25 Chapter 24: Tyrannical

"Enough. This is taking too long. Send me your strongest ones."

Hearing these words coming from a ten year old like Ulquiorra during the exam was enough to strike a nerve in Tian Cai. Send the strongest ones? Which Qi Condensation cultivator could be so cocky? Tian Cai frowned in displeasure.

"Hmp! How arrogant! Don't make yourself as high as the heavens just because you've been able to become invincible under the Qi Condensation realm! I've seen plenty of geniuses that would make your talent seem like dirt!" Tian Cai said angrily.

Ulquiorra looked at Tian Cai. His green eyes that radiated coldness and indifference made Tian Cai feel very uncomfortable. Tian Cai felt a slight shiver despite being a residual spirit.

"Send me your strongest ones." Ulquiorra repeated.

Tian Cai's eyebrows furrowed. He was very unhappy about Ulquiorra's arrogance, but he can't just kick Ulquiorra out. Since it was like this, he would send out the strongest phantom available for this segment.

"Fine then! This segment of the test was supposed to end once I sent out the Foundation realm phantom, but looking at it like this, I'll send in something else!" Tian Cai said.

Ulquiorra didn't reply. The next moment a phantom of a teen appeared in front of Ulquiorra. The phantom radiated pressure different from the other phantoms. The phantom looked at Ulquiorra and then at Tian Cai. The phantom bowed towards Tian Cai.

"Greetings, Elder Cai! This humble disciple is thankful to have been summoned!" The phantom said.

Tian Cai waved his hand.

"Do not worry about it, Lei Guan. This seat just wishes for a golden core ranked phantom like you to do something." Tian Cai said.

"No need to say more, Elder! This Guan knows what he must do." Lei Guan said before turning to look at Ulquiorra.

"Young one, I know that you are talented, but I'm afraid this i-" Lei Guan said, but was stopped aa he suddenly had his face grabbed by a small hand.

Lei Guan was dragged by a massive force, and smashed to the wall of the room. The wall cracked and caved in. Near the wall, Ulquiorra stood with his back behind Tian Cai. Lei Guan's phantom was already dissipating. Tian Cai was silent as he was gobsmacked.

"Hmm, for this wall to have only this much damage... It is quite well-made." Ulquiorra remarked.

While this may be just a casual remark from Ulquiorra, Tian Cai was incredibly surprised. The walls of this room was made to withstand even a peak sea transformation realm's attack without any damage. For it to be damaged like this was extraordinary.

Tian Cai observed Ulquiorra again. He had noticed that Ulquiorra didn't use conventional qi techniques. Still, he had confirmed that Ulquiorra was only a Qi Condensation realm cultivator. What sort of ungodly techniques does this kid have for it to be so strong?

"Kid, what is your name?" Tian Cai said seriously.

Ulquiorra turned to look at Tian Cai.

"My name is Ulquiorra Cifer. Refer to me as Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra said emotionlessly.

"Ulquiorra? What a peculiar name..." Tian Cai said as he rubbed his translucent chin.

"Let me just ask you then. What exactly are you?" Tian Cai asked with a more authoritative tone.

Ulquiorra and Tian Cai stared at each other. It was quiet for awhile. Tian Cai was prepared to use whatever authority he had left within the sect if Ulquiorra were to suddenly turn hostile. He had this feeling that he would need it if that happened. Ulquiorra was too mysterious.

The first person to break the silence was Ulquiorra.

"Right now, I'm a human."

'Right now?' Tian Cai raised his eyebrow.

"You're telling me you weren't human before?" Tian Cai narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed." Ulquiorra replied.

"Ho?Then what were you before?" Tian Cai asked.

Ulquiorra didn't answer immediately. He stared at Tian Cai once more. Tian Cai wondered what Ulquirra was about to do next when a pressure that was so heavy, dark, and suffocating assaulted his residual spirit.

Tian Cai immediately fell to the ground. He may have been a residual spirit, but his strength at its peak was that of a peak Void Crossing realm cultivator. Even when he had been dead for so long, it was thanks to the artifacts and formations in the sect that allowed him to slow down the dropping of his power in the thousands of years after his death.

Right now, his strength as a soul was equal to that of a first stage nascent soul cultivator. Still, this didn't matter at all. The pressure he felt was far too strong. In fact, it could be described as tyrannical. Tian Cai tried as much as he could to keep his form from dissipating. At this moment, Ulquiorra spoke out.

"I was once a Vasto Lorde that turned into an Arrancar. I held the title of the cuatro espada." Ulquiorra paused before continuing.

"My kind does not exist in this realm." Ulquiorra said with a cold tone that reverberated through Tian Cai's very being.

(AN: Vasto Lorde, Arrancar, and cuatro espada were said just like how it was said in the anime or manga. The rest are all in this world's language.)

It was after this sentence that the pressure weighing on Tian Cai disappeared. The heaviness he felt was gone as if it was never there in the first place. Still, the flickering of his form was proof that the pressure was not a figment of one's imagination. Tian Cai turned towards Ulquiorra appearing nervous and ready to activate the formations to combat this newfound threat. He didn't even question the unknown terms or words he had just heard from Ulquiorra.

"Don't worry. I have no hostile intentions." Ulquiorra said.

"No hostile intentions? Tell me what happened just now then, and why you did it." Tian Cai said seriously.

"That was my soul's pressure so to speak. The reason I let out that pressure was to show you that I should not be underestimated. If there are tests to be taken, then merely throw in the highest difficulty once you see me handling everything with ease. Don't do such unnecessary things like sending in waves of ants that barely varied in strength." Ulquiorra replied.

He could have said to just give the highest difficulty from the start, but he thought it wouldn't hurt to have a feel of what would come next first. Hearing this, Tian Cai didn't let up with his wariness. Still, he pondered Ulquiorra's words. He then sighed.

"Fine. I don't see the point of doing the next few tests which involve things like explosive strength, formations, and even more so the segment that we have for testing soul strength. You'll most likely be able to brute force through everything without any difficulties. Instead, Let's move on to the final test." Tian Cai said with a tired expression.

"And that is?" Ulquiorra asked.

Tian Cai looked at Ulquiorra. This next test was not something Ulquiorra would be able to brute force. It was something truly related to talent.

"We'll be testing your comprehension."