Chapter 26: I Think the Formation Was Broken! The Mercenary Exam.

Krune laughed out loud as he said.

"I guess this foundation of mine caught your eyes after all. Or perhaps...maybe it still isn't that good enough in your eyes. Well, if that's the case, then I'm leaving."

Darten started to panic after hearing that, prompting him to hastily say.

"Senior, wait! This lowly one had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please excuse my previous words. I didn't mean to offend you."

Krune wasn't the least bit angry to start with. In his eyes, to aim for a better foundation was to fight for a better future, so he liked Darten's personality very much.

"Don't worry, I'm just joking around. Why the long face? Just treat me like a friend. I owe your father a favor, and I intend to pay it whole."

Darten was relieved after hearing that. Krune was a lot more friendly than he expected. In general, higher-level cultivators acted more arrogantly in front of those in a lower realm.

"Then, let me thank you in advance, senior."

Krune nodded in response as the two headed back to the living room. After Darten closed the windows, Krune reopened his Universe Foundation for view once more before starting to explain how his foundation came to be. Of course, he excluded the fact that he gained inspiration from a wisp's birth and the fact that he went through a Heavenly Tribulation. Those parts were just too shocking and might bring trouble if others found out in the future.

The sky was more or less dark by the time Krune finished explaining. When he was just about to leave, he left Darten a piece of advice.

"Although I told you my experiences, you shouldn't try something like my Universe Foundation. Without enlightenment, you won't be able to understand the process of how a world works. This isn't something that can be explained through words."

Darten took Krune's words to heart. He knew this point very well. To build something that one doesn't fully understand would only result in failure. In any case, he wasn't dejected by those words. Thanks to Krune's experiences, he now had an idea of what he could create as a foundation.

"Thank you, Senior! I'll make sure to remember your words of advice. If I have a chance in the future, I'll definitely pay back this favor."

Krune shook his head as he responded.

"There's no need to pay me back. What your father gave me was hundreds of times more valuable. It might not be much in the eyes of other cultivators, but for me, it surely is."

With that final statement, he left. Behind him, Darten had a look of reverence. He hoped to become someone as kind as Krune.

---

After heading back to the hotel, Krune was stopped by a bunch of people that were waiting by the door of his room. When they saw Krune arrive, they were ecstatic! They were afraid that he might have left already. One of those cultivators took the initiative to step forward and say.

"Hello, Senior. Let me introduce myself. My name is Arlin. We have been waiting for your arrival."

Krune was slightly confused as to why they were there. Though, after checking their cultivation levels, he understood what was happening. They were all at the 8th or 9th Stage of the Qi Condensation realm. With that level of cultivation, it was no surprise that they must have come to him to ask for pointers about breaking through the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"I don't have too much time, and I have to take the Mercenary Guild's examination tomorrow, so I wouldn't be able to entertain you."

The Qi Condensation Realm cultivators were already expecting a refusal. They knew how valuable the knowledge of those with extremely complicated foundations is, but they came prepared.

"We know you won't teach us so easily. That's why all of us are willing to pay for your services."

Krune was taken aback by that. Pay for pointers? Now that he thought about it, it made sense. Since that's the case, he might as well make some money.

"How much are you willing to pay?"

The cultivators were happy to hear that question. As long as Krune was interested in selling his experiences, they could find a way. They were more afraid that Krune would have no demands instead.

"Senior, we gathered all our spirit stones and exchanged everything for low-quality Rank Two Spirit Stones. We have a total of 537 low-quality Rank Two Spirit Stones here. We know that Senior's knowledge is worth much more than that, but we hope you can make an exception for us today."

Krune was surprised to find out how much they had amassed. Over 500 Rank Two Spirit Stones! Then again, it made sense. Over 30 people were gathered in front of his room. By amassing all their savings, they gathered quite a decent amount. Krune pondered for a bit and decided to accept the stones, deciding that he will be a lot vaguer than when he was with Darten. Nevertheless, he wasn't being unfair. He could already predict that his experiences creating the 'Universe Foundation' were probably worth much more. The reason he even decided to accept their offer was that they gave him the idea to sell his experiences, so he would teach them a little of what he knew in exchange.

"Very well, but on one condition. Each of you will have to sign a blood contract stating that if you try to spread this information, you shall die. If you can't bring yourselves to accept my terms, then you can leave."

All the Qi Condensation Realm cultivators jumped in joy! A blood contract to prevent the spread of information? As long as they don't even speak a lick of it, they would be totally fine. Compared to obtaining Krune's knowledge, a blood contract was nothing.

Krune pushed out a blood contract and wrote his terms on it. Naturally, the cultivators paid attention to see if anything other than the agreed terms were written down. The contract simply stated that anything related to Krune's experiences about the Universe Foundation should not be leaked using any possible method of communication. By wording the agreement like this, it would cover all possible ways of finding a loophole.

Krune also stated that the one who signed on this contract shall never hurt, capture, or sell a wisp on purpose during their lives. The cultivators didn't understand this part, but they didn't mind either way. Wisps were very rare nowadays. Ordinary cultivators like them couldn't afford it to start with. The last condition was that they should not divulge the terms of the contract. Krune was afraid that people might use those terms to suspect that he was a wisp himself.

As for the penalty, Krune stated that death would be the only outcome. Some of the people in the area sucked in cold air, but they gritted their teeth and accepted for their greater benefit.

Krune then brought those cultivators to a wider place in the hotel before starting his lecture. He once again showed his Universe Foundation for view before spending the next three hours talking and answering questions.

When they were finished, everyone had glimmering eyes. No one would probably try the Universe Foundation, but they all had new ideas to ponder about, with the future seeming bright for them.

Krune went back to his room after that and got some rest. Tomorrow would be the Mercenary Guild's test, so he needed to be in peak condition for that.

-----

It was almost 10 o'clock in the morning when Krune arrived at the Mercenary Guild branch. He then went to the counter to ask where he should go. Rany was there attending the people, noticing that Krune had arrived before smiling while pointing in another direction. Krune looked in the direction she was pointing at, and sure enough, he could see a few people with their tokens attached to their robes waiting in line in front of a big window.

When Krune got closer, he noticed that inside that window, there was a training ground. Three men were working on some puppets inside. Those puppets were none other than the battle puppets. The Mercenary Guild acquired them exclusively for the Mercenary Guild's test.

When the clock struck exactly 10 o'clock, an old man with a big beard came out of the room. He looked at the contestants for a while before starting to speak.

"For those who don't know me, my name is Darius Dule."

"The Mercenary Guild test is about to begin. Although I think all of you already know the rules, I will repeat them just in case. The Mercenary Guild only accepts strong cultivators, so everyone here will have to battle three metal puppets at once. They will be one stage higher than your realms, so don't take them lightly. The conditions are as follows."

"Low-grade conclusion: Battle the puppets until their energy runs out. Those who accomplish the test this way will become One Star Mercenaries."

"Middle-grade conclusion: Defeat one or two puppets before their energy runs out. Those who accomplish the test this way will become Two Star Mercenaries."

"High-grade conclusion: Defeat all three puppets before their energy runs out. Finishing the test this way will turn you into a Three Star Mercenary."

"This is the highest mercenary certification grade that can be obtained when trying to join the guild for the first time. Of course, forget about defeating all three puppets. Rarely anyone is capable of defeating a single one of them, let alone three. With that, don't try to be greedy since the puppets will show no mercy. The Mercenary Guild will not take responsibility for any injuries you might suffer during the test. So, before entering the room, make sure you really wish to go through the test."

"Those who are defeated will fail and will not receive their spirit stones back. I advise you that if you notice that you can't endure anymore, make sure to shout, 'I surrender.' The puppets will immediately stop attacking after hearing that. Of course, you will also fail in that case. I will repeat once more, don't be greedy. There have been cases in the past where participants died because they didn't surrender in time."

"Another thing, don't worry about the damage. The room is equipped with formations that will adjust according to your cultivation levels, so you can go all out. There's no need to worry about injuring other people."

"Alright, that's all."

Darius then looked at one of the cultivators at the front and said.

"Token No. 1, Durin Vola, you can enter."

A 3rd Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator soon entered the room after that. He was quite small and slim, having the characteristics of an agility-type cultivator.

The old man Darius looked inside and announced soon after.

"Start!"

The puppets immediately came to life before charging straight at Durin. Sure enough, Durin was an agility-type cultivator. He totally gave up the idea of defeating any of the puppets, putting all his focus on dodging and running. Krune could hear some people commenting by his side.

"It's the third time Durin's trying the test. I heard he had a breakthrough in his Wind Movement. He has a decent chance of passing the trial this time."

"I see. I was here last time he tried the test. He was very close to passing, but then his spiritual energy ran out. In the end, he had no choice but to surrender. Now that he has gotten better at using Wind Movement, he should be able to hold on."

Krune then looked back at Durin, who was currently running away from the three 4th Stage Foundation Establishment puppets. He could feel the Wind element around him. Krune couldn't help but shake his head and comment.

"Such a poor way to control the wind."

Everyone looked at him strangely after hearing that. Poor way? No one in the room could control the Wind element as good as Durin Vola. Was he looking for a beating?

"A 1st Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wants to pretend like he's someone special in front of us? Know your place, rookie."

"Nowadays, every type of clown thinks they're great. To think we have one of those cases here."

Krune heard them commenting but paid no attention. This level of provocation was far from making him spare even a glance.

Noticing that Krune totally ignored them, the cultivators snorted in response. When his turn arrived, he would understand how hard it really was.

Ten minutes later, the puppets finally ran out of spiritual energy. Sure enough, Durin Vola managed to pass the test. It wasn't without a price, though. He was covered in cuts and bruises all over. Nevertheless, such injuries weren't much for a cultivator. Durin Vola came out of the test room, clearly thrilled. He had finally done it!

Darius came forward after that, announcing.

"Congratulations, you are now a One Star Mercenary. You can wait here or head directly into the guild office to obtain your badge and guild ID."

Durin nodded, but he decided to wait. He wanted to see how the others would do in the test.

While the second participant was preparing to enter the test room, one of his friends came forward and told him what Krune said while he was in the middle of his test.

Durin then looked at Krune, thinking that he looked very ordinary. Not strong, but not weak either. Just average.

"Was it you that said that my control over the Wind element is poor? If so, why don't you show me how good yours is?"

He didn't even wait for Krune to answer and dashed straight at him. Krune then looked at that and could only think while sighing.

'So slow...'

He was about to make a move to dodge when out of nowhere, Darius appeared in front of him and blocked Durin's attack.

"Those who start fights in the Mercenary Guild will be stripped of their IDs as guild members. you better think twice before making a move."

Durin looked at Krune after that and just snorted. He then went back to look at those who were in the middle of their tests.

Krune also didn't pay attention to Durin. He was more interested in the participants in the testing room.

---

One by one, the participants entered and left. So far, eleven had tried, but only two passed. One was Durin Vola, while the other one was a woman called Yusa Shen. Durin had an ugly face when the woman completed the test. Not only did she pass, but she was also even able to defeat one of the puppets before their energy ran out. Being at the same cultivation level made Durin feel humiliated. Yusa didn't pay any attention to him, though.

Darius stepped forward and called the next one.

"Token No. 12, Krune...err...what's your last name?"

Krune stepped forward and responded.

"There's no last name. I'm only Krune. Nothing more."

He then moved inside the test room before waiting for the staff to finish preparing the puppets.

Outside, Durin was laughing.

"This punk will now understand how hard it is to deal with those puppets."

Yusa also stayed behind to check on every participant out of curiosity. There was only one mercenary test every week, so it was quite entertaining.

After Darius received the confirmation from the staff, he went forward and announced.

"Start!"

The three puppets were one stage above Krune's cultivation level. In other words, they were at the 2nd Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

They headed straight for Krune. Unfortunately for them, Krune felt like they might as well not move at all. By using his own Wind Movement that he learned by himself, Krune disappeared just as the puppets were about to reach him.

Everyone outside was left speechless.

Fast! Too fast! Even faster than Durin!

Durin's smug expression immediately turned grim.

Krune suddenly appeared above the three puppets. Because of him moving at high speeds, his hood went down, showing his rainbow-colored hair to everyone. Nevertheless, no one had time to pay attention to that. Before the puppets could even react, Krune extended his arms with his hands open. In less than an instant, ten fiery red blades appeared around him.

"Skill Merge! Blazing Wind Blades!"

Krune could, in fact, cast over thirty Blazing Wind Blades when he was still at the 9th Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm. Now that he had advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, not only were his Blazing Wind Blades stronger, he could even cast over 50 at once. Of course, the amount of spiritual energy necessary to cast so many was huge! Obviously, Krune had no intention of showing his real power. He didn't want people to pay attention to him, or at least, that was the plan. He even thought to himself.

'Low key is the way to go. 10 blades should be enough just to pass the test.'

He moved his arms forward as if he was commanding the Blazing Wind Blade to move forward. Surprisingly, the blades moved even faster than he did. The puppets had no chance even to react, with their conclusion being cut to pieces! But that wasn't all! The blades didn't stop after cutting through the puppets. They even penetrated through the floor and collided with the formation on it. The formation only resisted for a second before being cut to pieces as well. The training room was directly connected to the formation. After destroying the formation, the entire training room collapsed!

As mentioned before by Darius Dule, the formation in the room was adjusted according to the participant's cultivation. It was built to endure the power of a cultivator two stages above the participant's current cultivation. That meant that the formation automatically adjusted to endure attacks at the 3rd Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. For Krune, ordinary 3rd Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were as weak as cabbages, let alone a formation.

There was rubble everywhere, and one could barely see anything. Fortunately, the testing room was separated from the main building. Otherwise, the entire Mercenary Guild branch would have been destroyed.

After the dust settled down, the people outside looked at the apocalyptic aftermath that was the testing room. Not long after, they could see some of the rubble moving. Under some of it, Krune eventually appeared. Everyone looked at him as if he was an anomaly. Krune took a quick look of his surroundings before noticing Darius outside looking at him with his mouth twitching. Krune's face started to become more and more red after that. This was the second time he felt so embarrassed. It's just that this time is much worse than the first.

He wanted to say, 'I held myself back, please trust me!'

But the words couldn't leave his mouth. In the end, he blurted out.

"Cough, cough. I think the formation was broken!"