บท 40: Annual Examination (2)
Chapter 40 – Annual Examination (2)
"Aha! So, you want to gamble with me? How about this, if you can't pass the first trial, I want you to kowtow to everybody here and call me father!"
Nie Ping wanted to humiliate Miaomiao, so he pushed the gamble. He was confident that Miaomiao would fail 100%.
As for the one that got looked down, Miaomiao revealed his usual crescent smile. His sinister smiling face was creepy enough to send chills down Nie Ping's spine.
"What if I pass the test with a flying color?"
"That will never happen!"
"Oh, sure. How about this? If I win, I want a hundred refined spirit stones. It doesn't matter if they are Yin stones or Yang stones. I want a hundred of them."
"Huh!?"
Nie Ping was taken aback. In the market, one refined stone equaled 1,000 raw spirit stones. However, Miaomiao demanded a hundred of them, which would translate into 100,000 raw spirit stones.
Miaomiao hadn't realized yet that Silver Phoenix Sect made money by refining raw spirit stones into Yin stones or Yang stones. Xu Xiuying was also an alchemist master that could convert ten raw spirit stones into a refined stone. Even though the conversion process usually took an hour to complete, the profit that she made was enough to support her elders and over a thousand disciples for years.
For Mountain Goose Sect and other cultivators who couldn't refine spirit stones, this demand was absurd.
"Don't get too cocky, Xu Miao! Do you think I'm rich like you? You must be joking!"
Miaomiao bellowed back, "Do you think having me kowtowing to everyone and call you my father also a joke!? I am the representative of the Xu Clan and the Silver Phoenix Sect! If I kowtow to you, the entire sect will also kowtow to you! If we're betting the pride of my sect, I want equal compensation! If you can't afford the bet, then scram and go back to your beggar hole!"
The nine Virgin Yin disciples nodded in approval. If Miaomiao, who they considered as the strongest of outer disciples, were to bow to Nie Ping, everyone would have lost face. Then, the entire sect would be humiliated. If Nie Ping wanted this bet, he had to put something with equal value on the line as well.
Yet, Nie Ping scoffed, "Fine! A hundred refined spirit stones? I have no problem with that. Hell, I don't even need to gather those stones because you can never pass the trial with your meager cultivation base!"
.
.
.
Watching the entire drama, Xu Xiuying and Qi Hong almost couldn't hold back their laughter. This golden goose of theirs was cunning.
"Elder Qi. How many points do you think my son will get?"
Qi Hong had to cough three times to get rid of the urge to laugh, "At least 90. His meridian, dantian, and Qi volume will be full-score. I don't know about his muscle and bone marrow, though. But I think both of them should be somewhere in the 90s."
"Very perceptive. I have the same idea."
Both Xu Xiuying and Qi Hong mastered the Succubi Sense Technique and possessed eye artifacts. Their naked eyes could see through Miaomiao's meridian, aka his blood vessels. They were aware that he had practiced Qi Dissolving Technique, and his physique was the same as the 3rd stage cultivators with all 108 opened meridians.
"So, you knew about his potential all along?" Qi Hong thought that Xu Xiuying was aware of her son's potential.
"No, I didn't. If it weren't for yesterday's competition, I wouldn't have realized that this boy had hidden his strength. Did he secretly go out and train at night?"
"… No," Qi Hong was surprised that Xu Xiuying wasn't aware of her son's talent, "This is puzzling. I don't know when he trained. I've checked all the CCTV footage, but he did sleep every night."
"Hmm… Then, is it possible that he gets stronger every time he has sex?"
"I don't know, but it's possible."
"…"
Xu Xiuying and Qi Hong were still baffled about how Miaomiao raised his strength and mastered the ice manipulation technique. They misunderstood that he might be a natural genius that could improve his strength via sex.
The two elders ignored the competition and conspired among themselves. Xu Xiuying consulted Qi Hong on how they could use Miaomiao if he was really a hidden genius.
.
.
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Spectators and many noble clans paid attention to Miaomiao as they were curious about his abilities. Many old cultivators who came here to protect their children were not stupid. Since Xu Xiuying was bold enough to send her spoiled son to this examination, this young man might be a hidden gem among the young generation.
Wei Huang, the first elder of Mountain Goose Sect and the patriarch of the Wei Clan, stared at Miaomiao in doubt. He had received intel from spies from the Silver Phoenix Sect that Miaomiao never cultivated but had sex all day. He wondered why the shrewd old fox allowed her son to be here as Miaomiao might ruin her sect's reputation.
But everyone's suspicion would be answered soon. Miaomiao strolled toward one of the arrays and stood on it. Then, he placed his hands behind his back and raised his head, showing off his pride and dignity.
*WHOOM*
Then, the test result appeared.
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*********************************************
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[Evaluation – Xu Miao]
Muscle: 95
Bone Marrows: 93
Meridian: 100
Dantian: 100
Qi and Essence: 100
Overall: 98
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*********************************************
.
Miaomiao glanced at the score and clicked his tongue. He forgot to completely cleanse impure Yin Qi that he absorbed from other girls. Or else, his muscle and bone marrow scores would have been 100.
Although Miaomiao was dissatisfied, all spectators widened their eyes as they had to read through the result five times to confirm the number.
"N-N-Ninety eight!?"
"That's impossible! He's only a 1st stage trash!"
"How!? This is BS! Xu Miao is cheating!"
Everybody but the female disciples from the Silver Phoenix Sect didn't believe the result. Nie Ping and spectators were in denial as the status was too high.
Miaomiao didn't move away from the array. He turned around to Jian Meng, "Do you want to check if your array is working properly?"
"…"
Jian Meng frowned and examined the array. However, the formation was working as intended, so the result was correct.
"There is nothing wrong with the array. Go and stand on the other."
Making sure that the result wasn't wrong, Jian Meng ordered Miaomiao to use another array platform.
Miaomiao didn't resist. He walked away from the old array and stood on another one.
*WHOOM*
A new result appeared, but the value was still the same.
"…"
The crowd was speechless. Even Wei Feng was at a loss for words.
Yet, Nie Ping still didn't believe in the result. He stepped on the previous platform that Miaomiao had stood to prove that the latter had done something to cheat.
*WHOOM*
Nie Ping's old result was shown. His jaw dropped as he couldn't believe it.
"T-T-That's impossible. The array must have been broken! This whole test is a fraud!"
Miaomiao walked around and stood on every platform. All results were the same, which confirmed that the test wasn't rigged.
"Any complaint?"
"…"
Other disciples also tried to stand on the arrays, and various results were shown. None of them but Wei Feng managed to score more than 80.
Nobody could refute or deny the test result. Jian Meng was also watching the commotion while he was communicating with the sect master of Mountain Goose Sect, reporting the situation and asking for his assistance.
*WHOOSH*
Descending from the mountain was the sect master of the Mountain Goose Sect and the overlord of this city, Jia Shan. He was an elderly man with a long white full-beard that reached his belly. His thin and withered physique made him look like a frail old man, but his real cultivation strength was at the 7th stage, one rank higher than Xu Xiuying.
This sect master always kept his long hair tied into a topknot. Yet, his white hair was so long that it could reach the ground, so he couldn't tie everything on top of his head.
Still, the sect master had deep eyes, which always glowed in blue light. His inner Qi was brimmed with energy, which continued to prolong his life even though he was already over 300 years old.
Jia Shan didn't say anything and looked at anyone. He inspected the arrays one by one.
The crowd and all elders stopped speaking. Some of them even held their breath, afraid of this old man. His presence terrified all noble clansmen and cultivators as the strongest sword saint could easily kill them on a whim at any moment.
This was a world where the strong ruled over the weak. Laws and orders were meaningless in front of Jia Shan.
"Xu Xiuying," the Mountain Goose's sect master called for the co-host, "I haven't heard anything about you having a son, let alone having a proper husband."
Xu Xiuying obediently descended from the VIP spectator stand. Then, she bowed to Jia Shan, "This junior has adopted this child recently. Because of his previous undesirable family background, I have given him a new name and surname, so he won't be bullied by his peers."
"In summary, you've found a hidden gem and adopted him as your son. Am I right?"
"Senior Jia is wise."
Their conversation was quiet. Nobody but the two masters could hear them.
Xu Xiuying's usual domineering attitude flipped 180 degrees when she was in front of this sect master. She even confessed a partial truth about Miaomiao, but she didn't reveal that he was once a slave or had another appearance.
Still, Jia Shan gave Xu Xiuying and Miaomiao a meaningful look as if he could see through the disguise technique and everything inside their bodies. Jia Shan took a slow and deep breath before he turned to the crowd.
"I've inspected the arrays. Nothing has been tampered or altered! Also, I've scanned through Xu Miao's constitution. He has a unique physique and solid spirit roots that have been nurtured by practicing the most dangerous cultivation art, Qi Dissolving Technique! The overall score is correct!"
As if an atomic bomb had been dropped, the crowd erupted.
"WHAT!?"
บท 41: Annual Examination (3)
Chapter 41 – Annual Examination (3)
"WHAT!?"
Exclamations, shouts, and screams erupted as the crowd was flabbergasted by Jia Shan's announcement.
Having almost a perfect score was shocking enough, but the most mind-blowing part was that this young master had risked his life and practiced the most dangerous technique that everybody knew, Qi Dissolving Technique.
Qi Dissolving Technique was a common technique that everybody could stumble upon accidentally or learn from their seniors. However, very few managed to survive after dissolving their second strand of Qi.
Spiritual Qi consisted of three elements, Yin, Yang, and Life.
Yin represented women, cold, darkness, moon, soft, and negative energy.
Vice versa, Yang was the symbol of hot, light, hardness, men, day, and positive energy.
And lastly, Life Qi, aka the origin, the ultimate, the null, or the void, was the type of Qi energy without a class as it contained both Yin and Yang energy.
When someone practiced the Qi Dissolving Technique, they would suffer from a backlash from the Qi energy that they had disintegrated into particles.
Yin Qi would freeze and destroy the cultivator's innards and blood cells. Yang Qi would cook the cultivator from the inside, and Life Qi would devour a portion of the practitioner's blood and innards as a price for using this art.
Regardless of the type of Qi, not many cultivators tried it more than twice in their lifetime. The first time was usually safe, but the second time onward was like walking on a tightrope. One mistake usually resulted in death.
Xu Xiuying and elders from both sects also recommended their disciples to use this technique no more than once a day. However, after they used it for the second time, 99% of the disciples usually stopped using this technique for good as they always suffered critical internal injuries.
Yet, Miaomiao was an embodiment of a madman. Even Jia Shan was amazed at how this young man had survived after tampering his blood vessels and blood cells to this extend.
As for the ordinary crowd, they were at a loss for words. If what Jia Shan said was true, this son of Xu Xiuying was a supreme genius that could only appear once in a thousand years.
While the spectators were in an uproar, Jia Shan used this chance to probe Miaomiao, "Child, how many Qi strands have you dissolved? How often did you use that technique?"
Miaomiao almost lied that he only used it once a day. But upon looking into the glowing eyes of Jia Shan, Miaomiao's body trembled in fear. It was as if he was looking into Hell, and Satan was staring back at him.
In reality, Miaomiao dissolved 49 strands of Yang Qi every night. These 49 Qi transformed into particles to filter out impurity and improve his meridians, increasing his circulation speed and efficiency.
Still, Miaomiao decided to hide the truth to protect himself.
"Five."
"Five strands?"
"Yes. I dissolve about 5 strands a day."
"…"
The crowd sucked their cold breath. It would be fine if it was one or two a day, but five strands a day was crazy.
"Crazy bastard."
"He's a genius after all…"
"A rare constitution… So that's what a genius can do."
"But, the rumor said he's a wastrel…"
"Fool! This is how elite clans hide their information! This is a misinformation tactic that many warlords in the past used it in wars to trick their enemies. Xu Xiuying must have intentionally leaked the rumor to fool everybody!"
"I see. She wants to hide her precious son from her enemies. What a brilliant tactic. She had us fooled."
Random speculation and gossips went on, but they were far from the truth. Still, nobody dared to look down on Miaomiao anymore.
Jia Shan didn't pursue or try to find fault in Miaomiao's words even though he detected Miaomiao's lie. He knew that this kind of constitution belonged to a level 10 3rd stage cultivator who had opened all 108 meridians. If a 1st stage cultivator were to have this, his future potential would be limitless.
Having a promising cultivator as their ally was better than having them as his enemy. Jia Shan nodded at Miaomiao and Xu Xiuying, gesturing that he wouldn't pursue the matter. He took over the host's duties, so the annual examination event could continue.
"Now, you've seen the spiritual roots of our outer disciples. Those who wish to enter our sects can get up on this stage and stand on these arrays. Your result will be shown in the hologram monitors. Also, there will be special rewards given to top rankers of all tests."
The crowd cheered when they heard that there would be rewards for top rankers. Many noble clans got their hopes up as they encouraged their children.
Just by hearing that rewards were waiting for them, everybody ignored Miaomiao's ability. They were distracted and forgot about his score temporarily.
…
While Jia Shan was taking control over the commotion, Jian Meng chased all disciples away, so they could resume the trial.
All disciples also used this chance to return to their respective seats, but Miaomiao turned to Nie Ping and shouted, "Where's my 100 refined spirit stones?"
Nie Ping pretended that he didn't hear Miaomiao's voice. He walked away and refused to pay the stones as he didn't have them.
"DON'T FORGET OUR BET, FRIEND! YOU OWE ME 100 REFINED SPIRIT STONES! OH, I ALMOST FORGOT. THERE IS A THING CALLED "DEBT SLAVE", RIGHT? BE SURE TO PAY ME WITHIN A MONTH, OR I'LL VIST YOUR PARENTS TO MAKE THEM MY SLAVES!"
Although the crowd didn't pay attention to Miaomiao and the other disciples anymore, Nie Ping could still hear everything. Upon hearing the blackmail threat, Nie Ping was furious.
"YOU'RE DEAD!!"
Nie Ping summoned his magic sword from his spatial ring, planning to kill Miaomiao.
However, Wei Feng seized Nie Ping's arm and pulled the latter to their VIP seat.
"Young master Wei, let me go!"
"Idiot!" Wei Feng slapped Nie Ping's face and scold him, "Xu Xiuying and Silver Phoenix's elders are there. If you attack him, you'll be killed instantly! Do you want to start a war between our sects!?"
Nie Ping was taken aback. He regretted that he provoked Miaomiao and Wei Feng at the same time.
"I-I'm sorry. B-But he has threatened to enslave my parents."
"I know how you feel. This is not the time."
"Not the time? Ah!" Nie Ping realized something.
Wei Feng patted Nie Ping's shoulder and whispered, "If this year's tests are the same as last year, there is still THAT!"
"Right. I can fight him in THAT."
…
After blackmailing Nie Ping, Miaomiao and other girls ignored them and returned to their seats. He didn't pursue the betting issue for now, but he planned to extort him in the future.
"Do you know that ordinary outer disciples averagely have only a few dozen raw spirit stones at best?"
Qi Hong snickered as she found Miaomiao's previous action mischievous.
"Meh, if I didn't do that much, they would have thought I was some kind of a pushover. You know, I have to kill a chicken to scare some monkeys. I have a reputation to uphold."
"This is the first time that I hear you have a reputation. I'm shocked."
"…"
"Haha! Just kidding. Don't be sulky. Do you want me to give you a handjob again?"
"Stop that. I'm tired of having sex all day. Let me rest for once."
"Oh, that's new coming from you. I thought you got horny all day."
"… One of these days, I'll ravish you senseless."
"I'll be waiting, Hehehe!"
Qi Hong kept teasing Miaomiao in public. They weren't afraid that someone might scold them for their flirty behavior since they were the VIPs.
Xu Xiuying, Jia Shan, Luo Cheng, Jian Meng, and other elders didn't pay attention to them as they focused on monitoring the event. Moreover, the crowd stopped looking at their seats and focused on over a thousand disciple candidates, who had climbed the stage and waited for their turns to take the examination.
For hours, over ten thousand young men and women took turns standing on the evaluation platforms. More than half of them couldn't reach the minimum score. They went back to their families with their head down, crying as if it was the end of the world.
As for the succeeded candidates, they returned to their families and waited for the next test.
Miaomiao kept watching the trial takers walking up the stage and walking down one by one. It was interesting at first, but it got dull after several hours. He got bored.
With nothing to do, he turned to his flirty elder, "Senior Qi, how long do we have to wait here?"
"Usually, the tests last a week. There are only 4 tests, but the first one always takes an entire day to complete."
"A-A week?"
"Yeah. We'll camp here for a week to show courtesy to Jia Shan."
"…"
"Patient is also one of the hidden trials. Impatient ones always lose their cool during the waiting period and fail the next trials easily."
Miaomiao didn't care about the hidden test, but he was concerned about what he would do in the next 7 days. The process took too long.
"Then, what do you do to kill times?"
"For me, I scan through all candidates. Even if someone were to fail, we still scout them if they have the right mindset or potential. See that little girl in the middle of the pack? She's only 12 or so, but she has scored 50 points. We take notes of their age and their current score into consideration. Your mother has already noticed her, and she will dispatch one of our HR teams to recruit the girl and her family soon."
"Oh! So, there's more to this than meets the eye."
"Correct. The trial isn't everything. Well, it's my job to scout and record all these results, though. Excuse me, young master, I have to pay attention. I won't be talking to you for a while."
"…"
Qi Hong stopped talking to Miaomiao, continuing to gaze at the people on the stage.
Seeing that Qi Hong was busy, Miaomiao stopped pestering her. He turned toward his mindless toy, Jiang Lan.
'Since I'm free, I might as well increase my essence and prepare for the next test.'
Miaomiao grabbed Jiang Lan's hand and brought her to the sect's private restroom.
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.
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Miaomiao's action didn't escape a young blacksmith's eyes. He had been looking at Miaomiao ever since he got here.
When Miaomiao left with Jiang Lan, it was already the blacksmith's turn to take the exam.
"Next!"
Jian Meng called the new batch of test-takers to stand on the arrays.
Xie Tian walked onto one of the arrays. Yet, he kept staring toward the Xu Clan's VIP stand, looking for his ex-girlfriend and her husband.
*WHOOM*
20 Semi-transparent holograms showed the result of 20 examinees, who stood on the arrays.
"WHAT!?"
"WOW!"
"HOLY SHIT!!"
The crowd was thrown into an uproar when they saw the result.
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