Everyone was shocked, and murmurs began among the students.
"What... why did she want to reject the first-grade ID?" someone asked in confusion.
"I don't understand this lady. Why would she want to refuse such a rare opportunity?"
"She isn't in her right mind."
The three elders exchanged looks among themselves, then turned their attention to the crowd in unison.
Noticing that the men suspected she rejected the ID because of someone among the crowd, Shu Fang's sweet voice echoed. "I heard that the academy doesn't force students to do things that they don't want to do; I have my own reasons for rejecting it. I hope the academy operates better than the rumors."
The men paid their attention back to Shu Fang. "Young talent, perhaps you don't understand the usefulness of the first-grade ID. Once you have this ID, you can visit any place in the academy, including the library," the man on the left spoke.
Shu Fang remained silent.
After waiting for a long time and seeing Shu Fang refuse to comment, the man in the middle sighed. "Fine..." he said, and the black bamboo stick in front of Shu Fang transformed into a dull green-colored bamboo stick. "Then I will present you the second-grade ID."
Shu Fang took the stick and walked away.
"She really gave up on the first-grade ID." The students began to comment.
"This lady really surprises me. Is there really someone who doesn't desire a good position on earth?"
"Are you asking this question? She is one, so there are definitely more like her."
"Correct, but it's a pity. I don't know if I should praise her lack of interest in a high position or criticize her for rejecting it."
Hearing the conversations, Han Jun began to feel uneasy. "How would she feel now? I made her reject such a good offer," he thought to himself, heartbroken. "Forget it; she shouldn't have too much interest in the ID, after all, she is the golden goddess," he reassured himself.
The men watched Shu Fang disappear from view and sighed in regret.
"Next, Han Jun."
Han Jun composed himself and stepped into the arena, slightly nervous.
"You are Han Jun?" the man in the middle asked in a strange tone.
"What's with that tone?" Han Jun thought to himself as he nodded in response.
The man in the middle took a deep breath and said, "You are to do something with the sculpture using the element you've cultivated within the shortest span of time."
Han Jun nodded in understanding but inside, he was cursing repeatedly. He looked at the sculpture in terror. "What to do? What to do? How do I cast a spell now?" Han Jun was completely clueless about what to do.
Everyone was watching Han Jun, who stood there motionless, doing nothing. They exchanged glances among themselves, even the men exchanged glances.
Han Jun noticed everyone looking at him from the corners of his eyes and slowly raised his hands. "Hay book... do something, do something," he screamed inwardly.
Everyone looked at Han Jun, whose hands were paused in the air, and wondered what he was doing.
Han Jun slowly closed his eyes and moved his lips without voicing out what he was chanting—or should I say, he was just moving his mouth as an act. "Book, don't embarrass me. I got into this trouble because of you, okay? Do something; my thoughts aren't active," he said to himself.
Unknown time passed, and Han Jun slowly opened his eyes, only to be shocked by the scene presented before him. "What... what is going on?" he asked.
The arena was destroyed and showed signs of being burnt; most of the students were in sorry states with ruined clothes and blackened faces. The three elders looked even worse, their hair disheveled and singed, their faces as black as charcoal. Their seats were nowhere to be found, and now they stood on their feet, looking at Han Jun with deadly glares.
"Can... can someone explain what happened here?" Han Jun asked again, completely clueless about what had unfolded.
"Are you really asking that silly question?" the man in the middle snapped angrily. "Do you know that you almost burned down the whole academy?" he shouted.
"Huh?" Han Jun was totally lost. "But, pardon me, I don't understand you," he said.
"You..." the man in the middle gritted his teeth angrily, almost ready to pounce on Han Jun, but thankfully, the other two men held him back.
...
Some minutes earlier.
He just stood there motionless; his time was almost up. "The man on the left commented with a frown."
This child, does he think this place is a place for fun? "The man in the middle didn't finish his statement when suddenly, his table caught fire."
Ah! "He was shocked that his first reaction was to flee." What was he doing? "He lost his composure as an elder and shouted angrily, looking at Han Jun, who was still there, motionless, with his hands spread in the air and eyes closed, mouth moving." Did he lose it? "He screamed, but suddenly, fire flashed past his face." Ha! "He screamed again."
Suddenly, fire mentors began falling from the sky as if it were raining. The three men reacted in time and formed a barrier to protect themselves, but strangely, the barrier turned out to be useless as the fire mentors passed through it and landed on their targets.
The students scattered, trying to hide, as did the elders. The once peaceful arena turned into a field of fire mentors immediately. Everyone scattered, desperately seeking a place to hide, but it was a pity that no one escaped without getting their share from the fire mentors.
The elders fared the worst; it was as if the mentors were specially targeting them, and they suffered more from the onslaught.
Surprisingly, the fire mentors did not approach the presumed statue, Han Jun, and merely destroyed the arena. Everything destructible in the whole arena was reduced to nothing.
..... Present .....
"Just present him the second-grade ID; he is a freshman. There's no need to be angry over his little mistake," the man on the left said.
Han Jun heard the man's words and, forgetting about the scene that had unfolded, he said, "Wait... you can't give me the second-grade ID; I deserve the first-grade ID!" He echoed immediately.
"You deserve a first-grade ID, you say?!" the man in the middle burst out in anger. "You easily destroyed the whole arena, and you still have the nerve to demand a first-grade ID."
"But..." Han Jun wanted to protest, but before he could finish his words, the man on the left cut in.
"While your talent is admired, you are not qualified for the first-grade ID. Even though the lady rejected the first-grade ID, we have already reserved it for her, so the first-grade ID isn't available for anyone. You should embrace the second-grade ID, young man. Also... for your information, the first grade ID is only for cultivatiors of nature"
"Han Jun was speechless." Even after having Shu Fang reject the first grade ID, I still failed to obtain it. This was completely opposite to My expectations. "He thought to himself and took the bamboo stick." Pity... how pityful... "He murmured, almost shedding tears."
"Youths, as you have already witnessed the turn of luck, the talent testing will end here today and can only resume after three stroke-counting days," the man on the left announced. "You all should go home and mend your injuries," he added.
The students nodded, and one by one, they left the hall.
The man in the middle took another glance at Han Jun before storming out of the hall with great difficulty. Other elders followed suit.
Han Jun looked at the stick in his hand and at the ruined hall. "But to think of it... how on earth did this scene unfold?" he thought to himself, taking another look at the burnt hall. "Better not to stay here too long," he decided, and ran out.
...
Han Jun was led to the last room for the test by a lady in a green dress. As soon as he entered the room, he found that there were no students inside, which surprised him.
"Welcome to Cultivators Academy, Han Jun, fire element cultivator." A bizarre voice echoed in the air, stunning Han Jun. The source of the voice could not be detected and Suddenly, a light descended onto Han Jun, and after a while, it vanished. "You are confirmed to have never been involved in any relationship. Congratulations, you are now a qualified student at Cultivators Academy," the voice stated.
Han Jun was completely dumbfounded. "I'm confirmed to have never been in any relationship? How is that even possible? Whatever is checking me really needs to be checked properly, but anyway, it's a benefit for me," he thought to himself and smiled.
A token appeared in the air in front of Han Jun. The token that appeared before Han Jun was a small, circular disc, about the size of a palm. Its surface shimmered with a dazzling blend of colors, resembling a molten mix of fire and ice. One half of the token glowed with fiery reds and oranges, reminiscent of flickering flames, while the other half sparkled with icy blues and whites, like freshly fallen snow under bright sunlight.
Intricate symbols were etched into the token's surface, their designs flowing elegantly from the fiery side to the icy side, suggesting a harmonious balance between the two powerful elements.
the voice spoke again. "This is your qualification token. You are qualified for the Third Square, Class A, Fire and Ice Cultivators Class. You are now a qualified student; I hope you will be the pride of the academy in the future."
Han Jun took the token, and as soon as the token made contact with his palm, he vanished and his traces in the room couldn't be found.