the lean senior brother. Despite the steep terrain, the senior brother stood motionless, without a speck of dust on him, as straight and steady as the bamboo stalks. He watched Han Li calmly from not too far below.

Meeting the senior brother’s cold gaze, Han Li felt another wave of fear and quickly turned away. Hearing labored breaths ahead, he realized others who had climbed faster were also resting. After a brief pause, he hurried onward.

The slope grew steeper, and Han Li’s strength continued to wane. To avoid losing his balance, he had to bend over and crawl on all fours. Fortunately, his clothes were durable; otherwise, his knees and elbows would have been scraped raw.

Just as he was about to exit the dense bamboo forest, the final stretch proved increasingly difficult. The ground became rockier, and bamboo grew sparse.

Han Li could no longer rely on bamboo stalks for support. The last part of the journey felt like an agonizing shuffle.

Emerging from the forest, he saw a vast, massive rock ahead. A few slender figures were already slowly climbing it, each followed by a senior brother in identical attire. Without hesitation, Han Li rushed toward the rock wall.

The rock face was composed of layered sedimentary rock, heavily weathered. Some parts crumbled at the slightest touch, while others remained sharp and sturdy. Within the time it takes to eat a meal, Han Li’s hands were covered in cuts, and the clothes on his elbows and knees were torn, revealing multiple small wounds. Tiny gravel fragments embedded in the cuts intensified the pain.

The leading climbers were already far ahead. Remembering his family and Third Uncle’s advice, Han Li gritted his teeth and pressed on.

Before setting out, his father and Third Uncle had warned him that the entrance test would be grueling. Only by persevering to the end could he hope to join the Seven Mysteries Sect. By now, Han Li no longer cared much about joining; instead, a stubborn determination took over. He refused to be outdone by the others.

Lifting his head with effort, he saw that Wu Yan was leading the climb. Wu Yan was at least a year older and had trained in martial arts, making him stronger than the other children. It was no surprise he was in the lead.

Han Li glanced back and saw many still moving below. Taking a deep breath, he quickened his pace.

Despite pushing himself to the limit, he couldn’t close the gap with the frontrunners. His body grew heavier, and the sun climbed toward its zenith. Wu Yan had already reached the top of the rock wall.

Ahead was a sheer cliff about thirty zhang high. Dozen of hemp ropes with fist-sized knots hung from the top. Wu Yan was climbing one of them, inching slowly toward the summit.

Seeing this, Han Li felt disheartened. He knew he couldn’t catch up to the leaders, and time was running out.

As this thought crossed his mind, a burning pain shot through his injured elbows and knees. His limbs weakened, and one hand slipped from the rock. Suddenly, he began to fall. His heart pounded with fear as he pressed his body tightly against the rock wall, not daring to move.

After a moment, he calmed down and grabbed a protruding rock. Testing its stability, he felt reassured.

Instinctively, he looked back and saw the senior brother crouched with arms outstretched, ready to catch him. Seeing Han Li was safe again, the senior brother slowly straightened up.

Han Li felt a surge of gratitude. If he had fallen, all his efforts would have been wasted! After a short rest, he slowly moved forward toward the hemp ropes hanging from the cliff.

Finally, he reached an unoccupied rope. The sun was almost directly overhead, with less than half an hour left until noon. Wu Yan had already reached the cliff top and was looking down. As Han Li reached the bottom of the rope, he saw Wu Yan raise his hand, extend his pinky finger, and wag it mockingly at those below before bursting into laughter and walking away.

Fuming with anger, Han Li grabbed the rope and began to climb.

But he had exhausted every last bit of his strength. He could barely even grip the knots.

After immense effort, he managed to reach the lowest knot and collapsed onto it. His body felt weak and limp; he couldn’t even move a finger. Turning his head with difficulty, he saw other children sitting on the rock wall behind him, panting heavily—they, too, had spent their last ounce of energy.

Elder Yue stood before the crowd and announced loudly:

“Listen up, everyone. Follow the path through the bamboo forest, and you’ll reach the Bone Refining Cliff of the Seven Mysteries Sect. The first section is the bamboo forest area, followed by a rocky terrain, and finally a cliff. Only those who reach the top of the cliff can join the Seven Mysteries Sect. If you fail to reach it by noon, you won’t become a formal disciple. However, if your performance shows promise, you may be accepted as a provisional disciple.”

Han Li naturally didn’t understand the meaning of “provisional disciple.” All he knew was that he had to move forward and climb the mountain. He glanced ahead and saw a relatively gentle slope covered with bamboo stalks of varying thickness. It didn’t seem too difficult to climb!

Han Li looked at the other children. He didn’t want to fall behind his peers, and the atmosphere among the children had suddenly grown tense.

Elder Yue glanced at the rising sun and said:

“It’s about time. Get ready to set off! Don’t be afraid. Your senior brothers will be following behind to protect you and ensure your safety.”

Han Li turned to look at the young men behind him. So these were the senior brothers, probably disciples recruited in previous years. If he could join them, maybe he could wear the same impressive robes!

While lost in thought, Han Li noticed that the other children had already rushed into the bamboo forest. Seeing this, he quickly followed suit.

The bamboo forest was vast. As soon as the thirty or so children entered, they immediately scattered. Han Li was closely followed by a tall, lean senior brother who remained expressionless and silent. Han Li felt a bit intimidated and didn’t dare speak to him. Instead, he lowered his body and slowly advanced along the slope.

The bamboo forest didn’t seem particularly challenging at first, but as time passed, the journey grew increasingly exhausting. Han Li’s legs felt heavier with each step, and soon he had to use one hand to pull himself forward by grabbing the bamboo stalks to conserve energy.

After persisting for what felt like an eternity, Han Li was utterly exhausted. He plopped down on a mound of soil, panting heavily.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he glanced back at the lean senior brother. Despite the steep terrain, the senior brother stood motionless, as if untouched by a speck of dust. He stood as straight as the bamboo stalks, watching Han Li calmly from not too far below.

Han Li felt a chill under the senior brother’s cold gaze and quickly turned his head away. Hearing labored breaths from ahead, he realized that some of the children who had climbed faster were also resting. After a brief pause, Han Li hurried forward.

The slope grew steeper, and Han Li’s energy dwindled. To avoid losing his balance, he had to bend over and crawl on all fours. Fortunately, his clothes were sturdy enough, or else his elbows and knees would have been scraped raw.

Just as he was about to exit the dense bamboo forest, Han Li found the final stretch increasingly difficult. The ground became rockier, and the bamboo stalks grew sparse.

Eventually, Han Li could no longer rely on the bamboo stalks for support. The last part of the journey felt like an agonizing shuffle.

As he emerged from the bamboo forest, his视野 widened. Directly ahead was an enormous rock, with several small figures already slowly climbing it. Each was followed by a senior brother dressed in the same uniform. Without hesitation, Han Li rushed toward the rock wall.

The rock wall was composed of layered sedimentary rock, heavily weathered in some areas where it crumbled at the touch. Yet, many sharp rock fragments remained intact. In what felt like no more than the time it took to eat a meal, Han Li’s hands were already covered in cuts, and the fabric on his elbows and knees was torn, revealing multiple small wounds. Though the injuries were minor, fine gravel had embedded itself in the cuts, intensifying the pain.

The leading climbers were already far ahead. Remembering the words of his family and Third Uncle, Han Li gritted his teeth and continued his arduous ascent.

Before setting out, Han Li’s father and Third Uncle had warned him that the entrance test would be extremely challenging. Only by persevering to the end could he hope to join the Seven Mysteries Sect. At this point, Han Li no longer cared much about joining the sect. Instead, a stubborn determination surged within him, driving him to catch up with the others.

Han Li looked up with effort. The person climbing at the front was Wu Yan, who was not only a year older than Han Li but had also practiced martial arts. His stronger physique made it unsurprising that he was leading.

Han Li glanced back and saw many figures still moving below. He took a deep breath and quickened his pace.

Despite exerting all his strength, he couldn’t close the gap with the frontrunners. His body grew heavier, and the sun climbed steadily toward the zenith. Meanwhile, Wu Yan had already reached the top of the rock wall.

There, a sheer cliff stood about thirty zhang high. Dozen of hemp ropes hung from the top, each with fist-sized knots tied at intervals. Wu Yan was already climbing one of them, inching slowly toward the summit.

Han Li felt a wave of discouragement as he watched Wu Yan. He knew he couldn’t catch up with the leaders, and time was running out.

As this thought crossed his mind, a burning pain shot through his injured elbows and knees. His limbs weakened, and one of his hands slipped from the rock. Suddenly, his whole body lurched downward. Han Li’s heart pounded with fear as he pressed himself tightly against the rock wall, not daring to move.

After a moment, he calmed down and reached for a protruding rock. He tugged at it a few times to ensure it was secure before feeling relieved.

Han Li instinctively glanced back and saw the senior brother crouching with his arms outstretched, ready to catch him. Seeing that Han Li was safe again, the senior brother slowly straightened up.

Han Li felt a surge of gratitude. If he had fallen, all his efforts would have been wasted! After a short rest, he slowly moved forward again, heading toward the thick hemp ropes hanging from the cliff.

Finally, he reached an unoccupied rope. The sun was almost directly overhead, with less than half an hour left until noon. By then, Wu Yan had already reached the cliff top. He turned back to look down, and as Han Li reached the bottom of the rope, he saw Wu Yan raise his arm and wiggle his pinky finger mockingly at those below before bursting into laughter and walking away.

Han Li felt a rush of anger and quickly grabbed the rope, starting to climb.

But he had exhausted every last bit of his strength. He could barely even grip the knots.

After mustering all his effort to reach the lowest knot, he slumped onto it, feeling completely drained. He couldn’t move a finger. With great difficulty, he turned his head and saw other children sitting on the rock wall behind him, panting heavily. Like him, they had used up their last ounce of energy.

Han Li could only苦笑 inwardly. He had underestimated this test. At least he wasn’t the last. He turned and saw the cold-faced senior brother again. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to push himself a little further. Even though he knew he couldn’t reach the top by noon, giving up entirely would be too shameful!

He stretched his stiff hands and mustered the slight strength he had recovered, slowly inching upward along the knots. But his hands were no longer obeying him. They couldn’t grip the rope properly. After struggling for a while, he still couldn’t make any progress.

Stretching his stiff hands, he mustered the little strength he had recovered and slowly inched upward along the rope. But his hands no longer obeyed him; he couldn’t get a proper grip. After struggling for a while, he made no progress.