Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah opened his eyes.

His image reflected on the floor made of mirrors slowly brought him back to reality.

In the eyes of his reflection, the brightness of the stars in the sky shined like it had become a part of it.

'So, this is who I am.'

He had a deeper understanding of his true nature after the test.

'An endless search for a higher power. It seems that even Heaven can't suppress my ambition.'

He raised his gaze to look at the sky.

Only the clear ceiling of the building was visible but Noah's eyes seemed to look through it.

'I died and reborn. I was suppressed and forged my way to freedom. I shall not be bound by human's law nor by Heaven's will.'

A list appeared in his sea of consciousness which had the names of the courses and his attitude on them pictured on it.

'Attunement with the "Breath", highly incompatible, I had already guessed that much.'

Noah attentively read the list.

He discovered that if he focused on certain courses, an explanation for the judgment of the test would appear.

'My nature is in deep contrast with the fairness of Heaven and Earth which will likely prevent me from ever hearing their language.'

'My talent in alchemy is average, my uncaring nature seems to contrast with some procedures of the art.'

He looked for the tag "highly compatible" and found only two courses that had it.

'Real battle was quite obvious, I was going to attend that course anyway. However, what kind of subject is "Elemental forging"?'

The latter was the only other course where he was highly talented according to the test.

Noah focused on its name and a line of text appeared.

'Since your nature is heavily opposing the will of the world, the inscription method "Elemental forging" is the most suitable for you.'

'Oh, it's another method for inscriptions. My chances to become an inscription master are not null then.'

Noah looked around him and saw that all the other students in the room were lost in thought.

He stood up and went to Megan, performing a light bow when he reached her.

"Am I now allowed to inspect the inventory?"

Megan smiled lightly seeing Noah's eagerness.

"Yes, but remember to declare your courses in the building where you retrieved your academy token. You have one free week to do it. After that, the academy will formally start operating."

Noah bowed again and exited the building.

There were the curious stares of the students on the outside of the test area but he was too excited to care about them.

'Finally, I can choose new techniques!'

Since he had completed the test, he had finally access to the various services that the academy offered.

There were some areas locked behind merit points but the inventory was not one of them.

Noah moved rapidly through the streets of the academy, his mind was focused on a certain building on the map in his sea of consciousness.

When he arrived there, he could clearly see that the structure was completely surrounded by runes and inscriptions.

Two guards in golden armor stared coldly at him when he neared the ingress of the inventory.

"We need to see your token."

Noah took it out from his space-ring and the guards gave it back to him after a few inspections.

"You can enter, Professor Lynn will explain everything to you."

Noah nodded and entered the building.

'These guards are powerful. I guess it's obvious since all the techniques and arts of the academy are stored here.'

The scent of old books and ink invaded his nose, the interior of the building appeared extremely old.

An old cultivator was silently meditating mid-air behind a long desk.

Even more runes were present on the floor from that point onward.

Noah saw the man sitting cross-legged in the air and was slightly amazed.

'This elder is so strong that I can't feel anything coming from him.'

He reached for the desk and bowed.

"Professor Lynn, I'm here to inspect the inventory for the first time."

Lynn slowly opened his eyes and Noah felt a piercing gaze analyzing him.

He slowly descended on the floor and stood up with his arms crossed.

His large sleeves completely covered his hands and his white long beard was freely laid on his chest.

"The academy offers one rank 4 martial art for free. Would you mind telling me your current one and your element so that I can sort those that fit you the most?"

His voice was steady and no trace of his age was present on it.

Noah nodded and spoke in a soft voice.

"Nails of the Kamaitachi and, well, darkness element."

Lynn's eyes widened when he heard the last part but then a smile broke on his stern face.

"What an interesting period to be alive! Give me a moment, I will show you a list of martial arts soon."

He sat on the chair behind the desk and took out a white crystal from a drawer.

He closed his eyes and focused, holding the crystal in his hand.

The white light flickered from time to time and, after a few minutes, Lynn opened his eyes and handed the crystal to Noah.

Noah took it and used his mental energy to probe the white mineral.

Immediately, a list of about ten martial arts appeared in his sea of consciousness.

There were descriptions on the sides of their names and Noah's attention was completely drawn by them.

Only a few of them had the darkness element as a requirement but they were all martial arts for two-weapon users that focused on speed.

'There is the rank 4 Nails of the Kamaitachi but it's advised to be of the wind element to use it fully. As for those of the darkness element, they all have wide area attacks that oppose my current fighting style.'

His choice eventually fell on the only martial art that valued his fighting style and his element.

'Three forms of the Ashura, rank 4. Limited to dual-weapon wielder and darkness element cultivators. Consists of three techniques that have to be paired with my martial art and they expend both "Breath" and mental energy. It should be my best choice since it allows me to increase my battle prowess without giving up my accumulated experience.'

Noah decided in his mind and reported his choice to Lynn.