Theron was no Celestial, he knew that. He had felt a true Celestial before, and his Resonance wasn't at that level, especially not after he felt it weaken a bit after another affinity was forced upon him.

However, he understood what was happening quite quickly.

He wasn't a normal human. He had the body of an Arcane Beast to match with his Arcane Resonance. On top of this, his Resonance alone had always been stronger than other humans; he just wasn't sure if this would carry forward in this continent as well. But it seemed it did.

It had to be remembered that most others had very acute Resonances. They could use their Resonances in a very defined and finite state, amplifying their Mana in very particular ways.

But Theron had never been limited in this way. He could apply his Resonances to his movement, to weapons, directly to his Spells—almost anything he could think of, really.

He was even able to use his Resonance to mimic other Mancy Paths he had no attachment or comprehension of, like how he had used it to remove the Daggers of the Night soul brand on himself.

Alone, his Resonance was usually about as strong as a Resonance a level beyond. If that was coupled with the strengthening of his body as well…

This was the result.

Whatever mechanisms the Nightingale Sect was using weren't nearly precise enough, and they seemed on the verge of shattering already. However, as it was barely holding up, the visual signs even showed symptoms of spilling over into the state that was beyond Celestial, making it clear that not only was Theron a Dual Resonance Mancer, he was a monster with two Celestial Resonances, one of Water Mana and another of Dark Mana.

This sort of commotion wasn't something that could be ignored. Every disciple in the surroundings had already stopped what they were doing.

Illegitimate son or not, it no longer seemed to matter.

"Dual Resonance… Celestial…"

They mumbled these two words to themselves over and over again, their hearts refusing to truly rest.

Elder Lotus slowly looked toward Theron, thinking about how he had asked about cultivation age. Could it be that…

He dug his nails into his clenched fists to wake himself up, focusing himself.

"One more test," the Peak Elder finally said.

Theron gave the elder a knowing look. He didn't expect to stand out this much, but since he was here, he might as well go all the way.

"How is this one divided?"

"It's dependent on the purity of your Core. It has the same divisions as Resonance. You need to be at Manaborn Purity to be admitted into the Sect."

"Even as a Dual Resonance Mancer?" Theron asked the same question, and Elder Lotus truly almost lost his temper this time.

This damned bastard of a brat had said the same thing just moments ago, and yet what happened?

Through gritted teeth, Elder Lotus explained slowly.

"This is usually dependent on your cultivation technique. So long as your cultivation technique doesn't have too many flaws in it, you didn't rely on too many pills, and you were diligent enough, you should be fine. Some people with enough patience have Mana Purity beyond that of their Mana Resonance. This can be said to be a test of character as well.

"If you're too impatient, you aren't cut out for the Sect anyway and don't deserve to be a disciple."

Theron chuckled. "Don't say such ominous words, Elder."

As Theron said this, he placed a hand on the crystal. But… there was absolutely no movement at all.

One second, two… three…

There was nothing at all.

Elder Lotus frowned, but Theron only tilted his head, a bit curious. He was definitely pouring his Mana in.

After a moment, Theron shook his head.

'Fine.'

Theron switched. From Water Mana, he began to pour in his Dark Mana instead.

Finally, a small ripple danced within the crystal. Elder Lotus relaxed a bit and began to see what was going on.

Soon, the fog rose up and then solidified into a complicated ancient character. The density of the character usually decided how Pure the Mana was.

Originally… the crystal wasn't reacting because there wasn't the slightest impurity to find within Theron's Water Mana. These crude crystals couldn't truly sense the extent of the perfection of his Water Mana.

His Dark Mana, however…

"Runebound," Elder Lotus said after a while.

If the elder had been more focused, though, he would have realized that it was odd the other test noted both Water and Dark Mana, but this one only reacted to Theron's Dark Mana.

However, Elder Lotus had seen so many of these tests, and this was the final result every single time—a fog of black. After all, this was a Sect of Dark Mancers.

What he didn't expect was that Theron had tried his Water Mana first and failed.

"You are indeed… worthy," Elder Lotus said slowly.

"Thank you, Elder, for your kind words. But I already knew this. So, how about the compensation we spoke of?"

"This…"

Elder Lotus didn't really think this far ahead. He had just said something perfunctory to get Theron out of earshot of those that could least afford to listen in on their confrontation.

"It can't be that Elder wants to go back on his word, right?" Theron asked with the same gentle smile.

Elder Lotus didn't even know what to say. What would he do when Theron realized that a Peak Elder like himself didn't even have the right to decide on Core Disciples in the first place? Would he have to test again for the Elder Council? How would this cocky boy react then?

At that moment, Elder Lotus froze as he felt a voice echo through his head. Finally, he relaxed a bit.

"All of your questions will be answered. Please follow me. The Acting-Matriarch would like to speak with you."

Theron quietly took note of his Acting-Matriarch title, but he didn't comment on it, keeping the same smile as his brain churned.

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