Rune paused for a moment, then extended his hand. A gigantic rock, about 50 meters tall, suddenly floated in the air. What came next surprised all the individuals in the room. Mechanical barrels resembling machine guns emerged from Rune's hand, which were cyborg-like. The world of cultivation had never seen anything like this before, and Isshin was taken aback.
Raijin was also intrigued, his tone turning serious. "That power. It doesn't belong to this world. Rune must have obtained it through unidentified means."
Rune fired the machine guns, and the huge stone broke apart. The fragments then began to float and combine to form a golem. The golem, as big as a small mountain, had the strength of the first level of the Golden Core Realm. Rune's ability was something Isshin had never seen, and it left everyone in the room shocked.
The teachers seemed impressed, noticeably so, and the crowd murmured in awe.
The demonstrations were complete now, and the time had arrived for the teachers to select their students. The teachers individually raised their hands to indicate which students they wanted to take under their wing. Some of the teachers had already selected their students—students from the second, third, and fourth years—so there were only a few spots for the new intake.
There were six others besides Isshin and Rune who were outstanding among the 317 students, but the teachers seemed to be particularly drawn to them. Falen, who possessed his beast, Asil, who possessed his flames, and a few others had the attention of the teachers, but when it came to Isshin's turn, something strange happened. All the teachers raised their hands to claim Isshin, but one man in particular caught Raijin's attention.
"Go to him," Raijin urged insistently. "The one with the cloak and straw hat. I sense something in him that you don't."
Isshin, confused but taking Raijin's advice, went to the instructor. The other teachers looked at Isshin's choice with indifference or annoyance. Rune, noticing Isshin's choice, did the same and went to the same instructor.
"I saw you choose him," Rune said casually. "you probably chose him because you saw something in him that i did not"
Isshin and Rune were beside the unfamiliar teacher, who was yet to say a word. They did not have time to introduce themselves before a girl approached from another direction. She was a girl with black hair down to her waist and dark eyes that seemed to gleam with intelligence. She introduced herself as "Karin."
The instructor asked the 3 of them.
"Why did you choose me?" he asked, his voice calm but curious.
There was a pause, then Isshin responded, "Someone told me to choose you."
Rune simply shrugged. "I just followed what Isshin did."
Karin said, "I saw Isshin choose you so i decided to follow as well, and I watched all the instructors, but i never saw you so i was curious"
The teacher hardly smiled, though it was hard to make out his face under the straw hat. "My name is Khalid," he said, bowing his head. "You three will be learning from me from today onwards."
Isshin looked at the hooded man before him.
Khalid.
The name resonated in his head. The Tower Master told him to look for this man, yet Isshin never expected to meet him like this—standing among the other teachers, hidden beneath a straw hat, as if he did not fit in.
Khalid watched them with an unreadable expression before finally talking. "You three have made a choice that will put a mark on your backs."
Isshin, Rune, and Karin exchanged glances.
"The other teachers won't appreciate you deciding to serve me. Some will despise you, others will oppose you, and a few may even try to get rid of you," Khalid continued. "But I'll make sure that none of them can cause any harm to you. I will make you strong enough that they won't dare think of casting an evil eye towards you."
There was no arrogance in his tone—just self-assurance.
"Now," Khalid said, rolling his shoulders. "Let's begin your training."
The three of them straightened up, expecting some profound lecture on cultivation. But instead, Khalid's next words took them by surprise.
"Fight each other."
Isshin's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
Karin's eyes narrowed. "Right now?"
Rune let out a soft laugh, amused at the abrupt request.
"There is no better training than actual combat," Khalid said matter-of-factly.
Raijin's laughter echoed in Isshin's mind. "I like this guy."
Isshin exhaled. He had sparred before doing this, but it was different. Rune and Karin were complete wildcards in terms of their true abilities. He had some idea of Rune, but Karin… she was a mystery.
The three of them exchanged silent glances. Then, without warning—
They moved