As the sunlight filtered in through the cabin Nezha groaned from the light, hitting his eyes, putting his hand up over his face. He wanted to sleep another two days; his body was aching all over from the long walk he had been on. But he had to get up and get moving, he didn’t know how much time he had before sect tryouts began and he would need all the time to get prepared. Failing joining a sect would make his climb back up much more difficult and he wasn’t sure he would make it on his own for too long.

  Breathing out and letting determination settle in he pushed himself off the old straw bed to get himself ready. His body protested having to grab the buckets and the walk to and back from the small creek that was still thankfully near his house so he could at least have some water to wash himself off as best he could.

  He had seen in the water a rather sad and curious sight. He didn’t look like himself anymore, small things had changed on his face but enough that his visage was not his own, no his own face wasn’t even his now, it now belonged to the system.

  There wasn’t much to be done for his clothes, he had a few coins that could get him a set of cheap clothes at least.

  With the rags back on and the old sword buckled to his waist, he began the journey to the village as his mind whirred with what he was planning to do. If he had time to train, he would, but if tryouts were beginning soon, he would have to forgo that and head out and hopefully make it in time. He had mostly skipped all of this with the system, so his understanding of how this all worked was unfortunately lacking.

  He knew that most of the large and small sects opened tryouts once a year, with the largest sects opening them in multiple of the largest cities while the smaller ones were generally only able to be in one city. Why they all decided once a year he didn’t know, had he stayed at the pinnacle for longer than a day he might have known that answer right now. Or maybe, if he hadn’t skipped so much of the climb with the system he would have known.

  “I really let myself be used and with barely anything to show for it didn’t I?”

  The words left his lips with a small, tired sigh as he turned his eyes back towards the road he was traveling down. His thoughts replayed the moment the system had ripped itself from his body. The searing pain, the feeling of power being pulled out through every pore of his body, how it felt like he was being restructured from the inside out, and the all-consuming thought he was going to die at that moment.

  Eventually his thoughts quieted down, he could have kept replaying that loop in his head forever; but it wasn’t going to do him any good over the next coming months and years. He had been fully kicked down the mountain, and the climb back up was going to be a long one. Carrying those thoughts and feelings would be heavy enough, he didn’t need to add more weight to them…Though that was going to be easier said than done.

  The walk to town was quiet and a relatively straight path that didn’t hold any real surprises along the way. This area had always been quiet, bandits didn’t come out this way generally and animal attacks were rare. A relatively safe valley, the further you get away from the more dangerous it gets and quickly.

  A small stabbing pain in his foot made him wince, as the sharp rock stabbed into the worn shoes. “The first thing I am going to buy is a pair of decent shoes.” He declared to the wind, though with what little money he had, it would probably be better spent on food to prepare for the journey or and making sure he didn’t starve. Then some clothes if he had enough.

  He reached the town as the sun reached its zenith and if it was possible it seemed to look exactly like it had when he first left. Mostly just one road with a few shops on either side and some houses set up and around that. Compared to the grand cities and even larger towns he had seen, this barely qualified as a town.

  Yet, it was alive and bustling with people heading down the road, stopping to eat at the tavern, or people buying and selling their wares. A small smile found his face, with the long walks of silence and just his own thoughts, this was a nice change of pace.

  Walking down the streets he earned a few glances his way due to the state of his clothes, nothing that lingered he wasn’t the first poor wanderer the town had ever seen. First, he needed some information, so he headed towards the tavern.

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  The tavern was relatively bigger than most of the other buildings and shops in town so finding it was easy. Also, at this time of day, there were plenty of people having a drink at midday. Taking a seat at one of the outside tables and setting his straw hat down and waiting.

  A few of the regulars glanced his way but didn’t say anything before going back to ignoring him as a rather portly man walked his way, all smiles his outfit a bright yellow that even at a glance seemed of good quality so far out this way.

  “Don’t pay them any mind young wanderer. We receive very few visitors to our little town so when one shows up, everybody is just curious. They mean no harm. My name is Jin and I’m the owner of this tavern and I’m always happy to have a new customer. Now what can I get for you young wanderer and do you plan on staying around in our small town for a while.”

  Nezha couldn’t help but smile more at the owner’s friendly demeanor and energy, it really helped him relax. “Thank you, Boss Jin, my name is…” The moment he tried to form the words that make his name it was like they wouldn’t come. Everything had been taken, his face, his name and his life all now stripped away.

  “Yin my name is Yin.” He got out with a smile, even as the turmoil of losing his own name raged inside of him. Jin seemed to pick up that something was troubling but didn’t push it.

  “I will have some tea and hopefully some information if you can help me. Maybe you can tell me when and where the next sect recruitment trials will be?”

  That question earned a few more glances from other patrons. A mostly farming village out here wouldn’t see too many people go off to try and join a sect if any at all. Sects were dangerous, the outside world was dangerous so why risk your life was their thoughts and he had to admit he could understand their thoughts.

  Boss Jin on the other hand took the question in stride, perhaps even expecting such a question, his big smile on his face spreading. “I should have known a wanderer like yourself must have grand ambitions. Of course, I know and for a young aspiring warrior as yourself I’ll tell you. Let me get your tea and some food and I’ll tell you all you need to know.”

  Watching Boss Jin walk off he felt a relief. He was much nicer than the last tavern owner out here. A surly old man who he was sure only stayed in business because there was nowhere else to get a good drink.

  Glancing at the other customers he didn’t recognize any of them, which wasn’t a surprise really, he only knew a few people, his own house was too far away for him to really integrate into the community. Though it seemed his question did catch the eye of one of the others in the tavern as an older man came walking over.

  His tanned face had plenty of wrinkles beginning to form, with thinning black hair and deep-set brown eyes dressed in peasants’ clothes. The man walked right up to him looking down on him, the smell of alcohol wafting off him.

  “So, going to try and join a sect? Kid like you think he has what it takes?” The man’s speech was slurred, and anger seemed to be quickly building in his words. Nezha opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off as the man spoke right over him.

  “I went when I was young to go and try to join a sect. If you’re smart you’ll just stay here or go anywhere else and avoid it. Got to have actual skill, I saw real geniuses there and I can look right at you and tell you won’t make it, just going to be kicked out if you’re lucky or an early grave if you aren’t.”

  “Now leave the young wanderer alone, you drunk or I’m not going to serve you for a week.” Came the voice of Boss Jin, his threat enough to pacify the drunk farmer who quickly returned to his table, earning an appreciative smile from Nezha.

  Quickly the tea and a bowl of some sort of stew were set down in front of him as Boss Jin took a seat with a laugh. “Don’t mind him, that drunk will complain to anyone how he didn’t make it into a sec and now works as a farmer.” Jin laughed, his round face jiggling some as he did.

  “It’s alright. Truthfully, I don’t know too much about how difficult it is to get into a sect though I’ve heard it’s no easy task and can be quite dangerous but not the actual particulars.” He admitted before grabbing his tea and raising it to Boss Jin before taking a small sip of it. “That is good tea Boss Jin!” He exclaimed and took another sip savoring the flavor.

  The compliment earned a smile from Jin. “Well drink up! While you do, I’ll tell you what I know. Firstly, you are rather lucky the next Sect tryout openings are within two months. So you don’t have to rush to get to Valecroft city which would be the closest city. A good area, on this side of the world most of the major sects will be there, though those based out of this area will usually recruit more and there are even a few smaller local sects that will be there.”

  Nezha listened to Jin as he explained intently, happy to hear that he had at least a month to train before he headed off to Valecroft. He would need the next month to make the trip on foot.

  “Now, I have heard a few things about these Sect tryouts. Firstly, to get in for the actual tryouts your aptitude will be graded. This isn’t just physical but internal, while you and most others don’t have internal energy these sects have a way of detecting your ability to develop and grow it. I don’t know what the threshold is but there is one and missing it means you’ll never be allowed into any sect. Even the smaller ones can’t do anything with you. The militaries of the kingdoms might, they just need numbers.”

  Brother Jin gave him a small comforting smile. “Don’t worry young wanderer I’m sure you’ll be just fine when it comes to it. But that’s just getting in the door. After that I don’t know many of the details. Though of course the better you do at all those tests the better the possibility of being recruited into the most prestigious sects. Though I’m sorry I can’t give you more information.”

  Nezha shook his head and cupped his hands and bowed his hands. “You have given me more than enough Boss Jin. Thank you. It seems part of it is going to be lucky enough to get in the door. Then see if I have what it takes to go further.”

  Nezha said it with some confidence. Though there were nerves beginning to build inside of him. He had all of his internal power yanked out by the system; would he even have the ability to use it once again? Or would his door to a sect be shut immediately? In two months, he was going to find out one way or another.