Rivers of the Night - Chapter 543

Chapter 543: Aptitude Crystal

Peak Elder Lotus looked at Theron deeply for a long while. These words would have gotten almost anyone killed on the spot.

The name of a Sect couldn’t be so easily blasphemed, especially not by a mere Silver Mancer. Face was a huge matter, no matter what Sect you were in, or whether that world was in a little girl’s dantian or out in the open like this.

There was no escaping this truth.

And yet, here he was, an esteemed Peak Elder, having to face off against the crude words of a boy.

However, the words Theron spoke only made him more suspicious.

The trouble was just the same, though. Face.

Theron hadn’t hidden his presence here. And now, he was speaking out secrets of the Sect that had become open secrets, but the likes of these guards and many of the disciples didn’t dare to speak out casually for fear of angering the elders.

If Peak Elder Lotus just killed him here, it would do two things. For one, it might make them think that the situation was truly as bad as Theron said, not to mention it would make it feel as though the rules of the Sect were vapid.

But by the same token, if they allowed this disrespect, wouldn’t that just prove the same thing?

That said… a Dual Resonance Mancer was so impossibly rare that Peak Elder Lotus didn’t even know of one even in the Hall of Ice and Heart. This was a genius you made exceptions for…

And Theron clearly knew this.

“If you can prove that you have the strength to make it through the forest, then this can be allowed.”

“And what if I didn’t make it through with strength, but instead patience and ingenuity? How will you measure that?” Theron asked with the same smile.

“Are you saying that you are weak? In that case, what is the point of you participating in the Ice and Heart Gathering? To die with that same arrogant smile on your face?”

“And what if I could survive the gathering with the same wit?”

“If you can rely on your wit so heavily, then I’m sure you can do it through these tests, too.”

Seeing that Elder Lotus wasn’t being jerked around as easily anymore, Theron didn’t seem to mind it at all.

“And what if I prove myself?”

“Then you prove yourself and can join—.”

“No, no. If I prove myself, it would mean that I had already had the right to join where I stand now. You would have made me prove myself not once, but twice. So, you’d better have something in mind as valuable to me as a Core Disciple position.”

Peak Elder Lotus’ eyes flashed with a dangerous light. This boy… really didn’t know how to take a step back. But the more cocky Theron was, the clearer it seemed to be that he was confident in his abilities.

And the more he thought about it… if Theron really did have some points of suspicion, would he really be so bold?

“Come with me first. Anything else can be discussed after,” he finally said coolly.

“In that case, I’ll place my trust in esteemed Elder,” Theron said with a smile.

…

The disciple testing platform was empty. This wasn’t the season of accepting disciples, and even if it was, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it was entirely canceled.

Normally, this place was quite vacant outside of a few disciples who used this region as a square to lounge and socialize, while the testing ornaments were basically left abandoned for much of the year.

The disciples that were there, though, immediately had their attention caught by the odd occurrence.

“There are three tests. One of age. One of aptitude. And another of cultivation.”

“Age? Does it test relative age or cultivation age?”

Peak Elder Lotus’ eyes narrowed. “How would you know—” he shook his head. “Relative age.”

“Oh. That’s a shame.”

Theron said that and then placed his hand down.

Spots of light began to accumulate and with a rush, solidified.

“Fifteen,” Peak Elder Lotus said calmly as Theron removed his hand from the crystal. “This is the aptitude crystal here.”

“What does aptitude test? How’s it different from the cultivation crystal?”

“The aptitude crystal tests your Resonance. The cultivation crystal tests the purity of your cultivation, whether you reach the standards of the Sect or not.

“I’m sure you know the Resonance levels. Commoner, Imbued, Manaborn, Runebound, Arcane, Celestial. You must be Manaborn to be admitted into the Sect.”

Theron smiled. “Even as a Dual Resonance Mancer?”

Peak Elder Lotus’ expression flickered. He hadn’t thought of it. But if Theron was Imbued…

After a while, Peak Elder Lotus shook his head. If Theron was Imbued, then it would be worthless even if they admitted him. He had been so enamored by the Dual Resonance status that he didn’t consider that if Theron’s Resonance was too weak, then it didn’t matter.

In fact, a weak Resonance would also explain his weak cultivation—.

A blinding light erupted.

The disciples in the surroundings immediately turned their attention over, their hearts beating out of their chests.

They had become uninterested after seeing Theron’s age and sensing his cultivation. A fifteen-year-old Quasi Gold Mancer wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t worth their attention. Maybe he was an illegitimate child of some elder or something.

But the moment the light erupted, their hearts were shaken.

The white light of a Commoner Resonance shattered, forming the almost piss-yellow colored light of Manaborn, before it was shattered as well into a beautiful gold.

However, even that only existed for a small instant before the gold warped, becoming one Rune, and then a second. One gold Rune was sparkling with sky blue, and another was radiating a foggy black.

Runebound.

And then the gold deepened and enriched itself… becoming a deep dark gold.

Arcane.

Peak Elder Lotus’ pupils trembled fiercely, his fists clenching.

What happened next surprised even Theron. He didn’t expect the aptitude crystal to misread his body the way it did, but it was already too late by the time it happened.

The Runes collapsed, forming a wing of sky blue and another of deep black.

A silence fell over the Sect as the rumbling of the aptitude crystal shook the peak.

Celestial.