RuiHaan from across the hall couldn't hold back anymore and whispered under his breath even though everyone could hear him, "Jihoon, Elder Liu can hear you."
Jihoon whipped his in RuiHaan's direction and glared at him, "You brought me here, I will deal with you later!"
Raising his hands in surrender RuiHaan smiled and stopped annoying Jihoon. Bearing his teeth Jihoon looked at Elder Teng and asked, "Why am I here?"
Elder Teng shook his head and asked, "Didn't your guardian tell you?" Jihoon shook his head. Realizing something, Elder Teng's gaze turned sharp and glared at Jihoon, "Why are you late?"
Jihoon pointed to behind him, frowning then he pointed in front of him, frowning deeper he pointed to the left then the right. Seeing his confused and frowning face Elder Teng asked, "What are you pointing at?"
Jihoon, "Which way is the statue in front of the library pavilion?"
Elder Teng, "To your left." Grinning, Jihoon pointed to his left and said, "I was reading the message on the stone plaque." Elder Teng and the others were surprised when they heard this but didn't show it on their faces.
Elder Liu, "You can really read what's written on the plaque?"
Jihoon looked at him, smiled saying, "Yes, it's the reason why I took so long."
Elder Teng, "Really?"
Elder Liu, "That's true, both brother Ren and I saw him standing in front of the statue frowning, come to think of it, why were you frowning?"
All eyes were on Jihoon who was still smiling but suddenly his smile froze and it dropped, looking at the gazes he looked down at the ground and answered, "It took me some time to decipher the ancient characters and the reason why I was frowning is that…"
Suddenly remembering something he lifted his head and looked at Elder Teng asking, "Why am I here?"
Elder Teng placed his hand on Jihoons shoulder, from the day he met Jihoon he could see that something was troubling him and seeing that Jihoon didn't continue his answer he left it and told everyone via mental transmission, to not dig into Jihoons reasoning because they don't know who he is and what he is capable of yet.
Elder Teng, "Everyone here is looking for a talented individual to mould and back in order to grow their sect. We will be testing out your talent and maybe you will be chosen by one of the sects and learn under them and the academy for the next few years."
Jihoon, "But what if I am not chosen?"
Elder Teng, "How can you not be chosen… I wouldn't have told you to return today if I didn't see potential in you."
Jihoon looked at Elder Teng and frowned.
Elder Teng, "What's with your reaction?"
Jihoon, "No one can be so kind-hearted." After saying this Jihoon swept his gaze over the cultivators in the hall making them all frown.
Elder Teng, "It doesn't matter, besides, you already told me that when you were sent away by your parents you were a first stage Heaven realm cultivator and you skipped three realms by yourself so how can you not be talented?"
Jihoon, "But I am useless…"
Elder Teng, "Nonsense!"
Jihoon jumped hearing Elder Teng yell at him, tears started welling up in his eyes. Elder Teng was caught off guard by Jihoon's sudden change in emotions, feeling a little helpless, "Don't cry aren't you a man?"
Jihoon placed his hand on his nose embarrassed, "Elder…"
Elder Teng, "..."
Shaking his head, Elder Teng pulled Jihoon to a table on the far right and started, "Place your hand above a weapon and if the weapon lights up you can pick it up but if the weapon doesn't light up, move your hand to the next weapon. Each weapon belongs to a sect that is present today and if the weapon chooses you, you can have it without compensating the said sect."
Jihoon, "What if none of the weapons chooses me?"
Elder Teng, "Then it is alright."
Jihoon, "..."
Looking down at the first weapon on the table Jihoon let his spiritual power circulate inside his body, closing his eyes he saw the shadow of his body in the darkness and the dancing green flames spiralling inside his body. Soon he placed his hand above the first weapon and circulated his spiritual power to flow out from his pores and onto his skin.
When this happened the atmosphere in the hall turned dark, a ghost howl was heard then the laugh of a little child. The sect leaders widened their eyes then looked at one another seeming to understand something, circulating their powers on guard against what was going to come.
Elder Teng was surprised too. He looked at Jihoons back then at the cultivators in the seats sitting to his right.
Sending them all a mental message telling them to wait and not attack, convincing them to not hinder Jihoon so that they could analyse the situation because he seemed to not know many things and he could even read what they couldn't.
The sect leaders calmed down and some even looked over at the three demonic cultivating sects who were also here. Like the stone plaque said, demonic sects were allowed to study at Heavenly Soul along with the other sects in order to stop greater evil beings.
The demonic sects all had a trait, the Samkida sect had the gold flame, Tuseog-Gi sect had the red flame and the Juhong sect had the purple flame. Looking at Jihoon's poison green flame they all thought of something similar from the books that they read while cultivating at Heavenly Soul.
Seeing that the first weapon, second weapon and third weapon didn't light up, Jihoon kept moving on.
He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling then looked at all the cultivators who looked distressed. Jihoon stopped in his tracks looking at Elder Teng who was frowning.
Jihoon, "Should I stop?" he asked with a scared look on his face.
Elder Teng squinted his eyes and asked, "Why when no weapon has chosen you?"
Jihoon didn't answer him and instead looked over all the cultivators who looked like they were going to attack him at any moment. Looking down at his hand that was hovering above a bow. He closed his hand dispelling all of the dark aurae that were in the air.
The hall was clear again, seeing this they all looked at Jihoon whose head was lowered and wiping something off his face.
Elder Teng, "Lee Jihoon?"
Jihoon didn't raise his head but still answered, "Y-yes?"
Elder Teng walked over to him and placed his hand on Jihoons shoulder. This made Jihoon look up at him. Elder Teng saw the wry smile on Jihoon's face and the tears in his eyes. Not feeling sure about what was happening he asked him, "Why are you crying?"
Jihoon, "Won't they attack me if I continue?"
Elder Teng turned to look at everyone then looked back at Jihoon feeling helpless and said, "I'm stronger than all of them, they won't attack you while I am around."
Jihoon lowered his head and smiled, he could see through Elder Teng's cultivation and although he was strong he wasn't as strong as his father. Jihoon felt warm in his heart, [Is he trying to protect me?]
Nodding his head he said, "I don't have a strong combat ability, so I doubt any weapon will choose me but I will continue if elder wishes it."
Elder Teng, "Please continue."
Jihoon, "Then I won't hold back."
Elder Teng, "You were holding back?"
Immediately after he asked this, Jihoon didn't even lift his hand and the hall was covered in a dense green mist.
Jihoon's eyes which were hazel previous were bright green with sparks of lightning coming out of them. Elder Teng's eyes widened, he opened his mouth wanting to say something but heard a scream. Looking in the direction the scream came from the weapon tied around the vice Headmaster of all girls cultivating sect Rim Mei Ho.
The weapon was a chain that was bright pink in colour with purple crystals embedded into it. This weapon of hers appeared like a belt and jewellery that was wrapped around her waist to hold her robe closed and not expose her inner garments. The chain reacted to Jihoons dense aura and wanted to go to him while all the other weapons on the table quivered.
The chain unwrapped itself from Rim Mei Ho's waist and flew to him, hovering in front of him. Rim Mei Ho closed her robe quickly and brought out a belt from her spatial ring tying it around her. Her face was slightly pale because the chain severed its connection with her and ran to serve Jihoon instead.
Jihoon looked at the chain in front of him while frowning, he didn't like the colour of the crystals and its pink metal.
He took a step back and said, "Elder Teng, I don't want this ugly thing."
Elder Teng looked at Jihoon saying, "It severed its connection with its owner for you and yet you reject it, do you know what this weapon is?"
Jihoon looked at him and shook his head.
Elder Teng, "This weapon is crafted from the pink coloured meteorite from the heavens and the crystals embedded in it has taken billions of years to form inside the oceans volcanoes."
Jihoon looked at the crystal embedded chain and shook his head saying, "Although I can tell that it is powerful, I still don't want it."
Elder Teng, "Why not?"
Jihoon refused to give another reason, he didn't want to say that the chain should change its colour.
Hovering in front of him the consciousness of the chain slowly woke up and spoke to him, "Why won't you let me serve you?"
Jihoon was taken aback by this but quickly answered without hesitation, "It's because you are ugly."
Crystal chain, "..."
Jihoon, "..."
Crystal chain, "Why do you say that I am ugly?"
Jihoon, "I don't like those colours."
The crystal chain gave him a once over and said, "I can change myself to suit you."
Jihoon, "You can?"
Then the crystal chains pink metal turned black slowly, next its crystals turned royal blue in colour. Seeing this Jihoon's eyes shined. When the chain was done transforming it asked, "Does this suit you?"
He didn't answer it, instead, he reached for it and grabbed it by the crystal that hung in the very front. Looking at it deeply he smiled then squeezed it so hard that the crystal cut into his hands making blood seep out.
Elder Teng and the others frowned seeing this, instead of forming a connection with it, he let his blood into the crystal forming a blood contract.
Elder Teng, "Jihoon, what are you doing?"