The 4th chapter of the web novel is titled "炼骨崖", which translates to "Bone Refining Cliff". It was published in Chinese on Qidian (2008), and was later translated into English by Wuxia World (2016).
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Division Head Yue instructs the children that they will have to climb the Bone Refining Cliff by noon to become an Inner Disciple, but that they still have the chance to become an Unofficial Disciple if they demonstrate remarkable prowess and manages to ascend the cliff at all. The route consists of three parts: a bamboo forest, a rocky slope region, and finally the cliff. Finally, he reassures the children that their seniors will be protecting them from behind in case of danger.
Bamboo Forest[]
Glancing at the rising sun, Division Head Yue tells them to prepare to set off. Han Li feels unwilling to lose to those in his age group; The atmosphere grows with anticipation. He takes a brief look at the seniors behind them, when he discovers that the other children has already rushed ahead, prompting him to quickly move forward as well. Within the spacious bamboo forest, the children scatter.
The bamboo forest is deceptively ordinary as it grows more challenging to advance forward. His feet growing heavier, Han Li begins using the momentum of bamboo springing back to its original position to propel himself forward, before finally growing so weary that he had to find an empty place to sit down and rest. Not far in front, he can also hear heavy breathing, deducing that one of the faster children has also taken the opportunity to rest. Han Li releases some heavy bursts of air. Attached to his side was a lanky senior, standing nonchalantly on the steep ground, erect like the bamboo shoots nearby, his body devoid of dirt. Looking into the senior's cold eyes, Han Li's gaze shy away. After a short break, he swiftly resumes his journey.
Moving forward, the slope is perilously steep. Han Li decides to lie flat on the ground, clawing his way forward, in case he grows so exhausted that he falls flat on his face. As the bamboo shoots give way for rockier terrain, Han Li exits the bamboo forest and is met by a vast expanse of land, with a gargantuan mountain towering over the landscape. A few skinny kids were slowly ascending the stone cliff along with a few senior disciples keeping close tabs on them. "Han Li did not dare to hesitate any longer and rushed to make his way to the front of the huge rocky mountain."
Rocky terrain[]
Although he was lucky that his clothes were made of strong materials, they could not hold being dragged across the rocky surface. Soon, Han Li's clothes were tattered around his knees, while his hands were riddled with scrapes and gashes. He grits his teeth in pain every time his scraped knees come into contact with the jagged rocks. "Still, the few children in the lead were only climbing further and further away. Seeing the others ahead of him, Han Li refused to give up. (…) At this moment, Han Li no longer cared about joining the sect. Instead, the only source of motivation pushing him forward was an unwillingness to give in and the urgency to catch up to the others in the lead."
Surveying his position, Han Li noticed that Wu Yan was in the lead, and that he himself had surpassed quite a few children, "many of which were still rushing forward. Sucking in a deep breath, Han Li increased the speed of his ascent." In spite of this, he is still unable to shorten the distance between himself and those in the lead. "As the sun climbed towards the center of the sky," Han Li resignes that he will not be able to catch up to those in lead before noon, while Wu Yan begins ascending the cliff.
The notion of failing was quickly erased by a burst of sudden pain, which sapped the strength from his limbs. Feeling his body fall downward, Han Li frantically grasps a stone with one hand, rapidly pasting his body onto the side of the mountain. Calming down, he uses his hand to test the strength of the stone slab, determining that it was secured in place. Below him, he could see "that the lanky senior was in a half-squatting position with his arms extended out, preparing to catch Han Li if he fell. Seeing that Han Li was safe, however, the senior retracts his arms."
The Cliff[]
Finally at the summit, he slowly inches towards the remaining ropes, each with knots the size of a fist, hanging down the Bone Refining cliff. The sun has almost reached the center of the sky, indicating that there's only one hour left. Han Li's gaze coincidentally meets Wu Yan's, who has successfully ascended the cliff. The older boy jeers at the slower competitors, laughing manically, before continuing onward. "With anger rising in his heart, Han Li grabbed ahold of the rope and began to climb. However, Han Li had long since used up all his energy," feeling as if he was at the verge of collapsing.
Looking back, he could see that some of the children had already given up and sat themselves down on the mountain with heavy breaths. He miraculously manages to climb up to the first knot on his rope. "After hesitating for a while, he decides to carry on. Even though he had no chances of completing the test before noon, finishing late was better than hanging limp on a rope." But his hands stops responding to his will; he even lacks the strength to maintain his grip on the rope. He pauses and lingers for a moment, before reluctantly deciding to remain there seated on the knot.
Trivia[]
Before he left for the Inner Disciple Examination, Han Li's father and Third Uncle had warned him that the test would be extremely tough, and that if he did not persevere to the very end, he would have no chance of joining the Seven Mysteries Sect. Han Li smiles bitterly when he realizes that he has greatly underestimated the test.
