Chapter 243: Interview and Test
Returning to their rooms, Li Lang spared no time and entered the Crucible. Their two-day tour of Sword Saint Isle was over, so he had to quickly get his students situated before they came out of the pocket realm.
While Nightmoon Valley knew about the existence of the Crucible, the same could not be said for the others on the island. Once they came out, they would have to rely on themselves and feign being strangers to their teachers should they cross paths. Posing as independent cultivators was the best way to avoid drawing attention to their group overall.
However, despite how important this was, Li Lang rushed through this briefing. It was because he was enamored with the study of Earth-grade cultivation techniques. At the arena today, he had witnessed numerous impressive techniques and was eager to study them further. The best interview candidates around were his students. They were already used to his antics, so he could barrage them with as many questions as he liked.
After going over the things they needed to pay attention to while staying at Sword Saint Isle, Li Lang asked his Foundation Establishment Realm students to come speak to him in private. They were forced to line up outside his room, as he spoke to them one by one.
The first person invited into his room was Xiao Dong, the first among their students to have broken through.
“Tell me about the technique you chose to cultivate. I believe it’s called Metal—something?”
“Metal Heart Mantra, Teacher. It’s not anything special, quite a typical technique of the metal affinity that can strengthen my sword techniques. It also touts making the practitioner more resistant to illusions and other harmful techniques that target the mind.”
“I see, well why did you choose it?”
“I simply wanted to focus on using the sword. I know we haven’t learned many Qi arts before and that I can work to catch up now that I have broken through, but I don’t see myself being talented enough to close the gap with even the more average cultivators. I’d rather focus only on one thing—-martial arts-focused on swordplay.”
“Well, I won’t say much if that is the correct decision or not. It’s your own choice. You’ll find out eventually. If it doesn’t work out, you can always find a new technique from the Crucible here. We have control of it now, so you don’t have to stick with what you found in the bazaar. Now is the time to explore techniques before you finalize your foundation. Otherwise, if you wait until you’ve already broken through to the next stage, you’ll have to return to the early stage of Foundation Establishment if you change techniques. Anyway, I’m more curious about any changes you’ve felt since you practiced this technique.”