The Good Teacher

Revian was excited as he entered the Solar Sect Alliance's recruitment grounds. He'd had to pay an exorbitant price to gain the access ticket, something he saved up for a very long time. Not even the shoulder-to-shoulder traffic at the entrance as people siphoned through the criminally narrow gates could dampen his elation. But it did worry him a bit. The anxiety only grew in intensity as the crowd ceased to disperse and moved collectively in the same direction. Then, at a juncture, it split in two equally. Then once again at a subsequent juncture, the net quantity evoked a sense of foreboding.

A few seconds later, he realised that his stress wasn't unwarranted... Why? Because every single person entering the ground today had the same goal in mind and that was to test their luck with the Four Greats: the Cloudstrider Sect, the Whispering Dusk Sect, the Soaring Sword Sect, and the Red Dawn Sect. Generally, the Four Greats did not stay longer than the second or third day. They would accumulate their quota of recruits within the first three days, following which the stalls would be closed and abandoned. They could actually get away with it since they dictated the demand. As in, accepting a recruitment offer from any one of those sects was a no-brainer. On the other hand, one would take some time to think over the recruitment offers from lesser sects.

Revian's target, along with the uncountable others surrounding him, was to try and get recruited into the Whispering Dusk Sect. His plan was four years in the making since he was a wee eight-year-old lad.

Revian lived a rather mundane life. His father had a pretty stable job as a clerk in the Capital's Transportation Department - a public position. A governmental job paid poorly but was steady, which was more than most people could ask for given the inherently volatile nature of the private market. Revian's mother, like most others, was a housewife. He was the middle child, with one elder brother and a younger sister. And the whole family lived in a one-storey attached home in the governmental housing district. He and his siblings shared one room, while his parents occupied the other.

His life was mediocre... And that irked him to no end. His father inherited his position from his father, who inherited it from his father. And Revian knew for a fact that his elder brother would take on the post upon his father's retirement... In the SAME POSITION! His family never advanced for three whole generations, and he couldn't foresee a promotion in the coming three either.

Revian's younger sister would be married off, her life would be out of the family's hands at that point. Once she left, what would happen to him? Was he cursed to live out the rest of his life in the mire of ordinariness?

No! Revian refused to enter into a rut of his own volition. There had to be a way out! Revian knew his limits academically and entrepreneurially; he knew he wouldn't find success in a self-led venture. He also knew that gaining employment in a business would be no better than following his father's footsteps and working at the government. Revian needed something more- something extraordinary out of his life.

Unfortunately, his family lacked the financial strength and readiness to support him through an education in the Magic Academies. Furthermore, his family also lacked sufficient connections to obtain an inlet into a Clan. This left the Sects. The age-old establishment of magic where mages would congregate over a shared characteristic.

Ever since he solidified his goal to join a sect, he worked his ass off to push his base high enough to meet the average requirements of most sects. He shelled out a decent amount to get his hands on some bootlegged cultivation manuals (with a method that only faintly agreed with him) and fought through the pain to reach the Middle Stage of Mana Condensation Realm. He practised some back-alley martial art peddled by the common street thugs patrolling his neighbourhood. He even picked up painting from the drug-addled graffiti artist who vandalised the community with exotic renditions of genitalia of different shapes, sizes and colours (and animals?) to round off his skill portfolio. Revian wanted to raise his chances of being selected over his competitors as much as he could.

In fact, Revian did not wish to cast a wide net. Most people would think of throwing their hats in with as many sects as possible and hoping that they would get picked at least once. No, Revian learned that it only worked with the larger sects, since their recruitment step was en masse. The smaller sects, however, were a bit more selective since the recruits would ultimately count towards the core pillars of the Sect in the future.

Nonetheless, tossing one's name into the bowl with the Four Greats was a must since even a 1% chance of getting selected was an opportunity. The line leading up to the Whispering Dusk Sect was snaking and charged with stress and anxiety. Revian rued the fact that he wasn't quick and forceful enough to bag a closer position. However, he noticed the line moving far too quickly. Not half an hour later, he was already at the front of the line facing an intimidating giant of a man who towered over Revian even though he was seated.

The man growled, causing Revian's words to get caught in his throat.

"Mediocre," the man boomed. He then narrowed his eyes, and Revian felt an invasive wave passing through him. "Never mind. Cultivation is a mess. Fixing it is not worth the time. Denied!"

And with that, Revian's self-esteem crumbled just a little bit. Well, not like it was an unexpected turn of events. One never holds hope when trying to get into the Four Greats, that was a fact. Shrugging off the demeaning (but apt) evaluation, Revian turned around and walked to his second destination.

See, Revian had planned this day down to a T. He knew exactly which sects to visit and apply for. However, something caught his eye the day the stalls were being assigned that upended his plan significantly.

Revian raised his gaze and met the unfamiliar symbol of a blue circle with blobs of green on it and the words "True World Sect" written beneath it. The kiosk was similar to the others in its size, but it was decorated with trinkets he had never seen before. There was a stand with a banner hanging off of it that detailed a plethora of information about the Sect briefly and concisely.

'Research Facilities, Rapid Prototyping, Community Outreach... What in the world?' Some words made sense, others didn't. But Revian chose to ignore all that for one reason. And the reason was the youth approaching him with a mild smile on his face.

"Good morning. Are you interested in learning more about the True World Sect?" The boy said.

"Y-Yes," a weak voice escaped Revian's mouth. 'What was that?' He scolded himself.

"I mean... I saw your fight. It was impressive! What was that attack that you used?" Revian rapped excitedly.

The youth blushed and scratched his head in embarrassment, "Oh that? That was... satisfactory. I'm still workshopping it, to be honest."

"Are you kidding me? You crushed the other guy. I've never seen or heard of such an attack before," but then a thought flashed through his memory. "Well, I do remember hearing about that rising star studying under the Celebrity Teacher. What was his name? Jo Way?"

"I believe you're talking about Gaige Bori?" The youth said, with a slight edge in his voice that Revian didn't miss. "That is my goal, to a degree."

"But if I remember correctly, wasn't his power a result of his unique bloodline?"

"That is correct, but that doesn't mean that the power cannot be replicated," the youth reasoned.

This came as a shock to Revian. Even with his limited knowledge, he knew that bloodlines and special physiques were sought after especially because they couldn't be replicated. Either this monster of a teen was lying, or he really was on the cusp of shattering that assumption.

"Anything is possible with magic. It's simply a matter of understanding what rules are inhibiting something from taking place. Then, we just have to coax these limitations to 'look the other way', if you will. After all, magic is just another way to lie to the world," the youth orated. "That is the core of our belief in our Sect."

The irony wasn't missed on Revian. The sect named True World preached magic that "lied" to the world.

"Do you-" Revian gulped and probed cautiously, "Do you teach that spell to regular members?"

The youth shrugged and said, "You'll learn it if you can understand it. Knowledge isn't limited in our Sect. As you probably read in our banner here that the Sect's vast library is completely accessible to every member. In fact, we encourage curiosity and exploration. I created the spell you saw by myself, with the help of my Master here of course," the youth gestured towards the only other individual in the kiosk.

"Umm..." Revian muttered with an unsure drawl.

"My Master here is our Sect's Leader," The youth introduced.

"Guy Larks, a pleasure to meet you," the man reached forward and grasped Revian's suspended hand for a tight shake.

"You're the Sect Leader? But you..." Revian held his tongue, cursing his impulsiveness for what could have been a serious faux pas.

"I don't look too special, right?" Unfortunately, the man was far too attentive to miss the sleight. "I can't help it. I have an extremely average face and aura. Thankfully, my Disciple and my Sect's Members are charismatic enough to make up for it."

"Speaking of which," the man segued, "Are you interested in joining our Sect?"

A faint spark resonated in the man's - the Sect Leader's - eyes that enraptured Revian completely. It sounded like an inquiry, but the force behind the question felt more like a command... an extremely enticing one at that.