บท 4: Chapter 2 - Before the Gate

A steady stream of hopeful youths made their way up the gently sloping hillside path, drawing ever nearer to the majestic gates of the Holy Light Abode. The ancient gates towered three stories tall, crafted from enormous ironwood trees and banded in shimmering bronze. Intricate carvings of celestial dragons chased one another through mist wreathed clouds across its surface.

The day held a vibrant, electric mood as strings of red paper lanterns swayed in the gentle breeze. The gathered adolescents thrummed with nervous excitement, their loud voices echoing off the walls of the compound.

Some wore fear openly, anxieties straining their smiles as they clung to protective amulets, tokens of luck, or other hope-filled talismans. Others moved with brash confidence, laughter too loud, as if sheer volume could drown their underlying doubts. A few hovered solitarily, locked in silent meditation, steeling fragile resolutions. Yet whatever each exterior projected, all sensed their futures pivoting precariously around the outcome of this day's ceremony.

Beyond the towering gates, masked in swirls of jade mist, loomed the answers that all sought. Would the searing Awakening Incense ignite dormant gifts or crush young dreams under the unyielding weight of reality? None could guess what hand providence would deal to them. They could only step forward, hearts pounding with hope, praying that the thread of destiny might weave itself in their favor.

As Ao Wen and Feng Xi reached the top of the hill overlooking Turning Leaf they heard an excited young voice calling out to them. "Big sister Ao, Fairy Feng," the voice called to them as soon as they reached the crowd. Moments later, a smooth cheeked youth with doe eyes and a soft body pushed his way towards the young women.

"Little Tu!" Ao Wen said with genuine happiness. "Are you really thirteen this year? And already attempting your Awakening?"

"I am," he said, beaming with pride. "Look," he said, pulling out a neatly stitched talisman of yellow and green silk embroidered with the character for 'Luck.' "Mother stitched this just for me using her own spirit thread. I know I'm going to awaken with this," he said grinning.

"Your mother and my father are quite the pair then," Ao Wen said while fishing a small jade carp on a leather string out from under the folds of her robe. It wasn't an expensive piece of jade and it held only the slightest trace of spiritual energy, but her father Ao Yang had spent the past year carving it just for her. More than spiritual energy, she felt the warm love of his strong hands when he tucked it around her neck this morning.

"I don't get it," Little Tu said, confused. "Are carp lucky?"

Ao Wen laughed softly. "No, not lucky. It's his way of reminding me that even a humble carp can leap over the Dragon Gate and transform into something greater," she explained, her fingers tracing over the smooth features of the carp as if to remind herself.

"Ooohhh," Little Tu said as though it made sense before blinking in confusion. "What's a Dragon Gate?"

"Pffft," Feng Xi sputtered, completely failing to hold back the giggle that followed. "Little Tu, you should stay close to your big sister Ao when you go inside. She'll keep you safe."

"Yes Fairy Feng," he said, nodding like a hen pecking rice. "If I awaken today, will you play the zither for me?" Little Tu asked, doing his best to look cute and a little pathetic as he looked up at her through his long lashes.

"If you awaken, I'll play the zither for you," Feng Xi promised. "And if you don't, your big sister Ao will bake you honey cakes."

"Hey, why am I the consolation prize?" Ao Wen protested.

"I WILL HAVE SILENCE!"

The mighty voice boomed from one of two towering guards that flanked an old man in white robes. "You needn't be so fierce Soldier Hu," the old man said while tugging at his long gray beard. "This is an exciting day for these young heroes after all."

Few in Turning Leaf town knew the full name or origins of the man they simply called "the Honored Elder." His age remained indeterminate, appearing anywhere from a robust fifty years old to a well-preserved seventy. He kept his long, steel-gray hair and beard meticulously groomed so not a single hair strayed.

The elder's stern face sat nestled between high regal cheekbones atop a strong jaw, his eyes sharp and piercing beneath snowy brows. His voice rang with practiced authority, booming at will to overwhelm the noisy crowds of youths gathered to test their mettle in the Awakening Ceremony. An invisible pressure radiated from his person, pressing down on the youths like the weight of a thousand mountains.

The honored elder moved with the spry step found only in the peak of youth or those for whom time holds little sway. Something ancient, powerful, and utterly unknowable lurked behind that piercing gaze, deterring even the wise from prying overly deep into his affairs.

"Yes Honored Elder," the soldier replied, fighting hard to resist the pressure the old man exuded as he withdrew to his position beside the gate.

"Now, young heroes," the Elder continued, pulling back enough of his aura to allow the young people to relax slightly. "Today will mean different things to each of you. For some of you, today will mark the beginning of your journey on the road of cultivation. Soldier Hu," he said, pausing to look at the man to his right. "How many young heroes have gathered here today?"

"Three hundred and twenty four, Honored Elder," the guard reported crisply.

"So many!" The Elder said as though impressed by the number of youths gathered before him. "But not enough to be sure that a cultivator will be born today," he continued sternly, extinguishing the hope of many young people in the crowd. "Among youths aged thirteen, the odds of Awakening as a cultivator are one in one thousand. In White Sails Holy City, we see five thousand youths aged thirteen every year, yet rarely are there more cultivators born at that age than can be counted on your fingers. Some years, even five thousand youths give birth to no new cultivators," he continued solemnly.

"But for you young ones, even if today is not your first day as a cultivator, it does not mean the end of your journey towards cultivation. A cultivator must persist, and if you would step on the road of cultivation, a single set back cannot shake your cultivators' heart. Those aged fourteen still succeed in Awakening, though the odds are less, only one in fifteen hundred. Aged fifteen it becomes much harder, only one in five thousand succeed at this age, however, I see one such Fairy standing among the audience today. Fairy Feng, have you come to lend your zither to the efforts of these heroes today?"

"Honored Elder," Feng Xi said, cupping her hands and bowing deeply. "My skill is lacking and my cultivation is too shallow for the Melody of Awakening. Today I've only come to wish luck to my sworn sister."

"I see," the Elder said sadly. "Fairy Feng, there is no one here to nurture your talents. Won't you accept our offer to come away to the Holy City?"

"I'm sorry, Honored Elder, my father still needs my care," she replied firmly.

"It is good to be filial young Fairy, but do not wait too long," he said sagely before turning back to the gathered youths. "Time is the eternal enemy of all who would seek to become immortals. Time is cold, uncaring, and moves forward as inevitably as the river flows. For those of you aged sixteen, your odds of Awakening today are less than one in ten thousand. Without the aid of heaven defying medicines or treasures, this journey ends and a different one must begin. There is no shame if you do not awaken today. Last year, no one in Turning Leaf town did. This year could be the same. Knowing this, who wishes to step away now and save yourselves the spirit crystals that would be consumed in the attempt?"

The Elder's gaze roamed across the crowd, his dark eyes meeting the eyes of each youth standing before the gate. After a slow count of ten breaths, he smiled. "Good. At the very least you all possess the courage to take the first risk."

"First risk?" Little Tu asked from within the crowd.

"The first thing a cultivator must risk is their fortune. For some of you, this moment costs little, and for others, it costs a great deal, even though the amount of spirit crystals is the same. If you continue this journey, the amount spent today will pale in comparison to what you will spend on techniques, weapons, and the other resources that propel your cultivation forward and allow you to struggle against mortality itself."

"Oh," Little Tu said, nodding again as though he understood while inwardly too intimidated by the old man's gaze to ask another question.

"The second risk," the Elder continued, "is to stake your futures. Awakening is not without risks. For the youngest, the odds of suffering a mishap are small, less than one in ten thousand. But with age, as the odds of success decrease, the odds of mishaps will increase. Those of you aged sixteen face one in one thousand odds of suffering a great misfortune for making the attempt. When you attempt to awaken your inner power, opening the door to your inner world, you may never escape from the darkness within. Some have died in an eternal sleep, never to see the light of day again. Others eventually struggle free to find they've lost their ability to speak or the use of their limbs. Now, how many of you will take this second risk?"

This time several feet shuffled as the Honored Elder peered into their eyes giving each person the feeling that he was peering into their very soul.

"Honored Elder," a young man in rough farmer's garb standing towards the back spoke with cupped hands. "This unworthy one thanks you for the opportunity to awaken, but this risk… I cannot take it."

"Oh?" The Elder asked. "Why not? You can risk money but not your life?"

"It is the dream of my family that I might succeed today, but the opportunity has come too late. If I failed today and wasted the money my family has saved, I can work a lifetime to repay that debt. But if I'm crippled today, I have taken my family's money and will instead become their burden. I cannot be so shameless," he finished bowing deeply.

"So be it young man," the Elder said, no longer addressing him as a young hero. "Soldier Hu, give this young man fifty taels of bronze for his filial piety and send him on his way. If there are any others who would leave, do the same."

Quickly, several of the eldest youths followed the example of the first. They were all children of humble origin, those who had only come at the last moment to grasp a final opportunity to change their fate without comprehending the risk. For others, like Tang Jin and his fellows, their wealthy families had long prepared supplements to minimize the risk of mishaps and improve their odds of success. They had little to fear even if they didn't Awaken.

In the end, just under three hundred youths stood before the gates.

"Good," the Elder said at last. "Now, in a moment the gates will open. Men, follow Soldier Hu to the outer courtyard. Women, Soldier Nalan will lead you to the welcoming hall where a female guardian will watch over you. Once you have reached your destination, take a seat on one of the cushions waiting for you. A worker will bring each of you a stick of incense. When you're ready, light the incense and inhale deeply. After that, it's up to fate and your luck. May we see the birth of a true hero today!"