Feng Hei Lang nodded. "Yes I did, Headmaster Zhong Qiu. Did I need to pay for the broken puppets?" She silently fiddled with her fingers anxiously. 'If he makes me pay for them, I'm going to broke!'
Headmaster Zhong Qiu laughed. "Nonono, Student Hei Lang, you do not need to pay for any of the training puppets. They were going to be broken anyways. You do know what it means to break the training puppet with one hit right?"
She dipped her head. "Yes I do, Headmaster. The training puppet is a measure of potential, and I merely broke it in a touch."
He closed the yellow slip and tucked it into his back pocket. "Student Hei Lang, please follow me." Headmaster Zhong Qiu pressed a button from underneath his desk and a hidden trapdoor opened on the floor. He lit a small flame of fire on his index tip then waved for her to follow. "Come."
Feng Hei Lang felt her [Night Vision] automatically turn on. The walls were cracked stone with moss here and there. She shuddered. 'Are they going to throw me into a dungeon? Should I escape?'
She looked around and saw a fork ahead. Headmaster Zhong Qiu pointed to the left pathway. "Student Hei Lang, you go that way. This is a test of your will. I will be going to the right. You just have to keep walking forward and not get tempted by anything."
Feng Hei Lang nodded. "Okay, Headmaster." The darkness enveloped her and even her [Night Vision] couldn't see through it. However, she kept taking a step after another. A light appeared in front of her and she saw a blurry picture of her old family back on Earth. It was a memory from when she was turning thirteen. There was a birthday cake and her parents sitting around her, celebrating.
Feng Hei Lang felt a tear drip down from her eyes. She wiped it and took a deep breath. 'No! I cannot submit here! I have to keep walking forward!'
More old memories started popping up, and Feng Hei Lang started feeling lightheaded. 'I hope you're doing well...Mother, and Father.'
Suddenly, the scene turned into her funeral. Her mother was crying on the ground in front of her coffin, and her father was hugging her.
A pang of sadness and grief washed over her. 'N-no! Don't show me that!' Feng Hei Lang felt anger and guilt wash over that. She stomped her foot once more. "DON'T SHOW ME THAT!" She used [Shadow Manipulation] to create a ball around herself.
Tears started falling from her eyes. They didn't stop, and Feng Hei Lang didn't try to stop them. 'Mother...Father...I miss you...'
She felt dizzy, and shifted into unconsciousness.
~~~~~
Feng Hei Lang felt that someone was carrying her. She opened her eyes and saw Headmaster Zhong Qiu's face. She almost screamed and fell to the floor.
Headmaster Zhong Qiu noticed that she was awake and placed her to the floor. "Apologies, Student Hei Lang. You fell unconscious over the illusions."
Feng Hei Lang looked at him. "T-Those were illusions, right? Right??"
He tilted his head. "Sort of. Those were illusions of your desires, trauma, and what you fear the most. However, they are based off of real events."
She shivered and fell onto the floor. "T-That can't be!"
Headmaster Zhong Qiu held a hand for her to grab. "Student Hei Lang, calm down. You might have gone through lots of past trauma, but we are now here for what we need."
Feng Hei Lang took a deep breath and steadied her heartbeat. She gripped Headmaster Zhong Qiu's hand and stood up. Then, she took a glance around the room.
It was a stone cave with a single empty pedestal in the middle. There were vines and moss all over the sides.
Headmaster Zhong Qiu walked up to the pedestal and bowed. "Master, I have arrived back to fulfill your request from a hundred years ago. I have found a student with unlimited potential." After saying that, he made a small cut and let a drop of blood flow onto the pedestal.
A bright flash of light filled the cave, and then a beautiful nine-tailed fox appeared on top of the pedestal. It was a snowy white color with pink eyes. It yawned and then looked down at Headmaster Zhong Qiu.
"Student Zhong Qiu, I told you to only wake me when you found me another student to take!" Her voice was melancholy but sweet at the same time.
Headmaster Zhong Qiu stood up and bowed again. "Master, I have found you a student to take, with even more potential than me."
Feng Hei Lang was busy trying to contemplating what was happening. 'Wait...Master? Student? Headmaster Zhong Qiu is this fox's STUDENT?'
He waved for her to come over, so Feng Hei Lang turned to the front of the snowy fox and bowed. While doing so, she used [Appraisal].
Beep!
[Xue]
Species: Snowy Demon Fox
Beast Level: ????
Feng Hei Lang almost gasped. 'Demon Fox? They're not all gone? I suppose she could pass off as a Lunar Fox for how pretty she is, but how does anyone not know that?!'
Headmaster Zhong Qiu raised an arm to Feng Hei Lang. "This is Student Feng Hei Lang of Hu Li University. We held a potential test today, and she broke every single training puppet with a touch. I was hoping you would be able to teach her, Master."
Xue turned to look at Feng Hei Lang. "Student Zhong Qiu, please step out for a moment." He turned and exited the cave before Xue put up a noise cancelling barrier.
She poked Feng Hei Lang on the nose. "You~ You little fox. You're a Demon Fox too, aren't you?"
Feng Hei Lang covered her nose. "Ow! Uh...Yes I am, Senior Xue."
Xue frowned. "How do you know my name? And don't call me senior. I'm only around a few centuries old!"
Feng Hei Lang felt like facepalming. 'Only a few centuries old?! I'm not even half of that!' She bowed. "I have an ability that allows me to see the name and species of anyone I meet."
Xue smiled. "That is an interesting ability. What's your special ability? And the grade?"
Feng Hei Lang hesitated. 'My grade is not even recognized as a grade yet! I'll just tell her it's unknown.'
"My ability is [Shadow Manipulation]. However, the grade is unknown, as the target malfunctioned during my entrance exam."
Xue rolled her eyes. "Tch...Well then...you do have potential. I'll take you as my student! First things first, roll a hundred times on the floor!"