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Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

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So, while it's risky, I think that not taking the test leads to more issues.

1. Elder Zhou's Class - We'd be the only one who didn't have the same experience and take (and pass) the 3rd test. Come what may, we'll always be separated instead of having a shared bonding experience with the rest of the class. Given Zhou's preoccupation with unity, this is absolutely a loss because I suspect that this could be our "band of brothers." The whole even if you're not personally fond of someone, they're your group and no one messes with them but you.

2. Sun Liling - I think some people were interested in eventually seeing if we can become friends. I don't know if it'll be fatal, but this seems like it'd be a blow to any respect Liling may have toward Ling Qi, esp. since we've seen from her reaction to Zhou's speeches that she agrees with his POV.

3. Weakness - It illustrates weakness, both of Ling Qi herself in that she's not confident in her ability to pass and by corollary, to her group for her ducking out. It seems like it'd bring out more jackals and enough jackals can bring down a lion.

I am less worried about losing the boons we managed to pick up because:

1. The opposition will be Elder Jiao so he's unlikely to steal it from Ling Qi. Given his preoccupation with the benefits of conflict (see: his 1st speech on that in the intro), I'm pretty sure he's more interested in seeing if Ling Qi can defend herself and what she picked up from the other disciples whereas if he took it from her, it defeats that purpose.

2. Given Elder Zhou's preoccupation with cooperation and his comments describing the test, attempts to steal from or otherwise beat up your nominal allies in the 3rd (as opposed to opponents in the 1st and 2nd exam) seems like it'd fail the group and Zhou seems ... pretty hands on.

On another note:

"In this final test, I will see how well you are able to cooperate with those who are not friends or allies. A soldier of the empire, must put aside personal grievances and rivalries when in service, this will be the final test."
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So who do we know that passed the 2nd exam that is someone Ling Qi would struggle to cooperate with and to put aside personal grievances or rivalries? It would seem weird to have someone completely random show up that hasn't yet had interaction with Ling Qi.

I think Sun Liling is going to be who Ling Qi has to cooperate with and I think Ling Qi's going to be rolling those composure checks because Liling is almost certainly going to say something to her about this whole kerfluffle.
 
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I think we need to accept the pass here, Elder Jiao more or less just said that there are very good odds that we got something in the test that's significantly better than what anyone else got. Not even just that, but it's something that, if used well, might be worth enough to be his personal disciple.

While Han Jian/Gu Xialoan/ Han Fang are certainly pretty strong, they are also certainly not the strongest in the test, and we are going to be put in a team with unknowns. That's a recipe for getting robbed.

[X] Accept the Pass
 
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[X] Accept the Pass

If we could be 100% sure to pass I would take the test since that outcome is slightly better.
But since we have a chance both to fail and to lose our treasure it's not worth it.
 
Arkeus said:
I think we need to accept the pass here, Elder Jiao more or less just said that there are very good odds that we got something in the test that's significantly better than what anyone else got. Not even just that, but it's something that, if used well, might be worth enough to be his personal disciple.

While Han Jian/Gu Xialoan/ Han Fang are certainly pretty strong, they are also certainly not the strongest in the test, and we are going to be put in a team with unknowns. That's a recipe for getting robbed.
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During the supervised test that focuses on cooperation? It seems more likely that they will wait until after. Accepting the pass means turning down extra training and the chance to learn more about the people we are going to be defending against.
 
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Eri said:
During the supervised test that focuses on cooperation? It seems more likely that they will wait until after. Accepting the pass means turning down extra training and the chance to learn more about the people we are going to be defending against.
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Turning down extra training? What?

Also, why would they wait until after? They don't need us to pass (though it helps), and our treasure has been said to be worth magnitude more than succeeding in the test- and given how the test work, they aren't assured to pass even with our help. Right now is the ideal time to rob us, and the Elder as much as gave them permission to do so if we don't accept the pass.

Edit: waiting means that the treasure has good odd to be gone, and they can't attack use for another two months unless another sanctioned opportunity appears.
 
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She shook her head and turned her attention back to her own group. "We'll make it through even if there's another test. I didn't go through that for nothing," Ling Qi said with more conviction than she really felt.

"A good attitude to have," Gu Xiulan said absently, shifting closer to the fire. "Obviously we aren't going to fail at this point," she added with a more genuine confidence.
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There's solving things cleverly and then there's ... :( ducking out. Does it ever work out well? It seems like the type of story beat to set up for a fall or setback of some sort.

Arkeus said:
While Han Jian/Gu Xialoan/ Han Fang are certainly pretty strong, they are also certainly not the strongest in the test, and we are going to be put in a team with unknowns. That's a recipe for getting robbed.
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Wait, what? They are absolutely some of the strongest in the test, hence, finishing in the top 8.

Arkeus said:
Turning down extra training? What?

Also, why would they wait until after? They don't need us to pass (though it helps), and our treasure has been said to be worth magnitude more than succeeding in the test- and given how the test work, they aren't assured to pass even with our help. Right now is the ideal time to rob us, and the Elder as much as gave them permission to do so if we don't accept the pass.
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It's a test of cooperation against Elder Jiao / whatever he devises. Of course, it's not assured that even if everyone cooperates, that the group passes, but fighting your own fellow soldiers is absolutely going to fail Elder Zhou's exam.
 
[X] Take the Test Normally

Here's my reasoning: We were just told that this test is about working with someone that we don't like for the good of the empire. That's fine as a lesson and something to test for, but only if people don't know that that's the point. It doesn't work as a test if people know that that's what they have to do and know they're being watched. By singling us out, he has given a reason for people to fail-he's figuring out who's greed will overwhelm their good sense. More, he might be testing us. If we take the pass, we have pretty inherently said that we'll put our own good ahead of the Empire's. Finally, even if someone does attack us, well, we're actually pretty good at counter ambushes and running the hell away when needed.
 
[X] Accept the Pass

We gain next to nothing from doing it and risk pretty much everything, by taking the exam.

This is literally: "a bit of progress in <knives>" VS "our continued education in these matters"
 
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Eri said:
During the supervised test that focuses on cooperation? It seems more likely that they will wait until after. Accepting the pass means turning down extra training and the chance to learn more about the people we are going to be defending against.
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The third test would not have happened had there not been more than thirty students.

It isn't some grand spirit quest, it's there to trim down the numbers.

And guess what, we can learn how to work well with strangers when we aren't carrying something worth our life multiple times over.

It's literally one of the first things taught in boot camp. Zhou making it a learning opportunity is nice, but a Tournament model would have worked out the same.

The "lesson" is absolutely meaningless next to what we have here.
 
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Arkeus said:
Turning down extra training? What?

Also, why would they wait until after? They don't need us to pass (though it helps), and our treasure has been said to be worth magnitude more than succeeding in the test- and given how the test work, they aren't assured to pass even with our help. Right now is the ideal time to rob us, and the Elder as much as gave them permission to do so if we don't accept the pass.

Edit: waiting means that the treasure has good odd to be gone, and they can't attack use for another two months unless another sanctioned opportunity appears.
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Turning down the test is turning down training because the test is the training. Actually using our powers under stress is invaluable training, the same way that you don't learn a new language that well just by reading textbooks and doing exercises, you have to actually use it to speak/write to other people.
 
TotallyNotEvil said:
The third test would not have happened had there not been more than thirty students.

It isn't sime grand spirit quest, it's there to trim down the numbers.

And guess what, we can learn how to work well with strangers when we aren't carrying something worth our life multiple times over.
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I think the third test would have been there irregardless because Elder Zhou wants to test for this spirit of cooperation. You can always let the chaff in at the end of the 2nd to bolster up the numbers and then just weed them out with a worse group and a harder test from Elder Jiao. Given what Elder Zhou said, it's the Elders who are choosing the groups, not the students after all (else, they'd just ally with the people they already chose).

Like Naruto genin groups - you have the ones with the clan kids and elite jounin and then you have the chaff that get unceremoniously dumpstered and sent to the Genin Corps. If the elite jounin didn't want to pass anyone, they wouldn't have and nothing the kids could have done would have changed that. It's always going to be up to the jounin / Elder to set the difficulty level and situation.

I mean, who's going to complain? How would you even know that your test was harder? No one has enough experience to gauge the difficulty and compare with the other tests (assuming you could even see how others were faring).
 
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Hangwind said:
[X] Take the Test Normally

Here's my reasoning: We were just told that this test is about working with someone that we don't like for the good of the empire. That's fine as a lesson and something to test for, but only if people don't know that that's the point. It doesn't work as a test if people know that that's what they have to do and know they're being watched. By singling us out, he has given a reason for people to fail-he's figuring out who's greed will overwhelm their good sense. More, he might be testing us. If we take the pass, we have pretty inherently said that we'll put our own good ahead of the Empire's. Finally, even if someone does attack us, well, we're actually pretty good at counter ambushes and running the hell away when needed.
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Overthinking is the name of that thing you are doing.
Eri said:
Turning down the test is turning down training because the test is the training. Actually using our powers under stress is invaluable training, the same way that you don't learn a new language that well just by reading textbooks and doing exercises, you have to actually use it to speak/write to other people.
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Dude, time and place.
 
Katreus said:
I think the third test would have been there irregardless because Elder Zhou wants to test for this spirit of cooperation. You can always let the chaff in at the end of the 2nd to bolster up the numbers and then just weed them out with a worse group and a harder than normal test from Elder Jiao. Given what Elder Zhou said, it's the Elders who are choosing the groups, not the students after all (else, they'd just ally with the people they already chose).

Like Naruto genin groups - you have the ones with the clan kids and elite jounin and then you have the chaff that get unceremoniously dumpstered and sent to the Genin Corps. If the elite jounin didn't want to pass anyone, they wouldn't have. It's always going to be up to the jounin / Elder to set the difficulty level and situation.
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Thing is, the test is absolutely mundane.

He is free to wake the entire ducking crop of firsties with a magical trumpet and set them up for a (supposedly) team death match, and it would have just about the same effect.

Guys, guys, look at what Han Jian is advising. He, and the rest of the gang, is saying to go for it.
 
TotallyNotEvil said:
Thing is, the test is absolutely mundane.

He is free to wake the entire ducking crop of firsties with a magical trumpet and set them up for a (supposedly) team death match, and it would have just about the same effect.

Guys, guys, look at what Han Jian is advising. He, and the rest of the gang, is saying to go for it.
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No, he's not. He's showing support for Ling Qi and indicating that taking Ling Qi on is to make enemies with the rest of the squad. He's pointedly not advising one way or another as to what to do.
 
Eri said:
Turning down the test is turning down training because the test is the training. Actually using our powers under stress is invaluable training, the same way that you don't learn a new language that well just by reading textbooks and doing exercises, you have to actually use it to speak/write to other people.
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NO, "turning down the test" is NOT "turning down training", it's guarantying that we CAN receive training in the future, as oppose to risking it all for a bit of "look at how big my dick is, I'm as good as the rest of you!" points.
 
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yrsillar said:
It's not like she missed the way even Han Jian's gaze had flickered own for a second
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flickered on?
yrsillar said:
Thankfully she doesn't seem to be angry at your refusal.
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Slip in 2nd person
yrsillar said:
There are a series of wounds across his torso that make it look like he was clawed by some huge beast.
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Your tenses seem to be shifting throughout the update, are you writing in present or past tense?

Voting later though, now sleep...
 
TotallyNotEvil said:
Overthinking is the name of that thing you are doing.
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No, it really isn't. Say it with me "This is not normal Xianxia". They are not training just disciples here, they're training soldiers. Think less ISSTH and more Naruto. They want people that are actually good for the empire, not just the most powerful people they can find. Worse, they know what we got in the last test and we have no real backers. We have a bit of solidarity with our team, but it's a new thing. They could certainly take it away from us and just say that we weren't trustworthy. Hell, they don't even have to take it away forever; just promise to return it when we have "proven ourselves".
 
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