After running through several more out-of-the-way corners, Yu Xunge returned to the fountain.
Less than ten minutes remained before time resumed.
She tossed all the blue crystals in her backpack back into the pool.
Those few crystals could not change anything, and taking them would only make it easier to expose her identity.
After nudging Karakara aside, Yu Xunge lay down in Karakara's original spot.
Worried that she might give herself away, she also pulled some crystals over to her side. Karakara had originally been nearly buried beneath them anyway.
After checking everything once more with Evidence Sorting and confirming there were no oversights, she finally used Moon's Flipside on Karakara!
Moon's Flipside: What lies on the other side of the moon? Designate a target and teleport it to the place it fears most.
One turtle was enough for this wishing pool.
The moment she sent Karakara away, the world came alive once more. At the same time, Yu Xunge closed her eyes.
Once all the competing apprentices entered the azure curtain of light, it snapped shut, then slowly spread apart again, becoming a canopy. Yet in the next instant, it shattered into a hundred rectangular screens that descended above the river of time.
Most remarkably, no matter where a spectator sat, they would see the front of every screen.
They were staggered at varying sizes, occasionally even swapping positions.
Yet the farther forward a screen was, the larger it was, and the larger the number above the apprentice's head appeared onscreen.
The screens' sizes and order were arranged entirely according to the contestants' rankings.
Every spectator could easily identify the rankings, and those watching in person could even select a screen and "pull" it in front of themselves for a closer look.
This mode did not affect the