Published: July 11, 2025
Chapter Three: Seven Mysteries Sect
The smell inside the carriage was obviously unpleasant, which was not surprising since nearly thirty children were crammed into a compartment meant for only a dozen or so. Although the children were much smaller than adults, the space was still unbearably crowded.
Han Li cleverly shrank his thin body into a corner of the carriage and secretly observed the other children inside.
The children coming to participate in the admission examination were clearly divided into three categories based on their clothing and background.
The first category was the brocade-clad boy sitting in the center of the carriage, surrounded by most of the other children.
This boy was named Wu Yan, thirteen years old, and the oldest child in the carriage. Although his age exceeded the limit, his older cousin had married a powerful figure within the seven mysteries sect, so age was not a problem. Wu Yan’s family ran a martial arts school and was quite wealthy. He had learned some basic martial arts since childhood. While not particularly skilled, it was more than enough to handle kids like Han Li, who only had some brute strength and no martial training.
Obviously, people like Wu Yan, who came from wealthy and influential families and had some martial arts skills, naturally became the “big brother” to most of the children in the carriage.
The second category consisted of the children clustered around Wu Yan. These children came from a variety of backgrounds—some had family shops, some were laborers, others made a living through craftsmanship, and so on. However, they all shared one characteristic: they grew up in town and had, to some extent, learned to read people’s expressions and seize opportunities. As a result, these children clustered around Wu Yan, calling him “Young Master Wu” or “Big Brother Wu.” Wu Yan seemed very accustomed to and pleased by these titles.
The last category was children like Han Li, from remote and impoverished rural areas, whose families lived off the mountains or rivers and were extremely poor. There were only five or six of this kind on the carriage. Most of them looked timid and spoke quietly, forming a stark contrast to the others who laughed and shouted loudly.
The carriage set off from Qingniu Town and galloped westward. Along the way, it stopped at several places to pick up more children. Finally, on the evening of the fifth day, they arrived at Rainbow Cloud Mountain, the headquarters of the seven mysteries sect.
All the children got off the carriage and were deeply captivated by the mountain’s colorful sunset scenery. It was only when Guardian Wang urged them that they snapped out of it and continued forward.
Rainbow Cloud Mountain was originally called Fallen Phoenix Mountain. Legend had it that a five-colored phoenix once landed here and transformed into this mountain. Later, people who came here noticed how extraordinarily beautiful the mountain looked during sunset, as if shrouded by colorful clouds, hence the name change to Rainbow Cloud Mountain. Of course, since the mountain was occupied by the seven mysteries sect, outsiders were no longer allowed to casually admire such beauty.
Rainbow Cloud Mountain was the second largest mountain in Jingzhou. Apart from another mountain named Baimang Mountain, this mountain covered the widest area, with mountain ranges spanning more than ten miles in all directions. It had dozens of peaks, all extremely treacherous, so each was occupied by different branches of the seven mysteries sect. The mountain’s main peak, Sunset Peak, was particularly dangerous—towering and steep with only one path from base to summit. After establishing their headquarters here, the seven mysteries sect set up thirteen guards or checkpoints along this perilous path, some visible and some hidden, making it impregnable and secure.
Han Li kept observing his surroundings as he followed the people ahead. Suddenly, the group stopped, and a hearty voice rang out.