Bone Refining Cliff
Hall Master Yue called out to the crowd, "Listen up, everyone. Follow the path through the bamboo grove, and you'll reach the Seven Mysteries Sect's Bone Refining Cliff. The first stretch leads through the bamboo grove, then comes a stretch of rock face, and finally a cliff. Only those who reach the top can enter the Seven Mysteries Sect. If you can't reach it before noon, you won't be able to become formal disciples, but if there's something commendable about your performance, you may be accepted as Registered Disciples."
Naturally, Han Li didn't understand what "Registered Disciple" meant. All he knew was that he had to move forward and climb the mountain. He looked ahead and saw a slope that wasn't particularly steep, with long stalks of bamboo of varying thickness growing all over it. It didn't seem all that hard to climb!
Han Li glanced at the others. He had no desire to lose to children his own age, and the atmosphere among them had suddenly grown tense as well.
Hall Master Yue looked at the rising sun and said, "It's about time. Get ready to set off! Don't be afraid. Your senior brothers will follow behind and protect you. They won't let you come to harm."
Han Li looked back at the young men behind him. So these people were called senior brothers. They were probably disciples who had been accepted earlier. If he joined too, would he get to wear the same impressive clothes?
While he was mulling this over, Han Li noticed that the other children had already charged into the bamboo grove. Seeing this, he hurried after them.
The bamboo grove must have been enormous. The thirty-odd children scattered as soon as they rushed inside. A tall, thin senior brother followed close behind Han Li, his face cold and not a word leaving his mouth. Han Li was a little afraid and didn't dare speak to him. He simply bent low and slowly made his way up the slope.
The bamboo grove didn't look like much, but after walking for a long time, Han Li began to find it exhausting. His legs grew heavier with every step, and gradually he had to pull lightly on the bamboo stalks with one hand to move forward and save some strength.
After pressing on like that for a long time, Han Li was utterly exhausted. He had no choice but to find a mound of earth and plop down on it, panting without pause.
Han Li took a moment to look back at the tall, thin senior brother. Though the ground was extremely steep, the senior brother was still standing there without moving, apparently without a speck of dust on him. Straight as the bamboo around him, he stood a short way downhill, quietly watching Han Li.
The senior brother's cold gaze made Han Li afraid again, and he hurriedly turned his head back around. He heard bursts of panting coming from up ahead and knew that people who had climbed faster than him were resting too. After staying where he was a little longer, Han Li hurried upward again.
The slope grew steeper, and Han Li's strength dwindled. To keep himself from losing his footing, he had to bend down and use both hands and feet. Fortunately, his clothes were sturdy enough; otherwise, they would have worn through at his joints and knees.
He was finally close to getting out of the dense bamboo grove, but Han Li found this last stretch harder and harder to traverse. More and more rocks appeared on the ground, while the bamboo grew increasingly sparse.
At last, Han Li could no longer pull himself forward on the bamboo stalks. He inched his way across the final stretch, one meter at a time.
As soon as he emerged from the bamboo grove, the view opened up before him. Directly ahead stood an enormous rock, with several small, thin figures already climbing slowly up it. Behind each of them followed a senior brother dressed in the same clothes as the others. Han Li hesitated no longer and hurried toward the towering rock face.
The rock face was made up of sheets upon layers of sedimentary rock, heavily weathered in places and liable to crumble at a touch. There were also many sturdy fragments of rock that jutted out with razor-sharp edges. In the time it took to eat a meal, Han Li's hands were covered in wounds, and the clothes at his elbows and knees had been torn, leaving numerous cuts in the flesh underneath. Although the wounds were all small, fine bits of gravel worked their way into them, making the pain worse.
The children in the lead were climbing farther and farther away. Thinking of his family and his third uncle's instructions, Han Li could only grit his teeth again and struggle upward.
Before he set out, Han Li's father and third uncle had warned him that the entrance test would be difficult and that if he didn't persevere to the end, he couldn't possibly join the Seven Mysteries Sect. By now, Han Li no longer cared whether he got in. A fierce resolve had risen in him, and with that breath caught in his chest, he had to catch up with the others.
Han Li raised his head and strained to look. The person climbing at the very front was Wu Yan. Wu Yan was, after all, more than a year older than Han Li and had practiced some martial arts. He was much stronger than the other children, so it was no surprise that he was in the lead.
Han Li glanced back several times. Quite a few figures were still moving behind him. He drew a breath and picked up his pace.
He used every last ounce of strength he had, yet he still failed to close the distance between himself and the few people in front. His body grew heavier and heavier, and as the sun gradually climbed toward the middle of the sky, Wu Yan had already reached the end of the rock face.
There stood a sheer cliff more than thirty zhang high. Over a dozen hemp ropes hung from its top, each tied with knots the size of a fist. Wu Yan was climbing one of them, moving slowly toward the top of the cliff, bit by bit.
Han Li looked at Wu Yan ahead of him and felt somewhat discouraged. He knew he couldn't catch up with the people in the lead, and there wasn't enough time left either.
The moment that thought arose, a burning pain suddenly shot through the wounds on his elbows and knees at once. His limbs went weak, and one hand trembled on the rock. His whole body suddenly dropped. Han Li's heart pounded in fright as he hurriedly pressed himself tight against the rock face, not daring to move again.
After a while, he calmed down and reached for a protruding corner of rock. He tugged on it a few times and found it fairly secure. Only then did he relax.
Han Li looked back instinctively and saw that the senior brother behind him was half-crouched with both arms outstretched, ready to protect him. Seeing that Han Li was safe again, the senior brother slowly straightened up.
Han Li felt a rush of gratitude. If he had really fallen, all his effort so far would have been wasted! After resting briefly, he slowly moved forward again, climbing toward the thick hemp ropes hanging from the cliff.
He finally reached an unoccupied rope. The sun was almost in the middle of the sky, and less than half a shichen remained until noon. By then, Wu Yan had reached the top of the cliff and was looking back down. Han Li happened to see him as he climbed to the bottom of the rope. Wu Yan raised his arm and pointed his little finger twice at the people below the cliff, then left with a burst of wild laughter.
Han Li felt a surge of annoyance and hurriedly grabbed the rope and began to climb.
But Han Li didn't have a shred of strength left in his entire body. Now he could barely even hold on to the knots.
After great effort, he climbed onto the lowest knot and sat down on it. His whole body went limp, and he couldn't move so much as a finger. He strained to turn his head and saw some children sitting on the rock face behind him, gasping for breath. Like him, they seemed to have used up their last bit of strength.
Han Li could only smile bitterly to himself. He had underestimated this test. Fortunately, he hadn't fallen to the very back. Turning his head, he saw the cold-faced senior brother again. After hesitating for a moment, Han Li decided to make another effort and climb a little higher. Though there was no way he could reach the top before noon, wouldn't it look terrible if he simply stayed where he was?
Han Li stretched his somewhat stiff hands and used the little strength he had just recovered to inch slowly upward along the knots. But by now, his hands had completely stopped obeying him, and he simply couldn't hold on to the rope. After struggling for a while, he still got nowhere.