My feelings made me write

Chapter 4: First test

Protector Wang looked at the children in front of him and said with a deep voice" Our sect have strict requirement so we don't allow anyone to join, that's why all of you must take the test to see who has better abilities. This test is made of three parts and all you had to do is to clear them all in order to qualify, however there is a time limit and that is three days and one more thing we won't accept more than fifty disciple so you should not only finish the test you have also to reach the end faster than others to be able to join. Now you see this road in front of you, you must keep running straight till you reach a cliff, that's the first test, the second is to climb the cliff, and after you finish you will find yourself in a bamboo forest all you need to do is cross it and you will finish the test".

All the kids smiled happily after they heard the content of the exam. I mean who among them can't run fast or climb a cliff or cross a forest so they thought that this test is in the pocket.

Eyeing the excitement on the children, a devilish smile appeared on protector Wang's face as he said" It's not as easy as you think, first you need to put these on". He opened a bag next to him and took some brown circular things made from some unknown metal which looks like bracelets and continued" each of these bracelets weights five kilograms, each of you is supposed to wear four of them, two in the hands and two in your legs, then you can start the test".

Astonishment  surfaced in their faces which was followed by despair, running and climbing a cliff with an additional twenty kilograms is easier said than done specially with their frail little bodies.

Ena licked his dry lips as he eyed the bracelet like thing while thinking, it's going to be a little tough but thanks to the natural environment he grew on, he has some confidence in his strength, even if it's a bit harder now he didn't get dispirited. He took a deep breath to calm himself and joined the other kids to get the bracelets put in their bodies.

Those who came from the city snorted as they were the first to advance and get their  bracelets, they weren't anxious because they trained their bodies and their strength far exceeds their peers.

Protector Wang smiled after he finished giving the bracelets he gave a dry cough and said" Test start".

As his voice reverberated in the open, more than two  hundred children started running at the same time leaving behind a cloud of dust.
As he eyed them Protector Wang said" How many do you think can make it this time".

"Last time we got twenty out of three  hundred, however this time even though there is less children, I believe more will succeed" one of the elders said with a smile.

"I feel the same, I hope we can get some capable people, we lost quite a bit of people in the last great Battle with the blood demon sect, the we need to recover our powers and squash them this time".

... ..

Ena didn't choose to run in the front or use all his might to run as fast as he can, he understood that he needs to preserve his strength as much as he can or he won be able to continue in upcoming days, he was running in the end of the group while maintaining a certain rhythm not too fast or too slow, looking around him, there was around twenty other children who share the same tactic, they eyed each other but didn't speak, most of the children from the city were among them. All those who were in the front had a proud smile, thinking they are the strongest and the fastest while forgetting to preserve their strength.

The road was long and full of ups and downs and lots of turns, the trees in both sides were big covering the sky and making it hard for the sunlight to penetrate them which made the road covered in darkness and adding the sudden howls of some beats it made a very scary environment.

Despite their fear they kept running to finish the first test as fast as possible.

A well build kid was running in the  front, after running for hours he got a bit tired but he refused to back down from the front to recuperate, he kept running with all his might. Suddenly he discovered that his feet seemed stuck and can't move anymore, he looked down to find his legs fixed in a a mad like soil which after few breaths catalyzed like a rock fixing him in the soil like tree.

The sudden change caused the children to stop and surveil their surroundings, to their shock they found, five other people sharing the same fate as the unlucky guy.

"Everyone be careful, there is something strange about this mud".

" This weird mud covers some places on the road and it have some special properties, it's color doesn't differ from normal soil and it hardens after contact".

"How are we supposed to proceed now".

Ena was lucky to be in the back and avoided the mud, he stopped and looked at the ground trying to find some clue on how to find the mud.

Some of the smart ones picked a couple of rocks and started throwing them while running to test before proceeding forward, this method may be effective but it wastes time and effort.

Ena focused around him and noticed a kid who looked to be a farmer run slowly on the spots were the sun touches the soil. A thought struck Ena's mind, he picked some rocks and threw them on the pots were the sun is clear and as  expected nothing happened.

" So it turns out that this kind of soil is sensitive to the light which makes it harden" muttered Ena to himself as he understood this principal, he eyed the farmer and gave him a smile while following in his footsteps and stepping only on the spots covered by the sun.