2 The tests of the Immortals (1/2)

Shin Sumi woke up with the change in altitude as Fen Wudao was landing.

Shin Sumi felt refreshed. She didn't know how long she slept for, but she had needed it. After looking at the sun high up in the sky she estimated their flight to have been about five hours long.

Fen Wudao slowly let her go and Shin Sumi tumbled on the grass.

”My bad, Junior Sister Shin, I can't quite control my flight yet. I'm just a fourth step Liquid Realm cultivator. I was only given this winged arrow recently.”

Up until now, Shin Sumi hadn't seen the small silvery arrow that was under Fen Wudao's feet.

”Thank you for bringing me here, Senior Brother Fen” she said while giving a courtesy bow. ”Hmm... Where are we ?”

”We are at the foot of the Dark Sky Starry Sect. This is where mortals start their enrolling process. It is a bit difficult sometimes, but with your natural talent, Junior Sister Shin, you shouldn't face many troubles to enter the sect as a honorary disciple.”

Shin Sumi was quite at a loss. ”Natural talent ?” she thought, ”Do I have any ?”

Seeing her puzzled expression, Fen Wudao pointed to two different directions with both his hands before announcing ”If you want to enter the Dark Sky Starry Sect, you have to climb the stairs until you reach the first gate. If at any point you want to renounce, if you feel that you cannot do it, just take this hidden path back to the mortal domains.”

”The path can only be entered one way though. If you give up there is no coming back. It is a path specially designed to disappear once you reach the end. And it also fends off all beasts that could threaten your journey.”

Adding another sentence, Fen Wudao said ”I am confident in your talent, you should really give it your all. As a matter of fact I already consider you as my Junior Sister. What I said right now, I was given orders to say it to any mortal recruited.”

Shin Sumi didn't respond at all and just gave another bow as the young man started to drift away on his silver arrow.

”If you succeed, come find me at the third gate in two days !”

Shin Sumi stayed where she was for a few minutes while she was deciding what to do.

In the end she really felt like she wasn't fit to be an Immortal.

”I guess learning how to fly would be nice. But in all the stories I've read about Immortals, it's all about fighting and killing. I am not made for this. I just want to read books.”

Recalling how she didn't ask Fen Wudao to bring her to the road or the big city earlier, she thought ”I don't know why I didn't say anything back then, I guess I was just intimidated by Senior Brother Fen.”

Looking one last time at the set of stairs that disappeared into the mountain, Shin Sumi turned around towards where Fen Wudao pointed the hidden path was.

But before she could even set foot on the glowing stone that marked the beginning of the path, she felt a stab of pain right against her breasts.

”Ayii ! What is ... oh.”

Shin Sumi totally forgot about the nut she had picked up earlier. The nut had slid between her breasts and was stuck there by the folds of her garments.

”How could I forget about the book that turned into a biting nut ? I should ask Second Uncle about it. Maybe he has a book about it.” she said out loud while taking the nut out of her outfit and into her hand.

Once again she tried to leave the mountain but before her foot touched the stone, the nut bit her again.

The bite was harder this time, and hurt quite a lot.

”Why doesn't this thing want me to leave ? Too bad, I'm not taking you with me if you keep biting.”

And with that she threw it away.

As soon as the nut left her hand, a small vortex started to appear, and the nut started to turn into a book.

It was exactly the same thing that happened earlier after her strange dream with the stump, but reversed.

It only lasted for a second, though, before the book turned back into a grey nut, in mid air, it flew back to her.

It immediately wiggled across her body, returning to between her breasts and biting her as she sneakily tried to leave.

Shin Sumi was starting to be genuinely annoyed by the moving book-nut.

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She tried a few more times to get rid of it, but every time the nut lost contact with her skin, it would turn into a book and then back into a nut flying in her direction.

Shin Sumi tried to avoid it but it was too fast for her, and would always find itself back against her chest in less than a breath's worth of time.

”Fine, you know what ? If I can't get rid of you, I'm gonna try to go up the stairs. But when I fail, don't bite me again when I leave !”

She was almost depressed when she realized she had been talking out loud to a nut. But what was said was said, and for some reason she felt like she couldn't go back on her words anymore.

The nut stopped biting suddenly as she took angry steps towards the old stone stairs.

***

Shin Sumi walked up the stairs for a few hours.

She usually was not used to doing so much exercise, and could feel her legs getting weaker and weaker with each step. But every time she slowed down or stopped, the nut would bite her.

Strangely the bites would always be followed by a small surge of energy, allowing Shin Sumi to walk for a long time after it.

This way, almost ten hours passed, but Shin Sumi was still walking, seemingly without seeing the passing of time, looking at her swollen feet.

She had never been out of breath like this before, and was at the point of giving up.

The sky had turned dark again. Shin Sumi sat down on the step, and strangely the nut didn't bite her this time.

A faint and tired smile showed up on her red lips as she closed her eyes and thought ”Finally I give up. I can no longer walk. I did what I said I would, now I just want to go back to the city after a little rest. I miss home. I miss my parents, I miss Second Uncle, I miss my books.”

She was starting to consider going back home after all this.

”I can always escape from father again and become a librarian”

Yes, this is what she would do.

But unfortunately for her, the strange nut woke up again.

Wiggling against her skin, the nut slowly started to tickle Shin Sumi.

She thought she didn't have any strength left, but she found herself moving in an uncontrolled manner as she attempted to free herself from the nut.

She even stood up and started slapping the different parts of her body where she could feel the nut.

It was at this point that she saw a bright white light a few dozen meters ahead of her.

As soon as she saw the light, the nut stopped moving, returning to its usual place.

”I... I did it ?”

It was unexpected. She had not been paying attention and was at the point of giving up right in front of the end of the stairs.

Shin Sumi hesitated for a few seconds, but this time her curiosity won her over and she started walking again.

She had thought she couldn't walk anymore, but with all the tickling she just endured, she knew she still had enough for a couple dozen stone steps.

The first gate of the Dark Sky Starry Sect was a grand arch luxuriously decorated. It was almost ten meters tall and stood at the top of the stone stairs like an Immortal hand helping the tired mortals.

As soon as Shin Sumi walked through the arch, she felt refreshed, and her mouth that had been thirsty for a long time felt normal again. Even her belly that had been growling for the entire walk up the stairs was silent again.

”So that is how Immortals live ?”

Shin Sumi saw two luxurious buildings, each at the opposite side of a grand stone platform. At the end of the platform was another gate like the first one.