Chapter 3: My path
Main Square.
Every year since the foundation of the White Tiger School on the first day of the sixth month the White Tigers Bunker holds their Choosing Day. The day where every young men and women have to choose their path.
In the middle of the Bunker there were two high statues with 10 meters and some centimeters, it was a man holding a sword and by his side a woman holding a spear, their face were covered by the hood from their robe. In front of the statue, there was a stage made out of wood, microphone and 4 pillars with one bowl over each pillar.
Around the main square, there were all sorts of decorations. Some parents were talking to their children, others were talking with their friends, among the young adults there was all kind of humors, some were happy, others neutral, but none of them were sad, some were grumpy, but that's how they were.
The bunker's mayor arrived at ease, he was an old man, bald and with a long white beard, going until the middle of the thorax. He was pretty slim and wore a white robe with some golden details on the sleeve. After the old man got the microphone everyone was quiet, they respected that person, who used to be a Monster Hunter when he was younger.
"Today the young men and women have a difficult decision to make, they were taught all kinds of things, were taken care by their parents and nurtured to this day. Now they are men and women, given them some applauses, today is their day."
The applauses were vivid, some parents screaming the names of their families and some women becoming blushed, they were their parents.
The mayor coughed to attain attention again.
"As you all know they will choose what exit they are going through. Their options are the Copper Rat, the Silver Dog, the Golden Tiger and finally the Jade Dragon. Let me advise you this, the Cooper Rat is the easiest way and the Jade Dragon the hardest."
The parents which weren't Monster Hunters were tense about their children choice, some were praying to them pick the cooper rat way, the rate of coming back after sometime outside was the highest compared to others and they most of them brought some items with them. Some parents that were hunter instructed their offspring to pick the silver dog or the golden tiger, they knew that the more difficult the path, better were the rewards.
Adults are ambitious, so, just imagine the hunger from the young adults, they wanted fame, richness, popularity, and of course, good drops.
The young men and women which were obliged to choose a path were sitting on the extra long wood bench, there were at least two hundred people sit, that means 200 decisions were going to be made.
The first person to choose was An Anne, a pretty girl with long and black hair, with a slim body.
Using the knife for the "ritual" she made a cut on her palm and dropped some blood drops on the silver dog bowl.
Some people talked.
"Pretty and playing safe"
"She is from my class, I guess she will be great on her path."
A lot of students went and put their blood drop on the bowls of their respective path, after one hour those were the stats:
Bowls
Cooper rat: 40
Silver Dog:11
Golden Tiger: 0
Jade Dragon: 0
After a short break the Choosing Day continued, parents were happy with their children choices, they even got eleven people who chose the Silver Dog path.
It was the turn of a young man wearing a white robe with silver details, on the back of his robe there was a golden tiger, some families that were close talked, they didn't low their voice and without attention, anyone was able to hear them.
"Look, he is the mayor's grandson, Xiao Yan."
"So arrogant, I heard he bullied others."
"I thought it was just a humor…what a monster."
"He does that because he is related to the mayor."
"Choosing the same path of his grandfather…he must be strong or it's just trying to look strong."
On his arrogant way, Xiao Yan cut his palm and dropped his blood drops on the golden tiger bowl. Others did the same, although they were just friends of Xiao Yan.
This was pretty common to happen, people doing small groups so they can go the higher paths, they call it of Party; although some grew bigger and bigger and became sects, this wasn't so unreal.
Three hours flew by, the actual stats were:
Bowls
Cooper rat: 140
Silver Dog: 53
Golden Tiger: 5
Jade Dragon: 0
The last two remaining to finish the test.
Xiao Yan and his friends were talking.
"No one is going to shine more than us boys."
"Yeahhh!" his followers, I mean, friends, were fired up, because of all the options, they were the only few who picked the golden tiger path. Although life it ain't that easy.
"School was a piece of cake, I don't know why they even bother to teach us that bull s*** sciences classes, we want to fight, am I right boys?"
"Yesss!" the little group were excited about their path pick, you may think they would be strong if only focused on the fighting ability, but I have to inform you that some people tried, and they all have something in common, none of them lived much after their pick.
Of the last two, we had one of each, a man and a woman. The man wasn't like the others, he was physically stronger, with defined muscles and a well-cultivated beard, with his almost pale skin and black hair and beard, he was a beautiful man, and obviously distinguished from the others. It was Beifong Li.
"Well the name suits him well, he looks powerful…"
"Yeah, that's Beifong Li, by what my son said he took the sciences and langue until 18 years old and is pretty good with his weapon."
"Weapon, do you mean only one?"
"Yeah, I heard he defeated others on the battle training with his scythe."
"Scythe, that's an unusual choice…"
The young man walked until the middle of the bowls and stopped. A smirk was visible on his face.
"If he is so good as you say, he will do great in the Silver Dog path."
The boy turned right and kept walking.
"Well, apparently Silver Dog isn't his choice…"
He stopped in front of the Jade Dragon. While others used the dagger to cut themselves, Beifong Li used in a different way, he stabbed his index finger and blood drops fell to the bowl.
The crowd was silent, after many years someone chose the Jade Dragon path. The followers of Xiao Yan were quite, while their leader was with a frowned eyebrows and a darkened face.
"Hey boss, don't bother, he is doing this to catch An Anne's attention…he will die soon, you'll see."
Xiao Yan ignored what his friend said and disturbed the crowd's silence with a question, he was trying to turn people against the young Beifong.
"You know that what you did isn't valid, right?"
A mean smirk appeared on Xiao Yan's face.
"Yeah I know the ritual, that's why I didn't cut myself. We have to put blood on the bowl of our path. And I did that…"
"But you didn't cut yourself, you stabbed your finger, that can't count." Xiao Yan tried to argue.
And his followers were screaming that what Li did was wrong.
"It does count, the word CUT never appeared in the "Ritual to the Path" book. It says explicitly right on the first page that I have to use blood drops, but doesn't say how I should take it outside my body. If you want, you can check, I have time."
"He can't be right, can he?"
"Someone go the library and get the "Ritual to the Path" book, said the mayor."
One of Xiao Yan's men volunteered and run away to the library to get the book. A few minutes later he came back with a book of three pages, that contained information about the ritual to choose the path.
He gave to the mayor and the old man started to read it out loud. As everyone was paying attention after the mayor finished reading the noticed something. The word CUT never appeared. The Beifong boy was right.
Everyone went quiet.
Xiao Yan knew if he kept speaking he would probably lose face. Beifong Li beat him only with words, Xiao Yan was mad, his hands' knuckles made some noises.
Beifong Li went by his family side.
"Did you really need to that?"
"Yes father, would I cut myself if I don't have too, that makes no sense to me."
"Uhm. More important, the Jade Dragon, do you believe you can do it?
"No." Said the boy bluntly.
"What? Are you out of your mind, you kid…" Leylin was getting mad, and he was pushing his son's ears.
"Father, I don't believe I can do it, I know I can do it."
The father stopped pushing and after hearing his son last phrase the father and the mother chuckled. The father started to pat his son's shoulders. Although his son was cocky he was glad to hear what he said.
There was a shy girl on the stage, only one word could describe her, beautiful. With a long and ginger hair, and a skin as soft as cotton candy she stole the attention of everyone else, maybe because she was the last one or maybe because she was beautiful. With the dagger in her hand, she went to the middle of the stage, her white robe danced while she walked.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone