Sometime before Ao accepted the challenge, Yusa was inside the Runestone Formations Hall. Now, that she is already at the 8th Stage of the Foundation Establishment, she didn't need to hide the fact that she can control three elements at once. Then, she immediately took the test to become a Three-Star Runestone Formations Master.
"Alright, with this last Runestone I should have no issues in passing the exam. After that, I guess I will make some runestones to sell later, I'm my short in spirit stones after all."
There was a problem! She forgot that an 8th Stage Foundation Establishment being able to control three elements was very rare in the Makui Planet. So, when she passed over the Runestones Formations she made using three elements, the examiner was taken aback. It would be okay if she were a Core Formation Realm cultivator, but she definitely isn't.
"This lady here! Would you mind waiting for a little? I have to pass those Runestone Formations you made to someone else for evaluation. The ones you made are above what I can judge."
Yusa was taken aback. She didn't expect the Runestones she made would turn out that good. She didn't put much focus on them, after all. Yusa had, once again, underestimated the usefulness of the Spiritual Energy Meridians. Not to mention that her Soul Power and Divine Sense are also much stronger than cultivators at her level.
Sometime later, an old man came into the testing room. He looked around and soon found Yusa there. He put a smile on his face and then asked:
"Was it you who made those Runestone Formations?"
Yusa just nodded.
"Would you mind making one of them again for me to see? Don't worry, this is not related to the test anymore. You have already been accepted as a Three-Star Runestone Formations Master."
"Will you pay for the materials?"
The man was taken aback but nodded nonetheless.
"Can I take this Runestone for myself after I finish?"
"Well, sure, you can take it."
Only then Yusa started to work. If there were a thing she definitely wouldn't do, it would be to work for free. But since they were paying for the materials and she could take the Runestone away, then she has nothing against it.
After some time, the Runestones were finally made. Yusa made them using her Divine Sense and spiritual energy to fuse the materials inside the Runestones to inscribe the formation. This time Yusa made a Three-Star Teleport Runestone Formation.
The man looked at the whole process and was impressed with the ability she controlled the elements. The fusion technique, the inscription. Everything was made with high proficiency. It was hard to believe that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could reach this level. It was just a little bit away from a Four-Star Runestone Formation.
"Impressive."
The old man took his eyes away from the Runestone and then looked at Yusa.
"I'm this Runestone Formations Hall Supervisor, Halie Bens, and a Six-Star Runestone Formations Master. Can I ask your name?"
Yusa was surprised. So this was the Six-Star Runestone Formations Master the Mercenary Guild employed to work in their Headquarters!
"I'm Yusa Shen, it's nice to meet you, Hall Supervisor."
Halie nodded his head.
"I will be direct, would you like to be my disciple?"
Yusa thought she heard something wrong. A Six-Star Runestone Formations Master was asking if she wanted to be his disciple?! It shouldn't be right.
"Supervisor Halie, could it be that you are wrong? I'm just a newly acknowledged Three-Star Runestone Formations Master. I'm far from your league."
Halie didn't mind and just laughed.
"There is nothing wrong at all. I've just checked your Runestones crafting ability. It is definitely top-notch. You are more than worthy of my tutelage. I can guarantee you that! It only depends on you whether you want it or not."
Yusa was surprised, it was too sudden. No doubt, that was a great opportunity, but she had her misgivings as well.
"Would you mind if I think about it for a while? I came to the Mercenary Headquarters as one of the Three-Star Mercenaries who will participate in the Mercenary Selection, so I need to focus on that first."
Halie wasn't surprised at that answer. Before he came to check Yusa, he had already checked who she was and what she was doing there.
"No problem at all! Just make sure not to get seriously injured during the Selection. After it is over, you can look for me. I will be here for some time anyway."
Halie then laughed and left.
Yusa took a deep breath and looked at the direction Halie left. If it were before, when she didn't know Krune, she would have jumped inside Halie's boat straight away. But she knew her abilities at that moment were also because of that encounter. Not to mention that she hasn't decided whether she would be going to the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam. It would all depend on her results during the Mercenary Selection and on the Martial Gathering.
"I will discuss this with everyone when we gather again."
---
Yusa spent some time in the office waiting for her Three-Star badge, when. Everything was done. She remembered Ao was close by, so she went to the training room because she wanted to talk with Ao first. After arriving there, she would see a tumult around one of the arenas in the training room. She got curious and went to check what was happening. It was then that she saw Ao in the arena as well.
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"What is he doing?"
Ao also noticed Yusa appearing. So, before the dual started, he'd gone there to see what she wanted.
"Do you need anything?"
Yusa shook her head and then asked.
"I just want to talk with you a little, but it's nothing important. What is happening here?"
Ao sighed and then told what had happened with Turi before. After hearing that, Yusa shook her head; she knew Ao's strength very well. After taking a look at that Turi, she knew that guy was basically giving his spirit stones away for free.
"Well, he was the one who asked for it. Just don't take too long to finish it. I want to talk about something with you."
Ao nodded his head.
"It should take just a few seconds. We are just waiting for a referee to come. As you know, outside danger zones, killing is prohibited. So we need someone with high cultivation to stop the battle in case things go wrong."
Turi was in the arena and heard the entire conversation, not only him but also everyone who was watching. It was obvious Ao didn't consider him as his match at all. Although Turi was furious, he didn't lose his calm. If he were someone that left his rage, take the better from him! He definitely wouldn't be the leader of the first-sky ranked team.
"I might not be able to kill you! But crippling you shouldn't be an issue at all."
Not long after, a 6th-stage Core Formation Realm referee entered the arena. Different from the Mercenary Selection and the Martial Gathering, duels outside of the danger zone wouldn't be too risky, so the Mercenary Headquarter didn't stop them from acting like that.
---
At the same time that everyone was looking at the arena, another two persons were watching it through the security camera. They were none other than Bary and Kassius, the Guild Head, and the Reviews Office Supervisor.
"What do you think? Turi had been the leader of the Carnage Team for some time already. Do you think Ao's involvement with Krune had improved his abilities enough to take Turi head-on?"
Bary heard that question but didn't have an answer. They had very little information about Yusa and Ao. So they didn't know how much stronger they got since the last time when they took the Three-Star Mercenary Test.
"If I had to bet, I would bet in a draw. I think he probably is strong enough to take Turi but not defeat him."
Kassius heard that and then commented:
"This Ao Sulian seems extremely confident, though?"
Bary frowned. That was exactly what had been bothering him, and there was no way Ao Sulian knew who Turi Belane was, but he still had that confidence on his face.
"Let's wait and see! Ao's strength will give us an idea of how much strong Krune is."
Kassius nodded and then waited for the duel to start.
---
Back at the arena, the referee confirmed that both of them were ready. He asked them to stay away from each other and then raised his hand. After taking a final look, he dropped it.
"Start!"
Turi didn't waste time. He wanted to show everyone the difference between the team leader of the strongest team in the Yule Continent and some unknown cultivator that thought big about himself. He immediately used his most vigorous attack.
"Sword of the Fire Emperor!"
This was a merging skill that used both wind and fires the same as Ao himself; flames rushed from everywhere. They spiraled around Turi's Sword. He then executed his movement technique and charged forward. He wanted to finish it in one strike.
Ao saw that and became disappointed. Thanks to the power of his Soul, Divine Sense, and the Spiritual Energy Meridians, he could see flaws everywhere. But this was also an excellent opportunity. He wanted to check how good his newly acquired Sword Intent was. So, instead of taking advantage of the flaws in the attack, Ao met the Sword of the Fire Emperor head-on!
Ao fused his Metal Element in his swords. After that, the wind element gathered around it. Finally, the fire element came forward, and his Sword started to burn, compared to the 'Sword of the Fire Emperor.' Ao's skill seemed quite simple and unremarkable. Except for Yusa, Bary, and Kassius, everyone else thought he would lose in the next second, and the referee would need to save his life. Ao then activated his own movement technique and stepped forward. His eyes looked cold at his opponent. Sword Intent started to come out of his Sword, while he murmured the name of his own skill.
"Decapitation in Flames!"
The moment Ao's skill came out, the referee's heart almost stopped!
"Sword Intent!"
The referee immediately disappeared from his spot and was just barely able to kick Turi out of the way the last instant. It was so close that both the 'Sword of the Fire Emperor' and the 'Decapitation in Flames' hit each other before Turi was sent flying by the referee. The Sword of the Fire Emperor was slashed through as if there weren't anything to start with. Turi's Sword was cut through as it was made of tofu; the 'Decapitation in Flames' slash didn't stop there and hit the barrier protecting the arena. Fortunately, that barrier was built to resist even to attacks from Late Stages Core Formation Realm Cultivators. So it was able to hold it off. Just like that, the duel was really over in a single strike, Ao's single strike, though.
Turi had his Divine Sense spread out all the time. Even after being kicked away, he saw what had happened with his 'Sword of the Fire Emperor' skill and the Sword itself. If the referee hadn't moved in time, he would have no head anymore!
Ao turned his vision to Turi. That look made him almost piss in his pants. Ao then smiled and said:
"Spirit stones, I want all the spirit stones on you. Don't forget, you said I could ask anything! So, you won't go back on your word, right?"
Turi was sweating all over. He didn't dare to go back on his words at all. He immediately transferred all the spirit stones he had in his spatial ring and passed them over. Ao looked at the number and was really surprised.
"As expected of the first place in the Sky Rank, you are wealthy! Thank you for your patronage."
Ao was just about to leave the arena when he suddenly stopped on his steps and turned back.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm no match for Krune. If you still want to challenge him or not, that is up to you."
Everyone heard that and felt a chill on their back. Ao is already strong to the point where he can trash the leader of the team in the first place of the Sky Rank. If he isn't a match for Krune, then just how much stronger is Krune?
Yusa was the only one who looked bored. She'd already expected this result from the start. She knew Ao wasn't lying either. He really wasn't Krune's match. Only when she and Ao fought could they put some resistance against Krune. And that was when he wasn't in his wisp form.
Ao descended from the arena, and Yusa immediately kicked him in the but.
"Look how rich you are now, give me some!"
Ao's face immediately went dark.
"Scram! This grandfather was ready to start begging on the streets before that guy had come in. Go, find a fool for yourself."
Between jokes and curses, both of them left the training room.
---
Bary and Kassius were looking at the screen as if they had seen a ghost. Their eyes were almost popping out of their sockets!
"Th-That… That was Sword Intent, wasn't it?!"
Bary nodded his head, but he couldn't believe that either.
"To think that not only do we have Krune! We also have someone like Ao Sulian, but I'm also getting afraid our Yule Continent might use the next ten thousand years of luck to give birth to those two."
Kassius heard that and shook his head.
"Don't forget! It was only after meeting Krune that his ability increased to that point. Did you hear what he'd said before leaving? He said that he isn't Krune's match!"
Bary took a deep breath.
"Our Yule Continent finally has a chance at the Martial Gathering, maybe even the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam, and not only one, but four chances. Don't forget Yusa and Shinja are also part of his team. If Shinja hadn't reached the Core Formation Realm changing their team into a Heaven Rank one, they could totally dominate the Sky Rank for as long as they wished."
Kassius nodded, and suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"And as the guild that found them, hehe."
Bary burst in laugh after hearing that.
---
Back at the Blacksmith Guild, a certain wisp was practicing his forging skills. He didn't know about anything happening outside and that all the Yule Continent Headquarters competitors see him now as a monster that can't be offended at any cost.
'Atchoo!'
"Is someone talking about me?"