Krune entered the combat room. In front of him, there were five puppets, all of them with a combat power equivalent to a 5th Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. If Krune could use spiritual energy skills, he could finish all of them in a second, but this is a Divine Sense combat. He has to win with Divine Sense alone.
"The attacks available for me to practice were simple elemental Divine Sense attacks. If I use fire-element based Divine Sense, I can burn the opponent's soul. If I use ice, which is a branch of the water element, I can slow down the opponent's thinking speed. Hasik asked me not to break them, so I guess I will simply aim at the puppets' cores. This way, I will not damage the Divine Sense spheres inside them."
The battle started, and the puppets moved forward. Different from Krune, the puppets used both Divine Sense attacks and Spiritual energy attacks together. Krune now understood why this test was considered difficult. It made a huge difference in the combat power whether a cultivator is not able to use spiritual energy skills, while his opponents could. But Krune didn't mind so much. His wind element movement was almost perfect. Nothing the puppets would throw at him could hit his body.
The only attacks that reached Krune were the Divine Sense ones. This isn't anything that can be avoided since the Divine Sense covers everything. You can only defend or resist! Thanks to his tribulation lightning soul training, the pain inflicted by those puppets was laughable in his eyes. Krune kept dodging the spiritual energy skills while attacking the puppets cores with his Divine Sense. He purposely selected water not to damage the puppet's core. He was making them use all the spiritual energy available in their cores, which was how Krune was planning to finish this battle.
Back at the Order Hall, Hasik let out a sigh of relief.
'It seems like the puppets will be okay. This test was somewhat extremely hard for the people in the past. But with his tribulation lightning soul tempering, it's no wonder the puppets' Divine Sense attacks have little to no effect on him. I reckon that his friends will have a harder time passing this test than Krune had.'
The battle continued, and the puppets finally ran out of spiritual energy. Krune let out a sigh of relief because he really didn't damage anything this time. Hase Hasik was also happy. At least the puppets, which can use Divine Sense, weren't broken this time.
Just as Krune was about to step on the teleportation formation, he heard a sound.
"Crack."
Everyone felt a chill on their backs. It couldn't be, right!?
But before they could check, they saw the Divine Sense sphere on the head of one of the puppets break apart. The puppet soon followed. If one looked close, all the connections keeping the puppet's parts together had been fried.
Krune couldn't believe what happened in front of his eyes.
"What's the hell? It's not my fault, I swear!"
Hasik quickly summoned a few more puppets to check what had happened there. His face was a mix of grief and rage. He even asked him not to break the puppets, but, in the end, one of them simply crumbled like a pile of rusted metal.
When he got the result, his rage turned into incredulity.
"You! Why did you use the power of tribulation lightning on them? This isn't something they can resist! First of all, how can you even use the tribulation lightning with your Divine Sense?"
Krune heard that and was as surprised as Hasik.
"Tribulation Lightning? That's not possible! I used water, I didn't put even an ounce of any other element in my Divine Sense attack. It had been water all along!"
Hasik looked at Krune's face. It didn't look like he was lying, but then again, who other than Krune would have tribulation lightning here?
'Could it be…?'
Hasik then summoned a weak puppet forward. If something happened to it, it wouldn't matter.
"Attack this puppet! Don't worry about breaking it, it's very cheap and easy to make. Use only your Divine Sense without any element."
Krune understood where Hasik was coming from. He is the only source of tribulation lightning in this place, after all.
After using some Divine Sense attacks on the puppet, it crumbled down just like the last one. When Hasik sent the other puppets forward to check, the result was the same. Even though Krune hadn't used any element, his Divine Sense attacks still had the tribulation lightning power on them.
Hasik and the others looked at Krune through the illusory formation. It was then that Shinja spoke.
"Krune had been tempering his soul through the use of the Tribulation Lightning, the one that had entered his future golde- errr… rainbow core. Could it be that his soul got some of these properties?"
Hasik and Krune pondered a bit but couldn't find any other answer. What Shinja said made a lot of sense as well.
"But how come I've never noticed it before?"
"Because you are an idiot."
This time was Ao, Hasik, and Shinja, who answered together.
Krune almost fainted right there and then. Where did his leader pride go to? He doesn't know, maybe it hasn't been with him from the very start.
Hasik then thought about something.
"Try to check your soul! The tribulation lightning is something made for annihilation. Since it's part of your soul now, it might be causing serious damage to it, and you haven't even noticed it yet."
Krune was alarmed. He immediately concentrated on his soul, and after searching for a while, sure enough, he could faintly feel the power of the tribulation lightning lingering around it. But the weird thing is that although it was present in his soul, it didn't try to harm him if anything. It felt somewhat gentle as if this were the place it was supposed to be. Krune told Hasik and the others what he'd found.
"That's weird, It's not causing any harm. It seems like you didn't notice, not because you are an idiot with high IQ, but because it wasn't hurting you, first of all."
Krune mouths twitched, he finally lost his patience.
"Those Divine Sense puppets that remained are very important, right? It would be a pity if someone accidentally released some tribulation lightning over them. Don't you think?"
Hasik's face immediately changed.
"Cough, cough. It was a joke, a joke! Don't you know how to take a light joke?"
Krune didn't believe a single word. He took out some tribulation lightning and played with it on his fingers while looking at the remaining four puppets afar. Krune's face looked like we were making an important decision in his life.
Hasik kept apologizing. He only didn't cry because he didn't have tears to start with.
On the other side, Shinja and Ao were holding their laughs. They looked at each other and smiled. Maybe it's because Krune can hold everyone tightly together without noticing. You will never get bored with him around.
Krune finally put the tribulation lightning back into his rainbow core and came back to the Order Hall. Hasik looked at him with some fear but spoke anyway.
"Well, this is a good thing in the short term. If you haven't noticed yet, when you were doing your previous tests, your Divine Sense didn't manifest the power of the tribulation lightning. It means that it only appears when you have the intention of attacking something. I reckon if you keep tempering your soul with tribulation lightning, this power will get even stronger with time."
"The problem is that I don't know if this is a good or bad thing in the long term. It might have huge repercussions during the Core Formation Realm breakthrough as well since the soul plays a big part in it. Not to mention that all core formation cultivators need to go through the Heavenly Tribulation as well. It might have some effects on the tribulation lightning inside your soul too."
Krune nodded. It's still too soon to know what will happen with his new power. But, at first, it looks like it doesn't matter what element he infuses in his Divine Sense attacks. It will always have the destructive power of the tribulation lightning as part of it. What he needs to decide is whether he will keep using the tribulation lightning to temper his soul or not.
Hasik noticed that to keep thinking about it wouldn't bring them anywhere, so he changed the topic.
"Leave the matter of the tribulation lightning aside for now! You have just finished the last test. So, from now on, you are a legacy disciple of the Mohie Sect. You have also acquired the power to control this dimension to a certain extent, together with the resources available for legacy disciples.
Krune's eyes lit up.
"Does it mean that I can take anything I want out now?"
Hasik shook his head.
"You can use anything inside the dimension, but you can't take them out, except for things like Spirit Stones, pills, or runestone formations."
Krune and the other were puzzled. But they waited for Hasik to continue.
"It's because, in the past, to prevent other legacy disciples from robbing the sect, all important items had been branded by the sect. As long as they are removed from the Mohie Sect dimension, they will be destroyed by the band left behind."
Krune understood it, but the fact they can take the spirit stones, pills, and others is already perfect.
"How many spirit stones are available for us now?"
Hasik just laughed at that question.
"None!"
Krune and the others' jaws dropped.
"What?!"
"Then what were all those spirit stones that we'd got from the tests?"
Ao and Shinja were nodding. They also want to know!
"Those are spirit stone prepared to be the reward of future disciples. Even I can't take them away unless someone passes the test to receive the reward. Think about it! If you are to die outside or simply decide to give up on the Mohie Sect and never come back, what will be there for those that come after? You should have noticed by now that what the Mohie Sect wants is to revive the sect."
"Then, what is the use of gaining this 'partial control' over this dimension?"
Hasik then said:
"Of course there is use for it! First, you can enter and leave as you wish. You don't need to be afraid of the illusion formations outside at all!
Second, you have access to the herb garden. For an alchemist like you, this should be a great thing!
Third, all equipment is available for you to use as you wish… as long as you don't break it.
Fourth, you can bring anyone here without needing to pass through the illusion formations test. Of course, if they want cultivation techniques, they will have to pass the first two tests as well.
Fifth, this dimension or 'Secret Realm' as you say, has the power to protect you. As long as the opponent cultivation isn't above the Divine Soul Realm, you won't have to be afraid of or being killed while inside here.
There is a lot more, but I believe you understood what I mean."
Krune let out a sigh of relief. For a second, he thought that all his hard work was for nothing. At least the medicinal herb garden had caught his attention.
He was about to ask about that when Yusa suddenly entered the Order hall.
"So this is where you all are! I went to your rooms but didn't find anyone."
Krune and the others were surprised.
"Did you finish creating you Spiritual Energy Meridians already?"
Yusa shook her head.
"I have created four. According to what you told me, I still need one more. But I can already feel an enormous difference in my control over the elements just like you said. I have improved a lot! Of course, I'm still a far cry from you."
She looked around and asked.
"So, what are you here for?"
Shinja then explained what had happened during the time she was out.
"I see! So no spirit stones in the end. It seems like we were right in deciding to pass the endurance test ten levels. The reward will be very welcomed."
Shinja noticed that Yusa was looking sad somehow.
"What happened?"
Yusa's eyes started to tear up. She jumped and hugged Shinja while saying.
"It's over."
That scene took them aback. Over? What's over?
"What else could it be? My spirit stones, of course! They are over! The four Spiritual Energy Meridians used a lot, and when I was creating the fifth, my spirit stones ran out in the middle, and it crumbled."
So that's what it was about. With how much Yusa loved spirit stones, it's no wonder that she would weep over it.
She then turned to Krune with shining eyes.
"Which means... I need more spirit stones. You have passed all tests with the highest rate. So lend me some."
Krune's face immediately contorted.
"Scram! I, your grandfather, put a lot of effort to get those! If you want more, go find it yourself."
Yusa then turned to Ao and Shinja, but they immediately turned their heads away.
'She would never pay it back,' they thought.
Yusa looked at that and was disappointed. It seems like she will need to work harder.
Krune ignored her and turned to Hasik.
"Can you bring me to the herb garden?"
Hasik nodded.
"I can. But let me tell you that the garden has different levels of access. It has nothing to do with your status as a legacy disciple, but with your cultivation realm. It is made this way to encourage the legacy disciples to put effort into their cultivation as well."
Krune nodded.
It is particularly enticing for an alchemist like him. Krune stepped over the formation and was teleported over. When he got there, he was surprised. The variety and amount of herbs available were terrific. Of course, rare and older herbs were in much fewer quantities than the normal ones. Puppets walked everywhere, taking care of the garden. For an alchemist like him, this was really a paradise!
It was then that he noticed several formations covering different parts of the enormous garden.
'It should be the formations preventing those who don't have the right cultivation realm from entering.'
Krune then started to gather the herbs he would need in the future. Of course, as an alchemist, he knows very well not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. If there were three, he would take one. If there were five, he would take two. Hasik was observing Krune without him noticing and gave an approving nod.
Shinja and the other were about to leave the Order Hall when Hasik suddenly remembered one thing.
"Oh right, I forgot to ask him what name the sect should be changed to."
Yusa and the others looked at him: "Sect name changing?"
"You know our Mohie Sect is mortal enemies with the Rasie Clan. I can't allow you to go outside, saying that you are part of the Mohie Sect, right? So it was agreed long ago that the next legacy disciple would be able to select a different name for this branch. If you remember what I commented before, the sect name was decided in a whim by the sect founder. So we don't really have any huge attachment to it to start with. We loved the sect, not the name."
Ao and the others nodded. It made sense after all, not to mention it would make things safer.
Yusa's eyes suddenly lit up. She's just thought about something very interesting. She couldn't help but feel excited thinking about Krune's face when he finds out.
"In that case, there is no need to ask him, we all know what name he would be using anyway."
Ao and Shinja eyes suddenly lit up as well. Shinja has already been told how their team name came to be. She laughed for quite a while when she heard that, especially when she noticed Krune's face while Yusa explained the reason.
Ao didn't lose the opportunity and then commented.
"That's true, I doubt he would ever use another name other than that."
Shinja helped strike the iron while it was hot.
"It has a lot to do with his personality, after all. It's very catchy."
Hase Hasik was a little puzzled but didn't doubt anything.
"That's understandable, you are very close to him after all, here. Take it."
He then took a token and gave it to Yusa.
"Just write the name over it, and it will be over. When the process is done, the dimension formation will automatically send a message for those inside the dimension telling about their new names."
Yusa and the others felt like they were of fire! Yusa immediately wrote down the new name while Ao and Shinja looked excited at that.
Right after, everyone, Krune included, heard a robotic voice coming from the dimension itself.
"Congratulations to legacy disciple Krune for choosing the Mohie Sect's next name. The sect shall from now on be called…"
"Rainbow Sect."
In a certain garden outside the city, a certain wisp passed out.