After waiting for a few minutes, the old man came back, but this time he had company.
It was a beautiful lady dressed in black robes, with jet-black hair flowing down to her waist. Her brown hazel eyes gazed at Seth in contempt, and her pale white skin accentuated her beauty.
It seems white skin is a common trait of ancient humanity, Seth confirmed.
The elder handed him a jade teacup containing a red liquid substance that swirled continuously within, it had a faint lavender scent to it. "This is a tea brewed from heart rebirth ginseng. Drink it, and it will cleanse your soul from malice," the elder instructed.
Not wasting any more time, Seth drank it. Immediately, he felt something snap within him, and his pupils dilated. His memory of his mother's final moments came rushing back, but this time he wasn't filled with anger or malice. Instead, he was filled with conviction—he had to get stronger for himself and his mother.
It was as though the invisible shackles holding his body down were released, and strength flooded through his body.
Coming back to his senses, he gazed at the elder in shock. How could a tea change his mindset? How was that possible?
"This is Tang Xi Yi, an inner disciple of our Starry Sky Sect. She was the one who brought you back here after being instructed by the divine daughter. You will follow her now, and she will take you to get your aptitude tested to see if you have a talent for cultivation," the elder informed him.
Though still puzzled, Seth stood up and made a slight bow towards the elder. "Thank you so much for treating me."
The elder smiled gently as he waved his arms and replied, "No worries. If you want to thank someone, thank the divine daughter."
Seth nodded. "I will surely thank her, and I promise to repay the favor."
Just as he finished his statement, Tang Xi Yi scoffed. "As if the likes of you could ever render any help for the divine daughter."
Not waiting for a reply, she bid the elder farewell and started walking away. Seth followed. They were passing through a series of passages, and one could say the layout of the building was like a maze. If he didn't have a guide, Seth would have surely gotten lost.
Throughout the entire walk, Seth remained silent. He had noticed that the lady didn't fancy him and held him in contempt, so he didn't even bother trying to start a conversation with her lest he be ignored.
After ten minutes, they finally came into a crowded hall supported by four great pillars of bronze, filled with young men.
On a platform at the very front were four elderly men and a lady facing the youngsters. One of them held a scroll from which he called names one by one, and the youths bearing the name would then step out and stand in front of a gigantic silver board filled with veins of blue.
This setting was very similar to what Seth went through a day ago, but unlike these people, he and his fellow students were in a class.
"You are to wait. After all the contestants are done, you will step up. The elders in charge have already been informed about you," Tang Xi Yi stated before leaving Seth standing awkwardly amid the youths.
As names were being called, Seth judged that it would take some time before his turn arrived. Steeling himself, he mustered the courage and approached one of the nervous youths.
"Hi, sorry to disturb you, but would it be okay if I inquire something from you?" he asked a chubby youth who was also at the back like him.
"Ah? No worries, brother. After all, after today we will be brothers of the same sect," the chubby youth replied.
Seeing he got a response, Seth was relieved. He immediately proceeded to ask, "Okay, brother, please don't mind me. Before coming here, I had an accident that resulted in me losing most of my memories. Please, brother, if you don't mind, can you brief me on what type of world this is?"
Hearing his question, the chubby youth had a weird expression on his face, but regardless, he still answered. "What a curious situation you are in, brother, but no worries. I'll brief you." He paused for a bit, then continued, "This continent is called the Martial Heaven Continent. Within it, both mortals and cultivators dwell. There are the six great sects, five great temples, four great schools, three mighty empires, and the two absolute palaces."
Reaching this point, the youth puffed up his chest in pride. "As for where we are, we are recruiting for one of the six great sects, the Starry Sky Sect."
After hearing all this, Seth was astonished. But he was still curious, so he asked once more, "Brother, please forgive me for asking, but what is a cultivator?"
The chubby youth looked at him with a strange expression. "You must have been hit in the head pretty hard, brother, to forget what a cultivator is." Shaking his head in pity, the youth replied, "Cultivators are those that tread on the path of power. They have bodies as strong as steel, and their punches can break mountains. According to my mother, those that are strong enough have mystical powers." By the time the youth finished speaking, he had a longing expression on his fat, chubby face.
But Seth was surprised. This was perplexing. From all the history lessons he had gotten since he was young, he was always told that before the great cataclysm, humans never had a path to power apart from technology.
And here he was in the past being informed that long before humans started acquiring seeds, they had means to strengthen themselves, making their bodies strong as steel and breaking mountains with a punch. This was unheard of.
No wonder he was told to acquire the lost knowledge of empowerment. So this was what it was. Seth's eyes glinted—it seemed he wasn't so unfortunate after all. With this, he should be able to get stronger, even if he acquired a useless ability or not.
Just then, a commotion occurred in the hall, startling Seth out of his thoughts. He didn't even need to ask what happened as the chubby youth beside him exclaimed, "Brother, did you see that? That lady has a heaven-grade talent and a starry spirit constitution. What a genius!"