Prose's Dilemma

"What do you mean, Planetary Level, first rank?"

"Wc! He really is Planetary Level, first rank!"

"Are you sure that Planetary Level, first rank is Jiang Yao?"

Ever since Jiang Yao entered the trial grounds, he had quickly become the center of attention.

After all, even newcomers who had been rated low-grade in the evaluation a year ago could claim three Muya Crystals, enough to raise their Origin Energy to the second rank of Planetary Level.

That went all the more for the older students.

In the vast trial grounds, there were very few whose genetic Origin Energy was still at the first rank of Planetary Level. It was rare for someone to have failed to advance even after receiving three Muya Crystals.

And Jiang Yao was one of those few who remained at the first rank of Planetary Level.

Add to that the widely circulated labels of "three-second genius" and "the low-grade newcomer with the worst Spiritual Force talent in history," and he naturally became the center of everyone's attention.

Jiang Yao still looked unruffled on the surface, but he was muttering to himself inwardly.

After keeping to himself for the past year, he truly hadn't expected to be so famous.

What Jiang Yao didn't know was that he had greatly underestimated his own renown. Not only did every young genius in the Starry Sky Building know who he was, but many of the Lingtong Race's Stellar-Level powerhouses had also heard of him.

Jiang Yao's results in the willpower assessment had been too outrageous. Though the Lingtong Race's geniuses generally believed in private that the chief examiner, Kuman, had made a mistake, the first round had clear, objective standards, while the willpower assessment consisted of a Stellar-Level examiner casting illusions. Only the examiner himself knew whether he had gone easy on someone or made an error.

Still, Jiang Yao's becoming that lucky one was certainly worth gossiping about, especially given his mediocre Spiritual Force talent.

Some were jealous; others were simply there for the spectacle.

Mo Li, on the other hand, didn't come looking for trouble with Jiang Yao. He merely glanced at him from afar, then acted as if he hadn't seen him.

Jiang Yao wasn't sure whether Mo Li didn't dare cause trouble in front of everyone, or whether he had truly let go of some kind of "obsession" with Jiang Yao, his old rival.

He was more inclined to believe the latter.

It was obvious that Mo Li was even more arrogant than before—and not in the ordinary, showy way of a teenage boy.

It was arrogance.

A quiet, distant, condescending arrogance toward others.

It reminded Jiang Yao of the blond young man named Kuman.

During the rating assessment a year ago, Kuman had been the chief examiner, but he had remained silent throughout. Jiang Yao knew that wasn't simply because he was introverted; it was because of his arrogance, because he didn't consider anyone worth his attention.

Jiang Yao could tell that Kuman hadn't thought much of any of them, those little Planetary-Level kids. He hadn't even regarded the other Stellar-Level assistant examiners as worth his attention. The only exception was Prose, who had welcomed them.

Mo Li seemed like a lesser version of Kuman. Even if he was deliberately imitating him, it proved that Mo Li at least had the means to back up his arrogance.

Perhaps after this gifted little monster came into contact with a new, wider world, he had "seized his moment and transformed into a dragon." He had suddenly grown up in a short time, become a true genius, gained greater strength and a broader outlook, and left his childish bullying behind.

A young person's mind could mature overnight, and Jiang Yao wasn't surprised. But he also knew that a little monster might grow up without its wickedness disappearing. Its evil nature might simply become more mature, more restrained, and better at disguising itself. It would no longer waste time and effort on people who weren't worth it.

As time passed, more and more people arrived at the trial grounds, and the examiners showed up one after another.

The arrogant blond Kuman wasn't there. Instead, the assessment team consisted of a teacher whose lectures Jiang Yao had attended and two assistant examiners who had accompanied Kuman a year earlier.

In practice, a single Stellar-Level powerhouse could assess them. But the Lingtong Race required at least three examiners for official assessments involving the allocation of resources. All decisions had to be made jointly by the three of them. This was both a way to share responsibility and a safeguard against Stellar-Level powerhouses letting personal motives undermine the race's long-established system for nurturing geniuses.

Prose was there with them as well.

As the welcoming guide for the geniuses of Jiang Yao's generation, Prose would have to carry out his duties until they "graduated" twenty years later. But Prose held a special position, and he wouldn't serve as a welcoming guide again after those twenty years. Instead, he would head to the Lingtong Race's Main Sect in the Kasolo Empire to prepare for the Peak Genius Tournament three hundred years later.

One of the assistant examiners sent a mental transmission, puzzled. "Why is that boy Jiang Yao still at the first rank of Planetary Level? I remember he was rated high-grade a year ago."

In front of the four Stellar-Level powerhouses, Jiang Yao—the rare first-rank Planetary-Level student—was impossible to miss.

The chief examiner had also noticed Jiang Yao. He gave a quiet snort and replied through a mental transmission, "He hasn't attended classes in over half a year. I suppose his Spiritual Force talent is poor, so he gave up on himself?"

The assistant examiner sounded displeased. "There was controversy over his rating a year ago, too. We rated him high-grade to give him a chance, and this is how he repays us? Ungrateful." He was unhappy that Jiang Yao had squandered his goodwill and the clan's resources.

Prose didn't join the examiners' discussion, nor did he pay any more attention to Jiang Yao. He kept thinking about the matter that had been troubling him for days: who had released that Domain?

It clearly hadn't been Kuman. Besides, Kuman wasn't on Yanhe Planet; he was cultivating on a gas giant not far from it.

As far as Prose knew, only two Stellar-Level members of the Lingtong Race's Yanhe Lineage currently possessed a Domain. One was him; the other was Kuman.

Prose himself had only recently comprehended a Domain. Before that, Kuman had been the only Stellar-Level member of the entire race to possess one. That was why the ever-arrogant genius had started treating Prose differently after learning of his breakthrough.

Prose's Spiritual Force talent wasn't particularly outstanding, either. Only his willpower was exceptional—though not to the absurd extent of Jiang Yao's. That was why he had shown kindness to the boy.

But willpower didn't provide any immediate benefits to cultivation. So even after finally breaking through to Stellar Level, Prose wasn't particularly outstanding among those of the same rank. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been burdened with the exhausting job of welcoming and babysitting Planetary-Level geniuses. Still, he was broad-minded and didn't mind doing it for the sake of the race.

Of course, after Prose had suddenly gained insight and comprehended a Domain, his position in the clan had changed dramatically. If not for his steadfast will and his deep sense of responsibility to the race, he would have long since escaped his mundane duties and enjoyed the same freedom as Kuman. Instead, he had insisted on seeing this generation of students through to the end.

Could the old folks have secretly cultivated a hidden trump card?

Prose dismissed the thought as soon as it came to him. Geniuses didn't grow in secretive corners. Still, he couldn't completely rule out the possibility of someone like him—mediocre in talent but with a strong mind—somehow acquiring a Domain.

But it was already the Universe Origin's blessing for their Yanhe Lineage of the Lingtong Race to have two Stellar-Level members who possessed Domains. Having another would be absurd. What kind of luck would that take?

Or could one of the clan's elders have released that Domain?

While Prose was wrestling with the question, the chief examiner announced the start of the assessment.

Twelve light screens suddenly appeared in the trial grounds.

"This assessment will test just one thing—how well you've cultivated the Seven Turns of Heaven's End!"

"For Spirit Readers of the Lingtong Race to reach Stellar Level, mastering the Seven Turns of Heaven's End is a prerequisite. So the clan won't let you waste time experimenting with other Combat Secret Techniques, physical training, attribute enhancement, or the cultivation of intent. If you can't become a Stellar-Level powerhouse, it doesn't matter how well you train in anything else!"

"The light screen you break through will show the level your Mental Power Amplitude has reached. Now is the time to test the results of your cultivation over the past year, and to reevaluate whether your talents are good or poor." The chief examiner's gaze swept over the four people who had been rated high-grade a year ago, then came to rest on Jiang Yao. He paused for a moment.

"The assessment begins now. First up, Mo Li!"