Destiny in Cinders

"Yeah, I feel the same. There will definitely be a surprise this time around," agreed the vice apothecary, who nodded with satisfaction at the sight of the dueling children. "These little cubs used to hesitate and hold back at the start, not daring to hit hard at all. But after feeding them so much beast flesh and concoctions, they are finally starting to look more like it."

"Keep watching! They have many more moves than before, all of them are savage. They only work with some measure of malice in the strikes. Only by beating the opponent to the point that they become mutual nemeses can they grow quickly!" Instructor Li said.

There was no way one could remain unhurt on the martial path. Rapid progress was only possible through serious engagements. Since Direlife Manor didn't lack the means or resources for treatment, the vice apothecary didn't mind letting the children go harder on one another, even if the cost was the gentler children losing their reserved demeanor completely as they went in with their savage moves. No, that wasn't even a cost, for it was exactly what they wanted.

The cult required the children to have a give-it-all attitude. They needed those who would be willing to destroy anything for the sake of achieving their goals. The children would be reforged into forces of nature that stopped at nothing to get what they want, even if it meant the destruction of the cult or their own selves!

But there was no way they would even wish for the cult's destruction in the first place. After all, nobody else would accept these children but the cult along with all their idealistic and toxic dreams. The cult would support them whether they wished to destroy or reform the world in their image.

"Such is heavenly will." The old man turned around and quietly observed the entire arena, observing the battles play out one after another and noting how An Jing stepped in to stop those who were going too far.

His gaze turned hotter as flames seemed to shine behind his dark-green eyes. "Hehe, some people need medicines to change, but some are born extraordinary. An Jing, oh An Jing, you're the best sapling I've come across in all my years."

He stroked his beard and smiled expectantly. "It seems like we're really going to gain some unexpected comrades. Perhaps I will be able to leave this forest and return to Grand Chen when the time comes."

"That day will surely come," Instructor Li said with a cupped-fist salute.

"By the way, Little Li, I heard that the dogs of the empire are biting rather tight to the point that someone from Voidsight Mountain took action. The manor's resources are barely enough for our own needs. I don't want our young fellows to have to starve. How did the pursuit go?"

"They chased them down to Northrain Marsh," Instructor Li reported with a solemn look. "Eight of our outposts have been plucked out. Using blood pills as bait to hunt beasts and feys is quite a waste, especially with how messed up the hunting grounds have become. Such a shame. Even though the blood brew was made from children with average aptitudes, it's still quite potent. How could the hawks of Grand Chen waste the brew like this? They're even more callous about wasting these children's lives than we are!"

"Keep using that as bait," the vice apothecary said. "But this time around, we're not luring wild beasts. Instead, we'll lure in these red-skinned dogs. We'll have our friends from nearby altars attack county cities that are far away from us. Then, send someone there to buy their people. Let's see whether we run out of bait or they run out of men first. We're just expending the lives of normal people and disaster children, after all. We can afford it."

"Yes!" Instructor Li accepted the order unquestioningly. In a careful tone, he said, "Still, I heard that Hexsun Mystic Mirror, a sage of the Void Divine Treasures Realm, came all the way from Voidsight Mountain..."

The instructor subconsciously spoke in an even softer, more apologetic voice. "The two scouting teams we've sent to look into this haven't reported back, so they've probably been wiped out. He probably followed the Lord Inspector of the North here. We just happened to be dragged into it."

"Sage Mystic Mirror... Why would someone from the Brightmirror Sect of Voidsight Mountain get involved here?" The vice apothecary appeared troubled for a moment before shaking his head. "No. This can't be a coincidence. Perhaps he's already gone deep into the western frontier. How are things progressing in the manor? When can we start the trials?"

Instructor Li slapped his chest with confidence. "We've made it! With An Jing helping out, training the children has gotten much easier. They're making progress faster too! If we really have to, we can start today!"

"Alright, then we'll make it!" The vice apothecary happily turned to the children at the arena once more, all in their stances and formations. He felt that they already had enough firepower. "Let's do this, then. We'll begin the ritual tomorrow at Direlife Canyon. Our divine cult has already done much for these children, so it's about time they proved their usefulness."

The next day, the people of Direlife Manor brought the children away from Direlife Mountain without any word of explanation. They were asked to bring along the weapons they had been trained to use to a deep canyon. An Jing had been prepared for this and hid the two firearms in his sleeves.

There was a river in Direlife Canyon that flowed through white, sandy formations. At the center was a flat, sandy plain where twelve ancient jade altars could be seen, all arranged in a circle. Each altar had nine positions, three within, six without, forming an ancient ritual formation.

The instant An Jing saw the canyon, his overly sensitive perception and Yvelbane's influence produced a vision which led him to the conclusion that the canyon was not formed naturally. Instead, it seemed to be the result of a sword slash!

An Jing even saw some divine figure striking down from the high heavens with a sword like a celestial river, carving out a brand-new canyon from the endless mountain range, smiting something deep into the ground. Only after many years did a stream form where the sword had slashed.

Was that actually Yvelbane?! he thought.

"It was me indeed." Yvelbane seemed to recall something. "One of my shards is within Direlife Canyon. I never had a chance to come here. It appears this is the only opportunity we have to reclaim it."

"Got it." An Jing shook his head to clear his mind before observing the surroundings. Looking closely made him feel even more awe. What he had thought was pure, white sand was something that sent chills down his body. They were human bones!

Large piles of pure-white bone could be seen scattered around the area. There were skulls, hand bones and even femurs. All of the bones were small and didn't seem to form full humans. Some were crushed, but some remained intact.

Was Bai Qinghan right? Is it finally happening? Did the demonic cultists finally work up an appetite? An Jing snapped to maximum alertness right away. If he encountered danger, he was confident he could resist somewhat and help his group escape into the forest.

However, the cult didn't give him any such opportunity. An Jing looked around and noticed that while the cultists that escorted them didn't number that many, they did block off every single route they could use to escape. He could escape if he was alone, but not with anyone else, especially not while protecting his group.

"Brother An Jing..." The eight behind him noticed the bones too.

Gu Yeqi took a step back subconsciously and observed her surroundings. "What in the world is going on..."

"Don't be afraid, " An Jing consoled her. "I believe what's happening is the initiation ritual. Inheriting Direlife Manor's legacy is really difficult and fraught with danger. The bones probably come from those who tried and failed. But don't worry, we are strong. We will be able to pass the initiation."

"Yes!" Gu Yeqi trusted An Jing fully. His unhesitant answer also calmed down the rest of the group.

Then, the manor lord gave a long speech with a simple message: After a year of nourishment, it was time for the disciples to partake in the initiation ritual into Direlife Manor. The ritual was dangerous and they would have to borrow the Olden Heavenly Father's power to stimulate their inner demons. If they were able to eradicate the inner demons, they would awaken their destined lifearc and become true disciples of Direlife Manor.

Should they fail, there was a chance they would die. If they survived despite that, they would remain at Direlife Manor like the servants and riders. Most importantly, they were free to choose to abstain from partaking in the ritual.