Li stared at Dean with a cold, calculating, almost threatening look on his face. He stood amidst the chaos that Dean had managed to create in a matter of seconds.
The whole hall was silent, but the silence was only a result of the foreboding sensation they all felt when the foreign energy phased through their bodies. They all stared at Dean, awaiting an answer as to why his "celestial energy" felt like literal lava crawling up the surface of their skin.
Li spoke slowly, word for word as they sent chills down Dean's spine.
"I said…"
"What exactly… did you just release?"
Dean stared at Li in silence. He didn't know the right words to compose, but he knew that Li was going to get an answer nonetheless. The invisible suffocating waves of energy emanating from him alone were enough to show how serious and deadly he was at that very moment.
Dean eventually spoke up in a low, unstable, and shaky voice.
"I… I… I don…"
"I don't know how it happened… it just… came out," Dean said with a heavy stutter.
His reply, however, didn't seem to satisfy Li as his death stare only grew colder.
Dean could feel the air in his lungs thinning as visible ethereal waves of energy escaped Li's figure. The air felt heavier, also affecting the students around him.
"That's not an answer to what I asked," Li said.
"What kind of energy," Li took a step closer to Dean with each word that came out of his mouth, "did you just release?"
"It was an impulse of his celestial energy!" a voice said from behind.
All the students turned their heads around simultaneously, including Dean, eager to see who had the guts to speak up.
Upon turning around, Dean could see Sale as he stood frailly. His body was drenched in sweat, small trickles of blood spilling out of his forehead from a deep cut that ran through.
He took a quick glance at Dean before speaking again.
"It's an impulse… it regularly happens to him…"
"An impulse?" Li's eyes darkened.
"An impulse that exploded with the power of an alpha-ranked celestial blast, almost taking the lives of those around him?"
"You call that an impulse!!!"
An immediate wave of white energy shot out of Li in an arc, spreading forth at an intense speed. The energy traveled forward, knocking every student down in its path until it eventually dispersed into nothingness.
Dean felt his throat tightening, his pulse skyrocketing. He didn't know why Sale was covering for him, but Li definitely didn't seem to be buying it.
"Think, Dean… think!"
"Due to the incomplete nature of my core, my internal celestial energy is always unstable. So when I tried the technique, the instability caused it to explode forth, releasing an unstable amount of energy!" Dean explained lengthily.
He stared at Li in absolute fear. He could feel his heartbeat accelerating by the second, and a certain heat could be felt on his palms.
Li stared at Dean for a long moment, standing with a look that sent cold sensations through his bones.
"Even if what you say is true about the 'instability' of your internal energy, that doesn't change the fact that the power level was too high for someone who is considered rankless…" Li said in a rational tone.
The deadly aura slowly faded away.
Dean sighed internally in extreme relief. He knew that there was no instability in his core, and it was all a lie. But it seemed like Li believed him… at least that's what he thought.
"But…" Li said, his voice returning to its cold tone.
"Your energy needs to be examined… thoroughly."
Li stepped forward, locking into deep eye contact with Dean.
"In two days' time, you will be summoned to the core chamber to have your celestial core examined… and studied. That way, we can truly know the contents and faults of your internal energy.
Every word that came out of Li's mouth sounded like a hammer to the head for Dean. He thought that the issue would have been resolved, but it only seemed to escalate.
Examining his celestial core meant that the school authorities were going to scan deep inside, unraveling its contents… including the demonic energy that now resided inside it.
"If they examine my core... they'll surely discover the demonic essence," Dean dreaded.
Things only seemed to get worse for him.
Li broke the tense moment as he spoke again.
"Alright, let's commence with the training. If you think that I will let this little distraction stop me from making your life miserable, then you must be out of your mind!."
"Now shut your eyes!"
All the students shut their eyelids, with only a few keeping them open as certain thoughts circulated through their minds.
The technique began. Grunts could be heard as several students struggled to control their internal energies. Eventualy each students began to give in to the strain it caused, making them release their energies in defeat.
They were all strained, exhausted, and weak. After hours of training, Li decided to call it a day for the students.
He said one last thing before dismissing them, "Henceforth, the training sessions will start with this technique before we head into any other aspect."
Grunts and curses echoed around the hall as the students were deeply disheartened and annoyed about the fact that their training was going to begin with a moment of torture.
Li continued, "It is very essential for your growth as beta-ranked celestials."
"Remember that the goal of this institution is to transform you into elite warriors in the shortest amount of time and ready you for the impending war against the demons."
And with that, the day's training was concluded.
Dean made his way through the crowd, internally hoping to avoid Sale, but it seemed like fate had other plans for him.
He saw a figure brush through the crowd forcefully, making its way towards him.
"It seems like you've become the center of attraction," Sale said as he advanced towards him.
Dean kept quiet, unsure of what to say.
Sale spoke again, "Do you mind explaining what happened during the training?"
"I don't know, honestly. I just felt a huge strain in my core, and my energy exploded," Dean replied swiftly in a nervous tone.
"What energy?" Sale asked again, inspecting Dean's facial expression.
Dean stared at Sale with a sharp look. "My… internal energy."
Both Dean and Sale knew that it wasn't the truth, because what they all felt in the hall definitely didn't feel like celestial energy.
The only factor that saved Dean was the fact that none of them knew what exactly demomic energy felt like. The last war and encounter against the demons was hundreds of years ago, so the new generation didn't have any idea what demonic energy was supposed to feel like.
They only knew that when it manifested, it was destructive towards them.
Sale decided to dismiss the questions, knowing that Dean wouldn't give him a straight answer.
They walked out of the building, heading towards their dorm in silence.
But what the duo didn't register was a certain figure following their every move.
A girl. Trailing them… silently.
Her lips parted slightly as a quiet thought escaped her mind.
"My eyes weren't closed when the whole thing happened… I saw exactly what came out of his body… and it definitely didn't seem like celestial energy…"
"It was red..." she thought.
"If you're not a celestial… then what are you?"