"How can you prove your worth if you just proclaid yourself as an unworthy one?" Arion scoffed.
"Precisely because I want to make myself worthy of being his disciple through his test," Shun smirked.
Arion shook his head and hoped that Old Zi gave him sothing hard.
"Okay. But you have the choice whether to take this test or not since it is quite a dangerous one," Old Zi said in a serious tone.
Shun said in an earnest tone, "Of course. I am ready to face anything as long as I can be your disciple."
Old Zi nodded with an appreciative smile, "Good." He then asked, "What is your Defity?"
"Prana Binding Stage, 10th Cycle."
Old Zi's expression beca thoughtful as he said, "Alright, as you already saw, these hills are occasionally frequented by Baneteeths. So I want you to kill only one by night and bring its corpse to . And you would have to do this alone without anyone's help. Now, are you sure you want to take this test? Killing a lone Baneteeth wouldn't be impossible with your Defity. But they always stay together in packs. And seeking them out is usually a death sentence for soone who doesn't know what they are doing."
Arion took in a deep breath, not expecting Old Zi to give Shun quite a difficult test after all. He thought that Old Zi might go easy on Shun since he seems like a newbie.
But now, he felt that Old Zi's standards for a disciple were indeed quite high, and he considered himself lucky that he got in without any extra efforts, although he did get to beco his disciple because of his noble deed.
If he was asked to kill a Baneteeth all alone, he had no idea how he would be able to accomplish it.
He himself knew that he was able to kill a Baneteeth only because of the perfect conditions and protection he had.
But if he was to face a pack of them all alone, he would run since even if he killed one of them, he would have already died by that ti.
So he couldn't help but smile inwardly, seeing how Shun got himself into a suicidal test.
Shun's expression tightened as flickers of hesitation flashed in his eyes. But he then took in a deep breath and said with resolute eyes, "Okay. I will accomplish it sohow."
'Whoa. He accepted it for real. How the heck does he plan to kill one?' Arion thought that Shun might co up with so excuses to wiggle out of the test. But it seed like he was serious about becoming Old Zi's disciple.
"Shun, are you sure you want to do it? Baneteeth's move in packs, and without the necessary skills or powers, it is hard to take them all on at once," i said in a cautionary tone.
She didn't know if Shun knew how to fight Dreadlings. But even if he did, going against a horde was another thing unless one had superior Defity to effortlessly kill them all.
She felt that Shun and Arion might beco friends later on and maybe even support each other in the fight against the Dreadlings. She knew how important it is to have soone who could have one's back in the field.
So she warned Shun so that he would think this through since there was a good chance he could lose his life in vain.
She knew that the reason Old Zi kept such a difficult test was that passing this test would an that Shun had enough potential to survive longer in the fight against Dreadlings. And if he failed, it would an that he was not cut out to fight against them and might even die in the Ironheart test.
This was how stringent the standards and requirents were for experts to pick out their disciples since they wouldn't want to waste their resources and ti on soone who will die too easily.
But at the sa ti, once they pick their disciples, they would give it their all to train them and make sure they even outshine their masters.
"Of course. If I fail this test, then it ans I would probably fail the Ironheart test too. So I want to find out if I am cut out for this," Shun replied while Arion knitted his brows, wondering why he seems so confident.
"Hmm. Then your test starts now. It's noon now, and you have ti till dusk. Well, since it is your first ti doing such a test, you can also return by night. But let tell you, it would be better if you reach the top of the hills before the skies get too dark since Dreadlings know that people are more vulnerable during the night, and they love to co out at that ti," Old Zi warned.
"No problemo. I will definitely co back with a Baneteeth's corpse before today ends," Shun said as he patted his chest.
"There is no hurry. You can even co tomorrow, or it is better you don't co at all. I am sure you can enjoy so company with a horde of Baneteeths," Arion said with a smirk.
"But rember...in case you find it impossible or too dangerous, you always have the choice to return back. This is not the Ironheart test where it's either pass or fail. Here you have the option to drop it in the middle of it. I won't think much of it, and it only ans that you aren't ready yet. That's all."
Shun nodded with a serious expression.
"Well, then we four will go ahead, and you can go do whatever you want to pass the test. I wish you all the best and hope you succeed," Old Zi said as he gestured to the others to follow him.
Arion smiled and ca forward to Shun, "Just saying in advance. No one's gonna miss you."
"We will see about that," Shun smirked.
Arion squinted his eyes, feeling that this guy was surely up to sothing.
After an hour, the four finally reached the peak of the hills, and Arion saw two small settlents in the place and a small fence around it though he didn't feel like the fence would be much useful to defend against the Dreadlings.
But then again, he was curious about the pranic item Old Zi uses to ward off Dreadlings.
"I hope the humble accommodation I have prepared for you all isn't a disappointnt," Old Zi said as he pointed to the second cottage just a few ters away from his house.
"Oh, not at all. We don't have such high expectations, haha," Yaro said with a laugh.
"Yes. Thank you, Old Zi, for arranging everything. We couldn't ask for more," i happily said, seeing that the cottage looked quite nice, and even if it was small, she felt that they could adjust.
Old Zi slightly smiled as he said, "Actually, I prepared everything thinking that only you and Arion would be coming here. I never expected two more friends to join."
Yaro awkwardly smiled as she said, "Well, I thought I would miss these two very much, and they would also miss my food, right, you two?"
i and Arion nodded with smiles while Old Zi slightly smiled and said, "Right. I guess we are all lucky to have you here, Yaro. Well then, you should all make yourselves comfortable, and we will start training by tomorrow. As for Shun, we will find out by tonight."
Old Zi sighed as he looked at the skies wondering whether Shun was going to turn up alive or dead.
Arion, i, and Yaro went inside their temporary house, and just as he expected, the whole house was a bit smaller than even his and i's house.
But there were two rooms and one smaller room which seed like a spare room for keeping so stuff.
'I guess Shun has his own room to sleep...if he returns' Arion inwardly smiled, seeing the small room.
"So I guess you two will be taking a room together, right? Or Arion, do you want to stay with in my room and give i her own room?" Yaro asked with a playful smile.
"Oh, there's no need for that. I am comfortable with him in my room. We don't want to trouble you," i said with a smile.
"Of course, of course. I am really jealous of how close your brother and sister pair are. Haa...blood is indeed the thickest," Yaro said with an exaggerated sigh as she sauntered into her room.
i and Arion wryly smiled as they exchanged glances before going into their room.
The skies beca dark soon, and Shun still hadn't returned yet. Arion was still up and was quite curious if Shun was dead or alive and if he was still alive, what was he still up to.
Even though he felt that soone with Shun's Defity would certainly fail Old Zi's test, he had a feeling that Shun was too sly to fail and might have so tricks up his sleeves.
He went outside his house to enjoy the night sky. But right as he ca out, his brows raised as he saw a surprising sight.
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