Chapter 250: Test Results
The moment the notification sounded, Xu Zhi immediately and keenly sensed that the concentration of extraordinary energy in the room was decreasing.
Even without knowing how others perceived it, she was confident that her sensitivity to extraordinary energy was absolutely top-tier. Though perhaps that, too, should be attributed to affinity?
The room wasn’t large to begin with. Although the rate of decrease wasn’t especially fast, within just a few minutes the energy was nearly depleted.
Xu Zhi had no intention of “holding back.” On the contrary, she completely opened herself to absorbing the extraordinary energy in the air. She did not intend to keep a low profile. Since she was already under surveillance, she might as well display her “value” and talent as much as possible—ideally making a stunning first impression.
Thus, even when the concentration of extraordinary energy in the room had thinned to almost nothing, Xu Zhi continued to draw in the remaining [Lamp]-attribute energy with all her effort—until the very last trace disappeared.
She thought her performance in this round should be quite good.
“Quite good? It’s far more than that!”
At the top floor of the Academic Affairs Office, several teachers in Light Academy uniforms sat together observing Xu Zhi’s test. One side of the screen displayed her live footage; the other showed real-time data.
“Her absorption rate of extraordinary energy in the air reached 92%!”
“Over 90%! We all know what that means!”
“Even in the Lost Lands, she would—!”
Someone slapped the table, his voice brimming with excitement.
“Not one of us here can reach that level of efficiency, and you call that merely ‘quite good’?”
The white-haired old man glared at another elderly man beside him.
“…Calm down. That’s only her absorption efficiency under normal conditions. There are more tests to come. Excelling in just one category isn’t enough.”
The elder who had been glared at waved his hand, signaling the easily excitable man to settle down.
A middle-aged woman wearing glasses spoke up. “Such a high baseline absorption rate already proves her extraordinary affinity is certainly not low. If her remaining test results are at least above average—even if not outstanding—her talent is more than sufficient.”
“But her eyes are injured, and so is her body. That will discount her potential somewhat. If her other talents are only above average, it may not be enough…”
Another person pointed at the glasses Xu Zhi wore on the screen.
“That’s true,” someone murmured.
“Her identity is special. Other forces are watching as well,” someone reminded.
“And what if her other talents are also outstanding?”
The room fell silent for several seconds.
Then the elderly man wearing the principal’s attire spoke.
“No need to rush. Let’s observe first. If her talent is truly exceptional, the Light Academy can overlook her unclear origins.”
With that decisive statement, the disputes ceased. Everyone turned their attention back to Xu Zhi.
At that moment, the circuits in the room shifted color, turning pale blue. Xu Zhi immediately recognized it as the color of the [Winter] attribute.
As the pale blue light illuminated the room, she felt a stronger pulling force than before emanating from the circuit. The extraordinary energy within her body began to be extracted. Xu Zhi did not resist, allowing the circuit to drain her energy continuously.
As her internal reserves dwindled, that familiar sensation—one she had experienced multiple times—returned: the feeling of extraordinary exhaustion.
But this time, Xu Zhi was no longer affected by it. After having once endured a period entirely without extraordinary power, she had grown accustomed to the body and mind’s craving for it. The itching sensation that seeped from the marrow of her bones could now be ignored without changing her expression.
Thus, the teachers monitoring her were astonished to discover that this frail new student—who required a wheelchair—showed not the slightest change in expression even after her extraordinary energy had been completely drained.
“This…”
They exchanged looks.
“Did something go wrong with the circuit? Did it really drain her completely?” someone asked doubtfully.
After checking, another confirmed, “No malfunction.”
Silence fell over the room once more.
“I’m saying, we old fellows might manage to keep a straight face—but at her age, at her level, she can remain this composed?”
“Which student hasn’t cried in agony at this stage? Even the better ones can’t control their expressions or body language. The best among the current students couldn’t suppress it either—his fists were clenched tight.”
“But look at her. Not even a twitch of her fingers!”
The previously excitable old man now stood up outright.
“Does she not feel anything at all?” someone wondered aloud.
“How could that be? For an extraordinary individual to lose their energy is like throwing an ordinary person into an oxygenless environment. To remain expressionless under such circumstances—such mental fortitude must be exceptional.”
“Yes. With this level of composure, as long as her talent is sufficient, she will surely go farther on the extraordinary path than others.”
“This child is not simple.”
After several exchanges, their tone had shifted entirely to admiration. Their gazes toward Xu Zhi now carried faint anticipation.
They were hoping this unexpected girl—who hadn’t even been considered a true student in their original plans—would bring them even greater surprises. Surprises large enough to justify breaking certain principles.
“The next phase is beginning.”
As those words fell, the data on the screen showed the extraordinary energy concentration in the room skyrocketing from zero.
Inside the chamber, Xu Zhi instantly sensed the sudden surge of dense energy around her.
In that instant, she fully opened the “valve” she had been restraining. Almost immediately, the extraordinary energy within her body reached full saturation.
Upstairs, on the monitoring screen, her result appeared at a speed none of them had anticipated.
[2 seconds.]
“…Is there a malfunction?”
“…”
“Am I seeing things?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then I must be hallucinating in broad daylight,” the old man muttered. Then, in the next moment, realization struck, and he leapt to his feet with both hands raised.
“Two seconds?!”
“Two seconds!”
He repeated it again. “Does she have any classes with me? She doesn’t have a mentor yet, right? I may not be Lamp-attribute, but my daughter is! I should be able to serve as her mentor, shouldn’t I?”
Before he could finish, someone cut him off. “Stop being ridiculous! You’re not even Lamp-attribute. What would you guide her in? Your daughter may be talented, but she’s not you!”
“Exactly! Better let me do it. My level might be slightly lower than yours, but I’m Lamp-attribute. I can guide her better.”
“Nonsense! At our stage, even a single level difference is a chasm. It should be me!”
“It should be me!”
“Me!”
Downstairs, Xu Zhi blinked in boredom.
She had no idea that several old men upstairs were on the verge of fighting over her. She was merely wondering why the door hadn’t opened yet after the test had clearly concluded.
Had she performed so well that they crashed?
Yes—Xu Zhi only considered the possibility that she had performed too well. It never crossed her mind that her performance could be “average,” let alone “poor.” She possessed both the confidence and the self-awareness that she was likely a genius.
After waiting about another minute, the notification sounded again.
[Congratulations, Student Xu Zhi. Testing complete. Test results will now be announced:]
[Based on your performance:
Your Extraordinary Affinity: Outstanding
Current academy ranking in this category: No.1]
[Congratulations. As you rank first in the academy in Extraordinary Affinity, you will receive an additional 100 academic credits per month.]
