Elder Cha(The one in charge for the extra test) noticed this change in Ke YongAn and smiled contently. But he was not surprised. The picture helped all those in the Qi Strengthening stage to breakthrough, but it definitely had the greatest impact on those in the 5th and 6th rank.
Ke YongAn felt so comfortable at the moment, and with her as the center, the symbols were being assimilated in her lower Dantian. They now glowed the same light as the Qi, surrounding the mass that was slowly expanding.
Suddenly, Ke YongAn was presented with an invisible force that caused pressure to crush down on her. Ke YongAn was able to easily break through, bringing with it, her rank rising to the 6th. However, that was not the end. Her cultivation base stirred, bringing her to the peak of 6th rank. No matter how Ke YongAn tried, she could not break through to the 7th rank, so she left it at just that. Stabilizing her cultivation base, Ke YongAn breathed in and out rhythmically, opening her eyes.
Normally, there were large gaps still between the Qi Strengthening stage, but each of those stages were more powerful than the ones below. They were the 3rd rank, 7th rank, and the 9th rank.
After Ke YongAn escaped from her sea of conscious, the others slowly began to rouse too. Afterall, the picture had disappeared. What use was to put up a mysterious air?
Ke YongAn, curious, looked around at the top 10. She caught sight of Du Jian's furrowed brows and unwilling expression. Is that because he placed 2nd? Ke YongAn chuckled quietly.
They all waited, memorizing and seeking the last bits of enlightenment as the incense stick burned up. Elder Cha finally set down his cup of tea and began to speak.
"line up. One person at once will enter this sound-proof array."
It was seen that Elder Cha was proficient in the array(which are made up of a complicated design, each stroke meaning their own). Array masters were not that common, and were always treated with respect. Seeing an elder at the Heaven Dao Academy sending an Array master as a test examiner, made everyone suck in a cold breath. Everyone's revere toward the Heaven Dao Academy grew stronger.
As the line drew closer and closer to Ke YongAn, her heart became a gazelle galloping frantically everywhere. She truly wanted to evade to the east or dodge to the west.
Would she pass?
Or would she fail?
Calm down, Ke YongAn. Remember, this is only an extra test. It doesn't matter. You'll still get into the Academy, no problem!
"Next please." Elder Cha spoke kindly, the opposite of Elder Rong. It made Ke YongAn much calmer.
Taking in a deep breath before the array, Ke YongAn entered. From the outside, nothing seemed amiss, but on the inside, she could see the purple opaque covering and the symbols on the ground. Oh! They're the symbols from the picture! Ke YongAn instantly recognized them. They were actually imprinted in her mind, which was a surprising thing.
"Now, tell me, how many of the symbols have you remembered?"
Ke YongAn looked at Elder Cha respectfully. She spoke without hesitation,
"49."
Elder Cha nodded his head, but then froze. He stared at Ke YongAn with a strange glint in his eyes, trying to diffuse if she was lying or not.
"Say that again?"
"49."
Elder Cha could wave the first time off by hearing wrong, but the second time he could not make the same mistake. He thought to himself, Is this girl cheating?
Ke YongAn was a little unnerved by the intense stare.
No, she's really confident about this. Has a monstrous genius appeared in my Heaven Dao Academy?
Elder Cha smiled, his gaze unfocused. Ke YongAn couldn't take the silence any longer and took the initiative to speak.
"Elder?"
This sentence brought Elder Cha back to reality. What am I thinking? Running off to conclusions so easily.
"Tell me what each of the symbols mean in your opinion."
Ke YongAn blinked. That's it? She expected something vastly more difficult.
And thus, she began to explain each symbol by drawing it into the ground. Even if the other top 10 were able to see the symbol, it wouldn't be guaranteed they would find the meaning. Besides, she was one of the last ones to go.
"This one is empty-no, the better word to describe it is suction force." She drew a swirl on the ground with 4 streaks.
"If you draw another stroke, it means vortex, as the suction force has already created such." Another streak was added.
"Finally, if you draw one more, it means void, and I think used in teleporting arrays?"
Ke YongAn carried on, marvelling Elder Cha. He nodded repeatedly, and couldn't help a beaming smile from slipping on. Seeing this, Ke YongAn felt relieved, speaking with more confidence with each symbol.
"...And that is all the symbols." Ke YongAn heaved a breath, realizing her throat was a bit sore.
"So...did I pass?" Ke YongAn asked tentatively when she sighted Elder Cha silent for a long time.
Elder Cha sighed, a glint of revere in his eyes.
"Wait for the results."
From this sentence, Ke YongAn could tell he approved of her. She felt extremely proud, thanking Elder Cha quite a few times before leaving.
As she left, she passed Lan GuMi, and stole a glance. He was really unfathomable, as calm and deep as the sea. But, curious as she was, Ke YongAn did not butt into another's life and walked away to settle down on the grass. She did not feel bored, appreciating the cool breezes through the still burning summer, even if it may be in September at this time.
She became extremely lazy and did not want to move, even as Elder Cha finally swept down the sound-proof array.
"Gather around. I shall now announce the final rankings.
For this exclusive test,
9th is Bai HaiFeng.
8th is..."
Ke YongAn, through this all, did not hear her name. Her excitement soared, as she knew she would be one of the first. But then, she wondered why there was only 9 places. Did someone fail?
When it fell to the last four places, Ke YongAn felt anxious.
"3rd is Lu Bing.
2nd is Du Jian."
Ke YongAn wanted to laugh. After bragging so much, he still came in second both times. This was a slap even worse than if he was placed last.
"1st, is Lan GuMi..."
Ke YongAn's laugh was deflated inside her throat. If her name wasn't mentioned, and she wasn't even 1st, doesn't that mean she was the one that failed?
Ke YongAn immediately felt pathetic. Feeling high and mighty, yet was oblivious to the fact that her capabilities didn't match up. Didn't that mean she was just uttering nonsense completely wrong to another person, but still feeling confident? Oh dear god...
Ke YongAn shook her head. Although she felt sad, she fixed her attitude. No matter. I still pass even if I fail here. However, how could she anticipate what twist came next?
"..and, Princess Huang Xing!"
All the other 9 were surprised. Tied first with the monstrous 9th rank? Of course, if they knew Lan GuMi was actually in the 9 passages Stage, they'll be more flabbergasted. A Qi Strengthening, 6th rank comparing to a 9 passages expert's comprehension? Comparing a firefly to the full moon!
Even Lan GuMi felt shock. He looked at Ke YongAn for a long time, and finally an amused smirk graced his lips. Interesting, interesting. Who are you exactly? Princess Huang Xing? Or...one of them?
A small thingy:
Elder Cha: Line up. One person at once will enter this sound-proof array.
Person 1: It's super effective! Written by the Heaven Dao Academy Elder Cha in a blink of an eye!
Person 2: No sound shall be heard from the inside to the outside. Just buy one now for $69.99!
Thisdefinetlyisn'tanadvertismentforfoolsnorascamdesignedtobribeelderchatogetintotheacademy.
Person 3: Have a nice day!