Dean found himself walking in an open field towards a grandiose building that stood out compared to the others around it.
He still felt a throbbing sensation around his legs with every step he took; it just wasn't as painful as it was before. Looking beside him, he could see Sale walking blindly as though he was lost in his thoughts.
Dean stared down at his wrist. The yellow hue of his wristband glinted under the sunlight as a blank screen reflected in his eyes.
Every student had a wristband that displayed their celestial rank, and the color of each band depended on how powerful the student was.
Dean's and Sale's wristbands were both yellow, which was the lowest tier in the institution. They both had to attend classes specified for lower-ranking students with zero potentials.
They eventually arrived at the entrance of the hall; they could see several students making their way through.
Dean stepped inside, and he was greeted by the usual colossal statue of the first SSS-RANKED CELESTIAL, Jaren Hager.
Dean could see several round mats situated at different sections of the hall, which was large enough to house hundreds of students.
"I think we should sit at the far end today. I've noticed that the stronger ones usually surround themselves at the center of the hall," Sale said, lowering his head subtly.
"We wouldn't want them to see us…"
Dean agreed immediately. They both took a turn, heading to the far end of the hall where most people would find it hard to notice them. Taking a seat at the mat closest to them, they both sat down, legs crossed, with their hands placed on their knees.
Dean looked around. He saw several students taking a seat at their respective mats. In no time, the hall finally reached maximum occupancy.
He looked down at his palms only to see the ever glowing red hue that flowed out in a wave-like pattern, causing immediate pains.
He immediately clenched his fist, not wanting to attract unwanted attention to himself. He didn't know how long he could conceal the demonic energy, but it definitely wasn't going to be an easy task. And today's training definitely wasn't going to be of help to him.
After several minutes of waiting, a different kind of vibe could be felt by everyone. They all turned their heads towards the source, and they could see a tall, muscular man who walked like the ground was his slave.
He had a bearded face, with the look of someone in his late forties. He was dressed in all black with a long cane. Upon reaching the podium, he turned around with a grim look on his face.
"Time and time again, I've tried to turn you all into elite warriors, but it seems like you all still wish to remain stuck at the beta rank. The demons still remain a powerful foe that threatens to eradicate us, and you're all still weak? "
"In fact, some of you… are considered rankless…" Li said, slowly turning his head towards where Dean was seated.
Dean could feel the cold stare coming from Li. He lowered his head quickly.
"Now we're going to take today's session up a notch. It won't be the usual 'trying to manipulate your celestial energy' kind of training…"
All the students immediately put on worried expressions as they heard what Li said.
".... Today, we're going straight for your internal celestial energy."
Loud gasps echoed around the hall as soon as Li completed his sentence.
Training the internal energy in a celestial core wasn't an easy procedure. It was extremely painful, exhausting, and required an extreme level of energy control.
It was practically impossible for yellow bands, who were mostly beta-ranked, to achieve.
"Is he trying to kill us or something?" a student whispered.
"I guess he's gotten tired of seeing the same students every single day. He expects us to climb the ranks and upgrade to the green wristband category," another replied.
Dean didn't know how to react. He didn't know whether the new technique they were about to begin was going to keep the demonic energy at bay or upset it… but he wasn't eager to find out.
"Alright!" Li yelled.
"Let's begin!"
All of the students prepared themselves mentally for the extreme torture they were about to experience.
"Now I want you all to shut your eyes and enter a meditative state."
Dean and Sale complied immediately… they knew what happened when Li caught someone refusing to train.
Li looked around, and when he saw that every single student had their eyes closed, he proceeded.
"Now focus on your celestial core. Focus on the strong walls of your core and visualize it as it rests beside your beating heart."
It didn't take long before Dean saw the visualization of his core. It wasn't the first time he was doing it.
He had been visualizing his core all his life, trying to see if there was any progress in the wholeness of his internal energy, but there was nothing… his core was always incomplete.
It took a while before all the students could visualize their cores, but once they did, Li continued immediately.
"Now, you should all be seeing the contents of your celestial core, and how weak the energy is."
They were all disheartened… all except for one person.
Dean.
He stared at his core with a mix of confusion, fear, and dread.
Dean's core had always been mostly hollow, with only a small portion of it being occupied by a minimal amount of energy, but what Dean saw was completely different from what was supposed to be there.
He could clearly see two separate energies, with one energy seemingly larger, brighter, and more volatile than the other. It glowed with a fierce crimson beam, completely overwhelming his white-colored celestial energy.
It was the demonic energy.
What Dean didn't register was the fact that the demonic energy went straight for his core, filling up the empty space instantly. Technically, Dean's core was no longer incomplete.
It was now filled with two separate, opposing energies.
Dean's state of utter shock was interrupted by a loud, deep voice that spoke with authority.
"This is the hardest part. I want you all to direct the energy forward. Try to move it past the walls of your core."
Several groans could be heard as the students tried to manipulate the motion of their internal energies.
Dean sat still, staring at his core in a daze, "how is this possible? A demonic energy embedded deep inside my core?"
"If you fail to attempt this technique, you will lose your limbs," Li said in a threatening tone.
Dean snapped out of it immediately. He focused on the two energies, trying to move them in the direction of the walls of his core. But the moment he made the first attempt, something happened.
All of a sudden, he could feel a searing pain in his chest, his throat immediately tightening, his eyes turning bloodshot.
"No… it's happening again… not here…"
Dean thought, panic clawing at his chest. He concentrated, trying to suppress the raging essence of the demonic energy from escaping his body, but every attempt proved futile.
A violent surge of crimson energy burst out of his core, tearing through his body in an instant. The demonic energy shot out of his being and flared up with a bright glow, exploding with an immeasurable amount of force.
"ARGH…!"
The force sent Dean flying backwards, his body slamming across the floor as a shockwave rippled outward.
Students within a fifteen-meter range were blasted off their positions, crashing into one another in chaos.
The air itself distorted, as though its molecular structures were being disorganized by the heat searing off from the energy.
Then… Silence.
A suffocating, unnatural silence. Every single student froze, their instincts screaming, their bodies trembling.
They all knew that the energy they had just felt was completely different from what a celestial energy was.
Li stepped down from the podium slowly, each step deliberate, each step heavy enough to crush the silence. He locked onto Dean with a sharp, intimidating look as he walked.
"...Interesting."
The single word sent a chill down Dean's spine.
Li stopped a few meters away, the pressure in the air intensifying.
"Now…" Li said quietly.
"What… exactly… did you just release?"