A Light Within Darkness.

Honestly... I was surprised how utterly determined these people were. Sure, they left their fallen members behind as they collapsed against the large stone platform stairs as they were climbing, but before they utterly collapsed, they did all they could to drag their compatriots up the staircase to hopefully earn a better life for themselves.

Just showed the life these people lived in this ultra-harsh world with literal demons nipping at their heels along with the planet's equally dangerous wildlife. They needed to work together, but in the end, deadweight had to be left behind.

"Such a mindset in cultivation will take them far," I muttered as I realized with how my cultivation methods would use supernatural materials, that these very possible disciples will need to eventually go to the warp to acquire materials for pills and other things to make themselves stronger and live longer.

Because once they realize with cultivation, they can lengthen their lifespan, they will do damn near anything to give themselves that additional life span.

As I was watching the crowd of possible disciples, I already saw some people with potential as the gravity stairs didn't test one on pure fitness or strength. It was like ninety percent a mind game of ever so slightly increasing pressure that was fitted to each person.

"The teenagers seem to desire this opportunity the most," I muttered seeing a couple dozen competitive teenagers of both young men and women pushing up at the forefront of the crowd all holding hands as they quickly made their way up the staircase, and they were utterly vicious in their insults to one another as they pushed one another to not give up with each large platform/step increasing the pressure on the group.

"Blaxis you big baby bitch! If you don't hurry up and quit holding up the line, when I become a true disciple, I will take care of your little sister when I marry her Haha!" I saw the most... determined youth yelling at the slightly pudgy teenager who was beside him and lagging behind but at what amounted to being the leader of the teenager's words, the fatty's face turned a dark red as he powered forward and begin pulling the group even further ahead.

"Haha! Can't exclude the fatties from being the heart in cultivation." I laughed as I watched the scene of wryly smiling teenagers trying to keep up with the fatty who was seemingly possessed at the thought of getting first place up the mountain to get some nebulous prize, I made no mention of.

"Actually... Meh might as well give them a prize. These kids have the willpower to make it to the peak of the mountain, might as well add some coal to their flames of passion." I muttered as I skipped through space and almost staggered as I entered the thick pressing weight of the gravity stairs.

"Youths, I heard your words about some nebulous prize being given for taking first place. Even though such a thought was false I decided to give you all some motivation." Seeing all the kids even if as they had sweat pouring down their heads and the girls were practically dragging one another up the staircase I grinned.

"The first person to the top of the mountain will get a magical artifact of choice that I will offer at the peak... Remember kids, no sabotage, you can help one another as much as you want but harming another contestant will only result in me throwing you down the mountain." I warned as although I wanted to breed a competitive atmosphere in the Sect, but I didn't want to create a survival of the fittest zone as the Warp and the surrounding galaxy had all the resources and enemies we needed.

No need to make enemies in your own home.

Now as for Artifacts I could make or already had, well I already had a number of swords and armors I had made during the trip through space as making such things with my Yang Solar Flames was, to say the least, easy enough.

Now the older adults and younger children on the other hand were honestly a bit disappointing other than that one older man with one arm who was in the middle between the hard-working teenagers and the larger crowd behind him.

"I will await you all at the peak," I muttered doing just that as I ran as fast as a blur to their eyes as I escaped the gravity stairs hold of me as I took the side staircase up the mountain to eventually plant my bottom on a chair, I had set up hearing the mortal's ascending my mountain.

-

Not even half an hour later the group of teenagers made it to the final large platform separating them from becoming cultivators or being relegated into becoming servants of the sect who would get the bare minimum resources.

More than a couple of the prior couple dozen teenagers had fallen and been rejected from the destiny-changing gravity staircase and at this time the gravity had precisely worn them down so much so that every single one had to literally crawl on their hands and knees equally atop the smooth marble platform that seemed in their eyes to stretch out forever as each of centi meter they crossed on their hands and knees was a puddle of tears, sweat and even blood dripping from where they had bitten their lips or tongue to keep themselves from getting knocked unconscious at the pressure they were under.

"Immortality! Freedom from monsters hunting you! The ability to make your own destiny! You just have to cross the finishing line! So, hurry up!" I yelled seeing more of the teenagers about to collapse as they took their time after burning all their energy rushing up the mountain in the race.

Finally, the crowd of teenagers made it to the edge of the finishing line and with a roar the person I honestly didn't expect to win, had his eyes glow with a purple light as he somehow dredged up some of his psychic potential to boost himself into a quick little hop over the final stair and as he landed atop the final platform, he just face planted onto the cold marble in complete exhaustion with the abrupt removal of all the gravity crushing him.

"Don't give up!" I yelled seeing a girl collapse at the sight of the fatty winning the race and at my reminder the rest of the teenagers finally managed to cross over the final step to equally all collapse in a dead faint.

"Well, well, well... The fatty made it to the top of the mountain first." I said using my Qi to roll over the sweating form of the pudgy teenager so he could sit up slightly with my help. "Now what kind of artifact do you want? A sword that can cut through boulders with ease. An armor that can allow you to roll down the mountain without even a bruise?" I asked as I took out a pile of lesser artifacts, I created in my free time on the ship ride here.

"Uh, sir how am I to refer to you?" The fatty asked tiredly as his head lolled around and I nodded to his question.

"As a disciple and member of the Heavenly Principles Sect, you are to refer to me as Sect Master, now what do you want disciple," I said as I looked up and saw the less tired forms of the adults and the older man leading the next pack of arrivals up the gravity stairs.

"Can I just get some food... Yeah Sect Master, can i please get a magical pan that is forever filled with food!" He asked excitedly and I couldn't help but deadpan at the brat's desire before I snapped my fingers and out from the sect treasury, I took out one of the first tools I made.

The large metal barrel carved with lightly glowing arcane glyphs was then deposited in front of the fatty I recalled the name of, Blaxis or something.

"Blaxis, this barrel is an artifact that once you place the remains of monsters and other creatures within, it will change them into compressed food that will keep you from feeling hunger ever again as it can get rid of most toxins and diseases the monster or being you placed within could have." Honestly, with the way it could filter out the mutated flesh of monsters born of the Underhive.

The only thing I doubted it could actually make edible was some actual Nurgle demons.

"Thank you, Sect Master!" The fatty said as he gleefully tore off a section of his jacket to make a sort of rigging system to strap the barrel onto his back as he unsteadily got to his feet.

With my little gift to Blaxis having been taken care of. I looked to all the other adults and people who had actually made it while several more of my shadow's demons had carried up the people who had fallen off the gravity staircase and needed to be dragged up.

"Disciples here," I said clapping my hand, and the small pile of jade tokens I had in my lap, all flew to the people that made it up to the top of the staircase.

"This token is your proof of allegiance to the Sect, once you find a room in the apartment section of the Sect either for yourself or for your family, put a drop of your blood on the token so that you will be registered as a Disciple," I explained before going into more details such as how the disciple tokens would account for their sect contributions as well as allow them to enter the Sect library and other places to become stronger whereas the servants would have none of those luxuries and would need to work for such opportunities.

"Sect Master, we cannot read, how can we use the library to become stronger?" The village leader asked having retaken control of his group.

"The library isn't something as lackluster as to be a place of books... It has magical tools that will directly transmit the information directly to your brain if you are qualified to learn the technique to begin with. To that end, all of you regardless of whether you are a disciple, or a servant will be learning the Diamond Body Technique to give yourself a stable foundation." I ordered with the group of people nodding.

"Now go rest, food will be brought to the apartments by one of my shadow monsters on a cart, only take one food bar and eat it slowly as it will fill you up far more than you can imagine," I warned them as I flashed away from there sight and as I stood atop one of the neighboring pagoda's I watched as the adult's made conversation while throwing glances at Blaxis's prize for winning first place.

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