The Evolution Chronicles

'Is this the Nine Peaks Sect?' Daniel took in the sight before him with a slacked jaw. Large wooden buildings that had been reinforced with stone stood in the distance. They had been designed with such an artistic feel that he could basically feel the care that had gone into their making. The buildings were each topped with beautiful red tiles that pointed up into the sky.

All these buildings were beautiful, but the real eye catchers were the nine towers that stood taller than any other building. Their magnificent roofs reached up, as though intending to pierce through the sky.

"Whoa..." He whistled as he took it all in. The elder who had led him here peeked at him from the corner of his squinted eyes, a small smirk gracing his smooth face.

"Come, let us go to your testing area." The man spoke, turning to the left of the path that led further into the lands of the Nine Peaks Sect. They moved from a cobblestone path, to a gravel path, the small rocks crunching underneath their feet. The paths were much busier than what Daniel had imagined, with robed men and women all walking about. He even spotted a couple of inner disciples who wore a slightly different attire from the other outer disciples. It was quite the experience.

"Elder!" A sharp, tense voice cut through the relative silence. Heads turned for a moment, before Daniel noticed a lean, tall man, with long flowing brown hair jogging down the path. The students on the path stepped aside and bowed as he passed them, before carrying on with their activities.

"Elder, welcome back!" The man stopped before the elder and bowed with his hands joined. He stood back up and his eyes moved to Daniel. He took in Daniel's rough, tattered clothes, and his worn shoes before examining his face.

"Elder, who is this?" The man asked, gesturing at Daniel, who quickly bowed to introduce himself.

"I am Daniel Ban, an immigrant from the Highsword Clan. I traveled all the way here to join the Nine Peaks Sect." Daniel spoke quickly, but clearly.

Upon hearing the name of Daniel's clan, the man couldn't help but frown.

"The Highsword Clan? I heard it was declining as of late..." He rubbed his smooth chin and looked at Daniel questioningly.

Daniel sighed, his shoulders visibly slumping, as though put under some invisible weight.

"Yes. Ever since our only remaining Swordmaster fell ill two years ago, clan members have begun deserting. We are only a shadow of our former selves as of now."

Any clan that was founded during this Era of Blades was usually headed by a Swordmaster, or someone of a higher rank. Such figures of power held the not only the power, but also enough sway over the common folk to act as enough of an attraction, bringing in a flood of hopeful clan members.

The Clans usually formed Swordschools of their own, but with the decline of the still growing Highsword Clan, they had never gotten to the point of founding their own Swordschool. Because of this, coupled with the only Swordmaster's dilemma, Daniel had been sent to the Nine Peaks Sect in order to train and possibly become a Sword Initiate, or something more.

A Sword Initiate is a person who had touched upon the essence of a true Sword Style. Some say that a Sword Initiate is a person who had begun grasping the fundamental truths behind a Sword Style. These Sword Initiates were capable of bringing out a fraction of the power that a Swordmaster was capable of manifesting, and while they were not held in as high regard as Swordmasters, they were still highly respected among the masses.

"I see. What level are you at?" The man's eyes narrowed a fraction.

"Take it easy, Freud, we shall see what level he's at soon enough." The elder waved at Freud before motioning for the two of them to follow him. After a few minutes of walking, they soon reached an area what was cut off from the other paths. Here, raised circular platforms dotted the area, with a couple sparring people occupying a couple of platforms and a decent audience.

The moment the three figures stepped into the area, a hushed whisper broke out among the crowd. As one, they all turned and bowed to the elder and Freud, who nodded in response. A few gazes lingered on the unfamiliar young man between the older men, but they none lingered.

"Wendy. Please, come over." The elder called out. A young lady who was dressed in a combat attire left one of the dueling rings and hurried over. She bowed again when she stopped before the men.

"Daniel, this is Wendy, one of the top disciples of her year. She will be your opponent." He held out his hand to Wendy. "Wendy, this is Daniel. He will be sparring against you. Depending on the results, he just might be able to get into our school. Be serious and don't let me down."

"Of course, Elder. I will not let you down." She bowed again before turning to Daniel. The two of them nodded at each other with serious faces before heading to one of the unoccupied rings. Daniel wasn't new to all this, so he did not need to be told what to do. All he had to do was either win against Wendy, or do well enough to impress the elder of the Nine Peaks Sect.

A standard wooden practice sword was passed to him by someone from the audience. Taking a simple defensive stance, he watched Wendy as he took on a defensive stance. He had no idea what she was capable of, so he decided to play it safe.

As for Wendy, she took on a more aggressive stance as she stared Daniel down. His tattered clothing and unkempt looks gave her a bad first impression of him. While she knew that not everyone was from a well off background, she felt that Daniel could have at least tried better to look more presentable. The Nine Peaks Sect was not a place for urchins!

While she was thinking this, Freud finally waved his hand between them from the side of the ring, signaling the start of the duel!